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The staff at Metric Thunder was saddened to hear of the untimely passing of one of the principals of Image Events Worldwide, Robert Bottoms. As an Executive Producer for Image Events, we had numerous opportunities to work with him and witness his talents, innovations and creativity.

Last Thursday evening, July 20th, 2006, while on his way from his office in Las Vegas, NV to his home in Julian, CA , Robert suffered what appears to have been a heart attack.

Robert touched so many people as a leader, innovator, father, grandfather, husband , friend, volunteer and mentor. His work and enthusiasm will long be remembered not only in the Special Event Industry, but for his years of dedicated service to The White House, Peace Corps and Fire Department.

Robert's deep voice, loving smile, gentle heart, creativity, originality and exuberance will be greatly missed.

Metric Thunder extends condolences to Robert's wife Nancy, his brother Tim, his family, the staff at Image Events Worldwide and friends.

From Bikernet Radio

The Saxon Motorcycle Company storms in from the Southwest to dealers across the country with designs that are truly unique and well executed. At major events from Daytona to Laughlin River Run you can find bikers in the know with a Saxon between their knees.

Putting da rubber down
These bikes got the power and can put down some strips of black rubber.

  Click here to visit Bikernet Radio to hear Thunder Bob's interview.

Thunder Bob sezs, "Kick some asphalt and get out and ride!"

From Bikernet Radio

Thunder Bob gets the 411 on Hardbikes... the company that allows you to create your own custom motorcycle. From pro-street to choppers, Hardbikes allows you to deliver your dreams.

"Custom Bikes are better than a mistress," informs Bob Kay. "You can ride them any time, a date runs only $20 at the pump and the wife doesn't care."

  Click here to visit Bikernet Radio to hear Thunder Bob's interview.

From Bikernet Radio

Thunder Bob dials up Jaz to get the lowdown on R-Max USA by Roadmax. Over 50% of the custom bike builders run a R-Max product. Jaz talks trannys, springers and belt drives as well as his background on building v-twin parts and accessories.

  Click here to visit Bikernet Radio to hear Thunder Bob's interview.

From Bikernet Radio

Thunder Bob chats up this custom bike designer from the Great White North. No wonder Brian builds such outstanding bikes... It snows 6 months out of the year!

  Click here to visit Bikernet Radio to hear Thunder Bob's interview.

From Bikernet Radio

Jesse Rooke profiled his new KTM Custom MotoBike at California Speedway during the opening round of the 2006 AMA Supermoto Championship presented by Parts Unlimited. He parked the custom motorbike outside the Team Red Bull KTM HMC transporter.

  Click here to visit Bikernet Radio to hear Thunder Bob's interview.

NOTE:
The Discovery Channel show Biker Build-Off filmed segments for its next season the following day at Willow Springs
Raceway between builders Jesse Rooke and Roland Sands. The television segment featured a head-to-head roadrace, drag race
and flat track competition. The episodes under production at Willow Springs will begin airing in October on the
Discovery Channel.

Click here to get the sneak peek of the winner.

Bob Feather's Photographs Tell a Story

Bob Feather knows his way around a camera. Feather has been a professional photographer for over 16 years and is currently a staff photographer for both American Iron and RoadBike Magazines.

Feather shares several tips on how to take great shots of your bike with Thunder Bob. Get the scoop right 'hear' on Thunder Radio.

Listen Now

It takes a couple of seconds for the audio to begin.
The radio show is approximately 35 minutes.

Download
Bob Feather[mp3: 5.3M]

Just finished reading "UNDER & ALONE" by William Queen. WOW, what a ride!

In 1998, William Queen was a veteran law enforcement agent with a lifelong love of motorcycles and a lack of patience with paperwork. When a "confidential informant" made contact with his boss at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, offering to take an agent inside the San Fernando chapter of the Mongols (one of the most dangerous gangs in America), Queen jumped at the chance, not realizing that he was kicking-starting the most extensive undercover operation inside an outlaw motorcycle gang in the history of American law enforcement.

Nor did Queen suspect that he would penetrate the gang so successfully that he would become a fully "patched-in" member, eventually rising through their ranks to the office of treasurer, where he had unprecedented access to evidence of their criminal activity. After Queen spent twenty-eight months as "Billy St. John," the bearded, beer-swilling, Harley-riding gang-banger, the truth of his identity became blurry, even to himself.

During his initial "prospecting" phase, Queen was at the mercy of crank-fueled criminal psychopaths who sought to have him test his mettle and prove his fealty by any means necessary, from selling (and doing) drugs, to arms trafficking, stealing motorcycles, driving getaway cars, and, in one shocking instance, stitching up the face of a Mongol "ol lady" after a particularly brutal beating at the hands of her boyfriend.

Yet despite the constant criminality of the gang, for whom planning cop killings and gang rapes were business as usual, Queen also came to see the genuine camaraderie they shared. When his lengthy undercover work totally isolated Queen from family, his friends, and ATF colleagues, the Mongols felt like the only family he had left. "I had no doubt these guys genuinely loved Billy St. John and would have laid down their lives for him. But they wouldn't hesitate to murder Billy Queen."

From Queen's first sleight of hand with a line of methamphetamine in front of him and a knife at his throat, to the fearsome face-off with their decades-old enemy, the Hell's Angels (a brawl that left three bikers dead), to the heartbreaking scene of a father ostracized at Parents' Night because his deranged-outlaw appearance precluded any interaction with regular citizens, Under and Alone is a breathless, adrenaline-charged read that puts you on the street with some of the most dangerous men in America and with the law enforcement agents who risk everything to bring them in.

Not only is this a page turner, but it's in production to become a major motion picture produced by and starring Mel Gibson as Bill Queen. Antione Fuqua, Director of Training Day, will be directing this one so you know it'll be well done and have an edge.

Not sure it'll be on Oprah's book of the month club, but it's definitley on mine!

MTB

Jessica Prokup, editor of RoadBike, talks about the sun, the sand, the bikes and racing. Her trip started with 5 inches of snow and ended with 80 degrees and a sunburn... ahhh, the life of an editor.

She has the 411 before it hits the magazines... don't miss it! Click the left button to start, the middle button to pause and the right button to stop.

Listen Now

It takes a couple of seconds for the audio to begin. The radio show is approximately 30 minutes.

Download
Beach Tales from Jessica [mp3: 4.7M]

Save money, save time and get a better end result in creating that custom look for your cruiser by having a plan in mind before you begin.

Although lots of chrome usually always looks great on a cruiser, it's important to remember that your ride should be an expression of the rider and not just a magnet for chrome.

  Thunder Bob gives you more on the design process.

That's why we came up with the Thunder Design Process.

We believe that for any process to succeed, you have to keep it simple. Our process isn't revolutionary however, it does give you some common sense steps to think about that will make customizing your bike easier.

THE THUNDER DESIGN PROCESS

1. Decide on the purpose of your cruiser:

• Bagger for short/medium range cruising
  
• Trophy or tavern to tavern
  
• Muscle or performance bike
  
• Standard cruising
  
• Long distance/touring
  
• Hybrid or multipurpose

2. Choose a theme:

• Pro street
  
• Old school
  
• Bobber
  
• Gangster
  
• Blackout or night train
  
• Modern
  
• Retro
  
• Western
  
• One-of-a-kind

3. Decide on a budget:

• How much are you willing to spend?
  
• Remember that paint, pipes and wheels are highest cost.
  
• Consider labor costs if someone else will be doing the work.
  
• Prioritize what is most/least important to your purpose/theme
  

4. Determine your timeline:

• Decide on a realistic timeline. All at one or in segments.
  
• If paint is part of the plan, allow for..
  
  a. Time to dismantle paint surfaces
  b. Paint theme development
  c. Painters schedule, (build in an extra 1-2 weeks)
  d. Time to reassemble,(double the dismantle time).
  e. Consider that electrical, cabling, handlebars and some other elements are easier to complete while body parts are in paint.
  
  
• Be aware of lead times on key parts such as wheels and custom seats.
  
• Consider seasonality when customizing. Many who live in colder climates like to wait for winter to attack major projects.

It's most important to understand that there is no right or wrong, all that matters is that you achieve the experience you had in mind. Magazines, the Internet and your own travels will become your best source for ideas.

Remember, don't worry that each decision you make will be final or irreversable. There is a very large secondary market out there for well maintained used cruiser parts. If you decide you want to change from a set of drag pipes to a two-into-one pipe, there is a good chance you can resell your old pipes on Ebay or one of the many online bike forums.

Customizing a cruiser is the next best thing to riding one!

RoadBike Magazine recently profiled Thunder Bob and the Thunder Bike 2 in their April 2006 edition. Jessica Prokup, Editor of RoadBike, dug what Metric Thunder did and how they did it. RoadBike took a number of pictures at Sturgis 2005 when Thunder Bob could ride under his own power. (That's another story)

It's important to note that at no time did Team Metric Thunder either own or look at a service manual on this 2053cc/125 CI Bag Boy!

Pick up the latest issue of RoadBike to get all the details. To see the T Bike 2 build process click here. To see pics of T Bike 2 and Thunder Bob click here.

In developing this award winning bike, Team Metric Thunder created a design system called the Thunder Design Process. For information on how you can create your own custom bike using our design system call us to get started at (866) 744-7900.

BUB AIMS FOR 325 MPH in 2006

What does the Big Ugly Bastard (BUB) have to say about Bonneville, Rinehart exhausts and running one of the most successful exhaust pipe manufacturers in the world? Denis Manning spills it on Bikenet Radio.

Click here to hear Thunder Bob's interview with the Bubster.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON DAYTONA 2006 BIKE WEEK EVENTS OFFER FULL SCHEDULE OF
ACTIVITIES

MILWAUKEE (February 22, 2006) - The official Harley-Davidson schedule of events for the 65th annual Bike Week at Daytona Beach, Fla., includes activities for the wide variety of motorcycle enthusiasts and visitors expected to attend.

New this year is Harley-Davidson's participation at three different
locations (Ocean Center, Daytona International Speedway and Destination Daytona), events at the Ocean Center early in the week and new activities in the Ocean Center indoor show.

Ocean Center Arena - Official Harley-Davidson events at the Ocean Center Arena will run from March 6-11. Highlights include the Harley-Davidson and Buell indoor show (March 7-10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and March 11 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.), the annual Ride-In Show Contest (March 8), the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Live Auction (March 10) and MDA Bike Raffle (March 11). There will also be a H.O.G. and BRAG new product reception on March 6 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and H.O.G. and BRAG hospitality areas during regular show hours.

Ocean Center Indoor Show Floor - There will be plenty to do on the Ocean Center indoor show floor, including checking out the latest Harley-Davidson and Buell motorcycles, Genuine Motor Accessories and MotorClothes Merchandise, Harley-Davidson Trivia Contests (March 7-11), Biker Billy cooking demonstrations (March 7-11), the Ford Harley-Davidson (tm) F-Series Display and the interactive Experience Center.

Activities outside the Ocean Center starting on the first Saturday of
Bike Week include the B.O.S.S. Ball of Steel Stunt Shows (March 4-11)
and the Evel Knievel Display Trailer with a chance to meet Evel and get an autograph (March 4-7).

Demo Rides - Harley-Davidson and Buell motorcycle demo rides are available at Daytona International Speedway March 6-11 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Riders with a valid license and appropriate riding gear can try out 2006 Harley-Davidson and Buell motorcycles.

Ocean Center Live Auction - The MDA Live Auction will be held at the Ocean Center Friday, March 10, at 1 p.m. and the MDA Bike Raffle for a 2006 FXDI35 Dyna 35th Anniversary Super Glide motorcycle will take place Saturday, March 11 at 1 p.m. MDA will also be selling 2006 MDA/Harley-Davidson pins and Daytona event pins throughout the week.

Motorcycle Photography - Mike Lichter with an update on my motorcycle photography. Mike has 13 large Limited Edition prints on display in the Orlando Art Museum in conjunction with their "Art of the Motorcycle" exhibit, which is running through July. (see www.OMArt.org for details)

Bikernet.com is giving away a free set of Fat Cat DYNA Pipes by D&D Performance Exhaust. It's easy to WIN a new set of high-performance Fat Cats, just follow the steps below.

Note - If you don't have a DYNA keep looking at this space because we will be running exhaust pipe promotions throughout the year on a number of bikes.

• HOW - Send a picture of your DYNA to dandd@horsepower marketing.com
  
• INFORMATION INCLUDED - Send a picture of your bike with your name and telephone number
  
• HOW TO WIN: All pictures will be posted at Bikernet.com and with the BIKER community at bikernet.com voting for the 'Most Desirable DYNA' of Bikernet.
  
• PIPE DETAILS - The 2 into 1 Fat Cat Pipes makes the best horsepower and torque. The stylish upswept design provides the performance rider with extra ground clearance. Each pipe is hand fitted and installed with heat shields.
  
• Experience up to 10 additional horses.

It's that easy! Send your picture and you have a great shot at winning D&D's just released Fat Cat DYNA pipe!

Know Where You Are Going - Harley-Davidson Motor Company announces its new Great Roads interactive web tool now live in the Experience section of www.harley-davidson.com. The Great Roads tool encourages riders to explore the country on their motorcycles, and enables enthusiasts to rate and review 20 of the nation's scenic byways.

Riders have the capability to expand their motorcycle experiences with the aid of the Great Roads web tool by finding new routes and reading personal reviews from fellow enthusiasts who have ridden and rated the areas.

Each Great Road listing includes types of scenery and road characteristics - whether the roads are twisty, or if the area is flat or mountainous. It also provides essential travel information for motorcyclists, such as whether there are adequate gas stops, how much traffic to expect and the best time of year to ride the route.

Maps of the Great Roads can be customized for a rider's individual needs using a convenient link to the Harley-Davidson Ride Planner. Great Roads included in the web tool also offer details on local Harley-Davidson dealers in that area, and several offer suggestions for lodging that can be booked through a travel specialist.

The Great Roads web tool provides links to other enthusiast services including Authorized Rentals and Tours and Harley-Davidson Shipping. These services help riders overcome constraints such as time and weather to expand their riding and touring opportunities.

To rate and review a Great Road, enthusiasts need to create a Harley-Davidson user profile at www.harley-davidson.com, and then link to Great Roads page under the Experience section.