Welcome to Friday Fudge – a weekly round up of the more ‘unusual’ motorcycle related stories that are just too silly to post on their own, but raise a much bigger chortle when you slap them all together and take the piss.
Biker baddies in court
Despite some less-than-bloodthirsty activity we’ve noted here in Friday Fudge, as a general rule, the Hells Angels have a fearful reputation. Mess with them, and you get mashed up – if you’re lucky. Some of their past disputes with rival biker gangs have involved heavy weaponry, such as explosives and rocket launchers.
Now the Hells Angels are again locked in a battle over money-making turf. This time, though, they’re not feuding with the Outlaws over drug territories, or mixing it up with the Mongols over machine gun sales. No, they’ve taken on a brand new opponent – Amazon.com.
It seems that someone has been selling Hells Angels-themed T-shirts on Amazon without paying copyright fees to the Hells Angels. That’s a big no-no – the gang sues anyone who rips off their trademark name or logo.
Amazon is in kind of a no-win situation here – even if they win the court decision, the Angels could always take a bazooka to their book warehouse afterwards. We think it’s best for the retail website to just walk away from this whole mess and rip off Sons of Anarchy instead.
Story source: Bikes in the Fast Lane
Low mileage machine
At most motorcycle dealerships, the salesmen can’t wait to sell you a machine. They’re happiest with the commission off a new bike, but they’re usually pretty happy if they can clear an older, used bike out of the showroom as well.
That’s not the case at Keys Motorcycle in Worthington, Sussex, in the U.K.; they’ve had a machine there since 1989, and they refuse to sell it, even though they’ve received some juicy offers.
The bike in question is a Yamaha FZR750RR OW-01, a hot road-going race bike from the late ‘80s. And the machine has been used, but it’s pretty low-mileage – to be exact, the odometer has only six miles.
It turns out that shop founder Basil Keys was a pretty keen racing fan. He brought the machine into his shop because of his passion for two-wheeled motorsport, and didn’t want to sell it once it arrived. Keys himself raced into his 80s, and the only miles on the bike come from a trip to the drag strip, when Keys didn’t have another machine to race.
So while the bike may look cherry, buyer beware – interested parties should realize it’s only seen hard miles.
Story source: Motorcycle News
The curse of Communism
As Ali G would say: Communism – Wot’s it all about?
Well, one thing that Communism was all about was crappy vehicles, like the three-wheeled monstrosity from this YouTube video. Surprisingly, though, when the chips are down, this rig (apparently a Muravey, from Russia) can actually perform in a race environment. No, really! Watch and learn!
Putin hits the road
Here’s, more Russia-related news. What’s a good way for a former KGB agent, now turned politician, to prove that he still hasn’t lost his mean streak? For Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin, the answer is simple: ride around on a motorcycle.
Except, Putin’s plan has one flaw: he’s not actually on a two-wheeler. Putin’s kicked off his latest election campaign by riding a Harley-Davidson trike at the head of motorcades. We suggest that if he really wants to prove he hasn’t lost the edge that helped him rise to the front during his lean, hungry years as a KGB agent, Putin should lose the extra wheel. He could even make some lame political-type joke about getting rid of his spare tire, and then segue that into a line about trimming fat from the budget. With ideas like this, we bet he’ll be contacting us soon to run his campaign.
Bike or board?
Speed is everything for some people, even skateboarders. That’s got to be the rationale behind the motocrossboard, the latest invention to grace Friday Fudge.
The motocrossboard is the brainchild of Andy Keel. He supposedly came up with the concept after moving to Georgia from Colorado; after relocating, he missed snowboarding, and decided to find a replacement for the thrill. The motocrossboard is supposedly that missing link.
Keel describes it as a “light motorcycle,” and has even sent the original prototype off to the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, so apparently they agree with his description.
While Keel thinks his invention is a natural progression for board sports, you gotta wonder if the price tag (currently in the $1,699 to $2,399 US range) will leave buyers considering other options. The motocrossboard is pretty cool, but a Honda Rebel or even a Kawasaki KE100 is going to be faster, cooler, and more of a hit with the ladies – check out the advertisement for proof!
Story source: Gizmag
A tricky trap
Speed cameras – who’s got any use for them? Ian Magee of Willerton, Somerset in the U.K. does, that’s who. Well, sort of.
It turns out that Magee is sick of the speeders outside of his house. So, to slow them down, he set up a speed camera of his own. At least, that’s what it looks like.
On closer inspection, the gadget is actually a birdhouse, so it’s a win-win situation; Magee’s street becomes a little safer, but nobody gets a ticket.
But government being government, the local town council still has a problem; they’re trying to remove the fake camera, saying it breaks local planning bylaws. Because, you know, it’s more important to hassle retirees than to slow down dangerous drivers.
Source: Motorcycle News
