Friday Fudge

Welcome to Friday Fudge, where we bring you all the best motorcycle content of the Internet. Well, not actually the best, more the weirdest, and some of it is definitely the worst. You decide.

Pickup man

Is there any better sign of the Western world’s vehicular excess than the Harley-Davidson edition Ford F150? Unveiled first in 1999, this pickup truck was a middle finger to common sense, an already-expensive vehicle with a graphics package and interior that paid homage to luxury — and hiked the price tag even higher.

But last year was the final F150 Harley-Davidson edition. It was only supposed to be sold for a couple of years,  but people kept buying it so Ford kept selling it, slightly different each year. Maybe the truck’s profit margins were still strong, but Ford finally cancelled and frankly, we don’t miss it. Maybe buyers got wise, and realized you could accomplish the same branding effect with a $12.99 decal from Canadian Tire?

Whatever the case, you can’t keep a bad idea down, because now General Motors has picked up the ball and is running with it, recently announcing its own GMC Sierra Harley-Davidson edition (pictured above). It’s got Fox shocks (to match Harley-Davidson’s traditional offroading-friendly image), a light bar in the grill, some aluminum trim, some Harley-Davidson branding  — just the sort of thing to impress the other rig pigs on Whyte Ave.

Disarmed

Motorcyclists often have a reputation for being kind-hearted and helping, the sort of people who are always willing to give a hand when needed. But Mark Holmgren is better-equipped to do that than most people. Because his hand is in a jar.

The story goes back 20 years, when the Edmonton man took his brother’s motorcycle out for a spin. He crashed, tearing the nerves in his shoulder, rendering the limb useless — he kept the limb attached, but he was unable to move it or feel it. For almost two decades, he just kept it that way, as he figured science would figure out how to solve his problem.

However, after many years of waiting, his dreams of becoming rebuilt, faster than he was before, stronger, had not been reached, and he decided enough was enough. He had the arm amputated by university doctors … but he requested that they give him the removed arm after the operation, and they obliged.

What to do with it now? CTV reports Holmgren, after much searching, found a taxidermist who was willing to preserve the bones of the arm, which he apparently likes to show off to his friends. And think of the comedic gold that’s now possible, say at a concert, when he’s told to throw his hands up in the air? He can literally play right along.

Stone cold

There’s motorcyclists, and then there’s motorcyclists. There are the kind of riders who put their bikes away in October and wait til May to take them out. There are the kind of riders who put their bikes away in early December and get them out in March. And then, there are the kind of riders who don’t put their bikes away all winter! Like the guy below in Calgary … Oh yeah, he’s got some more info on his setup here.

Penalty box

Those Estonians! They’re one of the fastest-growing countries in the EU, but apparently the authorities aren’t so keen on the fast drivers. We can kind of empathize with the speedsters — they probably thought they saw a hungry, empire-building Vladimir Putin in the rear mirror. But enough jokes about the grim socio-geographic realities of the Baltic states! Instead, let’s applaud the new trial program the Estonian authorities have decided on, to cut down on speeding.

Instead of the usual expensive speeding ticket, Estonian authorities are looking at a program that gives a time penalty, not a cash penalty to speeders. MoreBikes reports that going 20 km/h over the speed limit (or less) nets you a 40-minute time-out. If you’re 21-40 km/h over the limit, then you get a 60-minute time-out. You can only qualify for the time-out if your licence is clean before being pulled over, though.

Although this is still a major annoyance, you’ve got to give the Estonians credit for tackling the root cause of most speeding (time management), and not putting their hands out for a big chunk of money, like their neighbours across the Baltic Sea, where speeding tickets are tied to your income.

Garbage bike

Andy Jennings of the UK had a friend in poor health, requiring round-the-clock medical care, and Jennings wanted to help. So what was he to do? Eschewing the normal GoFundMe campaigns, he decided to go for a world record. He took an old motorcycle engine and built the world’s fastest green bin, as one does.

The running gear for this deathtrap comes from a mobility scooter, including the steering assembly. If you look at the video below (which appears to be shot on a cellphone from 1986), you can see Jennings stuffed into the bin, with barely enough room to move to steer. Make sure to keep watching for the in-bin footage. Apparently, he can hit 35 mph, or more than 50 km/h, in this thing. Yikes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqGnqHC4vTY