Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Steve Drew Podium

Rockstar Energy/H&H Team Rider Tops Unlimited Class at the XTRM/AMA Supermoto Series at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington

Podium pic.jpgMonroe, Washington – July 5, 2008 – Rockstar Energy/Hart & Huntington team rider Steve Drew won the opening round in Monroe, Wa.

The Rockstar Energy/H&H team has started off the AMA Supermoto 2008 season strong. The team consists of Steve Drew, Travis Marks and Doni Wanat competing in the Unlimited class and Tony Hart competing in the 250 lite class. Carey Hart and Doni Wanat will also ride selected rounds of the 450 Premier Supermoto class.

"The whole weekend we were riding great. We knew that we had a shot at the podium and a potential win after the promoters practice on Saturday, with fast lap times posted by our riders" stated Kenny Watson, the team manager. With the potential, the team was more than ready for the opening round.

Steve Drew, lived up to the time posted in practice and promptly won his heat race and the main event, leading all laps except one, which was lead by Travis Marks, the teams other Unlimited rider contending for the title this year. Steve's performance netted the teams first win in the series and he is now consider to be one of the top candidates to win the championship. Travis Marks was poised to make it a double podium for the team until a flat tire took him out of contention. Doni Wanat finished the main event in seventh after struggling with equipment difficulties all weekend.

In the 450 Premier class Doni Wanat represented the team with an 11th place finish in a rain shortened main event. Tony Hart started strong in the 250 class by posting fast times in the qualifier but a first lap incident with another rider crashing in front of Hart ended his evening early.

As part of the weekend racing, the next day brought out the local racers and the pros for a promoter race event. Steve Drew and Doni Wanat promptly finished first and second in the Open Pro and Doni Wanat won the 450 race. One of the team’s mechanics, Chad Gieb, won his first ever Supermoto race in one of the amateur classes.


The Rockstar Energy/H&H team will be competing next at X Games on August 1 - 2 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. The XTRM/AMA Supermoto Series continues at the New England Supermoto Classic in Hartford, Connecticut on August 9, 2008.





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The team would like to thank sponsors: Rockstar Energy Drink, Hart & Huntington Tattoo Co., LeoVince, JST Racing, Motostrano, Honda, Carter Powersports, Sunline, Fox Racing, DVS, All Sport Dynamics, Clock Work Enterprises, K&N Filters, Pro Honda, Mac Tools, Rooke Customs, SDG, One Industries, Merge Racing, Weekend Warrior, Pro Wheel, OGIO, MXIDsystems.com, ACERBIS, Dunlop, Hinson, QTM, Works Connection, MotionPro





About Hart & Huntington Tattoo Company: Hart & Huntington Tattoo Company is the tattoo shop founded by freestyle motocross legend Carey Hart. The first Hart and Huntington Tattoo Company Shop opened in 2004 in the Palms Casino is Las Vegas, making it the first tattoo shop located in a casino. The tattoo shop has since grown to include its own line of tattoo-inspired clothing. In addition to the Las Vegas shop, Hart and Huntington Tattoo Company is expanding with shops open in Waikiki, Hawaii, and Orlando, Florida. For more information, please visit www.hartandhuntingtontattoo.com.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Black Mamba Headlight Installation Instructions

Based on installing the Black Mamba headlight to a Suzuki DRZ400 with stock headlight. Installing the Black Mamba headlight is straightforward.

. Step 1 : Choose which wires you want to be the ground and positive for each of the lights, it doesn’t matter which wire you select as long as one wire is the ground (-) and one is the positive
2. Step 2: Remove stock headlight from the bike (if it has one), you will have to drop the fork tubes to remove the bracket. Locate the stock headlight 3 prong black socket.
3. Step 3: With the socket facing forward and you looking directly at it, you should not that the ground (-) will be on the right side, low beam will be on top and high beam will be on the left.
4. Step 4: You will need to pick-up some crimp-on wire terminal connectors from an automotive store or Radio Shack. Crimp all the ground wires onto two of the terminal connectors and plug them into the 3 prong socket. You should be able to get two terminal connectors to fit into the right side of the 3 prong socket.
5. Step 5: Select any of the two headlights you want to go into your low beam and high beam sections of the 3 prong socket. We recommend using the two outside smaller lights as your low beam and the two inner lights as your high beam. You can also run all the headlights at the same time by plugging them all into your low beam socket however you will no longer have a toggle between high and low (not recommended for street use).
6. Step 6: You may have to use an auger drill bit to open the wholes slightly on the plastic headlight because the anchor on the rubber straps is slightly bigger than the whole on the headlight housing. (if applicable)

BLACK MAMBA Headlight in off position







The terminal connector from Automotive Store or Radio Shack





Right-side Ground – Middle Top low beam – Left side high beam





Center Headlights


















Low Beam Headlights On (outside lights)


High Beam lights on (Inside Lights)




The Black Mamba Headllght is available at Motostrano.com

Friday, May 16, 2008

AGV GP-Tech Helmet Review Part 2

The AGV GP Tech helmet has a transparent face shield that enables the everyday motorcyclist, the helmet user, to observe his surroundings, allowing him to navigate his machine along the motorway at a fashionable pace. Lifting the face shield up a notch or two provides the user with added air intake, as well as greater auditory sensations. The helmet's interior is soft and comfortable. The helmet is not snell rated. DOT and Euro. This is a high end helmet. Up there in class with the Spec 1rs and the RX-7s.

Motorcyclists are weird about helmets and gear in general. Sportbike motorcyclists that is. They are described to other motorcyclists who also own helmets with a sense of mystery and awe, love and hate. A hated helmet is a nasty, evil thing, like a girl friend who cheats on you. The motorcyclist never forgets a hated helmet and will rarely give it a second chance. There's a cliff at Devil's Slide north of Half Moon Bay where angry young men go to purge their Hated Helmets, sacrificing these poor human artefifacts to the Devil by throwing them out to sea, hell.

I don't think I've ever heard two Hell's Angels discussing the pro's and cons of this type of leather vest over that one. "Well, I only buy Italian made fingerless gloves man. Only way to go, unless you can get them in roo skin. Those cheap Pakistani ones chafe my palms. Those aussies have more kangaroo than they know what to do with" Or, "Dirty Larry bought some Brown Wing vented waterproof sport work boots for the big Poker Run last year. He said he loves them!" grinning.

You just don't hear that kind of stuff. I don't, at least.

But put a bunch of sport bikers together and eventually, because there's usually not much else to talk about, gear qualities will be discussed.

All crashes happen quick. One second you were _____ (fill in blank) and the next you were sliding into a steal guard rail, skidding over two lanes to get there, at 60 miles an hour. Then silence. Then you try to move, only to find that your body parts are not in their original locations. Bones shift off their hinges, your jaw may feel like it's been repositioned a few centimeters to the left. Skin, that paper thin stuff that holds your insides together tears and opens up.

In this kind of scenario a good helmet is always nice to have, but really any helmet is nice to have in this kind of scenario.

If you've never crashed, or never run your mind through how it would be to crash, motorcycling may seem no different than riding a horse or going roller skating or swimming. Ahhh, the wind in your hair, the countryside slipping by, as you cruise at a brisk pace through rolling hills. When you crash, it's comparable to the feeling you might get some hot afternoon at the beach when you decide to go for a quick dip in the ocean to cool off, only to be chewed to death by a ferocious man eating shark.

future home page shot



i haven't quite figured out how to use this wes rowe photo just yet. this is one idea:

AGV GP-Tech Helmet Review Part 1

I rarely read product reviews these days. They are all advertisements and we know it- pure fantasy. On the other hand, there's the 'discussion forums' where you can read countless essays written by lonely males holed up in their mancaves about the products they've purchased, sharing with others the ins and outs of why the product they invested in is so great. Of course it's great, you bought it and you're actually wasting life hours writing about it. We beat our chests about the little gizmos and gadgets we've been able to scrounge up on our hunting and gathering missions out in the shopping wilderness. Heading back to camp with our gear speared on a stick- which is really a lonely little desk away from the kids or wife - we review the goods, inspect it, try it on, pose in action shots in front of the mirror, perhaps in our underwear, perhaps dressed up in our leathers in the garage. Then, as if to map out a terrain that no other fellow savage has explored, we set up to transpose our inner most thoughts on digital paper about whatever it is we just bought, signaling to other tribe members where to go and what to see along the adventure.

If you want to read a good helmet review of the AGV GP TECH helmet, click that link.

My story begins on HWY 85. Five o'clock, time to head home. With the Norton warming up, I sketched out a quick map in my head of where I might go, what indirect route would take me home this night, before collapsing in front of the TV to cool off from the day with a half bottle of wine, a pizza and a beautiful young woman named Morena- brown hair, dark eyes and tan everywhere, draped over me on the chaise lounge.

I slipped my AGV GP Tech helmet on, the Rose one, but just as I did, my cell phone rang. It was Johan, my Germano/Chinese business associate. I owed him money. "Where are you?" he piped. "I'm at Disneyland." I lied. "Last minute idea. We rode. I'm with Morena, rode all night and slept on the beach," I said. "Did you hear about the earthquake? Tens of thousands wiped off the face of the planet and the world goes on like nothing happened." The 2008 quake in China had just hit, thousands of people died. This just days after another 80,000 wiped off the earth from the Myanmar cyclone.

I hopped on the Norton, gave her a few threatening revs and head out onto the road. We motorcyclists have a small guy complex, we have to. We ride 300 lb motors with wheels attached with them at 70 mph in the middle of semi-trucks and madmen and women, drunks and blind people. We therefore need to pretend we 'own the road'. If we didn't you wouldn't see motorcycles on the road.

It was one of those days where the world on the freeway seemed off kilter, like it had an inner ear infection. These are deadly days to be out on any motorized vehicle let alone a motorcycle. I pulled out on to the freeway feeling like I'd just walked into a retard parade. Brake lights flashing without warning. Turnsignals left on, cellphone conversations going on in every car but one that I saw. Speed up, slow down, swerve this way, miss your lane, tail gating, rubber-knecking, going too fast in the slow lane, going to slow in the fast lane. It was a motorized vomit salad on wheels. My helmet was beginning to steam up a little, so I cracked the shield and adjusted the vents.

Those types of ridings days scare the crap out of me. It's not till I get into some open road that I decide to let it hang out. Duck on top the tank and crank the throttle back, superman style, a rolling bullet, up hill and in to some other zone of speed. It seems that at this speed others on the road lose consciousness of my presence. I'm out of their space zone. The helmet was quiet at speed.

In my rear view I noticed a mini cooper in hot pursuit on this open stretch of road. It's always a mini cooper buzzing behind me. This particular one I've seen before. All black, piloted by a long haired black haired damzel with dark sunglasses on, sitting low in her captain's chair, zeroing in on me. Squinting to concentrate on her and the road, it seemed to me that she was smiling as she stalked me. Was she chasing me? Was she madly in love? Did my ass really look that good that day?

I was told by a girlfriend a few years ago that women love to check out guy's asses on their bikes. Not something I'd thought about before.

She was luscious. I could see the red of her lips. Desire. Lust. I projected whatever lust energy I could back at her.

I slowed down a bit and she narrowed the gap some but kept her distance. What was she thinking? Would she stalk me to my house, patrol my street until I pulled off my helmet and make some lewd remark indicating the desire to get it on? That would be fine with me, but she'd have to be ready for a little threesome action with my girlfriend.

She eventually peeled off the road and re-entered the zone of the stop and go world. I was sure I'd see her again.

I saw a couple of bikes on the other side of the freeway heading the opposite direction. 3 bikes total. All of them gave the standard 'biker solute, a wave or a nod, one finger, etc. I've never understood this ridiculous practice, so I gave them my middle finger. I wouldn't say a word to most of these individuals at a cocktail party or newspaper stand. Why should I wave at you from 200 feet away while going 75 mph in the fast lane? That same nut who just waived to me will no doubt be the same jack who steels the helmet off my bike if left unattended, but some how you feel the need to waive to me? I really don't care if you're on a bike or car or on foot. You're just one more retard in the parade.

dispatched by James Hunt.


......... Part 1, in the Series AGV GP-Tech Helmet Review

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Fifty Buck Helmets


On the chopping block today is the price of the venerable Z1-R STRIKE ZRP-1 helmet. Get them while they last for just fifty five bucks.

If you haven't heard about this helmet yet, you are likely either new to motorcycling, or, you have have been living in an ice cave some where near the North Pole studying ice shelfs peal off and explode into the Arctic.

The ZRP-1 is the one they have been talking about, blogging about, writing about for the past two years ever since Motorcyclist Magazine stirred the proverbial helmet debate pot with their helmet safety critique. The last time any magazine article caused this must controversy in the motorcycle industry, I think was that time that Cycle Planet Review did that skin abrasion safety testing on the top brands of ass-less leather chaps.

Yes, this is the one that received the BEST review in terms of actual safety. Ie. the most safe helmet among the 10 or so helmets reviewed. Other brands included Arai, Suomy, ICON, AGV, Scorpion and others. Put it this way, Z1R was in good company during this review and they didn't even break a sweat..

Not the most comfy helmet on the market, not the most chock full of gadgets and gizmos, but absolutely a great value. Buy seven and give yourself a helmet for each day of the week . Change them like underwear (they can get just as funky!). Whatever you want man.

TwoWheelSteals.com is rolling out some crazy deals on various close-out stuff up to 80% off.

Motostrano.com - main web store for all the new cool stuff.

Motostrano OUTLET is having a SPRING CLEANING sale on all kinds of odds and ends.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Alpinestars Motorcycle Clothing for Women

The 2008 Alpinestars clothing collection for women, to my mind, is one of the best we've seen to date from the Italy based company.

It's a unfortunate that such a great collection came to be in such a crappy economic situation for the world. Each day I talk to women who are pretty much disgusted with the stock at local shops for women sportbike clothing. "NOTHING" is used a lot for the quantity and quality of inventory at shops these days. Unfortunately, there's little a shop can do to actually stock or even sell women's clothing when the retail sector is so grim. To stock a varied selection and full size run of women's clothing in this market would be suicidal. The market is just too small.

Manufacturers too are trimming their options for women. The women's motorcycle clothing market is a tough one to crack and even tougher to maintain for manufacturers. We know because we see them squirm each year to try and figure out what women really want. Of course, it doesn't help matters that all this stuff is generally designed by men and often more for their own enjoyment rather than really protecting a women rider. Generally speaking (as in, I'm generalizing), nothing fits women, they typically only ride in warm dry weather and tend to come in and out of the sport quickly. A large part of the market are not riders at all, but passengers and a lot of poor products are designed only for the passenger, where as I can't think of a men's motorcycle clothing item that's designed specifically for those times when "he's a passenger".

Then there's the fashion side. One year pink is in, the next it's yuck. One season, the "Outlaw Slut" look may be en vogue and perfectly acceptable and the next season that stuff is passed up for more conservative and classic stuff.

Fortunately, there's always mail order. We often advise women to order at least 2 sizes of the same garment from us. Just return the item that doesn't fit (or both if neither fit) and save some time. Motostrano's return policy is among the best in the business when it comes to clothing.

From the 2008 Alpinestars line there are some unique garments worth checking out for women riders and women passengers:

  • Our favorite jacket for 2008 is the Alpinestars NYC Jacket for women. Classic good leather jacket, fully perforated, clean cut. There's also a men's version if you need to match.
  • Gotta admit, this jacket is not popular, but we still love the Alpinestars Stella Tokyo Jacket anyway and would like to see more women in it. It's bold, different and more like a high fashion jacket, with armor to boot. Fashion wise, it's ahead of its time.
  • We used to hear it all the time "Why doesn't any one make a real track glove for women?" Well, now they do. Alpinestars does, with the Alpinestars GP Plus Gloves for women, so please buy this glove if you want it to be around next year. Good sales of this item will ensure that it's available in the future.
  • Bootwise, Astars stamped out some high style boots that are for every day commuting and tooling around in the city. The Alpinestars Armada Boots and the Alpinestars Torre Boots are made of soft leather with a lot of attention paid to the style of these boots. Many women get freaked out about the race boot look. For those, these two casual riding boots are a great pick for something unique on the market that offers protection, comfort and style rolled into one.
  • Of course, there is the hardcore, the gals that spit past the guys on twisties or on the track. For you there is the Alpinestars Julie Suit. Gotta say, this suit fits women nearly perfectly, as long as you're of "average build", whatever that means. The Julie is cut so well for curvey women. We haven't seen a girl's suit of this caliber off the rack. Great product.