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Take a listen as I have a conversation with Anthony Price, executive director, of the Gold Star Ride Foundation. In 2018, Anthony did a single motorcycle ride spanning 18,000 miles, 44 states, 56 days of solid riding, and made contact with more than 60 Gold Star families. Anthony wrote a book after this ride named, Yours, Very Sincerely And Respectfully.

The Gold Star Ride Foundation honors our nation's fallen heroes by taking care of their families. And we deliver the goods in person. And we go on bikes.

In 2019, Anthony did 4 Rides, thus far, spanning 16 states, more than 20 days, nearly 10,000 miles, and has made contact with more than 30 families.

Gold Star Families are defined as those who have lost a loved one who is serving or who has served in our armed forces. The loss of life does not have to be in combat or while deployed.

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Anthony says they help Gold Star Families in many different ways and it's tailored to their personal situation and needs. This is why Anthony meets in person with the families, to get a real feel of the history and situation. It can be helping a child with college fees or stocking cabinets with groceries. The foundation is just there to help any way they can.

Anthony says privacy of the families is of the utmost importance and the foundation does not reach out to them. The families must contact the foundation to get things started.

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The Gold Star Ride Foundation will actively support, comfort, and provide education benefits to Gold Star Families throughout the United States and will provide these things directly with personal visits via motorcycle; and we will support those other organizations that work to assist in these same activities. We do the work that our fallen heroes would do if they hadn't fallen for all our freedom.

Get Anthony's book here: (affiliate link)

• Yours, Very Sincerely And Respectfully

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• Check out my Police Harley

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Thanks to the following bikers for supporting us via a flat donation:

• Steven Stratton of Stockton, CA
• Kevin Marrs of Versailles, Ohio
• James Petrie of Kenmore, New York
• Michael Neeley
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Harley released their latest touring bike, the Electra Glide Standard, and kept it pretty low key. Harley is calling it the “dressed down dresser”. It comes in at a cheaper option than the Street Glide, Road Glide or either of those “special” models. In this podcast episode, we break things down for you and what this new Harley is all about and who it may be for, so listen in.

The 2019 Harley Electra Glide is basically a stripped down Street Glide and so that's what I am going to compare it to. The Harley Electra Glide starts at $18,999 and the basic Harley Street Glide starts at $21,289. The Street Glide special jumps up to a starting price tag of $27,089.

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The 2019 Harley Electra Glide Standard is an awesome and capable touring bike. I say that because I ride a 2018 Police Electra Glide every day for work. It is a highly capable bike and I think it's great that Harley made a regular public model here in 2019.

Understand that the Harley Electra Glide lacks a stereo/infotainment system of any kind and there is just an empty open storage box in that location. It doesn't come standard with ABS brakes but hey can be added for $795. I strongly suggest you add ABS brakes if nothing else as they save lives. It also lacks a two-up passenger seat and passenger pegs but anything can be added based on your needs.

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I'll also mention, the Electra Glide has smaller wheels and the tires are thicker than the Street Glide. The windshield is tall and plain and it has the regular square rear brake/signal setup. You can only get this bike in black. All these things separate its look from the Street Glide a bit.

The 2019 Harley Electra Glide comes with the very capable Milwaukee-Eight 107 motor. Yes, it comes standard with cruise control, which is a must for any touring bike.

Harley has recently been making moves to appeal to a broader demographic of riders. I believe the 2019 Harley Electra Glide Standard is an attempt to grab riders who may now be able to get into motorcycle touring at a lower price point.

The 2019 Electra Glide Standard is a cheaper price and stripped down but a very capable Harley touring model. It will be interesting to see how well this bike sells.

Remember, that for close to $2,000 more than the 2019 Harley Electra Glide Standard you can get a Street Glide Standard, which comes standard with ABS brakes, a basic version of the Boom Box radio (4.3 non-touch screen), two up passenger seat, passenger pegs, and paint options. But, everyone's budget is different, so the Electra Glide may be the best option for many. You can always build this bike up how you want it.

Listen in to this podcast episode as we break it down even further than this short article.

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If you appreciate the content we put out and want to make sure it keeps on coming your way then become a Patron too! There are benefits and there is no risk.

Thanks to the following bikers for supporting us via a flat donation:

• Lenora Benekin
• Stephen Smith of Lees Summit, Missouri
• John Post of Flower Mound, TX 
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• Krzysztof Franczak of Józefów Poland

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We won't be releasing any Podcasts for the month of August. Don't worry, in September we will roll out new podcast episodes. We're not going anywhere…. Later in August, we will likely do some Live Patron Member Only Video Broadcasts & Chat, so stay tuned if you're a member.

We will still be releasing and working on a bunch of videos and other content for you in August on our YouTube Channel (Get Subscribed). I'll be in the studio working hard for you all. 

We're also going to take a breath to spend a little time with our loved ones. And RIDE of course!!

We'll still be active in the Private Patron-Only Facebook Group. Get signed up as a Patron Member if you're not already!

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If you currently have or are considering purchasing a Harley-Davidson extended warranty plan at the time of purchase on a new bike with the Milwaukee-eight motor, you may reconsider now and into the future if things stay in their current state. If you are planning on adding specific performance upgrades, it may void both the two-year manufacturer's warranty and any 3 or 5-year Harley extended warranty you purchased, commonly referred to as an “extended service plan”.  These new strict warranty policies really only pertain to 2017 & newer Harley's with the Milwaukee-Eight motor. Those of us that own earlier models really haven't had to deal with what I'm about to reveal to you. (This is a guide only. Read the actual warranty paperwork for yourself.)

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60 Day Service & Warranty Registration (SWR)

Let's first talk about the 60-day warranty rule, which is referred to as a “Sales & Warranty Registration” or “SWR”. If within the first 60 days of your new Harley purchase you purchase Harley Screamin' Eagle parts and have them installed by a Harley dealership mechanic, all parts and labor will be covered during the two-year manufacturer's warranty and during any extended service plan you purchase. Also, all the parts and labor will be tracked under the vehicle identification number (VIN) and can be tracked for the life of the bike. It's as if the bike came from the factory with the parts. An example would be a Screamin' Eagle stage four install. You can often finance the Screamin' Eagle parts and labor at the time of purchase of your new Harley.

Now, you can still purchase Harley Screamin' Eagle parts after that 60 days and have a dealership mechanic install them and your warranty will remain intact, however, only the 1-year Screamin' Eagle parts warranty will apply and labor will not be covered in the future if there is a related problem.

Note: You can purchase a 3 or 5-year extended service plan, which attaches to the end of the two-year manufacturer's warranty. That means, if you purchased the 3-year extended, you'd be covered for 5 years. Likewise, if you purchased the 5-year extended, you'd be covered for 7 years. Then, as long as you don't exceed 75,000 miles you can renew your extended service plan for an additional 5-years for a total of 12 years risk-free engine work/labor. But, this all comes with a price tag of course. And a reminder that you've been forced to only use overpriced Harley parts.

What Voids Your Harley Warranty?

If you or anyone else besides a certified Harley dealership technician installs Harley Screamin' Eagle parts or any other brand performance engine parts on your Harley, any warranty you have is technically voided. We'll talk further about that later.

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As an example, and very technically speaking here, if you install simple aftermarket slip-on mufflers and an aftermarket stage-one air intake your two-year Harley manufacturer's warranty and any extended service plan you purchased is voided. Certainly, if a non-Harley certified dealership mechanic or you install a stage four kit of any brand, your Harley warranty will be voided.

Further, if you or anyone else install an aftermarket electronic fuel injection (EFI) tuner, your entire Harley warranty is immediately voided.

How Does Harley Decipher These Things?

Some things are going to vary from dealership to dealership on how they choose to handle some of these issues and how they choose to treat their local customers.

But first, what you need to know is that if you take your Harley to any dealership and they need to plug your Harley's engine control module (ECM) into their proprietary Digital Technician II software, it is going to automatically start reading things. If the software determines you have current EFI map/tuning changes in your ECM from an aftermarket non-Harley EFI tuner it will immediately & automatically send that info to the Harley servers and will be forever locked to your VIN. Thus, your entire Harley warranty will be voided!

The dealership will plug your ECM into Digital Tech for simple things like flashing your Boom Box Infotainment system after adding a speaker and amp system or adding a Wireless Headset Interface Module (WHIM) for wireless Bluetooth headset pairing with you Boom Box. Or, they may need to read the ECM to diagnose fuel and/or air issues and many other things.

Simple installs like aftermarket slip-on mufflers or an air intake will not be read by Digital Technician as those alone cause no changes to the ECM. On the other hand, EFI tuners do change the air/fuel settings in the ECM and so it can be read by Digital Technician.

Dealerships do have some options on how they handle things.

Essentially, the aftermarket mufflers and air intake are visual to a dealership and not read by Digital Technician, thus nothing is sent to Harley servers and a dealership mechanic can certainly just move along with business and not report such things. But, after adding an exhaust system and air intake you'd want to re-map your EFI for optimal performance anyways. You could consider paying the Harley tax for a simple stage one EFI download, which would not void the warranty. Or, you can continue and pay more Harley taxes by buying the Harley Screamin' Eagle EFI tuner, which is not as good as the Vance & Hines FuelPak 3 or others, and pay a Harley mechanic to install it for the sake of keeping your Harley warranty intact.

These new strict Harley warranty issues are making customers very upset.

So, it seems Harley is forcing customers to use their Screamin' Eagle parts exclusively and only allowing their mechanics to install them. And that is not sitting well with Harley's long time, once brand loyal customers. Many long-time loyalists are leaving Harley because of moves like this and other recent moves that leave their true paying customers very unhappy.

Harley-Davidson tries to blame all these new warranty issues on the recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) pressures. Yes, Harley has had to make changes ordered by the EPA in the past several years as they are the big dog. I understand that, but to then take it as far as voiding a customer's warranty for simply installing slip-on mufflers or an air intake is extreme in my opinion & completely unnecessary. I can tell you that Screamin' Eagle EFI tuners, air intakes, and slip-on mufflers are the same as many other aftermarket options. Screamin' Eagle often times are not as good as other aftermarket options and always a higher price (the Harley tax).

I certainly understand major engine work like a Harley stage four kit being installed and the requirement to use their parts and their mechanics to maintain a warranty. Those are major engine changes, but slip-on mufflers-really Harley?

Note: If you are buying an used Harley from someone with a transferrable warranty, I'd make an appointment to have the Harley ECM plugged into Digital Tech to verify the warranty is intact prior to making a deal.

I'll never buy another Harley Warranty!

Make no mistake about it, Harley makes a large amount of money by pushing extended service plans at the time of purchase. Not to mention, now they're making you buy their parts and paying their mechanics. I've had Harley warranty's over the past years and I can remember only one time actually using it and it was a $200 bill. Most will tell you they've never used their Harley warranty. Harley would not be pushing these extended warranties if they were not making large amounts of money on them. I'll also mention, that is a testament to the high quality of a Harley when you buy it.

Because of these new Harley warranty issues and them trying to force me not to work on my own bike, I'll never give Harley another penny for an extended warranty service plan ever again! If we all do that, it will send a very strong financial message to Harley that this is an unacceptable practice. I will continue to work on my own Harley and put the parts I want and not pay the Harley Screamin' Eagle tax.

Harley riders buy a bike and then they customize it and personalize it with aftermarket parts to include their choice of exhaust, stage one air intake, and EFI tuner. And so many of us enjoy wrenching on our own Harley and we take great pride in such. It's been done this for so many years and this is one of the big draws for even purchasing a Harley in the first place. It's part of the Harley culture!

Take those things away and Harley will continue to lose their very loyal core customers.

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In this episode, I get the chance to dig deep into the mind of a biker, Brian, who had a serious motorcycle accident. Afterward, he got back onto his bike and rode, but could not rid his mind of the collision. He stopped riding and sold his motorcycle as a result. Oscar is in the studio with me and this is an awesome “biker talk” session.

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We get to learn about special guest Brian and his motorcycling history and background. He is a big supporter of Law Abiding Biker™ Media and I met him when we were just getting started 6 years ago. This was a live Patron member only video broadcast with live chat. There's no better time to sign up as an exclusive Patron Member and get benefits! It is an awesome community of motorcycle enthusiasts from all over the world.

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Brian shares the motorcycles he has owned and sold in the past. Oscar and I join in and talk about some of our previous bikes as do the Patron Members in the live chat.

The question is, will Brian ever get back onto a motorcycle and ride? You'll have to listen in to find out!

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In this episode, we speak with Rick “Big Daddy” Kane's oldest daughter, Cheyenne, who is in college. She brought this topic to my attention. She talks about what it's like growing up as the daughter of a law enforcement officer. Big Daddy is a career LEO and of course, oversees the Law Abiding Biker Store on the side. This episode is not necessarily just about motorcycles but I thought it'd be a great episode and give some insight to those, not in law enforcement. Plus, we get to pick on Big Daddy!

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Cheyenne has some great stories about growing up and how motorcycles help her dad cope with the stresses of being a LEO in this day and age. I think this rings true for many out there, regardless of industry. Motorcycles can be very therapeutic and release stress from everyday life. I believe that is one of the main reasons many of us ride.

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• Senseless Loss of Kittitas Deputy Ryan Thompson

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• CLICK HERE!
• Innovative products for Harley-Davidson & Goldwing
• Affordable chrome, lighting, and comfort products
• Ciro 3D has a passion for design and innovation

Sponsor-RickRak

• CLICK HERE
• The Ultimate Motorcycle Luggage Rack Solution
• Forget those messy straps and bungee cords
• Go strapless with a RickRak quick attach luggage system & quality bag

New Patrons:

• Jeff Edmondson of Bellingham, WA
• Eric Roberts of Marion, Indiana
• Frank Morales of Visalia, CA
• Bradley Luepnitz of Punta Gorda, Florida
• Kent Maynard of Spring Hill, Florida
• Andrew Geyerman of Eagle Mountain, Utah
• Scott Siebel of Upper Saddle River, New Jersey
• Paul Denico of Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania
• George Bills

If you appreciate the content we put out and want to make sure it keeps on coming your way then become a Patron too! There are benefits and there is no risk.

Thanks to the following bikers for supporting us via a flat donation:

• Kevin Chase of Franklinville, NY
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• Tony Carbone of Boynton Beach, Florida