During the V-Twin Expo, Keith “Bandit” Ball, an icon of the publishing industry (Easyrider then Bikernet) will be signing his 2 latest books, “How to build a Bonneville Salt Flats Motorcycle” and “Orwell” a popular fiction novel depicting the true biker lifestyle. “How To Build A Bonneville Salt Flats Motorcycle” was written while Keith was building the racing bike “Assalt Weapan” (no, there is no typo in this bike name. It’s a Pan racing on the Salt) that ended up obtaining a world record in 2008. The signing will happen at the booth of W8less Technologies (forged brake rotors) whose sales manager is Ray Wheeler, a long time friend of Keith. So, this weekend, all motorcycle dealers in Cincinnati rush to booth 870 to pick up a very special souvenir relating an epic Bonneville event.
Keith “Bandit” Ball To Autograph His Books At V-Twin Expo
Published by February 4th, 2009 in Books, Controls and Events.14 Responses to “Keith “Bandit” Ball To Autograph His Books At V-Twin Expo”
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Open Invitation to all Cincy Attendees .
Keith will be signing books Saturday and Sunday at 3:00 .
Please take a minute and stop by , booth #870 .
Thanks a million ,
Ray c wheeler
W8less
Congratulations Keith!
I can’t wait to read the book! Having been asked to be a Buell Sister Team Member last year I was friggin amazed at the people, the Salt Flats, the cameraderie, the other racers, the bikes – Drew’s guitar and how much Old Style Santa Claus brings! (that he drinks!) Once bitten twice shy – what a great time…can’t wait to go back this year!
I am interviewing Leslie Porterfield (& others) on the show LIVE from the IMS-Chicago this weekend, so unfortunately I won’t be coming to Cincy – Keith let’s catch up somewhere /sometime to discuss some of those things we started to talk about the other day!
Hope you have a great turn out and a great weekend!
So heres a guy who has never ridden a bike at bonneville himself – in fact had a girl ride it for him – so why is a book from him interesting?
And who the hell would run to a booth for an autograph on a “popular fiction book?”
Must only be popular in a “special world”.
Wrenching vs reading fiction gets my vote.
Nitrous Phil.
Keith Ball wrenched this Bonneville bike. Accurate Engineering (Berry Wardlaw) prepared the Pan engine. And the book is called “How to build a Bonneville Salt Flats Motorcycles”. So, his book is no fiction and Keith knows what he is writing about”.
I have a copy of the book and found it very interesting and do recommend it to others.
Rogue
Nitro Phil,
Other than this blog, I have never heard of you. Please come by the book signing with your books, motors or just your award-winning personality so we can have you sign our booth-babes boobs. Also, if you have a website, please pass it on.
As far as why it is a big deal to have Mr. Ball as a booth attraction is below. It is Keith’s resume from four years ago. Many folks out there don’t know who Keith is and that is a shame. When I was building my first bike, 15 years ago, Keith’s builds, tech articles and builds influenced me very much. Take a look at his accomplishments below. It really impressed me.
Keith’s Resume–
I grew up on Naples Island, Long Beach, Calif.
At 18 I joined the Navy. I spent three tours in Vietnam, 1967, ’68,
’69, as an electronics technician on the USS Saint Paul, CA 73, a
heavy cruiser and the first fleet flag ship.
I went to college on the G.I. Bill in Long Beach and Ventura.
During the summer of ’71, I was hired, part-time, to run a national
motorcycle rights organization, ABATE, which at the time had a few
hundred members throughout the United States.
After a couple months I was named associate editor of Easyriders, the
magazine’s first full-time employee. I was also manager of ABATE.
Over the next few years we built ABATE into the largest grassroots
motorcycle organization in the world, with 28 chapters and some
50,000 members, by empowering individuals in each state to build and
run their own local organizations. I was ultimately appointed
national director of the group.
In the late ’70s I became editor of Easyriders, the largest newsstand
motorcycle magazine in the world (550,000 monthly paid circulation). I
was also the editor of numerous specials and our sister publication,
In The Wind.
I left the magazine in 1981 to start my own publishing company. I
published Ventura County Magazine and the Ventura County Business
Journal. During those seven years, I joined the board of the Ventura
County American Red Cross, the Ventura County Economic Development
Association and was active in community affairs.
In 1987, Joe Teresi, the new publisher of Easyriders, asked me to
return to Paisano Publications. I became the editor of Easyriders
magazine and ultimately the editorial director of 14 titles,
including In The Wind, Biker, Tattoo, Tattoo Flash, Tattoo Savage,
Metal Hammer, VQ, Eagle’s Eye, Air Brush Art and Action. I was
publisher of American Rodder and Quick Throttle. When I resigned from
Easyriders in 1999 to follow my dream of writing motorcycle
adventures and building Bikernet, I was the Executive Vice President.
During this period I took two trips to the Bonneville Salt Flats. On
the second attempt, the Easyriders streamliner, supported through
$25-donations from 10,000 readers, captured the world land speed
record at 321 mph.
Over the last eight years I have written three motorcycle adventure
novels: “Prize Possession,” about a guy who goes after his stolen
motorcycle; “Outlaw Justice,” about a young man who is sucked into
the underworld of motorcycle gangs and fights to understand himself
and his future, and “Sam ‘Chopper’ Orwell”. It is a futuristic tale
about a man, who, after motorcycles are outlawed, finds a group of
struggling bikers in the desert desperately trying to find a way to
survive. He joins the group at great peril. I am currently working on
a coffee table book profiling 30 notorious veteran club members. In
addition, I’m writing the second in a pulp fiction series of biker books revolving around a single character, Chance Hogan.
I also own and operate a biker-oriented website; Bikernet.com was
one of the first H-D motorcycle sites on the Internet (est. 1996). The
site has expanded to include tech material, classifieds, riding tales,
information on motorcycling laws, event coverage and much more.
At this time in my life, 57 yrs, I run the website, write books and
restore two motorcycles a year. Recently I came out of retirement
at the request of Primedia to oversee their three American motorcycle magazines.
I was the editor in chief for Hot Bike, and editorial director of Hot Rod Bikes and Street Choppers.
In the past I contributed to several other motorcycle magazines as a freelance writer and consultant.
This year I was inducted in to the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum Hall of Fame.
Print:
Sam “Chopper” Orwell (novel)–author
Outlaw Justice (novel)–author
Prize Possession (novel)–author
Maxim magazine–Featured
Easyriders magazine–Editor/Editorial Director
VQ magazine–Editorial Director
American Rodder magazine–Publisher
Asphalt Angels magazine–Featured
Biker magazine–Editorial Director
In The Wind magazine–Editorial Director
Tattoo magazine–Editorial Director
Tattoo-Flash magazine–Editorial Director
Tattoo-Savage magazine–Editorial Director
Inked magazine–Editorial Director
Metal Hammer magazine–Editorial Director
“Easyriders Best Customs” coffee table book–Author
“David Mann-The Best of David Mann” art book–Author
“David Mann-The Collector’s Edition” art book–Author
Eagles Eye magazine–Editorial Director
Harley-Davidson, The Legends coffee table pictorial–Featured
Hot Rod Bikes magazine–Contributor
Iron Horse Magazine–Consultant
Cruising Rider magazine–Contributor
Iron Stallion coffee table pictorial–Featured/Contributor
Thunder In The Hills coffee table pictorial–Featured
Quick Throttle magazine–Publisher
American Rider–Consultant/editor/contributor
Cruising Rider–Contributor
American Iron–Contributor
Motorcycles In Retrospect–Contributor
Iron Horse—Contributor
Hard Core Choppers—Contributor
Hot Bike—Editor in Chief
Hot Rod Bikes—Editorial Director
Street Chopper—Editorial Director
Television:
Rod Stewart music video–extra on a motorcycle
20/20–Interviewed
Discovery Channel–Interviewed
Movies for Guys–Interviewed
Easyriders Video–Director and Executive Producer. Quarterly video
for 10 years.
Downtown news program–interviewed
Monster Garage 50th Episode — successful team member
Past Charity work:
Child sponsor of Children’s International
Board of Directors American Red Cross, Ventura Chapter
Board of Directors Human Services Network (group homes for young boys)
Exception Children’s Foundation–Beach Ride Committee Member
—
Keith Ball is one of the gentlemen that help hold this industry together.
His resume above is only a small part of his many accomplishments.
“Bandit” is one of the reasons that I have achieved the small amount of success as an international motorcycle photojournalist.
He mentored me from my start. He has published my writings and photography for years and helped introduce my work to the public enabling me to gain the reconigition to be published in many magazines here in the U.S.A. and abroad.
He has also supported us in our work raising funds for International Childrens Charities.
In my most humble opinion, Mr. Ball, who I still call “Chief” is one of the guys that keeps the wheels spinning for all of us riders and builders.
TBear
Cyril – this post says two books
One bonneville – the other “Orwell a popular fiction novel”
My reference was to the “popular fiction novel” – you know anyone who read that?
As for Berry – he knows what he’s doing.
However I do doubt Carl Morrow will be asking for an autograph.
I have read both books more than once and I was at Bonneville in 08 and documented, photographically, not only the event but the runs that elevated Keith, Barry and Valerie Thompson to world record status. Being there is an extraordinary experience and Keith’s book is the next best thing to the actually experiencing the Salt. It should be mentioned that the Assalt Weapon was also voted the “Best Engineered Bike” at the BUB event in 08, and the book details the trials and tribulations of building a bike that will achieve world standing.
Scooter
Hey Phil, as a matter of fact, Carl Morrow did want an autographed copy of the Bonne book as he and Keith go way back to the Monster Garage build they did together.
Scooter – YOUR book is outstanding.
Many of us have talked about your stand up contribution to donating proceeds to save the salt – Unlike this guy.
As for reaching “World class status” – Was there even an exisiting record in the class?
You are the only one that we know that has actually read the so called “Popular fiction novel” or at least admits to it. So if one person make this popular for this guy then so be it.
Nylon – Dont get in a tizzy. Friends do thing to be nice and what a nice jester for Mr. Morrow to be kind.
OK, Phil? Far be it for me to have a ‘tizzy’.
I remember you, though. You tried this banter with us a while back, verbatim. At least you’re consistent.
So, I take it you’re not gonna buy the book?
Hey Phil,
How many records have you set? How many books have you written? Do you even have a motorcycle? See you in Bonneville.
Phil,
I was there when Keith & his team ran at the salt and they were a first class operation.
If people want to read about his trials and tribulations of his experience building a bike, then it’s awesome he has book to talk about it.
As for having a “girl ride the bike” come one, get with the decade.
Women motorcyclists are coming more and more to the forefront and this is a perfect example
The capabilities and talent of female riders. When the transition of
http://www.womenmotorcyclist.com is done – prepare to see more “girls” on bikes, watch out!