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Chris Gordon’s V8 skateboard was built using scrap parts from Gordon’s shop and appears to be powered by a V8 engine. (Photos by Chris Gordon.) Chris Gordon is a New Zealand motorcycle enthusiast and electrical engineer who’s built several unique machines under the CGR (Chris Gordon Racing) banner. Interestingly, he doesn’t ride motorcycles himself; he builds them purely for the technical challenge. On a recent visit to his garage, something caught my eye: a skateboard with a V8 engine!  Chris’s inspiration traces back to the Kustom Kulture trend of 1960s America. Back in Christchurch, New Zealand, he collected cards and stickers from the Odd Rods Monster in Cars series by B.K. Taylor, influenced by custom car legend Ed “Big Daddy” Roth. These early influences planted the seed for his creative endeavors, blending technical skill with artistic vision. Chris decided to bring his childhood memories to life using leftover parts from his motorcycle projects.  Chris Gordon’s home-built CGR500 V8 Racer For the V8 engine casing, he used parts from a 500cc V8 racing engine, including Kawasaki ZXR250 components. However, these are just outer shells housing two electric motors. The motors and components are cleverly hidden to maintain the illusion of a supercharged V8 engine.  The skateboard’s design process involved meticulous planning and improvisation. Chris’s garage is a treasure trove of parts and components from past projects, providing a rich resource for his builds. The V8 skateboard is no exception, showcasing his ability to repurpose and innovate.   The first motor, sourced from a discarded 24-volt drill, powers the supercharger. This setup includes a 60-tooth pulley and toothed belt, simulating the crankshaft drive of a real supercharged engine. The supercharger case, made from plywood and fiberglass, houses the controllers for the electric motors, maintaining the illusion of a functional V8 engine. Chris’s attention to detail extends to the paint and texture, replicating the look of metal castings.  More by the author: Tranz Alpine Scooter Safari: Cold Kiwi Cosplay For a Good Cause The second motor is from an 18-volt chainsaw and drives the skateboard. Mounted vertically inside the engine cases, this motor connects to a custom gearbox and sprocket system. The gearbox output shaft is coupled to a ZXR250 gearbox shaft, joined by a bearing guide. This ingenious setup ensures a seamless connection, allowing the motor to drive the skateboard efficiently.  The rear axle assembly features a ZXR250 sprocket and HD520 motorcycle chain, providing robust power transmission. The 13×6.5-inch tires, mounted on racing kart alloy rims, offer excellent traction and stability. To facilitate steering, Chris incorporated one-way bearings in the wheel hubs, allowing for differential speed between the wheels. This innovative solution ensures smooth and responsive handling, even at high speeds.  The skateboard’s deck, made from 4mm aluminum alloy, serves as the structural foundation and houses the power supply. Four 12-volt sealed lead-acid batteries are mounted under the deck, secured by support pins and a cover plate. The front section of the deck is folded into a semicircle, reminiscent of mid-1960s skateboard designs. This nod to retro aesthetics adds to the overall charm of the build.  The front steering system utilizes a 12-inch cast-aluminum skateboard truck with longboard wheels. This setup provides precise control and stability, essential for navigating various terrains. The rear steering system, custom-made by Chris, complements the front setup and ensures balanced handling. The underslung design of the rear truck keeps the overall height of the motor and deck to a minimum, maintaining the sleek profile of the Odd Rod-inspired skateboard.  More by the author: Syd’s Run: If You Can’t Be Fast, Be Spectacular Chris’s commitment to authenticity extends to the fuel system. The deck is designed to replicate a fuel tank, with two “fuel” hose lines rising from the rear. One hose carries power from the batteries to the supercharger, while the other is purely decorative, simulating a throttle return line.  The ignition system is another testament to Chris’s creativity. He modified distributor caps from a VW Beetle to create a faux 8-cylinder setup, mounted to the engine cases. This “magneto” mimics the appearance of a Mallory Super Mag 2, complete with wooden components and yellow spark plug wires. The resemblance to a real ignition system adds to the overall authenticity of the build.  Sound plays a crucial role in completing the illusion. Chris integrated a sound card into the skateboard, producing a realistic V8 soundtrack. The speakers, hidden within the engine cylinders, amplify the sound, making it seem as though the noise emanates from the exhaust pipes. This auditory element adds a dynamic dimension to the experience.  Chris’s journey in custom building is deeply rooted in his background. His six years with a “Top Eliminator” drag racing team in the late 1970s provided invaluable experience and inspiration. This period honed his skills and fueled his passion for mechanical innovation. The V8 skateboard is a culmination of his life’s work, blending technical expertise with a love for Kustom Kulture.  The future of the V8 skateboard includes several exciting features. Chris plans to finish the deck with a subdued design, reminiscent of 1960s skateboards. He also envisions an exaggerated gear shift originating from within the engine, topped with a Halloween skull. Lowering the skull’s jaw will activate the first motor, starting the engine, while moving the skull forward will control the second motor for speed.  Chris’s dedication to his craft and his ability to transform childhood memories into tangible creations is truly inspiring. The V8 skateboard is a testament to his ingenuity and passion for custom builds. It stands as a unique blend of art and engineering, capturing the essence of Kustom Kulture while pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Chris’s work reminds us that with creativity and determination, even the wildest dreams can become reality.  The post Chris Gordon’s Kustom Kulture-inspired V8 Skateboard  appeared first on Rider Magazine.

NOTHING CAN STOP WHAT IS COMING? Oh my… Yesterday we had President Trump literally buying his popcorn….and today we have Congress creating a contingent plan in case half of Congress suddenly gets wiped out! Gee, what could cause something like that? We’ll get to that in a moment, first the headlines…. NEW – U.S. lawmakers plan for possible “mass casualty” event, proposing a constitutional amendment to replace members quickly and change various lines of succession in a “national crisis.”https://t.co/1RAVKYLBbx — Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) September 24, 2024 Politico has more details about the urgency of passing a new Constitutional Amendment: Over the past 15 years, members of Congress have survived two near-deadly shootings, a train crash with dozens of them on board, and a Capitol riot that had hundreds of lawmakers fearing for their lives. Despite those incidents, the institution is wholly unprepared for a catastrophic event that kills or incapacitates multiple members — even if that hypothetical tragedy results in a major power shift: changing which party holds the majority in the House or Senate. Members of Congress themselves have proposed a host of solutions to the havoc a mass casualty could wreak. Those propositions range from a constitutional amendment allowing members to designate their own successors to simple rule changes to prevent violence from shifting party power. But a POLITICO review shows that both Republican and Democratic leaders, including chairs of key committees, have failed to significantly advance any of the ideas proposed since a mass shooting at a GOP baseball practice in 2017. That’s largely based on a reluctance to acknowledge the issue and a general resistance in Congress to changing rules. That strikes many members as foolhardy. “The number of rounds in one pistol clip can change the balance of power of the House or the Senate,” said former Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.), who took up the issue after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when a hijacked plane came within 20 minutes of crashing into the Capitol. Lawmakers and their staff face real threats of political violence every day. Capitol Police opened 8,008 cases to assess threats against lawmakers in 2023, a 100 percent increase from 2017. The two assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump are blaring reminders of the ever-present dangers for public officials. The lack of a plan to respond to a mass casualty is particularly acute in the House: It has no mechanism to quickly fill unexpected vacancies, even on a temporary basis. Instead, a special election must be held to replace a member. That can take months. In the meantime, the House would have to operate shorthanded — perhaps extremely shorthanded. But doing so could leave a vast swath of the country unrepresented, meaning any action that Congress takes would be vulnerable to a court challenge. In practice, this could mean putting the full power of the chamber in the hands of members who, for example, boycott a State of the Union address or speech from a foreign dignitary only to see their colleagues who attend killed in a terrorist attack. Events like party conventions, caucus retreats and international member trips are also known potential targets. And there’s another worry: What if the slim congressional margins create an incentive for an act of political violence explicitly designed to shift control from one party to the other? “Part of the problem right now is someone with bad intentions could flip a majority for four months. And that’s horrifying,” said Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.), referring to how long it might take to fill vacancies through special elections, rather than immediate appointments. “And our reaction can’t be, ‘Well, that’ll never happen.’ Or, ‘Well, we’ll deal with that when the time comes.’ Because once the time comes, it’s too late.” ‘THE ANGEL OF DEATH’ Following multiple potentially deadly crises, House leaders in both parties have deprioritized or ignored the issue. No speaker since 9/11 — including Mike Johnson and his two predecessors, Kevin McCarthy and Nancy Pelosi — has put their political heft behind proposals to prepare the legislature for a catastrophe. And without such high-level support, plans to prepare Congress for a mass casualty event have fallen victim to jurisdictional scuffles and lawmaker bickering. Right now, the main idea to address the issue is a constitutional amendment that would require members of the House to submit a list of at least five possible successors to be tapped in the event of their death. If any member dies in office, the state’s governor would select an individual from the list to serve on a temporary basis until officials hold a special election for a permanent replacement. That proposal is being pushed by Kilmer and Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), who say it would remove an incentive for political violence and preserve the legitimacy of Congress in a crisis. Wenstrup was on the baseball field in Virginia in 2017 when a gunman took aim at Republicans. He used his military and medical training to treat then-GOP Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) until paramedics arrived. “There were 136 rounds fired that morning, and he had names of Republicans and descriptions in his pocket,” Wenstrup said. “The idea is for us to have a situation in place where no one can get away with doing that as far as changing the balance of power.” “I worry that my friends and the Democratic caucus think I’m the angel of death,” Kilmer said, “because we’d be on a bus to a retreat, and I’ll be like, ‘does anyone know what happens if we die? Or if something happens to the bus?’ And they’re like ‘Kilmer? Enough already.’” A HIGH BAR Of course, approving a constitutional amendment would be incredibly difficult: It requires two-thirds support of each congressional chamber and then ratification from three-fourths of state legislatures. But there is a precedent for it. The 17th Amendment, enacted over a century ago, created a succession plan for Senate vacancies that empowered 45 states to allow the governor to temporarily appoint a replacement until an election is held. Five states still don’t allow appointments and require a special election. The House could try other avenues if a constitutional amendment isn’t possible. Some members have mulled changes to House rules designed to prevent a mass casualty from switching control of the chamber to the opposite party mid-session. Another idea would be to impose strict mandates on states to hold swift special elections after a mass vacancy. But advocates warn against such a piecemeal approach. Some in the chamber view the changes made after 9/11 as simply providing the veneer of solving the problem. As it stands now, the House can only fill its vacancies only by special election, which take an average of 136 days to conduct. If a crisis occurred, Congress’ role as a check on the executive branch could be severely diminished precisely when the federal government potentially needs to act. Here is my friend Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, explaining more: WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Top Scientist Mike Adams Is NOW LIVE Breaking Alarming New Intel On How Congress Is Rushing To Prepare For A “Mass Casualty Event” https://t.co/KZqsCZJDle — Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) September 24, 2024 So….now the real question….is this to protect against something like a nuke? Or….is it because NCSWIC? Are they preparing for mass ARRESTS (not mass casualty)? Not a mass casualty event but a mass arrest event https://t.co/Sj6qqjWU7N — Joe.M (@GeneralJoeM17) September 24, 2024 Whoa whoa whoa… Lawmakers want to make a constitutional amendment that would allow them to replace members of congress under the guise of a “mass casualty event”? Mass casualties = Mass Arrests?They know what’s coming… • Pushing it: Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.)Brad Wenstrup… pic.twitter.com/uJoBBjfN5G — MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) September 24, 2024 Whoa whoa whoa… Lawmakers want to make a constitutional amendment that would allow them to replace members of congress under the guise of a “mass casualty event”? Mass casualties = Mass Arrests? They know what’s coming… • Pushing it: Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.) Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) William Timmons (R-S.C.) Emanuel Cleaver II (D-Mo.) Mario Nawfal had the following: CONGRESS’ DOOMSDAY PLAN: REPS PUSH AMENDMENT TO COUNTER MASS ATTACK CHAOS A bipartisan group of House members is proposing a constitutional amendment to rapidly replace representatives in the event of a mass casualty attack on Congress. Representatives Derek Kilmer… pic.twitter.com/yP1LCneGXY — Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) September 24, 2024 CONGRESS’ DOOMSDAY PLAN: REPS PUSH AMENDMENT TO COUNTER MASS ATTACK CHAOS A bipartisan group of House members is proposing a constitutional amendment to rapidly replace representatives in the event of a mass casualty attack on Congress. Representatives Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.), Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), William Timmons (R-S.C.), and Emanuel Cleaver II (D-Mo.) are spearheading this effort. The proposal would require each representative to submit a list of potential replacements to their state governor. If a representative dies, the governor would appoint a replacement within 10 days. This measure aims to ensure continued representation and discourage violence intended to shift the balance of power in Congress. Rep. Kilmer: “We’ve seen a 300 percent increase in threats against members over the last seven years.” However, the amendment faces significant hurdles, requiring a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of state legislatures. Critics also point out potential challenges in implementation, particularly regarding states’ ability to hold rapid special elections. Despite these obstacles, proponents argue that the growing threat of political violence necessitates such precautions to safeguard the continuity of government. What do you think?

During a Senate committee hearing on Tuesday, lawmakers questioned the manufacturer of popular weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, citing what Senator Bernie Sanders called "outrageously high" drug prices.