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• Galt's outgoing mayor Andrew Meredith talks about election, priorities for future

• $74 billion loss

• Study: 95 percent of high schoolers have cheated at least once

• Parade of Lights ceremony Tuesday

• Regional Roundup

November 2nd, 2009

• Deputies name suspect in fatal Acampo shooting

November 7th, 2009

• Lodi High graduate was at Fort Hood

• Lining up for flu shots in Lodi

• Tour packs buses as birdwatchers admire Sandhill cranes

• City of Lodi staff looking into possibility of limiting number of taco trucks

• Daytime thieves targeting Lodi homes

• Lodi High School rally featured on 'Good Day Sacramento'

• Out of control

• Homicide suspect Anthony Hubbard arraigned

• Regional Roundup

• New Lodi Memorial rule to combat spread of H1N1: Visitors must be older than 16

November 6th, 2009

• Short sales make up nearly half of Lodi market

• Regional Roundup

• Lodi man accused of smuggling drugs, weapons for inmates at state prison

• 'I-5 Strangler' sentenced to 6 terms of life

• Jury convicts Acampo man of torture, assault of his girlfriend

• Young girl is 200,000th person to assemble AIDS, HIV care kit

• Woman in wheelchair struck by car

November 5th, 2009

• A lower Lodi Lake

• Streetside scarecrows

• San Joaquin County considers moratorium on new Williamson Act contracts

• Speakers address Lodi Unified School District budget shortfalls, plea to keep programs

• Armed robbers still targeting Lodi shops

• Regional Roundup

• California voters have final say over $11 billion water bond

• Weekend bus service to continue until Lodi City Council makes decision

• Paul Tebbel shines spotlight on sandhill cranes

• Your complete guide to Sandhill Crane Festival

• David Diskin is first to give an invocation under new city of Lodi policy

• Man wanted in Acampo homicide gives up to San Joaquin County Sheriff's detectives

November 4th, 2009

• Candle fire

• Rep. Jerry McNerney sets telephone town hall for Thursday

• Jason Behrmann is unanimously named Galt's city manager

• Regional Roundup

• Galt City Council argues over ordinance hiring residents

• San Joaquin County sues state over prison hospital planned for Stockton

• Big win for Allen Baroni in reclamation election

• California sends Democratic loyalist John Garamendi to Congress

• Bicycling father raising awareness of teen suicide

• Lodi City Council weighs raising fares to restore some bus service

November 3rd, 2009

• 500 attend service for Kyle Coumas

• Correction

• Galt considers ordinance that would require city contractors to hire locally

• Regional Roundup

• Have you seen a missing guide dog puppy in Lodi?

• Galt man dies after weekend Highway 12 crash

• Jason Behrmann is top candidate for Galt city manager

• Deputies name suspect in fatal Acampo shooting

• Clarification

November 2nd, 2009

• Downtown Lodi trick or treat

• Public Meetings

• Correction

• Kyle Coumas funeral today

• 27-year-old man shot to death Saturday night in front of Acampo home

• Regional Roundup

• Group investigates reports of haunting

• Sandhill Cranes Festival comes to Lodi next weekend

• Lamborghini lovers gather for show, fine wine, luncheon in Woodbridge

• Lodi's 'Biggest Loser' Christy Richesin runs 5K Halloween race

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

• Bible is entwined with American civic life (135)
• I predict: A conservative tide will rise in 2010 (74)
• David Diskin is first to give an invocation under new city of Lodi policy (70)
• The Treaty of Tripoli hoax (60)
• Universal health care solves big problems (54)
• Here's what my father knew about the assassination of JFK (35)
• Stuck in neutral? Hardly! (35)
• Words from our forefathers (27)
• City of Lodi staff looking into possibility of limiting number of taco trucks (24)
• Majority cannot deprive the minority (24)

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Double duty

Harley mechanic and customizer also a drag racing contender

Danny Duarte's energy and passion for Harley-Davidson bikes is infectious. Less than 10 minutes with the enthusiastic mechanic and racer could possibly get even the most reserved person wanting to jump on a hog and fire it up.

Duarte's confidence in his craft is evident by the fact that he took his successful Harley-Davidson repair shop from its location in Stockton to its brand-new digs on Kettleman Lane in Lodi, and already has about 16 bikes in for various work and repairs.

As the man with the handlebar mustache and salt-and-pepper mane of hair stands amid bikes that need everything from an oil change to body work, Duarte points out what makes his shop different.

"You have to fix things right. If you come back with a problem, my answer is, 'You don't have a problem,'" Duarte said. With over 30 years of experience as a Harley mechanic, Duarte said that out of the 500 or so bikes that he has worked on in the past 15 years, only three have come back with issues.

But it's not just repair that Duarte focuses on. He goes the extra mile for his customers.

"I'll close up shop early on a Friday and take clients out to the track to test their bikes," Duarte said. The test runs allow the customer to safely run the bikes at top speed, get a certificate verifying that speed and to give Duarte the chance to evaluate any problems the bike may have.

Being an All Harley Drag Racing Association (AHDRA) veteran also lets Duarte advise his customers on proper riding and handling techniques. Having run his yellow and white SNS Racing bike at 184 mph in 8.6 seconds, he's got plenty of advice to give.

Possibly the only thing faster in relation to Double D Motorcycles was the time it took to set up shop in Lodi.

"I couldn't believe it. What took 13 months in Stockton took a couple of hours in Lodi," Duarte said about getting the proper permits and licensing to open his shop. His accountant had recommended Ken Gini's auto service center on Kettleman and Washington streets. And since the complex was brand new, inspections weren't necessary.

Since Duarte has plenty of racing, repair and modification in his background, building custom bikes is a natural fit. Recently, he won two awards at the Bike Builders Invitational 2008 in Reno, Nev. One winner was a Harley V-Rod motorcycle that Duarte converted to a Bagger (a touring bike with saddle bags or travel containers), that he put a turbo engine on. The other bike was painted with a leopard theme for a local doctor, which took three years to complete.

It's obvious that Duarte could talk about Harleys without ceasing all day long. In fact, when he made the move to Lodi, he purposely designed his shop without a showroom.

"I changed the whole strategy," Duarte said. He would get caught up discussing bikes with his customers in the Stockton showroom — and not get any work done. The Lodi shop allows him the ability to work on bikes while still talking to his patrons.

And it doesn't matter what year a Harley was built in, Duarte can fix them all. The oldest he's restored was a 1928 Flathead Harley. He himself owns a '51 Panhead. "I do most of the work the dealership can't handle," Duarte said. He said that due to the experience of most dealership mechanics, they aren't trained for older models of Harleys.

When it comes to doing business in today's market, Duarte said most start-ups won't last longer than three to five years.

"It's a wake-up call. They make all this money, walk around with fat pocket, then realize all the bills," Duarte said. "Their whole concept changes and they go back to working from their garage."

Even though Double D has been open in Lodi for just over a month, Duarte is revved up about the future of his business. At 52, he has no plans to slow down.

"I've enjoyed the last 30 years," Duarte said.

Contact Business Editor Marc Lutz at marcl@lodinews.com.