9-11 events Tally, Wakulla COunty and Dothan Ala.

TALLAHASSEE: 3rd Annual Fire and Iron 9/11 Remembrance Motorcycle Ride on Tuesday, September 11, 2007. We will meet at 8am at the Wal-Mart on the Apallachee Parkway for a group ride to the Capitol steps for a ceremony at 8:30am. Governor Crist and other agencies will be there this year! For more information, contact Mike Terhune at 850-212-2494.

WAKULLA COUNTY: Memorial Service, The Wakulla County Sheriff's Office, INVITES YOU TO THE 6TH ANNUAL, 9/11 MEMORIAL SERVICE, AT 15 OAK STREET, September 11, 2007
TUESDAY 8:45 A.M.

DOTHAN, ALA:From PGR-Dothan: We will memorialize those that lost their lives that day and honor those who have served in our military on foreign soil since September 11, 2001. Dothan, Alabama Staging Info: 0900 hrs with KSU at 0930 Porters Square Mall on 84West inside Circle. Coming from the North, come around Circle to 84West and turn East inside circle, go about 5 lights will be on left. Coming from the East come on 84West through town and will be 2nd. Light past Sears(on right). Coming from West on 84East come across circle and about 5 light on left. Please bring bike flags if possible: We are doing an Honor Parade for our Men and Women in Uniform. The parade will have many miltary vehicles, Police and Fire personnel.

You have probably received an e-mail from one of many persons or organizations re: grass roots movement for home, businesses, whatever to Fly the American Flag Tuesday. Lets Do IT!

LET US BE UNITED IN OUR DESIRE FOR FREEDOM AND SUPPORT FOR OUR TROOPS

IF YOUR AREA IS HAVING AN EVENT NOT LISTED PLEASE SEND IT IN SO WE CAN GET IT UP THANKS.Add to Technorati Favorites

From the AMA (used 2 B 1/2 MRO and 1/2 industry spokesman), The scales are tipping....not in our favor

This month the AMA (American Motorcycle Association)news and notes is proud to bring youe 18 news and notes bits and pieces. Of which Eight of them we proudly noted had nothing to do with motorcycling but everything to do with ATV's. But ya see, you have to keep in mind that the AMA has to be fair. Since they do represent the "motorcycle Industry" and the m otorcycle industry do make them there "ATV's" well then this little mathematical equation known as the "bottom line effect" sooner or later has to rear it's ugly head. We do how on occasion find pearls of wisdom so we print them. For example among this months pearls, Only one mentioned Stiffer Penalties and that is the Tennessee Fiasco mentioned on this site in an earlier post. They represent us so well................

In the Philippines motorcycles are now banned on expressways, which the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) classify as "limited access highways." Radio dzBB reported that enforcers at the North and South Luzon Expressways have started flagging down motorcycles traveling along these expressways. But it said authorities admitted they could still not issue citation tickets to the motorcycle drivers as there are still no implementing rules and regulations for the new policy. NOTE: Don't ya love laws without rules (think on that one a bit)

Delaware House Bill 133, sponsored by Rep. Bruce C. Ennis (D- Smyrna), clarifies the definition and licensing requirements for three-wheeled motorcycles. Among other things, it requires a licensed operator to have a motorcycle endorsement if the vehicle has less than three feet between the tandem wheels. NOTE: But what about Trike Kits??? Seems to be we just found a loophole.....................

Australian Minister for Roads and Ports, Tim Pallas, announced recently that the Government would introduce new regulations for Learner and Probationary motorcyclists in Victoria through the introduction of a new Learner Approved Motorcycle Scheme (LAMS).
Pallas said the new licensing scheme would encourage national uniformity and modernize the current regulations that restrict new and learner motorcyclist to an engine capacity of 260cc.
Rider advocate and interest groups have strongly supported the move saying it will give learner and novice riders access to more appropriate motorcycles and restrict them from high risk, race replica motorcycles. NOTE: Coming soon to a country near you. Oh wait a second let me rephrase that.

Tennessee legislation, championed by CMT/ABATE of Tennessee and in accord with the AMA Justice for All campaign, to increase penalties for right-of-way violations that result in serious injury or death has been enacted. Senate Bill 794, introduced by Sen. Tim Burchett (R-Knoxville), was signed into law by Gov. Phil Bredesen and became effective July 1.
To find out more about the Justice for All campaign to reduce motorcycle accidents and punish those who cause these accidents go to www.AMADirectlink.com and click on the Rights Resources section. Note: I said to myself, self you don't want to add this. Self said ya but you got to even if it does make you want to puke.

In the AMA's continuing effort to educate riders about how noisy bikes risk rights (???????), the Government Relations Department has awarded nine sound-level test kits to AMA districts, clubs and promoters. The kits are used to test the sound level of bikes to educate riders about how loud, or quiet, their bikes are, and to ensure that competition machines meet AMA competition sound limits. The sound-level test kits were granted to the CC Riders Motorcycle Club, Nutmeg Scramblers, Cheaha Trail Riders, AMA District 1 (New England), Congress Delegate Bill Haas, the Wisconsin Off-Highway Vehicle Association, Freestone County Raceway, Walden Playboys MC, AMA District 16 (Northwestern Michigan, Wisconsin) and AMA District 27 (Washington). This is the third year that sound-testing equipment has been available through this grant program. In the first two years, the Government Relations Department awarded only sound meters. This year, awardees got an entire kit that includes a sound meter, tachometer, instructional DVD and manual, spark arrester probe, personal protective equipment and a certificate for a free annual recalibration from the sound meter supplier. NOTE: PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT??????? WHAT THE HELL THEY GONNA DO? SOVE THEIR PENCIL NECKS UP IN THEM PIPE'S AND HOLLER "Can ya hear me now?"Add to Technorati Favorites

Oh yeah, Did we mention motorcycle pipes? Get use to it. They want em bad.....

Now I suspect that there are some that are not going to believe that this is a picture of a design I am working on for water cooled motorcycle exhaust. Now I ain's so sure that it will quiet down the motorcycle much, but I'm thinking you probably won't give a damn.

New Laws Seek to Stifle Noisy Motorcycle Exhausts
MSNBC and Forbes have cited a growing movement by US cities to restrict motorcycle noise levels, and while the issue is not a new one, some of the most recent developments are downright alarming.

Among the new ordinances, the articles mention that a New York law passed on July 1 will fine riders a minimum of $440 if their mufflers or exhaust systems can be heard within 200 feet. Denver, Colorado has apparently banned any aftermarket exhaust system on motorcycles less than 25 years old, an offense punishable with a $500 fine.

American Motorcyclist Association spokesman Bill Wood states the obvious: "From our perspective, this creates enormous problems for us because people notice the one motorcycle that makes a lot of noise, they don't notice the 50 that pass that don't. So there's a perception that motorcycles are noisy."

While most motorcyclists can identify with the annoyance of having to endure the ear-splitting roar of those who choose to ride with straight pipes, there's no telling how far local government offices will go to stifle the right to customize bikes; this isn't a debate about whether or not loud pipes save lives, it cuts to the core of the right to mechanically modify motorcycles.

I don't know about you, but it seems that while the intent of these laws is clear, the manner with which they seek to quiet down the noisy minority verges on the ridiculous.

Ya know whats funny, I mean like really funny, your gonna die laughing when you hear this. The fine for having an illegal exhaust in Denver, Colorado is the same as the fine for Killing a Biker in Tennessee. Thank God for ABATE of Florida, the cost of killing a biker in the sunshine state cost as much as two motorcycle muffler tickets. Assuming of course you can find a Judge in the state of Florida with Balls enough to fine somebody the full amount (oh come on you know I know there are at least one or two that will slap the full fine on someone that cant afford it. Why these fine upstanding judges ain't gonna cut nobody no slack that ain't related to or in business with them. You didn't think I was talking about all judges did you???) . You tell em rc said it.href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://bigbendbikersforfreedom.blogspot.com">Add to Technorati Favorites

The legislature giveth, the courts taketh away.

As far as penalties for violating ROW and causing the death of another vehicle operator as you can See Deleware has been way ahead of the curve relative to the rest of the country (consider Tennessee and Florida for example where it is cheaper to kill a "BIKER" with your vehicle than to hire a hit man).

http://www.delfreedomriders.com
In 2003, the Delaware General Assembly passed House Bill 190 (as amended), also known as “The Warren G.H. Pritchett Act” which amended the Delaware Code to the effect that the operation of a vehicle causing death (“death by motor vehicle”), on the first offense, would carry a fine of not more than $1,150 and no more than 30 months in jail. While not perfect, the penalties are more severe than most.

However recently the Delaware courts have recently enacted the following: http://courts.state.de.us/Courts/Superior%20Court/pdf/?Administrative_Directive_2007-3.pdf
Message: ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTIVE OF THE PRESIDENT JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE, NO. 2007-3, TEMPORARY STAY OF OPERATION OF VEHICLE CAUSING DEATH CASES.

Now as I have stated before, I ain't the brightest bulb in the drawer, and of course we won't know what all this is going to amount to till it actually amounts to something and it probably needs some figurin on. However the initial "figurin" that comes into my mind is, screwed again (or at least until they get it figured out). Ride Free, even if it is a little bit confusing as to what freedom means now days. rcAdd to Technorati Favorites

Yepper, as we have stated before, they are coming after our pipes.

Message: Roaring pipes could be history for motorcyclists, BY SUE DOYLE, Staff Writer Article Last Updated: 09/04/2007 10:11:40 PM PDT http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_6802511
SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS - Jumping on his Harley-Davidson for a heart-racing spin down Mulholland Highway, Ron Mauceri grins when asked how loud his motorcycle can get.
"I have obnoxiously loud pipes," said the Westlake Village man, who bought the bike used.

Still, to maintain peace with his neighbors, the 69-year-old restricts the bike to a low hum on residential streets and reserves its thundering roar for the wide-open canyon roads.

But other riders around the country have not been as conscientious. And now states nationwide are cracking down on motorcycle noise, raising concern among local bikers that their noisy pastime could be stifled if California cracks down, too.

As of July 1, riders in New York can get slapped with $440 in fines for screaming mufflers. Those revving their engines too loudly in parts of Pennsylvania can get $150 tickets.

Denver now allows police to fine riders on motorcycles with mufflers not certified by the Environmental Protection Agency, which sets noise-pollution standards. "The problem is that everyone remembers that loud motorcycle and they don't even notice the 50 quiet ones that pass them by," said Bill Wood, spokesman for the American Motorcyclist.Add to Technorati Favorites

Has the time come to start worrying more about lives than helmet laws???

In light of the post below and the mounting incidences of road rage and ROW violations taking the lives of our Brothers and Sisters we must begin to hold the leaders of Motorcycle Rights Organizations to take meaningful action NOW. The following is an Open Letter from Bruce at B&R's Forum:

OPEN LETTER TO ABATE OF ILLINOIS ("We only have those rights we are willing to defend.") Fellow Riders and Freedom Fighters in the State of Illinois:

I have had the privilege of riding across your great state four times in the past six weeks: first going to and returning from Sturgis, then twice over Labor Day Weekend as part of two Iron Butt Association "Bun Burner Gold" runs from Miami Beach to Chicago and back by way of East St. Louis. On I-24 West near its terminus at I-57, three Illinois riders and myself were almost killed by a cellphone-impaired cager, one of many nationwide who apparently feel their right to gab is more important than our right to life: http://tinyurl.com/23spaz

Perhaps that should not be surprising, since as I observed last weekend, the State of Illinois posts signs that actually encourage motorists to use their cellphones while they are driving:
http://tinyurl.com/2x35dn

I hope you will see clear to follow the example set by our brothers and sisters in Delaware, and demand that your governor and the misguided safetycrats in your state capital take down those signs, and stop encouraging such irresponsibly reckless and dangerous behavior:
http://tinyurl.com/yr7sb4

Make them understand that we have 236 million cellphone subscribers on our roadways ... that 73% of them are talking while they are driving ... that cellphone conversations impair their driving skills as much if they were intoxicated with alcohol ... and that consequently they are four times more likely to cause or be involved in an accident than motorists who responsibly shut up and steer. The Oklahoma Highway Safety Office, for example, reports that ONE IN FOUR ACCIDENTS in Oklahoma last year occurred when a driver was talking on the phone:
http://tinyurl.com/yvloo9

Can the numbers in your state be much different? Based on what I experienced there, I doubt it. And exactly how many motorcycle accidents, injuries and deaths are attributable to the negligence and inattentional blindness of cellphone conversation-impaired cagers? We don't know for sure, because NOBODY seems to be capturing that data (somebody correct me here...please!). What we do know, however, is that according to NTHSA in 2005 motorcycles accounted for only 2.54% of all registered vehicles while motorcyclists accounted for 10.48% of all crash fatalities, and that riders were 4.5 times more likely to be in a fatal accident. That means that motorcyclists are far more likely to suffer injury or death at the hands of a cellphone conversation-impaired cager than other motorists.

Cellphone-related or not, RIGHT-OF-WAY VIOLATIONS BY CAGERS have long been the single most significant threat to the life and limb of responsible motorcycle riders. And that is never going to change, so long as the price negligent and care-less motorists pay for maiming or killing bikers is no more than a slap on the wrist:
http://tinyurl.com/yoqkdq

As bikers' rights advocates for your state, I hope you recognize it is your responsibility to see that justice is served--not just in the charges, but in the sentencing--in heinous cases like the recent murder of Illinois motorcyclist Frank Ferraro by impaired cager Erika Scoliere:
http://tinyurl.com/25gtyp

I implore you not to wait too late to take action in this regard. Otherwise, Erika Scoliere may literally get away with murder, just like ABATE of Ohio allowed to happen with respect to Thelma Bartley, the drunk who killed Ohio motorcyclists Marshall Atwood and Deborah McClintock then plea-bargained her way to a sentence of only 90 days and a $150 fine:
http://tinyurl.com/ynlal2

As motorcyclists, "... we only have those rights we are willing to defend". Our brothers and sisters in Vermont have been put on notice that it is time to defend those rights:
http://tinyurl.com/ytrzq9

Our brothers and sisters in Idaho have been put on notice that it is time to defend those rights:
http://tinyurl.com/ysgqfo

And now you, our brothers and sisters in Illinois, have been put on notice as well. Know that there are concerned riders from coast to coast standing ready to support you.

Speaking strictly for myself and no other individuals or organizations, Bruce Arnold
Bruce@LdrLongDistanceRider.comAdd to Technorati Favorites

IF You do not believe we as Bikers are at war, Read the following

Would those memorialized on the left stand for this. I say we don't. To "Howie", Do not let your alligator mouth out run your tweety bird ass!
From Channel 9 News: Denver Colorado DENVER - For years, motorcyclist Dana Straw has been an avid listener of Alice 105.9's morning show. That is, until, this week, when he heard something he could not believe. He says one of the show's three disc jockeys, known as "Howie," was talking about an encounter he had with a motorcyclist on the road who was driving erratically.

"He said, 'I wanted to open a car door on these guys who were passing me on the shoulder of the road on the right hand side of the road,'" said Straw. "And then today, during his broadcast, pretty much was inviting other listeners to call into the radio and tell their stories, and was kind of egging listeners on to explain they would like to do the same thing too."

Since the broadcast Wednesday morning, word of what reportedly took place on the airwaves has sparked a massive campaign by local motorcycle groups to boycott advertisers and listeners alike from the station. They are writing in by the hundreds, sometimes thousands, on Web sites like http://www.cosportbikeclub.org.

"When you have people telling you how to harm other people on the road, especially people who are unprotected like motorcyclists and don't have a cage around them, that's absolutely horrible," said Straw. "He's (Howie) a public figure, on the radio, a lot of people listen to him and to mention something like that was really bad."

Biker Siona Weaver, whose mother was killed by a truck while riding her motorcycle, agrees.
"We have as much right to be out there as anyone else, and we're not going out there to run people off the roads," she said. "I'm very upset that anyone would suggest to hit a motorcyclist. Period."

9NEWS contacted the station's program director, Dave Symonds, who denied the show ever mentioned opening car doors to oncoming bikers, and had no further comment on the matter.
9NEWS also asked Alice 105.9 for recordings of this week's morning shows to hear for ourselves what was said. Symonds would not give them to us.

Bikers like Weaver and Straw want there to be more education about safely sharing the roads with motorcyclists. "The more people understand, the safer it's going to be for everybody," said Weaver.

They fear that what they heard this week on Alice 105.9 not only made light of doing harm on the road, but will encourage drivers to hate bikers. "It's inciting people to do bad things to people when they're just trying to project themselves on the road," said Straw. "They had a caller on this morning that said she felt like nudging a motorcyclist."Add to Technorati Favorites