THE AIM/NCOM MOTORCYCLE E-NEWS SERVICE is brought to you by Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (A.I.M.) and the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM), and is sponsored by the Law Offices of Richard M. Lester. For more information, call us at 1-(800) ON-A-BIKE or visit us on our website at http://www.ON-A-BIKE.com.

NCOM NEWS BYTES
Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish,
National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM)

GOVERNOR VETOES MICHIGAN HELMET LAW REPEAL
For the second straight year, Michigan riders successfully maneuvered a helmet law modification bill through their state legislature and onto their governor’s desk, and for the second time Governor Jennifer Granholm has vetoed the measure.

Motorcyclists had hoped that by adding certain amendments, such as pumping up the state’s economy by charging $100 per year for the right to ride helmetless, and by winning support from the state’s top law enforcement group, they would convince Granholm to change her mind this time around.

But despite overwhelming support in the Legislature and endorsement of House Bill 4749 by the Michigan Association of Police Organizations, as well as the promise of an additional $25 million annually pouring into the state coffers from freedom-minded riders, Granholm quickly dispatched the bill again citing safety concerns and insurance costs.

It would now take a two-thirds vote of both chambers of the state Legislature to override Granholm's veto, an option ABATE of Michigan and the Michigan Confederation of Clubs are looking into.

MYRTLE BEACH CONSIDERS HELMET LAW TO DETER RALLY-GOERS
“Enough is enough,” has become the campaign slogan by residents of Myrtle Beach, SC and members of the City Council as they considered options to put a stop to local motorcycle rallies and deter bikers from attending.

One option under consideration is the passage of a local ordinance to require motorcyclists to wear helmets within the city limits. During the public discussion period at a packed City Council meeting recently, resident Ronnie Felts said he has spoken with members of the South Carolina Legislature who urged the city to push the state for a local option on the state's helmet law, which now says no motorcyclist 21 or older is obligated to wear headgear.

The city cannot now pass any law more restrictive than the state's, though according to The (Myrtle Beach) Sun News which reported on the meeting, Mayor Pro-Tem Wayne Gray said there are efforts underway to allow municipalities to do just that.

Even though the bike rallies fill the city at least two weekends each May -- during the Harley-Davidson Cruisin' the Coast rally and the Atlantic Beach Bikefest -- the audience gave Joyce Harris a standing ovation when she told the council that she and others had already been in touch with officials in Fort Lauderdale, FL who publicly declared spring break partiers were not welcome any more and the city began heavily enforcing stricter ordinances to deter them from coming.

No one in the audience spoke in favor of the rallies, and each of the council members agreed they want to put an end them - neither of which is sponsored by the city. "We're going to do what we can to shut the sucker down," said councilman Chestnut, who also received a standing ovation.

City Manager Tom Leath, City Attorney Tom Ellenburg and Police Chief Warren Gall are planning to come up with options to present to the council, which will likely include higher taxes to pay for a permanent solution to the problem.

DRIVERS MAKE IT TOUGH TO BE AN EASY RIDER
A new poll reveals that car drivers wish they didn't have to share the road with motorcycle riders. And most bikers, in turn, want car drivers to be more careful on the road. According to the online survey of licensed Connecticut drivers, conducted by Directive Analytics on behalf of Allstate Insurance, if the state's car drivers had their druthers, about one in four would have bikers banned from highways and parkways. And nearly half said bikers should not be allowed on roadways altogether in inclement weather.

Why the animosity? Because Connecticut car drivers consider motorcycles unsafe. Eighty percent of respondents thought motorcycles are more dangerous or much more dangerous than other vehicles. One in five, in fact, said they have come close to hitting a biker. Illustrating just how anti-motorcycle they are, 75 percent of drivers said they would not let their child ride one.

But, the gripes aren't just on the part of motorists. The survey also reveals that bikers overwhelmingly (80 percent) thought they were safer on the road than car drivers, stating that car drivers are careless and don't pay attention to what's going on around them. Bikers also found car drivers to be aggressive, trying to cut riders off, as well as impatient, tending to tailgate cyclists.

"Whether we prefer four wheels or two, we all have preconceived notions, and perhaps even strong opinions, about other drivers -- but these opinions should never get the better of us while we are in our vehicles," said Andrea Short, Allstate Field Product Manager. "Particularly now as the warmer weather approaches and heavy traffic re-emerges, all drivers should be careful and cognizant of fellow drivers at all times so we may share the roadways safely."

SHARING THE ROAD
Motorcycle groups and clubs from across Southeast Texas gathered at Cowboy Harley-Davidson in Beaumont to kickoff a motorcycle safety awareness campaign to focus public attention on the need for increased caution on the part of motorists and bikers alike.

David Die, a member of the Red Knights Motorcycle Club, along with members of ABATE and the Confederation of Clubs banned together to secure a grant from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation to work with local media in supporting a nation-wide initiative in promoting motorcycle safety.

“For years, during the month of May we have joined local, county, state and federal government in proclaiming May ‘Motorcycle Awareness’ month. However, we just felt like we needed to take it a step further,” said Die.

The MSF grant will allow this group to sponsor a public awareness campaign, attend special events and provide educational information on motorcycle safety and awareness, reported The Examiner newspaper.

"My friends' deaths have made me intent on getting vehicular drivers to be more attentive where motorcycles are concerned," said Die. "To put the cell phone down, to put the makeup down, to not finish the last piece of sweet roll and coffee and to put both hands on the steering wheel and your mind on driving."

The public awareness campaign’s message is two-fold: it advocates responsible motorcycle riding and reminds vehicle drivers “to look out for motorcyclists,” said Robin Troy of Neil-Troy Advertising. The campaign, which begins June 16 and runs through the end of the summer, includes outdoor billboards and television spots.

MOTORCYCLE GROUPS THREATEN LEGAL ACTION OVER N.Y. ROADBLOCKS
The National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) announced that its New York attorney has sent a letter of intent to file a class-action lawsuit against New York State Police and the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles in response to a series of discriminatory roadblocks targeting motorcycles en route to motorcycle-related events.

After a roadblock was established on New York’s I-84 in October 2007, which singled out motorcyclists on their way to a Marcus Dairy Cycle Sunday in nearby Danbury, Conn., motorcyclists’ rights advocates learned that Federal Grant money was to be used to fund police overtime to conduct these so-called “safety checks” at motorcycle events statewide.

Despite talks between DMV and representatives of NCOM, the American Motorcyclist Association, ABATE of New York and other motorcycle rights organizations during the winter, roadblocks were also set up on I-88 and the NYS Thruway targeting motorcyclists traveling to the American Motorcycle Jamboree, or AM-JAM, a 24-year old event held at the Cobleskill Fairgrounds, and again on I-87 stopping riders traveling to Americade in Lake George, America’s largest touring motorcycle rally.

According to Robert “Prospector” Boellmer, the New England and New York representative of NCOM, Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (A.I.M.) Attorney Mitchell Proner of New York, NY has given notice to the NY State Police and DMV that a class action suit will be filed in protest of the road checks being conducted on state highways during events that draw thousands of motorcyclists.

Warren County Tourism Director Kate Johnson said Americade’s 2007 economic impact in the region was estimated to have been $46 million. “The rally brought about 50,000 motorcyclists to the area last year,” she told the newspaper, adding that attendance was down this year.

Boellmer told the Daily Gazette that the stops constitute harassment of cyclists and his group will fight them in court to halt the discriminatory roadblocks. He said the national coalition represents more than a thousand motorcycle organizations across the country.

“ABATE of New York, Inc. expresses its opposition to New York State's burgeoning tactic of conducting highway roadblocks which divert only motorcyclists from the state's roadway for the purpose of conducting ‘safety checks’, and hereby expresses its support of a class-action initiative by the National Coalition of Motorcyclist against the NYS Police and the NYS Dept. of Motor Vehicles,” said Timothy D. Werder, State President of ABATE of New York in an official press release issued by his organization.

With the support of ABATE of New York, the AMA and various other biker rights organizations, NCOM officials plan to pursue legal actions against state agencies involved in what they consider unconstitutional infringements.

LOUD PIPES SAVE (OFFICERS’) LIVES
Over in Oakland they like it loud - so loud that all 45 of the Police Department's Harley-Davidson motorcycles have been equipped with shiny new tailpipes, at a cost of $500 apiece, to rev up their roar. It seems the cops just didn't feel safe on toned-down bikes.

"There's an old motorcycle adage that you are heard before you are seen," Deputy Chief Dave Kozicki told the San Francisco Chronicle, explaining the department's decision to toss the bikes' muted factory-issued mufflers in favor of the more high-volume pipes.

Oakland's cops had a long tradition of riding their Harley-Davidsons with the modified, louder tail pipes, earning them the nickname "Rolling Thunder." But after an officer complained about a loss of hearing and others around town questioned whether the police force was violating the very noise standards it was supposed to enforce, the department brass ordered a switch to the quieter stock mufflers.

According to Kozicki, the decibel drop sparked a chorus of complaints from other officers, who said they felt less safe. Kozicki cited an accident three months ago in which an Oakland officer riding a toned-down cycle was struck by a motorist who said he hadn't heard the officer approaching.

So last year the department launched a $1,200 study in conjunction with the city's risk management division to determine whether A) the louder motorcycles contributed to officers' safety, B) were detrimental to their hearing, and C) complied with noise standards.

Kozicki acknowledged that whatever safety-related findings the study produced were largely anecdotal. Still, after everything was taken into consideration, the department concluded "it was in the best interest of the officers to put more-audible pipes back on," Kozicki said.

WEIRD NEWS: WEE, WEE, WEE, ALL THE WAY TO COURT
Did you know that Tacoma, Washington has a law that could ban Harley-Davidson motorcycles? According to the News Tribune, an interesting court case has developed involving the owner of a hog, city prosecutors are arguing that the owner is violating a law banning hogs in the city limit. Taking his case to superior court, it appears that Harley-Davidson motorcycles could be banned within the city limits.

While this court case is really about the definition of a “hog” the definition in the book city prosecutors are using define a hog as:
Black’s Veterinary Dictionary, which defines a hog as a “male pig after being castrated.”
Collins Essential English Dictionary’s first definition of hog is a “castrated male pig.”
Encarta defines hog as “a full-grown domestic pig, especially a castrated male pig.”
But www.dictionary.com defines hog as slang “a large, heavy motorcycle.”

Luckily the court case is really about animals and the defense lawyer was just using the hog definition of a motorcycle as an example of how the city was using the wrong terminology. But it does go to show that the wrong interpretation of an old law on the books could really impact motorcycles owners, at least in Tacoma.

Hopefully they get the law straightened out and decide on what really is a hog and what ain’t, so bikers can ride into town without “breaking” Tacoma’s anti-hog laws.

QUOTABLE QUOTE: “I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost to maintain this Declaration of Independence, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the gloom I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is worth all the means, and that posterity will triumph in that day’s transaction.”
John Adams (1735-1826), Patriot and 2nd President of the United States, in a letter to his wife Abigail on July 3, 1776