if you don't think you're lookin at the most recent news do
a super reload on this page
3/20/01-3/21/01
LateWeekend/midweek/damn I'm slackin Update
Hey, it's the first day of spring! I'm really ready for the summer this year since last year I didn't get much of one. It looks like the local weather is also gonna be pretty good, I'll have to finally get the service done on my new bike so I can ride more;-) Here's the news....
Sorry we Missed ya:
Danelle, Scott, Squeetor, Pat, Aaron and everyone else that invited us
to dinnah, my sincerest apologies for not showing up. It was all set up in the last
minute plans (everything these days seems to be last minute with the exception of
Dr.'s appts.), but then Lisa went home early from work cause she wasn't feeling to
good. By the time I got home she was pretty under the weather, not feeling too good
at all. So I figured it would probably be a bit of a downer to bring a pukey girlfriend
to a dinner party. Even at the most informal events that seems like a bad idea. I'm
sure we'll make it to the next one barring any more fevers and such, sorry we missed
this one.
893 Page:
Mikey Vegas of the 893 kicked me a wire letting me know that he's in web
design school and will be ramping up and updating the 893 page real soon. This is
really great news, I can't wait to see what ya do with the page man!
Tat201K:
It's like a 401K for ink. As you know Socko and Lady are the proud new
parents of a new baby girl. As usual there was a mad betting pool to see who could
guess the baby's weight properly, I think the pot was around $45 between the bunch
of us. Duff was the grand winnah and in his greatness he threw it all in for little
Chloe Socko's future tattoo/first bike fund. So, we'll all be sending in our fivers
( 2 from me, I bet on 8.93 and 6.67) to Socko and Lady Amanda to buy a savings bond
or a big flat black piggy bank. If you would like to contribute, kick me down an
email and I'll give you the address to send it to.
Serious Bullshit:
I'm not sure how many of you out there play video games or go to the movies,
but I'm willing to bet there are at least a few out there. You'll love this latest
proposed bullshit legislation to screw us all.
Apparently the state of New Hampshire is reviewing a proposed legislation to tax video games and movies for money to help compensate victims of sexual assault. Yep, you heard that right. Supporters say that the tax is fitting, because video games and movies often feature sexual violence or portray women as objects of sexual gratification.
Seriously, this is real, I'm not making it up.
The bill would tax film and game rentals 5 cents each, video game and game players $1 each. The head of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence says state government provides no money for sexual assault services. Some store owner says taxing all games and videos is unfair, and could force smaller businesses to close.
.......fucked up.
Here's an idea, let's tax sports teams and sports events instead, since domestic violence rates go through the roof whenever the "home" team loses. Also, how about if we tax alchohol, since domestic violence seems to hand in hand with alcoholism. Here's a better idea, let's take all the rapists and spouse abusers and send them off to work farms instead of using taxpayer cash to give them a concrete hotel room! It's the same old bullshit, the syetem would rather find a scapegoat and screw it around than face the reality that the system doesn't work. If movies and video games really caused people to go out and kill, I'd be in jail for a few dozen life sentances.
Stupid politicians.
Letters:
It's time once again to pull some letters outta the mailbox and kick out
some replys. As most of you know I'm miles behind on some of my email and I'm feeling
like a slack for it. So here's some of the recent letters from YOU, the members of
the UTMC:
"I'm finally going to get out of grad school, get a job,
and get a bike...in that order. Just thought I'd thank your for filling my morning
coffee time with motor madness...I read motorcycle.com and then I read your page
ever single day, and I'm looking foreward to the new articles. Hey, have you ever
thought about doing bike reviews? I mean just riding a friends bike and telling us
what you think...no heavy duty comparo thing, I'd just like to get your take on stuff.
I've fallen in love with the valk...heheh...so if you get a chance to ride her let
us know.
peace, hot coffee, stale donuts, and fast bikes,
David"
Hey David,
It's nice to know that folx out there consider the UTMC page as a part of their higher
education, one of these days I'll have to get back to college myself and finish up
my degree. I'm glad you dig the page, I try to get new news up at least every other
day but things have been a little screwy for the last year or so.....year.....damn.
I gotta pull myself together! I like your idea about bike reviews, there seem to
be enough of us on newer bikes these days that we could probably pull that off. Starting
next issue there will be at least one or two bike reviews. Who knows, maybe the manufacturers
will get wind of it and even start loaning us bikes eh? Not likeley;-) I don't think
I know anyone with a Valkerie yet, but I'm sure one of the crowd is bound to get
one sooner or later. When they do, I'll make sure they do a writeup.....I might go
test ride one myself just for kicks. Thanks much for the letter David, keep it fast
and flat black.
The next one in is from our good brothah Mikey Vegas of the 893 in response to the newsflash about the Giant Unimog deathtank of doomsday that will soon be available:
Okay.....I hate to be the contrarian around here, but the Times is misreporting on this Unimog issue. It is by NO means an SUV.
This is directly from Frieghtliner's press release:
The Unimog is not intended to compete in the mass sport-utility  vehicle
markets. It is a Class 6 commercial truck intended for service applications where
terrain or weather require a high-mobility vehicle
And here's the link to their site if ya' wanna check it out....
http://www.freightlinertrucks.com/home.asp
This vehicle is not being tageted at suburban housewives- it
is a strict utility platform. There are very few provisions for passenger comfort
in this vehicle. However it is also possibly the MOST capable off-road vehicle in
the world. It is a GOOD thing that this vehicle is going to be sold in the U.S. Want
proof? ask the first hiker or mountain-biker that is rescued by a fire dep't., ambulance
service or police dep't. that previously wouldn't have been able to get most of it's
equipment to the scene. ($84,000 is a lot for a truck, but considering helicopter
prices it's not so terrible......)
I understand the SUV thing, and I agree that most people
A)don't need one, and
B)don't know how to drive one,
but there is work in the world that DOES require a truck to do it. I've included a photo of the Unimog, and I think you'll see what I mean.........
---Mikey Vegas
Whoa, a biker being saved by a truck????? That's a trend I'd like to see increase! It appears that there was some misunderstanding on my part on how this tank was going to be offered to the public. I'm 'all for vehichles that are piloted by trained professionals to do good stuff. As a matter of fact, the one huge tank of a truck/bus/suv that you'll never hear me bitch about is an ambulance, ever! If this thing is going to be used in that capacity I'm all for it, of course if i see one on the street I WILL buy a rocket launcher;-) Thanks for the insight Mikey it's great to hear from ya! BTW, send me some photos of the upcoming Laconia trip since me and a bazillion other poor schmucks are gonna miss it. Peace, Love and Dean Fuggin Martin!
This next one in is from Karl concerning one of the quotes on the front page:
"People are afraid of freedom, and we represent freedom."
-- Gail Chambers,
25-year veteran motorcyclist
Wasn't this a line by Jack Nicholson, in "Easyriders"?"
Allright folx, I'm at a loss here. I seem to be missing Easyriders from my movie collection (I'll have to fix that soon!). I sure as hell don't wan't to be misquoting anyone. Send me some feedback on this so I can get it straightened out. thanks for the heads up Karl
The next one is a shortie in from Deb:
"Thanks for a great site!"
Glad ya like it Deb! Check back to the page soon for a whole slew of new articles, photos and other stuff. Keep it fast and flat black!
That's it for now, more letters next week.
Great News:
Just in case none of you heard about this, it's some really fantastic
news. Now if only we could do this to every neo-nazi group on earth:
New York Times-
New Future for Idaho Aryan Nations Compound
By SAM HOWE VERHOVEK
SEATTLE, March 6 A silver bust of Hitler and stained-glass swastikas adorned the
"church," and Nazi flags flew over the guard tower. German shepherds patrolled
the grounds. And for 28 years, ever since he moved to the woods of Northern Idaho
to escape what he once called the "alien scum" in Southern California,
Richard Butler held sway as the self-proclaimed pastor of the Aryan
Nations.
That was the past at Mr. Butler's 20-acre compound near Hayden Lake, Idaho. The future,
it seems, will be very different. Just weeks after Mr. Butler was forced by the courts
to turn over the
compound to a mother and son who were beaten by young Aryan Nations members there,
an Internet millionaire said today that he had bought it from the victims.
With their blessing and that of Gov. Dirk Kempthorne and other state and local leaders,
he said, he planned to dedicate the compound as an education and conference center
for human-rights
issues.
The millionaire, Greg Carr, an Idaho native who is the founder and former chairman
of the Internet service Prodigy, said he and others had first thought of having a
giant fire at the compound. They would burn down the church and other buildings and
a shed on the
grounds that still contains Nazi flags, copies of "Mein Kampf," weapons
and racist posters and flyers.
That would have been too easy, he said.
"We're not just going to tear the place down and pretend it never happened and
say,
`There, we've cleaned up our image as a state,' " Mr. Carr said today. "We're
going to leave it there and acknowledge that this kind of hatred still exists and
that we'll battle against it. The
center will be an acknowledgment of the fact that we've got work to do."
Public officials and people across Idaho say they have been vexed by the presence
of a small number of white supremacists who they say have given the entire state
an undeserved reputation as a haven for neo- Nazis and other racists. The announcement
by Mr. Carr is only the latest, though the most symbolically powerful, step by the
state to counteract the message of those groups.
Idahoans, responding to a challenge grant from the 41-year-old Mr.Carr, have already
raised nearly $1 million to erect the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial in Boise.
Mayors and school officials have established human-rights task forces and school
curriculum
plans and even created a coordinating job that Mayor Steve Judy of Coeur d'Alene
once gave the title "Aryan buster." Rallies by the Aryan Nations and other
groups have been dwarfed by of protesters.
Yet there is still plenty of evidence of white supremacist groups in Idaho, a state
where barely half of 1 percent of its people are black and few Jews live as well,
though there is a growing Hispanic
population.
Boise's public-access television station is about to run two new white supremacist
shows. And the Aryan Nations' leader, the 82-year-old Mr. Butler, is still around.
Vincent Bertollini, a
former Silicon Valley millionaire investor who moved to north Idaho and became one
of Mr. Butler's staunchest supporters, has bought Mr. Butler a small bungalow in
the town of Hayden, not far from the
old compound.
In September, a state jury in Coeur d'Alene ordered Mr. Butler and other leaders
of the Aryan Nations to pay more than $6 million to the victims of a 1998 attack
by three men who were security guards at the compound. The victims, Victoria Keenan
and her son, Jason, were beaten and shot at as they drove along a road at the edge
of the compound one night; two of the men later said they were so drunk they did
not remember the incident.
The jury concluded that Mr. Butler had been negligent in training and supervising
the so-called security guards and ordered him to pay damages so large that they bankrupted
the Aryan Nations
altogether.
Mr. Carr, speaking in a telephone interview from Cambridge, Mass., where he now lives
and where he has financed the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University,
said he had paid $250,000 from his personal foundation to the Keenans, who had taken
title to the property last month in bankruptcy court and announced their desire to
sell it to a group promoting human rights.
"We hope to get the evilness out of there and turn it around to something positive,"
Jason Keenan said.
The move was praised by several elected leaders and by Governor Kempthorne, a Republican.
"This begins to erase a scar that existed," the governor said. "And
this center will continue to send the clearest of signals of what Idaho is truly
about."
Mr. Carr said that plans were still being drawn up for the new center, but that he
hoped it could serve as a place to teach young people about why hatred and racism
exist and how to counteract it.
Mr. Butler has vowed to continue the work of the Aryan Nations, either by finding
a new site for a compound or concentrating on the Internet. But a spokesman for Governor
Kemp thorne, H. D. Palmer, said Mr. Butler would not be welcome in Idaho, and he
praised Mr. Carr.
"It's a real victory," Mr. Palmer said. "It's kind of the ultimate
form of Capture the Flag."
In other news I added a few contributions from /6 and Sisco to the UTMC All Your Base Are Belong To Us page. You might have to do a super reload to get everything to show up;-)
3/13/01-3/15/01
MidWeek Update
It's late tuesday night but I'm all over it with the latest news from around the garage! Lotsa good news first and a few painful bits straight from the pits at Daytona! Also, it looks lime the nice weather may only hold out for another day or two so the next update will be on friday when the snow is supposed to rail us again, just in time for the weekend. Oh, and please folx, don't throw me any flak for the bad spelling either, it's late eh?
Yeah Baighbeh!:
We all got word yesterday morning from Special Agent Johnny Socko of the
893 that his wifey, the lovely Lady Amanda was about to give birth. At a yet to be
determined time of the day, Chloe Lauren Socko was born into the world at 6lbs13
oz. Mucho congrats to Socko and Lady, we were all rootin for ya! Actually we had
a betting pool goin on what the the weight would be too, though I'm not sure yet
if the winner was me or Duff;-) Either way the real winners here are the proud new
parents, start saving up for a YSR50 Socko, she'll be ridin before ya know it!
Your own personal Humongous:
Yep, that's right folx! Now you too can not only have your very own Iatola
of Rock & Rolla, but also the Gyro Captain, The mean and furious Wez, The big
chick with the crossbow, even the little Feral Kid! And of course, no collection
would be complete without the man himself, MAD MAX (and his doggy):
I picked up battle scarred Max and the Feral Kid the other day for ten bucks! At those prices anyone can afford a post-apocolyptic army! You can also get em online here:
http://www.galactic-hwy.com/madmax.htm
Russel gets Ti'd up:
Apparently there was a nasty starter line dogpile that got Scott Russel pretty
well banged up. Last report said that he was still in intensive care at Halifax Medical
Center. He was under the knife on sunday to fix a chunky compound fracture of his
left femur and another gnarly busted up bunch o' bones in his left forearm. He thirstily
sucked down five blood transfusions, that adds up to a whoppin seven pints of red
life juice in one day's time, damn! As far souvenirs go, he's got a couple
of titanium plates in his arm and one longass titanium rod in his left femur (just
like Crazy Rob used to have!). Also, there's a whole world of swelling, circulation
problems and there might be some nerve damage. To top it all off one of the drainage
tubes in his leg (my surgeon referred to em as blood sump buckets) broke off and
he'll be going back under the knife to get that out soon. All I can say to you Scott,
I feel your pain brothah, I'm just gettin over my last seven breaks myself! Lotsa
drugs, rest, pool therapy and a good woman will get ya back behind bars in no time,
hope you get healed up and on the track without complications! Drop me a line if
you need any pointers for buying toy bikes on Ebay.
Twisted Metal:
Well for those of you who haven't been able to put up with the ten commercial
to one lap ratio on ESPN2, or found the squirrely timeslots they stick the races
in, Daytona bike week has had more carnage than your average Quake server!
You read up above about Scott Russel's bad day, here are the rest:
Aaron Yates of the Suzuki team, was rumored to have gotten a broken leg, arm and a few other banged up bits. Word has it tho, he's actually doin ok and got away with only bruises. This of course was caused by some wanky dork in a pace car hastily romping around on the race tarmac. Hey AMA, keep the fuggin cages on the sidelines eh?
Kurtis Roberts of the Honda crew got smacked by Yates and then spanked Hacking in that same stupid dipshit in the pace car deal. Robets still managed to finish the Daytona 200 in third place despite the fact that he thought he had a broken bone in his wrist.
More on team Honda, Miguel "Da Man who can run a full victory lap on one wheel wif no hands" Duhamel, had a smokkin run in the Daytona 200 but wadded it all up on cold tires halfway through the race. All reports say he's ok but don't piss him off anytime soon.
Duc's Larry Pegram had a false re-start (that just doesn't sound right) and then thrashed his bike in the chicane grinding down all edges of his ride and setting a mess of the sideline in flames. Amazingly enough he still managed to land sixth place on Slight's backup ride.
Also, team Kawasaki's Doug Chandler fell off his 600 Supersport machine on the
first lap of the first of the day's two Supersport practices.
Whack-a-pig:
Apparently a cop on the Ortega highway (a winding ribbon of asphalt
that runs between San Juan Capistrano and Lake Elsinore) got spanked upside
the head when he pulled over a couple of hooligan sportbike riders last weekend.
Apparently the officer was yapping into his radio when the line went cold at dispatch.
The offenders have not been found, but will recieve big awards and .......oh, I mean
they'll be in deep trouble, yeah that's it. ( Sorry folx, after the way I was treated
by the Denver PD after I was run over by a truck I just can't feel sorry for any
poor bastard in blue. I hope I can have a reason to change that opinion someday)
The officer was listed in fair condition at Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center
in Mission Viejo, California.
3/8/01-3/9/01
LateWeek Update
Lotsa stuff on tap, too bad a bunch of it is rotten......
DJ's Must Die:
Everyone remember those two moron twinkie stuffing Jabba the Hutt look
alike dj's that told their listeners to run over anyone riding motorcycles and bicycles?
Well the fuckoff radio station, ksjo has let these two worthless shitheads back on
the air after only one week of suspension. The station released a very promising
apology immediately after the incident occurred that suggested that the dj's would
be severely reprimanded and that harsh action would be taken, apparently not. It
seems that once again the bastard idiots of society can and will do whatever they
want against anyone on two wheels and get away clean.
So what to do about this you ask? Well first off, kill the two fatass dj's and then burn down the radio station. Or, if you don't live in California, bombard the radio station with emails and phone calls telling them how fucking angry you are. I know that usually people recommend sending polite letters in these situations, but we've already tried that and it got us nothing. So I leave the amount of hostility or politeness at your discretion Also, if anyone is really angry they could always send up an auto-emailer and flood the station's email boxes. Hmmm.....other ideas, well you could vandalize all of the cars in their parking lot, throw rotting fish into open windows of the building, let loose a few thousand cockroaches in their dumpster, etc, etc, etc...
Here are some of the email addresses for the station: KeithCunningham@ksjo.com - ccooper@ksjo.com - jsutherland@ksjo.com
Ha! wasn't all of that funny???? I did that just for shock value!! See, now I don't have to take responsibility for anything I say as long as I say it was a joke! Yeah right, let's see how long it takes for the FBI to show up at my doorstep. Meanwhile, let's get some revenge.
If you do live in California, here's something you can do:
"Heh, you want to do something for me, and the SF Bay Area
motorcycling community?
As you probably know, the local radio station KSJO had a couple afternoon DJ's telling
motorists to run over motorcyclists and bicyclists, stating that lanesharing was
illegal. They were suspended, and station manager John Sutherland issued a public
apology. The station then ran PSA's to the effect of "be nice, don't run anyone
over" all weekend.
Well, the DJ's are back on the air... and that really chaps
quite a few of us commuter motorcyclists. So we've decided to do something about
it. We're going down to KSJO this comming Monday to protest... And hand out some
DMV motorcycle handbooks with the 'lanesharing is legal' sections highlighted.
I don't know what I honestly hope to achieve with all this, but I'm just tired of
being viewed as a second-class citizen because I'm on two wheels...
Here's what I put on several mailing lists/ba.motorcycles
(begin)
So here's the details...
Let's meet at KSJO to have a chat with the Afternoon DJ's and station manager John
Sutherland... and hand out some DMV motorcycle handbooks.
When: Monday, March 12th 5PM (Afternoon DJ's play till 7PM)
Where: KSJO - 1420 Koll Circle, San Jose CA 95112
I'm going to hit a few DMV's beforehand if possible and ask for several DMV motorcycle
handbooks. If anyone feels like helping out that'd be great as well.
I just want to make it clear to KSJO that a two-week suspension is not enough for
DJ's that advocate killing motorcyclists. The Bay Area is dangerous enough for your
average motorcyclist without the media adding fuel to the already road-raging fire.
Tell your friends that ride, or anyone that will listen...
(end)
Thanks, -Mike-"
Another asshole in a suv:
Yet more proof that SUVs need to outlawed and the drivers of them shot. I know, I sound a little extreme but read on and then see how extreme I sound:
Apparently a barber who had a shop on Main street in Daytona, Florida was upset
that there were motorcycles everywhere. (what, nobody told him that there is a HUGE
motorcycle rally every spring in Daytona??). He vented this rage in the traditional
SUV fashion, by running over everything in his path. Apparently he ran down six or
more people (including an off duty cop) and several motorcycles. Witnesses said that
he didn't take his foot off the gas until "someone reached inside and choked
they guy until he let off the pedal.". Yeah, fuckin peachy eh? Get this, he
was charged with a DUI. Not reckless driving, not assault, not attempted murder,
just a DUI. I hate our 'justice system', apparently the government wants us all to
become lunatic vigilantes eh? Richard Etenson is the SUV drivers name, in case you're
planning on going to Daytona
Propaganda:
I'm doing my best to get the word out everywhere. If you belong to ABATE Colorado,
you can now find my rants and articles in their monthly newspaper, The Spokesman.
Last month featured "The True Danger" on lucky page 13 and this month they
gave me the center spread of the paper for "The Truth About Motorcycle Accidents".
I'm also submitting many articles to other motorcycle rights newsletters and papers.
Who knows, maybe I'll be able to get some stuff in the AMA magazine eventually eh.
Next Month:
I'm gearing up to throw a bunch of new articles and stuffe' up on the page next month. The features will include stories and rants on:
-Getting back into life after a bad wreck
-Why technology isn't always great
-A bit of reminiscing about the old days
-More on the problems with our circus of a "justice system"
-the next installment on "Area 51's missing Triumph"
-More great works from Dallas
-Bikes, pigs and radar guns
-Our first (of hopefully many) tech articles from Jimmy Vegas
-More smokking contributions from Norman and Motorcycho Zine
- Who All Your Base REALLY Are Belong To
-A big nasty letter to our big nasty government (and a reply or two maybe)
-A couple of book reviews
-A review of the first gear "melt em if ya got em" armored overpants
-A all new Gallery spread of Issac's Vmax of doom
-An a whole bunch more junk that I haven't though of yet!
Oh hey,
I'm putting together an article about the perfect garage for bikey stuff. I'm putting
together ideas that range from practical(a long extension cord on a self retracting
spool) to outrageous (the fuggin Bat Cave). If you have a moment, send me your thoughts
on what you would want in your perfect garage. Thanks much!
Also, I'm working on a really fuggin big article about female motorcyclists and
racers. There's allot of stuff on the web for women in motorcycling, but if any of
you out there have anything to contribute, the more the better.
I'll be adding more news this weekend....
3/5/01-3/6/01
EarlyWeek Update
I'm in a hurry to get to work this morning, but here's some of the latest news......
Re-Release:
This groovy news just in from Ames:
"Dan,
Just read this,
Akira Re-Release: The restored film will premiere on March 30th in New York at AMC
Empire
No news on the nationwide theatrical release, but as soon as I know something I'll
let you know. Hmmmm, is it just me or does this sound like an excuse for a road trip?
Cheers,
Ames"
This is cool news indeed!
AMA gets Balls:
The AMA has begun a new motorcycle rights initiative that is aimed at protecting not only everyone on a motorcycle, but anyone who may have the misfortune of getting run over by an idiot in a cage. Reading this press release made me pretty fuggin happy that I joined up last summer. If you ever wanted to join the AMA, this is the time. The more people that are willing to get active in this program, the better chance we have at truly punishing those who run us down:
"While many in the traffic safety community, federal and state
legislatures have been quick to regulate motorcycles and in some cases condemn motorcycling
in the name of safety, little has been done to enhance motorcycle safety by holding
those most responsible for motorcycle crashes and fatalities accountable...right-of-way
violators. This neglect has led to an attitude of indifference that permeates the
motoring public, law enforcement and the courts in matters regarding the violation
of a motorcyclist's right-of-way.
Though certainly not the only victims of those who violate rights-of-way, motorcyclists,
along with bicyclists and pedestrians, are among the most vulnerable to injury when
such a violation occurs. An inattentive left turn, an unwary lane change, or a casual
red light "run" can, and often do, result in death or serious injury to
motorcyclists.
Consider that more than one-half (1,319) of all motorcycles involved in fatal crashes
in 1999 collided with another motor vehicle in transport. According to the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the majority of these crashes were
of the two-vehicle type, in which seventy-six percent of the motorcycles involved
were impacted in the front. In 38 percent (425) of these crashes the other vehicle
was turning left while the motorcycle was going straight, passing, or overtaking
the vehicle. And in 23 percent (262) of these crashes both vehicles were going straight.
In the landmark study, Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures,
1981, researchers found that 64.7 percent of multi-vehicle crashes with motorcycles
were due to the actions of the driver of the other vehicle. In addition, it was found
that in 10.9 percent of single-vehicle motorcycle crashes, another vehicle was at
fault even though no contact occurred. Overall, it was found that half of all motorcycle
crashes were caused by other vehicles violating the motorcyclists right-of-way.
Continuing societal and institutional indifference, combined with the substantial
growth in motorcycling, the increasing number of motorists on the road and the proliferation
of in-vehicle technologies that exacerbate driver distraction create an unprecedented
urgency for the motorcycling community to tackle the issue of right-of-way violations
in an aggressive, forthright manner. To that end, the American Motorcyclist Association
announces the "Motorcyclists Matter" Initiative; a multi-component motorcycle
safety initiative, the cornerstone of which is enacting state legislation to enhance
the penalties for right-of-way violations that cause injury to other road users,
including motorcyclists, pedestrians and bicyclists....."
You can read the rest of the press release here:
http://www.amadirectlink.com/legisltn/motorcyclistsmatter/program.htm
This new initiative has many plans of attack to punish careless drivers, my personal favorites are the enhanced penalties:
"1) Whoever is convicted of or pleads guilty to a right-of-way
violation (or a violation of section xxxx, xxxx, xxxx, etc.,.) in which the offender
is found to have caused injury, in addition to any other penalties, shall be fined
$200 and shall have their driver's or commercial driver's license or permit or nonresident
operating privilege suspended for
30 days.
2) Whoever is convicted of or pleads guilty to a right-of-way violation (or a violation
of section xxxx, xxxx, xxxx, etc.,.) in which the offender is found to have caused
serious bodily injury, in addition to any other penalties, shall be fined $500 and
shall have their driver's or commercial driver's license or permit or nonresident
operating privilege suspended for 90 days.
3) Whoever is convicted of or pleads guilty to a right-of-way violation (or a violation
of section xxxx, xxxx, xxxx, etc.,.) in which the offender is found to have caused
a fatality, in addition to any other penalties, shall be fined $1,000 and shall have
their driver's or commercial driver's license or permit or nonresident operating
privilege suspended for 6 months.
Fines should be credited to state motorcycle safety program funds. Alternatively,
if an offender's education program exists or is established, funding could be provided
in part from these right-of-way violation fines as well.
The AMA further recommends that priority be given to incorporating these enhanced
penalties with the right-of-way violations most often associated with motorcycle
injuries and fatalities...those occurring in intersections, while turning left, at
stop signs and yield signs."
Let's hope that with enough participation the AMA can make this happen. Tell others
about this initiative, especially bicyclists and anyone else who is at risk of getting
run over by an idiot in a cage, I guess that would be everyone eh?
FTFS:
Little Sarah sent in this rather menacing news from the front lines:
"Report: Daimler Plans to Sell Super-Sized SUV
.c The Associated Press
NEW YORK (Feb. 21) - Freightliner Corp. reportedly has plans to begin selling
an extra-large four-wheel-drive vehicle more than nine feet tall and seven
feet wide, introducing to American consumers a sport utility better known for
its use by the German military.
Freightliner, a unit of Germany's Daimler Chrysler AG and the top
manufacturer of heavy trucks in the United States, will begin taking orders
in October for the vehicle, called Unimog, The New York Times reported on
Wednesday. The diesel-fueled vehicle, which has a 52-gallon tank and gets
about 10 miles per gallon of gas, will sell for a base price of $84,000, the
Times reported.
The Unimog will be produced in Gaggenau, Germany, but targeted at people
living in the suburbs of America: affluent off-road enthusiasts, fire
departments and businesses needing to haul some 13,000 pounds worth of
passengers and cargo, according to the Times.
The Unimog is a foot longer than Ford Motor Co.'s Excursion and 3.5 inches
wider than General Motors Corp.'s Hummer, a vehicle whose design is based on
an American military transport. Freightliner hopes to begin selling 1,000
Unimogs a year, the Times reported. "
I think it's time that the Aerostitch Group began selling rocket launchers in
their catalog so we can even the odds eh?
Wavy stuff:
Tommy D Cats of the 893 found this on a Yamaha message board, kind of a satirical take on Norman's Motorcycho article.....
"TO WAVE, OR NOT TO WAVE?
I love motorcycles, and I love riding. Like many of you, what first drew me
to bikes was not just the experience of riding, but the feeling that I'd
become part of a special community-a brotherhood, really. Nothing calms me
more than a long ride down the interstate, waving to the members of my
beloved clan. Except when I pass Harley guys. I hate Harley guys. Hate,
hate, hate. When they pass me on the highway, you know what I do? I don't
wave. With their little tassel handlebars and the studded luggage and the
half-helmets...they drive me crazy.
You know whom else I hate? BMW guys. Oh, I do hate those guys. I don't wave
at them, either. They think they're so great, sitting all upright, with
their 180-degree German engines. God, I hate them. They're almost as bad as
those old bastards on their touring motorcycles. You know what I call those
bikes? "Two-wheeled couches!" Get it? Because they're so big! They drive
around like they've got all day. Appreciate the scenery somewhere else,
Grampa, and while you're at it, I'm not waving to you.
Ducati guys--I don't wave at them either. Why don't they spend a little more
money on their bikes? "You can have it in any color you want, as long as
it's red." Aren't you cool! Like they even know what a desmo-whatever engine
is, anyway. Try finding the battery, you Italian-wannabe racers! I never,
ever wave at those guys.
Suzuki guys aren't much better, which is why I never wave at them, either.
They always have those stupid helmets sitting on top of their stupid heads,
and God forbid they should wear any safety gear. They make me so mad.
Sometimes they'll speed by and look over at me and you know what I do? I
don't wave. I just keep on going. Please, don't get me started on Kawasaki
guys. Ninjas? What are you, twelve years old? Team Green my ass. I never
wave at Kawasaki guys.
I ride a Honda, and I'll only wave at Honda guys, but even then, I'll never
wave at a guy in full leathers. Never, never, never. Yeah, like you're going
to get your knee down on the New York Thruway. Nice crotch, by the way. Guys
in full leathers will never get a wave from me, and by the way, neither will
the guys in two-piece leathers. And I'll tell you who else I'm not waving at
-- those guys with the helmets with the loud paintjobs. Four pounds of paint
on a two-pound helmet. Like I'm going to wave back to that! I'll also never
wave at someone with a mirrored visor. Or helmet stickers. Or racing gloves.
Or hiking boots. To me, motorcycling is a like a family, a close-knit
brotherhood of people who ride Hondas, wear jeans and a leather jacket (not
Vanson) with regular gloves and a solid-color helmet with a clear visor, no
stickers, no racing gloves and regular boots (not Timberlands). And isn't
that what really makes riding so special?"
2/24/01-2/25/01
Weekend Update
Hey, it's the weekend! I'm off for a late afternoon breakfast and to enjoy the nice weather a bit. First, here's the news.....
Motorcycho #16:
Motordaddy Norman is gearing up for another thick issue of Motorcycho! If you have any stories, articles, rants or artwork to contribute he'll be happy to include it. You can find Norman and The Motorcycho page here:
http://www.ratbike.org/motorcycho
Asshole dj's:
Manzruin tipped me off to a rather nasty situation involving a couple of jerk off DJ's that apparently wanna get thier heads bashed in.It seems that "kramer and twitch", a couple of twinkie stuffing bastard shock jock dj's in California decided they wanted to talk a bunch of smack about motorcyclists and bicyclists on thier show. Here is the scoop from Danielle of Motorcycle.com
"DJs Tell Motorists to Hit Cyclists
Posted by danielle on Wednesday, February 21 @ 17:41:51 PST
Two radio DJs, "Kramer and Twitch," in San Jose, Calif. were suspended
for encouraging motorists to run over or open their doors
in front of motorcyclists and bicyclists when stuck in afternoon traffic.
The disc jockeys at KSJO suggested on their show, February 13,
2001, that it was illegal and wrong for motorcycles and bicycles to share the roadways
with cars, and went on to add numerous derogatory comments to their observations.
Station general manager John Sutherland later said the comments were inappropriate
and the station was taking the situation very seriously. "The punishment will
be much more than a slap on the wrist," he said.
Sutherland reported that further action will be taken, depending on the findings
of an investigation. He also said the station will begin broadcasting messages about
bicycle safety in an effort to make up for the comments.
The AMA believes that this type of behavior endangers the safety of legal road users.
The AMA is sending a strongly worded letter to KSJO expressing their outrage and
demanding that they also run motorcycle safety spots...not just bicycle spots."
Also, a Motorcycle.com reeader by the name of AFM562 posted this to the Motorcycle.com
message boards:
I heard about this the other day and wrote an email to the station. Here was the
stations response
"Thanks for taking the time to write to KSJO Radio. Your comments
have been heard and I hope you'll take the time to read this letter in regards to
the Kramer and Twitch situation.
KSJO radio as well as Kramer and Twitch do NOT advocate violence, aggressive behavior
or discrimination against anyone, in particular bicyclists and motorcyclists. Kramer
and Twitch made an error in judgement and they are being punished. However, that
does not reduce the severity of this issue in our minds.
In what was supposed to be a humor based, talk segment that involved callers, the
wrong message came across. Sensing that their commentary was problematic, KSJO suspended
Kramer and Twitch before any type of backlash began. In the subsequent days, KSJO
has aired apologies during Kramer and Twitch's afternoon timeslot and KSJO has ran
over 80 Public Service announcements (and will continue doing so) that ask listeners
to be cautious of bicyclists and motorcyclists on the road. The frequency of these
announcements is once per-hour.
KSJO has always been a radio station that supports bicyclists and motorcycle riders.
In recent years KSJO sponsored a bicycling team, something that most radio stations
ignore. And last year alone, KSJO gave its listeners a chance to win one of 20 Harley
Davidson motorcycles. It's clear that KSJO unconditionally supports bicyclists and
motorcyclists. This summer KSJO will be supporting the Hollister Independence Day
rally (something we committed to months ago) and we'll be giving listeners another
chance to win more motorcycles. On top of this, KSJO will be airing some programming
aimed at promoting bicycling and bicycle safety in the next few days. We have a champion
cyclist on staff as well as many employees who ride motorcycles in their free time.
Anyone who disputes KSJO's support of these industries and lifestyle groups is misinformed.
If Kramer and Twitch are allowed to once again broadcast on KSJO, they will begin
with a personal on-air apology. It should be known that Kramer and Twitch are very
apologetic about this and in no way, shape or form intended for their comedy to be
misinterpreted, as it has been. Bad judgement - yes. Malicious intent - absolutely
not. On behalf of KSJO, we will be making a decision in regards to Kramer and Twitch's
suspension shortly and we will then consider this matter closed. I thank you for
your concern and want you to know that we relish our moral obligation to the community.
We have responded appropriately and we will take the proper disciplinary action with
this situation.
John Sutherland
VP/GM KSJO Radio
408-453-5400
KeithCunningham@ksjo.com"
Since reading this the other day I yakked with Mr. Cunningham over email and thanked him and the other people at the station for taking swift action in this case. The people at KSJO are taking this very seriously and last I checked they were in the throws of removing all traces "kramer and twitch" from thier website. Let's all take a moment to send Keith an email and thank him and his station for not tolerating the careless and endangering actions of two of thier employees.
As far as "kramer and twitch" go, I think they need some clarification
on how damaging thier actions could turn out to be. The UTMC has several dozen active
members across CA that I know of (we even have a few bicycle jockeys in the mix too),
and of course a few hundred others I don't personally know. If you get a chance to
'accidentally' run into these two dj's, let them know how horrible it is to be laid
up in a hospital bed for a month because someone was careless or just plain fucked
up. Let them know how hard it is on the person who was run over and how difficult
it was for thier family. Let them know that one careless jerkoff in a flesh mangling
road tank can ruin your life. These bastards have launched a personal attack against
anyone on two wheels, let them know we will not tolerate such irresponsible behavior.
Not that I'm asking anyone to commit a 'violent act', sometimes words can speak louder
than actions, but we cannot let this declaration of agression by these two go unnoticed.
Let's make sure that wherever they go for a job and wherever they go socially, this
remains a dark cloud over them.
Akira on VCD:
VideoCD's.com has just recieved shipment of the coolest anime biker flick ever: Akira. Not only that, but it's only $8.99! I got my copy of Akira on VCD on Ebay about a year ago for 28 bucks, so this is a real nice deal! I've bought a bunch of VCD's from these guys in the past and always been very happy.
http://www.videocds.com/cartoon/akira.htm
Also, Ames sent me an email recently with news that Akira will soon be re-issued in the US on DVD! I think I'll be picking that one up since it is likely to inlude some nice extras like the making of and movie trailers! Thanks for the heads up Ames!
Just in case some of you aren't fariliar with VCD's, they are movies that are
in regular cdrom format and can be played on all cdrom's and some DVD players. They
aren't as good of quality as DVD's, but they are better quality than VHS, and you
can watch them on a laptop and you don't have to worry about them getting eaten or
breaking. They are more versitale than VHS or DVD AND you can get screen captures
nad vid captures as the copyright protection is a pretty easy workaround. Also, you
do need special software to play VCD's on Macs and PC's, but that is a one time $50
software purchase and the folx at VideoCD's.com have links to pages where you can
get the software. It was well worth it to me as the VCD's are about one half to one
third the price of DVDs and of course al the other little benefits I mentioned.
Flip Ups:
Nope, I'm not talkin aboot Pez dispensers, close tho. It seems that bikey sorts everywhere are getting into what BMW owners have known for years about helmets....you can actually spend an entire weeks salary on one and still only have it on layaway! No, that wasn't it really, it's about those flipup modular lids that make ya look all darthvader. Well, MotorcycleReport.com has an article that reviews a few of em:
http://motorcyclereport.rivals.com/default.asp?sid=1322&p=2&stid=8108168
.Of course they don't cover my personal favorite, the Roof Boxer, but we happen
to have a review of that one right here on
the UTMC page.
2/22/01-2/23/01
Invasion Update
I got a heads up on this strange phenomenon from Manzruin, so I just had to share it with the rest of you. Apparently it's been around since last summer (of courrse we all know I wasn't around much then eh?) It's fuggin everywhere, Message boards, news pages, Ebay, this shit is too funny! So, just to annoy everyone who is burned out on it and warble all the folx who haven't heard of it yet...
ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US:
A bunch of bastardized photos containing "ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US":
http://www.silverchat.com/~silver/aybabtu/list.cgi
Message Boards:
http://forum.onecenter.com/fullgospel/55.shtml
http://www.wesleywillis.com/forum/showmessage.asp?messageID=431
http://hatteraslight.com/navy/MarkTwainhall/cas/199.html
A Yahoo Club???:
http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/allyourbasearebelongtous
The Phobonics Institute:
http://curtis.curtisfong.org/fobonics/
Ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1114344655
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1215628008
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=562108618
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1410984436
You can buy t-shirts here:
Random Strangeness
http://hammer.prohosting.com/~badcrc/base.html
http://www.silverchat.com/~silver/aybabtu/080_jofiss.txt
Anyhu, I'll put up some real news soon. I have a bunch of new stuff almost ready for the next big fuggin installment of the page, stay tuned.
2/17/01-2/18/01
Weekend Update
Another week of bullshit weather, anybody want some fuggin snow? I'm slackin hard on the news, It's just hard to get motivated about bikey stuff when my ride has a foot of snow on it and so do the streets. I've been bitchin about the weather, poppin vicadin like candy and suckin down MP3's offa Napster to keep my spirits up, even plugged Quake3 and Unreal Tournament back into the laptop to frag out a bit of the cabin fever (if you run into a player by the name of "dogshit", that's me and that's about how good I am after eight months with no games). Anyhu, here's a weekend update for all of the loyal readers (I see the hits crankin up) that keep stopping by even tho there isn't any new news up.
Sistah Mel:
I just got a newsflash in from Sistah Mel in da rainy place:
"Hey Danly
Finally got the t595 out o' the shop and just put brandy new D207's on her today
YIPPIE !! just thought that I would drop a line to let ya know that all is going
well here in the NW, and that In March I will be going to novice Race school, I am
quite excited about it. ( The class is through WMRRA and hopefully I will be competing
in a few races this year. )
Hope that all is well and good in the mile high city , lots of love to the boys and
girls out there in snowy land...
Sistah Mel out..."
First, mucho congrats on getting your red rocket back! I assume the shop got all the benz marks out of it nice like;-) Race school??? Really??? Fuggin hell! Everyone else gets road trips and race school in da summer and all I get is run over! I wondered why nobody was waiting in the same line as me;-)
Ya gotta get some pictures of yourself tearin up the tarmac (and don't do it like
we did in the old days, that bike is too pricey for fixy bits eh?). It's great to
hear from ya sweetheart, hope all is well!
Panama:
Len Nelson of Motorcycle Online has a great review of the book "Two Wheels to Panama" by William Carroll. It looks like a great read as it is geared toward the scoot junkie and the adventurer alike. I think I'll pick a copy up as soon as I can get my finances in order.
http://www.motorcycle.com/mo/mcbeware/panama.html
Email Overload:
So you may have sent me an email in the last couple of days or weeks or months
and haven't got any response, sorry 'bout that. Not to worry tho, I still love ya,
I've just been busy battling the crusty gremlins of computer doom lately. I've been
through 2 hard drives and had to send my laptop in for a major overhaul. Incidentally,
I've lost a couple of dozen emails here and there and I'm also backlogged with over
a hundred emails I haven't responded to yet. So don't take offense, the dog will
get out eh?
BSH, AWOL~WTF:
Here's a bit of odd news that may or may not turn out to be a real shitter (for now it's a HUGE NASTY SMELLLY SHITTER as far as I'm concerned!). It appears that the Awol and BSH pages we've been reading weren't good enough for the Inside Communications cooperate types that own said bike rags. So they've boosted up a couple of new pages and thrown our dear Brothah Taff to the dogs. Here's the news from Taff himself:
"10 Feb 2k1
Finally, Inside Communications, after 18 months, have put up official sites.
As I never got a penny for the AWoL or BSH sites, (despite the number of overseas
subs that the site generated) this month (Ish 203) will be the last issue I post.
The pages will be left up for you (links below) until MGN set
the legal dept onto me like they did Veggie Dave - if and when that happens it will
be stripped down to just the links page.
Click these links to be taken to the new sites:
www.awolmagazine.com
www.backstreetheroes.com
Thanks for stopping by for all these months - ride safe y'all.
Taff, 110% Unofficial Webmaster"
We feel your pain Taff, it's damn sad that those ungrateful corporate bastards
decided to flip-flop on ya. It's becoming real screwy on the WWW these days, you
get something good and the big money hungry suits wanna come take it all away, then
of course they fuck it all up. Gee, do I sound a bit biased?? Well hell yeah, the
'new' webmasters of the Awol and BSH pages apparently forgot (intentionally?) to
carry over the links sections of Taff''s pages, great community eh? Well let's hope
that they get themselves straightened out and the new pages turn out ok. And to Brotha
Taff, we can't wait to see what your next project will be!
EH drowning:
Word on the wire is that Excelsior Henderson is sinking in it's debt, unpaid bills,
layoffs and no new bikes rolling off the assembly line. It's kind of a bummer, those
Super X's are pretty cool even though they're a bit on the pricey side.
EPA:
Good news from the front lines in the battle with the EPA's anti-motorcycle legislation, they've extended the public comment period and may even go to further lengths to be sure the voice of the public is accepted as a factor in their legislative process Here's the scoop from the MRF:
"EPA CLARIFIES PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD
RIDERS GET MORE TIME TO FILE COMMENTS
Washington, D.C. The intense response from the motorcycling community
generated in large measure by the Motorcycle Riders Foundation prompted the
Environmental Protection Agency to communicate with MRF and clarify its
schedule for proposed rulemaking on new emissions standards for street
motorcycles.
The practical upshot? Motorcycle riders now have more time to file public
comments and more time to inform other riders -- especially the small
business community -- and get them involved.
Among the points of clarification made by EPA:
1. The deadline for the proposed rule is 14 September 2001, and EPA will
considercomments and data [the agency receives] throughout [its]
development of the proposed rule.
2. Under the consent decree which, again, impacts off-road, not street,
motorcycles the final rule would follow a year later, with at least one
public hearing and additional opportunities for public comment after the
publication of the proposed rule and before development of the final
rule
.[EPA anticipates] working with stakeholders throughout the rule development
process, and anyone can join the debate at any time in the coming months.
3. EPA also told MRF: Any action we take regarding highway motorcycles is
not tied to the consent decree timeline, adding that the agency would consider
putting street bikes on a schedule separate from that for off-road bikes.
The call to action is clear -- motorcyclists nationwide should take full
advantage of this new opportunity:1. If you havent submitted your public
comments, do so:
a. BY MAIL. Send paper copies of written comments (in duplicate if possible)
to:Margaret BorushkoU.S. EPANational Vehicle and Fuels Emission Laboratory2000
Traverwood, Ann Arbor, MI 48105
b. VIA E-MAIL. E-mail comments to: : nranprm@epa.gov.
2. If you havent written to your Congressman and U.S. Senators, do so.
Simply provide them a copy of your public comment.
3. Provide this alert to riders,
dealers and custom shops in your area. Dont forget sport-bike riders: they
have as much to lose as cruiser riders. Review with them all MRF materials on
the issue, and urge that they get involved by providing their comments to EPA
and to their Congressman and U.S. Senators.
4. In all correspondence, refer to Docket A-2000-01, the "Control
of Emissions
>From Non-road Large Spark Ignition Engines, Recreational Engines (Marine and
Land-Based), and Highway Motorcycles."
The following is a summary statement of MRFs public comment on the Advanced
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM); MRFs complete response is available at
<http://www.mrf.org/>www.mrf.org:
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation believes strongly that the EPA should
refrain from pursuing rulemaking to establish more stringent emissions standards
for
street motorcycles. Our shared objective of cleaner air is already being met
with new motorcycles certifying far below the 5.0 g/km Hydrocarbon national
standard. Rather than saddle it with new requirements that could devastate
small business, the EPA should commend the motorcycle industry for its
market-based performance in achieving lower overall emissions output. In our
view, even non-attainment areas would suffer from a more stringent national
standard for street bikes, as the barely perceptible gains in pollution
reduction would not be realized. Finding losses in performance and personal
freedom unacceptable, riders would rely on machines using older technology ,
or worse turn to the least efficient and most costly personal motorized
transport available the automobile. In short, motorcyclists who would be
otherwise inclined to ride to work would drive instead. In so doing, these
lost riders would make more inefficient use of fuel, create more gridlock and
add to already protracted commuting time. Shifting the entire nation to a
more stringent standard by following the dubious lead of California would be an
unnecessary, inappropriate action that would hike costs for all consumers,
limit the freedom of individual motorcyclists, complicate traffic congestion,
and damage if not destroy many small businesses in our American motorcycling
community without having an appreciable, positive impact on clean air.
In our public comment, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation asserted that the
proposed EPA action should be considered a major rule under federal law and
that the Regulatory Flexibility Act is germane. In essence, this means that,
in addition to review by Congress, EPA should empanel a Small Business
Advocacy Review Panel. MRF has requested that it be named to that panel."
That's it for now folx, I'm gonna try to round up a few miles on my bike before the next snowstorm hits....
2/3/01-2/4/01
MidWeek Update
It's a fuggin slackerfest around here, I keep meaning to update the news but the assload of crappy weather in this shithole town is just killing all motivation. Not much in the way of bike news for today, I'm putting together a whole bunch of groovy stuff tho. Also to note is that I usually can't write much when I can't ride, so the last couple weeks have been pretty lame. The springtime can't get here soon enough!
Bike Show:
Two cripples and a pacafist walk into a bike show...... Seriously! RevD, Crazy
Rob and me went to the big bikey swap meet on saturday and had a pretty good time.
We met up with Gumby for a bit of yakking and got to check out his really smokkin
bright green Speed Triple. We also ran into Dawn (old school Muddy's sistah) and
Even sawLittle Johnny Hacksaw Buffet! It
was a pretty cool show, some killer bikes (no cool rice tho, no japanese bikes at
all, that shit needs to change). There were lotsa cool goodz to buy too. RevD increased
his collection of cheezey hawg shirts (you know, the ones with big airbrushed eagles
and phrases like "break like the wind".....er..."ride like the wind"),
yeah that's it. Somebody aughtta make a museum exhibit with all those shirts eh?
Also, I was able to find some groovy bits here and there, more diecast Maisto motos
and some killer moto and 420 patches from "The Sturgis Patch Company".
The guy at the SPC booth was really cool and was seriously against selling any racist
nazi patches, right fuggin on! Also the Banditos had a chopper at thier booth with
a "no nazis" sticker on the oil tank, and hey, the kkk booth looks like
it's gone for good! Maybe the attitude is starting to change eh? Well, it was a good
time and we all picked up a few liscense plate skull bolts. On the bad side, in following
the lead of my recent laptop malfunctions, my digital camera went sideways and I
lost all the photos I took (Lame). It was a good time tho, and it was great seeing
lotsa friendly faces. Hopefully if the weather starts to clear up we can do a bit
of riding soon eh?
Cycle Alchemy:
Another plug for a smokkin page:
http://www.angelfire.com/tn/bikes/
I love Bacon:
I just got a chance to take a look at this page this morning, good stuff!
Check it out if you got time:
YO Quero:
Sometimes I feel like I'm just a bit looney with this whole webpage thing....then I see a site like this and thank the dark overlord that I have a life:
http://www.everwonder.com/david/tacobelldog.html
2/3/01-2/4/01
Weekend Update
Sorry for the light bit of news today, I'm in a hurry to get out the hice and get some riding en eh.
Fuck the EPA!:
I'm all for saving the environment: I hate big polluting deathtanks, I don't drive a car, I recycle, etc, etc, etc. So how does the EPA reward people like me? They want to make laws preventing ALL motorcyclists from being able to modify the exhuast systems on thier machines and force the manditory use of three way catalytic converters. Sound like a big load of bullshit? Well try this one for size, thier proposed legislation is so vaugley worded that we could get busted hard for making ANY custom conversion to our bikes, even a set of aftermarket turn signals! I encourage all of you to read the press release below and then write an email to the EPA telling them that you protest this obnoxious legislation. All emails must be sent before February 5th, that means Monday eh? There is also a sample letter below the press release.
E-mail comments to: nramprm@epa.gov. In your correspondence, refer to Docket A-2000-01
You can read the the full press release from the Motorcycle Riders Foundation below:
In November 2000, the Environmental Protection Agency signaled its intention to
adopt California's emissions standards -- the strictest in the country -- and apply
them nationwide to all motorcycles -- street and off-road. Among the new controls
on the drawing board: ways to stop motorcyclists from customizing the look, sound
and performance of their machines.
Combating new, questionable emission controls on street bikes may emerge as the leading
federal issue to be tackled in Washington by the Motorcycle Riders Foundation and
its co-partners, State Motorcyclists' Rights Organizations (SMROs) nationwide.
"Given that California has recently put in place technologically challenging
standards for [large displacement street] motorcycles in a time frame that we would
likely consider for a possible federal program, we are likely to look very closely
at the pros and cons of harmonizing the federal program and whether the California
standards are appropriate for a nationwide federal program," the agency wrote
in its November Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) which appeared again
in the Federal Register December 7th.
The move follows two years of technical talks between EPA and industry. In those
talks, however, the topic never strayed from bikes in the woods to bikes on the highway.
According to several industry sources close to the off-road technical talks with
EPA, street bikes were added as a bargaining chip. The Sierra Club had filed suit
against EPA, seeking new restrictions on off-road vehicle emissions sooner rather
than later. Having exceeded the deadline for action set in the legal wrangling, EPA
returned to the negotiating table to seek more time to achieve new off-road emission
standards. Sierra Club acquiesced to the agency's bid for more time when the hope
of tighter controls on highway motorcycles were tossed in to sweeten the deal.
The first step to new, tougher emission standards, EPA's ANPR reads like a regulator's
wish list: catalytic converters, new controls on the smallest of motorcycle makers
and ways to prevent or prohibit motorcyclists from customizing their rides.
Wary of motorcyclists' desire to improve the look, sound and performance of our bikes
through improvements to exhaust and other systems -- a practice it terms "tampering"
-- EPA is researching strategies to "mitigate this problem." EPA is concerned
that "standards which result in the widespread use of catalytic converters will
achieve less benefits than projected due to consumer tampering with the exhaust systems.
The agency will solicit comment on "the magnitude of these consumer practices"
and ways to stop it -- either by device, prohibitions or both.
EPA also seeks to control the smallest of motorcycle makers. With small-volume American
motorcycle manufacturers spreading, to our delight, like micro-breweries, EPA questions
the appropriateness of the current federal definition of small business as applied
to small-volume bike makers. The agency's interest here is hardly academic: it wishes
to impose the same, California-style controls on all motorcycles, period, regardless
of the small number of bikes produced.
Meanwhile, the European Union has pressed for a two-tier reduction in motorcycle
emissions in 2002 and 2006. Citing new developments in injection technology, MRF's
European ally, the Federation of European Motorcycle Associations (FEMA), reports
that many of the motorcycles sold in Europe may meet the new requirements without
a closed-loop catalytic converter (or "cat").
In this country, however, with its advance notice littered with mentions of the device,
it's clear that EPA is a cat lover
.
MRF and FEMA share profound concerns about cats on motorcycles, among them:
More Cats, More Pollution?
In Europe, the average journey length for an automobile is 20 kilometers. At that
point, a cat is up to operating temperature (a nominal 800 degrees Fahrenheit). The
average journey length for a bike in Europe is far less. With a cat operating at
colder temperatures, the result is more harmful emissions, not less.
All This...For a Fraction of a Percent?
MRF advances motorcycling as a safe, sound and exhilarating transportation alternative
to cars, and Americans are responding by buying and using motorcycles like never
before. Nevertheless, our bikes cover a tiny fraction of the miles racked up by passenger
cars, making the contribution to pollution by highway motorcycles a tiny fraction
of a percent.
In 1997, cars, light trucks and SUVs accumulated 2.4 trillion vehicle miles traveled.
Of the 5.1 million highway motorcycles operating in 1998, the Motorcycle Industry
Council estimates, the average bike clocked just 2,613 miles that year. In short,
we rode just .55% of the miles driven by cars, light trucks and SUVs.
During the regulatory proceedings that led to California's stricter emission standards,
the California Air Resources Board estimated that the average emission level generated
by in-use highway motorcycles was .96 grams of hydrocarbons per mile. Expressed as
a function of the number of motorcycles registered at the time of that debate, street
bikes emitted six one-thousandths of one percent of the emissions generated by all
on-road motor vehicles -- hardly justification for costly devices that strangle American
motorcycles, hike prices for consumers, threaten small business, chill the burgeoning
motorcycle after-market and limit if not eliminate riders' freedom to customize our
rides.
Important Things to Keep in Mind.
Public comments must be received by EPA not later than February 5, 2001. If you,
as an individual and as an SMRO, submit your comments, you will be part of the debate
that will stretch through the Summer of 2001.
Public comments should contain sound technical arguments. Rhetoric and name-calling
will not move the debate in the direction you want it to go.
According to the court decree, the EPA Administrator must sign the new standards
not later than September 14, 2001.
Keep in mind that the court decree requires new standards on off-road vehicles only.
Technical talks between EPA and makers have focused solely on off-road vehicles for
two years. Street riders have not been given that period of time for involvement,
much less study and consultation. Federal highway motorcycle emissions haven't changed
in 23 years, but if it's time to consider a change, it's time to give our community
the time to study it.
Study the advanced notice. You can obtain HTML or PDF versions at the Federal Register
on-line by pointing your browser to the following site,
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces140.html and then, using the search function
there, find the December 7, 2000, document titled "Control of Emissions From
Non-road Large Spark Ignition Engines, Recreational Engines (Marine and Land-Based),
and Highway Motorcycles."
Know the other chess player: EPA's mandate is not to obtain a new standard that many
might agree is "reasonable." EPA's mandate is to obtain the maximum gain
possible considering technology and cost.
BREAK THE CHOKE-HOLD!
SEND YOUR PUBLIC COMMENTS TO EPA. In all correspondence, refer to Docket A-2000-01, the "Control of Emissions From Non-road Large Spark Ignition Engines, Recreational Engines (Marine and Land-Based), and Highway Motorcycles."
VIA E-MAIL. E-mail comments to: nramprm@epa.gov. In
your correspondence, refer to Docket A-2000-01
TRIPLE YOUR VOICE. Send this alert to 3 other riders you know. Urge them to send
their comments AND join MRF by calling 202-546-0983. We will need all the help we
can get to break the choke-hold.
- MRF: My Ride is Freedom -
For further information contact Tom Wyld at 202-546-0983 or by
e-mail at wyld@mrf.org
The first motorcyclists' rights organization to establish a full-time legislative
advocacy presence in Washington, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation is the only Washington
voice devoted exclusively to the street rider. MRF established MRFPAC in the early
1990s to advocate the election of candidates who would champion the cause of rider
safety and rider freedom. MRF proudly claims state motorcyclists' rights organizations
and the very founders of the American rider rights movement among its leading members.
Motorcyclists worldwide can thumb-start their search for rider rights and safety
on the web at www.mrf.org.
© All information contained in this release is copyrighted. Reproduction permitted
with attribution. The Motorcycle Riders Foundation, incorporated in 1987, is an independent,
membership-based national motorcyclists' rights organization head quartered in Washington
D.C. which operates in co-partnership with State Motorcyclists' Rights Organizations
nationwide. The MRF is involved in federal and state legislation and regulations,
motorcycling safety education, training, licensing and public awareness. The MRF
provides individual and SMRO member-volunteers with guidance, support and information
to protect motorcyclists' rights and advance motorcycling and its associated lifestyle.
The MRF sponsors annual regional and national educational seminars for motorcyclists'
rights activists and publishes a bi-monthly newsletter, THE MRF REPORTS. Voice: 202-546-0983,
Fax: 202-546-0986, E-Mail: wyld@mrf.org, website: http://www.mrf.org
To Whom it may Concern:
This emal is in reference to Docket A-2000-01.
Motorcyclists (myself included) question to what extent off road motorcycles contributed
to non-road sources of emissions. In the
case of highway motorcycles the EPA's estimates showed that they contributed less
than one half of one percent of the mobile
source inventory of emissions levels for the year 2000 in any given category of pollutant.
Furthermore the EPA estimates that
emissions from highway motorcycles will not exceed one half of one percent of the
mobile source inventory of emissions levels for
the year 2007.
In simpler terms, one Terex Titan dump truck working a strip mine pollutes more in
a single day than an entire off-road racing
series does all year. Current regulations against off-road motorcycles are unfair
and misguided.
As you strive to make this nation a cleaner place, please consider carefully the
effects (or lack thereof) of motorcycle emissions on
our atmosphere.
Sincerely,
(your full name)
Registered Voter, Motorcyclist
To GO:
The UTMC 2GO section is finally up and running! For those of you who have PalmOS
compatible handheld computers or really any computer that can read DOC format, now
you can download UTMC content and read it wherever ya like, whenever ya like. Pretty
groovy eh?
Ton Up:
This is a cool return of one of the favorite oldies eh? Here's the mission statement from thier frontpage:
"Cracking the ton on a classic. Not some carbon fiber shrouded super bullet, but a bike with some style, history and more momentum than a duel leading shoe can handle. It doesn't have to be British (but it helps) and you don't have to be a ROCKER. To join the TON UP CLUB you need attitude and a bike that lets you know when you've reached 100 MPH. You have to like long rides on dark Texas roads to little bars. You have to like ROCKABILLY (who doesn't). You have to know a few sheep jokes. You have to love a good pint. You have to try to get the front wheel up on occasion. It also helps to be a real pisser."
Texas? Now that's a daring feat all in it's own, if you slap a sticker on the back of your lid that says "I'm gay, I voted for Gore and I'm here to take your guns" then you'd be sure to be pulling the ton through the whole fuggin state eh? Ha, just goofin around, it's a pretty cool page tho, chrck it out:
http://www.tonup.com/TON-UP/index.html
Schticaz:
These are pretty funny, you can find em at http://gwbush.com
1/30/01-2/1/01
EarlyWeek Update
Fuck this cold ass snowy weather shit! I'm packin up to move to a fuggin nuke testing site in Nefuckinvada! I got this brochure here that has some killer houses out in the middle of nowhere, free mannequins too!
Diggin out:
I hope everyone took advantage of the shitty blizzard over the weekend and got
some good snow riding pictures. Personally, I'm just happy that most of the streets
are clear already!
Extreme Jihad:
This is a really cool page! Bombing through the backroads of Israel on a bike!.......maybe bombing is the wrong word eh? Anyhu, it looks like some fantastic riding.
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Track/2994/ibm.html
Porn:
Here's a few pages of killer streetfighters from Fighters Magazine Custom und Trade Show 2000:
Fuggin groovy eh?
http://www.showfighter.de/pictures/Treffen00/Show01.htm
Loudness:
If you've ever wanted to know what a particular bike sounds like, or maybe you just can't sleep without the whine of a Duc 916 in the background, here's the page for you:
They also have some music with engine thrashing as a main instrument, some of
em kinda sound like a game of Road Rash. Good stuff tho, I might grab some for my
workout mix tapes;-)
One Hit??:
It looks like the hit counter on the front of the page went south, it's stuck
on one hit......I'll have to wrench wif dat later.
How True:
Here's some funnies by Bruce Beattie sent by Ames:
hmmmm.....Shouldn't the bike be a /6??
1/25-26/01
MidWeek Update
Hang in there folx, the mandatory work week is almost over.....
Blizzard Conditions:
I went to the doctor the other day to inquire about some leftover problems caused by the medication and injuries of getting run over. All I can say is that I'm 38lbs overweight, feel like hell, have to take a leak every hour on the hour and I REALLY, REALLY hate prostate exams! I'm not fuggin looking forward to getting old! To all of the readers out there that are of age that you gotta get your prostate abducted once a year by the doctor, I feel your pain! All I can figure is that this means we're in for one helluva nasty blizzard soon.
For anyone who doesn't understand the above reference, please read this
gallery installment.
Tirade from Tommy:
I got this in my email box from Tommy D Cats of the 893 the other day, all I can say is I feel your pain brothah:
"Pardon me while I go on a fucking tirade here...
I went to bed pretty depressed after having watched hundreds of thousands of gallons
of oil pouring onto the Galapagos islands. The Galapagos Islands of all places!
Where Charles Darwin forged the theory of evolution based on the unique species found
there. My god, what a disaster! And how can I not feel partially responsible with
my oil furnace and internal combustion automobile.
And then I have to read in the paper today that the winner of the Alfred E. Newman
look-alike contest, George "Just Fuck Us All" Bush, on his first day of
work has cut off aid to family planning centers around the world based on
his religious beliefs. These are the places that provide condoms to the people who
can't buy them and counseling to parents-to-be. Good idea dumb-ass.
Then today he is to submit his proposal to cut spending for inner city schools.
OK everybody, sing along with me:
We're all going down together
We're all going down together
We're all going down together
We're all going down together"
Screwed Again:
This in from brothah Ames:
"Dan,
I just got off the phone with my insurance people and they informed me that the reason
that insurance companies are
precluded from carrying medical insurance on their motorcycle policies is due to
state law. You know anything about this?
Cheers,
Ames."
Heya Ames, nice how they put it that way huh? From what I have learned, the vehicle insurance companies aren't restricted by law from giving us adequate health or PIP (Personal Injury Protection) coverage on our policies. More accurately, there is wording in law of Colorado and many, many other states that declares motorcycles "recreational vehicles", much like and ATV or snowmobile. What this does is gives the insurance companies a loophole that allows them to withhold many benefits that we should be entitled to. Apparently this word of law was brought into affect by people that don't ride and don't care, it was also likely influenced greatly by the insurance companies themselves.
The insurance companies have also stated that our motorcycle insurance rates would as much as quadruple if they did allow us PIP or adequate health coverage, this of course is an erroneous and misleading number they have created to prevent us from fighting for what we deserve. Do drivers of the large deathtanks pay more for insurance coverage because they have the ability to do more damage? No. The insurance companies insure those vehicles like any other, knowing they will get off easy when paying out for damages. Do people in small and more vulnerable economy cars pay more for coverage (they too, like us are more susceptible to outside dangers)? No, there are too many of them and the owners of said vehicles could make quite a bit of noise. The insurance companies insist that they would suffer outrageous losses if they gave us benefits like PIP and adequate health coverage, even though motorcycles only make up one half of one percent of the vehicles on the road.
Unfortunately, this concept of quadrupled insurance rates has convinced the motorcycle rights groups that they shouldn't attempt to fight for these benefits. In reality what we need to do is fight for fair treatment and force the insurance companies to give us real numbers on what their costs would really be and compare that to the rest of the drivers they insure.
We need to fight the politics of the "recreational vehicle" designation
by proving that motorcycles are not some weekend hobby like boating or skiing. What
will change this ridiculous wording of legislation? Take action, join motorcycle
rights groups like your local ABATE chapter, the MRF, the AMA and especially Ride
to Work. As daily commuter riders we need to make our voices heard and our needs
met, it likely will only mean a few hours a month for going to local ABATE meetings,
writing letters to politicians and networking with others of like mind to change
the public consciousness If we hesitate, we only stand to lose more. If anyone here
in Denvah would like to come to an ABATE meeting to see what it's all about, send
me an email and I'll be happy to bring you along as a guest, the more of us the
bettah!
Hynie Davidson:
For those of you who like to melt snow as they ride in it.......
I wonder what the hole in the seat is all aboot?????
More Screwage:
A word to the wise for anyone out there who has a medical insurance policy, look at the fine print to see if you are even covered if you are involved in a motorcycle accident. Some health insurance companies have restriction clauses that neglect to cover you if you are injured while motorcycling, bicycling, snowmobiling, ATVing, skiing, boating or horseback riding. Here is a press release from the Motorcycle Riders Foundation:
BIKERS BETRAYED, SNAGGED BY HEALTH CARE CATCH-22
Washington, D.C. - The Clinton Administration has issued the long-awaited regulations
that implement the nondiscrimination provisions of HIPAA - the Health Insurance Portability
and Accountability Act of 1996. Ironically, rather than guard against discrimination,
the new regulations all but guarantee continued discrimination against motorcyclists
by employer health care programs.
Observed MRF President Tom Pauley, "The proposed regulations will not end but
extend discrimination against American working families who choose to own and operate
motorcycles. Motorcyclists have waited more than four years for the adequate health
care coverage they and their families deserve, only to see themselves betrayed and
the will of the Congress thwarted."
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation and its ally, the American Motorcyclist Association,
blazed an indelible trail of legislative and administrative actions that confirm
that HIPAA was designed and intended to safeguard, not short-change, motorcyclists.
Examples: On April 28, 1996, in a U.S. Senate debate on the legislation, a colloquy
ensued between Senator Moseley-Braun and Senator Kassebaum. This colloquy confirmed
that the intent of the Congress was to ensure that "beneficiaries are not excluded
from health care coverage because they participate in activities such as motorcycling"
On February 3, 1997, in its original comments on the legislation, MRF appealed for
regulations that would, among other things, prohibit employer health care plans from
lessening benefits to certain employees (e.g., riders) or limiting benefits based
on the source of injury (e.g., motorcycle accidents). MRF addressed these same concerns
to a broad spectrum of U.S. Senators who concurred in MRF's views.
"The proposed regulations are the Catch-22 for motorcyclists,"Mr. Pauley
said. "If these regulations stand, employers will be required to cover employees
who are motorcyclists but free to deny them coverage should they sustain injuries
in an accident involving a motorcycle."
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation's urgent call to action:
First, call your Congressman and two U.S. Senators (at 202-224-3121) or reach them
via e-mail. Share this MRF RIDERS' ALERT with them. Tell them the Internal Revenue
Service, the Department of Labor and the Department of Health & Human Services
have gotten it wrong -- -- and your health care suffers in the balance -- and ask
them to add their objection.
Second, as soon as possible, but NOT LATER THAN APRIL 9, 2001, submit your "public
comments" letter via e-mail to HIPAA702@pwba.dol.gov. You can also submit signed
comments in triplicate by mail to:
U.S. Department of Labor
Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration
200 Constitution Ave. NW, Room C-5331
Washington, DC 20210
Attn: Non-discrimination Comments
Concluded MRF's Tom Pauley: "Continued discrimination against American motorcyclists
requires a full, complete and rigorous response not just by riders and their families,
but by all Americans who value fair play and even-handedness. I call on every member
of every State Motorcyclists Rights Organization to write in opposition to this betrayal."
1/19-21/01
Weekend Update
Good mornin! Lotsa news today, lotsa pictures too so it might take some time to load up! It looks like we might have some decent weather for the weekend, I'm hoping the big slab of ice in my alley melts off a bit today. Here's the news....
Last Breakfast:
Well, our dear Brothah Rue of the 893 jumped on a bigass plane yesterday for his long journey home to Boston. Rue, RevD and I stopped in for the traditional 'Last Breakfast' to give him a warm send off.
It was a crazy week of late night yappin and yards of ink, I wish ya coulda stayed longer. Thanks so much for hangin with us for a week Rue, we'll miss ya! You may be back in Boston, but you've left yer mark here in denvah:
He did a bunch more but I can't find the photos of em right now eh.
have mi behbighz:
My favorite Japanese custom bike shop, White House, has done it again:
http://whouse-jp.com/akira.html
And check out this smokkin Valkerie:
http://whouse-jp.com/valkyrie_3.html
I love these guys! I wish I could read Japanese! Somebody out there reading this
page can translate Japanese, there's a FREE UTMC t-shirt
in it for ya eh?
More Bastards:
I got some great photos and even a bit of video of Brothah Voodoo Dave having a freezing mad romp in the snow:
I'm also waiting for some good shots of Brothah Ames doing his version of the
ice capades! I'll have it all up on the Snow Riding Bastards section in the gallery
soon!
Personalized Plate:
Well, I finally got my bike registered and plated:
Pretty crazy eh? Before the crash I didn't even know they had cripple plates for
bikes! I'm hoping I wont need it for very long, but it sure is nice when I go somewhere
with huge fuggin parking lots! Yeah, don't worry, I changed the numbers and letters
just to throw off the athorities!
Traffic:
From the loon who built the JetBike, here's the ultimate answer for all those nasty SUV's duing the morning drive.....
http://www.CanoSOARus.com/02Robosaurus/Robo01.htm
Denvah Sucks!:
Here's another fucked example of the apathy of the Denver city attorneys office:
"All the violations associated with an incident have to
be on the original citation," said Jim Thomas at the Denver City Attorney's
office.
"Once the fine is paid and the case is closed we cannot open it back up."
In other words, anyone can get away with having no insurance?
"Yes."
You mean all they have to do is present phony "proof of insurance" at the
scene of an accident ... then pay their traffic fine through the mail before the
other party discovers there's no insurance.
If the injured party complains after that, the Denver City Attorney will not charge
the uninsured motorist? There will be no penalty? No penalty for lying? No penalty
for presenting a phony document? Nothing?
That's the way it is in Denver.
http://troubleshooter.com/data/columns/uninsured_motorists.html
I hate this fuggin bullshit city! I think it's time to take direct action, some
civil disobedience, a little bit of terrorism........
Smashed Lou:
I yakked with Lou the other day and found out that he too was the victim of a
(drunk) moron behind the wheel a couple months ago. He sustained a recoverable head
injury and some nasty breakage to his shoulder among other scrapes and bruises. Go
figure the cops and the city attorneys office did thier usual job of rewarding the
perpatrator and ignoring the victim. Hang in there Lou, and read the article about
The Truth Bout
Motorcycle Accidents.
more news as it happens.....
1/13-14/01
MidWeek Update
Hey, good news eh?
Goose Club:
Man, I wish I could read Japanese! Here's a cool tribute page to the man, the legend, Jim Goose:
http://whouse-jp.com/goose_club.html
A pure full size replica right down to the "Kwaka" on the gastank, a
mini monkey bike replica, a real cool lookin helmet replica and the all important
Jim Goose decal! If anyone out there can translate these pages from Japanese for
me I'll send you a free UTMC t-shirt eh? I want one of those Monkey Bikes!
More Bastards:
The response to the Snow Riding Bastards section of the gallery has been incredible! I'm getting more email than I can respond to in a timely manner, fuggin nuts eh? Here's a couple of the latest:
From Wes of the Detroit/Motor City Rat Pack:
"Hello!
I liked seeing the Snow Riding Bastards piece... very cool....and I thought we were
the only crazy fucks who rode in the snow!
I dont have any action shots yet...mostly due to not having someone around with a
camera, but check out
what we have.---http://www.umich.edu/~wdean/ratpack/
Click on the "Letter from Henry" section... scroll down thru the bullshit..until
you get to "RATS on Ice".
The snow is starting to melt away some here. I was out riding yesterday... country
dirt roads... most are ice
covered...pretty much had to rip along with both feet down. BUt hell.. it was still
cool to be out.
We have 2"-4" inches planned for the weekend... so we'll see how it goes.
*laugh*
I'm g0nE ....
Wes"
These guys are hard core dedicated, they made the above two wheeled beasts JUST for snow mangling! Be sure to check out thier page!
And gander this one from the world famous BoozeFighters!:
"Check out this photo from our November Run:
Later............Big Mick"
Great stuff eh? For those of you who have never heard of the BoozeFighters, open up yer fuggin history books eh? Here's a link to thier webpage:
Keep the good stuff coming in folx! We always have more space for more Snow Riding
Bastards!
Illegal Shades:
As much as we dig the UK, their government sure is screwy when it comes to making
rules about bikey sorts! Here's the latest, they have already outlawed riding on
the streets with a tinted visor (don't get caught in the sun eh?) and now they want
to make said tinted visors illegal across the board! Personally I think that's just
fucked!I guess I better get that tinted visor for my RooF lid soon eh?
Screwed again:
This bit of scary news sent to me by Dave Christy of ABATE District 6:
January 8, 2001----New federal rules legalize insurance discrimination
Motorcyclists and others involved in recreational activities could be left without
vital health-care coverage as a result of new regulations released by a group of
federal agencies last week, reports the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA).
Ironically, the rules, written in response to federal legislation banning health-insurance
discrimination, could end up having precisely the opposite effect.
The new regulations, issued jointly by three federal agencies, are the culmination
of a rulemaking process that has dragged on for nearly five years since Congress
passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. And, the
AMA notes, the final version of the regulations appears to directly contradict the
will of Congress in passing that law.
The purpose of the original legislation was to protect workers from discrimination
in the health insurance they receive through their employers. As written by Congress,
the bill would have prohibited employers from denying health coverage based on a
worker's pre-existing medical conditions or participation in legal recreational activities.
The official language in the Congressional Record from that time noted that the law
"is intended to ensure, among other things, that individuals are not excluded
from health-care coverage due to their participation in activities such as motorcycling,
snowmobiling, all-terrain vehicle riding, horseback riding, skiing and other similar
activities."
The AMA worked hard to get that language included in the Congressional Record after
uncovering incidents in which employers were discriminating against motorcyclists,
leaving them without coverage anytime they were involved in recreational pursuits. The AMA noted that the cases of discrimination it had uncovered
extended health-care protection to employees involved in illegal activities, like
driving a car while drunk, but cut them off from many legal activities.
Since the passage of the original bill, the AMA has repeatedly called on the federal
agencies involved--the Internal Revenue Service, the Pension and Welfare Benefits
Administration, and the Health Care Finance Administration--to release the regulations
that would govern enforcement of the law. The agencies delayed the process until
the closing days of the Clinton administration, finally releasing regulations on
Jan. 5.
The new regulations at first state that an employer cannot refuse health-care coverage
to an employee on the basis of participation in recreational activities. But they
go on to say that health-care benefits can be denied for injuries sustained in connection
with those recreational activities.
"To say that an employer can't deny health-care coverage to motorcyclists, but
can deny coverage of any injury related to motorcycling makes this entire law meaningless,"
said Ed Moreland, the AMA's vice president of government relations. "Instead
of creating a law specifically ending health-care discrimination, as Congress intended,
these agencies have legalized discrimination.
"These rules open the door to the elimination of health coverage for all types
of legal recreational activities, from motorcycle riding to running or walking. That's
the exact opposite of what Congress had in mind."
The AMA is urging all motorcyclists--and those involved in any other type of recreational
activity--to protest these regulations during a public-comment period that remains
open through April 9. However, the AMA notes that by the time comments are sent in,
the new Bush administration will be taking charge in Washington, meaning that different
officials may be in charge at these agencies.
"We believe that the change of administrations in Washington gives us a chance
to appeal this arbitrary set of regulations," said Moreland. "We are in
a position to ask new administrators to undo the mistakes of their predecessors."
Comments can be sent to the following three agencies. Comments sent by regular mail
should include a signed original and three copies. E-mail comments do not require
multiple copies.
Internal Revenue Service
P.O. Box 7604, Ben Franklin Station
Washington, DC 20044
www.irs.gov/tax_regs/regslist.html
U.S. Department of Labor
Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration
200 Constitution Ave. NW, Room C-5331
Washington, DC 20210
Attn.: Non-discrimination Comments
e-mail: HIPAA702@pwba.dol.gov
Health Care Financing Administration
Department of Health and Human Services
Attention: HCFA-2022-IFC
P.O. Box 26688
Baltimore, MD 21207
Wow, none of you look too suprised that THE SYSTEM is tring yet again to shaft
us! This stuff is serious tho, we need to send off letters and make some noise! Not
that I really feel that the Bush administration will be able to do anything competent,
but I'm willing to at least try, besides, the alternative is really fuct. I can just
imagine how much worse this summer could have been for me if my insurance company
that I pay every month could have dumped me when I needed them just because I was
in an accident on a motorcycle. For those of you who don't have an extra couple hundred
grand laying around for hospital bills I suggest you get involved on this on.
Inkundpokin:
Well it's two down and anybody's guess how many to go. Rue da Cookie Man inked
up Kellen and /6 with rave reviews, I'm hoping to get some photos of the work up
soon. As a matter of fact, I'm thinkin we aughtta have a tattoo section in the gallery
eh? Send me your feedback and lemmie know
if it's something you wanna see.
Nuckin Futz:
This shit is just fuggin poetic!
http://rickwyatt.com/tce/paronoid.txt
1/13-14/01
Weekend Update
Hey, good news eh?
CookieMan:
It's official, Brother Rue has arrived! He got in real fuggin early frideh morning, we're still gettin over the jetlag. But he's got his inkundpokin kit and is itchin to mark some folx up! We'll be hittin breakfast at Zorba's at 12 if yer hungry eh?
Big Pahty Tonight:
Just a reminder from Kellen aboot the big pahty over at Dr. Jason's tonight:
.....and so the Dr. and I have decided to hold one great big
joint party tonight, Saturday, January 13th at his abode. Rather, at one of the UNoccupied
units of his abode. The Dr. and I invite ALL of you to his house for a get down and
funky birthday party (and yes Aaron, you can get nekkid at this one). Bring alcohol,
random food items, any and all of your friends and ofcourse we will accept any and
all gifts you choose to give us :p I have no idea what time... prolly 8 or 9 or so...
whenever the hell you want to show up. the # on the unit is 560 South Sherman Street
which is in Denver. Most of you know how to get there, but if you don't, call myself
or the Dr. and we will send you to www.mapquest.com and your
lazy ass can figure it out yourself :) Anyhu, I hope to see you all there!!!
I'll be bringin my camera just in case anyone gets all fucked up.
Got Yer Nose:
Hey, check dis out eh:
Motorcycho Polls:
Norman's got a couple o' polls goin on on his page right now....
"just makin sure ya'll go and vote
it's yr civic duty!!!!
http://www.ratbike.uklinux.net/movie
Also, go here
http://ratbike.org/motorcycho/mchopage.html
and tell us your about your favourite bike youve owned and why
and
your least favourite
and
watch for our biker movie poll which should be up soon
and
when it is
VOTE
have i told you lately that i luv you??
norman"
Movie:
I just got slammed with some real hard deadlines at work and I'm swamped with
other projects right now. So, since the resources for the filming of FistFull of
Donuts are a little anorexic right now I'm gonna postpone the filming for a little
bit, I'll keep everyone up to date tho.
1/10-11/01
MidWeek Update
Whoa, gettin this stuff done late today!
Terrorist Action:
The Underground Terrorist Motorcycle Cult claims full responsibility for the destruction and chaos caused by over ten thousand monkeys that have been unleashed upon the government offices in New Dheli, India. This direct action was taken in leu of the unwise decision made by India's government to outlaw older motorcycles in New Dheli.
Effective January 1, 2001, the city of New Dheli will ban the use of two wheeled vehicles more than fifteen years old. Central Pollution Control Board Chairman Dilip Biswas was stated as saying "Because of tier two stroke engines, these are amongst the most polluting vehicles on the road."
The Underground Terrorist Motorcycle Cult will not sit by idly and allow for this sort of anti motorcycle legislation, not here, not anywhere. Therefore, to show the politicians of New Dheli the wisdom of their new decision, we have unleashed an army of wild monkeys upon their government buildings. Let us hope they will think twice before attempting another such act of legislation. The monkeys will not be recalled until the wrong has been righted.
Let this also be a warning to the baffoon who has swindled his way into the presidency of the US, don't fuck with us....
Cookieman Cometh:
Rue Da' Cookieman will be here tomorrow! That's right folx, sometime tomorrow
night I think, I'll have the details worked out soon. Ames and Kellen have emailed
me with interest in a inkundpokin party, I'll run it by Da' Cookieman as I'm sure
he'll be up for it.
Emailicide:
So I somehow screwed my hard drive in the process of getting everything back to
normal (with the recent return of my laptop from the shop) and appear to have lost
the last week of email. Bummer eh? If you sent me an email in the last week, and
you still have a copy of it hanging around in your sent box, please send it again.
Thanks folx!
Trident Choppah:
One of the emails I lost in the mess was from a guy with a Truimph Trident Chopper,
a really smokkin ride worthy of a big spread in the Gallery section. If you get this
man, please resend the link to that fabulous ride, we gotta talk eh.
Meeting folx:
Been running into lots of new faces out and aboot, met some cool folx down at
The Market recently. There's the couple that have a mad love for 2 stroke and low
caliber racers, Nick the Greek
guy with the smokkin SuperHawk and a really long last name, Bobby the guy who
has one of the meanest and cleanest custom Zed's in the state (pictures to come soon
to the gallery) and a whole slew of other cool folx! It's great to see lots of bikey
sorts holding true to their blood even in the cold months of winter. Also to mention
is that I've been getting about 2-5 emails a day from people who like the page! I'll
have to update the letters section soon and I'll be sure to post a few up here on
the news. It looks like things are really goin through the roof, and it's not even
spring yet!
Donuts:
Gonna try shooting a bit of film this weekend! Please do your best to appease
the snow melting gods so we have good weather eh?
1/8-10/01
EarlyWeek Update
Hey! Back to work already???
Need Help:
WE NEED YOUR HELP WITH THE MOVIE! As you may know I'm on a extremely tight time
frame to finish the bulk of the filming on my feature biker film "FistFull of
Donuts". Unfortunately, both lead actors (Pavement and 2xD) bikes are out of
commission at the moment and it would take weeks to fix them. So, I'm putting out
a call to arms to everyone here in Colorado: If you have a early 70's to late 80's
Japanese motorcycle that runs and is at least 400cc's, we beg your assistance in
letting us use it for one (maybe two) days of filming. The rattier or more customized
the better. Also, know that there will be no looney riding or wheelies or stoppies
or any other mistreatment of your bike, if ANYTHING AT ALL happens to it I will fix
it asap, not to mention I'll cut off the nuts of the person responsible and sell
em on Ebay. So no worries aboot that eh? If you have a bike you would be willing
to let us use, please email me right away at scratchy@uswest.net.
Also, If you ever wanted to be a star in an underground cult bike flick, here's your
chance. If you loan us a bike to use in this flick I can either put you in as a secondary
character in this movie or cast you as a main character in the next one. How's that
for a dealio eh??
Gallery:
Well folx, I've finally gotten around to expanding the gallery section of the page! You can now see several new sections:
Aftermarket Afterhours- Various home-made bikeparts that were there when the bikeshop was closed. Everything from a saran wrap speedo cover to my severely ravaged Sturgis 96' tire to The Great Reverend Todd FlounderShorts's Gatorade bottle timing cover, as seen in Awol magazine.
Snow Riding Bastards- Lots of great snappies of folx we know romping through the powder on their scoots.
Mugshots- This is the upcoming UTMC Members section where you can send in a picture of you and you ride. It's under construction at the moment but should come together pretty quickly!
GIMP CLUB- This is an exclusive club for those who have been in a motorcycle wreck so horrendous that they had to re-learn how to ride, walk, think, eat, shit, breathe, eat or fuck. It's the one motorcycle club you hope to never join!
Also, in the future there will be a section for crashed bike and mangled flesh, I'm already getting submissions for it as a matter of fact, here's one of the first member submissions:
i have to say that ive enjoyed your site greatly--im a huge fan of the streetfighter style. my first bike was a 96 bandit 600s great bike--i beat the fuggin shit outta that bastard--it even stood up to a 40mph high side--for some reason i ran outta asphalt........
ive currently got a 2001 sv650--awesome bike from the little
ive been able to ride it--its got 1488 on the odo--and its in the shop having some
repairs done....
little things like a new clutch lever, new rearset, new rear plastic, new instrument
panel, new bars, new gas tank, new sidestand, new fork leg, you know--that sort of
thing--apparently they dont hold up well to a 45+mph lowside neither did my knee
unfortunately--i seem to have detached a ligament and fractured my tibial plateau......
at any rate ive learned that good insurance is a must have--as are leathers--i found out the hard way that levis are not good crash protection. ive eclosed a photo of the crash site and my knee--i took em while waiting for my buddies to realize that i wasnt hanging off thier fenders thru the twisty bits.
keep up the good work!
(btw--the stuff on the asphalt is paint metal and skin with some bits of blue jeans
mixed in for texture )
mike.
Hey Mike, glad you dig the page! Sorry to hear about the crash and that your ride
is in the shop, happens to the best of us tho. I hear ya about the Levis thing, I
think I'll be investing in some of those armored kevlar jeans as soon as I can afford
em. That knee looks pretty painful, I'm lucky I didn't end up with any road rash
in my last two wheeled disaster! Send in some photos of of you and your bike when
everything is healed and back together for the Mugshots section. Take care man, god
speed with your recovery.
Brothah Rue:
It's official! Brothah rue of the 893 Boston will be arriving on this thursday
the 11th and be here until the 18th! Let's start planning the events right away eh?
There will be lots of breakfasts at Chef Zorbas, possibly another steak outing to
Black Anus, a BBQ if the weather is good and a whole bunch of riding, yapping and
maybe some ink slinging! Check back here later in the week for more details eh?
Thanx Ames:
Thanks for getting me 2xD's number man, I owe ya a cuppa joe!
1/5/01-3/01
Weekend Update
And we're back. I'd like to thank everyone out there for puttting up with the drought of headline news lately, I've been plauged with dozens of computer problems and finally had to just break down and send the laptop back to Apple for maintinence. To Apple's good credit they got the 'book thursday morning and had it back to me by friday morning, smokkin! So now that I don't have any more excuses the news will be updated again at least every other day.
Lookin fer donuts:
With the recent and extremely unexpected news from brothah Pavement that he will
be joining the armed forces (I'll let you guess which one), that leaves me with a
total of two weekends to finish the bulk of the filming on the first UTMC feature
film, FistFull of Donuts. I've been trying to get ahold of 2xD but had a stupid busy
week at work, so if anyone has his home phone number or email please email it to
me asap! Also, if anyone out there is interested in acting in the movie kick me an
email and I'll let you know when and where we'll be shooting, I need all types so
don't be shy. Also, if you can't act don't let that stop you, some of the best scenes
so far were done by guys that don't consider themselves actors......eas a matter
of fact all of em were;-)
Born Lately?
This in from sistah Kellen:
So for all of you that missed it, Dr. Jason's b-day was on Wednesday (the 3rd) so if you haven't called him and harassed him-- now would be a good time to go do that (well, after you finish reading my oh-so-important post) And my birthday is on Tuesday (the 9th) (please, no harassing, but all gifts are accepted :p )
and so the Dr. and I have decided to hold one great big joint
party on Saturday, January 13th at his abode. Rather, at one of the UNoccupied units
of his abode. SO just about a week from now, the Dr. and I invite ALL of you to his
house for a get down and funky birthday party (and yes Aaron, you can get nekkid
at this one). Bring alcohol, random food items, any and all of your friends and ofcourse
we will accept any and all gifts you choose to give us :p I have no idea what time...
prolly 8 or 9 or so... whenever the hell you want to show up. the # on the unit is
560 South Sherman Street which is in Denver. Most of you know how to get there, but
if you don't, call myself or the Dr. and we will send you to www.mapquest.com and
your
lazy ass can figure it out yourself :) Anyhu, I hope to see you all there!!!
So there you have it folx, it's gonna be a scary fuggin night of drunk and looney
bikey sorts, be there eh?
T-Shirts:
Thanks for all the great feedback on the shirts, I'll be getting a couple designs
printed up sometime next month and they'll be around 16 bux each. I'm taking a tally
on which ones people want the most, so send in your choice!
Stickahz:
Thanks to RevD of the 893 for the link to a good sticker place and thanks to Gumby
for getting everyone clammering about em, there will be stickers soon! They just
aren't gonna cost me enough that I feel right selling em, so here's the dealio: Email
me a picture of you and your ride(s) to add to the members section of the gallery
and I'll send you a sticker or two. Also, if you send in a photo of yourself riding
in the snow or an article fit for print I'll send you a sticker AND a coupon good
for three bucks offa UTMC T-shirt! Now there's a fuggin deal eh?
Choking us out:
The following spooky fuggin news is from the Motorcycle Riders Foundation. I suggest you read it and send some noisy letters to the addresses listed, unless you want laws that force you to keep your bike a stocker:
crap! I can't find the email and they don't have it on thier website yet! It basically has to do with new regulations the EPA wants to eforce that would demand that all motorcycles have 3 way catalytic(catastrophic) converters. Now lot's of new bikes have em, but lets all remember that the EPA likes to enforce things retroactively, which means you'll be having a bitch of a time finding a catastrophic converter for that 1962 Zundapp Bella scooter! Well that sounds kinda crappy right? How about this part, they also want to introduce legislation that will prevent us from modifying ANYTHING on our motorcycles (lest we stop the catastrophic converter from working). Here's the big problem, with the vaugeness of the wording in this legislation it's possible we could get fined thousands of bucks for putting on aftermarket turn signals! All this noise was started by the Sierra Club about off road vehichles, unfourtunately the EPA thinks they may as well just fuck everyone else since they are at it.
It is sad and disturbing to think that the Environmental Protection Agency, after eight years of good funding and support through a democratic presidency, still doesen't have the fuggin stones to go after the big buisinesses and corporations that are really causing environmental risks and problems. Need we point out that motorcycles are roughly one half of one percent of the vehichles on the road, not to mention we put out less fumes in a year than all the lawnmowers, snowblowers and leafblowers do in a month. Also is the fact that we have the best fuel efficency, take up the least space, can more easily manuver traffic, etc,etc,etc... We all know the stats on motorcycles, we're just getting screwed with because we are a small group. Well lets tell those fuggin pansy ass, tree hugging, earth muffin, otter washing, Ralph Nader's ass kissing morons at the EPA what we think of thier pointless little plan!
Here's what we can do to prevent this kind of crap from happening:
-Join motorcycle rights groups like Ride to Work, ABATE or the MRF.
-Write your congressman and two US senators to let them know that you are outraged and think that legislation is being rush into place without proper investigation as to it's purpose.
-Send a letter to the EPA:
In correspondence, refer to docket A-2000-01, the "Control of Emissions From Non-Road Large Spark Ignition Engines, Recreational Engines (Marine and Land Based) and Highway Motorcycles"
snail mail: Send paper copies of written comments (in duplacate if possible) to:
Margaret Borushko U.S. EPA National Vehichle and Fuels Emissions Laboratory 2000 Traverwood, Ann Arbor, MI 48105
Or send email to nranprm@epa.gov be sure
to refer to docket A-2000-01
Branching Out:
It's almost official, I'll soon be getting some of my articles and rants published
in Ride to Work's "Daily Rider newsletter
and also in the Colorado edition of ABATE's "The Spokeman"! I'm also hoping
that in the near future I can get some works published in the Motorcycle Riders Foundation's
"MRF Report" and the American Motorcyclists Association's "American
Rider". If all goes well I'd like to get some of our other writer's work printed
in those publications too. I know that everyone likes the stuff printed here and
it will make the UTMC a little less unique to have it's articles elsewhere, but I'm
doing all I can to get our message out and this will help. I won't be getting any
financial reembursment for my controbutions, so no worries about me selling out eh?
Smashed?:
I'm working with a local reporter here who is doing an investigative article outlining
how screwed we get by the system and insurance companies when we get run over. If
you have been in an accident and were jacked around by the legal system or an insurance
company your input would be greatly appreciated. This is especially important if
you are or have had to deal with subrogation (that's where your medical insurance
carrier wants to get paid back out of your settlement). Four states have ruled subrogation
illegal, and we can make that happen in every state if we work at it. Email me at
scratchy@qwest.net and join the fight!
That's it for now folx, keep it fast and flat black!
November and December ancient news found here
Musty old October news found here