NCOM BIKER NEWSBYTES
Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish,
National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM)
RIDING “OFF THE GRID” — HOW TO ESCAPE GPS TRACKING ON YOUR MOTORCYCLE
Freedom of the Road isn’t that free these days. “We often talk about what you can do to protect your privacy, but more often than not we accept the technology given to us by large corporations with government influence,” writes Gil Mellen, ABATE of California’s rep to the Southern California Confederation of Clubs (SCCOC), “And with that ease our phones store more than just our private information, they are a collection source for who we are, what we do and where we go 24/7.”
Turning your phone off or on airplane mode doesn’t cut it either, he explains. In order to truly be undetectable to ANYONE you must use a first line of defense on your phone, such as Silent Pocket. By employing a Silent Pocket “Faraday cage” (conductive material surrounding a piece of equipment to exclude electrostatic and electromagnetic influences) you can block all wireless signals to and from your mobile device.
Once placed inside the stylish leather case, your device is completely sealed — No GPS tracking, NO cellular, NO wifi, NO Bluetooth, and NO RFID scanning or NFC in all frequencies. Additionally, Silent Pocket cases protect your financial information from credit card skimming and scanning.
So if you’re heading to a large biker event and want no one to know your whereabouts, simply put your phone inside the case and wherever you go is OFF THE GRID. Once you remove your phone, any missed voicemails, data, or messages are downloaded. Your location is also known at that point.
“Silent Pocket is in the privacy accessory market for the long haul.” stated Aaron Zar, Silent Pocket Co-Founder. “As the methods hackers use to compromise security continue to evolve, so will our products.”
BIKER ATTIRE ALLOWED IN NEW MEXICO COURTROOMS
Declaring “A great victory for our community,” Annette Torrez, chair of the New Mexico Motorcycle Rights Organization (NMMRO) and National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) board of directors, announced that; We received the following message from Chief Justice Judge Nash concerning motorcycle vests in District Courthouse, “Please be informed that the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department will NOT be requiring members of your organization to turn their vests inside out upon entry into the Second Judicial District Courthouse and its’ Courtrooms in the future.”
The NMMRO and the NNMCOC (Northern New Mexico Confederation of Clubs) sent Judge Nash a letter regarding an issue in which Bernalillo Sheriff Officers were asking the Guardians of the Children to remove their vests and turn them inside out so none of the patches were visible. “These vests and patches are what identify them to the abused children who they are there to support in court under difficult circumstance as these children have to face their perpetrators or have to sometimes testify,” explained Torrez. “While we can all benefit from this victory, it is the abused children from our community who will benefit most, as now members of motorcycle community can continue to support and accompany them in court. Your voices were heard as we united in support.”
MANIFESTO ON THE MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRY AND FREEDOM OF THE ROAD
“I read your recent (NCOM Biker Newsbytes) report and the piece about the NCOM board requesting input on motorcycle issues to discuss at the upcoming NCOM Convention,” writes Keith “Bandit” Ball of Bikernet.com and former editor of Easyriders magazine. “I have a major bitch and a project that could save the custom motorcycle aftermarket and place freedom at the forefront of our nation once more.”
WHEN YOU CAN’T GIVE UP, WRITE — A Brief Manifesto; “Sounds ominous but it’s not, then again it is a tough alteration to current government thinking. And I believe our industry could be at the forefront.
Why can’t we prove that Freedom always needs to be a consideration? Why can’t we prove that all the custom motorcycles in the country will never have any significant impact on the environment and agencies need to leave us alone?
If we were successful, this could place Freedom at the forefront in many applications from hot rods, to go carts, to speed boats.”
As evidence of governmental regulation usurping personal rights, Ball (Bandit@Bikernet.com) submitted the following news release on behalf of SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) entitled “EPA Seeks to Prohibit Conversion of Vehicles into Racecars”:
“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a regulation to prohibit conversion of vehicles originally designed for on-road use into racecars and make the sale of certain products for use on such vehicles illegal. The proposed regulation was contained within a non-related proposed regulation entitled ‘Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles – Phase 2’.
The regulation would impact all vehicle types, including the sports cars, sedans and hatch-backs commonly converted strictly for use at the track. While the Clean Air Act prohibits certain modifications to motor vehicles, it is clear that vehicles built or modified for racing, and not used on the streets, are not the ‘motor vehicles’ that Congress intended to regulate.
‘This proposed regulation represents overreaching by the agency, runs contrary to the law and defies decades of racing activity where EPA has acknowledged and allowed conversion of vehicles,’ said SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting.
Washington State might give motorcyclists preferential treatment on some highways during traffic jams under a bill that has the support of the state Senate. The measure would give motorcyclists permission to drive on the far left shoulders of divided highways when traffic is moving under 25 miles an hour.
“It really is about relieving congestion,” said State Senator Tim Sheldon (D-Mason County), the bill’s sponsor. He tried passing a bill last year that would have allowed what’s known as “lane splitting,” allowing bikers to ride between cars stopped in traffic, but that bill failed.
KANSAS HOUSE SPEAKER GIVES HORSEPOWER TO 3-WHEELER REFORM BILL
A House committee in Kansas kicked the tires of a bill creating a special driving examination and license for people who ride increasingly popular three-wheeled motorcycles. Under current Kansas law, individuals are required to take a test on a two-wheeled motorcycle even if they own and plan to ride a machine with three wheels. House Bill 2436 would establish a special class of motorcycle licensing that aligns the examination with the type of vehicle to be driven.
Three-wheel licenses issued under the proposed law would forbid the person from legally riding a two-wheeled motorcycle, but anyone passing the two-wheel test could ride both motorcycle variations.
House Speaker Ray Merrick (R-Stilwell) urged the House’s Vision 2020 Committee to endorse the “friendly, common-sense update to Kansas statutes.”
“Considering the vast differences in the physical requirements between two- and three-wheeled motorcycles,” Merrick said, “it is reasonable that a person who can only ride a three-wheeled motorcycle should be allowed to take their license training and test on the type of motorcycle they will be using.”
NEW MOTORCYCLE HAZARD – TEENS WALKING WHILE DISTRACTED
Motorcycle riders have a lot to watch for when cruising through an urban environment such as a city or town. While the first focus may be other vehicles, a new study shows bikers should watch for teens crossing the road while distracted by their smartphone.
According to research released by Safe Kids Worldwide, with support from FedEx, distraction plays a role as 50% of teens admit they cross streets while using a mobile device, and an alarming 40% admit to actually being hit or nearly hit by a car, bike or motorcycle while walking.
Of the teens who have been hit or nearly hit report crossing the street while: 47% listening to music, 20% talking on the phone, and 18% were texting.
TEENAGER CAUTIONED AFTER SERIOUSLY INJURING MOTORCYCLIST
A 14-year-old boy was recently “cautioned” by police after causing “life-changing injuries” to a motorcyclist by tying a rope between two trees on a woodland path. The 17-year-old rider was rushed to the hospital with serious neck and wind-pipe injuries after hitting the rope while riding in woods near St Neots, Cambridgeshire, UK, and he spent seven weeks in the hospital including two-and-a-half in an induced coma.
The boy, who admitted responsibility under questioning by police, was issued a youth caution for causing grievous bodily harm without intent. He must also attend sessions with the Youth Offending Service.
MOTORCYCLE SPEEDER WINS $180,000 IN CASE AGAINST COP WHO BEAT HIM UP
On Aug. 3, 2012, Justin Wilkens was speeding on his Aprilia motorcycle and unwittingly passed Oregon State Police Officer Rob Edwards in an unmarked cop Camaro. After a few minutes of chase, Edwards rammed Wilkens off the bike, pulled a gun on him and kicked him in the chest.
If you think that sounds egregious, a jury agrees with you.
Dash cam footage shows Wilkens’ motorcycle speeding past cars and crossing double-yellow (no passing zones) lines near Veneta, OR when the officer pulls up behind him at an intersection, hits the bike and knocks the biker to the ground. Edwards maintained this was unintentional; a result of “brake fade” from the Camaro’s discs being overworked. At this point in the footage, Edwards enters the frame and lands a kick to Wilkens’ chest while drawing down on him with his pistol before cuffing him.
In an interesting plot twist, Edwards stated he did not know the police car’s dashcam was running. Wilkens suffered a broken left clavicle, a fractured rib and other injuries in the incident.
