December 15, 2001


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

NCOM COAST TO COAST BIKER NEWSCompiled and Edited by BILL BISH,NATIONAL COALITION OF MOTORCYCLISTS

BIKERS WANT EQUAL RIGHTS
Bikers across the nation are revving up for a fight against discrimination after complaints that they’re being shut out of restaurants and hotels because of their image as hell-raising thugs. Motorcyclists say the image of leather-clad bikers who rumble into town on their Harley-Davidsons and raise a ruckus is sadly outdated. The Associated Press (AP)

Proponents say the law is aimed at thwarting a tired stereotype, that of the marauding outlaw biker. The truth, they say, is a plainer picture of regular folks who enjoy riding, belonging to motorcycle clubs and wearing the colors of their groups, generally stitched on some form of black leather garment. The New York Times

America’s next official victim group may be roaring your way on their Harley-Davidsons. Bikers are sick and tired of rampant anti biker bigotry, so they are seeking status as a legally protected class in Ohio, Georgia, South Carolina, and several other states. The idea is to end all the ridicule, the tattoo phobia, the tendency among apprehensive roadhouse owners to seat them at remote tables. To me, it’s kind of like the back of the bus,’ said a Harley-riding Georgia state senator.- U.S. News & World Report

What’s all the buzz about? Equal Access legislation has been introduced in at least 19 states over the past few years, with Minnesota passing such a law three years ago, but recent bills in Ohio, South Carolina and Georgia have captured the media’s interest as bikers seek to outlaw discrimination against motorcycle riders.

We are talking about people being excluded from apartment houses, motels, restaurants and nightclubs just because they are wearing biker attire, said Ralph Buss, Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (AIM) attorney for Ohio, who initiated the first biker anti-discrimination bill in the country in 1994 when a client was denied service at a restaurant.

Ohio State Representative Sylvester Patton introduced HB 238 to prohibit the denial of access to public accommodations to persons because they ride motorcycles or wear motorcycle attire.

For too long, citizens who enjoy riding motorcycles and who are participating in motorcycle clubs have been treated unfairly while trying to gain access or entry into establishments open to the general public, Patton testified at the bill’s hearing.

Last year, Texas bikers succeeded in getting an Equal Access bill through the state legislature nearly unanimously, only to have it vetoed at the last minute by their governor. Illinois passed a Bikers-Rights bill through their legislature earlier this year, but the governor amended the bill through special amendatory veto powers to include controversial gay rights provisions, effectively killing the bill.

OHIO GANG LAW STRUCK DOWN IN COURT
As originally feared by many bikers rights advocates, so-called Gang Laws aimed at youth street gangs have been targeting members of motorcycle clubs and using the new state laws to tack on years to prison sentences simply because an individual was a member of a club. For that reason, Confederations of Clubs in states with gang laws on the books have fought hard to get motorcyclists specifically exempted from the definition of a criminal gang.

Kentucky succeeded in doing just that two years ago, and while the legislative work continues in other states, a lower court in Ohio has found that state’s gang law unconstitutionally broad and has struck down the law, though concerned bikers still await a final determination by the state’s higher courts.

According to the Cincinnati Post, a Hamilton County judge declared Ohio’s new gang law unconstitutional, saying it is so poorly written it could result in gang members being penalized more severely for crimes even if they aren’t gang related.

A participant in a gang, as the statute is written, is conclusively held to be promoting gang interests even when he obviously is not doing so. The enhanced crime becomes one of status of the defendant, not of the wrongdoing, judge Thomas Crush wrote in declaring the gang law unconstitutional.

The decision came after five men were indicted for participating in a criminal gang a second-degree felony that carries a maximum sentence of eight years in prison in the first Hamilton County case under the new law.

The men were accused of being members of the Folk street gang and participating in criminal gang activity. Crush’s ruling dismissed the gang-related charges against one of the men.

The Ohio statute, as written, creates a crime and allows a penalty for activities that have not even occurred; i.e. creates a gang crime and an enhanced gang penalty for crimes which are unrelated to gang activity, Crush wrote. He noted that someone arrested under the statute as it now exists could also be charged with participating in a criminal gang even if the crime was committed out of town and didn’t involve the gang.

Ohio’s gang law applies when three or more persons operating in a pattern of criminal activity are linked to two or more felony offenses.

The state has appealed the lower court’s decision.

CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE ADOPTS NOISE ORDINANCE Evidently, the current administration for the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, has enacted new regulations targeting motorcycle exhaust systems, as well as making it literally illegal to travel in groups.

Due to this legislation, Albuquerque can no longer be considered a biker friendly city, according to Barbara Alvar, Chairperson of the New Mexico Motorcyclists Legislative Impact Committee.

Council Bill #FS 0-34 states that; No person shall operate a motorcycle without (a) a permanent engravature or label entitled Motorcycle Noise Emission Control Information’, and (b) a permanent engravature or label on the muffler or exhaust pipe indicating the following information…, and it goes on to state that the label will indicate the year and model that the exhaust was designed for as well as the decibel rating.

Making matters even worse, it also states that this allowable dB (decibel level) applies to the total sound from a vehicle or a combination of vehicles and shall be construed as limited or precluding the enforcement of any other provision in this article relating to motor vehicle mufflers for noise control. In other words, no combination of motorcycles riding together can exceed the maximum allowable EPA decibel rating of one motorcycle!

With the enactment of this ordinance, Albuquerque has legalized harassment of the motorcycling community, said Alvar. This ordinance will treat law-abiding citizens like criminals. This ordinance gives the law enforcement officer probably cause to stop you, even if you are not exceeding legal noise limits, just to inspect required labeling’ of the exhaust system.

Mayor Jim Baca stated publicly that this noise ordinance targets motorcycles and barking dogs, which indicates the mayor’s negative attitude toward motorcyclists. You can e-mail Mayor Baca at bmoris@cabq.gov and kindly inform him of your opinion, or phone him at (505) 768-3000, or fax (505) 768-3019. Other responsible parties are the Council President Brad Winter, bwinter@cabq.gov; and City Counselors Alan Armijo, aarmijo@cabq.gov; Adele Baca-Hundley, ahundley@cabq.gov; Vincent Griego, vgriego@cabq.gov; Tim Kline, tkline@cabq.gov; Hess Yntema, hyntema@cabq.gov; and Greg Payne, gpayne@cabq.gov.

OREGON BIKERS GET POLITICAL
Another major stride for motorcycle awareness and inclusion was achieved at the Democratic Party of Oregon’s state central meeting on December 9, 2001. Due primarily to the efforts and planning of “Diesel” Dave Ganslein, the Oregon Democratic Motorcyclists Caucus was born.

At today’s State Central Committee meeting, the Democratic Party of Oregon officially recognized the Oregon Democratic Motorcyclists Caucus, reported Ganslein. This gives members of A.B.A.T.E. of Oregon Inc., Bike-PAC of Oregon, and The Concerned Motorcyclists Coalition a seat on the state central committee, thus ensuring motorcyclists a far greater voice in the future of motorcycling in Oregon.

He adds, We strongly urge all motorcyclists to become active in the political system, as our relative degree of success has been attributable to activism at a grass-roots level.

SCHWARZENEGGER HURT IN MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT Just
days after Universal Studios announced their intentions to make Terminator 3, Arnold Schwarzenegger was injured in a motorcycle accident in Santa Monica, California, on December 12, 3001. The former Mr. Universe and star of the first two Terminator movies was taken to the hospital with several broken ribs after the weekend crash. Further details about the accident were not immediately available.

Schwarzenegger, 54, who is negotiating to appear in the third Terminator film,was “in good spirits, feeling sore, but otherwise fine,” said publicist JillEisenstadt.

“Don’t worry,” said the actor. “This won’t affect my skiing with my family at Sun Valley this Christmas.”

WEIRD NEWS OF THE MONTH: FARMER SOUGHT AFTER COW PAT INJURES MOTORCYCLISTS German police are warning farmers that they could be charged with negligence after a cow pie on a road seriously injured two motorcyclists. Officers are looking for the farmer of the cows that left the pie on the carriageway in Kempten. They say he should have cleaned it up. The two motorcyclists skidded on the cow crap and fell off their bike. They are recovering from their injuries in the hospital. Police say the farmer responsible for the offending patty could be charged with physical injury resulting from negligence, reports the German newspaper Bild. The decision to pursue the farmer has been described as ridiculous by farming groups who said it was impossible for a farmer to always walk behind his cows with a shovel. Johannes Schmidt, chairman of the local farmer’s union, said: “It’s a real shame. What are we supposed to do? Do they expect us to run after our herds with a shovel?”

QUOTABLE QUOTES:
“It is the absolute right of the State to supervise the formation of public opinion.”
JOSEPH GOEBBELS
Minister of Propaganda for the Third Reich under Adolf Hitler

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December 14, 2001 Part 1

BIKERNET NEWS FLASH–EXCELSIOR-HENDERSON STRUCK DOWN AGAIN

A Note From Sin—
As I sit here at my computer trying to put together some sort of news for you, my mind drifts between fantasy and reality as I know many people do daily. Just from talking to different Bikernet readers, many wonder what?s real and what?s bullshit on this site. Well, I believe we would all love to have a little fantasy occasionally and add some spice to our otherwise normal routine. That?s our goal here at Bikernet, to add that spice.

A lot of us go through life with somber reality. Our days are orchestrated and we function as if walking in our sleep. Get up, get ready for work, drive to work, etc. Then at the end of the day we go home and deal with the house, kids, trying to find time for ourselves and so on.

From time to time we see something that makes us smile. If we?re lucky we get a good belly laugh or we read something that makes our chests swell with pride, passion or even anger. Sometimes we feel the need to write to the source of the emotion and express ourselves as many of you do in ?Your Shot.? We appreciate this feedback and thank you for it.

Bikernet has many contributors who take a few minutes out of their daily routine to shoot us an image, a joke, a fictional story or even a real life event, and because of them, we?re able to give a fantasy, a smile and a laugh– the spice of life. We have the coolest readers any Web site could ask for, always adding their two cents and keeping us in check, and we have our much-appreciated sponsors that make it possible.

The purpose of all this drivel is to THANK YOU ? for taking the time to help us with our goal.

Sin Wu

And Now For Some Bullshit, Heeerrreeesss Bandit!
Not much to report from sea this week. Last weekend I partied with Larry McCullough, a Hamster prospect from Baltimore, and his partners, Eric, Don, Rob and the girls, Debbie, Tina, Christina and Giovanna, a girl with a lot of heart who was building another bike after her last one took her leg. Larry’s a young builder who owns ProPaint in Baltimore. If this kid was in L.A. and had the promotional opportunities of Jesse James, he’d be the guy with Penthouse articles. He’s a talented fabricator.

The ship had a welding fire in hold No. 2 in Japan, which destroyed two freshly built Taiwanese yachts. The captain made arrangements for the remaining 200 tons of lead to be hoisted out and the hold powerwashed. At 6 p.m. Sunday, departure time, he inspected the hold and didn’t care for the progress. That delayed departure six hours — to well past midnight — until a tug tugged us away from the dock and the pilot came aboard for the 12-hour trek out of the Chesapeake Bay, which was a traffic jam of war ships, including the carrier Enterprise. Maybe the President went for a cruise.

I gotta tell you that this is sorta like riding an out-of-balance rigid. Vibration is a key element as we motor from port. Originally it was explained to me that fighting currents for speed in shallow waters was causing excessive vibration, but we’re now in the Gulf Stream, a third of the way and two more time zones into the Atlantic, and it vibrates so bad that we broke a fuel line yesterday. With one storm on our ass and one dead ahead, we were forced to shut down and sit dead in the water. We fixed the leaking fuel line and we’re now cruising at 17.4 knots. Another thing that could be contributing to the vibration is that the ship is virtually empty heading back to Hamburg, Germany, and that single screw with fins 15 feet high may be splashing in the water behind the ship like a drunken dolphin.

We better get to the news before the swells toss Richard’s laptop against the bulkhead along with the rest of my gear. Day before yesterday a weather report told the captain that we were running dead into a force 8 and 9 violent storm. We hit nothing. Last night the same weather service recommended that we veer off course bearing north, which by all indications was directly into the storm we’re trying desperately to dodge. He went south and we’re still slapping the tail end of it.
Let?s get to the news:

change of guard
Bandit took this shot the day before, while pulling out of Baltimore. Changing of the guards.

Excelsior-Henderson In The News Again
For Sale/Not for Sale, this is a question only the bankruptcy court in Florida will be able to determine. Just hours before the complete factory and holdings of Excelsior- Henderson were to go on the auction block, George Heaton, head of the Florida-based investment group that saved E-H from its first run-in with the bankruptcy courts, filed for protection under the Chapter 11 bankruptcy laws. This terminated the auction and will allow the investment group to hopefully restructure. Only time will tell what the courts will do.

The continued turmoil saddens even the most ardent backers of the company and its Super-X cruiser motorcycles. Dan Hanlon, who co-founded the company in 1993 and intended for it to be a competitor to Harley-Davidson, hasn’t been actively involved in its management since the firm emerged from bankruptcy in August 2000. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December 1999 after burning through about $100 million in capital, much of it raised from Minnesota investors. Hanlon came to the auction Thursday seeking what he called “finality,” which never materialized. “Let [Excelsior-Henderson] have its peace,” Hanlon said. “There is nothing left to restart. Let’s be real about it.”

Bikernet Caribbean Report—
Like we said last week, we were in Phoenix at the new Bourget’s shop, and have included some photos of the new area.

carribbean

It’s great to see companies in thiseconomy growing and being successful, and more so since all the othermotorcycle factories are flopping left and right. I guess if you have agood product and plan your growth during these turbulent times, it willbe easier.

Speaking of turbulence, I bet Bandit is having a little while crossing theAtlantic. Seems like the weather is not cooperating. We have received heavysurf and winds during this past week, and that means cold and heavyrollers up by the shipping lanes. I hope the USS Rust Bucket is doingfine. The two BBW exps are ready; I will post the photos next week (as soonas we can roll ’em outside) and will be shooting them for the Horse in anupcoming issue. Now we go to the news……

We just read an article on Jesse James from this month’s Penthouse magazine(yep, the one with the nakkid gurlies). Also, his second TV program will air on theDiscovery Channel in January, check your local listings.

BBW has three new styles of exhaust that are available for Bourget’s owners(and soon to the general public). If you’re interested, call the factory or yourlocal dealer.

carribbean

S&S carburetors now come with a bracket that will make those long 90 upthrottle cables fit. They still send the short bracket just in case youwant to keep doing it the old way, also for TC 88s.

Our local Toy Run will take place Dec. 16. The ride will go to thetown of A?asco (about 80 miles) to give all the toys to needychildren. This will be open for any brand of motorcycle, and all they needfrom those participating is a toy.

We heard that the new Sonny Barger book will be in bookstorespretty soon. They expect this book to do as well as the first one. Don’tworry, as soon as we find out when, so will you.

Continued On Page 2

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