by Michael Shellenberger Democrats Must Stop Sacrificing Good American Nuclear Jobs For Cheap Chinese Solar Panels China made solar panels cheap through coerced labor, not innovation. The Biden Administration is promoting the participation of Chinese President Xi Jinping in a White House climate summit at a time when Congress is considering whether or not to halt the import of solar panels from China for human rights reasons. “China’s Solar Dominance Presents Biden With an Ugly Dilemma,” read the headline of a New York Times article published yesterday. “President Biden’s vow to work with China on issues like climate change is clashing with his promise to defend human rights.” The U.S. State Department in January 2021 called the Chinese government treatment of the Uyghurs “genocide.” The State Department says one million Uyghurs have been forced into concentration camps in Xinjiang province, or forced to work in factories, including ones that make solar panels, one of the region’s largest industries. “Shinta energy, East Hope Group, and GCL Poly-Energy Holdings have all been linked to a state-run employment program that,” reported Bloomberg earlier this week, “at times amount to forced labor.” The Chinese Embassy in Washington called claims of forced labor in Xinjiang “a rumor created by a few anti-China media and organizations,” and insisted that all workers in Xinjiang freely enter into contracts without coercion. “There is no such thing as ‘forced labor,’” insisted an Embassy representative. But Secretary of State Antony Blinken doubled-down on the genocide label in a statement last week, saying that the Chinese government’s treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang constituted “an effort to commit genocide.” And the U.S., Canada, and the European Union have already already banned imports of cotton and tomatoes and, according to Bloomberg, “The substance needed for solar panels could be next.” For years, renewable energy advocates had claimed that radical cost declines of solar panels would come from improved efficiency in the conversion of sunlight into electricity. But it’s today clear that “the China price” stemmed in some measure from the coerced labor of Uyghur Muslims. “Xinjiang is known for low safety and environmental standards,” noted the Times. Forced labor “may be just part of the incentive package,” said a solar executive. Even the best performing models of the most common types of solar panels only saw their efficiency rise by 2-3 percentage points over the last decade. As such, it is impossible that efficiency increases accounted for the two-thirds decline in the cost of solar panels over the same period. Solar panel makers have in recent weeks sought to reassure lawmakers and journalists that they will quickly and easily relocate their facilities out of Xinjiang to somewhere else in China, and thus that there is no need for the White House and Congress to ban the importation of their panels. Over 200 solar companies so far have signed a pledge to relocate from the region. “Our understanding is that all the major suppliers are going to be able to supply assurances to their customers that their products coming into the U.S. do not include polysilicon from the region,” said a solar industry spokesperson. But supply assurances is very different from supplying solar panels assured to be free of coerced labor. And even moving some factories out of Xianjiang would not address the genocide, noted The Times. “Some Chinese companies have responded by reshuffling their supply chains, funneling polysilicon and other solar products they manufacture outside Xinjiang to American buyers, and then directing their Xinjiang-made products to China and other markets.” But solar panel making is a heavy industry which could take years to relocate. Factories would need to be located near to where its core material, polysilicon, is made. And relocating tens of thousands of workers, not just equipment in buildings, as well as the housing and infrastructure they all require, would require enormous social disruption. Proof of this comes from the difficulty experienced by clothing and footwear companies to relocate from Xianjiang for the same reasons. And there is no independent way of confirming that manufacturers have shifted production to regions free of genocide and persecution, since there is no free and independent monitoring of the Chinese solar panel makers. Earlier this week Bloomberg Quicktake aired a special investigation, “Why Secrecy Haunts China’s Solar Factories in Xinjiang.” Bloomberg quoted a Chinese government saying his government welcomed media investigations. “We welcome foreign media to visit and to see with their own eyes the achievements there. We also call on media outlets that are committed to objective and not biased reporting as well as professional ethics to tell the true story.” But when two Bloomberg reporters attempted to do so they were followed by Chinese secret police and rebuffed by understandably fearful solar panel workers. “We’re told, on the one hand, ‘Come visit. We want journalists to come.’ But the reality is just so starkly different,” one of the Bloomberg reporters said. The solar panel workers, he said, “had obviously been well-trained by the company to respond, should somebody from the outside, whether it be a journalist or a diplomat, ask them questions about what’s going on in the factory.” Another difficulty will be the higher cost of energy outside of the region. “Xinjiang has a lot of relatively cheap coal,” said another Bloomberg analyst. “And cheap energy means cheap polysilicon,” the main feedstock for solar panels. But even if the Uyghur Muslim workers, their housing, and the solar panel factories were relocated, China’s genocide against them would continue. “Episodes of forced labor have also been reported in Chinese facilities outside Xinjiang,” noted the Times, “where Uyghurs and other minorities have been transferred to work.” The issue, in the end, is not producing solar panels in the region of Xinjiang. The issue is China’s genocide against, and the use of the coerced labor of Uyghur Muslims, which could continue anywhere in China. Democrats Opt for Chinese Solar Over American Nuclear The Democrats’ climate infrastructure legislation in Congress proposes a national Clean Energy Standard, which would require electricity providers to generate 80% of their power from zero-emissions resources by 2030 and 100% by 2035. That Standard appears to include nuclear and, theoretically, should help nuclear plants on the verge of being closed and replaced by natural gas and renewables. But the broader legislation, and President Biden’s proposed budget, would heavily subsidize solar and wind, including its enabling infrastructure, but not nuclear plants. As such, the combined impact of the legislation could be to accelerate the premature closure of nuclear plants around the U.S. To a significant extent this is already happening. In Congress and across the U.S., Democratic lawmakers are advocating and overseeing the closure of nuclear power plants, and their replacement with both China-made solar panels and natural gas, in California and New York, and will do so in Illinois, if legislators fail to act to save the nuclear plants scheduled to prematurely close later this year. Sitting Democratic governors have used behind-the-scenes efforts, including ones that involved illegal donations from natural gas firms, to pressure nuclear plants to close prematurely, as well as state mandates and credit programs, similar to the ones Democrats are proposing in their climate change and infrastructure legislation. In 2019, U.S. Congressional Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said, “The world is going to end in 12 years if we don’t address climate change,”but a few months later advocated the closure of Indian Point nuclear plant, which at the time provided carbon-free electricity for roughly three million New Yorkers. Ocasio-Cortez got her wish and Indian Point is in the process of being shut down and being replaced by fossil fuels, as well solar panels. “After one of Indian Point’s two working reactors was permanently shut down last summer,” reported the Times last week, “the share of the state’s power that came from gas-fired generators jumped in 2020 to about 40 percent, from about 36 percent in 2019, federal data show.” Emissions are likely to rise further after the second reactor is closed in a few weeks. In California, even anti-nuclear advocates today acknowledge that emissions are likely to rise if Governor Gavin Newsom of California follows through on his promise to close Diablo Canyon nuclear plant in 2024 and 2025. Last summer, California lacked sufficient electricity by roughly the same amount as had been provided by the nuclear power plant that California’s Democratic leaders forced to close prematurely in 2013. Democratic elected officials have said that solar and wind can replace the lost nuclear, but the Timesnoted that “each of Indian Point’s reactors had been producing more power than all of the wind turbines and solar panels in the state combined.” The same problem has afflicted California. “People wonder how we made it through the heat wave of 2006,” said the CEO of California’s electricity grid operator.. “The answer is that there was a lot more generating capacity in 2006 than in 2020…. We had San Onofre [nuclear plant] of 2,200 megawatts and a number of other plants totalling thousands of megawatts not there today.” With nuclear plants generating nearly 20 percent of U.S. electricity, and solar and wind just half of that, the Democrats’ legislation could ultimately raise rather than lower emissions by continuing to eliminate emission-free nuclear power generation that solar and wind cannot adequately replace. Why Biden Must Opt for American Nuclear Over Chinese Solar China decides its energy policy based on politics internal to the Politburo, and various industry lobbies, and is simply using the issue of climate change to manipulate the West, say some experts. “Xi’s bullish talk of combating climate change is a smokescreen for a more calculated agenda,” wrote two experts at the U.S. Naval War College and Rice University in Foreign Affairs. “Chinese policymakers know their country is critical to any comprehensive international effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions, and they are trying to use that leverage to advance Chinese interests in other areas.” Neither China nor Russia are sincere in their promises, agreed the vice president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “What is striking to me,” she said, “is that while both Beijing and Moscow are speaking the language of climate change before international audiences, at home, they are putting their foot on the accelerator to increase global carbon emissions.” She pointed to Russia’s exports of natural gas to Germany and much of Europe, and of China’s increasing reliance on coal plants to make low-cost products like solar panels. The climate summit with Xi, closing nuclear power plants, and refusing to apply the same standard to solar panels as governments have applied to tomatoes and shoes, are a bad look for Biden and the Democrats. It’s not too late for action. Republicans in Congress introduced a bill that would ban the import of Chinese-made solar panels into the U.S. But Democrats have not cosponsored it. Some know better. Moderate Democrats like Rep. Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania recognized after the 2020 election that Rep. Ocasio-Cortez’s anti-nuclear “Green New Deal” made the party look extreme. He should see that Democrats including President Biden are at risk of appearing to value Chinese solar jobs over American nuclear ones. The people closest to the issue express the most fear and anger over what is happening to minorities in China. The researcher who broke the story of coerced Uyghur labor being used to make solar panels unequivocally condemned those who continue to buy Chinese solar panels today. “I would say you are complicit in perpetuating this Chinese industrial policy that suppresses and disenfranchises human beings.” The replacement of good nuclear jobs with Chinese solar panels will be felt in working-class communities. Nuclear power plants can run for 80 years or more and sometimes employ three generations of families who earn comparatively high wages, thanks to the high-tech nature of atomic energy. Such will be the case in New York. The Indian Point closure will also deprive the local community of $32 million in annual contributions from the plant’s operator including $24 million that went directly to schools. Also lost will be 1,000 good, high-paying jobs. By contrast, the largest new solar farm in the U.S. will create just six permanent jobs.

by Nick Carey, Paul Lienert and Tina Bellon of Reuters from https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com

Britain’s driverless car ambitions hit speed bump with insurers

Insurers are key players in the shift to automated driving, with some investing in a technology they believe will slash accidents and deaths, and save them billions in payouts. But they are worried drivers might equate today’s lower levels of automation with fully self-driving vehicles, potentially causing more accidents in the short term and permanently damaging public confidence in the technology.

Britain’s goal to be a leader in adopting self-driving cars could backfire unless automakers and government regulators spell out the current limitations of the technology, insurance companies warn.

“What you describe things as is incredibly important, so people don’t use them inappropriately,” said David Williams, managing director of underwriting at AXA Insurance, whose parent AXA SA made 17 billion euros in revenues from property and casualty insurance, including motor insurance, in 2020.

“I genuinely believe the world will be a safer place with autonomous vehicles and I really don’t want that derailed.”

In what would be a world first, Britain is considering regulating the use of Automated Lane Keeping Systems (ALKS) on its roads, possibly even on motorways at speeds of up to 70 miles (113 km) per hour. It is also deciding whether to describe them to the general public as “automated” systems.

It is that one word – automated – that has stirred controversy and put the country at the centre of a global debate about self-driving terminology at a sensitive moment in its evolution.

The technology is evolving rapidly and there is no consensus on how to deploy it or what to call some features. Regulations in the Americas, Europe and Asia lag far behind technical developments and issues over accident liability are unresolved.

ALKS use sensors and software to keep cars within a lane, accelerating and braking without driver input. They are “Level 3” technology on the auto industry’s five point scale towards fully autonomous “Level 5” driving – meaning they can operate under specific conditions, but require driver intervention.

However, some experts say ALKS should be called “assisted-driving technology” to avoid potentially misleading consumers into believing they can let their attention wander at the wheel.

The dangers of drivers apparently misunderstanding the limits of technology has already become an issue in the United States, where regulators have been looking into about 20 crashes involving Tesla’s driver assistance tools, such as its “Autopilot” system – a “Level 2” technology that requires the driver’s constant attention.

Britain’s Thatcham Research said it had tested cars with the technologies underpinning ALKS and found they cannot swerve out of lane to avoid obstacles, see pedestrians emerging from cars at roadside, or read road signs. The car can alert the driver to resume control, but with a potentially fatal lag at high speeds.

“If this technology was really automated and could do what you or I could do, insurers would welcome it,” said Matthew Avery, Thatcham’s research director.

“But this will lead to confusion, it’s going to lead to unnecessary crashes, and potentially injuries or fatalities” if ALKS are not marketed accurately, he added.

Britain’s transport ministry said its primary concern was public safety and it hadn’t decided to permit the use of ALKS at high speeds or whether to call the technology “automated.” Its decisions are expected later this year.

The World Health Organization estimates road accidents globally kill around 1.35 million people a year.

With human error estimated to cause around 90% of accidents, that has attracted considerable interest in automated driving technologies from insurers.

AXA, for instance, has used UK research projects to gather data to create insurance products for autonomous vehicles and owns a stake in self-driving software startup Oxbotica, which also has funding from Chinese tech giant Tencent.

There is potentially a big economic boost too from embracing the new technology.

Britain’s transport ministry forecasts by 2035 around 40% of new UK cars could have self-driving capabilities, creating up to 38,000 new skilled jobs.

“The UK’s adoption of ALKS … is essential for Britain to remain a world leader in vehicle technology while ensuring our roads remain amongst the safest on the planet,” Mike Hawes, CEO of UK car industry lobby group the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Limited, said, noting the United Nations has approved ALKS in slow moving motorway traffic under 37 miles per hour (60 kph).

Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz has been a pioneer of self-driving technology and is seeking global regulatory approval for its “Level 3” Drive Pilot system.

In an email, Daimler called the system “conditional automated driving”

“This is a paradigm change, because the vehicle takes control,” Daimler said. “The driver can turn away from what is happening on the road” to surf the internet, or enjoy “a relaxing seat massage.”

AXA’s Williams attended a presentation of Drive Pilot to the Association of British Insurers last year.

“It is absolutely amazing, but it is driver assistance,” he said, and not full automation.

Neil Ingram, insurer Direct Line’s head of motor product management, said it was vital “Level 3” technologies were described clearly and accurately.

“We’ve known for years the path to full automation was a tricky one and Level 3 has always been the problem child,” he said. “If the government decides to designate ALKS systems as automated then that makes it very, very real.”

With proper consumer education, ALKS “could help in slow moving traffic”, said Anthony Smith, CEO of independent UK consumer watchdog Transport Focus.

“But the word ‘automated’ needs careful testing on a few focus groups and we need a better name,” he said.

Some in the car industry favour a cautious approach.

Glen De Vos, chief technology officer at Aptiv, a supplier developing self-driving technology, said automakers should be “very sensitive” when describing their systems’ capabilities “because what we don’t want to do is oversell.”

Even marketed properly, he said some drivers would abuse the technology. So Aptiv advocates using cameras and sensors inside vehicles to keep drivers engaged.

“If the driver’s behaviour doesn’t change, you have to lock them out of the system,” De Vos said.

Hey,

We are rapidly rolling into the final week in preparation for our move to the Badlands. Don’t mind me if I don’t respond for a couple of days. The news should be cool next week, but the following week it will come from Deadwood.

This week I met with accountants, had a property walk-through. I’m waiting to hear from Haul Bikes and the final crates will arrive on Saturday. Today, maybe, if I have a minute I need to see a lady about a fork lift.

Okay, it’s Earth Day. Everyone should read this puppy: http://ecosense.me/ecosense-wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/CO2-Emissions.pdf

If this stimulates your desire to know more, read Patrick Moore’s book Fake Invisible Catastrophes and Threats of Doom. There are a bunch of books out now, but here’s another one: Inconvenient Facts by Gregory Writestone. I just finished it. It’s an easy read.

I had a conversation with a friend the other day. He commented on the absurd sense of it all. “Hell, it takes tons of fossil fuels to build solar farms. All the trucks to deliver them, the equipment, not to mention the construction of the panels.”

Smile, the earth is okay and thriving because of fossil fuels. Let’s hit the news.

The Bikernet Weekly News is sponsored in part by companies who also dig Freedom including: Cycle Source Magazine, the MRF, Las Vegas Bikefest, Iron Trader News, ChopperTown, BorntoRide.com and the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum.

ANOTHER BIKE SHOW ALIVE AND WELL–Donnie Smith Bike Show

May 21-23, 2021

St. Paul, Minnesota

Saturday Evening Activity:

There will be a shuttle picking us up at the St.Paul Hotel for dinner followed by the Almost Cooper Show https://almostcooper.com/ at Route 47 http://route47pubngrub.com/

Shuttles will run throughout the evening. Times to be announced later.

HOTEL INFORMATION

Hamster headquarters will be at The St. Paul Hotel. Hamsters & friends please book under the block listed below.

IMPORTANT: If you have already booked your room, please let the hotel know that you are with the Hamster group. We will be using these numbers to arrange for transportation Saturday night. A big Hamster showing at the hotel will also give us leverage when we start planning for Donnie’s 80th birthday party next year.

Please visit the website at

www.saintpaulhotel.com

and then in the below fields enter the following:

https://reservations.saintpaulhotel.com/sph/availability.asp

Date range

Drop down for special codes-Group/Block

Code- 52121HAMD

Search

The guests can also call 800-292-9292 and ask for the Hamsters USA-Donnie Smith Bike Show

KNUCKLE BUSTER RINGS FROM JAPAN–
I received a package from Japan yesterday courtesy of Gonz (Roller).

Thank you Gonz!

Inside were these four Knucklehead Rocker Box rings from Mr. Uchiyama of Magical Design (who is also addicted to Knuckleheads)! What a Fantastic surprise! The detail and quality is unreal! Each pair contains a front and rear rocker box!

Thank you Mr. Uchiyama!

–Knucklebuster

LAND ACCESS–MIC Government Relations Office Fights Illegal Action to End OHV Use at Oceano Dunes

In the battle to keep the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area open, the MIC Government Relations Office submitted supplemental comments on Monday – opposing the California Coastal Commission’s recent unilateral amendment of the site’s coastal development permit, and its vote to end all OHV activity at the historic seaside location.

In the letter to California State Parks Director Armando Quintero, the MIC stated:

“The Coastal Commission’s March special meeting circumvented the [public works plan] process. This violated state law and the required due process. If allowed, the Coastal Commission’s unilateral amendment of ODSVRA Coastal Development Permit (CDP) will result in ODSVRA no longer being an SVRA within three years’ time. The DPR should not accept the Coastal Commission’s CDP as enforceable.

The Commission – a group of un-elected political appointees – lacks the authority to effectively overturn state law. The State Legislature created an SVRA at Oceano Dunes with the express intent of allowing off-highway vehicle recreation in the park.”

Scott Schloegel, senior vice president at the MIC’s GRO, also testified again last week before the CCC, in opposition to additional closures based on alleged dust issues.

–MIC

NEW FROM THE MASTER OF LIGHT–Artist David Uhl

David Uhl recently completed a new painting as part of research and study for his upcoming Sturgis commemorative for this year. This beautiful new piece measures 40 x 30, oil on linen.

Titled “Tatanka”, an exclusive canvas print edition is now being made available. These are being offered for 24 hours only.

We will begin taking orders now, and will close the edition at this time tomorrow (regardless of how many are sold). Please read below for details.

“Tatanka”
David Uhl 2021

Each canvas print will be hand-signed by David Uhl, numbered and come with a Certificate of Authenticity. Edition number preferences will be considered as orders are received.

Framed prices are below. You can also order them unframed (deductions dependent upon size – please inquire).

** Image size 24×18, $895 framed

** Image size 32×24, $1,295 framed

** Image size 40×30, $1,895 framed

** Image size 48×36, $2,895 framed

Shipping is additional.

The original (oil on linen), measuring 40 x 30, is also for sale. Priced at $15,000, this piece will make a stunning centerpiece in the right room. Serious inquiries only, please.

As always, thanks for your time and remember, this is a 24-hour only sale so please let me know by tomorrow morning if you’d like to add this piece to your collection.

Best regards,

–Greg Rhodes
International Sales Director
David Uhl Fine Art
Uhl Studios
303-913-4840

All Hands on Deck: NMA ALERT!

In Equity and Sustainability, NMA E-Newsletter #637, we noted the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) introduction of a proposed federal rule that would constitute the first major revision of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) since 2009. Major is putting it lightly, and lightly is not how we can afford to treat it.

The MUTCD is a dense 784-page document full of technical standards and guidance on topics like Regulatory Signs, Barricades, and Gates, Traffic Control Signal Features, and Control of Traffic Through Traffic Incident Management Areas. Not mesmerizing stuff unless you are a diehard traffic engineer, but critical to establishing the rules that keep our roads as safe as possible.

Last week we issued an email alert to all active members about one very important aspect of the FHWA’s proposed rule: how speed limits are determined. Whether you saw the alert or not, the issue at hand is so critical that it bears repeating the call to action. We have until May 14th — the open period during which the public can comment on the proposed rule — to discourage the FHWA from weakening the speed-limit standard. Specifically, the agency is bowing to pressure from anti-driving factions by recommending that it no longer be mandatory for traffic speed distribution data to be factored into the posted-speed analysis.

The NMA email alert, found here, was issued on April 13th. It called upon members to post comments on the Federal Register site — the link is provided near the bottom of the alert and repeated near the end of this newsletter — opposing the FHWA’s plan to strip away an essential layer of data analysis from the engineering of speed limits.

The urgency is still very much present. It was gratifying that within hours of the NMA alert, dozens of members posted their comments for the record. But that isn’t enough. As one non-member posted after he saw the flurry of opposition activity to the speed limit recommendation, “The most recent comments that have been submitted (minority) have shown support for the usage of the 85% speed in setting speed limits.”

Note the incidental use of “minority.” We must not rest until opposition comments constitute the majority of input. If you haven’t posted yet, take action now. Here are a few of the post-NMA alert comments added to the record:

The NMA will be submitting a detailed set of comments before the May 14th closing date. But without a continuing surge of responses like those above, the FHWA will most likely adopt the changes to the MUTCD. Here is the link to the public comment section of the docket for the FHWA’s proposed rule. Use it to add your comments.

Note: Look for another NMA email alert in the coming week about the proposed changes for stop sign postings. If the FHWA has its way, the number of stop signs may well increase exponentially in the coming years. Anyone want to bet that the automated enforcement industry is already champing at the bit to expand its stop-sign camera business?

NEWS FROM THE TWISTED ROAD–A Week of Sturgis Motorcycle Ride Maps: Day 4

Wow! The Sturgis 2021 Rally is on the horizon. Just a few more months to plan your stay. If you are too far away to ride to Sturgis or you cannot trailer in, you better make your bike reservations soon because these are rides you do not want to miss. I plan on adding another 2,000 miles to my bike in Sturgis alone!

This is the fourth of six articles on how to experience 14 rides in one week, complete with Sturgis motorcycle ride maps. A little planning like this and you can create an extensive ride, even when you don’t have a lot of time to take off. So let’s make the most of it! Be sure to check my first, second, and third articles for other rides on Devil’s Tower, Nemo, Needles Highway, and more. Each Sturgis motorcycle ride map can be done in any order, and each ride article is designed for you to do it in one day.

Motorcycle Ride Map

On this day, we are going to travel through several national and state parks – all in one area. We will cross down through Custer State Park, down to Wind Cave National Park with a stop at the visitor center and then over to Jewel Cave National Monument. These are wonderful rides with sites specifically preserved for their uniqueness. The caves are a great chilled stop in the heat. If there is one place that should be on your bucket list to ride, it is the Custer State Park area. It is just one of the ways to see some of the beauty in the Black Hills National Forest.

Approximately 2.5 hours, 117 miles, One Way

This map has a little interstate ride if your starting point is Sturgis or Rapid City.(Find a motorcycle to rent in Rapid City on Twisted Road here). The hours listed on this ride are one way so plan for the trip time back to your starting point. There will be lots of stops you will want to take along the way so plan that time into your schedule as well.

Once you are in the state park areas, there are very few gas options so fill up in Rapid City or Hermosa.

Custer State Park should be in your top rides, if nothing else to see the herds of wild buffalo. There is a wildlife loop within the park and, because I was on a bike, I thought it would be wise to pass up the loop and ride on. Clearly the buffalo do not follow any park sign recommendation on where you will see wildlife. A few miles past the loop and I ran into a huge herd (this photo is only the beginning).

The buffalo herd sighting was such an overwhelming experience, I am fairly sure tears welled up in my eyes. I wish it went without saying, but when you are in the park remember these are wild animals. Revving engines, getting off your bike and taking selfies, stopping to ask a buffalo a question should not be a part of your game plan. Take your time, ride slowly, and you may be fortunate enough to experience wildlife.

If you are a cave buff, this is a great ride for you. But even if you are not, this is a good place to take a break and enjoy the low cool temperatures inside. It’s also nice because there are no fees to ride through and you can stop for short hikes around the park. Tickets for the cave portion are on a first come, first serve so if you do want to cool off, be sure to arrive earlier in the day so you don’t delay your ride time.

Wind Cave is one of the world’s longest caves and they are still exploring it – so do not get lost. Legend has it that this cave is the breathing hole for the world, and is also the spot where bison and people first emerged. The cave is interesting because it also has an underground lake and a massive cave room. When you enter the Garden of Eden room, you will find a ceiling covered in shells.

Right now, Jewel Cave has temporary closures due to construction but plans to be open during the early summer season. Be sure to check out their Facebook page before arriving so you know the status for your arrival. They are also closed Monday through Wednesday so opt for later in the week or the weekend to go. All the tours are guided so plan for the time it takes for any tour you want to take because you will not be able to go at your own pace. You can schedule the tours in advance which makes this a nice option that allows you to plan exact times around.

Again, this is a great place to stop and cool off. The cooler underground tours will be perfect with the right motorcycle gear. (Learn about some great gear options for him and her.)

GOLD PAN SALOON

If you need a watering hole and you have a little extra time. Get back on Highway 16 and ride about 15 minutes east to the Gold Pan Saloon. It is a little historical site of its own accord as Gold Pan Saloon is the oldest saloon in the Black Hills. They do not serve food (except prepackaged bags of chips), but it is a great place for photos and a friendly chat. I stopped here because I also cannot pass up seeing unique Americana – like the oldest, largest, or oddest.

Don’t forget to check back next month for another Sturgis motorcycle ride map and insider tips.

–by Lucinda Belden
Twisted Road

UPDATE: IDAHO BILL TO CREATE CUSTOM VEHICLE CLASSIFICATION SENT TO GOVERNOR–YOU MAY USE THE FOLLOWING POINTS IN YOUR MESSAGE:

H. 165 creates a specific registration class for custom vehicles, defined as a replica vehicle that is at least 30 years old and designed and manufactured to resemble a vehicle that would qualify for classic license plates.

H. 165 provides for custom vehicle license plates, requiring the display of a single rear-mounted plate.

H. 165 provides that a custom vehicle will be maintained for occasional transportation or exhibition in club activities, parades, tours, or other similar uses, but will not be operated for commercial or general, everyday transportation.

H. 165 allows additional specialty vehicles to be considered for a unique registration designation in addition to Classics, Old Timers or Street Rods.

H. 165 brings the state in line with other states seeking to reward automotive enthusiasts and expand opportunities for these prized vehicles to be enjoyed.

H. 165 recognizes that the collection and restoration of historic and classic cars is an important part of preserving the technological achievements and cultural heritage of the United States.

Overview: SAN-supported legislation (H. 165) has been introduced in Idaho to add a vehicle registration classification for custom vehicles. The bill defines a custom vehicle as a replica vehicle that is at least 30 years old and designed and manufactured to resemble a vehicle that would qualify for classic license plates. Current law only permits specialty designations for motor vehicles registered as a Classic, Old Timer or Street Rod. As with current specialty designations, a unique license plate would be created for custom vehicles and would allow the display of a single rear-mounted plate. The bill passed the legislature and has been sent to Governor Brad Little for final approval.

–SEMA

REPORT ON THE NEW HARLEY BOSS–
I read the remarks of the Harley CEO regarding his thoughts and feelings and concernings and disappointments and sadnesses regarding the European tariff on Harleys. He had the energy level of a panda.

If jockstrap Zeitzburger had any balls he woulda said, instead o’ what he DID say, which had the fire and impact of an eel giving birth. He woulda said regarding the tariff, “Those European autoasphyxiators are too dainty for our mighty products anyway. You have to have at least the manliness of a rose petal to ride one of our machines, and there ain’t anything in that pesthole.”

We spent most of our existence rescuing them from other losers that can get its legs around anything larger than a poof’s penis. So, who gives a shit if they have Harleys on their continent anyway.

They’ll all be riding camels in about ten years, the way things are going over there, and when the husk of Notre Dame is rebuilt into a mosque, showing up for ass-in-the-air time on a Harley instead of on the back of a ten-year-old boy would be frowned upon by their deity. So, fuck ’em.”

–JJ Solari
Sensitivity Officer
Bikernet.com

PS. I’ll try to be clearer: ceo’s are not owners. ceo’s are hybrid bureaucrat/ product-service public relations zombies. They have no real personal interest in whatever the product or service is. Unlike owners, they are people who come up through management ranks at speeds related to their abilities to backstab, undercut, and eradicate threats to their advancement combined with a gift for doubletalk and excuse-making.

Tucker Powersports Launches New Boating and PWC Product Line–New Collection Includes Broad Range of Products to Support Watercraft Owners Through Local Dealers

Tucker Powersports today announced the company’s return to the personal watercraft (PWC) and boating business with an extensive catalog of accessories, parts and apparel for fans of watercraft and water sports. This marks a return to this segment after a fifteen-year hiatus.

“Nearly 1500 of our current customers sell watercraft in their dealerships,” said Brad Turner, Tucker’s VP of Sales. “Those dealers and their customers are demanding greater access to PWC accessories and gear, it’s only natural that Tucker will have the products they need.”

The new Tucker Water catalog features a range of products for watercraft owners. Wearables include life jackets, fishing shirts and shorts, gloves, aqua socks, boots and sunglasses. Replacement parts include marine-grade batteries, engine components like gaskets, filters, fuel pumps, regulators, starters, stators and bilge pumps and grips. There is a broad range of trailer parts and upgrades along with safety equipment, cleaners and waxes, anchors, lubricants and tools.

On the fun side, the lineup includes several inflatables, tow ropes and even a Tucker-quality, high-volume squirt gun. Brand names found in the 132-page catalog include Airhead, Gator Waders, West Marine, 100%, Yuasa, NGK, Motion Pro, K&N, ProTaper, Scott, Kenda, QuadBoss, Red Line, Maxima, Motul, and BikeMaster.

“This is an exciting and rapidly growing market segment,” continued Turner. “We plan to expand this product line with more gear and more great brands. When a dealer needs products for on-road, off-road, two-wheels, four-wheels, e-bicycles, scooters or great gear for their watersports, Tucker will be there to help.”

HANG ON FOR NOTES from Richard Lindzen, a Harvard-educated American atmospheric physicist who has published more than 200 scientific papers and books. From 1983 until his retirement in 2013, he was Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Lindzen has criticized the scientific consensus about climate change and what he has called “climate alarmism.” Here are some quotations from Lindzen (italics added):

1. “What historians will definitely wonder about in future centuries is how deeply flawed logic, obscured by shrewd and unrelenting propaganda, actually enabled a coalition of powerful special interests to convince nearly everyone in the world that CO2 from human industry was a dangerous, planet-destroying toxin. It will be remembered as the greatest mass delusion in the history of the world – that CO2, the life of plants, was considered for a time to be a deadly poison.”

2. “Future generations will wonder in bemused amazement that the early 21st century’s developed world went into hysterical panic over a globally averaged temperature increase of a few tenths of a degree, and, on the basis of gross exaggerations of highly uncertain computer projections combined into implausible chains of inference, proceeded to contemplate a roll-back of the industrial age.”

3. “Scientists who dissent from the alarmism have seen their grant funds disappear, their work derided, and themselves libeled as industry stooges, scientific hacks or worse. Consequently, lies about climate change gain credence even when they fly in the face of the science that supposedly is their basis.”

4. “Controlling carbon is a bureaucrat’s dream. If you control carbon, you control life.” (MP: Of course, you also control people.)

5. “When an issue becomes a vital part of a political agenda, as is the case with climate, then the politically desired position becomes a goal rather than a consequence of scientific research.”

6. “The influence of mankind on climate is trivially true and numerically insignificant.”

7. “The public discourse on global warming has little in common with the standards of scientific discourse. Rather, it is part of political discourse where comments are made to secure the political base and frighten the opposition rather than to illuminate issues. In political discourse, information is to be ‘spun’ to reinforce pre-existing beliefs, and to discourage opposition.”

8. “Climate science has been targeted by a major political movement, environmentalism, as the focus of their efforts, wherein the natural disasters of the earth system, have come to be identified with man’s activities – engendering fear as well as an agenda for societal reform and control… This greatly facilitates any conscious effort to politicize science via influence in such bodies where a handful of individuals (often not even scientists) speak on behalf of organizations that include thousands of scientists and even enforce specific scientific positions and agendas.”

FEULING RECOMMENDED RACE PACKAGES
MILWAUKEE EIGHT (’17-’21)
For highly modified cylinder heads & intake manifold:
592 Race Series Camchest Kit – Oil Cooled (Part #7264, Drag #0925-1268)
For 114”-131”s with stock, SE and or mild cylinder head work:
521 Race Series Camchest Kit – Oil Cooled (Part #7262, Drag #0925-1214)
Related components:
Highload Beehive Valvespring Kit (Part #1207, Drag #0926-3138)
Fuel Injectors 6.1 g/s (Part #9935, Drag #1022-0230)
O2 Sensors (Part #9906, Drag #1861-1106)
Vented Dipstick – Black Cap (Part #3088, Drag #0710-0260)

For big bore engines 124”-131” with highly modified cylinder heads, intake &
compression ratio:
630 Race Series Camchest Kit (Part #7212, Drag #0925-0731)
For modified 110”-124” cylinder head & intake mods recommended along with
increased compression ratio:
594 Race Series Camchest Kit (Part #7235, Drag #0925-1296)
For modified 95”-110” cylinder head & intake mods recommended along with increased
compression ratio:

Highload Beehive Valvespring Kit (Part #1205)
Fuel Injectors 6.2 g/s (Part #9939, Drag #1022-0230)
Vented Dipstick – Black Cap (Part #3092, Drag #0710-0260)
‘BA’ Air Cleaner (coming soon)
TWIN CAM (’99-’06)
For big bore engines 124”-131” with highly modified cylinder heads, intake &
compression ratio:
630 Race Series Camchest Kit (Part #7203)
For modified 110”-124” cylinder head & intake mods recommended along with
increased compression ratio:
594 Race Series Camchest Kit (Part #7234, Drag #0925-0734)
For modified 95”-110” cylinder head & intake mods recommended along with increased
compression ratio:
574 Race Series Camchest Kit (Part #7214)
Related components:
Highload Beehive Valvespring Kit (Part #1200)
Fuel Injectors 5.7 g/s (Part #9943, Drag #1022-0115)
‘BA’ Air Cleaner (coming soon)

www.feulingparts.com

QUICK, OPEN THE BANDIT’S CANTINA BAD JOKE LIBRARY–Another joke for Bikernet, courtesy of Lee Wimmer:

There was an old man and an old woman sitting around the living room.
The woman looks at the man and says…’hey you want to go upstairs and have sex?’

The old man thinks for a moment and reply’s …..’pick one I can’t do both’.

You’re welcome

BIKERNET UNIVERSITY ENGLISH DEPARTMENT WORD OF THE DAY–longanimity
[ long-guh-nim-i-tee, lawng- ]
noun

patient endurance of hardship, injuries, or offense; forbearance.

Longanimity, “patient endurance of hardship or offense; forbearance,” comes via Middle English and Old French longanimite from Late Latin longanimitat-, the inflectional stem of the noun longanimitas “long-suffering, patience,” a derivative of the adjective longanimis, which is a compound of the adjective longus “long” and animus “spirit, soul, mind.”

Latin longanimis and longanimitas were coined by Christian Latin writers as calques or loan translations of Greek makróthymos (adjective) and makrothymía (noun) used in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible completed sometime between the 3rd and 1st centuries b.c. Longanimity entered English in the early 15th century.

… if your disdain is my humiliation, I shall ill be able, albeit I am well furnished with longanimity, to suffer a grief that is not merely intense but protracted.

MIGUEL DE CERVANTES SAAVEDRA (1547–1616), DON QUIXOTE, TRANSLATED BY JOHN RUTHERFORD, 2000

“there’s very little we can do about Thomas.” … “Then do very little,” she says in the voice of one whose longanimity foreshortens like shadows cast by the poplars amid the blaze of noon.

MURIEL SPARK, THE ABBESS OF CREWE, 1974

–Dictionary.com

WHEN VLs WERE POLICE BIKES–
I thought that this photo might be of interest to you. It’s the California Highway Patrol inspection
from April 10, 1935.

–Harvey Tow

NEWS FROM THE TOWN OF BUFFALO CHIP–OOPS – We Screwed Up!

There was a typo in the last email.

POD and From Ashes to New
Perform on Saturday, August 14
(Not Friday)

Ready or Not, Here Comes
FOUR MORE BANDS!
Read to the bottom to learn how to get VIP for FREE!

ROCK HARDER THAN EVER
During the 40th Anniversary of
The Best Party Anywhere!

GREEN MOBILITY AND NEW POLLUTION–
The turquoise, blue and yellow bicycles, arranged in long lines, some piled on top of each other, bear the logos of the companies that dominate China’s bike-sharing sector — Hellobike, Didi and Meituan. Relics of a shared bike mania that has overwhelmed China’s cities now lie in open fields.

Low cost-shared bikes, which users can unlock using apps and park virtually anywhere, burst onto Chinese streets in the middle of the last decade with investors rushing to fund bike startups like the now-defunct Ofo and Mobike.

But the two-wheelers soon took over pavements and spilled over into bike lanes and streets, parked haphazardly by users who sometimes simply tossed the bikes into shrubbery, creating a headache for urban authorities and pedestrians.

Many bikes suffered damage or were stolen, while some were even repurposed into makeshift barricades when Covid-19 broke out last year.

The problem is a familiar one to cities around the world battling to round up stray bikes, from metro stations in Washington DC to the bottom of Melbourne’s river.

Aerial photographs from the suburbs of Shenyang, Liaoning province, show a bicycle graveyard, one of many which began appearing as early as 2018 as tech start-up darling Ofo imploded, defaulting on debts as its users claimed back rental deposits.

Mountains of damaged bikes belonging to other companies have also been discarded rather than repaired, in contrast to the “green” image usually associated with urban cycling.

The bikes now jostle for space on Chinese streets with hordes of shared electronic scooters, which have also made their appearance elsewhere in the world including Paris and California.

Chinese cities have vowed to curb the chaotic fleets of bikes, with Beijing saying it will remove 44,000 bikes from the city centre this year in order to cap bike numbers at under 800,000, according to state media.

Source: Economic Times
https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/aftermarket/graveyard-of-the-bikes-chinas-failed-share-cycle-scheme-from-above/82184401

OPINION ON THIS NEWS–There are car and bike rental companies for many years – when you visit another city or nation it’s useful.

But in those programs users can’t just abandon it anywhere.

For such abandonment scheme to work these bike companies are employing thousands more bikes than required for travel within a city.

Lack of need for a driving license in many such electronic bikes also leads to more accidents.

Traditional car/bike rentals additionally check past license violations which further reduce possibility of accidents.

–Wayfarer
Bureau Chief
Bikernet News Desk
India

BRAND New Bikernet Reader Comment!–
J.J. Solari Goes to Hollywood, I forgot, he lives there…

https://www.bikernet.com/pages/JJ_Solari_Goes_to_Hollywood_I_forgot_he_lives_there.aspx

Absolutely love his book “When Bikers Meet Humans” I have possibly the only Pen in butt Autographed books.

Amazing Person.

— Jesus G Rodriguez
Penitas, TX

The Government Seized This Innocent Man’s Car without Due Process–SCOTUS Won’t Hear the Case

Motorist Gerardo Serrano was stopped in September 2015 by Customs and Border Protection officers. They seized his brand-new F-250 truck after he would not give them his phone’s password and they found five loose bullets (and no gun) inside his vehicle. The bullets were deemed “munitions of war.”

Not only was Serrano never charged with a crime, the CBP never filed a formal forfeiture complaint. Serrano had to spend $3,800 to challenge his right to due process in federal court and after two years finally got his truck back. On Monday, SCOTUS declined to hear his case of wrongful seizure. Serrano said in a statement that he feels he is back in the Twilight Zone again.

@motorists #ReformCivilAssetForfeitureNOW! #DrivinginAmerica

MOTO QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“NO MATTER HOW BAD YOUR DAY IS, YOUR BIKE WILL ALWAYS MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER.”

–Martin Moto

MONTANA BILL TO EXPAND SINGLE LICENSE PLATE USAGE SIGNED INTO LAW–
Success in Montana! SAN-supported legislation (H.B. 266) to mandate that the state issue waivers for vehicles unable to display a front license plate was signed into law by Governor Greg Gianforte.

Current law permits the display of a single rear-mounted plate for motor vehicles registered as a street rod or custom vehicle, and a waiver may be issued for vehicles unable to display a front plate. The new law requires the waiver to be issued.

The new law protects the aesthetic contours of vehicles and relieve the burden of having to create mounting holes on original bumpers. It also accommodates additional classic and special-interest vehicles, many of which are not originally equipped with a designated place to display a front plate. The new law goes into effect October 1, 2021.

Alaska also introduced a single plate bill and in New Hampshire.

–SEMA

QUOTES OF THE WEEK– “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
– Theodore Roosevelt

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
– Mark Twain

‘It’s never too late to be what you might’ve been.”
– George Eliot

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
– Chinese Proverb

“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.”
– Babe Ruth

“The same boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. It’s what you’re made of. Not the circumstances.”

“People who wonder if the glass is half empty or half full miss the point. The glass is refillable.”

–Wayfarer
Monk in training
Bikernet Chopper Cultural Center
At the base of the Gray Mountain
Nepal

HEADLINE OF THE WEEK–oh no! what we were counting on at the suggestion of the press for the past 15 months…….is not actually going to happen???? Let me guess: only eternal lockdown is the answer. Let me get ten dollars out and put it down on that one.

–J.J. Solari

QUICK, New Bikernet Reader Comment!–
THE TAXING BIKERNET WEEKLY NEWS for April 15, 2021

https://www.bikernet.com/pages/THE_TAXING_BIKERNET_WEEKLY_NEWS_for_April_15_2021.aspx

I would like to buy a Hal Robinson original. Do you know if any are available?

–Ann Robinson
Long Beach, CA

Hey Ann,

Yes I do, but they are not for sale.—Bandit

JACOBS BREWHOUSE in Deadwood is looking to open the cities only brewery

DEADWOOD, S.D. — Jacobs Brewhouse and Grocer in Deadwood is owned by Scott and Sharon Jacobs, who moved to Spearfish from California and opened up Scott Jacobs Art Gallery in 2016. Ever since, Scott and his family have been dreaming of opening a restaurant inspired by their west coast roots here in the Black Hills.

Scott and Sharon Jacobs, owners of Jacobs Brewhouse and Grocer, said, “I would say that the community of Deadwood and Spearfish have embraced us with open arms and we didn’t feel like that ever in California. Way more business friendly here and it was just a great transition.”

Jacobs Brewhouse offers a full restaurant, brewhouse, bakery, and a gourmet grocer. By offering a variety of different things that are new to Deadwood, Jacobs Brewhouse was able to attract customers from the start.

“The day that we opened the brewhouse it became successful immediately, because the transition happened in front of the community. These buildings that a lot of people said were drive by buildings, nobody ever really recognized them anymore, you just drove by them. Now, all of sudden it’s like, ‘oh my god did you see that beautiful new building,” Scott Jacobs said.

Coming in May, Jacobs Brewhouse will be opening its doors to Deadwoods only brewery, which is under construction and undergoing the finishing touches.

Chad Carson Quinn, Head Brewer, said, “I’m developing a membership program that I hope is more than just a beer club, and has some educational aspect to it as well with tastings and beer and food pairings. It’s gonna take awhile, just to see where we land in the whole scope of the Black Hills region, but I’m pretty sure up here we will make our own little imprint.”

LIFESTYLE CYCLES DEAL OF THE WEEK– 2018 Harley-Davidson FLS SOFTAIL SLIM for $15,995.00

SEE IT HERE: https://www.lifestylecycles.com/default.asp?page=xPreOwnedInventoryDetail&id=10378550

This bike is a super low Mileage Softail Slim

ONLY 2657.00 Miles !!!!!

2018 Red Harley-Davidson FLS SOFTAIL SLIM

Some of the features/Add-on’s on this bike

* 107c.i. Motor
* 6-Speed trans
* Saddle bags
* Detachable windshield
* 12 inch apes
* Solo seat

This bike has passed Lifestyle Cycles rigorous 101 point safety and mechanical inspection. Whether your looking to commute to work, ride the coast or take that dream vacation, this bike is ready to go!!!

EZ FINANCING-SHIPPING AVAILABLE!!!

Fill out an online application and ride today!!!

**Open 7 days a week**

Just $15,995.00 at Lifestyle Cycles (714) 490-0155

SONS OF SPEED ACTION NEWS– Mark your calendars

The next Sons of Speed racing date has been set for Saturday, October 16th during Biketoberfest in Daytona- with races starting at 1pm! Racer packets have been sent out

Tickets on eventbrite soon!

–Billy Lane

BIKERNET EDITORIAL BOARD ADVICE–
All I heard was,
“I swear it will be fun.”
And then we
were in jail.

–Sam Burns
Associate Editor
Bikernet.com

Country Music Star Cole Swindell Joins Four Corners Motorcycle Rally To Raise Money For The Warrior Built Foundation

Help Veterans. See a show. Win a Harley.

DURANGO, Co. – Four Corners Motorcycle Rally is partnering with Platinum-selling country music star Cole Swindell and Quaid Harley-Davidson for a fundraising sweepstakes that raises money for The Warrior Built Foundation. The Warrior Built Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides vocational and recreational therapy to combat veterans and wounded warriors. The Four Corners Motorcycle Rally will take place over Labor Day weekend in Durango, Colorado, from Friday, September 3, through Sunday, September 5.

Enter to win at www.FourCornersMotorcycleRally.com.

Participants may enter for a chance to win a VIP trip for two to see Cole Swindell at a future concert date in the continental U.S., including flights, hotel, side-stage viewing, a backstage tour, and more, PLUS a customized 2020 Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special from Quaid Harley-Davidson! Donations will benefit The Warrior Built Foundation.

“We’re teaming up with Four Corners Motorcycle Rally and Quaid Harley-Davidson to raise money for The Warrior Built Foundation,” says Cole Swindell. “The WBF honors the service and sacrifice of combat veterans and wounded service members who have served our country by providing them with vocational and recreational opportunities—it’s a real worthwhile nonprofit, and I’m really happy to be able to help.”

Visit HERE to learn more about those who will benefit from your generous donation through the efforts of The Warrior Built Foundation nonprofit.

Visit www.FourCornersMotorcycleRally.com to make a donation benefitting The Warrior Built Foundation. Donations can be made in denominations of $25, $50, $100 or $500—the higher the pledge, the more your entries increase exponentially*. Entries close July 16, 2021. One winner will be chosen at random to win the grand prize.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON LAUNCHES CERTIFIED PROGRAM FOR PRE-OWNED MOTORCYCLES
Harley-Davidson Certified Bikes Backed by 12-Month Limited Warranty* and Roadside Assistance**

Harley-Davidson today revealed the details of Harley-Davidson Certified™, the first certified pre-owned motorcycle program supported by Harley-Davidson through its network of authorized Harley-Davidson dealers in the United States.

“H-D Certified is a strategic effort to strengthen our competitive position and is part of our new approach to the used motorcycle marketplace, aligned to the strategic priorities of The Hardwire, while supporting growth,” said Jochen Zeitz, chairman, president and CEO, Harley-Davidson. “We believe this program will drive Harley-Davidson desirability and enhance the overall customer experience, allowing more riders to have access to our motorcycles and provide them with an added level of confidence in their purchase.”

The Harley-Davidson Certified™ program is designed to take the worry out of purchasing a pre-owned Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Each Harley-Davidson Certified pre-owned motorcycle will be subjected to a comprehensive 110-point quality-assurance inspection by certified Harley-Davidson technicians. Dealers will also verify that the pre-owned motorcycle has no open recalls or a blocked VIN, has not been in a major accident, and that all scheduled service is up to date.

Harley-Davidson motorcycles eligible for the program must be no more than five model years old, have less than 25,000 miles of use, and not contain aftermarket modifications to the engine or transmission, or major chassis or electrical modifications.

A Harley-Davidson Certified pre-owned motorcycle will be sold with a 12-month limited warranty on the engine and transmission. Each Harley-Davidson Certified motorcycle sale also includes a complimentary one-year membership in H.O.G. (Harley Owners Group), with standard member benefits like roadside assistance. Special financing rates and programs for the purchase of a Harley-Davidson Certified pre-owned motorcycle will be available through Harley-Davidson Financial Services to qualified customers.

Participation in the Harley-Davidson Certified™ program will be at the discretion of each authorized Harley-Davidson dealer. For more information go to: https://www.harleydavidson.com/us/en/products/bikes/certified-pre-owned.html

*The Harley-Davidson Certified 12-month limited warranty has a $50 deductible charge per claim.

**For complete list of H.O.G. member benefits, visit https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/content/hog/membership-benefits.html.

HANG ON REPORT–Amazing how this is unfolding? Legalize drugs, hookers, petty crimes, vandalism bitcoin etc. etc. to the point that we don’t need police anymore.

Scary shit.

–Geno

WYOMING BILL TO SIGNIFICANTLY RESTRICT ANTIQUE VEHICLES KILLED BY LEGISLATURE
Threat avoided, Wyoming! SAN-opposed legislation (H.B. 19) to significantly restrict eligibility of antique vehicle registration has been killed by the state legislature. Currently, an antique vehicle must be at least 25 years old and antique vehicle registration only requires an initial fee. The bill passed the Senate Transportation Committee but failed to be approved by the full Senate—killing it for the year.

If passed, antique vehicles would have been required to be at least 50 years old, and the antique vehicle registration would be required to be renewed annually. The bill would have made it more difficult to register legitimate antique vehicles, which are already limited to club activities, parades, exhibitions, tours, and other related activities, and not to be used for general transportation. It also mandated specified insurance policies without legitimate cause.

However, this bill may be reintroduced in the 2022 session—please encourage others to get involved now by signing-up for the SEMA Action Network (SAN) without cost or obligation.

DID YOU KNOW?– Yamaha has been making electric bicycles since 1993? Making electric bicycles since 27 years.

Now they have an excellent range of electric bicycles as well. Multiple models for everyone in multiple categories – commute, fitness, mountain-sports.

I don’t think the Erik Buell start-up Fuell with just one electric bicycle model made with all its parts imported from China could catch-up with someone like Yamaha. The only thing Erik Buell is really offering is his design and good name. Yamaha has got those too. Plus, Yamaha makes everything in these e-bikes including components, batteries and motors.

Especially if Yamaha does the right thing and starts marketing, advertising and selling their electric bicycles in USA and Europe, Fuell e-bicycle would need a lot more than their Kickstarter crowd-sourcing campaign to raise funds for the company. There would be such a ready and big demand if people knew about these Yamaha e-bicycles and had the chance to buy them.

Check it out – they are well-designed – with 3 year warranty on battery – patent pending twin-frame – suspension for both front and back – https://www.yamahabicycles.com/

Also look at the incredibly detailed specifications given for each e-bike with fitting as per rider height, the geometry of each bike, example – https://www.yamahabicycles.com/bikes/ydx-moro-pro/

“The interest in mountain biking has been on the rise since mountain bike Cross-Country was added to Olympics. Bicycle riding has become more popular since then,” added Yasuo Okada of Yamaha Motor Co.

Explaining the strategy behind e-bikes, Yamaha Motor’s Kazuhiro Murata said, “Before this new model, we started to produce bicycles in 1993 and our target market was mainly elder people. After this, we decided to expand to younger people including housewives. Now we have broadened the target market even further by including workers and students. By broadening the market for the bikes, the demand also increased.”

Now, Harley-Davidson’s expensive electric bicycles and its features may have a true competitor from another established motorcycle brand.

–Wayfarer
Chief investigator
Bikernet News Desk
India

Scientists Dr. Lindzen & Happer: ‘There is no climate emergency. Americans should not be stampeded into a disastrous climate crusade’

Lindzen & Happer: “Crusaders will continue to retort that “the science is settled; it is time to act!” But real science is never settled, nor is scientific truth determined by consensus or political diktats. Agreement with observations is the measure of scientific truth.” … “The frenzy over climate resembles the medieval crusades against foreign infidels and home-grown heretics. There is even a children’s climate crusade.” …

“We are both scientists who can attest that the research literature does not support the claim of a climate emergency. Nor will there be one. None of the lurid predictions — dangerously accelerating sea-level rise, increasingly extreme weather, more deadly forest fires, unprecedented warming, etc. — are any more accurate than the fire-and-brimstone sermons used to stoke fanaticism in medieval crusaders.” …

“So far, climate crusaders have refrained from vilifying water vapor and clouds, which make the largest contribution to greenhouse warming of the earth. Carbon dioxide, demonized as “carbon pollution,” is an improbable villain.” … “More carbon dioxide is likely to cause some surface warming. But the warming would be small and benign.

In fact, history shows that warmings of a few degrees Celsius — which extended growing seasons — have been good for humanity. The golden age of classical Roman civilization occurred during a warm period. Cooling periods, which were accompanied by barbarian invasions, famines, and plagues, have been bad. Neither contemporary observations nor the geological record support computer-based claims that CO2 is the “control knob” for the earth’s climate.”

Lots more MOON & Rat Fink gear in stock!–Lowbrow has carried a selection of Moon motorcycle parts and other gear for many years.

Pay homage to your gearhead roots.
Mooneyes was started in Santa Fe Springs, California in the 1950’s and is still in operation there.

The name and logo is known the world over by aficionados of the internal combustion engine.

Spun aluminum rear wheel discs custom made by Mooneyes in Sante Fe Springs, California.
Lowbrow Customs sponsored racer Alp Sungertekin and his 1948, nitro-burning Vincent 666 (engine cases are #666). Top speed at it’s debut race event, Bonneville World Finals in October 2020, was 182 mph.

Alp & his Vincent set a record at this event. Note the Mooneyes logo on the chin spoiler and Lowbrow Customs script on the oil tank.

URGENT: Tell the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to Spend Money Appropriated by Congress to Save the Bonneville Salt Flats

Please urge government officials to start restoring Bonneville, NOW!

Money appropriated by the U.S. Congress and the State of Utah to restore the Bonneville Salt Flats is in jeopardy. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Utah Department of Natural Resources (DNR) have not completed the paperwork required to release the Restore Bonneville funds.

You Can Help Save Bonneville by Contacting Key Officials

Request support for this effort by using the following SAN website link for an overview and official contact. A sample email is provided—please feel free to personalize the message.

THE MOST TELLING HEADLINE OF THE WEEK–I’m not the only one on earth who knows the New York times is the radioactive core of evil in America.

–J.J. Solari

THE LEGEND OF THE PUFFER: 1946 Indian Chief by Perry & Roland Sands.

Perry Sands’ obsession with motorcycles began at the age of nine, getting a ride aboard his dad’s friend’s Triumph in 1957 and kicking off a series of events that’s resulted in a multi-generational moto-dynasty.

Perry’s parents embraced their sons’ fascination with bikes, eventually gifting Perry and his little brother, Ted a quarter-liter dirt bike to tinker with after the two had cut their teeth playing around with lawnmower engines shoehorned into mini-bike frames.

By the time he was in his teens, a now mechanically-adept Perry found himself working in a machine shop and spending nights and weekends wrenching on his own bikes.

–Pipeburn

ALERT–Twelve U.S. states urge Biden to back phasing out gas-powered vehicle sales by 2035

The governors of a dozen U.S. states including California, New York, Massachusetts and North Carolina called on President Joe Biden on Wednesday to back ending sales of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035, a dramatic shift away from fossil fuels.

Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan calls for $174 billion in spending and tax credits to boost electric vehicles (EVs) and charging networks but does not call for phasing out gasoline-powered passenger vehicles.

In a letter that was seen by Reuters, the governors, which also include those of Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington State and Rhode Island, urged Biden to set standards “to ensure that all new passenger cars and light-duty trucks sold are zero-emission no later than 2035 with significant milestones along the way to monitor progress.”

They argued that “by establishing a clear regulatory path to ensuring that all vehicles sold in the United States are zero-emission, we can finally clear the air and create high-road jobs.”

The governors also want Biden to set standards and adopt incentives aimed at ensuring 100% zero-emission sales of medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles by 2045.

The White House did not immediately comment on the governors’ letter.

States and some lawmakers hope that Biden’s endorsement of a phase-out date will speed the transition to EVs by users and automakers. EVs currently make up just 2% of U.S. vehicle sales.

A number of U.S. lawmakers have urged Biden follow California’s lead, which in September said it planned to end sales of new gas-powered passenger vehicles by 2035. Biden’s campaign said last fall he did not support California’s phase-out plan.

In March, a group of 71 House Democrats urged Biden to set tough emissions rules to ensure 60% of new passenger cars and trucks sold are zero-emission by 2030, while 10 U.S. senators urged Biden “to set a date by which new sales of fossil fuel vehicles will end entirely.”

SIERRA MADRE MOTORCYCLE COMPANY JOINS THE CROSS COUNTRY CHASE—Steve Klein, broker for Sierra Madre Motorcycle Company has registered to compete in this years Cross Country Chase.

2021 Registration Now OPEN

April 1, 2021
Please Read all Instructions Carefully Please See Attached Preliminary Event Regulations Please Pay Attention to Required Items on the Entry Form Please be sure to Fulfill all Entry Requirements (If do not know information for a required field, please put a Question Mark in the field to allow you to move on, we can address the information later) Entry Form Click go to Cross Country Chase.com

WHAT’S NEXT?—Okay, so after Anthony, who has been very helpful, arrives with the crates on Saturday, he will load them and prepare for shipping. I need to take my 5-Ball neon down on Friday. It will be crated alone and another neon in another crate.

Laura and I need to finish final exchange paperwork and overnight the papers to the exchange and escrow companies. Hopefully those are the final papers before closing.

Tuesday the movers arrive, and I need to have the forklift ready and my gate removed from my office railing. Moving could take two days.

Hang on for more reports at any minute.

In the meantime, ride fast and free forever!

–Bandit

The 36th annual NCOM Convention is right around the corner, so plan now to be a part of one of the largest gatherings of motorcycle rights activists in the world.  This year’s NCOM Convention, to be held JULY 23-25, 2021 at the Holiday Inn Des Moines – Airport, located at 6111 Fleur Drive in Des Moines, Iowa (515-287-2400), will draw hundreds of concerned motorcyclists to America’s Heartland to address topics of concern to all riders.

All motorcyclists are welcomed and encouraged to participate in the many meetings, seminars and group discussions that focus on legislative efforts and litigation techniques to protect our riders’ rights and preserve Freedom of the Road.

Agenda items will cover legal and legislative issues, with Special Meetings for Veterans Affairs, Women in Motorcycling, Clean & Sober Roundtable and World of Sport Bikes, as well as the Christian Unity Conference and Confederation of Clubs Patch Holders Meeting.

For more information, or to pre-register, call the National Coalition of Motorcyclists at (800) 525-5355 or visit www.ON-A-BIKE.com.

In recent years, our nationwide biker community has worked diligently with Congress to include several key motorcycle-friendly provisions in the federal highway bill that died last session; H.R.2 “Moving Forward Act,” including further prohibitions against motorcycle-only checkpoints, expanding anti-biker profiling restrictions based on mode of transportation or style of dress, and furthering riders’ future advisory role with Congress to ensure our voices are heard when determining traffic and transportation laws, as well as advancing safety funding and autonomous vehicles protections.

Because H.R. 2 failed to pass, our lobbying efforts will need to be redoubled in the U.S. House and Senate once a new transportation measure is introduced in the 117th United States Congress, which now has an extended deadline of September 2021.

The Biden Administration may utilize a new highway reauthorization bill to pass a massive infrastructure spending plan, hoping to authorize some $2.25 trillion on such items as road construction, mass transit, passenger and freight rail, airports and electric vehicles, with more than a trillion-and-a-half going toward expanding broadband, improving the electric grid, and a growing wish list of additional items.

As Congress begins deliberations on the package of transportation and infrastructure spending, it will once again fall on motorcyclists to ensure that riders’ priorities are included in the “Wish List” as this 2021 version of the highway bill develops.

You can contact your federal legislators by calling the Congressional Switchboard at (202) 224-3121, or contact their local office and set up a meeting to discuss these issues of importance to all motorcyclists!

MOTORCYCLIST ADVISORY COUNCIL BILL IN CONGRESS

A bipartisan group of U.S. Representatives has introduced a bill to reauthorize the Motorcyclist Advisory Council, a committee comprised largely of motorcycle riders established to advise Congress and the Department of Transportation on matters involving motorcycle safety, and make recommendations regarding infrastructure issues such as road design, traffic issues, and intelligent transportation systems.

H.R. 2141, introduced March 23, 2021 by Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), would reauthorize the MAC for six years; require biennial reports; clarify that specific seats on the 12-member board would be occupied by motorcycle riders and advocates.

RPM ACT NEEDED TO SAVE MOTORSPORTS

If you have made modifications to your car or motorcycle, or have an interest in motorsports and racing, you could be impacted by the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports (RPM) Act, which was first drafted up after the EPA’s Clean Air Act (CAA) in 2015 sought to make the conversion of production vehicles for “dedicated racing” illegal.  Despite bipartisan support in Congress, the RPM Act has failed to pass, but because of the EPA’s renewed push to restrict any vehicle modifications for motorsports purposes, the RPM Act is more important now than ever before.

Concerned about emissions, street vehicles — cars, trucks, and motorcycles – can no longer be converted into racecars, according to the EPA, which recently announced that enforcement against high performance parts — including superchargers, tuners, and exhaust systems — is a top priority.

According to the automotive trade association SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association), the sale, manufacture and installation of performance parts for racing would also be a violation of the EPA’s ruling.

BRITISH GOVERNMENT INTENDS TO SCRAP EU ‘VNUK’ LAW

The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced plans to scrap the controversial ‘Vnuk’ motor insurance law, which was introduced across the European Union following a ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in 2014.  The case involved a Slovenian farm worker (Mr. Vnuk) who was injured when he fell from a ladder that was struck by a farm tractor.  As the tractor was used entirely off-road, it was not required to have insurance.  The case was referred to the ECJ, which extended the requirements for vehicular insurance to cover a vehicle’s “normal function,” and not just use on a public road.

The far-reaching implications of the legal ruling were huge, according to MotorcycleNews.com; “For a start it meant that all vehicles, even those not registered for road use such as track bikes or motocross bikes (or even forklift trucks and golf buggies), would have to be insured at all times.  It also meant that any collision involving two vehicles, even if the collision didn’t take place on a public road, would have to have been treated as a regular road traffic accident for insurance purposes.  So a bump in BSB between two riders would have gone through insurance.  Calculations by the DfT suggested the insurance industry would have been on the hook for roughly £458 million ($641 million USD) per year, which would likely have been passed straight onto the general public with estimates of £50 ($70) per person per year.”

UK POLICE CALL FOR MONITORING ALL MOTORCYCLES

It appears that the reckless riding problem in the U.K. has reached a fever pitch, as Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Kim McGuinness has proposed the use of mandatory trackers “fitted to all motorbikes so their whereabouts and speed can be monitored.”

The commissioner has proposed this rather drastic mandate in a bid to locate and check the speed of all motorcycles at all times, as law enforcement’s effort to fight the rising number of cases of speeding, and what the commissioner is calling “anti-social behavior.”

SPAIN MAKES MOTORCYCLE GLOVE USE MANDATORY

Spain has now made the use of motorcycle gloves while riding mandatory, in a ‘safety’-trend that appears to be trending in Europe.

Some countries already have rulings around gloves, with approved motorcycle mitts being the norm in France since 2017.  There, motorcyclists and their passengers must wear gloves and according to RideApart.com, now Spain’s DGT (Dirección General de Tráfico) is enforcing a similar law.

SURVEY SHOWS FEW DRIVERS TRUST ‘SMART MOTORWAYS’

A smart motorway, also known as an Intelligent Transport System, is a section of roadway that employs active traffic management (ATM) methods to increase capacity and reduce congestion using traffic cameras and variable speed limits to control the flow of traffic, occasionally utilizing hard-shoulder running and ramp metering at busy times.

IAM RoadSmart conducted an online poll about smart motorways in England, their safety, and whether or not road users really find them any better than traditional motorway systems.  Not surprisingly, out of 4,500 people who answered the web poll, 81% felt less safe travelling on a smart motorway compared to a standard motorway; 84% have little faith in the safety systems spotting them if they break down in a running lane; 40% of drivers found no noticeable improvement in their journey time while only 4% found a very noticeable improvement; and 85% want construction halted until the safety is fully proven.

NEW BIOMETRIC MOTORCYCLE PARKING SYSTEM PREVENTS BIKE THEFT

A tech company has developed a motorcycle ‘parking solution’ that scans your face and license plate before opening the gate and letting you roll in, as biometrics company ’Unioncommunity’ has decided to integrate a biometric identification process into motorcycle parking machines, for now, dubbed Ubio-X MPass.

Biometrics is the use of biological data to authenticate identity, just like using your fingerprint or face to unlock your phone.  The parking management system is being developed primarily for the South Asian market (for now).  It’s noted as a means of preventing motorcycle theft by associating the vehicle with its driver.

SKUNKLOCK FIGHTS BACK AGAINST THIEVES

With motorcycle thefts increasing yearly along with ridership going up, motorcycle security technology is constantly developing ways to stay ahead of ever-more ardent bike thieves.  From ear-splitting alarms to high-tech tracking systems, security devices have become more creative — and now, it seems, even more devious!

Now, the SkunkLock motorcycle lock, a fairly conventional-looking D-lock device, actually fights back against crooks by releasing odious pressurized gas when cut, spraying the thief with “vomit-inducing chemicals” that hopefully stop the would-be thief in their tracks in the process.

QUOTABLE QUOTE:  “He that cannot reason is a fool.  He that will not is a bigot.  He that dare not is a slave.”

by Otilia Drăgan from https://www.autoevolution.com

Aviation-Inspired F 900 R Force Is BMW’s Most Recent Limited Edition Bike

BMW is synonymous with luxury but, in case you didn’t know, the Group has also dipped their toe in more affordable market segments, with the launch of the F 900 R, last year. The middleweight motorcycle was targeted at beginner riders, in particular, and it looks like that was successful, because there’s a new launch this year.

BMW launched the F 900 R Force at Lyon, as a limited edition motorcycle inspired by aviation. And the design of this new BMW model is indeed eye-catching. The San Marino metallic blue, with neon yellow accents, inspires dynamism and is reminiscent of aircraft design. The F 900 R Force’s sleek silhouette is also derived from fighter plane design.

Apart from its unique design, the new, limited edition BMW bike has similar features to the first F 900 R. The 895cc parallel-twin engine is able to deliver 67 lb.-ft.(31nm) of torque at 6,500 rpm, and has a maximum capacity of 99 hp.

Both F 900 models are also fitted with an electronically adjustable suspension, the Gear Shift Assist Pro, which adds to the sport character of these bikes. The adaptive headlight with LED elements gives the rider the best illumination when approaching curves, and several safety-features, like Dynamic Traction Control and Engine Braking Control, prevent sliding and help ensure a smoother ride.

Aimed mostly at younger riders, the F 900 R Force also features an A2 restriction kit, which means that it can be detuned, in order to be accessible to those who have an A2 license. And it can be unlocked at a later time, to access its full power.

Sadly, for those in other parts of the world, the new BMW motorcycle is only available to customers in France and there are only 300 bikes of this kind on the market. The F 900 R Force comes with a € 9,790 ($ 11,800) price tag, almost €1,000 more than the previous version.

from https://www.bonhams.com

London – Bonhams announces it has acquired The Market, one of the leading and fastest growing online marketplaces for classic and collectible car and motorcycle auctions. Founded in Oxfordshire in 2017, The Market has taken the industry by storm. In the last year, the company sold vehicles with a total value of £13 million and grew its turnover by almost 300% compared to the previous year. Its success lies in its technology, transparency, and customer service, which led to exceptional auction results: the company now sells an impressive 94% of lots offered for sale.

The acquisition adds another dimension to Bonhams. Founded in 1793, and one of the oldest and most venerable international auction houses, it has salerooms in London, New York, Los Angeles, Paris, and Hong Kong. Its Motoring Division, headed by Maarten ten Holder, is the premier auction house for motor cars and has sold many of the legends of road, including the world’s oldest surviving Rolls-Royce.

Maarten ten Holder, Managing Director of Bonhams Motoring, said: “This acquisition is a perfect fit for Bonhams and is happening at an exciting time in the car auction world. For the first time a classic car auctioneer will now offer cars at all price points, around the clock, to collectors wherever they are in the world.”

Bruno Vinciguerra, Bonhams CEO, added: “Bonhams is renowned globally for its heritage and entrepreneurial spirit, its expertise, transparency, and great client service, and these are all qualities also at the heart of The Market’s operations. This combination will play to both our strengths and allow us to become even more accessible to a wider range of clients. I am very excited about the future.”

Tim Joslyn, Founder of The Market, said: “I am delighted that Bonhams will be taking The Market to the next level. The combination of such a prestigious auction house, representing traditional high-end car auctions, with our premier digital offering will create an incredible opportunity to reach a wider, more global audience.”

Alex Fortescue, Managing Partner of Epiris, said: “We have always had a clear vision for Bonhams: a digitally-enabled business occupying the leading global position in its niches. This acquisition is another step towards fully realising this vision, further advancing the digital transformation we started with Bruno almost three years ago, whilst building scale in an important specialist area. We are thrilled that Tim and his team will join the Bonhams family and share this vision.”

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com

Triumph Street Scrambler Sandstorm Ready for Desert Racing Thrills and on the Road

The Triumph motorcycle brand means many things to a lot of people, but one of its most important contributions is the one made to desert racing. Ever since the 1960s, the name Triumph has been a regular of such events, including more recently in places like the Mojave or Baja.

Trying to honor that legacy, the British bike maker took advantage of the launch of the refreshed Street Scrambler range to usher in the limited edition Sandstorm.

Boasting the same changes as the rest of the range—things like an improved Bonneville engine, developing 64 hp and 80 Nm (59 lb-ft) of torque, Brembo brakes, and improved visuals—the Sandstorm will set itself apart through a series of unique features.

The first and most in-your-face feature is the color chosen for the body. Officially titled Sandstorm Edition, it blends Matt Storm Grey, Ironstone, and black on the fuel tank “in a unique new tri-tone style.”

The special edition will be fitted as standard with things other Triumphs get as optional extras. Those include LED taillight and number plate, heavy-duty aluminium sump guard, a new headlight grille with Triumph branding, and protective rubber knee pads on the tank.

Triumph plans to make just 775 of these Sandstorm Edition Street Scramblers for all of its global markets. Each of them will come with its own certificate of authenticity containing the bike’s VIN number.

Deliveries of the model are expected to start as soon as next month, and for the American market, the asking price is $11,750. That’s just $750 over the price of the revamped, regular Street Scrambler that should become available in July.

But those are just the starting prices as, just like with the rest of the range, the Sandstorm can be personalized using some 120 accessories ranging from heated grips to adjustable Fox rear shocks.

by Janaki Jitchotvisut from https://www.rideapart.com

Now at participating American dealers.

Back in March, 2021, we first told you about the upcoming Harley-Davidson certified pre-owned motorcycle program on the horizon. As of April 19, 2021, Harley-Davidson Certified is officially supported by the Motor Company’s network of authorized Harley-Davidson dealers throughout the U.S.

To be accepted into the H-D Certified program, pre-owned Harleys must satisfy a number of criteria for inclusion and undergo a comprehensive 110-point quality-assurance inspection will be conducted by certified H-D technicians. Additionally, dealers must ensure that any bikes accepted have zero open recalls or blocked VINs (one that’s invalid for some reason, for example theft or salvage). Bikes must also not have been in major accidents, and all scheduled service must be completely up-to-date.

Other important considerations include: the bike must not be more than five model years old, should have under 25,000 miles on the odometer, cannot have aftermarket engine or transmission modifications, and also should not have any major chassis or electrical mods.

What do buyers get out of the bargain? Each Harley-Davidson Certified pre-owned bike automatically comes with a 12-month limited warranty on both the engine and the transmission. If you buy one, you’ll also get a complimentary one-year membership in the Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.).

Buyers may also be able to participate in special financing offers that may be available at the time of purchase. For example, there’s currently an APR as low as 4.49 percent available for Harley-Davidson Riding Academy Course graduates. To qualify, you must apply for this financing within 180 days of graduation of your course, but that seems like it could save some new riders some money.

To find out more information about the program and see what’s available, check out the official Harley-Davidson Certified Pre-Owned Motorcycles site. There’s also a convenient dealer lookup located on that page, so you can easily find a participating Harley-Davidson dealer near you.

Visit https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/products/bikes/certified-pre-owned.html

First Such Program from Harley-Davidson: Getting into Certified Pre-Owned Market
by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com

Despite the glamorous image it projects, Harley-Davidson is still not where it thinks it belongs, business-wise. That’s why the Milwaukee company is trying all sorts of new recipes, from launching the Pan America, for a segment it ignored until now, terminating Sportster models, to rolling out its first-ever certified pre-owned motorcycle program.

The latter move was announced by Harley this week as a means to “strengthen our competitive position” and “drive Harley-Davidson desirability.”

To be run through the nationwide dealership network, the program will have all eligible pre-owned motorcycles checked and then resold with a one-year warranty.

According to the bike maker, an eligible bike means one that is no more than five model years old, reads less than 25,000 miles (40,200 km) on the odometer and has no aftermarket modifications made to the engine, transmission, chassis, or electrical system.

Each bike will be subject to a “110-point quality-assurance inspection,” and then the ride’s recalls or a blocked VIN status will be verified. Harleys brought in for the program will also have to be free of accidents and all service operations up to date.

The one-year warranty (with a $50 deductible charge per claim) covers the engine and transmission. Those who chose to buy a used Harley will also get a free one-year membership in the Harley Owners Group and the perks that come with that. The bike maker also plans to offer financing for these motorcycles.

“We believe this program will drive Harley-Davidson desirability and enhance the overall customer experience, allowing more riders to have access to our motorcycles and provide them with an added level of confidence in their purchase,” said Jochen Zeitz, chairman, president and CEO, Harley-Davidson, in a statement.

You can find the full list of dealers taking part in the Harley program, as well as additional details about it at the company website.

Jeremiah Shaved all the Teeth off His Rear Belt

Jeremiah strips his rear belt of all its teeth. This is not the first time. I just checked all the forums and didn’t find anything conclusive. Is he too hard on his belt with hole-shots and excessive acceleration? Did he adjust the belt too tight or too loose? Did it have anything to do with the belt?

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“Sold out” are not words often positively associated with anything in Washington, D.C.  Bikers Inside the Beltway 2021 is rapidly closing in on being booked up.  The hotel block of rooms has been expanded to accommodate those attending Bikers Inside the Beltway in person.

With less than a month to Bikers Inside the Beltway, now’s the time to take action to ensure you do not miss the Motorcycle Riders Foundation’s premier lobbying event.

1. Register to attend – registration is free. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER  
2. Make appointments with members of Congress – Anyone registering with the MRF for Bikers Inside the Beltway will receive a list and script for making their appointments if they choose to use.
3. Make hotel reservations:  703-684-5900 Embassy Suites by Hilton Alexandria, 1900 Diagonal Road, Alexandria, Virginia 22314
   

Bikers Inside the Beltway 2021 will be dual focused.  Some congressional offices are taking meetings with constituents. However, the House and Senate buildings are not open to the general public, meaning the only way you can get in is if you have an appointment beforehand and staff comes down to security to get you.  As much as attendance at Bikers Inside the Beltway is important, getting our message to members of Congress via district office visits or virtual visits is just as important, hence the “dual focus” on this year’s event.

Make appointments with each member of Congress from your state before traveling to Washington.  Each member may have different guidelines for meetings. Unlike years past, roaming from office to office is prohibited.

Off-site meeting may be available.  There are a few coffee shops on Capitol Hill.  However, be prepared to defer to a staff member’s guidance when confirming appointments and locations.

The motorcycle only parking the MRF has obtained in the past is still an uncertainty.  Do not allow that to deter your visit.  The hotel is less than five minutes from the METRO line and a 14 minute METRO ride to the Capitol.  The mission is to get our message to Congress.

With funding the infrastructure a priority, the language that the MRF amended into the 2020 highway funding legislation has not changed.  The MRF’s 2021 High Priority Objectives are on track to be included in the upcoming version of any highway funding legislation.

The dual focus approach to Bikers Inside the Beltway has all the components of year’s past.  Our briefing packets and “leave behinds” are updated and available.

To ensure that the mission of getting our message to Congress does not fail, here are a few items to consider:

• Once infrastructure funding legislation is assigned a Senate and House number, that information will be shared.
• Make your appointments locally or in Washington.
• Familiarize yourself with the briefing points.
• Confirm your appointment locally or in Washington.
• Virtual or in person, make notes during your meeting.
• Share your meeting notes with the MRF.

Yes, the MRF will welcome all attendees as we move forward to ensure that Bikers Inside the Beltway is successful.  Whether it’s dual focused with meeting in your local districts or in Washington, D.C., remaining focused, flexible, and diligent will contribute to making Bikers Inside the Beltway successful.  See you in Washington, D.C.!