by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com In the motorcycle world, Italian company Ducati was among the most active so far during this troubled year. We’ve heard plenty of news coming from Borgo Panigale related to both the bike maker’s road machines, and its racing exploits. And it would appear the fall will continue to be filled with Ducati novelties as well. The Italians kicked off the new season with the announcement of a series of performance accessories for the Streetfighter V4. Taking inspiration from Ducati’s track experience, the list of available parts is spearheaded by a complete titanium exhaust group, new carbon wings, and magnesium wheels. The exhaust system, weighing just 5.5 kg (12 pounds), has been designed to improve the power-to-weight ratio of the bike. As per Ducati, mid-range and maximum power and torque are up by 6 percent, giving the Streetfighter an even more aggressive road behavior. Helping it channel the increased power are new 9-spoke magnesium wheels. Weighing 3 kg (6 pounds) less than the ones used on the standard version of the V4, they also help with the bike’s inertia. Figures show that this drops by 40 percent compared to the standard two-wheeler and by 12 percent compared to the S variant. Last but not least, Ducati throws in 4 structural carbon fiber wings, a dry clutch, and a number of elements meant to made the motorcycle look more badass: billet aluminum tank cap, new handgrips, footpegs in aluminum, and carbon detailing on the heel guard and tank cover. No modifications are made to the engine. The Streetfighter continues to be powered by the 1,103cc Desmosedici Stradale that develops 208 hp. “The Ducati Performance catalog contains numerous accessories, designed and manufactured in collaboration with the best companies in the sector, capable of further enhancing the sporting character and racing soul of the Streetfighter V4, especially in terms of performance when used on the track,” the bike maker says in a statement. Each of the new parts (which you can examine in more detail in the press release section below) is available on the bike maker’s website, or at select dealers.

from https://indianexpress.com and https://www.reuters.com

The announcement comes two months after Harley unveiled a strategy to shift focus back to more profitable motorcycles and core markets such as the United States.

Harley-Davidson Inc said on Thursday it would discontinue its sales and manufacturing operations in India, effectively abandoning the world’s biggest motorcycle market after a decade of unsuccessful efforts to gain a foothold.

Harley had spent recent months moving dealerships in the country to cheaper locations, and the announcement followed speculation in Indian media a month ago that executives had played down.

The move involves $75 million in restructuring costs, some 70 redundancies and the closure of its Bawal plant, walking away from a market worth about 17 million bike and scooter sales a year. It will retain only a scaled-down sales office in Gurgaon, south of New Delhi.

The departure is also the latest setback for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strategy to encourage domestic manufacturing that would keep more of the fruits of a gigantic home consumer market in India.

Harley has been scrambling for years to grow sales beyond baby boomers in the United States and has not posted retail sales growth there in the past 14 quarters.

Chief Executive Officer Jochen Zeitz, who took the reins at the company in February, unveiled a major “Rewire” in July to boost profits by reducing Harley’s product portfolio by 30% and investing in 50 markets with growth potential in North America, Europe and parts of Asia Pacific.

India was one of the markets the company at that point committed to investing in more heavily. Thursday’s statement said the move to leave had been pushed through since Aug. 6.

Harley said it now expects total restructuring costs of about $169 million in 2020, but warned that the restructuring program – referred to internally as “The Rewire” – was likely to incur more charges.

India, still far cheaper and poorer than many of the developing economies with which it competes for investment, has proven an inhospitable market for other auto industry players.

Harley books $75 mln in fresh restructuring costs, discontinues India operations

Sept 24 (Reuters) – U.S. motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson said on Thursday it expects to report $75 million in additional restructuring costs for 2020 related to actions including discontinuing its sales and manufacturing operations in India.

The company said it now expects total restructuring costs of about$169 million in 2020.

(Reuters) – Harley-Davidson Inc HOG.N said on Thursday it would discontinue its sales and manufacturing operations in India, effectively abandoning the world’s biggest motorcycle market after a decade of unsuccessful efforts to gain a foothold.

Harley had spent recent months moving dealerships in the country to cheaper locations, and the announcement followed speculation in Indian media a month ago that executives had played down.

The move involves $75 million in restructuring costs, some 70 redundancies and the closure of its Bawal plant, walking away from a market worth about 17 million bike and scooter sales a year. (bit.ly/3mPHZnx) It will retain only a scaled-down sales office in Gurgaon, south of New Delhi.

The departure is also the latest setback for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strategy to encourage domestic manufacturing that would keep more of the fruits of a gigantic home consumer market in India.

Harley has been scrambling for years to grow sales beyond baby boomers in the United States and has not posted retail sales growth there in the past 14 quarters.

Chief Executive Officer Jochen Zeitz, who took the reins at the company in February, unveiled a major “Rewire” in July to boost profits by reducing Harley’s product portfolio by 30% and investing in 50 markets with growth potential in North America, Europe and parts of Asia Pacific.

India was one of the markets the company at that point committed to investing in more heavily. Thursday’s statement said the move to leave had been pushed through since Aug. 6.

Harley said it now expects total restructuring costs of about $169 million in 2020, but warned that the restructuring program – referred to internally as “The Rewire” – was likely to incur more charges.

India, still far cheaper and poorer than many of the developing economies with which it competes for investment, has proven an inhospitable market for other auto industry players.

Last year, Ford Motor Co F.N pared back its interests and ceased independent operations in India by entering into a joint venture with Indian automaker Mahindra & Mahindra MAHM.NS.

General Motors GM.N, which stopped domestic sales in 2017, also plans to stop manufacturing and exports from India by the end of this year.

Growth in domestic sales has slowed of late – with sales of cars and motorbikes falling 18% in the last fiscal year to March 31 from a year ago.

Royal Enfield Twins FT Heads to Texas

Johnny Lewis aims to continue development at the Dallas Half-Mile

Milwaukee, Wis September 24, 2020: On Friday, September 25, the Royal Enfield Twins FT ridden by Johnny Lewis will compete again in the Progressive American Flat Track (AFT) Production Twins class at the Dallas Half-Mile at Devil’s Bowl Speedway. Lewis impressed the flat track world when he finished sixth and seventh respectively in the Williams Grove Half-Mile Mains on his Moto Anatomy x Royal Enfield debut.

Lewis’ Moto Anatomy team has spent the last two weeks continuing testing the Royal Enfield Twins FT as they look to make adjustments to further develop the platform. After Williams Grove the team gathered valuable insights into the Twins FT and will continue building upon the foundation this weekend. Working closely with Royal Enfield and Harris Performance, the team has been exchanging data and feedback over the past two weeks.

“Heading into our second race weekend at the Dallas Half-Mile at Devil’s Bowl Speedway is exciting because we had a weekend off to make changes to the chassis and improvements to the engine,” said Johnny Lewis, Moto Anatomy x Royal Enfield racer. “This is a development season, results on paper are great but progress from race to race is more rewarding and frankly important. We know it’s going to take time, but when you can leave the track with a plan for the next race to improve the motorcycle, that’s a huge step for a team developing a competitive race program.”

The Twins FT and Lewis will run the remainder of the AFT season in the Production Twins class. Lewis and team will further develop the motorcycle as they look forward to the 2021 season. While the team wants to perform well, the ultimate goal of the 2020 season is to continue gathering critical data and insights into the Twins FT platform – and have some fun doing it. The initial results show promise, but the team is focused on development.

“The AFT program has generated a positive response across the entire Royal Enfield organization,” said Breeann Poland, Marketing Lead for Royal Enfield Americas. “All eyes were on the team’s performance at Williams Grove and the positive results reinforce that we belong on the AFT stage along with the other major manufacturers. The team is excited to write this chapter as part of Royal Enfield’s storied legacy and we can’t wait to get back on the track in Dallas.’”

The Moto Anatomy x Royal Enfield team will finish the remainder of the AFT season as they compete at the Dallas Half-Mile, Atlanta Short Track, Charlotte Half-Mile and AFT Finale at Daytona Beach. To stay up to date on the latest results and insights from the track, follow @MotoAnatomyxRoyalEnfield on Instagram. The team will also be releasing short films documenting each round, which can be seen on Royal Enfield North America’s YouTube channel.

 

HARLEY-DAVIDSON PUSHES EV TECHNOLOGY TO THE EDGES OF THE EARTH WITH THE 2020 LIVEWIRE® MOTORCYCLE

HOW THE LIVEWIRE MOTORCYCLE TOOK ON THE WORLD

MILWAUKEE (September 24, 2020) – The Harley-Davidson LiveWire® model is an exhilarating electric motorcycle that pushes the boundaries of performance, technology and design in the two-wheel world. When an opportunity presented itself to Harley-Davidson to showcase the LiveWire motorcycle’s capabilities and performance in the most extreme conditions, H-D seized the challenge for the unheralded 13,000 mile off-road trek. The process to accomplish this journey is documented through Harley-Davidson’s podcast series.

Listen to the H-D Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and subscribe to get new episodes of the show automatically each week.

This six-part series documents how near-production LiveWire models were modified to shred dirt roads, single track, and desert trails over 13,000 miles of extreme off-road conditions.

“Harley-Davidson stands for the timeless pursuit of adventure,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman, President and CEO, Harley-Davidson. This podcast series is a premier showcase for how Harley-Davidson’s talented staff of engineers and designers go above and beyond in their mission to create motorcycles that unlock adventures wherever they may lead. These efforts can be experienced in the 2020 LiveWire – a shining example of how Harley-Davidson innovates to lead in the electrification of motorcycling. It’s an experience that can only be truly understood after riding it.”

Utilizing the same talented Harley-Davidson engineers and designers that developed the LiveWire motorcycle, a select group was assembled from the broader development team to modify near-production LiveWire models to complete the journey.

Together, this team designed, modified, and assembled a motorcycle in under 30 days. After initial testing, the team incorporated feedback to finalize ergonomic and storage systems on the bikes. In 60 days, the motorcycles were headed to the southern tip of Argentina.

The modified LiveWire motorcycles used production specification RESS (Rechargeable Energy Storage System) hardware, chassis, and Harley-Davidson Revelation™ powertrain components. In addition, the motorcycles were modified with prototype rotors, wheels, and tires from the upcoming Harley-Davidson Pan America™ adventure touring motorcycle, and custom windshield, rear shock, and triple clamps made specifically for this project.

Before delivery, both modified LiveWire motorcycles were evaluated at Harley-Davidson’s Willie G. Davidson Product Development Center for initial testing and ridden under similar development validation conditions at Harley-Davidson’s Proving Grounds facility.

Harley-Davidson invites you to experience the thrill and seamless acceleration of the motorcycle at the center of the adventure, the 2020 LiveWire motorcycle. In celebration of the global premiere of “Long Way Up,” available to stream now exclusively on Apple TV+, with every test ride a rider will receive a complimentary LiveWire t-shirt and limited-edition LiveWire poster. The poster is only available to those who test ride LiveWire models while supplies last.

Find an Authorized LiveWire Harley-Davidson® dealership near you and schedule your complimentary test ride.

Hey,

This is another fascinating week. Tonight, the second Climate Hustle Documentary will be released at 8:00 anytime time zone. Go to Climate Depot and sign up for it. I can’t wait. If you have any questions about the Climate Alarmist efforts, check it out. For instance, wildfires. California has a problem with wildfires and Canada doesn’t. How about Polar Bears? Alarmist want us to think Polar Bears are dying off, but there are more Polar Bears than even before. You begin to wonder. This film should help.

I’m reading three books at the same time. That’s not usually the case. I’m reading Deadwood, the Golden Years, by Watson Parker. It’s basically a history of the region and mining, the impact on the region and the Indians. Since I’m trying like hell to move there, I need to know.

I’m also reading the Moral Animal, Why We Are the Way We Are, the New Science of Evolutionary Psychology. It’s a heady book about us and where we come from and how we got here. That term natural selection comes up over and over. Did you know that 99 percent of all species on the planet do it the same way from a wasp to a human. It’s also about the differences between men and women.

Then the Redhead came home the other day with a book she said was about Buddhism. That was a stretch. It’s about the comparison of the recent history of the Jews and the Tibetan Buddhist. It’s called The Jew in the Lotus, about a group of Jews who go to India to meet the Dalai Lama. Did you know that the Chinese took over Tibet in 1950 and killed 87,000 Tibetans and then moved Chinese citizens into the region and forced folks to give up Buddhism. That’s why the Dalai Lama fled to India. We must have been concentrating on Korea at the time. All told 1.2 million died since the occupation. This book was written in 1994. And recently the Chinese are taking parts of India. This is going to get interesting. The book compares what happened to the Jews to what happened to the Buddhist.

Also, I went to my local welding supply to refuel my acetylene tanks and found a magazine sitting on the counter. It’s called ARC, and had a cute girl from Alaska on the cover. I took a look, and the girl is a star of some gold hunting series on Discovery. She was cool, but it didn’t have much to do with welding. The magazine was supported by Lincoln or Miller welding and it did contain some welding tips. It was well laid out and I’ll watch for the next issue.

Speaking of Magazines, another motorcycle magazine, Cycle World bit the dust last week, maybe two. The new Easyriders seems to be stumbling, although it never got off the dime over the last couple of years. A lot of talk, a couple of parties and very little action. Ah, but I just got a peek at the new Choppers magazine, issue 2 and the new issue 3. This is tough. Cary Brobeck, the owner and editor only prints maybe 2,000 copies and attempts to sell them mail order. That’s a tough one, for lots of reasons.

I asked about the price of a page of advertising and didn’t get an answer. Here’s the positive side. It’s laid out by Beatnik who worked for Biker Magazine for decades and knows photography, layout, motorcycles and music. Plus, the mag is sheetfed printed, which is higher quality than web printing and they print on thicker paper. The mag looks good. I haven’t read them yet, but they look good.

He’s already talking about starting another magazine. I’ll report more about the stories and the biz in the near future. There’s more at the end. 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. Most recently Quick Throttle Magazine came on board.

BIKETOBERFEST MOVES AHEAD– despite COVID dangers

It’s easy to understand why so many locals are eager for Biketoberfest to take place as scheduled. Hotels, bars and restaurants are desperate for revenue. Shutdowns mandated by the response to the coronavirus have ravaged area tourism for six months, and Biketoberfest is the last big tent-pole event of 2020. Meanwhile, many are sick of the long, stifling moratorium on the festivals that put Daytona Beach on the map for many.

They also wonder why events like the Daytona Truck Meet, which took place over Labor Day weekend and spurred vociferous complaints about noise and bad behavior, are allowed while city officials reject Biketoberfest plans. And they point to sharply declining rates of coronavirus infections to bolster their argument that this area’s second-biggest street party should go forward as planned.

All valid points. But they don’t outweigh the very real risks to public health that a big, ungovernable event like Biketoberfest poses. That’s why the Daytona Beach City Commission was right to balk at permits for live music and outdoor vendors on Main Street and adjacent areas for the weekend of October 15-18, and why Ormond Beach city officials should have done the same. This event is a “recipe for disaster,” as Stetson University Associate Professor of Public Health Asal Mohamadi Johnson told The News-Journal’s Eileen Zaffiro-Kean last week.

For a good idea of what Biketoberfest 2020 would look like, look at the photos from the recent rally in Sturgis, South Dakota. You’ll see thousands of people crammed elbow-to-elbow, with few face coverings in sight. To anyone educated in the science of pandemics – and who isn’t these days? – it’s a compendium of every single “don’t” on display. It’s true that one controversial study, claiming an extravagant infection rate for the event (upwards of 250,000 based on cellphone data) has been challenged. But while the confirmed infections may be far lower, they’re still concerning: nearly 300 cases among people known to have attended the rally. With contact tracing thwarted by the crowded, fluid conditions, there’s no way to tell how many may have been infected but asymptomatic – or how many people caught the virus from those infected at Sturgis.

Daytona Beach’s action won’t shut down the party. The Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is promoting the event on its website, and city officials can’t stop private venues from hosting indoor events. That was why the Daytona Truck Meet was allowed to proceed; though disruption sprawled throughout the beachside, all the official events were held at the Daytona International Speedway. Meanwhile, it’s likely party events will spill north and south of Daytona Beach.

The only way to shut Biketoberfest down would be if there were unanimous agreement among Volusia County cities and the business community that it’s too risky. That isn’t going to happen; the Daytona Beach commission stands alone in its decision to put public health above short-term financial gain. All we can do is pray that people will do their best to remain safe – and don’t leave Biketoberfest with a deadly souvenir.

Daytona Beach News-Journal editorial board

NEWS FROM THE MAGNIFICENT ARCH–
Every motorcycle is built by a single dedicated technician who takes the machine from bare frame to finished motorcycle. In this way are we able to deliver the level of detail, precision, and production quality comparable to the highest level of prototype racing motorcycles.

Every ARCH Motorcycle is hand-assembled at our Los Angeles, California facility with incredible attention to detail and the integration of best in class components.

In addition to the hundreds of parts manufactured in-house ARCH Motorcycle also works in partnership with carefully selected brands to create proprietary parts purely for ARCH. These include ARCH / Ohlins suspension, ARCH / S&S V-Twin performance engines, ABS systems, wheels, exhausts and much more.

Made in California
Hand Assembled

If you want original, performance and class check out ARCH motorcycles.

REAL CLIMATE SCIENCE FROM DAVID LEGATES SEEMS TO SCARE THE MEDIA, WILL IT SCARE NOAA?–BUCKLE UP! Let’s break it down and debunk tons of lies about Legates, climate science, the scientific method, and The Heartland Institute.

It’s not often that I read a MSM report and think that every single paragraph is full of sh!t. But this NPR story about Heartland friend and esteemed climate scientist David Legates has falsehoods in every single paragraph that doesn’t simply identify him.

Well done, NPR — which reached out to Heartland for comment on a Saturday two hours before they published this story “on a tight deadline” for a story they were obviously working on for days. Your tax dollars subsidize this fake news, by the way.

Let’s break it down and debunk tons of lies about Legates, climate science, the scientific method, and The Heartland Institute. Buckle up … and this is just a quick rebuttal. A more-comprehensive one — based on the Climate Change Reconsidered series Legates helped produce, is warranted. Lead paragraph:

David Legates, a University of Delaware professor of climatology who has spent much of his career questioning basic tenets of climate science, has been hired for a top position at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Legates has, indeed, been “questioning basic tenets of climate science,” if you substitute the word “science” for “dogma.” The very definition of science, in its most-basic sense from The Enlightenment to 2020, is “questioning the basic tenets” of current assumptions.

The ignorant taxpayer-supported NPR reporter Rebecca Hersher is ignorant of this basic fact of the scientific method. Again: She’s paid, in part by you, to be a “science writer” for National Public Radio. After some factual boilerplate, here’s paragraph #4:

Legates has a long history of using his position as an academic scientist to publicly cast doubt on climate science. His appointment to NOAA comes as Americans face profound threats stoked by climate change, from the vast, deadly wildfires in the West to an unusually active hurricane season in the South and East.

David has not “used his position” for anything. He’s examined the data for many, many years and has not seen proof that humans are the chief drivers of climate change. Americans in the West threatened by wildfires have the extreme never-cut-any-tree-down “green” polices pushed by the Sierra Club and other luxuriously funded leftist groups to blame for their misery.

BTW: This year’s hurricane season is, indeed, active, but that is only getting back to normal after almost historic years of inactivity. But the legacy media ignores all those facts. Because “disaster” sells, even if you have to make it up.

Global temperatures have already risen nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit as a result of greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels. Warming is happening the fastest at the Earth’s poles, where sea ice is melting, permafrost is thawing and ocean temperatures are heating up, with devastating effects on animals and humans alike.

Ok. “nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit” … since when? The climate science reporter doesn’t say. Shouldn’t, on a basic level, there should be some context to that? Oh, well. I guess NPR readers/listeners don’t need that basic information. And is it the result of greenhouse gases? No proof of that in the National Public Radio story — which Americans think they can count on for comprehensive journalism.

The earth is warmer than it was before the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, when humans started burning fossil fuels and emitting carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. But temperature readings in the United States were as warm or warmer in the 1930s than today, when global emissions were a tiny fraction of today. That is the kind of fact that Legates examines as a scientist.

–from the Heartland institute

INDIAN SCOUT ISSUES–
Attached is a picture of my 2016 Scout Sixty, I love the bike but have very low mileage and have gone through three starters already. Indian has replaced the starters parts and labor, but I am concerned that this may be an ongoing problem. Any of your readers out there have a fix for this other than selling my bike?

–Dan Hoffman
Executive Director
Wilmington Chamber of Commerce

AMA NEWS–At a time when one insurance company is very publicly pulling out of the moto market, Progressive is stepping up its niche marketing and proudly announced a historic landmark multi-year partnership with AMA Pro Racing. Progressive Insurance has been named “Title Sponsor & Official Insurance Company” of American Flat Track.

“This exciting relationship between Progressive Insurance and the AFT series comes at a time when interest in the sport is growing fast,” said Michael Lock, CEO of American Flat Track. “We are very happy to be working with America’s largest motorcycle insurance carrier and bringing their expertise to our fanbase.”

“As the #1 motorcycle insurer in the U.S., Progressive is passionate about motorcycling,” said Eric Doubler, Progressive’s Recreational Vehicle Business Leader. “We’ve been a long-standing supporter of the two-wheel community, with product offerings and sponsorship of motorcycle events, rallies and racing teams spanning over decades. This agreement marks our commitment to the sport during a key period of growth.”

The sponsorship includes a $50,000 year-end points fund, awarded to the top performing riders in the AFT SuperTwins presented by Vance & Hines, AFT Production Twins and AFT Singles divisions.

Next up, the Progressive American Flat Track series takes to the track at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas for the Roof Systems Dallas Half-Mile presented by Law Tigers doubleheader on September 25-26, 2020.

KELLY LANG Lang Releases Highly Anticipated Album ‘Old Soul’--Makes appearance on Coffee, Country & Cody in advance of album release; Receives official proclamation from Nashville & Oklahoma City

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The stage is set as singer/ songwriter Kelly Lang draws the curtains and starts the show with the release of her highly anticipated album, ‘Old Soul”. Surviving the tests of time, these serendipitous spins on popular classic hits of the ‘70s and ‘80s brush the dust off a time capsule to uncover the feel-good intent of simpler times. ‘Old Soul’ dances into the scene with unrivaled grace and distinctive dynamic, transporting listeners back to music’s greatest era. ‘Old Soul’ is available to download and stream on all digital platforms.

“When I was recording my new album ‘Old Soul,’ I chose songs that brought me back to a simpler time. These songs are woven into the tapestry of our musical lives. My hope is that the listener will also be able to reminisce and be transported back to great memories while enjoying these classics with a new twist,” shares Lang.

The beauty of ‘Old Soul’ is manifested when Lang uses the power of music to turn the key that unlocks bliss within hearts across the world. The new album gives fans the opportunity to relive the magic that was first felt when listening to the original singles.’Old Soul’ features 14 covers of critically acclaimed songs and highlights Lang’s rare love and appreciation for the timeless classics. The album is sponsored by Springer Mountain Farms Chicken.

From writing and performing to producing her own music, Lang remains bold in her pursuit to deliver light to listeners and spread hope in times of need. Audiences of all ages are drawn to the sultry magnetism and positive charisma that flow from Kelly’s eclectic energy and passion for her craft. The show has just begun as Kelly Lang stars with her ‘Old Soul’ to bring a one-of-a-kind listening experience to all!

Leading up to the release of ‘Old Soul,’ during an appearance on Coffee, Country & Cody live on WSM and Circle TV, Lang was surprised with Proclamations from both the City of Nashville and her hometown of Oklahoma City, declaring September 18, 2020, officially ‘Kelly Lang Day’. Both of these honors are coinciding with the release of her new album.

I love old soul music and she does a good job with it.–Bandit

MANDATORY CALIFORNIA MEDIA ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT: No trees were harmed in the creation of this post, but several million electrons were mildly inconvenienced.

–Sam Burns

THE MAGAZINE FAN BASE REPORTS IN–Just read where another magazine is gone. Sad to say the least. I went to the local news stand last week and the shelves were empty. Could not believe it!

The only motorcycle related magazine was Cycle Source, that was all that was on the shelf.. Now I have been told they have went by monthly, not good news? I for one really miss Easyriders and The Horse. I am not sure if The Horse is gone or not but they went to shit when they screwed all of their subscribers.

I agree with you there is still a place for a good chopper/ lifestyle magazine. I love to have the magazine in my hands not looking at a screen. I hope a new Chopper magazine arrives, but I have my doubts?

–STEALTH

STELLA AWARDS . . . . . . . . . . . . “Say What???”

It’s time again for the annual “Stella Awards”!

For those unfamiliar with these awards, they are named after 81-year-old Stella Liebeck who in 1992 spilt hot coffee on herself and successfully sued the McDonald’s in New Mexico, where she purchased coffee.
You remember, she took the lid off the coffee and put it between her knees while she was driving.
She was awarded $2.8 million in damages Who would ever think one could get burned doing that, right?

That’s right; these are awards for the most outlandish lawsuits and verdicts in the U.S. You know, the kinds of cases that make you scratch your head.

So keep your head scratcher handy. Here are the Stella’s for 2020:

SEVENTH PLACE
Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas was awarded $80,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running inside a furniture store. The store owners were understandably surprised by the verdict, considering the running toddler was her own son.
Start scratching!

SIXTH PLACE
Carl Truman, 19, of Los Angeles, California won $74,000 plus medical expenses when his neighbour ran over his hand with a Honda Accord. Truman apparently didn’t notice there was someone at the wheel of the car when he was trying to steal his neighbour’s hubcaps.
Scratch some more

FIFTH PLACE

Keep scratching. There are more

FOURTH PLACE
Jerry Williams, of Little Rock, Arkansas, garnered 4th Place in the Stella’s when he was awarded $14,500 plus medical expenses after being bitten on the butt by his next-door neighbour’s beagle – even though the beagle was on a chain in its owner’s fenced yard. Williams did not get as much as he asked for because the jury believed the beagle might have been provoked at the time of the butt bite because Williams had climbed over the fence into the yard and repeatedly shot the dog with a pellet gun.
Pick a new spot to scratch, you’re getting a bald spot.

THIRD PLACE
Amber Carson of Lancaster, Pennsylvania because a jury ordered a Philadelphia restaurant to pay her $113,500 after she slipped on a spilt soft drink and broke her tailbone. The reason the soft drink was on the floor: Ms. Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an argument.
Only two more so ease up on the scratching

SECOND PLACE

Ok. Here we go!!

FIRST PLACE
This year’s runaway First Place Stella Award winner was: Mrs. Merv Grazinski, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, who purchased a new 32-foot Winnebago motor home. On her first trip home, from an OU football game, having driven onto the freeway, she set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the driver’s seat to go to the back of the Winnebago to make herself a sandwich. Not surprisingly, the motor home left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Also not surprisingly, Mrs. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not putting in the owner’s manual that she couldn’t actually leave the driver’s seat while the cruise control was set. The Oklahoma jury awarded her, are you sitting down? $1,750,000 PLUS a new motor home. Winnebago actually changed their manuals as a result of this suit, just in case Mrs. Grazinski has any relatives who might also buy a motor home.

–from Rik Savenko
Stellar Research Specialists
Bikernet.com™

QUICK, OPEN THE BANDIT’S CANTINA BAD JOKE LIBRARY–Mississippi News
Two young boys walked into a pharmacy one day, picked out a box of tampons and proceeded to the checkout counter.

The pharmacist at the counter asked the older boy, ‘Son, how old are you?’

‘Eight’, the boy replied.

The man continued, ‘Do you know what these are used for?’

The boy replied, ‘Not exactly, but they aren’t for me.

They’re for him. He’s my brother. He’s four.”

“Oh, really?” the pharmacist replied with a grin.

“Yes.” the boy said. “We saw on TV that if you use these, you would be able to swim, play tennis and ride a bike. Right now, he can’t do none of those.”

–Sam Burn
Certified Librarian
Bandit’s Cantina™

Official US Climate Data Reveals No Cause For Alarm – ‘US climate has become less extreme compared to previous ages’

In short, the US climate is in most ways less extreme than it used to be. Temperatures are less extreme at both ends of the scale, storms less severe and droughts far less damaging. While it is now slightly warmer, this appears to have been largely beneficial.

Wildfires now burn only a fraction of the acreage they did prior to WW2

Sea-level rise is currently no higher than around the mid-20th century

Tornadoes are now less common than they used to be, particularly the stronger ones.

Floods are not getting worse

Hurricanes are not becoming either more frequent or powerful.

Summers were hotter in the 1930s than in any recent years.

Little or no rise in temperatures since the mid-1990s.

Global Warming Policy Foundation
A new paper published today by the Global Warming Policy Foundation shows that U.S. climate has been changing very gradually, and mostly in a benign way.

The paper, by British climate writer Paul Homewood, examines official US weather sources and finds almost nothing to justify alarm.

“The temperature has risen a little”, says Homewood, “but temperature extremes are still a long way off the levels seen in the 1930s. And there has been a reduction in cold spells and climate-related deaths, so in many ways, the US climate has become less extreme compared to previous ages.”

It is the same story for rainfall. There has been an increase overall, but the wettest year on record was nearly 50 years ago. Droughts were mostly far worse in the 1930s.

“It’s hard to find anything in the records of recent weather in the US that should give anyone any cause for alarm” says Homewood.

“It’s mostly rather reassuring. From heat to cold to storms and tornadoes, there is no trend that is out of the ordinary.”

Homewood’s paper, entitled The US Climate in 2019, can be downloaded here (pdf)

Summary

According to the recent US National Climate Assessment in 2018, ‘The last few years have seen record-breaking, climate-related weather extremes’. This is a
commonly made claim, and one that is widely hyped by the media. But what does the data say? How has the US climate changed in the last century or so, and is the climate becoming more extreme?

This study uses official data, mainly from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to analyze trends in temperature, precipitation, droughts, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, sea-level rise and wildfires. In particular, it takes account of the widely varying regional climates. It finds that:

• Average temperatures have risen by 0.15°F/decade since 1895, with the increase most marked in winter.

• There has been little or no rise in temperatures since the mid-1990s.

• Summers were hotter in the 1930s than in any recent years.

• Heatwaves were considerably more intense in decades up to 1960 than anything seen since.

• Cold spells are much less severe than they used to be.

• Central and Eastern regions have become wetter, with a consequent drastic reduction in drought. In the west, there has been little long-term change.

• While the climate has become wetter in much of the country, evidence shows that floods are not getting worse.

• Hurricanes are not becoming either more frequent or powerful.

• Tornadoes are now less common than they used to be, particularly the stronger ones.

• Sea-level rise is currently no higher than around the mid-20th century.

• Wildfires now burn only a fraction of the acreage they did prior to the Second World War.

In short, the US climate is in most ways less extreme than it used to be. Temperatures are less extreme at both ends of the scale, storms less severe and droughts far less damaging. While it is now slightly warmer, this appears to have been largely beneficial.

MIC MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
A Good Drive with the Red Cross

Blood donations are in high demand across the nation and the Bonnier Motorcycle Group, now Octane Media, stepped up in Southern California last week and partnered with the American Red Cross.

“We were inspired by the desire to do something to help during these challenging times of the pandemic,” said Andrew Leisner, senior vice president, managing director, Octane Media, and member of the MIC Board of Directors. “We saw that there was a severe shortage of blood. Thanks to Octane Media staff, members of the motorcycle industry, and the support of the Red Cross, we were able to do our part to contribute to the strained blood supply. I encourage everyone who is able to donate to contact their local Red Cross.”

California to BAN SALES of New Gas-Powered Cars Starting in 2035–
Governor says widespread adoption of zero-emission vehicles will reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and help to combat climate change

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an order Wednesday that aims to end the sale of new gasoline and diesel-powered passenger cars in the state by 2035.

It is an ambitious attempt to bolster electric vehicles in the largest car market in the U.S., as well as a bid to tackle emissions that most scientists say contribute to climate change. Transportation is responsible for more than half of carbon pollution in California, the governor said.

More to come.

By Alejandro Lazo, Russell Gold and Micah Maidenberg, Wall Street Journal

OFFICIAL CANTINA EPISODE 90 REVIEW— I actually read your Cantina episode right after you mentioned it when I stopped by to see you. You amaze me with your style.

I devour books, usually reading three books at the same time. Bizarre, I know. I read one book at my houseboat, a different one at the Warehouse, and another at the Bluff. The houseboat will be a biography, philosophy, text, etc. book. Expand my mind. The other two will be lighter. A James Lee Burke , Michael Connelly, Wilbur Smith, John Grisham, Daniel Silva, etc. etc.. Your writing fits in there. Motorcycles, loose women, the Harbor, what’s not to like?

–Zack

THIS JUST IN FROM THE GRASSHOPPER TEMPLE–

Subject: Fwd: Six Life Lessons

I’ve seen some similar things to this, but this is by far the best. Some great lessons for all of us to be better and kinder people.

Six lessons about life and the way we treat people

1 – First Important Lesson – Cleaning Lady.

During my second month of college, our professor

Gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student

And had breezed through the questions until I read

The last one:

“What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?”

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the

Cleaning woman several times. She was tall,

Dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?

I handed in my paper, leaving the last question

Blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if

The last question would count toward our quiz grade.

“Absolutely, ” said the professor.. “In your careers,

You will meet many people. All are significant.. They

Deserve your attention and care, even if all you do

Is smile and say “hello..”

I’ve never forgotten that lesson.. I also learned her

Name was Dorothy.

2. – Second Important Lesson – Pickup in the Rain

One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American

Woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway

Trying to endure a lashing rain storm. Her car had

Broken down and she desperately needed a ride.

Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car.

A young white man stopped to help her, generally

Unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960’s. The man

Took her to safety, helped her get assistance and

Put her into a taxicab.

She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his

Address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a

Knock came on the man’s door. To his surprise, a

Giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A

Special note was attached.

It read:

“Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway

The other night. The rain drenched not only my

Clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along.

Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying

Husband’s’ bedside just before he passed away… God

Bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving

Others.”

Sincerely,

Mrs. Nat King Cole.

3 – Third Important Lesson – Always remember those

Who serve.

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less,

A 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and

Sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in

Front of him.

“How much is an ice cream sundae?” he asked.

“Fifty cents,” replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and

Studied the coins in it.

“Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?” he inquired.

By now more people were waiting for a table and the

Waitress was growing impatient..

“Thirty-five cents,” she brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins.

“I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on

The table and walked away The boy finished the ice

Cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress

Came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the

Table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish,

Were two nickels and five pennies..

You see, he couldn’t have the sundae, because he had

To have enough left to leave her a tip.

4 – Fourth Important Lesson. – The obstacle in Our Path.

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a

Roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if

Anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the

King’s’ wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by

And simply walked around it.. Many loudly blamed the

King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did

Anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of

Vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the

peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the

stone to the side of the road. After much pushing

and straining, he finally succeeded. After the

peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed

a purse lying in the road where the boulder had

been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note

from the King indicating that the gold was for the

person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The

peasant learned what many of us never understand!

Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve

our condition.

5 – Fifth Important Lesson – Giving When it Counts…

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a

hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who

was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only

chance of recovery appeared to be a blood

transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had

miraculously survived the same disease and had

developed the antibodies needed to combat the

illness. The doctor explained the situation to her

little brother, and asked the little boy if he would

be willing to give his blood to his sister.

I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a

deep breath and saying, “Yes I’ll do it if it will save

her.” As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed

next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing

the color returning to her cheek. Then his face

grew pale and his smile faded.

He looked up at the doctor and asked with a

trembling voice, “Will I start to die right away”.

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the

doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his

sister all of his blood in order to save her.

6 – Sixth Important Lesson – Debt-

“There are two ways to conquer and enslave a nation…

One is by sword…

….another is by debt.”

John Adams 1826

–Joe Smith

[page break]

NEWS FROM THE WINDY CITY--In the past 20 years, Windy City-Fox Motorsports has expanded to 15 locations in Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. To develop new customers, the Chicago-based operation also runs Chicago Motorcycle School, Chicago Motorcycle Rentals and Chicago Motorcycle Tours to keep more riders actively engaged. Given this horsepower, the flagship dealership Chicago Harley-Davidson was looking for a little star power for their latest promotion.

Who better to boldly take them where no dealer has gone before than Captain James T. Kirk himself, William Shatner? The Star Trek actor’s personal 2019 LiveWire is being auctioned off. “This is my very own bike. I hope you love it as much as I do,” says Shatner.

In addition to signing the title over, the Boston Legal star will also autograph the tank and treat the winner to lunch in LA for a once in a lifetime conversation. Bid on brunch and the bike here:

https://www.chicagoharley.com/shatner

ABOUT VOTING IN NOVEMBER– ___________________________I’m not voting for Trump, Per Se

To answer all of those who would say: “I can’t believe you would vote for Trump.”

Well folks listen up! I’m not voting for him as a person.

I’m voting for the Second Amendment.

I’m voting for the next Supreme Court Justice.

I’m voting for the Electoral College, and the Republic we live in.

I’m voting for the Police, and Law and Order.

I’m voting for the Military, and the Veterans who fought for and died for their Country.

I’m voting for the Flag that is always missing from the Democrat Party background.

I’m voting for the right to speak my opinion and not be censored—the First Amendment.

I’m voting for secure borders.

I’m voting for the right to praise my God without fear.

I’m voting for Freedom and the American Dream.

I’m voting for good and against evil.

I’m not just voting for one person, Donald Trump, I’m voting for the future of my Country!

Come to think of it, because of what I believe in I have no choice, I’m voting for Trump, because he supports everything I believe in.

What are you voting for?

–El Waggs
Associate Editor
Bikernet.com™

DAVID UHL HELPS MA BIKERS–
Winners of the “MA Bikers Helping Bikers Art Raffle” have been presented the David Uhl signed limited editions earlier this month after the August 30th drawing, as live streamed on the Boston Biker Facebook Page.

Art Raffle Winner Curt with PC Memorial Colors.jpg and Mike S., past North Shore Riders member now out of Kittery, Maine won the “Acknowledged” original which was also signed by Tim Chambers, presented at the Chop Shop Pub in Seabrook, NH – with owner and co-founder of Rolling Thunder, NH Chapter Bill Niland.

Art Raffle Winner Mike S with Bill and PC opening prize Acknowledged.jpg

Both prints were a part of David Uhl’s “Rolling Thunder 2018” series, and originally were to be presented to the winners by David Uhl at the 97th Laconia Motorcycle Week Rally. However, due to June postponement and then additional restrictions imposed by NH’s official, raffle organizer Paul W. Cote of Check Twice Signs and one of the co-founders / President of the 20-year nonprofit Massachusetts Motorcyclists Survivor’s Funds and the Uhl Studios Team decided 2020 was not the best time to bring David’s collections to Laconia. All raffles are permitted by the City of Amesbury and run in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Massachusetts Lottery Commission.

Plans are underway for David Uhl’s exhibition with Check Twice Signs and Bikers Helping Bikers at 2021’s – 98th year Laconia Rally. See David’s collection of art at www.UhlStudios.com.

Next Bikers Helping Bikers Raffle now underway –
lottery ticker Raffle tickers available here poster.jpg

“It Only Takes One !” Massachusetts Lottery Scratch Tickets, – 5 winners –
Drawing November 20th – need not be present to win
$20 / chance or buy five and get ONE FREE ENTRY (6 total)

Only 2,020 chances available –

1st Prize 220 $2 tickets; 2nd Prize 220 $1 tickets; 3rd Prize twenty $20 tickets; 4th Prize 20 – $10 tickets; and 5th Prize 20 – $5 tickets. Only 2,020 chances available –

Tickets Available with our SUPER Supporters, and securely on-line at . . .
https://massmsf.org/it-only-takes-one-to-win-1m-raffle-2020/
http://www.thesurvivorsfund.com/
http://www.checktwice-savealife.com/lottery-raffle-2020/
http://citizenbikerpac.com/lottery-raffle-2020/

QUICK, OPEN THE BANDIT’S CANTINA BAD JOKE LIBRARY–
I was at the checkout of a local Walmart.
The cashier rang up $46.64 charges.
I gave her a fifty-dollar bill. She gave me back $46.64.
I gave the money back to her and told her that she
had made a mistake in MY favor.

She became indignant and informed me she was educated and knew what she was doing, and she returned the money again.

I gave her the money back — same scenario!
I departed the store with the $46.64.
They Walk Among Us! …..

I walked into a Starbucks with a
buy-one-get-one-free coupon for a Grande Latte.
I handed it to the girl and she looked over at
a little chalkboard that said ‘buy one-get one free.’
“They’re already buy-one- get-one-free,” she said,
“so I guess they’re both free.”

She handed me my free lattes, and I walked out the door.

They Walk Among Us! …..

One day I was walking down the beach with some friends, when one of them shouted, “Look at that dead bird!”
Someone looked up at the sky and asked, “Where?”

They Walk Among Us! …..

While looking at a house, my brother asked the real estate agent which direction was north; because, he explained, he didn’t want the sun waking him up every morning.

She asked, “Does the sun rise in the north?”

When my brother explained that the sun rises in the East, and has for sometime; she shook her head and said, “Oh I don’t keep up with all that stuff.”

They Walk Among Us!! …..

I used to work in technical support for a 24/7 call center.
One day I got a call from an individual who asked
what hours the call center was open.

I told him, “The number you dialed is open
24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

He responded, “Is that Eastern or Pacific time?”

Wanting to end the call quickly, I said, “Uh, Pacific.”

They Walk Among Us! …..

My sister has a lifesaving tool in her car
designed to cut through a seat belt if she gets trapped.
She keeps it in the trunk.

They Walk Among Us! …..

My friends and I went out to buy beer and noticed
that the cases were discounted 10%.
Since it was a big party, we bought two cases.
The cashier multiplied two times 10%
and gave us a 20% discount.

They Walk Among Us! …..

I couldn’t find my luggage at the airport baggage area.
So, I went to the lost luggage office and
told the woman there that my bags never showed up.
She smiled and told me not to worry because
she was a trained professional, and I was in good hands.

“Now,” she asked me, “has your plane arrived yet?”

So I replied, “No Ma’am, The Pilot told us we’re circling the airport, 3rd in line to land” …..

They Walk Among Us! …..

While working at a pizza place, I observed
a man ordering a small pizza to go.
He appeared to be alone, and the cook asked him
if he would like it cut into four pieces or six..

He thought about it for some time before responding.
“Just cut it into four pieces.

I don’t think I’m hungry enough to eat six pieces.”

Yep, they walk among us…. bless their hearts

–Sam Burns
Certified Librarian
Bandit’s Cantina™

CHECKING ON BOB DRON– I don’t know. I checked to see if he was active on Facebook but hasn’t been since 2018. He is around, what 76 or 77? What a career. The ACE site was last posted in 2019. The Dron story would be a great article.

–SB

IS THE OFFICIAL COVID-19 DEATH TOLL ACCURATE?”
SEPTEMBER 17, 2020
By James Agresti
Originally posted on Just Facts Daily
The facts show that neither side has an airtight case, but the evidence is more consistent with the theory that less people have died from C-19 than the official figures indicate

Overview

Roughly two-thirds of U.S. residents don’t believe the CDC’s official tally for the number of Covid-19 deaths. This distrust, however, flows in opposing directions. A nationally representative survey conducted by Axios/Ipsos in late July 2020 found that 37% of adults think the real number of C-19 fatalities in the U.S. is lower than reported, while 31% think the true death toll is greater than reported.

The facts show that neither side has an airtight case, but the evidence is more consistent with the theory that less people have died from C-19 than the official figures indicate. Nevertheless, the extent of the possible overcount is unknown, and even if it were as high as 50,000, it would not make a marked difference in key measures of the pandemic’s severity. Hence, debates over the accuracy of the death toll distract from other issues with much greater implications.

Excess Deaths

The main argument of those who claim that the official C-19 death tally is an undercount is based on a factor called “excess deaths.” This is defined as the total number of deaths from all causes during the pandemic minus the number of deaths that would normally occur at this time of the year.

In the words of the Government Accountability Office, “Examining higher-than-expected deaths from all causes helps to address limitations in the reporting of Covid-19 deaths because the number of total deaths is likely more accurate than the numbers of deaths from specific causes.”

U.S. death certificate data shows that the rise in deaths during the pandemic has indeed been greater than the number of reported C-19 deaths. Some jump to the conclusion that these additional fatalities must be C-19 deaths that were not recorded as such, but a broad array of data indicates that the bulk or all of them are caused by societal reactions to C-19—instead of the disease itself.

For a prime example of how people misconstrue this issue, CNN’s chief media correspondent, Brian Stelter, reported on August 16:

We are likely to see the 170,000 mark crossed today—confirmed deaths from Covid-19. But researchers have looked at the actual number of excess deaths in this country—estimated deaths above the norm—and they say it’s closer to 200,000 so far this year. So the real actual death toll from Covid-19 is around 200,000. We have to constantly remind viewers that it’s even worse than we know. It’s even worse than the data indicate.

First, Stelter is wrong that this figure is for “confirmed” deaths. It is actually for “confirmed” plus “suspected” deaths. Those exact words come from the CDC’s official guidance for certifying C-19 deaths, which was published on April 3. On the same day Stelter made this claim, the CDC’s website stated that its C-19 “case counts and death counts” have included “both confirmed and probable cases and deaths” since April 14. In other words, Stelter misrepresented the essence of the data even though this accounting change was in effect for four full months.

The impact of including probable deaths in the count is evidenced by how the CDC altered its website when it adopted this methodology. Two days after the new method of counting deaths was implemented, the CDC updated its website twice (instead of its usual once-per-day update) to incorporate this revision. The changes it made on that day (April 16) provide a rough sense of scale for how the new policy modified the death toll:

Before any updates, the CDC reported that 24,582 people had died from C-19 as of April 14.
On the first update, the CDC reported that 27,012 people had died from C-19 as of April 15, including 22,871 “confirmed” and 4,141 “probable.”
On the second update, the CDC reported that 31,071 people had died from C-19 as of April 15, including 26,930 “confirmed” and 4,141 “probable.”
Taken at face value, the second update shows that CDC’s insertion of “probable” cases raised the death count from 26,930 to 31,071, or by 15%. From a more skeptical standpoint, the difference between the 22,871 “confirmed” deaths on the first update and the 31,071 “confirmed and probable” deaths on the second update amounts to a 36% rise caused by these bookkeeping modifications.

More significantly, Stelter failed to reveal that scholars who conduct research on excess deaths have found that multitudes of them have been caused by lockdowns, panic, and other responses to the pandemic. In July 2020, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a paper regarding this matter by researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University and Yale University. An article about the study from Virginia Commonwealth University summarizes its findings and quotes the researchers as follows:

Some excess deaths “may reflect under-reporting” or “patients with Covid-19 who died from related complications,” “but a third possibility, the one we’re quite concerned about is” the “spillover effects of the pandemic, such as delayed medical care, economic hardship or emotional distress.”
In the five states that that had the most Covid-19 deaths in March and April:
stroke deaths were 35% above normal.
Alzheimer’s deaths were 64% above normal.
heart disease deaths were 89% above normal.
diabetes deaths were 96% above normal.

“New York City’s death rates alone rose a staggering 398% from heart disease and 356% from diabetes.”
“Still others may have struggled to deal with the consequences of job loss or social isolation.”

“A number of people struggling with depression, addiction and very difficult economic conditions caused by lockdowns may have become increasingly desperate, and some may have died by suicide. People addicted to opioids and other drugs may have overdosed.”

“The findings from” the “study confirm an alarming trend across the U.S., where community members experiencing a health emergency are staying home—a decision that can have long-term, and sometimes fatal, consequences.”

Numerous other facts corroborate the ones above, a small sampling of which includes the following:

A scientific survey commissioned by the American College of Emergency Physicians in April 2020 found that 29% of adults have “actively delayed or avoided seeking medical care due to concerns about contracting” C-19.
A California-based ABC News station reported in May:
“Doctors at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek say they have seen more deaths by suicide during this quarantine period than deaths from the Covid-19 virus.”
Mike deBoisblanc, head of the trauma unit at the hospital stated that he’s “seen a year’s worth of suicide attempts in the last four weeks,” and “mental health is suffering so much” that he says “it is time to end the shelter-in-place order.”

A scientific survey conducted by the CDC in July 2020 found that about 32% of U.S. adults had “symptoms of anxiety disorder” as compared to 8% around the same time last year. The perils of this are underscored by a 2015 meta-analysis in the Journal of the American Medical Association Psychiatry, which found that the overall risk of death among people with anxiety is 43% higher than the general population.

A study published by the American Medical Association in September 2020 found that 27.8% of U.S. adults had symptoms of depression during the C-19 pandemic as compared to 8.5% before the pandemic. The same 2015 meta-analysis found that depression is associated with a 71% higher risk of death.

An article published by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco estimated that “more than 20 million jobs” were “swept away” in the early months of the C-19 pandemic. A 2011 meta-analysis in the journal Social Science & Medicine about mortality, “psychosocial stress,” and job losses found that “unemployment is associated with a 63% higher risk of mortality in studies controlling for covariates.”

A study published by Just Facts in May 2020 found that anxiety related to C-19 will ultimately destroy at least seven times more years of life than can possibly be saved by lockdowns. With regard to this study, the accomplished psychiatrist Joseph P. Damore, Jr. wrote that it “thoroughly answers the question about the cure being worse than the disease.”

Thus, many or all of the excess deaths that Stelter and others attribute to C-19 are caused by the actions of governments and media outlets. These include but are not limited to stay-at-home orders, business shutdowns, and pervasive misinformation that fuels ill-informed decisions, panic, and depression.

Evidence of Over-counting

Several lines of evidence prove that some deaths included in the official C-19 tally were, in fact, not caused by C-19. However, the combined weight of this evidence is not enough to prove that the reported death toll is significantly greater than the actual one.

Four weeks after the World Health Organization declared C-19 a pandemic, Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House Covid-19 task force, stated that the U.S. is taking a “a very liberal approach” to counting C-19 deaths compared to “some countries.” She then explained that “if someone dies with Covid-19, we are counting that as a Covid-19 death.” Notably, that standard does not distinguish between dying from Covid-19 and dying with Covid-19.

In the wake of Birx’s statement, various government officials revealed exactly how they were implementing this “very liberal approach”:

A Michigan news article reported in April:
“In Macomb County, Chief Medical Examiner Daniel Spitz had a recent case in which an individual died by suicide. Because they had a family member in the hospital suffering from Covid-19, Spitz had a postmortem test done and found that the individual who died at home was positive for Covid-19. The virus wasn’t their cause of death, but the individual is counted as a Covid-19 death.”
In Oakland County, “every individual who has died while infected with Covid-19 has counted as a coronavirus death, according to Dr. Ljubisa J. Dragovic, the county’s chief medical examiner.”

Ngozi Ezike, director of Illinois Department of Public Health stated during a April press conference:
If “you were in hospice and had already been given a few weeks to live, and then you were also found to have Covid, that would be counted as a Covid death. It means that technically, even if you died of a clear alternate cause, but you still had Covid at the time, it’s still listed as a Covid death.”

“So everyone who’s listed as a Covid death doesn’t mean that was the cause of the death, but they had Covid at the time of death.”

A month later, Ezike said that the Department of Public Health was partly unwinding its previous policy but some of it would remain in place:

We are “trying to remove those obvious cases” from the C-19 death tally “where the Covid diagnosis was not the reason for the death. If there was a gunshot wound, if there was a motor vehicle accident, we know that that was not related to the Covid positive status.”

If “someone has another illness, like heart disease, and then had a stroke or other event, it’s not as easy to separate that and say Covid didn’t exacerbate that existing illness. That would not be removed from the count.”

“Even if somebody was very elderly and they were maybe in hospice, we still can’t say that their Covid infection didn’t hasten the death, and so it’s relevant that Covid-19 maybe had a chance to accelerate that process.”

A Colorado-based CBS news station reported in April:
The “Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has reclassified three deaths at a Centennial nursing home as Covid-19 deaths, despite the fact attending physicians ruled all three were not related to coronavirus.”

A spokesman for the state explained that it “follows the CDC’s case definition of Covid-19 cases and deaths,” and “when a person with a lab-confirmed case of Covid-19 dies, their death is automatically counted as a Covid-19 death unless there is another cause that completely rules out Covid-19, such as a fatal physical injury.”
The same CBS news station reported in May about a death in Colorado where C-19 was completely ruled out, but the state counted it anyway:

A man was found dead with blood alcohol content about twice the level that is potentially fatal, and Montezuma County Coroner George Deavers ruled that he died of alcohol poisoning.

Colorado’s Department of Public Health and Environment classified the case as a C-19 fatality because the man tested positive for C-19 after his death.

The coroner stated: “Yes, he did have Covid, but that is not what took his life.”

In Florida during July:
A local Fox news station asked Dr. Raul Pino, the health officer of Orange County, if two people in their twenties who had allegedly died of Covid-19 had any preexisting conditions. Pino replied: “The first one didn’t have any. He died in a motorcycle accident.”

Two days after the news station published this story, Pino’s office said the case “was reviewed,” and the person “was taken off the list for Covid fatalities.”

Officials of the Maricopa County, Arizona Public Health Department stated in August:

“Even if it’s not listed on their death certificate, anyone who has a Covid-19 positive test within a certain period of when they died, is also counted as a Covid-19 positive death.”

If a person dies in a car crash and tested positive for C-19 in the prior 60 days, “Yes, the death would be added” to the C-19 death tally because “it is important to understand who died WITH the disease even if the disease was not the CAUSE of death. Obviously, fatal accidents are a small subset of the total.”

Short of scrutinizing every alleged C-19 death or a truly representative sample of them, there is no way to tell how many cases like those above are part of the official tally. However, certain evidence suggests they are not a large portion of the total:

Contrary to Birx’s statement in March, the CDC issued guidance in early April that states: “Not all conditions present at the time of death have to be reported—only those conditions that actually contributed to death.”
The CDC posted that guidance on April 3 when the official C-19 death count was 5,443 people, or less than one-thirtieth of the current tally. Thus, whatever happened prior to then can’t have a major impact on the total.

Some states instruct people who fill out death certificates to exclude C-19 if it didn’t play an active role in the fatality. Mississippi, for instance, says: “If Covid-19 was unrelated to the cause of death and not a contributing factor, it should not be included” on the death certificate.
On the other hand, the CDC’s guidance and other government policies still incentivize or stack the deck in favor of including C-19 on death certificates. For example:

The state of Alaska instructs medical professionals to report C-19 deaths according to this standard: “Whether Covid-19 shortened a life by 15 years or 15 minutes; whether Covid-19 is an underlying or contributing condition, the virus was in circulation, infected an Alaskan, and hastened their death. This must be reported.” Given the impossibility of determining if C-19 shortened a life by 15 minutes, these instructions favor placing C-19 on the death certificates of people who died with or after C-19 but not necessarily from C-19.

The CDC’s guidance for certifying C-19 deaths provides three examples of how to record them on death certificates, one of which involves an 86-year-old female who was never tested for C-19, had a debilitating stroke three years prior to her death, and passed on with “a high fever and severe cough after being exposed to an ill family member who subsequently was diagnosed with Covid-19.”

The guidance states the “underlying cause of death,” or the pivotal factor that led to her death, should be listed as “Probable Covid-19.” However, many other diseases can cause a fever and cough, and a recent CDC study shows it is not uncommon for people to display symptoms of C-19 but test negative for it.

The federal CARES Act, which became law in late March, pays hospitals a 20% premium for treating Medicare patients who are diagnosed with C-19. Until recently, a positive lab test for C-19 was not needed to obtain this money, but the federal government added this requirement in September “to address potential Medicare program integrity risks….” Note that C-19 need not appear on a death certificate for hospitals to receive these payments, so it may not influence decisions to include it.

The Mississippi Department of Health states: “If the patient was a confirmed Covid-19 case, but Covid-19 contributed to but did not cause the death, such as stroke,” C-19 should be listed in Part II of the death certificate. This again favors placing C-19 on death certificates, for as the director of Illinois Department of Public Health said: If “someone has another illness, like heart disease, and then had a stroke or other event, it’s not as easy to separate that and say Covid didn’t exacerbate that existing illness.” Note that the CDC includes in its C-19 death tally all death certificates that mention C-19, regardless of whether it appears in Part I or Part II.

A breakdown of how many C-19 deaths appear in Part I versus Part II might shed considerable light on the issue of C-19’s lethality. This is because Part I of a death certificate “is for reporting the sequence of conditions that led directly to death,” while Part II is for “other significant conditions that contributed to the death, but are not a part of the sequence of conditions directly leading to the death.” Thus, Just Facts requested such data from the CDC on September 11 and is awaiting a reply.

Summary

Media outlets have persistently reported on the number of C-19 deaths while ignoring vital facts that place them in context. A simple example of this is that 2.8 million people die in the U.S. every year, including about 170,000 from accidents. Also, of great import, accidents rob an average of 30.6 years of life from each of its victims, as compared to roughly 10.8 years for C-19. Yet in contrast, media outlets don’t continually publicize the running death tally from accidents.

This focus on the raw number of C-19 fatalities—combined with the fact that the very nature of the disease makes these figures uncertain—has spurred controversy over the accuracy of the CDC’s death count. Adding fuel to the fire, the statements and actions of some public officials show clear evidence of overcounting.

But even if the real death toll is 50,000 less than the 200,000 deaths currently reported by the CDC, this 25% difference would have little effect on key measures of the pandemic’s severity.

Consider, for example, the infection fatality rate, which is the portion of people who die after catching the disease. In early March, the World Health Organization announced that “about 3.4% of reported Covid-19 cases have died” and that “by comparison, seasonal flu generally kills far fewer than 1% of those infected.” This 3.4% figure was widely reported, and many media outlets criticized President Trump for saying, “I think the 3.4% is really a false number,” and “I would say the number is way under 1%.”

As it turned out, Trump was correct, and the Center for Evidence-Based Medicine at the University of Oxford now estimates that the infection fatality rate for C-19 is “somewhere between 0.1% and 0.41%.” This is well below 1%, just as Trump stated, and within range of the flu’s infection fatality rate of 0.15%. So even if C-19 deaths are over-counted by 25%, and this exaggerates the fatality rates by the same amount, they would still be 0.1% to 0.3%—or practically unchanged.

Likewise, the CDC’s current best estimates for the infection fatality rate range from 0.003% for people aged 0–19 to 5.4% for people aged 70 and above. Again, a 25% change in these figures would leave them in the same ballpark.

Thus, debates over the death count are a distraction from more informative measures like the odds of dying from C-19 for those who catch it. In this case, the highly publicized figure of 3.4% proved to be off by about a factor of 10. That is a major factor that truly informs the big picture.

From an even broader perspective, the most comprehensive available measure of the threat posed by Covid-19 is the total years of life that it will rob from all people who were alive at the outset of 2020. This crucial measure accounts for the facts that:

There is a material difference between a malady that kills a 20 year-old in the prime of her life and one that kills a 90-year-old who would have otherwise died a month later.

Covid-19 is unlikely to have an ongoing high death toll because the virus that causes it mutates much less substantially than that of the flu and other contagious diseases. Thus, it is far less likely to keep taking lives in the face of acquired immunity and vaccines.

In the context of this broad measure, debates over the actual death toll amount to rounding errors in the relative threats posed by Covid-19 and other common scourges that take masses of lives every year:

In conclusion, the facts of this matter accord with a Government Accountability Office technology assessment published in July that found: “The extent of any net undercounting or overcounting of Covid-19 deaths is unknown.” More importantly, debates over the accuracy of this figure divert attention from other issues that have much greater implications for understanding the pandemic and how it should be addressed.

[Originally posted on Just Facts Daily]

–from the Heartland Institute

See, motorcycles and freedom work.–Bandit

[page break]

CHOPPER EXCHANGE TRYING TO SURVIVE– Just like most other businesses, ChopperExchange experienced a healthy dose of panic and uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic. As dealers started to suspend operations in mid-March due to state mandates, some also paused their accounts with ChopperExchange. Every day brought new uncertainty. No one knew what was next. Things were not looking good, even for an online motorcycle marketplace with no physical store locations.

Five months later and things are starting to look up, in a big way. ChopperExchange saw a 42% increase in buyer inquiries during the April – July period. Bikes listed on ChopperExchange started selling like hotcakes. Typically, the website has around 25,000 American motorcycles listed for sale. Currently, it’s down to 13,000, which is a 48% decrease from this time last year.

“This is huge for us and the industry as a whole,” claims Doug Perry, the company’s Dealer Account Manager. “It matches what we’re hearing from dealers across the country. People are looking for fun things to do outside. They are buying motorcycles, ATVs, RVs, etc.” And they are buying online.

To help motorcycle dealers across the U.S. and Canada reach more online shoppers during the fall/winter season, ChopperExchange is launching a special dealer account offering at a discounted price between now and January 31st, 2021. If you are interested in signing up for a dealer account, contact Doug Perry at (800) 523-7274 x285 or doug@chopperexchange.com

–Dealernews

LE PERA ACCESSORY OF THE WEEK– Le Pera Blanket Roll

The Le Pera Leather Strapped Blanket Roll is designed to be minimalistic yet easy to use. The two 1” leather belts are riveted to the universal mounting strap. Provided mounting straps make it easy to fit onto any motorcycle.

Measures 14” wide by 6” round when rolled up tight
Includes (2)14” x ½” and (1) 28” x ½” leather belt strap for universal mounting options
Made of 10-11 ounce thick full grain leather straps
Vat dyed black so the color goes all the way through the leather
Tanned to be UV and water resistant so leather doesn’t fade, spot or swell
Sewn with heavy-duty nylon thread and reinforced with rivets at stress points
Stainless steel roller buckles for reliable operation
Blanket measures approximately 72” x 54”
Made in the USA and built to last!

Regular price $120.00

Part #: L-SBR

KEEP BANDIT’S CANTINA BAD JOKE LIBRARY WIDE OPEN–Holy Prostitutes

A man is driving down a deserted stretch of highway when he notices a sign out of the corner of his eye….It reads:

SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS
HOUSE OF PROSTITUTION
10 MILES

He thinks this is a figment of his imagination and drives on without a second thought….

Soon he sees another sign which reads:

SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS
HOUSE OF PROSTITUTION
5 MILES

Suddenly he begins to realize that these signs are for real and drives past a third sign saying:

SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS
HOUSE OF PROSTITUTION
NEXT RIGHT

His curiosity gets the best of him and he pulls into the drive. On the far side of the parking lot is a stone building with a small sign next to the door reading:

SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS

He climbs the steps and rings the bell. The door is answered by a nun in a long black habit who asks, ‘What may we do for you my son?’

He answers, ‘I saw your signs along the highway and was interested in possibly doing business…’

‘Very well my son. Please follow me.’ He is led through many winding passages and is soon quite disoriented.

The nun stops at a closed door and tells the man, ‘Please knock on this door.’

He does so and another nun in a long habit, holding a tin cup answers the door. This nun instructs, ‘Please place $100 in the cup then go through the large wooden door at the end of the hallway.’

He puts $100 in the cup, eagerly trots down the hall and slips through the door pulling it shut behind him.

The door locks, and he finds himself back in the parking lot facing another sign:

GO IN PEACE. YOU HAVE JUST BEEN SCREWED BY THE SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS.

SERVES YOU RIGHT, YOU SINNER.

–El Waggs

POTENTIAL BIKERNET TEXAS TECH–Tach Install Maybe?

Took the mini tach I bought for the Dyna, there’s a spot between 3rd & 4th or 4th/5th I don’t recall. Seems like too low/too highly on the engine. Read about changing pulleys, but really want to convert her to a chain.

So, I put the tach on the Shovelhead with a message to those asking if I’m gonna actually hook it up this time…maybe? Don’t remember where the hand came from, usually on my toolbox for constant tool borrowers when I was a shop monkey.

Just happened upon this “washer” in my dad’s toolbox, I’m always collecting stray stuff like that, turns out it is my old 4-speed spring compressing washer. Gave it to him at the beginning of the5 year Corvette phase.

–RFR

BIKERNET UNIVERSITY ENGLISH DEPARTMENT WEEKLY HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT–Amazing English

*WHEN BODY PARTS ARE USED AS VERBS*

Many parts of the body can be used as verbs in either a physical or a metaphorical sense.

You can *head* a company, but if things go wrong you’ll have to *shoulder* the blame, or *face* your investors.
A good leader will *back* his employees, but if you don’t *toe* the line the management can *skin* you.
Did you *muscle* your way into that job?
You might *eye* someone suspiciously, or wait for the police to *finger* a suspect.
But if you need to get out of town, you can *thumb* a ride or you can ride with me if you can *stomach* the thought.
Use strong *arm* tactic if you want to *elbow* out someone.
I don’t always sing along with the radio, but I sometimes do *mouth* the words.

That’s Amazing English !!

–Wayfarer
Professor Emeritus
Bikernet University

LIFESTYLE CYCLES DEAL OF THE WEEK--2013 Harley-Davidson FLTRX – Road Glide Custom for $16,995.00

See it here: https://www.lifestylecycles.com/default.asp?page=xPreOwnedInventoryDetail&id=9394388

This bike is a great looking Road Glide Matte Black with cool pin striping

ONLY 19125.00 Miles !!!!!

2013 Matte Black Harley-Davidson ROAD GLIDE TOURING FLTRX

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

* 18 inch Ape hangers
* Rinehart Slip-on’s
* Pin striping
* 103 C.I.
* 6 Speed
* Low profile hark smoked windshield

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!!!

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Just $16995.00 at Lifestyle Cycles (714) 490-0155

DAV ALERT--Unemployment Relief Funds ‘put food on the table’ for pandemic affected veterans

Air Force veteran Amber Frymark watched as income from her veteran-owned business slowed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, business insurance, storage fees and administrative costs were still due. Scheduled demos of her award-winning product — a beverage enhancer that adds health, hydration and flavor to beverages — which were main sales channels for her business, were cancelled due to social-distancing.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many ill and injured veterans, like Amber, found themselves out of work or at risk of losing their disabled veteran-owned small businesses. The bottom line was that veterans and their families were losing income, and DAV had to find a way to help them put food on the table and pay their bills. Urgent needs warranted immediate actions

Within days, DAV launched an emergency campaign to raise critical funds for the DAV COVID-19 Unemployment Relief Program, and generous supporters stepped up to help. Those funds made a difference to Amber, and to many other disabled veterans.

“The DAV relief fund enabled me to pay some of my disabled veteran small business bills,” says Amber. “DAV has felt like a long, lost brotherhood since I came home from service. DAV has been there for my many steps of the way. Their faith in me has empowered me to empower other veterans.”

As of August 17th, more than 6,500 disabled veterans have been approved for $250 in emergency relief funds. And if you’ve ever wondered about the impact of $250 in a time of crises, be assured that those dollars matter in the life of a veteran in need.

Malia D., a service-connected Coast Guard veteran who takes care of her grandchildren, was at risk of having her utilities turned off and watched as overdue bills mounted.

“I had no idea that the DAV offered financial assistance,” Malia D. a service-connected Coast Guard veteran told us. “During the pandemic, I had $42 in my checking account, a utility cutoff notice and overdue bills. It was another ten days before I would get my monthly VA disability check.”

Malia rationed the food she ate so that her grandson didn’t go without.

“My grandson asked if I was eating, because I had no food in the refrigerator and, when I ate, my portion size was smaller than his,” she says. “The DAV check came just in time. I was able to pay a bill and buy food. The process to request funds was easy and quick. DAV does more than buy trucks. Thank you for making a difference!”

For many ill and injured veterans, their own medical conditions meant they were particularly vulnerable to the virus, and that risk impacted their ability to work.

Kathleen, a disabled Navy veteran in Florida and a private duty nurse with many geriatric patients, found that the pandemic meant she could no longer take patients because of her own health condition, which put her in a high-risk category. Continuing work could also put her son, who has asthma, at risk. Absent the scope of work and income that she depended on, it wasn’t long before the money to feed her three middle schoolers was exhausted.

“The COVID Relief Fund I was awarded all went to food—all of it,” says Kathleen. “I was able to buy food…I didn’t have to worry about how I was going to feed my three teenagers! I volunteer for an organization that feeds families who are struggling, and I never thought that would be me, but it was. I am very grateful for the relief fund and so were my children. God bless you all.”

When John, a disabled Army veteran in Kentucky, reached out to DAV for relief funds, he found the quick response to be “remarkable” and a “huge stress relief” to his financial circumstances.

“The fact that DAV COVID Relief Fund is open to all eligible disabled veterans regardless of DAV membership affiliation, confirms how the DAV organization unbiasedly prioritizes the need of the veteran and not our membership status.”

Richard Lilljedahl, a retired disabled veteran with more than 22 years of service in both the Navy and Army and who last deployed to Iraq in 2007, saw his family-owned business impacted by the pandemic. With two teenage children, one in college, the relief funds mattered greatly to him and his family.

“This has been such a challenging time, and words cannot begin to express the thanks I send to DAV on behalf of myself, my wife and my two children,” Richard writes in a thank-you message to DAV. “Your assistance during this extremely difficult time in our lives has helped our family so much and has taken a massive weight off mine and my wife’s shoulders.”

Air Force veteran Kristopher Miller had just lost his job and thought he had another lined up, but it fell through because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The money that DAV gave me helped me put food on the table for five weeks and was instrumental in allowing me to figure out what to do,” says Kristopher. “I now have a new job and I can say I am very, very grateful to have the help from DAV.”

By March, Army veteran Kathern Hassoune and her husband were both out of work. She filed for unemployment, food assistance and medical assistance, but all were taking a while to process.

“We were still maintaining the minimum with my VA disability payments, but it was becoming a struggle,” says Kathern. “The process for the DAV assistance was so easy and quick. It was extremely helpful for us as we were able to allocate it for groceries until the other applications had finished processing.”

The gratitude expressed by these veterans is humbling, and their words are indicative of the wide scope of need that DAV works to meet for ill and injured veterans every day. When they need it most, disabled veterans must know that they can count on DAV to be there for them.

REPORT FROM SALT TORPEDO DRIVER--Stopped in Henderson one week ago.
I was in the room with our President Donald Trump!!
I told him he was doing a great job and not to sweat the Nov. election, he was a shoe in!!

–Micah McCloskey
Bonneville Pilot
5-Ball Racing Team

HERITAGE ACTION RAISES PRO-POLICE BILLBOARDS– Heritage Action for America has put up seven pro-police billboards in three major cities where police are under attack and liberal politicians have embraced “defund the police” to slash police budgets. Heritage Action Executive Director Jessica Anderson announced the billboards in an appearance on “Fox & Friends.”

“This is a time for all citizens and leaders to come together to support the important work and sacrifices of our law enforcement officers and push back against the left’s campaign to defund the police,” she said. Learn more about the billboards, where they are located, and how Heritage Action is combatting the “defund the police” movement.

NSC Estimates: U.S. Saw a 20% Jump in Motor Vehicle Death Rates in First Six Months of 2020, Despite Quarantines–Roads were deadlier even as the country drove less, according to preliminary data

Itasca, IL – Preliminary estimates from the National Safety Council based on the first six months of data from all 50 states tell an erratic story about the nation’s driving behaviors and the impact of COVID-19 on roadway safety. The U.S. experienced an estimated 20% jump in the death rate – an indicator of how safely drivers are using the roadways – between January and June 2020 compared to the same six-month period in 2019. The rate increase comes in spite of a 17% drop in the number of miles driven between January and June. The total number of deaths is up 1% from six-month figures in 2019.

According to NSC estimates, the 20% increase in the death rate is the highest jump NSC has calculated for a six-month period since 1999.

In June – when many states ended three straight months of quarantine – the number of miles driven remained 13% lower than the previous year, but death rates and number of deaths both skyrocketed. The number of deaths was up 17% in June, while the rate of death per 100 million miles driven jumped a staggering 34.4% – again indicating that the lack of traffic did not make the roads safer. June marked the first month since the pandemic that both the number of fatalities and the death rate increased in a single month.

The riskier roads threaten to reverse traffic safety gains made over the last few years. After three straight years of rising fatality numbers between 2015 and 2017, the country had been experiencing a leveling off and small decline in overall fatalities.

“Because of COVID-19 and states’ shelter-in-place orders earlier this year, the country should have reaped a safety benefit from less traffic,” said Lorraine M. Martin, president and CEO of the National Safety Council. “Instead, our soaring rate of deaths speaks to our need to improve safety on our roads. Clearly, we must work harder as a society to reverse this trend, especially since the pandemic is not nearly over.”

Through the first six months of 2020, the following seven states experienced notable decreases in the number of roadway deaths:

Wyoming (-49%, 39 fewer deaths)
Alaska (-31%, 11 fewer deaths)
Hawaii (-27%, 16 fewer deaths)
Iowa (-24%, 35 fewer deaths)
North Dakota (-20%, 9 fewer deaths)
Oregon (-19%, 41 fewer deaths)
Idaho (-16%, 15 fewer deaths)
Seven states with notable increases were:

Vermont (+91%, 10 more deaths)
Connecticut (+44%, 45 more deaths)
District of Columbia (+42%, 5 more deaths)
South Dakota (+34%, 11 more deaths)
Rhode Island (+31%, 8 more deaths)
Arkansas (+21%, 51 more deaths)
Missouri (+18%, 68 more deaths)
During this United for Infrastructure week, NSC is committed to working with partners to #RebuildBetter to improve roadway safety. To help further ensure the safety of U.S. roads, NSC urges motorists to:

Obey speed limits, even if roads are clear and traffic is light.

Practice defensive driving. Buckle up, designate a sober driver or arrange alternative transportation, get plenty of sleep to avoid fatigue, and drive attentively, avoiding distractions.

Stay engaged with teen drivers’ habits and practice with them frequently – tips are available at DriveitHOME.org
Follow state and local directives and stay off the roads if officials have directed you do to so.

Be aware of increased pedestrian and bicycle traffic, particularly in urban areas. Conversely, pedestrians and bicyclists should be careful as streets become congested again.

Organizations and employers are encouraged to join the Road to Zero Coalition, a 1,500-member group committed to eliminating roadway deaths by 2050
The National Safety Council estimates are subject to slight increases and decreases as the data mature. NSC collects fatality data every month from all 50 states and the District of Columbia and uses data from the National Center for Health Statistics, so that deaths occurring within one year of the crash and on both public and private roadways – such as parking lots and driveways – are included in the estimates. NSC motor vehicle fatality estimates and supplemental estimate information, including estimates for each state, can be found here.

Seeing an unfortunate and measurable increase in fatalities in Wisconsin, almost all can be attributed to rider skill/behavior and impaired riding incidents, easy marks for helmet and over burden safety proponents

— Doc D’Errico
Motorcycle Riders Foundation

Disappointing to be sure, but a lack of data to perform necessary analysis despite the suggested causes.

Here in Massachusetts, I’ve been trying to do correlation analysis based on similar assertions, but the data is scarce and difficult to obtain since the people who would normally maintain this stuff are way behind schedule. I think that in and of itself suggests there’s a trend or per capita analysis based on percentages of roadway users as opposed to hard numbers.

–Hardtail

Trends that seem to be contributors – at least in the North East:

A lack of traffic enforcement. It was no secret and spread quickly that law enforcement would not pull you over for a minor infraction due to COVID. Significant infractions, certainly, but not minor ones. This emboldened aggressive drivers at a minimum, and created situations where 10-15 MPH over the speed limit was no longer the norm, rather 20-30+ MPH over became the norm.
A lack of traffic in general. This contributed in the sense that denser traffic also keeps speeds down, especially in poor weather.

While it should mean fewer accidents caused by surprise braking reactions, it seemed to embolden aggressive driving which largely shouldn’t have been necessary, but left lane driving remains an opportunity for high speed swerves, it seems.

Weather. The COVID period in the Northeast was rainy for a large portion of the first 6 months. As noted above, weather plays a role in traffic accidents both in terms of causation (drivers not able to react to sudden drag or yaw caused by deep puddles) and in terms of keeping speeds lower – the latter didn’t happen this year due to a lack of traffic.

An increase in Construction Projects. Taking advantage of the lower traffic, construction that would have been done at night began popping up during the day. Ultimately beneficial, when coupled with higher speeds around construction zones and with (some) traffic slowing for construction and some not, this creates conflict.
Fatigued Drivers. With many jobs being furloughed or terminated, roadway users – whether professional roadway users or not – were (are?) hitting the roads far more fatigued than previously. Hard to correlate, but also finding that many accident reports are indicating the use of stimulants with drivers involved in serious accidents and fatalities.

As for motorcycles and motorcyclists, the accident rate continues to be high, but the fatality rate seems lower than normal for this year – at least based on publicly available reporting. The motorcyclist accident rate seems to be based on similar factors as above – the majority are speeds too high in a curve (same as usual) and passing stopped or slower traffic creating a collision – almost always passing on the left through an intersection.

–Doc

REST AND BE KIND–
“For a small amount of perspective at this moment, imagine you were born in 1900. When you are 14, World War I starts, and ends on your 18th birthday with 22 million people killed. Later in the year, a Spanish Flu epidemic hits the planet and runs until you are 20. Fifty million people die from it in those two years. Yes, 50 million.

When you’re 29, the Great Depression begins. Unemployment hits 25%, global GDP drops 27%. That runs until you are 33. The country nearly collapses along with the world economy. When you turn 39, World War II starts. You aren’t even over the hill yet.

When you’re 41, the United States is fully pulled into WWII. Between your 39th and 45th birthday, 75 million people perish in the war and the Holocaust kills six million. At 52, the Korean War starts and five million perish.

At 64 the Vietnam War begins, and it doesn’t end for many years. Four million people die in that conflict. Approaching your 62nd birthday you have the Cuban Missile Crisis, a tipping point in the Cold War. Life on our planet, as we know it, could well have ended. Great leaders prevented that from happening.

As you turn 75, the Vietnam War finally ends. Think of everyone on the planet born in 1900. How do you survive all of that? A kid in 1985 didn’t think their 85-year-old grandparent understood how hard school was. Yet those grandparents (and now great grandparents) survived through everything listed above.

Perspective is an amazing art. Let’s try and keep things in perspective. Let’s be smart, help each other out, and we will get through all of this. In the history of the world, there has never been a storm that lasted. This too, shall pass.”

Photo by Lewis Hine

COULD IT BE?—I’m also waiting to hear about Cycle Source Magazine. They went bi-monthly, produced a 90-minute documentary on Sturgis during the rally and I haven’t heard a word since. Maybe they shifted to TV.

Hang on for this. I’m going to publish my screenplay, “Splintered Road” on Bikernet. It still needs work and is currently being reviewed in Hollywood, but who the hell knows. Read it first on Bikernet or with Books in Bandit’s Cantina.

I needed something to ride around LA and started to center on a 2019 FXDR, but from a state other than California. Hell, motorcycles could be banned next week. Besides I need to raise the dinero.

Then I looked at the FXR I built and was selling to my Son, Frank. The covid messed with his payments. I asked if I could buy it back. “I need a rider.” He was very cool with that.

I spoke to Paughco about checking the girder. I will call Paul Cavallo, Spitfire this week from Spitfire Motorcycles. He said he would fix my grandson’s, but that hasn’t happened. I wish he would come clean. I dig this bike and just want to ride it and write good things about it.

The rear wheel kept going flat, so I removed it yesterday. I’m going to take it to the local motorcycle tire shop. It’s cool and devoted only to motorcycle wheels and tires. I discovered something with my van recently. A tire leaked air. I took it to have it serviced. They couldn’t find anything wrong so replaced the valve stem. I may have a similar issue. I hope so.

As it turns out the tire was fine, they cleaned it and installed a tube. It wouldn’t start. I checked the wiring and took the Wire Plus speedo off. It never worked properly. I’ll look for an electronic speedo idiot light replacement.

The carb is clogged, and the accelerator pump isn’t working. That will be the project for this Friday. Hope to ride this weekend.

Remember, ride fast and free forever.

–Bandit

Recently I was on a ride from South Carolina to Sturgis (and then on to Colorado). One of the crew, my friend Biji, is one of those guys who has been a motorhead since Moses came down from the mountain with the stone tablets, and he’s studied M8s since they came on the scene.

We have all heard about the early M8 engines having a problem with oil transfer from the transmission to the primary case. The obvious result is not enough oil in the transmission and too much in the primary. We have also heard that Harley fixed that problem on newer models. I thought my new 2019 Glide should be good-to-go. However, Biji said that wasn’t the case and each of us needed to check our transmission oil.

I’ll start by saying this sucks to write about. I am a die-hard Harley guy. I’m not just invested in these bikes. I’m all in. I work on my own bike. I read Harley-Davidson history, hung out with great builders, built bobber, ran chopper events, rode cross country all around Harleys. Possibly, the main reasons I ride a Harley is the Chopper Culture. We like to work on our bikes.

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

“Pure racing technology for the highest performance requirements in motor sports and on the road.” This is how German bike maker BMW describes the latest bike in its portfolio, the M 1000 RR. It is the first incarnation of a Bavarian two-wheeler touched by the talented hands of the M division.

M has been making its way into the motorcycle world for a while now. About two years ago, the Germans started offering optional equipment and performance parts for a longer list of Motorrad two-wheelers, but this is the first time a bike gets the M treatment from the get-go.

We’ll start with the engine. We’re talking about a variation of the powerplant BMW is using for its racing bikes – and now the statement cited above starts to make sense. That’s a water-cooled four-cylinder in-line that was modified for this street machine to produce 212 hp (more than most cars for the masses make) and 113 Nm of torque that kick in at 11,000 rpm.

The new RR has all the traits of a pure M-machine, all with the goal of making it as aerodynamic as possible. There are special winglets up front, made of carbon fiber, to produce more downforce, and special brakes – this is the first Motorrad bike to use M brakes – under M carbon wheels.

As with any racing-oriented M machine, the M RR (this is how we’re told we should call it) comes with 5 riding modes (Rain, Road, Dynamic, Race, and Race Pro1-3), launch control, and hill start control.

The instrument cluster on the bike is made of a 6.5-inch TFT display which shows upon start the M logo. There is also an OBD interface that can be used with activation code for the M GPS data logger and M GPS laptrigger.

Additionally, Motorrad offers the M competition package, which comes with M GPS laptrigger and activation code, M milled parts package, M carbon package, silver swinging arm, DLC-coated M endurance chain, and passenger package including tail-hump cover.

For now, we are not being told anything about availability and price.

 

Recently I was on a ride from South Carolina to Sturgis (and then on to Colorado). One of the crew, my friend Biji, is one of those guys who has been a motorhead since Moses came down from the mountain with the stone tablets, and he’s studied M8s since they came on the scene.

We have all heard about the early M8 engines having a problem with oil transfer from the transmission to the primary case. The obvious result is not enough oil in the transmission and too much in the primary. We have also heard that Harley fixed that problem on newer models. I thought my new 2019 Glide should be good-to-go. However, Biji said that wasn’t the case and each of us needed to check our transmission oil.

I’ll start by saying this sucks to write about. I am a die-hard Harley guy. I’m not just invested in these bikes. I’m all in. I work on my own bike. I read Harley-Davidson history, hung out with great builders, built bobber, ran chopper events, rode cross country all around Harleys. Possibly, the main reasons I ride a Harley is the Chopper Culture. We like to work on our bikes. Most of us don’t work on our own cars anymore. This is one of the last bastions of man and machine. Hell, the government wants to make it against the law to work on shit.

OK, so I am on this road trip, and I go to check the transmission oil. Through the years I have assembled a very minimalist tool kit that is amazingly small and time and time again this tool kit has had everything I need. I grab it and I realize I don’t carry a 3/8” Allen wrench.

That is a big, heavy Allen wrench to need actually. It didn’t even register when I was in my shop but on the road it’s an issue. So, I am out on the road and I’m like well… I guess I will need a bigger tool bag and add that. However, in the back of my mind the first question is, why? Shouldn’t I be able to check the transmission oil level without a huge Allen wrench?

And speaking of tool kits why can’t the factory design a bike that is serviced with either metric OR SAE tools? The mix of SAE and metric is incredibly annoying. If we worked as service technicians every day at a dealership we would remember which bolts, etcetera are metric and which ones are standard but we don’t. This is our hobby, not our profession. Pick one. I’ll still believe it’s a Harley even if every nut and bolt is metric.

I check the dipstick and the oil isn’t touching the dipstick. I just serviced the bike before I left and it was touching the dipstick then. OK, so off to the dealership for 1 quart of H-D transmission oil which is over 20$.

The process of adding transmission oil on the road is really difficult. Seriously more difficult to do on a road trip than it should be. Screw the dipstick all the way out, add an ounce. Screw the dipstick all the way in. Then, screw it all the way back out and look at it. Add an ounce of oil (and by the way you probably need a funnel). Repeat it all again. Repeat. Again. I did this ELEVEN times.

I had to take off the derby cover on the primary and confirm that the oil was high. It made a mess. Guessing I spilled a couple ounces of oil, I began searching for a way to measure eight-ounces and a jar to drain the extra oil from the primary.

Should this even be a thing? A Sportster (or an Indian for that matter) has one type of oil for the engine, transmission and primary. Hmmm.

Biji was right and my bike had the problem, but I was told H-D had the fix figured out now. One that actually works. I’m told there is a recall and the dealership will take care of everything (as they should).

However, as directed from on-high by Milwaukee, the oil transfer is only a problem if a bike transfered more than 5 ounces of oil in five -thousand miles. Two times. So, running a H-D transmission four-ounces low on oil, repeatedly, forever, is never an issue?? Hmmm.

I ask the service manager, “Do the technicians measure how much oil was in the transmission when they drain the transmission to service the bikes?”

He says, “Absolutely.”

Trouble is, that isn’t true. I have been asking every service tech I know or meet. The answer is always the same. It saves time to drain all three types of oil at one time and it all goes to the same soiled tub.

So how would anyone (who has their bike serviced at a dealership) ever know their bike is, “transferring more than five ounces of oil in 5,000 miles?” In theory, a good tech will look at the primary oil level in the little opening when the derby cover is off and the technician can look through this little gap and with micrometer like vision, see if 4.9 ounces of oil transferred (no problem) or 5.1 ounces of oil transferred (and make a note for the recall). It’s ridiculous.

More realistically, here’s the solution. If, when the derby is removed oil pours out onto the lift, making a mess, done deal. There’s a problem. And if the primary oil doesn’t make a mess when the tech takes off the derby cover, your bike is never getting fixed.

Anyway, my bike transfered more than five ounces. Oil spilled out of the derby cover on the five-thousand-mile service—done deal. Now I know why. I asked for an appointment for my bike to be fixed under the recall.

The Colorado dealership service manager then explained the dealership will NOT fix the bike under the recall unless three conditions are met.

1) The bike must be serviced at an H-D dealership two times

2) The dealership noted that more than five ounces of oil transferred both times.

3) That you have at least three children and a wife in your family and they all own Harleys.

I explained I work on the bike myself. He (without laughing) told me to take it to the dealership for the next two services and then they will honor the recall. The service is only about $ 550 each time. Wait. What??

I explained, I ride a Harley because I like to do my own service. He said they can install the recall kit but they will charge me about $240. (Since I’m on the road). He even added at some point in the conversation that it is dangerous not to fix the problem. Now, I am just fuming mad. I stay polite but it isn’t easy. The dealership refuses to fix with the recall, because I service the bike myself. If you’re interest look up Right to Work laws.

The service manager calls Milwaukee, and then offers to change just the transmission and primary oil for me, and make a note, but I would need to pay full price for that. At least it breaks the tension and I’m starting to laugh. Wow. Thanks!

This, of course, isn’t legal for Harley-Davidson to do. I’m never going to sue them, obviously, but I would win if I did. It’s just not worth the money or effort to make the point.

Eventually, I am at a place where I can install the recall kit. Part #26500027. Looking at the kit, I’m guessing the few items in the kit probably cost H-D about five dollars. The dealership charged me $50 for the parts to fix the recall. Really?

Here is the thing. No one needs this kit if the motorcycle wasn’t screwed up when it came out of Milwaukee. Does Harley- Davidson really need to make a profit on a recall? Wait, that’s a stupid question.

Thirty years ago, when people asked why you ride a Harley the canned answer was, “If I have to explain you wouldn’t understand.”

If Harley-Davidson wants to know why they are losing customers all I can tell them is, “If I have to explain you wouldn’t understand.”

Anyway, I installed the recall kit. It wasn’t hard. The incredibly good H-D service manual is so well written it’s always a help. Somebody in Milwaukee really does understand the joy owners have when they service their own bikes. This is evident in the great documentation. It really is a great bike. This bike is the most smooth and powerful stock H-D I have ever owned. After an enjoyable afternoon in the garage I took a few breaths and conclude the impact on me… is just a papercut. Well, a bunch of papercuts actually. But there are so many bigger problems in the world.

None of the papercuts are so deep that the blood loss takes the orange and black tint out of my blood. It’s almost completely behind me when I take a ride on a beautiful afternoon. Almost.

However, my ride takes me past an Indian dealership and I stop, which is odd, because I have ridden right past the Indian dealership so many times before. I am back on my incredible 2019 H-D in 30 minutes and headed home but my mind wanders. Hmmm.

by Fraser Addecott from https://www.mirror.co.uk/

It’s powered by an engine that’s bigger than the one in most cars, but Fraser discovers this behemoth oozes class and quality, and rides like a dream

The idea of fitting a motorcycle with an engine larger than that found in the average family car may seem bonkers – but thats exactly what Triumph has done in the shape of the Rocket 3.

Featuring a whopping 2,500cc capacity, this monster is truly impressive.

The bike comes in two versions – a touring-oriented GT and the more sportster-like R.

Both look fantastic, the proportions seem almost other-worldly, like something out of a superhero movie.

Yet the design and the way it all melds together around that giant engine is a thing of beauty.

The quality is superb, from the deep paint finish, to the distinctive twin headlights, the Monza-style fuel cap and the brushed aluminium shields on the triple header exhaust.

Internal wiring on the handlebars keeps everything looking clean and neat and the pillion footpegs fold twice so they tuck away into the fairing and seemingly disappear.

I really liked the layout on the TFT screen, simple and clear, and easily readable even in bright sunlight.

The main difference between the two models is the riding position.

The GT has forward mounted (adjustable) footpegs, a lower seat height and wider, higher bars, plus a brushed aluminium, height-adjustable pillion backrest.

It also comes with heated grips and a pretty effective flyscreen.

The R has a more aggressive stance thanks to the mid-mounted footpegs (also adjustable), higher seat and narrower bars.

With the keyless fob in your jacket pocket, fire up the 2458cc, liquid-cooled triple and you’re off.

For the largest production engine in the world, the sound is surprisingly muted, but, to my ear, not displeasing.

The Rocket offers four ride modes – Road, Rain, Sport and Rider-configurable.

Switch-Gear is illuminated and intuitive to use, employing a simple joystick on the left side.

Electronic wizardry includes cornering ABS, traction control, hill-hold control and cruise control.

With a dry weight of 291kg, this is clearly a heavyweight fighter.

Even so, the new cast aluminium frame and lighter engine components have contributed to a huge 40kg saving compared to the previous model.

And it shows.

The Rocket is surprisingly – and delightfully – rideable.

Oodles of torque across the band mean gear changing across the six-speed gearbox is minimal.

Power delivery is smooth and muscular via the low-maintenance shaft drive, and the torque-assist clutch offers light action, but precise, gear changes.

The big revelation is through the bends, where adjustable USD Showa forks and a Showa monoshock rear set-up, plus model-specific Avon Cobra tyres combine to provide precise, confidence-inspiring handling.

Braking is via state-of-the-art Brembo Stylema calipers and is progressive and super powerful.

As you can probably tell, I love the Rocket – it’s a monster, but it’s a refined and good-looking one – and an absolute joy to ride.

The Facts: Triumph Rocket 3

Engine: 2458cc triple

Max power: 165bhp

Max torque: 163ft lb

Colours: Red; black; grey

Price: £20,800 GT; £19,800 R

Legendary Rock Bands Slipknot, Disturbed, Godsmack, and Five Finger Death Punch Join Four Corners Motorcycle Rally To Help Raise Funds For Worthy Charities

Named one of seven best motorcycle rallies in the United States by Motorcyclecruiser.com

DURANGO, Colo. (September 22, 2020) – Four Corners Motorcycle Rally is proud to announce that they have teamed up with legendary rock bands Slipknot, Disturbed, Godsmack, and Five Finger Death Punch for the ‘Roll Now, Rock Later’ Sweepstakes. “I have been lucky to have had the chance to make friends with a ton of people from different walks of life throughout my career,” says John Oakes, managing partner of Four Corners Motorcycle Rally. “With what the world is dealing with this year, I felt it to be critically important to do what I can to do something positive in the middle of all the craziness. After reaching out to friends in the motorcycle and music industries, I am excited about what we are making happen together! One lucky person and a guest will get their choice of a VIP Side of Stage experience at a future concert with our friends Slipknot, Disturbed, Godsmack, or Five Finger Death Punch and receive a custom 2020 Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special all while raising money for three great causes.” Starting today, fans can visit www.FourCornersMotorcycleRally.com to make a donation benefitting Building Homes For Heroes, Unite The United, and Scars Foundation. Donations can be made in denominations of $10, $25, $50, up to $100 – the higher the pledge, the exponential increase in entries*. Entries will close on October 23, 2020.  One winner will be chosen at random to win the following grand prize: **Custom 2020 Harley-Davidson® Street Glide® Special, from Durango Harley-Davidson customized by Jeff G. Holt from V-Twin Visionary, custom paint from Taylor Schultz with parts and accessories from Arlen Ness, Motorwitch, and more. **VIP show tickets, round trip airfare, and 2 nights hotel accommodations to a 2021 or 2022 show of the winner’s choice in the continental United States for either Slipknot, Godsmack, Disturbed, or Five Finger Death Punch. The winner will enjoy their band of choice’s headlining set FROM THE STAGE! **Alternate price at winner’s discretion of $25,000 cash “I am incredibly grateful to the bands for their participation and all of the partners involved in building us this bike, and cannot wait to raise a bunch of money for the people that rely on these charity groups,” Oakes added. Fans can visit www.FourCornersMotorcycleRally.com and DONATE NOW! About the bike: 2020 H-D® Street Glide Special from Durango Harley-Davidson customized by Jeff G. Holt of V-Twin Visionary at Collective Phoenix; House of Kolor custom paint by Taylor Schultz from Schultz Designz; 129” Leading Edge Big Bore Kit, Engine; Engine Cover Kit, Calipers and Rotors by Arlen Ness; FXR Division – Streetwitch Bars; Speed Merchant Seat by Saddlemen; Bassani Road Rage 2 Exhaust; full Legend Suspension; Jade Affiliated Wheels; Klockwerks Windshield; Greene Brothers Design Axle Kit and Shift Shaft Link; Rogue Rider Industries Lighting. About the bands: Disturbed – disturbed1.com Godsmack – godsmack.com Slipknot – slipknot1.com Five Finger Death Punch – fivefingerdeathpunch.com About the benefit: Building Homes For Heroes – buildinghomesforheroes.org Unite The United – unitetheunited.com The Scars Foundation – scarsfoundation.org About Four Corners Motorcycle Rally: Four Corners Motorcycle Rally happens annually over Labor Day Weekend on Friday, Saturday and Sunday centered in Durango, Colorado with events, entertainment, and activities including Hooligan Racing, Concerts, Motorcycle Stunt Shows, Charity Rides, Bike Shows, Wheelie Pig’s Hill Climb Challenge, Fishing Derby, Camping and more spread across the Four Corners Region at locations including Durango Harley-Davidson, Sky Ute Casino Resort, Rattlesnake Gulch, Historic Downtown Durango, Million Dollar Highway Saloon, Purgatory Ski Resort and more. Named after the Four Corners Monument where the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet, which is the only point in the United States shared by four states. Four Corners Motorcycle Rally is known as the “Best Riding Rally in America” because of the diverse riding terrain and it is the home of the legendary Million Dollar Highway with 284 turns in 71 miles, reaching 11,018 feet of elevation cutting through historic mining towns on the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway. 2021 event dates are Friday, September 3 – Sunday, September 5. Visit FourCornersMotorcycleRally.com for more details. About John Oakes: John Oakes is an entertainment entrepreneur, executive, and marketer based in Southern California. Oakes founded his music, entertainment, event, and marketing consulting company, Freeze Management, in 2002, while managing rock band Story of the Year. He specializes in producing music festivals, concerts, car shows, motorcycle shows and events, and developing marketing programs benefiting live events, brands, artists, partners, and fans. Oakes has spent 20 years as an entrepreneur in the music industry, representing a diverse group of musicians selling millions of records and tickets worldwide. Oakes, with his company Freeze Management, has also developed effective strategies and implemented successful marketing programs for an assorted group of well-known companies, including Rockstar Energy Drink, Ram Trucks, AT&T Wireless, Samsung Mobile, Ford, Jägermeister, Lucas Oil, Coors Light, Harley-Davidson and many more.