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Fliers for Freedom

Hey, I was inspired by Becky Zarling, an MRF Assistant rep and a hardworking member of ABATE of Wisconsin. She pronounced in her newsletter that members of ABATE would attend every motorcycle event in Wisconsin, meet bikers and hand out fliers regarding legislation, MRF efforts and ABATE of Wisconsin activities. I was moved and motivated. I asked Becky if I could create an important MRF flier about the biggest threat to our lifestyle. Could she add it to her leaflets and make it available to riders all over her state? She said yes, but there were some guidelines she must follow. First the flier had to be motorcycle centric and secondly, and of course, the wording must be approved by the MRF Board. There you have it. So, I’m here to present my original version and the version edited by the CO2 Coalition. I hope one or the other is approved and we can move forward. Chris Callen, the boss of Cycle Source Magazine volunteered to handle the art layout. We will make these available to anyone who wants them free of charge. Bikernet.com is also sponsoring this effort. Keith R. Ball Bikernet.com WHAT’S THE BIGGEST THREAT TO MOTORCYCLING AND OUR LIFESTYLE? CLIMATE DOOMSDAY Harley CEO Jochen Zeitz tells us that after 120 years of being famous for its big gas-powered models, electrification is the logical next step. –Jalopnik SO, WHAT’S THE REAL DEAL, THE TRUE SCIENCE? CARBON DIOXIDE CO2 IS NOT A POLLUTANT More carbon dioxide will help everyone including future generations. CO2 is the essential food for land-based plants. The Earth’s biosphere has experienced a relative CO2 famine for millions of years, but the recent increase in CO2 levels with the use of Fossil Fuels has had a measurable, positive effect on plant life. FUTURE CO2 INCREASES WILL […]

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Vance & Hines Launches New VO2 Falcon 90-Degree Air Intake

Aggressive style, industry leading performance for Harley-Davidson Motorcycles NOTE: The new VO2 Falcon and recently announced FP4 are available to consumers at Vance & Hines’ two locations(Daytona Harley-Davidson and Daytona International Speedway) at Bike Week in Daytona Beach. Santa Fe Springs CA – March 4, 2022 – Vance & Hines today introduced the newest addition to its expanding lineup of air intake products with the announcement of the VO2 Falcon, a 90-degree, high performance intake system with fitments for most late-model Harley-Davidson models. With motorcycle customizing trends moving toward an intense, performance-focused look, the VO2 Falcon gives bike owners the aggressive style they seek and four different finishes to make it special. The VO2 Falcon is a cut above other 90-degree intakes with its attention to detail. From its slant-nosed oversized filter for higher volume air flow to its precision machined billet aluminum mounting and integrated breather assembly, it looks like it belongs on a rider’s Harley-Davidson motorcycle. The system comes in four finishes, show-quality chrome, ceramic matte black, and two eye-catching carbon fiber choices; high-gloss traditional weaved carbon and matte, forged carbon, a compound originally developed for use in high performance sports cars and is making its first appearance in the V-Twin world. The VO2 Falcon isn’t just for style. The shape of the unit extends the air intake track, allowing the VO2 Falcon to outperform the leading 90-degree units on the market for both horsepower and torque. “Air intake systems are our fastest growing product line,” said Vance & Hines President Kennedy. ” They offer customers a chance to personalize the look of their bike and are the start of creating that high performance motorcycle that we all love to ride. The VO2 Falcon makes a strong statement about what’s inside the heart of the bike and the

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Climate Dogma Killed Biden’s “Build Back Better”

by Michael Shellenberger A half trillion dollars to subsidize renewables would have raised energy prices, worsened inflation, and undermined decarbonization. But what do we do now? The centerpiece of President Joe Biden’s legislative agenda is dead. Senator Joe Manchin today announced that he could not support Biden’s “Build Back Better” legislation which consisted of $1.7 trillion in new spending and would have added $158 billion to the national debt over the next decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The largest component of spending, $570 billion, was for renewables, electric cars, and other climate change investments. Progressives, environmentalists, and Democrats are furious with Sen. Manchin, but it was their own climate and renewables dogmatism that doomed the legislation. Democratic Senators could have written legislation that expanded nuclear energy and natural gas, the two main drivers of decarbonization, which are strongly supported by Manchin, and Republicans, but instead investments went overwhelmingly to solar panels, wind turbines, and electric cars. It’s true that there were good things in Build Back Better, and that one of the worst climate provisions, the Clean Energy Performance Program, was already removed. Build Back Better included a tax credit for existing nuclear power plants, funding for advanced nuclear fuels, funding for fusion R&D, and financial support for communities hurt by the transition to renewables. But the money for nuclear would not have made much if any difference to the operating of nuclear plans. Nuclear plants in California, Massachusetts and New York are being shut down, despite already being profitable, for ideological reasons. Legislatures in less anti-nuclear states like Illinois, New Jersey, and Connecticult step in to save their plants when they need to. And higher electricity prices due to natural gas shortages are making nuclear plants in other states even more profitable. Of Build Back Better’s

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One-Off Carbon Fiber Harley-Davidson LiveWire Going Under the Hammer

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com The LiveWire electric motorcycle is not proving to be the killer product Harley-Davidson was hoping for, at least for now. Introduced in 2019 as the first electric bike made by an established player in the industry, the LiveWire needs all the boost it can get to compete with similar products made by the countless start-ups trying to make a name for themselves. In a bid to increase the public’s awareness and to lend a helping hand in the ongoing crisis, Harley announced this week the first special rebuild of the LiveWire. Unfortunately, it is not a production run, but a one-off bike meant to be sold for charity. Wearing a special paint scheme and graphics all over, this LiveWire has been bestowed with carbon fiber parts – the speed screen blade, tail section cowl, and the tank trim sport this material. Also, the signatures of most of the members of the Harley-Davidson team are featured on the motorcycle’s body. The LiveWire is offered as part of an online auction handled by Bonhams on May 12. All the money raised from selling it will go to United Way Worldwide’s Community Response and Recovery Fund dedicated to the current health crisis. “We are all affected by the current situation, and the impact it has on the most at risk portions of society,” said in a statement Jon Bekefy, general manager of brand marketing at Harley-Davidson. “As a longtime partner of the United Way, and inspired by their continued resilience in this crisis, Harley-Davidson is honored to have a part to play in the relief effort and to inspire our community about the open road ahead.” Harley did not say how much it expects to fetch for the motorcycle, but promises the winning bidder not only the LiveWire

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Blackstone HyperTek electric motorcycle smashes all molds

by Jonathon Ramsey from https://www.engadget.com Better than the Tron Lightcycle and Akira bike because it’s real. Here we have a motorcycle that takes advantage of what can be done with an electric powertrain and looks like one of the possibilities in the sci-fi futures we’ve dreamed of. South African company Blackstone Tek, better known by the initials BST, is known for its carbon fiber motorcycle and car wheels. When Founder Gary Turner decided he wanted to build an electric bike, he enlisted fellow South African designer Pierre Terblanche, who’s designed two-wheelers like the Ducati 749, 888, 999 and Hypermotard, and the Confederate X132 Hellcat Speedster. The result of the collaboration is this, the HyperTek. It will be hand-built, limited-edition, and expensive. The HyperTek’s mechanicals hang from a one-piece carbon fiber monocoque and billet subframe. The water-cooled, DHX Hawk motor produces 105 hp and 88.5 pound-feet of torque, powered by a 4.75-kWh battery. BST claims the battery can be fully recharged in 30 minutes on a fast charger, with a range of 186 miles on a charge. That’s almost certainly on the more generous European standard, and we suspect the range claim includes the supplemental battery pack; a Zero S motorcycle, for instance, packs a 7.2-kWh battery and lists an 89-mile range in city riding. On the HyperTek, the standard pack sits inside the metal box ahead of the frame. The gray box of the supplemental battery can be seen in a couple of photos hanging underneath that, featuring a cell pattern along the front, otherwise replaced with green, logoed fairings. The custom front end molds the triple clamp and down tubes in a single piece of carbon fiber. The front suspension was inspired by the Horst Leitner unit on an ATK motorcycle, the rear suspension is a mono-shock slipped inside

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Shared e-scooters aren’t as environmentally friendly as other transport options

  A new study has found that e-scooters may be greener than most cars, but they can be less green than several other options. Washington DC: People who think electric scooters or e-scooters are environmentally friendly, take note! A new study has found that e-scooters may be greener than most cars, but they can be less green than several other options. “E-scooter companies tout themselves as having little or no carbon footprint, which is a bold statement,” said Jeremiah Johnson, the corresponding author of the study “We wanted to look broadly at the environmental impacts of shared e-scooters – and how that compares to other local transportation options.” To capture the impact of e-scooters, researchers looked at emissions associated with four aspects of each scooter’s life cycle: the production of the materials and components that go into each scooter; the manufacturing process; shipping the scooter from the manufacturer to its city of use; and collecting, charging and redistributing the scooters. The researchers also conducted a small-scale survey of e-scooter riders to see what modes of transportation they would have used if they hadn’t used an e-scooter. The researchers found that 49 per cent of riders would have biked or walked; 34 per cent would have used a car; 11 per cent would have taken a bus; and 7 per cent wouldn’t have taken the trip at all. In order to compare the impact of e-scooters to that of other transport options, the researchers looked at previously published life cycle analyses of cars, buses, electric mopeds, and bicycles. Researchers looked at four types of pollution and environmental impact: climate change impact; nutrient loading in water; respiratory health impacts related to air pollution; and acidification. The performance results were similar for all four types of pollution. “A lot of what we found

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Meet The White House’s New Chief Climate Change Skeptic

William Happer, a Princeton scientist who is doubtful of the dangers of climate change, appears to be leading a White House challenge to the government’s conclusion that global warming is a threat. Twenty five years ago, William Happer had an encounter with the White House that ended badly. At the time, in 1993, the Princeton professor was taking a break from academia to direct scientific research at the U.S. Department of Energy. He turned a skeptical eye toward one of then-Vice President Al Gore’s favorite issues: the risks posed by chemicals eating away at ozone in the stratosphere and letting in dangerous ultraviolet radiation. As the story goes, Happer went to the White House and told Gore’s staff he saw no evidence that the ozone hole actually was hurting anyone. Gore was annoyed, and Happer lost his job. Today, Happer is back in the White House, still fighting against what he considers unfounded claims that our globe is in danger. But this time, his cause is backed by the man in the Oval Office. Happer, 79, joined the staff of President Trump’s National Security Council last fall. And according to documents first leaked to The Washington Post, he appears to be pushing the White House to mount a challenge to the government’s official assessment of climate change, which calls climate change a serious national security threat. On Thursday, the chairs of four different committees in the House of Representatives sent a letter to President Trump expressing concern about “recent reports that the National Security Council (NSC) is planning to assemble a secret panel, led by a discredited climate change denier, to undermine the overwhelming scientific consensus on the nature and threats of climate change.” The four Democrats called it “deeply concerning that Dr. Happer appears to be spearheading” that effort.

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