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Friday From DC – E15 Changes In The Midwest

E15 Changes In The Midwest Last week the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a policy change related to gasoline with 15% ethanol (E15). In 2025 this new policy will allow gas stations in eight Midwestern states to sell E15 fuel year-round. Current policy prohibits E15 sales between June 1st and September 15th because of concerns that it adds to smog on hot days. In 2022 and 2023 the EPA announced emergency waivers that allowed for summertime E15 sales, citing market disruptions, including the war in Ukraine. This move by the EPA will make those temporary changes permanent in the selected eight states. The rule, which takes effect in April 2025, will apply in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. This decision comes after governors and farm groups in these eight states requested that the federal government change this policy. This modification is a prime opportunity to remind everyone to be mindful of the fuel that you use. Verify that the fuel you are using in your bike is compatible with manufacturers’ guidelines. Stay vigilant as these changes take effect over the next year! Ride Safe and Ride FreeJoin The MRFClick here http://mrf.org/ or call (202) 546-0983

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Send a Letter to EPA Opposing California’s ICE Ban

Final Call: Oppose California’s ICE Ban The California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) “Advanced Clean Cars II” (ACC II) regulations ban the sale of new internal combustion engine vehicles by 2035. ACC II requires that 35% of new cars, SUVs, and small trucks sold in California must be zero-emissions vehicles (ZEV) starting in 2026. The regulation increases ZEV sales requirements by 6% to 8% annually through 2035, when 100% of new vehicles sold in California must be ZEV – eliminating the sale of any new vehicles that are gas-powered. Before ACC II can be implemented, CARB must receive a waiver from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its regulation to take effect. SEMA opposes ACC II because seventeen states, representing nearly 40% of the American population, have previously adopted California motor vehicle emission laws. To date, nine states and the District of Columbia have already adopted ACC II; three states have adopted ACC II through 2032, which requires 87% of new motor vehicle sales to be ZEV; and two states have started the regulatory process to adopt ACC II CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

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EPA Accepting Comments Concerning California’s ICE Ban

EPA Accepting Comments Concerning California’s ICE Ban—Send Your Concerns Now The California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) “Advanced Clean Cars II” (ACC II) regulations ban the sale of new internal combustion engine vehicles by 2035. ACC II requires that 35% of new cars, SUVs, and small trucks sold in California must be zero-emissions vehicles (ZEV) starting in 2026. The regulation increases ZEV sales requirements by 6% to 8% annually through 2035, when 100% of new vehicles sold in California must be ZEV – eliminating the sale of any new vehicles that are gas-powered. Before ACC II can be implemented, CARB must receive a waiver from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its regulation to take effect. The SAN opposes ACC II because seventeen states, representing nearly 40% of the American population, have previously adopted California motor vehicle emission laws. To date, nine states and the District of Columbia have already adopted ACC II; three states have adopted ACC II through 2032, which requires 87% of new motor vehicle sales to be ZEV; and two states have started the regulatory process to adopt ACC II. Learn More and Send an email to your officials with one click! Visit https://p2a.co/bz7dbpm * * *

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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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Firing all barrels with Royal Enfield Shotgun 650

Even with production at the company’s Oragadam factory outside Chennai running flat out for six days a week, there are waiting lists everywhere for the 650cc models such as Super Meteor, Continental GT and Interceptor —  as production struggles to keep up with demand. Yet Royal Enfield’s parent company Eicher Motors (albeit RE accounts for 92% of its overall turnover) just reported a huge 54.70% increase in net profit last November for the second quarter of its business year, with turnover up 17% on the back of a 13% increase in Royal Enfield sales. The 650cc models have catapulted the Indian manufacturer into a leading role in the global middleweight motorcycle market. This desirable problem of meeting motorcycle sales demand is expected to worsen with launch of 2024 Shotgun 650. In U.K., base model Sheetmetal Grey color will cost £6,699 including 20% tax, while the Plasma Blue and Green Drill variants are priced at £100 more, the Premium model in Stencil White costs £6,899. In comparison, 2024 units of the Super Meteor 650 start at £6,799, and in America, it starts at US$6,999. If Royal Enfield keeps such narrow margins with U.S. pricing, you can expect something just above $7k. At fairly low 9.5:1 compression ratio it denotes a low state of tune, most likely to ensure it runs well even on poor-quality fuel in delivering a claimed 51.6 mpg. Rigorous testing regime conducted simultaneously in India, Europe, the USA and the UK are unique to Royal Enfield. You will have a motorcycle that has been there and done that in the real world and not just under “test conditions” Media test riders have praised the tremendous improvement in handling and performance over Super Meteor 650. Shotgun is a incredibly good motorcycle, providing an unexpectedly high level of performance along

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Ohio Pushes Back on California Plans

Just before the end of 2023, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed H.B. 201 into law. The focus of the bill is to; “Prohibit a state agency, county, or township from restricting the sale or use of a motor vehicle based on the energy source used to power the motor vehicle; to prohibit a state agency from adopting the California emissions standards for motor vehicles.” As you may remember, the Clean Air Act allows states to seek a waiver to enact emission standards outside of those set by the federal government. In 2022, California received a waiver allowing the state to establish guidelines requiring every new car and truck sold there to have zero emissions by 2035. This requirement has set off a debate in state capitals around the country. Some states seek to align with California, while others, like Ohio, are pushing back against California’s plans. ABATE of Ohio received the support of other groups in support of the bill, including the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and the Ohio Auto Dealers Association. Ed Schetter, Executive Director of ABATE of Ohio, testified in December, backing the bill. In his remarks, he said, “ABATE of Ohio is concerned with the push towards electric power and pressure to eliminate the internal combustion engine from the marketplace. This may leave many motorcyclists without options on how to power the motorcycles we ride. We also feel this may limit the availability of sales, parts, and service to the motorcyclists of Ohio. Many of these businesses are ones we’ve relied on for years.” After the hearing, lawmakers thanked ABATE of Ohio for their participation. Multiple legislators noted that ABATE of Ohio was the only “citizen-led” group involved in the hearing. Comments like that help reinforce the importance of engagement and participation by citizens in the legislative

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Why We Buy

Before you ride ’em, you gotta buy ’em. Don’t let the media tell you what to buy, allow me! An extreme and absurd view for the heck of it by Ujjwal Dey with illustrations by Wayfarer & friends Click here to read this handbanged nonsense at breakneck speed, only on Bikernet.com * * * * Click to Join Bandit’s Cantina or die trying

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Honda launches a renewed 350 to rival Enfield Classic 350

Honda CB350 launched at ₹2,00,000, will take on Royal Enfield 350. This is an even better retro-styled motorcycle from Honda than their previous 350 efforts in India and offers a lot of modern features that Enfield never has– at a price that can win customers over to their stable. Those who want an Enfield will listen to no reason nor rhyme to change their mind about their purchase. While it is primarily aimed at dethroning the King –Royal Enfield Classic 350 in sales pie-charts, it seems by co-incidence it will compete effectively with customers divided between Hero-made Harley-Davidson 440 and Bajaj-made Triumph Speed 400. Meanwhile, Enfield is sending Meteor to USA (well the motorcycle model, relax!) and Honda H’ness 350 which was first designed and launched in India was soon released in Japan as well. So will America see a Honda 350. It would be interesting if Honda and Kawasaki (Z650RS) brought the retro-styled motorcycles they presented in India to USA– because surely Harley-Davidson and Triumph won’t be bringing their 440cc and 400cc bikes over to ruin their American Dream of selling big bikes. Clearly, sales volumes in India, a more dynamic and responsive market than China, seems to tempt brands to change their strategies in their primary / major markets as well. All said, Honda still has a ‘big’ drawback with its sales and servicing of mid-weight bikes. Only Honda Big Wing brand of authorised dealers can sell and service these 350cc motorcycles apart from their other big engine bikes such as Fireblade, Africa Twin or Goldwing. This is silly because a 350cc engine is a common sight in all cities in India–thanks to Royal Enfield’s success at marketing and branding them. So, unless Honda leverages its vast number of dealers who sell 100cc to 150cc commuter motorcycles and

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TVS overtakes Yamaha’s Market Capitalisation

TVS overtakes Yamaha’s Market capitalisation to become third-largest two-wheeler maker in the world. The market capitalisation (Mcap) of Chennai-based (India) TVS Motor has surged 37% to $9.2 billion over the past six months, as per Bloomberg’s data. In contrast, Yamaha Motor saw an Mcap erosion of $1.6 billion from its August highs. Only seventeen months ago, TVS Motor Company was less than half the size of Yamaha Motor Co. Now, it has overtaken the Japanese two-wheeler giant in terms of market valuation. Investors continue to bet on a revival in both domestic and export markets, and TVS seemed the horse of choice, symbolic of its logo. BTW, Indian two-wheeler manufacturers make up four of the top five companies in the world. Bajaj Auto tops the list with a Mcap of $19 billion, followed by Eicher Motors with an $11.5 billion Mcap. Hero MotoCorp ranks fifth with a market valuation close to $8 billion. Additionally, TVS Motors has gained dominant position in EV scooters, and has managed to gain market share in every segment over the last few years. TVS makes the 310cc BMW engines and motorcycles sold in India. TVS also owns the Norton brand. US-based Harley-Davidson ranked seventh with an Mcap of $4.3 billion, three Chinese manufacturers are featured among the top ten two-wheeler makers in the world. * * * * * * * * Stay on top of the two-wheeled world, subscribe to Bikernet.com free weekly newsletter

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