Hey,
It’s never a dull moment around this crap house. Yesterday morning my computer crashed. It didn’t just crap out. It crashed big time. It’s toast, curtains, shot. So, first I must apologize if you hoped your item would be glorified in the news and didn’t make it. Second, I hauled it off to the doctor and prayed for surf. He ran tests all night long with no luck. Today he endeavored to save the data. My fingers are still crossed. Hence, the fuckin’ news is up late and it’s a short version.
Last weekend I attempted to ride my Panhead to Brad’s house. He’s a shipping crane mechanic and owns Harbor Kick-Boxing Dojo. He also owns a pristine 1965 Panhead and was having a problem with his clutch. I jumped my ’48 and headed in his direction until my throttle stuck on the dual Mikuni job. I made a left on Anaheim and ducked into a residential district. I shut it down and tinkered. The initial throttle cable was jammed. It was nearly dark and I didn’t have time to fuck with it alongside the street. I kicked it to life and the engine roared. I jammed it into second and let out the foot clutch. It was stuck at about 25 mph, so I feathered the clutch at stops and weaved toward home. I rolled passed the gate without ever stopping, shut ‘er off and rolled out the Road King. I stll made it in time for Thai food and bullshitting in the garage.
Let’s hit the news, then I’ll report on my Sturgis Update and bike project. I pick up the powder tomorrow, and then final construction begins:
TEN LEGISLATIVE UPDATE– Here is what happened today HB 456 which was our clean helmet bill was rolled until the first calendar in Budget in 2006.Tomorrow we have the Senate Version of the parade bill and the House version of the Bicycle Helmet Bill.John will update me on these bills as soon as he knows something on the bills that are being heard tomorrow.We have made some huge strives this year we have made new friends and we start next year exactly where we left off in budget committee so we are already ahead of the game for 2006. Our sponsors are willing to work hard and have not given up our dream of freedom of choice and they are going to help us this summer and the 100’s of megs of other information we have already gathered plus what ever anyone digs up this summer we have 7 months before we are ready to go again lets get busy working on it.
Nancy “Halftrack” Carr
CMT/ABATE Office Manager/ Newsletter Editor
Member of Sons of Liberty Riders
MRF Member
Penn DOT REPORTS THAT HIGHWAY DEATHS WERE DOWN IN 2004–HARRISBURG: Highway deaths in Pennsylvania dropped to 1,490 last year,87 fewer than 2003 when 1,577 people lost their lives on the Commonwealth’sroads, according to State Transportation Secretary Allen D. Biehler, P.E.
According to PennDOT statistics, the number of alcohol-relatedfatalities decreased from 558 in 2003 to 542 last year.
To be more consistent with how the federal government reports crashstatistics, PennDOT included police, coroner, hospital and actualblood-alcohol content reports to indicate an alcohol-related fatality. From2001 to 2003, PennDOT used only police reports to indicate alcohol-relatedfatalities.
The number of motorcyclists killed dropped to 157 last year from 171in 2003. Additionally, the number of pedestrians killed dropped to 151 lastyear from 175 in 2003.
Fatalities that resulted from speeding dropped to 250 last year from270 in 2003. PennDOT also changed how this number is reported to be moreconsistent with federal crash reporting. For 2004, PennDOT dropped drivingtoo fast for conditions and fleeing a police officer from the speedingcategory, which now only includes actual speeding.
Unbuckled fatalities dropped significantly to 578 last year from 623in 2003. Since 2000, PennDOT has allocated over $14 million in federal fundsto state and local police agencies to conduct special enforcement events andeducation aimed at increasing seat belt use. Pennsylvania’s current seatbelt use rates stands at 82 percent, compared to roughly 71 percent in 2000.
Heavy truck-related fatalities dropped to 183 last year from 214 in2003. Also, aggressive driving played a role in 868 fatalities last year,up 10 from 2003. Aggressive driving includes factors such as speeding,fleeing police, careless passing and tailgating.
I had two telephone interviews this afternoon with the Patriot News(Harrisburg, PA) and the Tribune-Review (Pittsburgh, PA) concerning theofficial PennDOT statistics that were released today. I stressed to thereporters that Motorcycle helmets do not prevent accidents, education ofmotorcycle operators and other road users are the key to saving more lives.
I was told by one reporter that the breakdown of the numbers is this:
70 – Helmetless
73 – With Helmets
2 – Improper Helmets (non-DOT)
6 – Helmets worn improperly
6 – unknown
I was also asked to comment about how in 2003 helmetless m/c fatalities were37 compared to 70 in 2004. I declined to comment on those numbers andexplained that on September 4, 2003 was when we gained our freedom here inPA and that meant that there was only 4 months of freedom that year comparedto 12 full months in 2004. Not only that, but the 4 months of freedomincluded 2 months that the majority of PA bikers didn’t ride in, therefore thenumbers were meaningless statistics.
If we wanted to, we could say that 37×3=111 vs. the 70 fatalities thatactually occurred. That would indicate a 37% decrease in helmetless deathsfrom 2003 to 2004.
Hmmmm…?
Jeff Harris – ABATE of PA – State Public Relations Officer
S&S ANNOUNCES DEALER HIGHLIGHT ON WEB SITE– LA CROSSE, WI (June 2, 2005) S&S Cycle is pleased to announce that two dealers, DOUGZ Custom Paint and Fabrication and J&P Cycles, are featured dealers in the Dealer Center at www.sscycle.com .
DOUGZ Custom Paint and Fabrication of La Crosse, Wisconsin was the first dealer to be highlighted and the current highlight is J&P Cycles of Anamosa, Iowa . Viewers will have the opportunity to learn about these and other dealers through this service and S&S is proud to be associated with so many professional customers.
An electronic submission form can be filled out by dealers wishing to be considered. The web site for this form is http://www.sscycle.com/iframes/login.php – simply enter the Dealer Area for directions. Previous highlights will be archived for continued viewing in the future.
“Since our dealership has been featured on the S&S website, our DOUGZ.com traffic has increased 23%. Being the first highlighted dealer on the S&S site is a thrill for us as we are not as well known as many other custom shops across the globe. We are honored by the opportunity to be aligned with the greatest company in the V-Twin industry,” said Doug Wozney , owner of DOUGZ Custom Paint and Fabrication.
STURGIS RUN 2005 FOR THE CRAZY HORSE MONUMENT–Is the Run To Sturgis from Phoenix still happening????Do you know when YOU will be at the Full Throttle???Charlie Brechtel would like to be there to play the 5-Ball song he wrote about you.
He is not looking to be paid for it. He wants to do it for you. It would have to be when he is not busy playing at the Buffalo Chip or somewhere else and also work it out with the owners of Full Throttle.
–Rogue
Of course it’s happening. And I’ll run it down every week in the news. Tomorrow we’re designing fliers and will have them in Irvine on Saturday at the HOT BIKE Super Show. Check it out below and sign up for the ride.–Bandit
I’ll give you a brief rundown: The charity efforts are to support the Crazy Horse Monument in the Black Hills. We leave from Phoenix on Wednesday the 3rd of August and ride along warm twisting highways, ducking interstates wherever possible to Durango, Colorado for the night. Then it’s up Thursday morn and down the terrific mountain roads into Aspen, Colorado for the night. Both these towns are knock-outs for terrific restaurants and nightlife. Friday morning we cut a dusty trail north again into Cheyenne and we’re almost home. Saturday we meander up killer roads into the Badlands and Deadwood, but we won’t stop until we reach the Full Throttle Saloon for our first party of the Rally.
Each day will cover 250-300 miles so we’ll roll into town in time to hang out by the pool, hit the gym, shop in town then have a killer meal.
That’s it, you cover the hotels and your expenses, we make all the arrangements and you make a donation to Crazyhorse.
To get hooked up you need to contact Joerlene, our travel agent and line up hotels. She will have rooms booked from Phoenix to Cheyenne and if you’re not hooked up in Sturgis, she’ll try to help. Her email address is carefreetours@hawaii.rr.com.
BUILD-YOUR-OWN CUSTOM TANK–If you?ve ever wanted to try your hand at custom fabrication, here?s a perfect starting point. Pro-One has just released a collection of WELD YOUR OWN FUEL TANK KITS that provide the perfect baseline for designing and fabricating your own custom gas tank. The kits are sold with components shown including side panels, bottom plates, tunnel, brackets and even a pop-up custom cap. Available in 3 styles, Frankentank, Tear Drop and Dagger Style, the kits can be modified and altered to your personal taste and requirements. Retail on for the WELD YOUR OWN TANK KITS is $549.95. For complete details call 800-884-4173 visit www.pro-one.com.
PAUGHCO?S RETRO-COFFIN–Paughco?s newest line of Old School style chopper gas tanks really aren?t new at all. They?ve been making them and thousands of other traditional CHOPPER components since 1968! Upgrades for late model screw in caps and the addition of larger capacity models are the only things that have changed. Otherwise these are the same COFFIN TANKS that along with PAUGHCO?S renowned MUSTANG tank, ruled back in the wild 60?s and 70?s. Fabricated from 12 gauge steel, the tank shown here carries 2.5 gallons and measures 21″ L x 11 ?” W x 8″ H. Paughco COFFINS are fit with 3/8 petcock bung on the left side and feature a low tunnel. Tanks come with mounting hardware shown and are 100% American Made. This particular style is offered in 2, 2 ?, 3.8, 4, 4.25 and 5 gallon capacities. For complete details call 775-246-5738 or catch the complete Paughco line of traditional and contemporary CHOPPER accessories at www.paughco.com
DAYTONA BEACH GOOD COP GONE BAD ROGUE REPORT — A former Edgewater police officer will get a different prosecutor when he faces a new trial for a shooting death during an early-morning fight.However, 45-year-old Ronald Robbins won’t get a prosecutor from a different judicial circuit, said Circuit Judge Julianne Piggotte, who ruled Wednesday that Robbins doesn’t have enough legal ground to bar other attorneys who work in the local circuit under State Attorney John Tanner.
Robbins’ attorney, Paul Kwilecki Jr., argued Wednesday that the new trial on his second-degree-murder charge should be handled by a different circuit because local prosecutors mishandled the first trial and prejudiced the jury.Though Kwilecki’s request was denied, he was relieved to know that the local prosecutor who handled the first trial, Assistant State Attorney Bryan Feigenbaum, won’t be handling the new trial. The homicide division of the State Attorney’s Office will prosecute.However, the motion heard Wednesday was the latest in a case full of bizarre twists.
Robbins, who served on the Edgewater Police Department from 1987 to 2002, was convicted in May 2003 of the shooting death of 22-year-old Jason Starkey. According to records, Starkey and Robbins fought outside a Daytona Beach dry-cleaning business about 4:50 a.m. Sept. 22, 2002.Starkey was killed from a single gunshot wound to the back, and during the trial Robbins argued that the shooting happened in self-defense.Starkey was a murder suspect in the death of a cross-dressing male prostitute, and Robbins’ former lover was acquitted of charges she tried to have Feigenbaum killed.
The 5th District Court of Appeal overturned Robbins’ guilty verdict in December, ruling that Robbins didn’t get a fair trial.
The appellate court ruled that Feigenbaum got improper testimony during the trial and made improper remarks during closing arguments for which the trial judge should have declared a mistrial.
The improper testimony and the improper remarks focused on whether Robbins didn’t mention to police that Starkey had a knife. Such remarks by a prosecutor are prohibited because Robbins has a right to remain silent, the appellate court ruled.
–byLudmilla Lelis Orlando Sentinel
–from Rogue http:// http://www.bikerrogue.com
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