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From TheGUNNY’S SACK
The month of March this year has been one of grief and heartache for many of us around the country. We’ve all lost family and brothers and sisters of the road. I don’t remember any time that I’ve spent so many days at graves and funerals. These are things we live with day to day, but the real sorrow is the needless loss of life from negligence. We all know it, but it bears repeating for all the new riders among us: MOTORCYCLES are INVISIBLE to the average driver. They will run you over and say they never saw you. All too often, they aren’t held responsible even with as little as a traffic citation. This needs to come to a screeching halt. In Oregon, BikePAC is trying to get a bill through to enhance the criminal penalties for vehicular assault. We worry ourselves into a tizzy over unfair helmet laws, yet pay little or no attention to the carnage on our highways. I have to tell you, I’m a damn sight more concerned about staying alive and stopping the careless and murderous drivers than I am about a lid on my noggin. Doesn’t mean I’m for the lid law, I hate it like sin, but it does mean I think we need to start putting some priorities on what we fight for and how hard we fight for it. FREEDOM is NOT FREE. It’s long past time we recognized that as a fact of life.
NEWS BITS’N’PIECES:
NYC, NY: The New York Times probably isn’t the first publication you’d look to for biker info, but they DID have a really funny article recently, “Wandering Jews,” but on Harleys. My boss Sam Hochberg sent it to me by email. It’s about the growth of Jewish patch clubs – I figure they’re one-piece or two-piece patches, but I sure haven’t actually SEEN one yet. I take it from the article that these clubs are mostly rubbie and yuppie riders, with a few long-in-the-tooth riders mixed in. I still think “rubbie” is a dirty word. You know, the MORE knees there are in the breeze, the better it is for ALL bikers. When the well-to-do and connected riders know more about what we’re up against every day, the likelier we are to get some CHANGE.
I got a kick out of one Jewish club in New York, the Star of Davidson MC. They sell a t-shirt online (www.starofdavidson.com) with the outline of a big Jewish star of David, and the words, in that Hebrew lettering style, “My Hog is Kosher.” These guys in New York DO stick together to ride as a form of brotherhood with fellow male riders. At least ONE gal back there got riled by the “guy thing.” Jane Seley shot off a letter to the editor a day after the article appeared, and here’s what she said: “I would like it to go on record that I am a Jewish woman who has been biking since I was 11 years old and I would rather bike than bake!” Honey, your old uncle Gunny here would be proud to ride with ya any time. We have Christian riders, why not Hebrews, too? NOTE: If you’d like to get articles like these from the New York Times, you can register at www.nytimes.com for free.
VIET NAM: Now this is something to cause an old fashioned feud. We are told a minor motorcycle crash in a village near Hanoi sparked a riot that involved over a thousand people from two villages. The thing lasted about three hours and it took the local gendarmes nearly an hour to bring the festivities to a halt. Nearly 17 people were hurt and 20 houses were damaged in the melee. The guys that the altercation started over were unhurt. I don’t condone senseless violence, but at least it shows me that somewhere in the world motorcycles mean something to the public.
CINCINNATI, OHIO: Norton, that great old bike with a lot of history, is making history again. These guys announced a new giant V-Twin at the V-Twin Expo Trade Show in Cincinnati. It’s called the Nemesis, and get this: It’s powered by the largest production engine available – a 125 cubic inch, 2050 cc Merch/Norton V-Twin. It’ll get ya 130 ft lbs of torque to your rear wheel, it’s rubber-mounted, with belt drive and a 6-speed tranny. The company info on the bike claims that these “Merch” people, an American/Canadian company, have been putting out reliable engines for some time now. MAN, and I thought my new 1800cc Wing was the bee’s knees! I guess whatever you do, there’s always somebody gonna make something bigger. I’d sure like to take a spin on this new Nemesis, though! Keep a weather eye out in your area for dealers, at least to take a gawk at it.
SAN JOSE, CA: For those among you who can’t keep your fingertips offa your computer, there’s yet another way to look at motorcycles online: Seems E-Bay has bought another business that specializes in selling vehicles, so E-Bay has expanded their base in that area. You can go to “www.ebaymotors.com,” and let your fingers look for your next putt.
KARACHI, PAKISTAN: Bikes are being used as bombs again. And it’s in that part of the world where just about ANYTHING can get turned into a bomb. I guess it’s that undeniable ability of a bike to scoot in just about anywhere that makes ’em easy to use for that. In this case, a bomb was hidden on a bike that sat in a parking lot of some big state-owned oil company. The government there thinks it was intended as a message to the anti-terrorism forces, since it didn’t blow up anything or anybody. But any way y’look at it, it’s a waste of a motorcycle!
EUGENE, OREGON: Another day, another dose of police abuse in this otherwise liberal college town. This time, it’s because a member of the Free Souls MC, Eugene chapter, was tossed out of the Lane County Fair because he was wearing his colors. Never mind that he’s a regular family guy with a regular job, NO criminal record, NO ruckus, and NO problems. After about an hour there, while his wife was eating cotton candy, the Eugene cops surrounded the two of them and escorted them out. Why? It’s “gang-free” at the fair. Telling them that the FSMC has been around as a CLUB for over 30 years means nothing to them. What will mean something is the civil rights lawsuit being filed against them by our Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (AIM) Attorney for Oregon, Sam Hochberg, and his associate for the case, Bill Redden. Stay tuned to the Sack for more, or come to the NCOM Convention May 8-10th in Milwaukee, where Sam will be giving a talk about this case and others.
WOODCLIFF LAKE, NJ: BMW has donated six R 1100 RT-P police motorcycles to the Dept. of Defense, to help the Pentagon Police establish their first motorcycle unit. The donation is part of the company’s program to provide bikes to law enforcement in areas hit hard by the September 11th tragedy.
GUNNY AGAIN: Our National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) Convention is rapidly approaching folks, and reservations are going FAST. If you haven’t made your’s ya better hurry. Ya just plain don’t want to miss this one. Call the National Coalition of Motorcyclists for further details at 1-800-525-5355, or go to www.ON-A-BIKE.com. It’s coming up early in May, so make your reservations NOW. AND, it’s in Milwaukee, for the motor company’s 100th celebration! Keep the round side on the bottom. Gunny, Oregon AIM Chief of Staff
