THE AIM/NCOM MOTORCYCLE E-NEWS SERVICE is brought to you by Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (A.I.M.) and the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM), and is sponsored by the Law Offices of Richard M. Lester. For more information, call us at 1-(800) ON-A-BIKE or visit us on our website at < COAST TO COAST BIKER NEWS BIKER VETS VISIT BUSH– The roar of Rolling Thunder at the nearby Capital Mall could be heard across the South Lawn of the White House as eight motorcycles rolled up the driveway to the South Portico where President Bush was waiting to greet them. Bush shook hands with Artie Muller, president of the Rolling Thunder veterans’ advocacy group, and kissed Muller’s passenger, singer Nancy Sinatra, a veterans’ supporter. Other bikers who rode up the driveway included White House budget director Josh Bolton, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson and Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi, and various Rolling Thunder leaders. Bush led them on a personal tour of the Oval Office, reported the Associated Press. Later, Bush addressed, via a telephone hookup, a Rolling Thunder rally at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in the nation?s capital. The president noted the letter of endorsement he recently received from the group. “Artie, I thought you were going to offer me riding lessons,” Bush joked. “In the Oval Office, I looked you in the eye as you told me of your relentless pursuit of finding out the plight of many of our POW/MIAs, and I appreciated so much your concern, your care and your persistence,” Bush told the rally. “I also want to thank you and your organization, Artie, for honoring the men and women of our military who fight today in Afghanistan and Iraq.” “Ride safe,” he told them. Rolling Thunder is an organization that seeks to create awareness of POW/MIA issues and promotes increased veterans’ benefits. It has 70 chapters and over 7,000 members throughout the United States and abroad. MASSACHUSETTS ENACTS “NELLY’S BILL” TO EDUCATE DRIVERS Governor Mitt Romney signed House Bill 2124 into law on June 6, 2004, to require at least one hour of a motorcycle safety and awareness module be included in the course curriculum for 398 licensed auto driver training schools statewide. Known as “Nelly’s Bill,” in memory of Nelson Selig who was killed in 2000 when a 19-year-old driver crossed into the path of his motorcycle, the law will take affect in 90 days. “We’re very grateful our legislators who listened to those who ride,” said Paul W. Cote, Director of Government Relations for the Massachusetts Motorcycle Association. “This legislation, when implemented, will begin another element of our process at reducing accidents, injuries and fatalities here in Massachusetts,” said Cote. Funding for the expectant $10,000 cost of the materials will come from the state’s Motorcycle Safety Program, accumulated by $2 of each of the 144,000-plus motorcyclist’s annual registration fees. “Riders pay their own way,” Cote said, noting that during their lobbying day last month, they also sought a $5 increase of the $25 annual motorcycle registration fee for more money in their Safety Fund. U.S. MOTORCYCLE SALES REV UP FOR 11TH STRAIGHT YEAR Sales of new motorcycles increased 6.4 percent in 2003, while combined sales of motorcycles and ATVs reached an all-time high. Motorcycle sales have now been on the rise for more than a decade, according to the latest Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) estimates for all brands, marking the 11th consecutive year that new unit sales of two-wheelers increased compared to the previous year. Approximately 996,000 new motorcycles were purchased in 2003, up from 936,000 in 2002. All Terrain Vehicle sales climbed to an estimated 886,000 in 2003 and increased by 3.8 percent over the previous year, posting their 12th straight year of growth. Estimated combined motorcycle and ATV sales for 2003 reached 1,882,000, which is an all-time record and up 5.2 percent over the previous year. UK BIKE SALES CONTINUE DROPPING The latest figures released by the British motorcycle industry group MCIA shows that new motorcycle sales fell by around 21% in May 2004. So far, some 45,000 two wheelers have been sold this year, down 17% on the 2003 total. Smaller bikes and scooters seem to be less popular than ever, down by a whopping 41% in May, which is astonishing, says the MCIA, given the recent hike in petrol prices in the UK — surely some bike dealers must be marketing scooters to cash-strapped English car drivers? Best selling big bikes in Britain so far in 2004 are the new Yamaha R1, followed by the Honda CBR600RR, then the CBR125R. On the brighter side, bike thefts in the U.K. have dropped by 7%. VIRGINIA GOV VETOES SAFETY BILL Despite passing unanimously through the House and Senate, Governor Mark R. Warner has vetoed HB 408, a bill that would have required the marking of steel plates on Virginia roadways to make them more visible to drivers and riders. 140 Legislators saw the value and benefit of this key piece of safety legislation, yet Governor Warner rejected a bill that is designed to insure motorcyclists, and the general public, are safer on the roads by requiring that steel plates installed on roadways be clearly marked, reports Jim Cannon of the Virginia Coalition of Motorcyclists (VCOM). WEST COAST CHOPPERS GEAR BANNED FROM CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS The Iron Cross, a recognizable symbol of Nazi Germany, has become a popular design with skateboard companies such as No Fear and biker clothing manufacturers like Jesse James’ West Coast Choppers. But school officials in Southern California have banned the symbol and recently mailed over 13,000 letters to parents of children in the Simi Valley Unified School District to inform them of their decision to bar clothing and jewelry depicting the symbol they say is being used by believers of “white power” movements to identify themselves. School officials said that the step was recommended by the Police Department, which considers the Iron Cross a gang symbol, and was taken due to rumors of rising tensions on campus which they fear could lead to violence. U.S. ATTORNEY’S OFFICE APPEALS BAN ON BIKER ATTIRE IN COURT The U.S. Attorney’s office has appealed a judge’s ruling that bars biker attire in a Salt Lake City courtroom. In May, a magistrate judge ordered that motorcycle gear — especially that worn by the members of Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA) — not be worn in court proceedings for a child sex abuse case currently in federal court. Members of BACA often show up in courtrooms when child abuse suspects are on trial to show support for the victims, and U.S. Attorney Paul Warner says the order barring the motorcycle gear limits the First Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. Warner’s office is hoping that the order will be reviewed, and overruled. Last year, a judge in Provo barred BACA clothing during a sex abuse case involving a child, saying the clothing and logos could influence the jury. TATTOOING NOW LEGAL IN 49 STATES Many states outlawed tattooing in the 1960s, but South Carolina and Oklahoma are the only states to continue the ban, at least until now. A compromise bill lifting South Carolina’s ban on tattooing has passed the House and Senate and is on its way to Governor Mark Sanford’s desk. Sanford has said he will sign the bill as long as it protects public safety, according to the Associated Press. The bill outlaws tattoos for anyone younger than 18 and requires a parent’s permission from 18 to 21. It bans tattooing the face, neck and head. Tattoo artists will have to use disposable needles and follow local zoning laws, such as opening businesses away from churches and schools. Tattoo parlors also will need a license before opening. A conference committee deleted a part of the House bill that would give local governments more control, which many supporters worried might kill the bill. But the House approved it 62-29 shortly before adjourning, and the Senate followed with a voice vote soon after. STUDY SHOWS THAT HELMETS SLOW REACTIONS Cricket helmets may slow the brain, according to a new study from the U.K. Keeping a cool head may have real advantages for batsmen at the crease, according to new research among cricketers that found a measurable improvement in reaction times and vigilance when players did not wear protective helmets. Researchers believe that the difference in performance may be linked to an overheating of the brain in players batting in helmets — possibly similar to the effects on people over-using mobile phones. Dr. Nick Neave, of the human cognitive neuroscience unit at Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, said his study showed that “in young adults, in a mild climate, some aspects of cognition are affected by wearing a non-vented protective helmet following exercise.” Dr. Neave told the annual conference of the British Psychological Society in London that his team tested 16 cricketers, aged 13 to 17, who were members of Durham County Cricket Club. The boys — half wearing standard helmets — batted in the nets with a bowling machine and underwent a computer test for mental abilities, including vigilance, reaction times andattentiveness. The study showed that getting hot alone had no effect on the physical abilities of the young cricketers or on their mental abilities to perform very simple mental tasks. But when they were asked to perform more complex tasks, involving making choices, their reaction times fell. One measurement showed a 16 millisecond deficit in helmet-wearing boys. Dr. Neave and his colleagues now want to test their results with adult cricketers to see if experience overrides the slight detrimental effect of wearing a helmet. NOT YOUR TYPICAL REALITY SHOW Bravo has announced that actors and friends Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman will star in and co-produce “Long Way Round,” a new reality series chronicling the duo’s four-month long transcontinental motorcycling journey. The two left from London in late April after taking survival training, first aid, nutrition, bike maintenance and linguistics classes, and plan to arrive at their final destination of New York City by the end of July. Their trip takes them over 20,000 miles, circumnavigating the longest continuous landmass on earth, through the Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, Siberia, Alaska and Canada before arriving in the United States. They will live off the land and out of a tent, encountering hardships along the way, including cultural and language barriers. “We live in such a comfortable and easy time that it doesn’t do yourself any harm to go and test yourselves and survive with just the bare essentials,” said McGregor, who is best known for his movie roles in Moulin Rouge, Trainspotting, the Star Wars trilogy and more recently starred in the Golden Globe nominated film Big Fish. Boorman, the son of famed Hollywood director John Boorman (Hope and Glory, Deliverance), is also a movie veteran with a multitude of supporting screen credits including Deliverance, Excalibur, The Serpent’s Kiss, The Emerald Forrest and many more. In fact, the two adventurers first met eight years ago on the set of The Serpent’s Kiss, where they discovered their mutual passion for motorcycling. The six-episode series will air later this year. WEIRD NEWS: NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES A Romanian man says he’s “had enough” after being run over for the seventh time since 1987; four times by a car, once by a motorcycle, once by a bus and once by a train. Nicolae Tabacu, 44, from Valea Mare, Arges county, Australia, has now broken every limb except for his right hand. He was run over by a police car in his most recent accident, which put him in the hospital with a broken leg. “I was only 10 meters from my house when I had this last accident,” the unlucky pedestrian told the Jurnalul National newspaper. “I think I’ve had enough. I wish this policeman hit me harder as I am really fed up with spending time in hospitals.” FREE MOTORCYCLES ON THE WEB Yamaha Motorcycles is invoking the ancient art of Origami, Japanese paper-folding, to lure bored bikers to their website, www.yamaha-motor.com, to download directions for numerous paper models of their most popular bikes. Click on the global links page that has a category for entertainment, then go to the papercrafts links. QUOTABLE QUOTE: “Politics is supposed to be the second-oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.” Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States (1911?2004)
Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish,
National Coalition of Motorcyclists
