WANT A $10,000 EPA FINE?
By Bandit | | General Posts
The new EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) motorcycle emissions rules have taken effect for the large manufacturers, those that produce over 3,000 units per year, beginning with the 2006 models. You know your shop is ready for the new year. Your techs have done their homework so they understand the changes in the new models. You have all the latest catalogs so you can get everything your customers will want to personalize their rides. You know the specs on all the latest engines, engine components, transmissions, wheels, and frames and what will fit what bike. You can even build your customer any bike he wants, right down to that righteous paint job and custom chrome plating on the parts your machine shop fabricates.
Your customers have already started coming in complaining about the performance of their new ride and asking you to make some improvements for them. They want you to change that restrictive stock air cleaner and filter. Oh, and get rid of the stock pipes, so their bike will look, sound, and run better. That means a new fuel injection control module will be needed, or the stock one altered, because the engine will not run right (lots of popping and spitting out of the intake) with the factory fuel injection map. Your customer does not want to buy the flash from the dealer because he’s not finished changing things yet. So you put on one of the aftermarket programmable fuel injection control modules because the owner wants to be able to adjust the mapping when he has you put in the new cam and rework the heads later on.
Does this sound familiar? Sure it does, this is your industry, your livelihood. Heck, this is how you’ve been doing business since you opened your doors. However, now there’s a big problem with doing business as usual. Have you noticed the disclaimers on all those engine products, including the new, high-flow air filters? You know, the ones that say “For closed course use only” or “Not legal for street use.” Those words are what may end business as you know it unless you’re working exclusively on pre-1979 motorcycles. That’s because if you work on later machines, any modification you do to the engine, intake, exhaust system, or driveline of a motorcycle puts you in violation of the federal Clean Air Act of 1979. Unfortunately, this is how many small shops, manufacturers, and bike builders currently make their living. If you want to preserve your livelihood, now is the time to get involved.
Tampering
There is a section in the Clean Air Act of 1979 concerning “tampering,” which makes it illegal to modify or remove any component designed to reduce or control exhaust emissions, including intake or exhaust noise. Removing the catalytic converter on a car, or a new motorcycle constitutes tampering. So does replacing an engine component with anything other than stock or direct replacement components. Violating this anti-tampering law opens you up to a fine of up to $10,000 per occurrence. An occurrence is logged each and every day the modified vehicle is operated on public streets. That means a possible fine of up to $10,000 per day for every modified motorcycle that comes out of your shop. (This is the maximum fine, not necessarily what the EPA will impose.)
What work can you do without violating the anti-tampering law? The EPA says that, by law, all you can change is accessories that do not affect how the bike performs emissions-wise, such as chassis improvements, color, and chrome changes. No engine, intake, exhaust, or driveline modifications allowed. Ditto for six-speeds, fat rear tires, and sprocket or pulley changes. Anything that can cause the engine to work harder, rev differently, etc. is not allowed. So how long can you stay in business if you lose the vast majority of your engine work or only work on pre-1979 motorcycles?
Most shops have not been concerned with the anti-tampering laws because the enforcement in the aftermarket motorcycle industry has been very lax. A large number of shops, individuals, and even some manufacturers do not even know these laws exist, much less that they apply to motorcycles. Manufacturing and selling components designed to defeat highway vehicle emission control devices has been illegal since the Clean Air Act was passed in 1977. The companies that make the parts you install put that disclaimer on the package to protect themselves. However, we’re not so sure it will protect them or you if the enforcement level rises, which it’s dong already. Case in point: On a recent trip out west, Editor Chris Maida talked with one California bike builder who has already been visited by CARB officials and has been slapped with violations for some of the bikes in his shop. And he’s not the only one. We also all know what starts in California soon finds its way across the country.
The new emissions rules were published in the Federal Register, Volume 69, No. 10. Here’s the text about tampering from page 2,403: “F. Modification, Customization, and Personalization of Motorcycles. Many motorcycle owners personalize their motorcycles in a variety of ways. This is one of the aspects of motorcycle ownership that is appealing to a large number of motorcycle owners, and they take their freedom to customize their bikes very seriously. However, there are some forms of customization that are not legal under the provisions of Clean Air Act section 203(a), which states that it is illegal: for any person to remove or render inoperative any device or element of design installed on or in a motor vehicle or motor vehicle engine in compliance with regulations under this title prior to its sale and delivery to the ultimate purchaser or … after such sale and delivery to the ultimate purchaser … or for any person to manufacture or sell … or install, any part or component intended for use with … any motor vehicle … where a principal effect of the part or component is to bypass, defeat, or render inoperative any device or element of design installed on or in a motor vehicle … in compliance with regulations under this title, and where the person knows or should know that such part or component is being offered for sale or installed for such use or put to such use. … In other words, under current law, owners of motor vehicles cannot legally make modifications that remove, bypass, or disable emission-control devices installed by the manufacturer. It is also illegal for part manufacturers and dealers to manufacture, sell, or install a part or component that the manufacturer or dealer knows or should know will be sold or used in a manner that defeats the emissions control system.”
What all that means is that it’s illegal, and has been since 1979, to change engine components like air cleaners, cams, pistons, heads, flywheels or crankshafts, carburetors, fuel injection modules, intake manifolds, or exhaust pipes on street motorcycles unless the finished bike has been tested and the amount of emissions the motorcycle produces did not increase. Changing gear ratios and putting on a fatter rear tire can also affect emissions because motorcycles are emissions-tested as a complete vehicle, not as individual components. Changing these components can alter how much a throttle is opened to get the motorcycle to a set speed, which may increase the emissions it produces. Almost every aftermarket motorcycle shop, in this country and many OEM shops as well, has made, or is making these modifications. As we stated in the beginning of this article, this is your way of business; this is how you make a living.
The New Rules
The rule goes on to say, “The new emission standards that we are adopting do not change this ‘tampering’ prohibition, which has been in the Clean Air Act for more than 20 years. Part manufacturers are still free to make parts, dealers are free to sell and install parts, and owners are free to customize their motorcycles in any way, as long as they do not disable emission controls or cause the motorcycle to exceed the emission standards. Owners are also free to perform routine maintenance on their motorcycles to restore or maintain the motorcycle engine and related components in their original condition and configuration.”
The key phrase here is “original condition and configuration.” That means an 88-cubic-inch Twin Cam engine, for example, cannot be stroked or bored out to make it a 95″ or larger engine unless the new engine configuration has been tested and certified to meet the emissions limits that were in effect when the motorcycle was new. And, as we all know, that is a very popular upgrade on a Twin Cam.
Do you build custom motorcycles in your shop and sell them for use on the road? Do you build your own bikes to ride? Do you take one of each of your bikes/models to an EPA-certified test facility for compliance testing before you offer them for sale or ride them on the public roads? The EPA even requires testing for noise levels as part of its vehicle certification process. Every motorcycle since 1979 has been required to display an EPA Certificate of Conformity. If you have not been having the bikes you build tested for compliance you are technically in violation of the federal Clean Air Act. The same anti-tampering fines apply to you unless you spend the thousands of dollars required for testing to certify that your bikes/models conform to the EPA standards for the year you built the motorcycle.
For the first time, starting in 2004, the EPA has allowed some exemptions that allow you to build highway motorcycles and ride them without having them tested. Here are some excerpts from the EPA release: Kit Bikes: An individual is allowed to build one motorcycle (kit bike) for personal use without an EPA certificate. The individual is allowed only one exempt kit bike per lifetime. Any other kit bikes that an individual decides to make must meet the emission standards and be certified with the EPA. The exempt kit bike may not be sold until five years after assembly.
Display Exemptions: A manufacturer may sell or lease 24 custom motorcycles per year for display purposes. These display motorcycles can only be operated on public streets and highways for the purpose of going to and returning from shows or other places where the motorcycle will be displayed. To qualify under the display exemptions, a tag must be permanently attached somewhere on the motorcycle stating that the motorcycle is exempt from EPA emissions requirements and that its use on public roads is limited. EPA must also be notified before the builder sells the motorcycle.
Prior to September 2005, we believed and had been told by the EPA that we were correct, that these exemptions did not come into effect until 2006. During a September 8, 2005, meeting with EPA officials it was discovered that, due to an arcane numbering system for the rule, these exemptions actually had been in effect since March 15, 2004.
New Possible Changes
The EPA and CARB (California Air Resources Board) are going to join forces for a Technology Progress Review in 2006. The EPA will use the results of this review to propose any changes to the rule it feels may be warranted. Your input is critical if you intend to stay in business. One possible change that has been requested is the development of a program that would apply emission standards to motorcycle engine manufacturers. In the rule, on page 2,404, the EPA suggests, “It is our view that a program could be structured such that small volume motorcycle manufacturers could purchase certified engines directly from an engine manufacturer. We believe that such a program could be structured such that it is both fair to the engine manufacturers and beneficial to small volume motorcycle manufacturers. Under one possible approach, small volume motorcycle manufacturers could choose to use certified engines and to accept the calibration or configuration of a certified engine that they purchase for use in their motorcycles. Small volume manufacturers would not be required to use certified engines, but if they chose either to use uncertified engines or to change the calibration or configuration of the certified engines they use, then they would have to independently certify their motorcycles to the applicable emission standards.”
While this sounds like an easy solution at first, it’s not once you think it through. To qualify, you would be required to use the certified engine’s complete package — from the air cleaner through the exhaust system, and possibly even the transmission, gearing, and tire sizes stated, as well as the finished motorcycle weight limits — in your custom-built motorcycle to qualify for the EPA Certificate of Conformity. If you change any of these parts, you could still be required to spend thousands of dollars to have your motorcycle tested for emissions compliance since your modifications could have changed the engine’s emissions.
Here’s another point to consider: If this change to the EPA law goes through, how much more are you going to have to pay to get a “certified” engine package? A package that will include the required non-programmable fuel injection module, exhaust system, and quite possibly the entire driveline except clutch, wheels, and tires. That answer will depend on how strict the enforcement is and what the individuals, shops, and manufacturers will stand for. It will also be influenced by how many engine and frame builders, manufacturers, shops, and bike builders can stay in business under this proposed new regulation. Also, if the proposed certified engine regulation becomes the only way to build a custom motorcycle, it’s very possible that each state will require an EPA certificate of conformity to register a custom-built motorcycle. In fact, some states, like California and Connecticut, are already requiring them.
The MIC, MRF, SBA & EPA
During the Motorcycle Riders Foundation’s (MRF) discussions with the EPA, it learned that the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC), through its American V-Twin Aftermarket Committee, had asked for a “letter of guidance” from the EPA. The MIC, like the MRF, has been in negotiations with the EPA about these previously mentioned issues for some time, and it has been trying to get aspects of these rules changed. However, by requesting this process, the MIC would have stopped the normal EPA public hearing or comment period on the new rules.
The MRF also notified the EPA that the MIC only represents its members — some of the industry’s manufacturers and distributors — not the custom motorcycle industry as a whole and in no way does it represent or is it in discussions with many independent dealers, manufacturers, and local custom shops. Thankfully, the EPA agreed and has been very willing to talk with the MRF about other ways of achieving its goal of cleaner air, without putting small businesses in jeopardy. The MRF did this because, though the MIC did not request the letter of guidance to put other companies out of business (Editor Chris has many friends on the MIC and knows this to be true), the MRF believes the rules the MIC is trying to implement would inadvertently be detrimental to the industry, particularly small shops and builders. If the letter of guidance had been issued, the normal EPA public hearing or comment period on the new rules would have ended and the rest of the industry would not have been able to have its concerns and input heard by the EPA.
Unfortunately, many shop owners that we’ve talked with still do not realize what is going on. Many believe the EPA and state governments will not enforce the new laws, like they didn’t enforce the old laws, and it will be “business as usual.” However, if enforcement is ratcheted up, especially in response to noise complaints, the resulting penalties may be the financial ruin of the smaller shops, manufacturers, and bike builders in the motorcycle aftermarket industry. Innovation will suffer and product choices will go down drastically.
While the high profile of custom motorcycles has been good for business, it may also lead to the demise of portions of the aftermarket industry. If local shops are reluctant to install aftermarket components because of the possibility of EPA fines, what is going to happen to the businesses that build those parts? If more OEM shops refuse to work on modified motorcycles, or possibly not even take them in on trade, how many customers are going to have any of those modifications done? Where does that leave you? And if you have a modified motorcycle, what will it be worth, since no one can ride it without getting a severe fine if he’s caught on the road? If you are a small shop, builder, or manufacturer the time for action is now if you intend to preserve and protect your business. You need to band together to be fairly represented. Understandably, the large aftermarket players are looking out for their interests with the MIC, which is why the MIC was formed. That’s the smart way of doing and protecting your business, since there’s strength in joining forces. And although you cannot join the MIC, you can be represented by the MRF.
When the EPA was working on this rule it was required to consult with the Small Business Administration (SBA) to determine its impact on businesses like yours. SBA held a panel discussion with small business to see what needs to be done to insure they will not be regulated out of existence. Unfortunately, very few business owners showed up to talk with the SBA and express their concerns. The MRF is currently working with the SBA to see if there is any way it can help. The good news is that the SBA is the protector of small business in America and the EPA does not want to put people out of business, so it is willing to entertain ideas that will let it achieve its goal of clean air while allowing business to survive and thrive.
A Better Solution
There is one more option that the MRF is working on in conjunction with several aftermarket companies. We’re exploring the possibility of a “non-conformance payment.” This would be a pay-to-play type of variance to the rules. Under this type of rule, the EPA would collect a payment for each non-certified engine or motorcycle produced, either by a business or individual, to allow that motorcycle to be registered and used legally on the road. Ideally, if a small engine manufacturer can meet the certification requirements, he will not have to pay, but if a builder uses that engine in a non-conforming chassis or modifies the engine, the bike builder or engine modifier would then have to make the payment. This setup would allow for business as usual, as well as protect the garage builder, allowing for innovation and individualism while still going a long way toward protecting the air we all breathe.
American Iron Magazine is strongly supportive of the MRF taking the lead to represent its members and help the aftermarket industry’s small shops, manufacturers, and small-volume bike builders find a solution to this issue both through the EPA, SBA, and, if necessary, Congress. The MRF’s interest in this project is to preserve the lifestyle of motorcycling as we know it. The MRF does not have a financial interest in, nor does it want to be financially involved with, businesses. The MRF does feel, however, that the survival of the small shops, custom builders, and manufacturers is in the best interest of its members. The MRF is the only national organization that represents only street motorcyclists. Its funding comes from individual members and the State Motorcyclist Rights Organizations.
Conclusion
Now that we have the ear of the EPA, it’s time to make your voice heard. The MRF needs your input and support, so your business can be fairly represented and the motorcycling lifestyle we all currently enjoy can be protected. Instead of writing letters to just one government agency, put your concerns in a letter to the MRF. In the February issue of American Iron (and posted here on Bikernet tomorrow) there will be a questionnaire to fill out and send to the MRF so that it can get the answers to very important questions about the viability of your business. The February issue’s How It Works feature will also explain everything you need to know to fill out this form. Some of the questions it will ask are: What will the new rules do to your business? Will you have to lay off workers? Will you have to close your doors for good? What is the dollar value of the business you may lose compared to your total revenue? With this written information from you, the MRF will be able to use your input in a variety of forums, from federal agencies to Congress and the White House. Then the MRF can walk into a meeting and show the officials a compilation of concerns backing up what we have been telling them. With your timely and important input, the MRF will get the results it needs to protect your business and, thereby, the lifestyle and choices of our members.
If you as an individual want to keep building your own custom motorcycles without someone telling you what you can and cannot use, or even how long you have to own your custom motorcycle before you can sell it, the MRF needs to hear from you, too. Letters should be sent to: Motorcycle Riders Foundation, Dept. EPA/AIM, 236 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Suite 510, Washington, DC 20002-4980.
EPA ATTACK
By Bandit |
Not long ago I volunteered to do a write up on the Motorcycle Riders Foundation. The Boss told me to get on it right away due to the looming EPA restrictions. Well with the holidays and my crashed computer slowed me down. My bust, I first went to their web address and was blown away.
Next I contacted Jeff Hennie. Jeff is the Vice President of Government Relations for the Foundation. After a brief conversation via phone from my place of real employment, on company time, I learned several interesting things. Jeff is a long time rider and worked on the Hill for various other interest groups. When the opportunity presented itself for Jeff to come to work for the foundation he gladly took the position. There is one thing about the majority of Bikers; they are passionate about what they do. As the conversation progressed I also learned several other very interesting facts. I figured that the foundation was supported by big business.
I also found out that the MRF had posted a letter in various motorcycle rags for shop owners and riders alike to forward to them so they could get an idea of what the riding public thought of the recent EPA regulations. The response was under-whelming.
The MRF has limited funds to represent national biker interests and used the letter as a research sounding board. They needed to investigate, quickly, rider interest in EPA restriction and determine whether to invest their time and money in trying to alter or repeal the upcoming legislation. (I myself ride a bike that depends on the small shops to maintain and repair, so I am definitely interested in keeping these shops alive and healthy.)
The M.R.F has repeatedly ask the EPA to consider a reasonable non-catalyst forcing emissions standard for highway motorcycles that even the smallest manufacture can meet, while allowing riders to refine their machines to improve ridability and safety.
For three years the MRF has taken on this struggle with the help of State Motorcyclist Rights Organizations and individual cyclist through out the country The MRF is still fighting to save rider options and small business. They are in need of individual cyclists and key members, in the small business community, involvement to save motorcycling in America. There is an urgent need to create a network of small business owners and advocates throughout the country. They are working daily to establish a flexible grassroots fighting force to take on new legislation and regulations, and to build an alliance with friends in Congress, who in fact, were elected by you.
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation in conjunction with America Iron Magazine and Bikernet.com is requesting the help of the entire industry to protecting your right to legally build and ride custom motorcycles. The MRF is asking the EPA to allow individuals to build more than one EPA exempt motorcycle per lifetime, and to allow small volume manufacturers and shops to be able to build more than twenty-four EPA exempt motorcycles a year.
The EPA recently informed the MRF of a new interpretation of the “Control Of Emissions from a Highway Motorcycle” document. We have been notified that the right to build one EPA exempt motorcycle and a shop to build twenty-four exempt motorcycles was March 15, 2004, not January 1, 2006 as originally verified by the EPA. As of 2006 the new tail pipe emissions standards will come into effect for all models 2006 and later for all motorcycles operated on American roads.
With the implementation of tougher standards, the average owner will no longer be able to service and maintain his or her motorcycle, similar to what we have seen in the automobile sector. Tougher standards will reduce motorcycling in America. The result will be sales declines and unemployment. And, as riders turn to passenger cars, the result will be more gas consumption and gridlock resulting in increased pollution.
The EPA wants to harmonize with the California Air Resource Board by 2010. These tougher standards will wipe out custom shops, the aftermarket industry, and small volume bike builders, eliminating tens of thousands of jobs across America.
The MRF has been extremely effective in the past in protecting Motorcyclist and the related lifestyle from any adverse legislation. In the past Congress has tried to single out motorcyclist as a problematic portion of the community.
The MRF will continue to fight any and all legislation that will directly affect the motorcyclist of America. Well if you think reading this was tough, try writing it and experiencing the full effect of every word as you bang it out. Tough, to say the least. After talking to Jeff I was left at a loss.
I guess that people will continue to putt along until the Feds tell them they can no longer ride the bikes they own because they have been legislated out of existence. All that I can ask any of you all is to get involved. I guess that means time or money. I’m bummed out after writing this, so I guess the Shovel and me will go for a long late night ride through the city.
Oh ya I almost forgot, to find the Motorcycle Riders Foundation on line just type that in to your search engine and look for their home page (http://www.mrf.org/). There is a lot of very informative reading and you will be able to locate your state chapter while you are at it (http://www.mrf.org/epa.php).
LTR
Please fill out this letter or write your own and forward it to the MRF at the following address. Or drop them an e-mail. They will see to it that your letter is read and considered.–Bandit
Motorcycle Riders Foundation
236 Massachusetts Ave. NE,Suite510
Washington DC 20002-4980
phone: 202-546-0983
fax: 202-546-0986
Jeff Hennie
Vice President of Government Relations
jeff@mrf.org
Sarah Muckenhoupt
Office Manager
mrfoffice@mrf.org
To Whom It May Concern:
I own and manage _______________ (enter company name here), a ________________ (motorcycle dealership, motorcycle service center, motorcycle parts provider) and a member of the local business community. I want to make you aware of what is happening to one of the fastest growing industries in our region and directly impacting our business success. Motorcycle sales and registrations are reaching all time highs and the custom parts and other related businesses are growing along with this increase in sales. While revenues are up and this mode of transportation continues to provide possibly the single largest fuel conservation effort in the country and much of the world, the United States government is approaching severely deflating this source of jobs, economic revenue and fuel conservation by changing the standards under which my small business can modify or produce motorcycles.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has chosen to ignore the best interests of the motorcycle small business community in their decision making process. The EPA specifically targeted the motorcycle aftermarket business sector by limiting the number and type of motorcycles we can produce. These new standards are impossible to comply with and successfully run the type of business that I do. We hope, in our support of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation, to correct this injustice before the implementation of emission standards enacted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which are so unreasonably strict that our small business will not be able to maintain current personnel and operate at a profitable level.
The rule they are enacting to control emissions is far too broad in its expansive restrictions, far beyond actually controlling emissions. Their proposal would:
* Restrict the manufacturing of motorcycles in volumes less than 3000/yr virtually eliminating the currently booming and very popular custom chopper industry
* Cease the modification or customization of motorcycles by their owners or local service center
*Apply these unreasonable restrictions without giving the industry the opportunity to implement it's own emission controlling policies
* Deplete a multi-billion dollar industry and the jobs it creates and supports.
Motorcycle consumers depend on my small business to fix what they cannot on their motorcycles and/or supply parts they can install themselves. My business is an important link between keeping motorcyclist's wheels rolling and also to provide these consumers with a choice as to what changes they want to make to personalize their motorcycles, no matter what brand they decide they feel comfortable riding. We independent shops and consumers need each other to survive the future with the freedoms we deserve. Many consumers do not wish to maintain a relationship with a franchised dealer for their repair and modification work, and undoubtedly deserve the right to other choices.
The EPA operates under its own authority, with little or no Congressional oversight which is why the motorcycle small business community desperately needs your help. Through congressional pressure we are hoping to keep the new rules from eliminating our exploding cottage industry and associated jobs. With your support and the help of other elected officials and community leaders we can stop the rash deterioration of arguably one of today’s most uniquely American industries.
The new regulations will eventually put us out of business. Only the manufacturer’s dealers, namely the industry's largest few, will be able to work on these bikes because of the anti-tampering provisions of the Emissions Standards rule. Eventually, no one other than the dealer, not even the owner, will be able to work on these bikes. The only modification of motorcycles with the new EPA rules will be, in the EPA’s own words color and chrome. Without your help, I may be forced to close my business entirely. Please do not hesitate to contact the Motorcycle Riders Foundation in Washington D.C. should you have questions or need any additional information.
As true aficionados of clean air and the great outdoors, we riders and business persons in the motorcycle industry fully recognize and support the need to control noise and emissions and as such are willing and anxious to form a nationwide effort to develop and install self-monitoring policies and guidelines for industry improvements to protect the precious environment that we and our children live and ride in.
Thank you for your attention and prompt action toward this very important matter.
Regards,
Nile Canyon Incident
By Bandit | | General Posts
Author’s Note: My editorial to the Fremont Paper aboutthis incident has been picked up nationally, and BOLT sent letters fromtheir lawyer to the Fremont mayor and city council. Hope it makes a difference:
With terrorists blowing up cities, and illegal immigrants flooding over our borders, I wondered why some cops do what they do.
My wife and I were out for a ride today, breaking in our new Road Glide before we leave for Sturgis in two weeks. We rolled down Interstate 680 to Niles Canyon road, since I haven’t been there in a while, and I wanted to take my wife to the Florence, an old school biker bar nestled at the end of a great canyon ride.
As we rolled into town, I noticed a motor cop sitting in a parking lot, and I checked my speed. Five miles an hour under the limit, so I figured I was good to go. Wrong. Next thing I knew, I got lit up like a Christmas tree. I figured, what the fuck, I hadn’t been drinking, still had stock pipes on the Glide, and no ape hangers yet either. The cop jumped off his bike and came over and yelled that he pulled us over for illegal helmets.
As a former ABATE local president, I kind of had an idea on what the routine was, but nothing prepared me for this asshole cop. First, he grabbed my helmet without getting consent to search, and informed me he was writing me a ticket for an illegal helmet. He said that I could either let him take pictures of my helmet, or he would confiscate them. Then, he told me that in order to proceed; I would have to walk 3 blocks down the street to a head shop/pornography store, where, most conveniently and suspiciously, there were DOT “legal” helmets available for sale for $40 bucks.
The officer then informed me if I drove off with my old helmet, he would arrest me, and my wife, and impound my two-week old bike. Throughout the entire affair, I told the officer that my helmet was not illegal and that I believed it was legal. The cop then made me park my bike and walk 3 long blocks in 90 degree heat, where my wife and I went inside the porno store to check out the helmets. The idiot behind the counter obviously enjoyed the fact that he was getting all this revenue on an otherwise slow day…
We went across the street and my wife had a beer and we thought about our next move.
There was a cool dude out front on a Panhead who obviously knew the routine in this town, and he loaned me his “DOT” approved helmet so that I could walk back down the street and retrieve my bike. When I got back to the bar, I asked my wife what we were going to do. She said, let’s make a break for it! (God I love my wife.) So, we put on our “illegal helmets”, dropped the bike into 1st gear, and peeled the fuck out of Dodge.
We jammed out of Fremont as fast as we could and had a great ride for the rest of the day. I know there are a lot of Bikernet readers in the Bay Area, CA, so I just wanted to warn everyone. Stay out of Niles; if I had a few drinks before we rolled into town, it woulda been hell. I’m going to fight this ticket, and I will keep everyone posted.
Ride Free!
TOYRUN SEASON 2005
By Bandit | | General Posts
I am originally from Franklin County, Kansas. In Ottawa, we had one of the largest Toy Runs in the Nation. We started out the year with a Christmas in July, which would bring in the largest part. There would be cars being auctioned off, tons of events, raffles, and the whole community would gather for this event, which was organized by Shep and Judy Collins and Gloria and Allan Crane. One year the total contributed Toys and Cash were $18,000.
They had a good system worked out with the E.K.A.N. to distribute the toys. We were 100% positive the toys were making it to the needy.
Five years ago, I relocated to Southeastern Kansas and for years sat through some sad Toy runs, with no flyers, one pot of chili and their Santa wearing a tattered old outfit for years. I bit my tongue as long as I could and started up the Christmas in June Toy run benefit here in Pittsburg.
I did not want to step on any toes by interfering or taking over what they had already arranged. Their toys were dropped off at the Salvation Army. The Captain here sometimes, never even met us there to receive the toys. If he did meet us there, he acted like it was a pain in the ass for him to have to come out. Now the previous Captain before our current one, was wonderful. Always a greeting with arms wide open.
No one thought much about what happens after the Toy run, but my suspicions were raised when a friend of mine’s daughter was refused assistance.
I called up the Captain of the Salvation Army and said there was a great potential of donations increasing drastically. I wanted to know what their guidelines for signing up were. Such as the dates, income levels, etc…, to receive toys during the holidays. In addition, if he could prove that the toys were being given to our local needy.
He told me that he wouldn’t furnish me with the guidelines and that the toys were resold through the Salvation Army and that some of them even went up to Kansas City and was sold there. I was so shocked. I always assumed once the toys were dropped off, I pictured a happy boy or girl opening my present.
I informed the Toy run and expected the reaction I had about the Toys, but was told to keep quiet and yes they were still going to keep taking them to the Salvation Army. Santa had a brother that was on the Board of Director’s for Salvation Army and didn’t want to upset him, I guess was the reasoning.
There are other options for donating. I called the Safehouse to see what they needed and also the Shriners. The Safehouse, which is a Battered Woman’s Shelter, showed me a whole closet full of toys and the Shriners said they didn’t know what or when they’d have a child. The best way to help the Safehouse was through Annual Swim Passes, especially helpful for the Teenagers, and the the Shriners were in need of funds for transportation of the children to doctors appointment and hospitals.
After a phone call to the City of Pittsburg, Parks and Recreation suggested I buy one Swim Pass for $50. 00 up to 25 people age group 13 and under, they match me $50.00 for the other age group, how could they say no.
Not all Salvations Army’s maybe like this one.
Yes, they are a very good worthwhile organization to give donations to. Their relief efforts for the Hurricane victims are very commendable. This is probably just a isolated situation, however, WHO KNOWS.
“ The proceeds from the sale of the toys do go back into the community that they were sold in, for it’s other needs,” Captain of the Pittsburg, Kansas Salvation Army replied.
Something to think about.
Julie Weems
Exclusive Jack Daniels Tour
By Bandit |
Photos by RFR
We are fortunate to have whiskey drinking correspondents on all points of the earth. Here’s an exclusive tour of the Jack Daniels distillery, museum and a few back doors by Rigid Frame Richard.
–Banditto it as Lynchburg, Tennessee but these are the laymen that have not felt the “light”.
First rule – No Matter what direction you are coming from Atlanta, Chattanooga, Nashville or wherever. There is only one way to reach your destination. That is off highway 24. We rolled out of Nashville, and while I do not recall the highway number it is the Shelbyville exit! Shelbyville is the same exit where the walking horse competitions are held each year. There are stables around Shelbyville that make many residences look like a dumps.
The first part of the trip off off 24 is somewhat flat. After you leave Shelbyville and start down into the valley towards Lynchburg there is some very fine scenery.
The tour is unbelievable. You are taken into every building that has to do with the making of Jack Daniels. I just took last Tuesday and would enjoy it again today. There are so many things to experience and absorb, that it is hard to remember it all. It began with a group photo at the “Rickyard”, where the charcoal for the “Mellowing” process comes from, unfortunately they were not burning any of the “ricks” while we were there. I was there on the 20th of August & there were 20 group photos posted on the site for just a single day.
Jack Daniels died at an early age from kicking the safe in the original office one day because he couldn’t get it opened and got an infection. He had no children so he left the distillery to his nephew Lem Motlow, who only had daughters that were not interested in running a distillery.
It was then sold to an outside company with the one rule that if they ever changed anything about the distilling process the company would revert back to the Motlow family.
There have only been (6) Master Distillers in the 152-year history of Jack Daniels. Jack Daniels was number 1 & Jimmy Bedford is now number 6. To be a Master Distiller at Jack Daniels requires a Masters Degree in Chemical Engineering, as well as 10 years studying under the previous Master Distiller.
During the distilling processes Jack Daniels is clear and 140 proof. The color comes from the barrels, which are only used once then are sold to other whiskey distillers, to wine makers or to the public at the “Barrel Store” in Lynchburg. There are some extremely nice things that have been made from Jack Daniels barrels such as Bars, Card Tables, Bar Stools, and even a trailers for motorcycles.
Gentlemen Jack is run through the “Charcoal Mellowing” process twice. That is what makes it even smoother.
Jack Daniels is a blend of different barrels, however they will come across barrels from time to time that the flavor is so rich as well as the color that it will sold under “Single Barrel” label. If you would like, you can purchase an entire barrel of “Single Barrel” Jack Daniels. It will cost around $9000 depending on your state fees & taxes. Apparently Washington DC has the best rates for this. Imagine that.
You can actually return to Lynchburg and choose your barrel from 4 candidates. This is the ONLY time you can have a drink at the distillery since it is a dry county. At that time it will be bottled (about 240) with a limited medallion with your name placed on each bottle. They are then boxed, stacked on a pallet, along with the empty barrel you choose. Which now has a brass plate on top with your name and the dates purchased and Jimmy Bedford signs the barrel. Then your name is placed on a wall along many others, such as George Strait & Arthur Anderson or someone who worked there. No wonder they can’t count. Then it is shipped to your house, what could be better in life, except a sweet honey refilling your glass.
Every barrel of Jack is aged four years in the “Barrel Houses” the one on site is only four stories tall. Many others exist around Lynchburg which are seven stories tall. No one batch of whiskey is kept in the same barrelhouse due to the fact that if there was some thing bad was to happen they don’t want to lose the entire lot.
There is also nothing wasted from the distillery. Everything is reused in some way from food for livestock made from the mash residue, to the charcoal being sold for use in Bar-B-Q pits. We are currently investigating this charcoal that has enjoyed 140 proof JD wash over it for days on end.
There are 3 different stories as to what “Old No.7” stands for and the only one that knew for sure died many years ago.
That is just some of what I learned. You can take the tour on their website, but it is so much better in person. It is worth going out of way. I did enquire how the small fortune I have invested was used in the betterment of the distillery? Still waiting on an answer.
Everyone Ride Safe & enjoy a glass of Jack Daniels at the end of your journey.
–Rigid Frame Richard
Note the barrel in the author’s livingroom.
Vintage Motorcycles Find Traction in Soft Economy
By Bandit | | General Posts
The rarest of rare vintage motorcycles, these decades-old machines are challenging to start and difficult to ride. Yet they are becoming more expensive to purchase despite — and some say because of — the down economy.
For years, ultra-obscure bikes such as a 1936 Crocker Twin or a 1907 Curtiss V-8 were collected by a small handful of moneyed gearheads. They had such deep appreciation for the unique designs and temperaments of these machines that they'd willingly use their shins as heat guards, repurpose their feet as brake shoes and consider it a deal to pay tens of thousands of dollars to experience such evolutionary technology.
Now, they're paying six figures. And the price increases are happening even as the market for new motorcycles is tanking.
More collectors are getting into the market and driving up prices for rare motorcycles, many of which have doubled or tripled in value in as many years. They're fueled by a sputtering stock market that has investors putting their money into hard goods, a weak dollar that's drawing European buyers and vintage car collectors who see historic bikes as a significantly less expensive fulfillment of their multimillion-dollar desires for ancient pistons and camshafts.
“Good machines have been performing well over the last few years, and prices are still on the ascent,” said Mark Osborne, head of the motorcycle and motorcars division at Bonhams & Butterfields. The English auction house is offering about 70 vintage motorcycles at this weekend's Quail Motorcycle Gathering in Carmel, Calif. The event will offer an additional 115 bikes for show on the lawns of the Quail Lodge.
Osborne noted that the most expensive bike ever auctioned through Bonhams — a $383,400 supercharged Vincent Black Shadow — was sold in October, just as the worldwide economy was diving.
“We put it down to the fact that people like to buy something that they can touch, smell and enjoy,” he said. “They can get out and use these things. It's not like paper held in a bank that's sort of disappearing on a daily basis.”
This weekend's show is the two-wheeler version of a car show called The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering, which takes place in August. It's the first of two esteemed car-centric events that are branching into bikes for the first time in their long and rarefied histories. In August, the Pebble Beach Concours will also include motorcycles for the first time in the event's 59 years.
“I've been with the Concours almost 25 years, and I don't think there's been a year that's gone by that somebody hasn't requested a motorcycle class,” said Sandra Kasky Button, chairwoman of the Pebble Beach event. “We've always resisted the pressure and stayed focused on cars. It really is time.”
The market for new motorcycles is down 30% so far this year, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council. And sales of high-production vintage bikes such as Harley-Davidson Panheads from the '50s, '60s-era Triumph Bonnevilles and '70s Honda CB750s have softened along with the economy.
But the market for motorcycle manufacturers of the long-ago, lesser-known and mostly defunct variety has seen dramatic increases. Prices for Crocker, a Los Angeles-based marque from the '30s that's known to have produced a mere 39 bikes, have quadrupled in the last five years. Others that are bringing top dollar include the British manufacturer Vincent, original-condition bikes from pre-World War II American manufacturers and anything with a racing pedigree.
The 1957 Manx Norton ridden to victory by Brit Derek Minter is expected to fetch as much as $100,000 this weekend. The Vincent “Gunga Din” crashed in defeat by racer George Brown in 1948 could bring more than $200,000 at Pebble Beach.
“The factory race bikes, these seem to be the bikes that get people's attention and seem to draw the most amount of money right now,” said Jeff Ray, executive director of the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Birmingham, Ala.
The museum, which owns 1,100 motorcycles, is on the hunt for more but is waiting for the market to settle.
“There's a saying in collecting motorcycles: 'You never pay too much, you just buy too soon.' If a 1915 Harley-Davidson twin was offered 10 years ago at $150,000, people would have thrown rocks at the guy and told him he'd lost his mind. Well, one just sold for $165,000 in January,” Ray said. “We're putting our hands in our pockets and standing on the sidelines and watching.”
Don Whalen, a collector in Monrovia, is taking a similar stance.
“My partner and I used to buy 10 to 12 bikes a year,” said Whalen, 63, who for the last 40 years has been collecting primarily pre-1920 motorcycles from the dozens of American manufacturers that existed at that time. “Now we buy two or three or one, if it's an important one.”
Of the 160 bikes in Whalen's collection, about 30 came from Otis Chandler, the former Los Angeles Times publisher who was an avid motorcyclist and collector of exceedingly rare, high-end motorcycles. After his death in 2006, the auction of his dozens-strong collection provided momentum to a market that was already gaining speed.
The current craze has its seeds in the Guggenheim's Art of the Motorcycle show that toured the world in the late '90s. Showcasing hundreds of bikes from motorcycling's history, the exhibit broadened the public's view of a sport that, at the time, was dominated by Harley-Davidson cruisers and Japanese sport bikes.
The Art of the Motorcycle was also the inspiration for Legend of the Motorcycle, an annual showcase and auction of premium vintage bikes that started in 2006. The event further raised the profile of exotic, two-wheeled machines that founder Jared Zaugg said have been “giving men instant sex appeal since 1869.”
Enlightenment
By Bandit |
Editor's Note:Jared is the youngest employee on the US Avon Tyre staff. Enjoy his youthful inspiration. –Bandit
I remember a particular enlightening time in my life. It contained quite possibly my single greatest act of stupidity, and ended up teaching me more than I will probably ever be able to really put into words. I was riding too fast on icy roads and lost control of my motorcycle, then highsided into a telephone pole. I blacked out at first, when the bike skidded, but I remember waking up as I hit the ground on my back, unable to breath or move. A lot of things happened after that.
I ended up in the hospital with a titanium rod in my left leg where just a femur had been the day before, and an incision running the entire length of my torso that looked poorly stapled back together. The doctor had cut me open to put all my organs back to where they should have been, sew my lacerated liver back together, and cleaned up all the internal bleeding that had occurred in the meantime.
I almost died, and the creepy thing is that I didn’t even know it until after the fact. I turned and looked at my girl friend when I woke up. She didn’t know whether to cry or smile, and neither did I. I smiled. She cried. I will never forget waking up and not recognizing my own body. I will never forget having more tubes and hoses running in and out of me than I cared to count. Water to this day still tastes like it never did before, because I couldn’t drink anything for a week.
The crash had bruised my stomach and intestines to the point where they would not function, their contents pumped through a tube that ran up my throat and out my nose, green and black and bloody. Just like the urine in the bag below my bed. Drinking without a functioning digestive system will wear a hole in your stomach. So I couldn’t drink, anything. My friends would swab my mouth with a damp sponge. I couldn’t eat for a week either.
I will never to this day, almost 4 years later, let a meal go to waste. Everything still tastes good to me. Doesn’t matter what it is or how poorly it is prepared, It all tastes good.I keep wondering what all this did to me. I don’t think I’ve ever really been the same since. I just wonder where my place is in this life. I struggle all the time. I sometimes feel as though maybe to my friends, family, and loved ones, I am a bit like an animal. You pet it and feed it and are generally nice to it, but you never really let it all the way in. There seems to be something violent about me. The way I take life. The way I struggle to control it and not let it take control of me.
I think that’s maybe why I ride. There is some connection maybe between the act of riding and the way my life always seems to play out. The bike has definitely changed for me over the past years. What it means to me and what place it holds in my life. It was at first an outlet for my aggression and compensation for a lack of self-confidence. Almost something evil. I would be cool and cover it up by saying something like “I ride to live.” I didn't have any idea what the hell I was spewing out. I was angry. Pure and simple. But it’s funny. I think I get it now.
Now I ride for the pure and simple pleasure of it. I catch myself actually living my own lie. Not to live, but to remind me to appreciate why I live. To remind me that I DO live. The sheer violence of the whole experience of riding, the asphalt shredding below you, the wind that pushes and thrashes to fill all void, the power of explosions tamed and tuned into something more precise than a razor's edge driving your foreword, the orchestra of intake and exhaust and valves and gears and chain and resonation; all serve as reminders that death, the end, is always just four inches below your toes.
On the bike, you break free of the box. The world outside isn’t just a part of another movie you see through the box of a window like the boring part of a film you’d like to fast foreword through. NO. You are in it. You are a part of it. You feel it, smell it, play with it, make your peace with it.
Life can be like the road at night. There are the bright spots, were the road is illuminated by streetlights. You'll fly around a corner and the lamp light catches the fog just so, and the entire world is bathed in gold. Everything around you is beautiful. The world glows. But you can never stop in one place. There is always change.
Then sometimes you roll into a dark spot where you are away from the streetlights and all is bleek around you. Your only proof that you are moving are the two lines on your left and right ticking away like the hands of a clock, constant and unstoppable. But no matter how dark it gets, you can always be sure that there is another street light, another bright place, somewhere on the road ahead just waiting for you to reach it. You just can’t stop. And as long as you don’t, you’ll always make it to the next bright place.
When you’re in these darkest places, you can always look up. Up there are the most beautiful stars you will ever see. I looked up tonight and I saw Orion so bright it was like he was painted on the sky above me. I saw this with nothing between me and him but my own eyes, the air I was breathing, and space. No windows, no shields, no filters. Just me. You can’t tell if the tears are from the beauty of it all, the thoughts that enter your head at times like this, or from the wind stinging your eyes. I can’t take all the credit. I have my helmet on. A helmet is a lot like your family. It protects the most important part and always does its best to keep the outside world from hurting you. And without my gear on I'd freeze. Friends are like that. They help protect you as well and keep you warm when you need it. Without any of these things I wouldn't be able to be here. Thank you all.
I guess I don’t know where I really meant to go when I started this. It’s really just all the thoughts that I had to get out of my head while I was riding home tonight. This life keeps me confused most of the time. I try to make a feeble attempt at times to figure it out by throwing my thoughts onto a piece of paper and seeing if they make sense but it always seems like I've forgotten something, just bringing up more questions.
I have so much to learn and it frustrates me. I don’t want another moment to go to waste. I don’t want to miss anything. I don’t want any of it to go to waste.And just like that, the thoughts leave your head like a corner on the road behind you. Still leaning through the corner, you twist the throttle and grab another gear and take enough moments to savor the sound of the engine. She sings her song of potential violence, repeating her own serenity prayer. In your mind you hum along with her.This beats driving a car anyday.
KC Rides To Sturgis Through Hell
By Bandit |
My name is SSgt KC Sanger. I just wanted to write and say thanks for a great website. The little time I get on a computer over here in Iraq is spent checking out your site. I have been going to this site every week for the last 3 years. When I get back to LeJeune next year I am looking forward to getting a membership to the cantina and catching up on the news. Anyway, I thought I might share the story of my trip this past year to Sturgis.
I am originally from a small town in SD called Redfield, which is about five hours from Sturgis. In May, a couple of my buddies and I decided to make the ride to Sturgis since we were going to be in the middle east for a year and wouldn't be able to ride. As the day to leave approached, they started making excuses, and one by one my group dwindled.
Finally the day arrived, and I called the only riding partner I had left and he said that he couldn't make it. Not wanting to miss the trip and having made plans to meet my brother, who was hauling his bike up from Cali, I rushed home from work and strapped the small bag packed with tools, oil and one change of clothes, to my short back fender. I strapped on my pistol and leather jacket, taped my directions to my tank and rolled out of Jacksonville,NC on my own.
About 40 miles out, as I pulled onto I40, the sunshine turned to rain. It was a very wet ride all the way into W Virginia. It finally stopped raining about 10:00, and I pulled into a truckstop to catch a couple hrs of sleep on a bench. I woke up the next morning to a light mist and rode a couple miles down the road to a waffle house for a cup of strong coffee and a quick bite to eat.
As I pulled back onto the road, the rain started falling again and continued until I rolled into KY. As soon as I crossed the state line I pulled my soggy ass over for gas and asked about the helmet laws. FINALLY!!!! The rest of the trip with no brain bucket. I got about another three hours in the saddle before the rain started again. As I pulled back onto the road after a gas stop, I rolled up to speed and looked down at my directions and the wind caught my glasses, promptly removing them from my head. I didn’t pack another pair. I pulled off onto the side of the road and walked back looking for pieces. I found most of what was left, about a mile back, picked up the pieces and rode to an overpass to escape the fresh patch of rain and taped them back together. About time that I slogged into upper corner of Iowa the rain stopped and out came the sun. A hundred-and-five friggen degrees!! I was about an hour from Sioux Falls, so I stopped for some gas and water and jumped back on the road. I stopped at the local Harley shop in SF to meet my brother and pick up a new pair of glasses, and I gotta tell ya, it turned out to be the worst eighty bucks I've ever spent. Those glasses were worthless!
We pulled onto the road once again for the five hour ride to Redfield to visit with my old man. Once we got there we took a couple days to rest our bodies, well, my body anyway, and catch up since that was my first time home in three years. During that time I went on a couple rides with my dad so he could get used to the bike he had borrowed from a buddie. He made the final run to the badlands with my brother and I.
From there the rest of the way to Sturgis was terrific. We only got to spend two days in town due to my brother’s Miramar schedule for pre-deployment training.Just an hour outside of Sturgis on our way back, the lack of rain and high heat started a good number of fires, one of which was flailing across the road we were traveling. We went back a mile to a 3 or 4-mile gravel road to reach the next hiway. That “short” bit of gravel turned into 32 miles of VERY loose gravel. After that, the rest of the way into Redfield went well.
The rest of the trip back to NC went down like cold beer on a warm day. I would not have missed it for anything. I met lots of great people and made some lifelong friends as well as getting to ride with my old man and brother. I am going to miss out this year due to being deployed, but won’t miss out again.
All in all, I clocked about five thousand miles on throughout the whole trip and had a great time. I'm looking forward to getting back and joining the Cantina and getting myself a Bandit’s Bedroll.
–KC
