Hey, What’s the deal today? It’s motorcycle month. The sun is shining in Deadwood. The news is packed, and I’m waiting to close on our Sturgis property so I can unpack. The Bikernet Weekly News is sponsored in part by companies who also dig Freedom including: Cycle Source Magazine, the MRF, Las Vegas Bikefest, Iron Trader News, ChopperTown, BorntoRide.com and the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum.

Click Here to read the Weekly News on Bikernet.

Join the Cantina for exclusive content – Subscribe Now.

https://www.bikernet.com/pages/custom/subscription.aspx

Bikers Inside The Beltway – Stop The Profiling of Motorcyclists – Support H. Res 366

Bikers Inside The Beltway Meeting With Congress To Stop Profiling

H.RES 366 – your MRF is moving forward and making it happen. Profiling is not going to go away without your immediate action. See the attachment for more details. In the meantime…

• Have you registered for Bikers Inside the Beltway? It’s free but time is running out! CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
• Have you made your appointments to visit your members of Congress? Make your appointments now in your district or in Washington, D.C.
• Have you made your hotel reservations? Final date for hotel registration, May 13, 2021: 703-684-5900 Embassy Suites by Hilton Alexandria, 1900 Diagonal Road, Alexandria, Virginia 22314

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation is moving forward to make the 2021 Bikers Inside the Beltway our most effective event ever. Thank you for your commitment to the MRF’s mission. Thank you for making appointments with your members of Congress. Thank you for taking action and asking your members of Congress to support H.RES 366. Click here to see the position paper for H.RES 366.

Thank you for your membership and support of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation.

Fredric Harrell
Director, Conferences & Events
Motorcycle Riders Foundation
P.O. Box 250
Highland, Illinois 62249

Hey,

What’s the deal today? It’s motorcycle month.The sun is shining in Deadwood. And politicians are fighting all over the country, when we’re living in the best of times. The news is packed, and I’m waiting to close on our Sturgis property so I can unpack.

Let’s hit the news:

The Bikernet Weekly News is sponsored in part by companies who also dig Freedom including: Cycle Source Magazine, the MRF, Las Vegas Bikefest, Iron Trader News, ChopperTown, BorntoRide.com and the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum.

PRISM DEAL OF THE WEEK— 30% Off Tool Racks
Get all Tool Racks for only $17.50 today, May 6.
Sale lasts from 8 AM through midnight EST.

www.Prismsupply.com

SOMEONE HAD NICELY EXPLAINED–The irony in the present situation:

Never have I seen
such a mess in life.

The air got cleaner but
wearing a mask is
mandatory.

Roads are empty
but it is prohibited
to go on long drive.

People have clean
hands but they are told to
stop shaking hands.

Friends have time to
sit together but they
cannot get together.

The cook inside you has learned recipes,
but you cannot call anyone for lunch or dinner.

Every weekday,
the heart longs to go out,
and the weekend does not seem to end.

Those who have money, have limited ways to spend it.

Those who don’t have money, have no way to earn it.

There is enough time on hand but you can’t pursue your dreams.

The culprit is all around but cannot be seen.

Be positive but test negative.

–Wayfarer
Emperor Editor
Bikernet News Bureau
India

BIKERS INSIDE THE BELTWAY–
Moving Forward & Making It Happen

Your MRF is moving forward & making it happen. However, we need your help…

Have you registered for Bikers Inside the Beltway? It’s free but time is running out!

GO TO THE MRF WEBSITE TO REGISTER

Have you made your appointments to visit your members of Congress? Make your appointments now in your district or in Washington, D.C.
Have you made your hotel reservations?

Final date for hotel registration, May 13, 2021: 703-684-5900 Embassy Suites by Hilton Alexandria, 1900 Diagonal Road, Alexandria, Virginia 22314
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation is moving forward to make the 2021 Bikers Inside the Beltway our most effective event ever.

Thank you for your commitment to the MRF’s mission. Thank you for making appointments with your members of Congress. Thank you for taking action and asking your members of Congress to support H.R. 2141. Click here to see the position paper on H.R. 2141.

Thank you for your membership and support of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation.
.
–Fredric Harrell
Director, Conferences & Events
Motorcycle Riders Foundation
P.O. Box 250
Highland, Illinois 62249

MOTO ANATOMY x Royal Enfield Rider Johnny Lewis Captures Fifth Place at Atlanta
Lewis charged from the back of the field after first lap incident

Moto Anatomy x Royal Enfield rider Johnny Lewis captured fifth place during the American Flat Track (AFT) Atlanta Super TT at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Lewis was fast all weekend and despite a crash on the first lap that forced him to start from the back of the field, Lewis made quick work of the back half of the field and settled into fifth. The top five finish showcases the development work the team has done since the opening round in Volusia.

The Super TT format played well into Moto Anatomy X Royal Enfield rider’s strengths, as Lewis is an accomplished supermoto rider and rides motocross regularly as part of his training. During the opening lap, Lewis made a strong start, but high-sided coming out of the first corner, breaking his helmet visor and inflating his airbag suit. After the field was red-flagged, Lewis was able to regroup and rejoin the race at the back of the field.

“We showed great speed all weekend, but the incident on the first lap meant we had our work cut out for us,” said Moto Anatomy x Royal Enfield rider Johnny Lewis. “The team has been working extremely hard since Volusia. David and Bryan Lloyd along with the rest of the team have put in long hours to get more power out of the Twins FT. We ran at the top of the field all weekend and feel great about the progress we’ve made. Obviously, we had hoped for a podium result but that’s racing.”

The Atlanta Super TT course utilized both the front straightaway of the NASCAR oval and portions of dirt in the infield grass. The track made for great racing action and Lewis was running in the top two during practice and qualifying, then won his semi-final race in convincing fashion. The fifth-place finish and the speed shown by Lewis all weekend highlights the behind-the-scenes work the team continues to do in search of furthering the performance of the Twins FT package.

The American Flat Track season will return on May 22 at Texas Motor Speedway for the Mission Foods Texas Half Mile Presented by Roof Systems. Lewis will look to take the momentum from his fifth-place finish into the next round in Texas.

During the race weekend, the Get On! Moto Show will also take place around the speedway, with demo rides, custom bike displays, music, food and more Friday through Sunday. Johnny Lewis will also be hosting a Royal Enfield Slide School powered by Moto Anatomy that weekend as well.

To learn more, visit Get On! Moto Show or purchase tickets directly at AmericanFlatTrack.com.

HEADLINE OF THE WEEK–According to this the swiftness of the reopening of normal life was stunning to the NY inhabitants. 18 months before you pull your head out of your ass and that’s considered being alert.

–J.J. Solari
Media Research Consultant
Bikernet.com

H-D DEALERSHIP INVESTIGATION–Does anyone have a clue as to what is going on at Harley-Davidson? I’m standing in a dealership. We have only 8 new bikes on the showroom floor, and it’s May?

Get this, there are ten New models, but we can’t get them? Won’t be many dealers left by the time this new CEO finishes. This reminds me of the ‘70s. Walk into a dealership and you would maybe see five new bikes? Someone in Milwaukee needs to wake up, FAST!

–STEALTH
Associate Editor
Bikernet.com

“This is one of the biggest human rights stories on earth.”

America’s leading climate and environmental groups including Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Energy Foundation, and Environmental Defense Fund have not responded to repeated queries about evidence that China is forcing Uyghur Muslims to make the solar panels that the three groups promote as a core solution to climate change.

NRDC, Environmental Defense Fund, and Energy Foundation are the three most influential environmental organizations within the Biden Administration and among Democrats in Congress. In December, President Joe Biden named NRDC President & CEO Gina McCarthy as his National Climate Advisor. The organizations routinely denounce abuses of human rights and issue regular calls for environmental justice.

Why, then, aren’t they calling for a ban on solar panels made in China?

Yesterday, the Solar Energy Industries Association issued a set of guidelines, or a “protocol,” for solar panel companies to use to avoid the use of genocide labor. “Solar customers expect their products to be ethically produced, and this protocol helps ensure that solar products coming into the United States are not made using forced labor,” it says.

But conditions in Xinjiang are determined by the Chinese government which is repressing the Muslim population. “It has become almost impossible to talk of voluntary labor among a group of people who are in immediate danger of being incarcerated for no reason whatsoever,” said a Xinjiang expert.

Noted the Wall Street Journal, “Chinese manufacturers aren’t always transparent about where they are getting their raw materials, and wafer makers sometimes mix polysilicon from Xinjiang and other regions together.”

The Association did not respond to my query as to whether or not it would support a ban on solar panels from China until the protocol can be implemented. Republicans have introduced legislation to ban solar panels made in China but have not been joined by Democrats.

Meanwhile, the Chinese government shows no sign of supporting a relocation of its solar panel industry from Xinjiang, and continues to deny claims of genocide.

NRDC, EDF, and Energy Foundation receive over $100 million each from mostly anonymous donors. One of EDF’s largest donors is oil, gas and renewables investor Julian Robertson, who has donated $60 million to EDF and sits on EDF’s governing board.

NRDC had at least $70 million of its own funds directly invested in natural gas and solar panel companies through BlackRock, a shadow bank whose former senior official, Brian Deese, is head of President Biden’s National Economic Council.

All three have large offices in China. People close to the organizations told me on background that their offices would be jeopardized if any of these groups criticized China for genocide.

In 2018, a “senior strategic director with NRDC published a book, Will China Save the Planet? a book which praised the country for “leading the development of a global system of green finance.”

After NRDC was criticized by members of Congress for being too cozy with China, an NRDC spokesperson said, “We’re proud of our work, in China and elsewhere, helping to create a more sustainable future for everyone.”

Last year, BlackRock raised $5 billion for its Global Energy & Power Infrastructure Fund which invested in businesses connected with “renewable energy (solar, wind, hydro and waste-to-energy).”

The same relationships bind EDF. “EDF has served as an advisor on China’s highest international advisory body on the environment,” the organization’s Chinese staff boast, “which reports directly to the Premier every year.”

Jeffrey Sachs Says It’s Not Genocide

Some environmentalists like Columbia University’s Director of the Center for Sustainable Development Director, Jeffrey Sachs, recently called the genocide claim “flimsy.” “There are credible charges of human rights abuses against Uighurs,” he adds, “but those do not per se constitute genocide.”

However, the parliaments of the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands and many other nations have described China’s policy as one of genocide.

After I emailed Sachs, who was head of Columbia’s Earth Institute from 2002 to 2016, to ask if he accepted funding from the Chinese government, he replied, “I have no funding from the Chinese government. None at the Center, and none of my projects when I was director of the Earth Institute. Of the approximately 850 staff of more than 25 centers at the Earth Institute, I do not know.”

In 2018, Sachs wrote the foreword to a policy position paper, used for lobbying regulators and policymakers, by telecommunications giant Huawei, and shortly after penned a column urging the Trump administration to back off efforts to restrict the Chinese company.

On Twitter, Sachs wrote, “I respect Huawei’s technologies, its vision of ICT for development, and the many benefits of Huawei technologies for sustainable development. I was not and am not paid by Huawei.” Then, 13 days later, after being criticized for his involvement with Huawei, Sachs deleted his Twitter account.

The Chinese government claims that it is fighting terrorism in Xinjiang, an argument Sachs repeated.

Some Democrats recognize that China’s treatment of the Uyghurs is a problem for solar. “We know we have solar supply chain issues,” said Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) at a Senate hearing last month.

But, noted Bloomberg, “Biden can’t just flip a switch to make the problem go away. Instead, his team may have to come up with a phased strategy to address the issue,” and that would take years to implement.

And even if China were to move all its solar panel production out of Xanjiang, China’s genocide would continue. “Episodes of forced labor have also been reported in Chinese facilities outside Xinjiang,” notes the New York Times.

So Much for “Never Again”

CNN reported last year that China is torturing many of the two million Muslim that are being held in concentration camps in Xinjiang. Like reporters from Vice and Bloomberg, CNN reporters were constantly followed and harassed by secret Chinese police, including demands for identification at 1 am in the reporter’s hotel room.

“It’s nearly impossible to freely report on the hundreds of thousands of people that are likely languishing in camps right now,” the CNN correspondent repeated. “And that means that the rest of the world can’t really see what’s going on there.”

China’s genocide is high-tech, reports CNN, and global. The government uses facial recognition, GPS tracking devices, and collecting DNA samples from all residents between 12 and 65 years old. The Chinese government is even harassing Chinese nationals in other countries around the world.

Like other researchers and journalists who have been to Xinjiang, the CNN reporter became emotional and spoke in very strong language about the situation. “This is one of the biggest human rights stories on earth. And as we saw firsthand, China is actively trying to cover it up.”

For decades, Hollywood’s leading lights, Harvard professors, and environmentalists have defended the rights of oppressed racial and religious minorities, including Muslims, and promised “never again” in the context of genocide.

And yet all three institutions — Hollywood and the entertainment industry, Harvard and other academic institutions, and environmental groups — have sacrificed “never again,” and concerns about genocide for money, access, and power.

Columbia University reported none of the money it received for “The Confucius Institute” to the US Education Department, which “is part of a network of chapters believed to be quietly undermining academic freedom on campuses across America,” writes a Columbia graduate student.

“Confucius instructors, hired and trained by Beijing, have always banned certain topics” including “Xinjiang, where up to 2 million Uyghur Muslims languish in concentration camps.”

Sachs, for his part, criticizes the researchers who allege genocide. “The genocide charge is being fueled by ‘studies’ like the Newlines Institute report,” he says, which has “an apparently conservative policy agenda.” Sachs makes no mention of any financial conflict of interest.

–Michael Shellenberger

BRAND New Bikernet Reader Comment!
Cantina Episode 93: 1VEGAS

https://www.bikernet.com/pages/Cantina_Episode_93_1VEGAS.aspx

Good for Bandit! He acquired another great knife to add to his collection! Will Melody be the real deal, or will she become just another redhead in Bandit’s collection?

–Ann Robinson
Long Beach, Califa

TEXAS WEATHER REPORT–I had hoped to get a visit in today, found out he was on hospice last Sunday at the benefit. Lately I seem to be one Saturday too late, happened with an uncle as well. For some reason I waited to ride the Shovelhead over there as it was finally running.

That young lady Ms Amanda was only the 10th person to ever have the surgery she had on Monday, she is still in the hospital.

So last year I was able to contact a member of Lindsey Stirling’s management and was approved that day, I think. This year I haven’t heard back, yet. Going for my sixth consecutive tour, which started with Bikernet in 2012.

–RFR
Rock Star Journalist
Bikernet.com

NEWS FROM THE TWISTED ROAD— One, Two, Free. It’s that easy.

Well, it happened. We’ve finally lost our minds and have decided to give away more free riding days. To everyone. Starting now. For free.

How does this work? Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy. Rent twice and we will give you a free day.

Really? Yes. Really.

Does it cost anything to join? No. That’s what “for free” means.

What’s the catch? There isn’t one.

How do I learn more? Click here.

Boom (drops mic).

– Austin

NMA CALLS FOR MORE HANDS ON DECK–

This grassroots campaign is focused on convincing the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) that key components of its planned update to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) will make the roads less, not more, safe and significantly less drivable. That latter part seems intentional.

Over 90 percent, nearly 200, of the comments added to the public record for the proposed FHWA rule change in the few days since the NMA alert was issued have been in opposition to the agency’s recommendation to minimize the importance of data analysis in setting proper speed limits. You can read those comments, and add your own if you haven’t already, here. Responses are accepted until May 14th.

The same response rate is needed now to address another alarming aspect of the proposed changes to the MUTCD: How and when all-way stop signs are used.

Where the current requirement is to post all-way stops by exception and only with justification by data analysis, the new FHWA guidelines to local traffic engineers would be to add all-way stop signs at intersections if the mere presence of pedestrians or bicyclists is anticipated.

This NMA April 20th alert explains how the new rules could lead to a proliferation of disruptive, all-way stops instead of two-way stops or yield signs at non-signalized intersections. Environmentalists should be at the front of the line objecting to the rule change that would cause tens of millions of cars to stop and reaccelerate needlessly many times daily, burning more fuel and generating more carbon emissions.

Chris DiPrima, NMA Board Members, posted this comment on the docket for the proposed rule:

“Regarding stop sign guidance under Section 2B of the proposed MUTCD: On safety grounds, I oppose any weakening of the engineering standards regarding the implementation of stop signs.

“I live in San Francisco, a city where almost every neighborhood street is controlled by a 4-way stop. All that this has done is lead to widespread disobedience of stop signs because one can be reasonably certain that 99% of stop signs will have neither crossing vehicles nor crossing pedestrians. It also leads to no end of frustration for drivers and cyclists alike (since cyclists generally ignore unnecessary stop signs). Implementing more unnecessary stop signs will only increase disrespect for stop signs.

“Removing the requirement to conduct traffic studies means that stop signs without justification will become even more prevalent. People will decide to travel via residential streets rather than keeping onto the collector and arterial streets which have been designed to handle through traffic.

“The MUTCD should require (“must”) municipalities to conduct engineering analyses before implementing new traffic signals.”

Others have added similar sentiments on the record after the latest NMA alert was published. But just as with the speed limit issue, it is going to take a large volume of personalized responses to sway the FHWA from its mission of subjugating drivers to pedestrians and bicyclists in a misguided attempt to improve safety for all.

Here, again, is the link to the site where your comments to any or all of the FHWA-proposed changes to the MUTCD can be posted. Click the blue “Comments” button and let the government agency know what you think about its plans to change speed limit and stop sign requirements.

Not an NMA Member yet?
Join today and get these great benefits!

The PAN-AMERICAN could be yours!

There are 250 tickets, and one prize. The Pan-American.

You get one raffle ticket with each purchase of a Sacred Panhead sticker, $100 each.
1979 Harley-Davidson frame with clear title
S&S P93 93″ Panhead Engine
Baker 6 Speed Transmission
W&W Cannonball Wheels
ALL the best quality and performance parts available!
Includes shipping to the winner’s door in the lower 48 states. Drawing takes place live on June 1st, 2021.

CONNECTICUT HELMET LAW UPDATE–
Editors Note: This just sent to me about Connecticut Bikers make sure the Mandatory Helmet Law that we Beat back in 1976.–Rogue

We finally did it made sure that Connecticut stays the way it is– let those who ride still decide if they want to wear a helmet. The helmet law was repealed in 1976 in Connecticut, and they tried to bring it back this year and it was voted against thank you for keeping part of Connecticut free and thank you to John Rogue.

For information on the Original Helmet law repeal (in the best year in the world) 1976 in Connecticut back when Rogue was part of a legendary mc along with pappy and a whole lot of what I like to refer to as legendary and original men.

My father was also one of these men as well as my wife’s father so thank you to all of you who helped out with this the original helmet repeal and the 2021 vote out that is giving us some freedom in a state/world that we slowly lose more of everyday.

–Jr. Paul

http://www.bikerrogue.com/Articles/Biker_Rights/Meet_Pappy.htm

BIKERNET’S WORLD WIDE WEATHER DOOM WEEKLY REPORT–Ya know, there is nothing worse than a runaway ice melt. The melting of ice has been shown in studies to cause coronavirus. Runaway ice melts have been shown to increase Chinese bat populations which in turn cause wet-market drainage into the melting ice creating pandemics for which there are no vaccines, but for which there will be in two weeks causing more cases unless we all slow the melt.

Meltage modellings show that with the use of charts and graphs the meltage of the pandemic protocols can in fact according to sources, reports and pancreatic cancer readouts influence concomitant future parameters. This is science.

Please stop doing things, stay inside, wear a mask, turn around in a circle three times, face the holy city beneath Zanzibar and remember, global weather, global health, global prosperity, and global happiness of the Sixth Circle of the Lotus Mysteries of Queen Hupsetsut are ours to claim if we all just obey the Paris Accordions.

Thank you.

–J.J. Solari
Chief Weather Strategist
Bikernet University
Nepal

LIFESTYLE CYCLES DEAL OF THE WEEK--2016 Harley-Davidson® FLTRXS – Road Glide® Special for $19,995.00
SEE IT HERE: https://www.lifestylecycles.com/default.asp?page=xPreOwnedInventoryDetail&id=10033345

This bike is Super clean Road Glide

ONLY 20262.00 Miles !!!!!

2016 Blue Harley-Davidson ROAD GLIDE SPECIAL TOURING FLTRXS

Some of the features/Add-on’s on this bike

* 103 c.i. Motor
* 6-Speed trans
* 16 inch Apes
* Avon grips
* Vance & Hince exhaust
* Highway pegs

This bike has passed Lifestyle Cycles rigorous 101 point safety and mechanical inspection. Whether your looking to commute to work, ride the coast or take that dream vacation, this bike is ready to go!!!

EZ FINANCING-SHIPPING AVAILABLE!!!

Fill out an online application and ride today!!!

**Open 7 days a week**

Just $19,995.00 at Lifestyle Cycles (714) 490-0155

OUR PETS ARE DOOMED–
Climate activists now trying to cancel pets! Pet Police have arrived: ‘Expert suggested reducing rate of dog & cat ownership in favor of other animals’ to reduce ‘pets’ carbon footprint’ – Equal to emissions of 13 million cars!

VOX mag goes full pet police, asks: “Are our pets gobbling up the planet?”: Gregory Okin, a Professor in the Departments of Geography and the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability: “Reducing the rate of dog and cat ownership, perhaps in favor of other pets that offer similar health and emotional benefits, would considerably reduce these impacts.”

“Proper poop disposal is important. Okin found that pet poop is equivalent to the annual trash of 6.6 million humans.” That’s more trash than Maryland produces!

–Climate Depot

QUICK OPEN BANDIT’S CANTINA BAD JOKE LIBRARY— Me: Would you like to be the sun in my life?

Her: Awww… Yes!!!

Me: Good then stay 92.96 million miles away from me

–Juzaboy

Why are frogs always so happy? They eat what ever bugs them

–London Pro
Laughfactory.com

Some guy called me a tool. So I got hammered and nailed his girlfriend. Guess he was right.

–Funnydude
Laughfactory.com

FINALLY, They Admit Renewables Are Terrible For The Environment–New research from Princeton University and Bloomberg confirms that renewables require 300 – 400 times more land than natural gas and nuclear plants

Over the last few years, I have been pushing back against the idea that renewables are good for the environment. In 2019 I published, “Why Renewables Can’t Save the Planet,” which was the most-read article of the year at Quillette, and gave a TEDx talk by the same name, which today has 2.5 million views. And last year, in Apocalypse Never, I pointed out that wind and solar projects require 300 to 400 times more land than nuclear or natural gas plants, and that 100% renewables would require increasing land used for energy from 0.5% today to 25% to 50%.

Needless to say, the renewable energy industry and its boosters haven’t liked what I’ve written, and have sought to cancel me. Last year, a group of activist scientists denounced me as factually wrong, and demanded that I be censored by Facebook. They drew on junk science to claim that solar required just 3.6 times more land and wind just 5.8 times more than nuclear and natural gas plants. In response, Facebook censored me and denied me the right to appeal their verdict.

But now researchers at Princeton University and Bloomberg News have admitted that I was right, and my critics were wrong. They have just published research showing that wind farms require 370 times more land than nuclear plants, and that shifting away from nuclear and toward renewables, as Biden’s climate plan would do, would have a devastating impact on America’s natural environments.

“A 200-megawatt wind farm,” notes Bloomberg, “might require spreading turbines over 19 square miles (49 square kilometres). A natural-gas power plant with that same generating capacity could fit onto a single city block.”

Everyone agrees that we can increase, to some extent, the amount of electricity from solar panels and wind turbines. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory, whose mission is to promote renewables, claims 74% of California’s electricity could come from solar panels. Princeton estimates that 11% of electricity could come from offshore wind projects by 2050.

But after generating just 23% of its electricity from solar panels, California is suffering from blackouts and price spikes stemming from over-dependence on weather-dependent energies. Imagine what tripling solar production would do.

And it’s highly unlikely that the U.S. will add anything close to that amount of off-shore wind. Today, there are total of just seven off-shore wind turbines. Generating 11% of our electricity from them would require building 20,000 of them. And that’s unlikely to happen given widespread opposition from conservationists, fisherfolk, and local residents.

The U.S. would need to triple the amount of transmission lines, according to Princeton researchers, under a high-renewables future. But new transmission lines are being successfully opposed by a grassroots conservationists worried about whooping cranes and other endangered species. The same thing has occurred in renewables-heavy Germany.

Notes Bloomberg, “in 2011, former President Barack Obama created the Rapid Response Team for Transmission to speed the permitting of five Western transmission line projects. Only one is under construction so far. Three still face permitting delays. The fifth was canceled.”

The better alternative, Bloomberg notes, from an environmental point of view, is to build a lot of nuclear power plants, and use carbon capture and storage. “If the U.S. wants a carbon-free economy by 2050 using the least amount of land, it will need to rely far less on wind and solar and instead build hundreds of nuclear plants and natural gas plants outfitted with systems to capture the carbon dioxide before it escapes into the atmosphere.”

Bloomberg correctly notes that “Biden’s plan doesn’t need to entirely rest on wind and solar. Nuclear energy, which requires far less space, is also emission free.” But in its current form, Biden’s plan would result in the loss of half of America’s nuclear power plants between now and 2030, which would nearly wipe out nearly all of the electricity Princeton researchers say could be generated by off-shore wind.

Despite repeated appeals by Environmental Progress and the world’s leading environmental scientists, Congressional Democrats have rejected proposals to even modestly level the playing field by offering nuclear plants a fraction of the subsidies Congress has been giving solar and wind.

Anti-nuclear Democrats in Congress demanding 100% renewables have the strong support from progressives in the news media. “Unlike fossil fuels — which get more expensive as we pull more of them from the ground, because extracting a dwindling resource requires more and more work — renewable energy is based on technologies that get cheaper as we make more,” claimed New York Times columnist Farhad Manjoo last week.

But fossil fuels have become cheaper over the centuries and decades, not more expensive. In fact, the biggest story in energy over the last decade has been the declining cost of natural gas from fracking, which is the main reason the U.S. reduced its carbon emissions more than any other nation in history. For years researchers have calculated that the fracking revolution resulted in $100 billion being added to the U.S. economy every year in the form of lower energy prices.

And every serious student of technology knows that declining cost of producing energy is one of the largest factors driving economic growth. Fewer people are required to produce energy, which allows us to do different things.

–Michael Shellenberger

HEALTH NEWS ITEM OF THE DAY–
“I had my second dose of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, and I had a fever and chills for 36 hours after.
My side effects were common, and a sign that the immune system is learning from the vaccine.“ –Actual reporter’s report

So, let me see if I have this right: you were fine; you got the flu shot; you got the flu; but it was NOT the flu….it was your immune system “learning” what the flu is and reacting to it in a way that is just like “getting the flu”…….but is not actually getting the flu…..so that if you DO get the flu……your immune system will….know what to do. And, just to review….you were FINE before all this happened.

Yeah: you’re definitely a savvy typical 21st Century journalist.

–J.J. Solari
Chief Medical Research Specialist
Bikernet Medical Center

NEW FROM NASH MOTORCYCLE COMPANY–The Knuckle Chopper is offered for a limited time. Your pre-sale purchase insures you’re on the list when these start to ship BEGINNING WEEK OF MAY, 2021.

The Knuckle Chopper is the latest addition of collaborative pieces between Nash Motorcycle Co. and Jason Momoa’s, On The Roam. Inspired by our mutual love for Harley’s first OHV motor, the iconic Knucklehead.

First developed in 1936 this motor transcended the 2nd World War and developed a cult following from Harley enthusiasts and custom bike builders around the globe.

The Knuckle Chopper is also inspired by Jason’s passion for throwing hatchets, axes, and tomahawks. Cast in H11 tool grade Stainless Steel with an antique finish and polished Knuckle nuts.

Handmade and fitted with a hickory wood handle from the good ol’ U.S.A. This one-of-a-kind axe is built to handle anything that comes its way. Hand stamped with Jason’s “On the Roam” logo as well as the Nash Motor Co. logo.

NEWS FROM THE NATIONAL REVIEW–National Review has decided that maybe they need to take a look at this climate change business and see if it’s on the up and up. Are they on top of things or what!!! They used the word narrative–faggots.

Questioning the Climate-Change Narrative

https://www.yahoo.com/news/questioning-climate-change-narrative-103032320.html

NEW FROM KODLIN–M8 Fatboy and Breakout Wider Rear Fenders in stock!
MSRP $599 – Dealer $419

FEATURES AND BENEFITS:

Kodlin Steel Wide Rear Fender for all H-D M8 Softail Breakout and Fatboy models from 2018-up

The Kodlin Wide Rear Fender fits the wide M8 Softail frame for 240/250 rear tires. Comes in raw steel, unpainted. State of the art quality, bolts right on to the frame. No modifications to the frame required.

Check fitment prior to painting.

TUV approved for superior quality!

Stock seats do not work with Kodlin fenders. Please check our seat selection for specific applications that were designed to match your bike and to work with stock tanks or the Kodlin M8 Softail Custom Tank.

Retail $599.00 – Dealer $419.00

Details on www.kodlinusa.com

STREET ALERT–Court Says Snapchat Can be Sued for Deaths of Trio Using App During Fatal Crash

The US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled on Tuesday Section 230 does not apply. Parents of three young people killed in a 2017 car crash can now sue the social media site Snapchat.

Twenty-year-old Landen Brown opened Snapchat and pulled up the app’s speed filter, which video broadcasts how fast a user is going. This happened right before Brown hit a tree while going approximately 113 miles per hour. Two teenagers in the vehicle were also killed.

Until now, Section 230 of the federal communications law has protected digital services from some liability for the speech and action of users. The case will have strong implications for both traffic safety and freedom of speech.

RESEARCH & STATISTICS FROM THE MIC—
First-Quarter Motorcycle Sales Jump Way Up
Year-to-date sales of new motorcycles and scooters through March increased 37.2 percent among leading brands, compared to the same period last year. The data comes from the MIC Retail Sales Reporting System, gathering new-unit numbers from 14 leading manufacturers and distributors in the U.S., providing a strong indicator of sales trends.

More detailed information by model type is available in the MIC Retail Sales Unit Summary. All MIC members who have signed restricted use agreements may access the summary on the MIC.org website.

MIC members can also access the MIC Tire Sales Report, showing year-to-date motorcycle and scooter tire sales among nine major brands. The quarterly report is an indicator of tire sales trends, as well as motorcycle usage, vehicle population, and aftermarket sales.

–MIC

THE LATEST FROM KURYAKYN–WanderBar Portable Soundbar by MTX

Audiophile meets wanderlust. The new Kuryakyn WanderBar Portable Soundbars by MTX Audio provide incredible sound in a rugged, go-anywhere package designed to match active lifestyles.

Available in 10” and 14” sizes, WanderBar Portable Soundbars are powered by an internal 35W dynamic/stereo amp that feed six total speakers: two 2”x 3.2” neodymium woofers, and four 1” teteron dome tweeters.

Integrated passive radiators produce thumping mids and lows not typically achieved in a compact soundbar, while keeping the waterproof design intact, unlike ported designs. Additionally, true audiophiles will appreciate the crystal-clear sound and immersive depth thanks to an integrated Digital Signal Processor (DSP) that delivers peak performance at all volume levels and in any environment.

All-weather construction in accordance with IP65 rating plus available mounting kits (sold separately) make the WanderBar™ perfect for use on motorcycles, side-by-sides, ATV’s, golf carts, or virtually any recreational vehicle. When not mounted on a vehicle, the onboard rechargeable lithium battery ensures hours of powerful wireless playback on the road, at home, or wherever you wander.

Amplifier 2 x 27W RMS, 2 x 35W Dynamic
WanderBar™ Motorcycle and Recreational Mounting Kits sold separately (P/N 2722 or 2723)
Available in 10” and 14” sizes to suit a variety of applications

Integrated DSP (Digital Signal Processor) for peak performance at all volumes and all environments
Each channel has dual 1″ teteron dome tweeters and one high-sensitivity neodymium 2″ x 3.2″ woofer (six total speakers)

WanderBar 10” features one (1) passive radiator; WanderBar 14” features dual (2) passive radiators (radiators are 2.25” x 3.6”)

Passive radiator provides distortion-free mids and lows, and maintains a waterproof seal unlike ported speaker designs.
Chargeable lithium battery provides approx 6 hours of playback at 50% volume (battery can be charged with included USB wall charger or via vehicle mounting kits, sold separately).

Internal Bluetooth receiver allows wireless connectivity to any Bluetooth-enabled device
Integrated 100-lumen task light, plus back-lit buttons and battery indicator light for high-vis accessibility day or night.

Integrated USB charging port for phones/devices
All-weather construction in accordance with IP65 rating
14” long x 5” wide x 4” tall (5.2 lbs), 10” long x 5” wide x 4” tall (4.3 lbs)

www.Kuryakyn.com

MOTORCYCLE PROFILING BILL–
Last Friday, champions of the motorcycling community in the House of Representatives introduced a resolution addressing motorcyclist profiling. The resolution H. Res. 366 has three key points:

(1)promoting increased public awareness on the issue of motorcyclist profiling;

(2)encouraging collaboration and communication with the motorcycle community and law enforcement to engage in efforts to end motorcycle profiling; and

(3)urging State law enforcement officials to include statements condemning motorcyclist profiling in written policies and training materials.

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) applauds Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI), Congressman Michael Burgess (R-TX), Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (D-IL), and Congressman Mark Pocan (D-WI) for introducing this bipartisan resolution in the House of Representatives.

During the 116th Congress, a record 138 Representatives cosponsored a similar resolution to the one introduced today yet it failed to reach the House floor for a vote. This came on the heels of the United States Senate unanimously passing a related resolution in 2018.

Legislative action against the profiling of motorcyclists is not limited to Washington, D.C. Across the country, state legislatures are considering measures aimed at combating the profiling of motorcyclists. The MRF is joined by the Motorcycle Profiling Project, state motorcyclist’ rights organization, motorcycle clubs and individual riders taking a stand on this issue.

With the U.S. Senate on record on the topic and state capitals around the nation taking action it is imperative the House of Representatives follow suit and pass H. Res 366.

President of the MRF, Kirk ‘Hardtail’ Willard, stated “We thank Representatives Walberg, Burgess, Bustos and Pocan for their leadership on this important issue. Motorcyclists in every state are impacted by profiling. This issue isn’t going away, and it’s well past time for the House of Representatives to go on the record about the need to end motorcyclist profiling.”

Ride With The Leaders ™ by joining the MRF at http://mrf.org/ or call (202) 546-0983

–MRF

IT’S ALL NUTS REPORT–U.S. auto suppliers oppose setting gas-powered phaseout date

Argue for regulations to improve internal combustion engines instead.

A group representing auto suppliers will tell U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday it opposes setting a firm date to end the sale of new gasoline-powered passenger cars and expects those vehicles will be sold for at least another 20 years.

The Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA), which represents more than 1,000 vehicle suppliers, will tell a Senate Commerce subcommittee on transportation that the Biden administration should continue to set regulatory requirements that ensure suppliers keep working to improve internal combustion engines.

Ann Wilson, MEMA’s senior vice president of government affairs, will tell the panel that new gasoline-powered vehicles “will likely be on the road for an additional 20 years.”

Climate change concerns “will not be met unless the propulsion system containing the internal combustion engine continues to improve its efficiency,” she added.

Wilson warned that a “fully electric vehicle fleet will require significantly fewer supplier jobs, with some experts arguing that the supplier industry could lose up to 30% of its traditional workforce.”

“Engines, transmissions, aftertreatment systems, and other parts will simply not be manufactured for battery electric and fuel cell vehicles,” she said.

The governors of a dozen U.S. states including California, New York, Massachusetts and North Carolina, and many U.S. lawmakers have called on President Joe Biden to back ending sales of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035.

Biden’s infrastructure plan seeks $174 billion in spending and tax credits to electric vehicles and charging networks but does not call for phasing out gasoline-powered passenger vehicles.

California said in September it planned to end sales of new gas-powered passenger vehicles by 2035. Biden’s campaign said last fall he did not support California’s phase-out plan.

Last week, White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy said the administration had not set any specific EV adoption targets.

“We’re not making any demands right now because this is about basically using the market to generate the kind of reductions we need,” McCarthy said.

Reporting by David Shepardson.
—Autoblog.com

ONE FINAL CLIMATE NOTE–
An Earth Day Reminder: ‘Global Warming’ is Only ~50% of What Models Predict– Climatologist Dr. Roy Spencer ‘There is no Climate Crisis. There is no Climate Emergency. Yes, irregular warming is occurring.’

Joe Biden’s slip of tongue admits climate futility: ‘I rejoined the Paris Accord because if we do everything perfectly it’s not going to matter.’ – Biden joins Kerry in admitting climate pacts useless

Climate Depot Response: “Biden admits it’s all a waste of time and he joins John Kerry in admitting it as well! First off, the climate accords not only won’t impact the climate or weather, but these climate pacts do not even impact global emissions!

See:Shock graph of rising CO2 emissions despite ‘planet-saving’ UN climate pacts shows ‘farce’ of ‘climate action’

Greenpeace co-founder Dr. Patrick Moore: “What a farce the IPCC Paris Accord and all previous ‘agreements’ to reduce CO2 emissions have been. If only the collective billionaire-class would recognize that CO2 is entirely beneficial we could get on with making the world a better place.”

Climate Depot’s Marc Morano: “Get ready for more futility as the Green New Deal will continue meaningless ‘climate action.'”

–Climate Depot

Following article by Liz Peek

Joe Biden: “I rejoined the Paris Accord because if we do everything perfectly it’s not going to matter.”

“The United States accounts for less than 15 percent of carbon emissions. The rest of the world accounts for 85 percent. That’s why I kept my commitment to rejoin the Paris Accord, because if we do everything perfectly, it’s not going to matter.”

President Joe Biden, contrary to expectations, said something consequential in his first address to members of Congress…by mistake.

It was a whopper that went unnoticed on Wednesday night; with just a few ill-chosen words Biden utterly toppled any justification for the Green New Deal, which plays a central role in his $2.3 trillion American Jobs Plan and which, without a doubt, puts our economy at risk.

This is what he said, according to a New York Times transcript of the president’s remarks:

The United States accounts, as all of you know, for less than 15 percent of carbon emissions. The rest of the world accounts for 85 percent. That’s why I kept my commitment to rejoin the Paris Accord, because if we do everything perfectly, it’s not going to matter.”

That was not in the version of the speech the White House handed out ahead of time.

No wonder House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Kamala Harris looked visibly anxious throughout the president’s remarks: they were petrified he could make just exactly this kind of goof.

This is not a “gotcha moment,” where a politician is caught embellishing his life story or fabricating excuses for some misdeed. On the contrary, Joe Biden was being honest.

And, for once in his life, Joe Biden was completely correct. Even if the Biden White House clobbers our economy, puts every last coal miner and oil driller out of work and drives down U.S. fossil fuel production and consumption, it will barely bend the curve on rising global emissions.

Why? Because the rapid growth in emissions from China and India, and other developing countries will dwarf any action taken by the U.S. and will continue to push global carbon output higher.

The EIA predicts that, with current laws in place and no Bidenesque manhandling of our energy industries, U.S. carbon emissions will decline from 2023 to 2035 as we continue to shift away from coal and towards greater use of natural gas and renewable energy. After 2035, a growing population and consequent rise in energy demand will tilt emissions slightly higher; by 2050 our energy-related emissions will be roughly 5% more than the amount in 2020, which was severely depressed by Covid.

In other words, over the next thirty years, even if Uncle Sam does not demand Americans switch to electric cars or stop eating steak, our emissions will still be 20% below the peak total in 2007.

It is the rest of the world we must be concerned about. The EIA projects that between 2018 and 2050 emissions from non-OECD countries will grow 1% per year. China today accounts for 28% of global carbon output; India produces 7%. The U.S., as Biden accurately noted, contributes only 15%.

It is primarily China and India that continue to burn coal and add new coal plants as they rapidly industrialize. China not only consumes more coal each year, it is also opening new coal mines, even as older facilities are shut down. Xi Jinping has zero intention of sacrificing his country’s economic expansion on the altar of climate change.

It is worth noting that at the recent global climate summit, at which Biden opened the proceedings with a fervent call to action and offered up an unrealistic pledge to cut U.S. emissions 50% by 2030, other leaders were noticeably mute.

As the Scientific American reported, “China, the top emitter worldwide, resisted diplomatic pressure to reduce its carbon output over the next 10 years. So did India, Russia and Australia.”

Unlike the leaders of those countries, Biden is willing to roll the dice for a policy that, as he admitted, won’t make much difference. Even the New York Times noted the president’s plan is risky and that it met with considerable “skepticism”, especially about Biden’s promise of “good-paying jobs that can’t be outsourced.” As the Times notes, Democrats have been promising those “green” jobs for decades.

KEEP THE BANDIT’S CANTINA BAD JOKE LIBRARY WIDE OPEN— A blonde drops off her dress to the dry cleaners

The lady says, “Come Again!”

The blonde says, “No, it’s toothpaste this time.”

–Anonymous

Beer Bottle: You break me, you get 1 year of bad luck!

Mirror: You kiddin’ me? You break me, then y’all get 7 years bad luck!

Condom: Hahaha… (Condom walks off laughing)

–Yo Daddy
Laughfactory.com

AND NOW FOR A REPORT FROM ACROSS THE POND–As European nations dominate in mining in Africa for anything and everything since many centuries – gold, diamonds, precious minerals, metals for modern technology in computers, mobile phones, electric batteries, etc – now the European nations want to say, mining for Electric Vehicle components and batteries does not cause environmental pollution. Why? Because they wanna dig around in some regions within Europe. LOL.

Of course, coal miners or other mining and wood logging in Europe has never been the horror for human and other life the way it is in Africa and South America – so Europe will do just fine. But nothing’s gonna change for people and wildlife in those third-class third-world regions of Earth. Are they “life-forms”? (can they be considered as humans if it’s acceptable to treat them this way in 21st century?)

–Wayfarer
—————————————-

No longer dirty? EU leaders want to challenge perceptions of lithium mining

Governments say mining could attract investment and create jobs but lithium projects face opposition from environmentalists and local communities who fear irreversible damage such as soil pollution or destruction of the natural habitat of various endangered species.

by Catarina Demony and Sergio Goncalves from Reuters

LISBON: Environmental worries have boosted anti-lithium sentiment across Europe and EU officials say it is crucial to show local populations that mining the metal used in electric car batteries is no longer a “dirty operation.”

Tapping European deposits of lithium is an important part of the bloc’s ambition to secure more of the battery value chain as carmakers roll out electric vehicles, with Portugal central to the bloc’s bid to cut its reliance on imports.

The country is Europe’s biggest lithium producer for the ceramics industry and its miners are now preparing to produce the higher-grade metal used in lithium-ion batteries.

Governments say mining could attract investment and create jobs but lithium projects face opposition from environmentalists and local communities who fear irreversible damage such as soil pollution or destruction of the natural habitat of various endangered species.

Speaking at a conference on so-called green mining in Lisbon on Wednesday, Portuguese Environment Minister Joao Matos Fernandes said more effort was needed to align economic and local interests and address the social perception of lithium mining as dangerous to the environment.

“Green mining must also be challenging such sentiments through the involvement of the local population in understanding the mutual benefits these projects could bring,” he said.

Peter Handley, head of the European Commission’s raw materials unit, said it was essential to let people know lithium mining would be done “the right way, in full compliance with regulations”.

“Mining in the past was a very dirty operation,” Handley said. “It is becoming highly technological these days.”

Spain’s Energy Secretary of State Sara Munoz also said it was “critical” to improve public awareness around mining, calling for social responsibility and an open dialogue on the subject.

Spain hopes to develop an ambitious cross-border lithium project with Portugal.

The European Environment Bureau (EEB) says mining will only gain public acceptance if the best technologies are used to mitigate environmental effects, and if companies comply with laws and respect local communities.

“Local people are on the front line,” said Jeremy Wates, the EEB’s secretary-general.

Source: https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/auto-components/no-longer-dirty-eu-leaders-want-to-challenge-perceptions-of-lithium-mining/82408037

–Wayfarer
Environmental Editor
Bikernet News Bureau
Mumbai

ANOTHER HEADLINE OF THE WEEK–all the other countries are apparently doing ok weatherwise. The USA however is heating up.

–J.J. Solari

FROM THE BIKERNET MEDITATION TEMPLE
“Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.” – Zen proverb

“Run often. Run long. But never outrun your joy of running.” – Julie Isphording

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” – T. S. Eliot

“People will laugh at you for having to start over. Meanwhile, they haven’t even started.” – Mike Tyson

–Wayfarer

SOMETHING SPECIAL FROM HAL ROBINSON— Did you find Hal’s signature? Hint: Find the skull and then you will see it. You might say it blends so you have to look for it. I find it has a mysterious quality.

I saw a recent artist who used this style with his bike illustrations on bikernet.com and used lots more of the sparkles. Hal used them in 1971, but just where there is chrome. Interesting.

–Hal2

A FRESH NEW BEGINNING—Sorry, the news was packed with climate stuff. A few years ago, no one would mention climate. It wasn’t important. Now it’s nuts. It’s only nuts because one side won’t embrace the truth. The bottom line: Science is never settled. It makes me laugh when I think about doomsday.

For centuries folks have come up with various Doomsday scenarios, but now it’s from mainstream media. Hell, they are no more accurate now than Alien invasion scenarios 60 years ago. It’s fear mongering, when we are living in the absolute best of times.

I joked to J.J. Solari about a test community for AOC, a place where she could implant all her notions and test them. He dug it and we will publish his findings in the next couple of days.

In the meantime, we wait for the Wilmington building to close and for the exchange to close on the Sturgis property and for the mover to arrive and be able to unload into the new facility without too many problems.

Remember: Rest and be kind, you have nothing to prove.

–Bandit

from https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com

Yamaha is yet to go public with the E01. However recent trademarks along with this patent show an imminent arrival for the EV is bound to happen soon.

Yamaha E01 electric scooter takes shape, patent filed. The patents show Yamaha has a new product in the works.

Yamaha plans to make a comeback in the electric scooter segment with its upcoming product – the E01.

The concept for this scooter was first showcased back in 2019 at the Tokyo Motor Show. What makes this scooter stand out from the rest of its electric cousins carrying the family name is the fact that this particular Yamaha is designed to have a 125-class or equivalent motor. This should result in a better performing EV.

The concept has undergone changes to become road-worthy. While it may not be as flashy as before, the E01 continues to carry certain design cues from the concept. Patents from the Japanese Patent Office give a clearer idea of what to expect from the EV.

Fancy upholstery has now been replaced with conventional plastic. Traditional tail lights with reflectors can also be seen to allow it on city streets. The battery pack is expected to non-removal. The electric motor is behind the frame to power the rear wheel.

Most of the changes in design to the Yamaha E01 are to make mass production easier while also keeping costs reasonable.

from https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com

Husqvarna rides in ‘Replay’ edition of Vitpilen 701, 701 Supermoto and 701 Enduro LR. The bikes are in partnership with clothing brand Replay

Swedish automaker Husqvarna has introduced a range special edition variants of Vitpilen 701, 701 Supermoto and 701 Enduro LR in partnership with Italian clothing brand Replay.

The Vitpilen 701 is a cruiser with a large single – cylinder engine mated to a lightweight chasis. The 701 Supermoto takes things off road with a 74hp single-cylinder engine bound to a 148kg chasis. The 701 Enduro LR is for those who wish to go a bit further off the tarmac. The LR which stands for Long range is due to its massive fuel tank, nearly twice the capacity of the standard 701 Enduro.

More details about the bikes are yet to be made public. The manufacturer has also promised that more models are on the way under the partnership with Replay that began in 2020.

It marked the beginning of a new chapter for both Husqvarna Motorcycles and REPLAY, as Husqvarna Motorcycles re-entered the Moto3 World Championship, while REPLAY took a strategic step into the motorcycle sector, the statement read.

Lingerie Fighting Championships to Perform Three Shows at the Legendary Sturgis Buffalo Chip’s 40th Anniversary.

Lingerie Fighting Championships, Inc. announced today they have been booked to perform three events at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip during the closing weekend of the 2021 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, SD.

“We are extremely excited to be returning to the Chip for a second straight year,” CEO Shaun Donnelly says. “We had so much fun last year but only had one complaint – one show just wasn’t enough! So, this year we’re doing three.”

The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is the largest motorcycle rally in the world. This year’s event will be the 81st annual, which also makes it one of the longest running in the country.

“We’re expecting this to be the most attended rally ever,” says Buffalo Chip President Rod Woodruff. “We’re so happy to have Lingerie Fighting Championships back for our 40th anniversary.”

The Lingerie Fighting Championships join an outstanding lineup of entertainment that includes Kid Rock, ZZ Top, Shinedown, P.O.D. and many others.

This year’s rally is expected to be especially impactful as the country emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic eager for a party.

“Even with the pandemic and the precautions we had to take last year, our fighters had an amazing time,” Donnelly says. “Making their entrances on the back of custom bikes was just too cool not to want to do it again.”

The events, LFC32, LFC33 and LFC34 will take place Thursday, Aug. 12, Friday, Aug. 13 and Saturday, Aug. 14 at 6 p.m. each night in the venue’s amphitheater prior to the headlining main stage concerts. Anyone wishing to watch the events may do so for free with a Buffalo Chip campground admission pass.

For campground admission passes to see the LFC show live at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip visit: https://www.rallytickets.com/sturgis

To register for the Sturgis Rally for free visit: https://sturgis.com/registration

About Lingerie Fighting Championships Inc.
Lingerie Fighting Championships Inc. is a sports entertainment company focused on producing unique mixed events for live audiences and television viewers featuring attractive female fighters.

For more information please visit www.lingeriefc.com.

by Anthony Conroy from https://www.post-gazette.com

BMW’s R18 First Edition is powerful, simple and sophisticated

Size isn’t everything, the old saying goes, but when you take a ride aboard BMW Motorrad’s R18 First Edition, its size is impossible to ignore.

Put a leg over the seat, settle in and take in those two massive, chromed cylinder covers sitting in front of you, each one its own 901cc power-making factory. It’s like sitting on the neck of a shiny hammerhead shark.

The engine — a twin-cylinder configuration known as a Boxer — has been BMW’s signature since 1923. But the Boxer on the R18 is the largest the German manufacturer has ever produced, with a claimed output of 91 horsepower and 116 pounds-foot of torque.

Other manufacturers will claim to have bigger and better numbers, but the R18 isn’t designed for life on the rowdy edge. It’s a power cruiser, but with the soul of something vintage and simple. A modern throwback, if you will.

In fact, despite the $20,000 price tag, there aren’t many frills. Some adjustability in the rear, none in the front. Heated grips. A reverse gear. BMW’s automatic stability control, which is essentially traction control. And three power modes: Rock, Roll and Rain. For our purposes, those might as well have been called Road Rage, Easy Jaunt and Tip-Toeing Through the Puddles.

In other words, let’s Rock.

The R18 has a keyless ignition and once the starter is pushed, the bike thunders and shudders to life. At stops, there’s quite a bit of vibration, but that’s exactly what you’d expect with two giant metal buckets rotating and internally combusting between your legs. The vibrations don’t exactly fade away once on the go — you’ll see a lot of blurring in the rear view mirrors, but I never felt any numbness in the hands, feet or butt after long rides.

Rock mode taps into the full potential of the beastly Boxer. You’ll feel the torque at 3,000 rpm. Max horsepower comes at 4,750 rpm. The best part is there’s nothing grabby or choppy about its power delivery. A sharp pull on the throttle produces smooth, linear power through six gears. Despite the nearly 800 pounds of motorcycle sitting beneath you, the bike requires minimum inputs at speed. A long wheelbase and a wonderful center of gravity contribute to the bike’s stability. Handlebars that are wide but nicely swept provide excellent leverage and contribute to the bike’s agility.

And it is agile — at speed anyway. It actually feels light going around fast, sweeping turns. And going faster feels right, as your feet are not in front of you, like with most American cruisers. They’re underneath you, which seems more natural during aggressive riding.

At the front wheel, twin four-piston calipers developed in-house by BMW are paired with dual 300mm discs to slow down the big Beemer. When the pace gets really slow — like in a parking lot — the R18’s weight does feel a bit cumbersome, like pushing around a fully-dressed Harley-Davidson without the cabinetry.

Potential buyers also will need to carefully decide how they intend to ride the bike, particularly if long hauls are on the agenda. Those massive cylinders look great, but they make the prospect of having highway pegs impossible. There’s also no back rest or cruise control (at least not on the First Edition), so it’s not the kind of bike you’ll be able to kick back on while eating up highway miles. The tank holds 3.2 gallons of fuel with a 1-gallon reserve, so expect to get around 120 miles per fill-up. For some reason, BMW opted against a fuel gauge. However, a warning light will let you know when you have about 20 miles left to go.

Riders looking for a more travel-friendly R18 right out of the box may want to opt for the Classic model, which comes with a windscreen and baggage, rather than the First Edition. To be honest, there will be no shortage of aftermarket accessories for any model marketed under the R18 badge.

The BMW was flawless in tearing around town and rural backroads, with the seating position and seat itself good for all-day riding. There’s 3½ inches of travel at the rear suspension, but it’s a bit stiff. Best to avoid the bumps. Ergonomically, there wasn’t much to complain about.

One complaint, if you can call it that, is that the R18 has a very quiet transmission. When going from neutral to first gear, there was hardly ever a sound or a shimmy — no knock, ping or usual KERTHUNK! that I’m used to hearing (and feeling). Without that, quite frankly, I sometimes found myself doing double-takes for the neutral light to make sure I was in gear before speeding away.

In other words, leave it to the Germans to make something so mechanically perfect that it’s worth complaining about.

Aesthetically, it’s hard to miss those giant cylinders, but there are other visual items that shouldn’t go unnoticed.

If chrome is your thing, there’s no shortage of it, especially on those those wonderful looking fishtail mufflers. They don’t make a lot of sound, but they are beautiful to look at and give the R18 a distinctive look. Also chromed is the front of the engine housing. Overall, the housing eliminates clutter and gives the bike a polished, clean look, but it does make everything else — apart from the cylinder heads — a bit of a mystery.

Thankfully, for those who need to see something mechanical to soothe our inner motorhead, BMW’s engineers gave us an exposed bevel-geared driveshaft. Seeing it in action while actually riding is a bit of a task, but we’ll take mechanical porn however we can get it.

Overall, this Beemer is an excellent motorcycle. The price tag may be a bit on the high side, but the R18 is for owners wanting two things: a cruiser with impressive performance and one that distinguishes itself from American cruisers and Japanese knock-offs. The R18 First Edition definitely accomplishes both goals.

A big welcome to Doug & Michael!

At Damon, we continue to expand and grow our team to deliver not just a ride, but an enhanced experience for the next-generation of motorcyclists.

Thus, we are proud to welcome CMO & VP Brand Doug Penman and Head of Design Michael Uhlarik to Damon’s executive team.

Doug Penman, CMO & VP, Brand – “I look forward to creating the most exhilarating, unexpected, and fierce mobility brand the motorcycle industry has ever seen.”

Michael Uhlarik, Head of Design – “I’m excited to design the Damon motorcycles of the future… and to cement the company’s legacy as the leading innovator in two-wheel safety, technology, and performance.”

An international award-winning motorcycle designer and product planner, Uhlarik created the market-leading Yamaha TZR-50 and the award-winning Yamaha MT-03. He has also contributed to designs for the R6, FJR1300, & M1 MotoGP bike, collaborated on motorcycles such as the Aprilia Dorsoduro, SportCity, & Atlantic, and authored the Derbi Rambla.

Penman is an entrepreneur and creative with broad-ranging venture capital, marketing strategy, and brand expertise. He has launched and accelerated the momentum for Intel, Microsoft, Volvo, Toyota Scion, Peugeot, SanDisk, QuantumScape, Dell, Coca-Cola, UBTech, and Philips.

As pioneers in their respective fields, Doug and Michael are tightly aligned on both purpose and creative vision to fuse the functions of product design and brand & marketing.

Their work will ultimately give you a more charged, inspired, and personal riding experience.

Celebrate with us.
2021 Green GOOD DESIGN Award
We’re honoured to win an accolade from the oldest and most established awards program for the most innovative and visionary new product design worldwide. ⁠

2021 Fast Company World Changing Idea Award
We’ve been recognized with an “Honorable Mention” in the Transportation category for this prestigious award.

21 New Damon Family Members
We’ve welcomed 21 new individuals from all around the world in the past month. And we’re still hiring!

You can join Damon, too.
Become a Damon Brand Ambassador
Love talking about us and sharing our bikes on social media? Do it officially as a Damon Brand Ambassador.

We’re building relationships with passionate, creative influencers and content creators, who share our vision in making motorcycling better, safer, and smarter! Could this be you?

Join the Team
We’re in search of top-tier talent for all departments from Engineering to Marketing. Help us change the world.

View our current openings and apply for your next challenge.

from https://africa.com

Uber Launches Electric Motorcycles And Scooters For Rides And Deliveries In Kenya And For The First Time In Africa.

Uber has announced the launch of electric BodaBodas and bicycles for earners on UberBoda, Uber Connect and Uber Eats in Kenya, allowing riders and eaters the ability to choose a more sustainable option to move around and to have deliveries made. The launch is a first for Uber in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Sustainable rides with UberBoda Green

The launch of electric BodaBodas will not only offer an affordable and reliable manner of transportation within the city, but riders will be able to select a zero-emissions ride to help drive a green recovery. Using electric UberBoda vehicles will cost the same as a regular journey, as going green should never be more expensive. Riders can also expect the same door-to-door safety experience.

The launch of electric boda presents a 45% reduction in overall costs for Uber Boda and Uber Connect drivers, for whom fuel is the most significant operating cost. In Kenya, the boda boda sector employs over 1.6 million youths, the vast majority of which are based in Nairobi.

“We are doing our part to help transform mobility in the country so that Kenyans can play their part in reducing carbon emissions. Uber is continuously looking for ways to improve the customer experience, and we have a responsibility to invest in offering product innovations that make a difference to cities. We believe this collaboration will do just that”, says Brian Njao, Head of East Africa for Uber.

Reducing emissions while making deliveries

With consumers being environmentally and health-conscious, it is important for Uber Eats to be part of the journey. The introduction of electric BodaBodas can allow consumers to order their favourite meals while giving them peace of mind that their food is delivered in transportation with low emissions. In addition, Uber Connect deliveries will also be done using the newly launched electric motorcycles and bicycles.

“Uber Eats has grown exponentially across Kenya, with the app being available in Mombasa, Nakuru and Nairobi, which means more delivery people on the road. Providing electric BodaBodas to delivery people means that transportation emissions can be cut drastically, says Nadeem Anjarwalla, General Manager of Uber Eats in Kenya.

Uber will continue to actively work with cities to introduce eco-friendly products to decrease air pollution, reduce urban congestion, and increase access to clean transportation modes.

California Highway Patrol asking motorists to drive with caution

from https://www.kget.com

The California Highway Patrol is recognizing May as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.

The department says as the weather warms up, more and more motorcycles and cars are expected to be hitting the road. Preliminary data from the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System show more than 500 people were killed in motorcycle-involved crashes in California in 2020 and more than 11,500 people were injured.

Here in Kern County, at least eight people have died in motorcycle crashes so far this year.

The CHP is asking motorcyclists to be responsible and properly equipped. They’re also asking drivers to watch out for motorcyclists on the road.

CHP: Motorcycle safety requires everyone’s attention
by Jaime Coffee, Information Officer II, California Highway Patrol from http://antiochherald.com

The warming weather and increasing number of vehicles traveling on California’s roadways offer a timely reminder of the importance of motorcycle safety awareness for motorcyclists and motorists alike. By recognizing May as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) emphasizes safe riding and driving practices for everyone.

“Motorcyclists who are responsible, informed, and properly equipped can help reduce rider deaths and injuries,” CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray said. “Motorists are also key to reducing crashes by being aware of the dangers and challenges of motorcycle riding. Taking the time to look twice for motorcyclists can save a life.”

“Motorcycle riders are more vulnerable out in the elements, which is why it is important for drivers to always be mindful of riders,” California Office of Traffic Safety Director Barbara Rooney said.

With more than 1.4 million licensed riders, motorcycles are a popular mode of transportation for Californians, another reason motorcycle safety awareness is paramount. Preliminary data from the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System show more than 500 people were killed in motorcycle-involved crashes in California in 2020 and more than 11,500 people were injured.

As part of its continual motorcycle safety program, the CHP strongly encourages all riders, new and experienced, to enroll in the California Motorcyclist Safety Program (CMSP). The CMSP has 98 training sites throughout the state and trains approximately 55,000 motorcyclists each year. For more information or to find a training site near you, visit californiamotorcyclist.com or motorcyclesafetyca.com.

Motorcyclists can help protect themselves by always wearing the proper safety gear, including a U.S. Department of Transportation-compliant helmet, observing the speed limit, riding defensively, and always riding sober. Drivers should always look at their mirrors and blind spots before changing lanes and always keep a safe distance.

The CHP promotes motorcycle safety with the Get Educated and Ride Safe (GEARS) program, funded by a $750,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. All eight CHP field Divisions will hold outreach events to promote motorcycle safety throughout 2021 under the GEARS grant.

The mission of the CHP is to provide the highest level of Safety, Service, and Security.

TxDOT urges motorists to ”Share the Road: Look Twice for Motorcycles’
from https://www.heraldbanner.com

Despite less traffic on the road in 2020 and a 2% reduction in motorcycle crashes, safety officials are alarmed by a 17% increase in Texas motorcycle fatalities compared to 2019. On average, a motorcyclist is killed in a crash on Texas roads every day—last year 482 died. Motorcyclists account for 12% of all traffic fatalities statewide.

May is National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, and the Texas Department of Transportation’s annual “Share the Road: Look Twice for Motorcycles” campaign gets underway to call attention to the safety precautions motorists can take to protect motorcyclists and themselves. In 2020, in the 7,481 motorcycle crashes in Texas, 1,856 motorcyclists were seriously injured and 482 were killed.

“May through October is an especially dangerous period for motorcyclists in Texas,” said TxDOT Executive Director James Bass. “Of all the motorcyclist deaths in Texas during 2020, more than 61% happened in that period. It’s so important to remember that these motorcyclists don’t have the same protections that drivers in vehicles have, and that’s why we’re urging all motorists to stay watchful and alert when traveling alongside motorcycles so everyone can reach their destination safely.”

The Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) reports that fatal crashes between motorcyclists and drivers often occur when drivers misjudge the motorcycle’s distance and speed and make left turns in front of an oncoming motorcyclist. Last year, almost one-third of Texas motorcycle fatalities occurred in an intersection or were intersection-related. TTI also points to driver inattention as a contributing factor to motorcycle crashes.

TxDOT has these safety tips for drivers to protect motorcyclists and prevent crashes:

• Take extra care when making a left turn. It’s safest to let the motorcycle pass to avoid turning in front of the rider.
• Pay special attention at intersections. Nearly one in three motorcycle fatalities happens at a roadway intersection.
• Give driving your full attention. Even a momentary distraction, such as answering a phone call or changing the radio station, can have deadly consequences.
• Look twice when changing lanes. Check mirrors, check blind spots, and always use turn signals.
• Give motorcyclists room when passing them. Move over to the passing lane and don’t crowd the motorcyclist’s full lane.
• Stay back. If you’re behind a motorcycle, always maintain a safe following distance. When a motorcyclist downshifts instead of applying the brake to slow down, it can catch drivers off guard since there are no brake lights to signal reduced speed.
• Slow down. Obey posted speed limits and drive to conditions.

The “Share the Road: Look Twice for Motorcycles” campaign is a key component of #EndTheStreakTX, a broader social media and word-of-mouth effort that encourages drivers to make safer choices while behind the wheel, like wearing a seat belt, driving the speed limit, never texting and driving and never driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. November 7, 2000 was the last deathless day on Texas roadways. #EndTheStreakTX asks all Texans to commit to driving safely to help end the streak of daily deaths on Texas roadways.

Texas Motorcycle Fatalities Increased by 17% in 2020
by Demetrius Harper from https://www.nbcdfw.com

More than 2,300 motorcyclists were killed or seriously injured on Texas streets and highways last year.

The Texas Department of Transportation says the number of motorcycle riders killed on Texas roadways spiked in 2020.

TxDOT said 2,300 motorcyclists were killed or seriously injured on Texas streets and highways in 2020. Of the nearly 7,500 crashes involving motorcycles that were reported in 2020, 482 were fatalities — a 17% increase over the year before.

The Irving Police Department made a similar plea last month after a motorcycle officer was seriously injured when he was struck by a driver who turned in front of him.

Nov. 7, 2000 was the last deathless day on Texas roadways.