City of San Diego Awarded GE Mass Surveillance Contract Without Oversight
By Bandit | | General Posts
San Diego is now home to the largest mass surveillance operation across the country
The City of San Diego appears to now be in the business of enabling mega-data companies to cash in on city residents’ privacy.
The City paid $30 million for the contract. But the larger issue is that General Electric has already made more than $1 billion dollars selling San Diego residents’ data to Wall Street.
The City of San Diego gave what appears to be unrestricted rights to the private data, according to the contract (below).
Apparently City Attorney Elliott never told the Mayor and City Council of the mass surveillance capabilities.
San Diego is now home to the largest mass surveillance operation across the country.
General Electric and its subsidiaries have access to all the processed data in perpetuity with no oversight.
Law enforcement uses of the cameras is fine, provided it is done within the law and doesn’t violate the constitution.
Now we have learned Elliott owns between $10,000 and $100,000 in GE stock, according to her FPPC Form 700.
The Gearhead’s Belle Gets Featured
By Bandit | | General Posts
Gearhead feature
Where to start? I named the bike Gypsy Belle. She was my gypsy and the adventures we had are too numerous to mention. I’ve had her for 40 plus years now and she’s been solid to me.
Back in the day, custom parts and performance components were difficult to find or afford. The previous owner lost his leg in a bike accident and installed a 10-over glide on this bike. I put her back to stock. Lee had built her for his needs. “She was a Belle before yours was a Belle,” he said.
I bought her in 1979 or 1980. I have owned her since I got rid of my ’78 and a 1/2 Lowrider Shovel. She has tall ape hangers from the original ape-hanger company, Flanders. Her seat is a one of a kind, King/Queen custom, by Bar Enterprises.
Back then, custom stroker kits were not available. If you wanted a fast bike, you had to find UL wheels. Or you ran over-sized or higher compression pistons and a cam. Even modifying a carb was something and installing an S&S air cleaner improved the air flow. The Belle has a .030 over 74 cubic inch engine with an Andrews B grind Cam, S&S pushrods and lifters.
The carb is a Bendix with a Gary Bang adjustable jet kit. The wire hanging from the pushrod cover is to unstick the float needle valve once in a while. The exhaust is a combination of many different sets, with the accent on connecting the one-piece muffler, which is a repop fishtail of a 1930s vintage.
I installed an CCI air filter modified with a Harley Anniversary emblem.
Keep in mind that a lot of bikes were kickstart and if the engine got serious compression, they could be tough to kick over.
The heads were built by Ed Walker at Walker’s engine and frame. I don’t believe they shaved the heads for higher compression on Shovelheads. That became a big deal with Evos. Shave the heads, add a cam, pipes and an S&S air cleaner and an Evo would fly.
The rear fender came from L.A. Panhead, and old friend. It is modified to except FX fender struts. The taillight is a tombstone remake and the headlight is classic Bates. Her color is midnight blue with pear.
The battery is an FX style with crate strap tie-downs. All front controls are stock with slight modifications. She has an old-style oil cooler that bolts to the left front peg. Oil coolers were always a big deal in hotter areas. The point cover which is a Grateful Dead head given to me by a brother who has left us for the great beyond. My kicker cover was given to me by Bandido Fred.
The future plans for the Belle is to put everything I can into a wishbone rigid frame for more of a show than a long hauler.
There is a story behind many of the parts on the old girl. I have to give special thanks to my wife, the J woman, T.J., Big George, Texas Fred, Wizard, Wildman Terry, the guys over at Motorcycle Michaels, Big Jim (he had a hand-painted an Easyriders tank logo on his super glide), Uncle Geno (for his stories, real or not) and many others who had an influence on how the old girl turned out. A lot of old school thought went into the build. The outlaw influence and necessity needs were part of the plan also. We just have to live by the moto “Ride hard or just go home.”
Thanks for the opportunity to display the Gypsy Belle.
–Gearhead
Owner: Gearhead
City/State: Torrence, California
Value: 40 Years worth
Time: Too much
Engine
Type: Shovelhead cone style
Year: 1970 H-D
Displacement: 74 cubic inches
Builder: Ed Walker and Gearhead
Pistons: .030 over
Cam: Andrews 8-grind
Ignition: Stock
Carb: Bendix with Gary Bang adjustable jet kit
Air Cleaner: Custom Chrome with H-D anniversary logo
Exhaust: Many pieces with 1936 Fishtail muffler
Make: H-D
Type: Stock 4-speed with kicker kit
Builder: Ed Walker
Clutch: Barnett’s with roller bearing kit
Primary drive: Still a chain
Make: Stock H-D
Type: Swingarm
Mods: All stock tabs replaced
Make: H-D
Type: Wide glide
Mods: Was 10-over, put back to stock
Both
Make: H-D
Size: 16-inch
Brakes: Stock Disc
Tires: Old School Classic Continentals
Sheetmetal: H-D color later than 1970
Color: Midnight Blue with pearl
Mods: Cleared with 1936 Decals
Headlight: Bates
Taillight: Tombstone re-pop
Dash: Panhead style from Custom Chrome
Rear fender: FLH hinge mounted to FX rear struts
Seat: Bar Enterprises (King/Queen) with glove box
Misc.: Machined components from aerospace machinists
Building the H-D Juneau Plant
By Wayfarer | | General Posts
From Woodshed to Red-brick Behemoth in Ten Short Years
We’ve all heard the stories of how Harley-Davidson began life in 1903 in a Milwaukee woodshed on the site of what is now the headquarters of Miller Brewing Company. But with motorcycle production set to jump from around 1000 units in 1909 to nearly 30,000 by 1920, the Motor Company’s industrial digs had to change, and in a big way.
Rider Austin Forkner Captures First 250SX Win of the Season in Front of Hometown Crowd
By Wayfarer | | General Posts
Foothill Ranch, Calif. (January 12, 2020) – Round 2 of Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship returned to The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri after a brief one-year hiatus, with a warm welcome of rowdy fans. Monster Energy®/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider and hometown hero, Austin Forkner, captured his first 250SX win of the season, while Monster Energy® Kawasaki riders Eli Tomac and Adam Cianciarulo pushed hard in the 450SX class to finish fourth and seventh respectively.
After starting the day off qualifying with the third fastest lap time, Forkner kicked it up a notch by the time the gate dropped on 250SX Heat 2, taking the win. When the 22-rider field lined up for the 250SX Main Event, Forkner grabbed his second holeshot of the season aboard his KX™250. Forkner would lead all 18 laps to take his first win of the season in front of nearly 100 family and friends who came to see him at his home race.
After crashing in the first 250SX qualifying session, Cameron McAdoo attempted to ride in the second timed session before having to pull off and withdraw from the night show. McAdoo will seek further evaluation regarding his status and look to return as soon as possible.
While rain and light snow fell outside, the St. Louis crowd kept the energy high inside the dome with the help of the Kawasaki riders pumping them up at the Monster Energy Rig Riot as the Party in the Pits were hosted inside.
“I’m really happy to get our first win of the season tonight, especially at my hometown race with a ton of family and friends in the stands. It’s just been a special night for me. I wasn’t feeling the best about how I was riding and where I was last weekend, but this weekend couldn’t have been more different. I felt good all day and comfortable on my KX250 and I hope we can keep that momentum going and continue clicking off wins.”
– Austin Forkner
“Man, what a tough day. It’s always a difficult pill to swallow when you end your day early, especially when you’re riding well and feeling good in the beginning. I made a small mistake in qualifying and just couldn’t really recover after that crash. I was hurting pretty badly, so the team and I all made the decision to call it a day and get checked out in hopes to recover quicker for the long season ahead.”
– Cameron McAdoo
The 450SX dynamic duo of Monster Energy Kawasaki kicked off the day qualifying with the two fastest times as Cianciarulo clocked the fastest lap time of 50.2 seconds and Tomac right behind him, in second. So far this season Cianciarulo has held the top spot in all six practice and qualifying sessions.
Tomac lined up for the first 450SX heat race and found himself buried mid-pack off of the start. Picking off contenders one by one, Tomac made an impressive charge from 10th to second before the clock ran out and crossing the finish line.
Carrying the confidence of qualifying into the night show, Cianciarulo shot out of the 450SX Heat 2 gate in third. By the halfway point, Cianciarulo made his way into the front to lead the remaining four laps and take his first career 450SX heat race win.
In the 450SX Main Event Tomac found himself wedged out and sitting mid-pack after the first turn. He began making quick work as he maneuvered his KX™450 around the field moving from 12th to fourth before running out of time just shy of a podium finish. 450SX class rookie Cianciarulo was able to hold a top-5 position for the majority of the race before making a minor mistake on the final lap of the race, recovering quickly to finish seventh.
“Well we didn’t finish the night where we wanted or should be, but the team and I will get back to work this week and get everything dialed before Anaheim next weekend. I know we’ll be focusing on my starts, which have really been hurting my chances at finishing on the podium, but we’ll get those dialed and make any other minor adjustments that need to be made so we can get back on top.”
– Eli Tomac
Today was a really encouraging day. In the 450SX Main Event, despite my start, I felt like I was riding well and making good progress. Unfortunately, I turned a fourth into a seventh with a last lap mistake. I’ve been grinding on my starts trying to get them where they should be, but I obviously didn’t execute tonight. We’ll lock those in and be ready for A2.”
– Adam Cianciarulo
In Case of Emergency, Please Remove Your Bra
By Bandit | | General Posts
The Emergency Bra is a protective garment that transforms into two respiratory face masks in case of an emergency. (www.Ebbra.com)
Caught in a disaster? You’d better hope you’re wearing the Emergency Bra. Simply unsnap the bright red bra, separate the cups, and slip it over your head — one cup for you, and one for your friend.
Dr. Elena Bodnar won an Ignoble Award for the invention last year, an annual tribute to scientific research that on the surface seems goofy but is often surprisingly practical. And now Bodnar has brought the eBra to the public; purchase one online for just $29.95.
“The goal of any emergency respiratory device is to achieve tight fixation and full coverage. Luckily, the wonderful design of the bra is already in the shape of a face mask and so with the addition of a few design features, the Emergency Bra enhances the efficiency of minimizing contaminated bypass air flow,” explains the eBra website.
It sounds silly, but Bodnar, a Ukraine native who now lives in Chicago, started her medical career studying the effects of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster. If people had had cheap, readily available gas masks in the first hours after the disaster, she said, they may have avoided breathing in Iodine-131, which causes radiation sickness.
The bra-turned-gas masks could have also been useful during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and for women caught outside during the dust storms that recently enveloped Sydney, she said.
“You have to be prepared all the time, at any place, at any moment, and practically every woman wears a bra,” she said. Her patented devices also look pretty, no different from a conventional bra, she added.
According to a report on tech news site CNET, there are plans for a “counterpart device for men” in the works, though the precise shape it will take has yet to be revealed.
FoxNews.com’s SciTech section is on Twitter! Follow us @fxnscitech.
ACTION ALERT: from the Motorcycle Riders Foundation
By Bandit | | General Posts
Dear Riders,
As we move into the second half of the 116th Congress, we still have more work to do to advance our 2020 legislative priorities. With your help, we can make sure that Congress takes steps to help end the unfair profiling of motorcyclists around the country. The Motorcycle Riders Foundation is working with the State Motorcycle Rights Organizations (SMRO), the National Council of Clubs (NCOC), the Motorcycle Profiling Project (MPP) and the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) on the passage of H.Res. 255.
Let’s keep the momentum going and ask the U.S. House of Representatives to join their colleagues in the U.S. Senate to pass H.Res. 255. If you have answered our previous calls to action over the past year on motorcyclist profiling, please make sure you click the take action button for our updated profiling engagement! We currently have over 125 bipartisan cosponsors and we would like to increase that number to signal to Congress that this issue is still important to the bikers in America. If your representative is already a cosponsor, the system will send them a thank you on your behalf which also encourages them to ask their colleagues in the House of Representatives to join them.
TAKE ACTION NOW: Tell Congress that targeting a motorcyclist because of their clothes, cut or motorcycle is discriminatory and needs public attention. Support H.Res. 255.
Ride Free,
Tiffany Cipoletti
Director of Government Relations
www.MRF.org
Do We Really Face a Climate Cat–astrophe?
By Bandit | | General Posts
January 9, 2020
Must we put up with yet another eco-cataclysm fabricated and exaggerated by ruling elites?
One day I will write a book: 111,111 ways our saviors have proposed to save the planet from the coming climate-driven catastrophes and extinctions. Meanwhile, here’s one you may not have considered.
At my cat-loving daughter’s house the other day, I ran across one of her books – How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You (by Matthew Inman). A little later, I saw this headline: “Hollywood Celeb Emma Thompson: Eat your pets to survive ‘climate crisis.’”
My first thought? “Emma must have read this book!” But I read the article and did other research. It turns out that Ms. Thompson has repeatedly warned the world that the supposed climate crisis means we must expect “crop failures, water contamination, damaged houses, and ruined lives.” She now says we may even have to eat our own pets in order to survive the coming climate apocalypse.
That means it’s not just a crisis. It’s turning into a bona fide cat-astrophe! A furr-ocious cat-aclysm rooted more in dog-ma than in science or actual weather and climate evidence! But a rallying cry nonetheless.
Despite what Ricky Gervais said at this year’s Golden Globe ceremonies about Hollywood types being “in no position to lecture the public about anything,” Emma certainly thinks she knows what she’s talking about. She has won two Oscars! And two Golden Globes! And in 2018 Queen Elizabeth named her a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire! So she is now officially Dame Emma.
Moreover, as of December 2019, she even has an award named after her, though perhaps not one she will brag about. In its inaugural competition, the London-based climate policy NGO, the Global Warming Policy Forum (www.TheGWPF.com), announced that it is naming its annual World’s Greatest Climate Hypocrite Awards “The Emmas,” after Dame Emma.
Noting how she had flown first class across the Atlantic to attend a climate protest in London, then jetted back the same way, champagne glass in hand, GWPF director Dr. Benny Peiser said her “shamelessness” and “lack of self-awareness” have “propelled her to the very top of the field. There are brass-necked business people and sanctimonious politicians aplenty, but none can match our Emma; she really is a worthy first winner of our prestigious new award.”
Former President Barack Obama won the eco-hypocrite prize in the Politician category, while Richard Branson took home the Business class laurels. But at least Dame Emma flew commercial. Leo DiCaprio is notorious for taking private jets and limousines to lecture us lesser mortals about how we must reduce our living standards to save the planet, while former VP Al Gore prefers private jets and SUVs to do so.
But don’t get your dander up about Emma. Turns out she is rather late to the game.
Back in 2017, the online journal PLoS ONE published a report on research by UCLA scientist Gregory S. Okin: “Environmental impacts of food consumption by dogs and cats.” In the USA alone, Okin asserted, 163 million dogs and cats have a hugely detrimental impact on the environment, from the food they consume to the waste they produce.
Okin found that US dogs and cats “consume as much dietary energy as 62 million [human] Americans” – and are responsible for 25-30% of the environmental impact of meat consumption in the USA. If these four-footed friends were a separate country, Catdoggia would rank fifth globally in meat consumption. Getting rid of dogs and cats, Okin gushes, would be “the environmental equivalent of removing 13.6 million cars from the road.”
Some cat lovers might note that his analysis emphasizes canines and conclude that the world is once again going to the dogs. The ever-grumpy Garfield certainly isn’t happy about that.
Indeed, back in 2013, utilizing a 3-year U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service funded study, researchers found that previous estimates that cats kill hundreds of millions of birds a year were very low. Cats actually kill between 1.4 billion and 3.7 billion birds annually, they reported, plus between 6.9 billion and 20.7 billion mammals – mainly mice, shrews, rabbits and voles. Not even wind turbines wipe out that many birds (and bats) annually: see here, here, here and here.
Then there is top New Zealand economist and self-styled environmentalist Gareth Morgan, who created a foundation to promote his cat-killing ideas. Morgan demanded that New Zealand register and neuter all cats, raise the bar for “allowing” cat ownership, encourage citizens to cage-trap loose cats and turn them over to local authorities, euthanize all unregistered cats, fine all registered owners (!), and require that those same local authorities “dispose” of cats for free.
It’s been reported that Morgan is the local hero of the New Zealand Mouse and Rat Protective Society. But even Morgan is a piker.
Writing in the German leftist Neues Deutschland (New Germany), Katharina Schwirkus argued that, “In addition to their disgusting excretions, pets are also bad for the climate – because they eat meat and thus contribute to the emission of carbon dioxide” (and methane, we would add). Schwirkus says the ecological footprint of an average German cat is as large as that of a human Egyptian.
“If you want to do something good for the climate, you shouldn’t buy a dog or cat,” she insists. “The breeding of four-legged friends should be stopped in the long term…. [T]he romantic picture of pets must finally be deconstructed. Children should be made aware from a young age that it is absolutely selfish to keep a dog or a cat in a city.” People needing “comfort animals” will not be happy.
Meanwhile, according to “ethicist” William Lynn, writing in The Conversation, in 2015 the Australian government declared a war on feral cats, with a goal of killing over 2 million felines by 2020 via shooting, trapping, and “humane” poison. Lynn argued that there was no scientific basis for the government’s estimate of 20 million feral cats in Australia, nor for killing a tenth of that alleged number.
He instead argues that individual animals have a moral value, and that cats are themselves victims of human ecological errors. Lynn also questions the moral legitimacy of climate extinctionists who advocate for lethal management, which he says rests “on the assumption that individuals don’t matter – but ecosystems do. He concludes by saying “it is human beings [not cats] who bear direct moral responsibility for the ongoing loss of biodiversity in our world.”
(If you need some amusement and a break from the endless asserted and predicted climate catastrophes … that don’t involve cats … check out this 50 years report, other recap articles like this one, the outdated but enlightening and entertaining WarmList, and the WUWT Climate Craziness of the Week section.)
It is those same certain human beings – certainly not cats – who are spreading irrational fears about human-generated, plant-fertilizing carbon dioxide somehow, recently replacing the Sun other power natural forces in driving climate and weather fluctuations. Those climate crisis proponents insist that any climate and weather different from what most of Earth and humanity may have experienced over the last 50-250 years is unprecedented and will be cataclysmic.
They trumpet and bemoan the alleged coming climate extinction crisis – and produce massive volumes of “studies” and scare stories – telling everyone else what we must do to save the planet, while they the wannabe ruling elites tour the planet first class or in private jets, stay in five-star resorts, and demand that we eliminate just about everything that brings joy to the world of regular human beings.
Ricky Gervais is right. They are in no position to lecture us about anything. So enjoy your cat, dog, steak, car, overseas vacation and whatever else helps you enjoy your short sojourn on this wonderful planet.
Mimi and Moto Ride the Alphabet
By Wayfarer | | General Posts
A children’s book catches our attention
A Book Review by Dangerous Dave
Children’s books can be quite informative and motivational. Here is one for your kids and grand-children. Enjoy some family time with this innovative book.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE BOOK REVIEW
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Ford Mustang driven by Steve McQueen in ‘Bullitt’ sells for $3.4 million
By Wayfarer | | General Posts
This was the highest price a Ford Mustang ever fetched in any auction.
The 1968 Ford Mustang GT that Steve McQueen drove in the classic car chase from the movie “Bullitt, one of the most famed cars from American cinema, sold for $3.4 million (£2.60 million) at auction in Florida on Friday, Mecum Auctions said.
It was the highest price ever paid for a Ford Mustang at auction, according to David Morton, marketing manager for the auction house in Kissimmee, near Orlando. The buyer has not been publicly identified.
“The hammer dropped at $3.4 million, but with buyers’ fees, the total cost is $3.74 million,” he said, adding it shattered the auction house’s previous record set last year of $2.2 million.
The unrestored muscle car, its “highland green” paint looking rusty and black upholstery splitting apart, starred in a 10-minute sequence in the 1968 film, getting airborne a few times as it sped through the hilly streets of San Francisco.
The car was auctioned without a reserve, or minimum sale price, a risky decision that could have forced the owners to sell low.
McQueen filmed with the window down so viewers could see he was behind the wheel. Although credited as the driver, McQueen actually shared the wheel with Hollywood stunt driver Bud Ekins, according to the movie database IMDB.
Many movie buffs view the chase as ground-breaking for its duration and white-knuckle drama. The sequence forgoes a score in favour of roaring engines and screeching tires. McQueen, playing the no-nonsense police Lieutenant Frank Bullitt, was chasing bad guys who drove a black 1968 Dodge Charger.
After filming, the Mustang was sold to a Warner Brothers employee, and later to a New Jersey police detective. He in turn sold it for $6,000 in 1974 to Robert Kiernan of Madison, New Jersey, who held onto the car until he died in 2014.
Kiernan rejected multiple offers for the car, including one from McQueen himself, according to the New York Times. He left it to his son, Sean.
“I would like to appeal to you to get back my ’68 Mustang,” McQueen wrote to Kiernan in 1977, according to the Times. “I would like very much to keep it in the family, in its original condition as it was used in the film, rather than have it restored; which is simply personal with me.”
McQueen died in 1980 at age 50. Robert Kiernan never responded to McQueen’s letter, which Sean Kiernan still has, the Times said.
Sean Kiernan told Mecum in a promotional video that his mother drove the car until the clutch failed in 1980. It went nearly 40 years without being driven until recently, with 65,000 miles on the odometer, Kiernan said.
Hero Motosports rally rider Paulo Goncalves dies at Dakar Rally
By Wayfarer | | General Posts
from https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com
from https://www.theguardian.com/
Portuguese rider Paulo Goncalves made his Dakar debut in 2006 and finished four times in the top 10 including a runner-up finish in 2015.
Riyadh: Tragedy struck Hero MotoSports Team on Sunday as its Portuguese rider Paulo Goncalves met with a fatal accident during the seventh stage of the Dakar Rally. Paulo, aged 40, passed away from a fall sustained 276 kilometers into today’s special zone.
“The organisers received an alert at 10:08 and dispatched a medical helicopter that reached the biker at 10:16 and found him unconscious after going into cardiac arrest. Following resuscitation efforts in situ, the competitor was taken by helicopter to Layla Hospital, where he was sadly pronounced dead,” Hero Motosport said in a release.
Fondly known as ‘speedy Goncalves’, it was 13th Dakar for the Portuguese, one of the most experienced riders on the field.
He made his Dakar debut in 2006 and finished four times in the top 10 including a runner-up finish in 2015
He has had an illustrious journey in the rally-racing world, including a series of remarkable performances at the world’s most prestigious rallies. He was crowned 2013 FIM Cross Country Rally World Champion.
“Words cannot describe our shock and loss at this moment. It isn’t just a team, it is a family for us and we are devastated with the passing away of one of our members, Paulo Goncalves,” Wolfgang Fischer, Head of Hero MotoSports Team Rally said.
“He joined the Team in April last year and within no time became an integral part of the Hero MotoSports Team family. He will be dearly missed and always be fondly remembered by us.
“Paulo was a true champion, gentleman, reliable friend to everyone in the racing world and a role model as sportsman and personality. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends,” he said.
The Portuguese motorcycle rider Paulo Gonçalves died after a crash in the seventh stage of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, organisers said.
The 40-year-old Hero Motosports entrant, taking part in his 13th Dakar Rally since making his debut in 2006, fell after 276km of the special stage from the capital Riyadh to Wadi al-Dawasir.
“The organisers received an alert at 10:08 and dispatched a medical helicopter that reached the biker at 10:16 and found him unconscious after going into cardiac arrest,” organisers said in a statement.
“Following resuscitation efforts in situ, the competitor was taken by helicopter to Layla Hospital, where he was sadly pronounced dead. The entire Dakar caravan would like to extend its sincere condolences to his friends and family.”
Gonçalves was the first competitor to die in the gruelling endurance event since the Polish motorcycle rider Michal Hernik in Argentina in 2015.
The Portuguese finished in the top 10 at the Dakar Rally four times and was runner-up in 2015 to the Spaniard Marc Coma, who is competing this year as co-driver to the double Formula One champion Fernando Alonso.
Gonçalves suffered mechanical problems on Friday, having to change his bike’s engine to stay in the race, and dropped to 46th overall after the sixth stage.
“The target now is to do my best, because the result at the end … there is no way to get a good result. Instead I’ll try to do good stages every day possible and that’s what I’m looking for,” Gonçalves said then.
The experienced Portuguese had competed in the Dakar on three continents, from its origins in Africa to South America and this year’s debut in the Middle East.
The 2013 cross-country rallies world champion was representing the Indian Hero Motosports team, along with his brother-in-law Joaquim Rodrigues, after five years racing with Honda.
Gonçalves crashed out on the fifth stage in Peru last year. Rodrigues broke his back in a Dakar crash two years ago but returned after extensive surgery and was 27th after stage six.
Sunday’s 546km stage, the longest of the event, was won by the Spaniard Joan Barreda with the American Ricky Brabec extending his overall lead in the category.
The Australian Toby Price, the defending champion, finished an hour and 20 minutes behind Barreda but organisers said he stopped to try to help Gonçalves and will have his position recalculated.
The Spaniard Carlos Sainz, a two-times Dakar winner driving a Mini buggy, took his third stage win of the event in the cars category to extend his lead over Toyota’s reigning champion, Nasser al-Attiyah of Qatar, to 10 minutes. Mini have now won six of the seven stages.