by Laine Moger from https://www.stuff.co.nz/ Auckland Mayor Phil Goff has swapped his suit for motorcycle leathers to lead motorcyclists in a rally for Ronald McDonald House Charities. The annual ride, called the Ronnie Run, was organised by the Ulysses motorcycle club and raised just under $7000. Goff, a keen motorcyclist, said he didn’t get to go out on his Triumph Bonneville as often as he’d like to. So the Sunday ride was a good excuse to put his gear on and go for a ride with like-minded people, he said. The event attracted about 140 riders, ranging from young children to people in their 80s. It started in Albany on the North Shore and ended at Ronald McDonald House next to Starship Children’s Hospital. Police helped marshal the group along its journey. Goff said he’d been commandeered by the group to come on a charity ride during his election campaign. While he said he couldn’t at that stage, he promised to make the next one – a promise that he made good on on Sunday. Ronald McDonald House Charities New Zealand (RMHC) supports families when their child is in a hospital and away from home. The Ronald McDonald House and Ronald McDonald Family Room helps to relieve family stresses like paying for a place to sleep near the hospital, organising family meals and needing a friendly ear to listen on tough days. In 2018, it provided more than 4300 people with accommodation and support free of charge at its facilities. “For all of us with kids and grandkids, the worst thing you would want to have happen would be to have them affected by a life-threatening illness,” Goff said. “[RMHC] is one way in which we can stop the stress of families.”

Thousands of Bikers Cruise into Sin City for the 19th Annual Vegas BikeFest®, October 3-6, 2019

LAS VEGAS (November 4, 2019) – Thousands of riders and motorcycle enthusiasts from the United States and 17 countries around the world cruised into Las Vegas for the nineteenth annual Vegas BikeFest at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center. The action packed, four-day rally delivered an abundance of activities and attractions.

“This year, through our partnership with John Oakes and Freeze Management, the rally was about bringing more experiences to our attendees and attracting new attendees. With the addition of the Hooligan Dirt Dash Flat Track Racing taking place at the Plaza Hotel and Casino’s Core Arena, the Bell Brawl at Red Rock Harley-Davidson, and the return of the Artistry In Iron custom bike show display, a new type of energy was felt throughout the entire rally”, states Mindi Cherry, Event Manager.

Vegas BikeFest 2019 offered attendees a variety of entertainment at the rally including Moonshine Bandits on Friday night and the always entertaining metal band Steel Panther on Saturday night. Carol Lyn’s Herstory of Rock kicked off the weekend on Thursday night. In addition to the concerts, attendees had the opportunity to explore over 100 vendor booths filled with motorcycles, parts, accessories, apparel and more.

Vegas BikeFest partnered with V-Twin Visionary and Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys to give away a custom Harley-Davidson Street Glide on Saturday night. Valerie W. from Fontana, CA, was the lucky recipient of the bike that included custom parts from Leading Edge, Saddlemen Seats, Bassani Xhaust, Klock Werks, and ThunderMax.

In addition to the motorcycle, Vegas BikeFest gave away over $100,000 in prizes and cash, including $5,000 in BikeFest Bucks Shopping Sprees that was spent with vendors at the rally. The always popular Miss Vegas BikeFest did not disappoint along with other crowd favorites Best Facial Hair Contest, Bikini Contest, Tattoo Contest and Biker Bingo. Poker Walks, Poker Run, and Lady Luck Fun Run were big hits and mulligan sales raised $2,500 to benefit the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation.

Vegas BikeFest featured four different bike shows kicking it off on Thursday with Full Throttle Magazine’s Ride-In Bike Show featuring over 10 different categories. Best in Show went to Anthony Robinson with his 1966 Triumph T-100. On Friday, V-Twin Visionary Performance Bike Show debuted with Best of Show going to Ramjet Racing with the completely custom ’03 Dyna. Saturday was the Vegas BikeFest Custom Bike Show sponsored by Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys; with over 15 categories. Brian Hendricks with his 2011 Harley-Davidson Road Glide won People’s Choice while Anthony Robinson’s 1966 Triumph T-100 took home Best in Show. On Sunday, the Sick Chicks, No Dipsticks (All Female Bike Show) debuted at the rally, adding to the festivities with a great showing of all female owned bikes.

Hooligan Dirt Dash brought two nights of flat track racing to Vegas BikeFest with Mikey Virus taking first place on both nights of racing.

Plans are already underway for the 2020 Las Vegas BikeFest in downtown Las Vegas, with dates set for October 1-4, 2020.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/lasvegasbikefest

Twitter: @VegasBikeFest

Instagram: #VegasBikeFest

by Ben Garcia from https://news.kuwaittimes.net

As part of US Embassy’s ‘Discover America’ activities

KUWAIT: US Charge d’Affairs and Deputy Chief of Mission Larry L Memmott flagged off on Friday a Harley Davidson motorcycle ride on one of the longest bridges in the world – Sheikh Jaber Causeway. It was part of the activities of 11-day Discover America 2019 event being held in Kuwait.

“I am happy to be here to inaugurate this event. It’s a 10-day demonstration of our culture, tradition, musical, food, restaurants, business, cars, education and today, motorbikes,” said Memmott. “Harley Davidson is a proudly American brand; in fact, it’s very iconic. It’s part of our cultural heritage and we are very proud of their achievements. If we talk about Harley Davidson, it’s about tradition and history, because they are in existence for the last 116 years and counting and will be there perhaps forever,” he said.

Riders from various nationalities participated in the event, which started from the Harley Davidson showroom in the Free Trade Zone in Shuwaikh down to Subiya via Jaber Causeway and back. “We are happy to host this major as event part of Discover America. We have participants from all over Kuwait; they hail from various nationalities and backgrounds. I think we have more than 100 bikers. They are here to support us,” Memmott said.

Prior to the motorcycle ride, bikers gathered at the Harley Davidson showroom for breakfast and a briefing. Harley Davidson is also offering a 25 percent discount on all its merchandise displayed at the showroom. “Please visit and be there in the remaining days of event as we want to demonstrate mostly American brands; participating outlets normally give major discounts to everyone. Just like Sultan Center – they have more than 4,000 products on display and they are all from America. Most of the items will be offered at a discounted price. Also, we have seminars and business opportunities for everyone – we have movies and concerts too,” Memmott added.

Discover America is an annual event organized by the US Embassy in partnership with the American Business Council of Kuwait to promote US products and services. This year’s event is being sponsored by Ali Al-Mutawa Commercial Company, McDonalds, Cadillac by Alghanim, Del Monte, Francorp and IFA Travel and Tourism.

Few people know the Inconvenient Facts about the supposed manmade climate and extreme weather “crisis.” For example, since 1998, average global temperatures have risen by a mere few hundredths of a degree. (For a time, they even declined slightly.) Yet all we hear is baseless rhetoric about manmade carbon dioxide causing global warming and climate changes that pose existential threats to humanity, wildlife and planet. Based on this, we are told we must stop using fossil fuels to power economic growth and better living standards. This is bad news for Africa and the world.

We keep hearing that rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels cause rising global temperatures. But satellite data show no such thing. In fact, computer model predictions for 2019 are almost a half degree Celsius (0.9 degrees F) above actual satellite measurements. Even worse, anytime a scientist raises questions about the alleged crisis, he or she is denounced as a “climate change denier.”

A major source of data supporting the human CO2- induced warming proposition came from the Climate Research Unit (CRU) of the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom.

Then on the morning of 17 November 2009 a Pandora’s box of embarrassing CRU information exploded onto the world scene. A computer hacker penetrated the university’s computer system and took 61 Megs of material that showed the CRU had been manipulating scientific information to make global warming appear to be the fault of mankind and industrial CO2. Among many other scandals, the shocking leaked emails showed then-CRU-director Prof. Phil Jones boasting of using statistical “tricks” to remove evidence of observed declines in global temperatures.

In another email, he advocated deleting data rather than providing it to scientists who did not share his view and might criticize his analyses. Non-alarmist scientists had to invoke British freedom of information laws to get the information. Jones was later suspended, and former British Chancellor Lord Lawson called for a Government enquiry into the embarrassing exposé.

 So what is the truth? If one considers the composition of the atmosphere and equates it to the height of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the extra plant-fertilizing CO2 added to the atmosphere since California became the 31st state of the United States in 1850 is less than the thickness of tiles under the Tower.

Can this tiny increase really explain any observed global warming since the Little Ice Age ended, and the modern industrial era began? Since California became a state, the measured global rise in atmospheric temperature has been less than 10C. But most of this increase occurred prior to 1940, and average planetary temperatures fell from around 1943 until about 1978, leading to a global cooling scare. Temperatures rose slightly until 1998, then mostly remained stable, even as carbon dioxide levels continued to rise. Rising CO2 levels and temperature variations do not correlate very well at all.

Moreover, during the well-documented Medieval Warm Period from about 950 to 1350, warmer global temperatures allowed Viking farmers to raise crops and tend cattle in Greenland. The equally well documented 500-year Little Ice Age starved and froze the Vikings out of Greenland, before reaching its coldest point, the Maunder Minimum, 1645-1715. That’s when England’s River Thames regularly froze over, Norwegian farmers demanded compensation for lands buried by advancing glaciers, and priests performed exorcism rituals to keep alpine glaciers away from villages. Paintings from the era show crowds of people ice skating and driving horse-drawn carriages on the Thames.

These dramatic events should ring warning bells for any competent, honest scientist. If the Medieval Warm Period occurred without industrial CO2 driving it, why should industrial CO2 be causing any observed warming today? Europe’s great plague wiped out nearly a quarter of its population during the Little Ice Age. The warm period brought prosperity and record crops, while cold years brought misery, famine and death.

Ten years before Climategate, Dr. Mann released a computer-generated graph purporting to show global temperatures over the previous 1500 years. His graph mysteriously made the Medieval Warm Period, Little Ice Age and Maunder extreme cold years disappear – and planetary temperatures spike suddenly the last couple decades of twentieth century. The graph had the shape of a hockey stick, was published worldwide and became a centerpiece for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Many scientists were highly suspicious of the hockey stick claims. Two of them, Steven McIntyre and Ross McKitrick, completely discredited Mann’s computer program and revisionist history. Of course, that did not stop former US vice president Al Gore from using the discredited graph in his doom and gloom climate change movie, An Inconvenient Truth.

 When University of Colorado climate skeptic Professor Roger Pielke, Jr. asked the CRU for its original temperature readings, he was told the data had been (conveniently) lost. Lost!?! Do professionals lose something as valuable as original data? Many suspected they just didn’t want anyone to expose their clever manipulations and fabrications.

But if industrial carbon dioxide did not cause recent global warming, what did? A Danish research group, led by Prof. Henrik Svensmark, has found a very credible match between levels of sunspot activity (giant magnetic storms) on our Sun and global temperatures over the last fifteen hundred years. This all-natural mechanism actually fits the evidence! How terribly inconvenient for alarmists.

Cosmic rays from deep space constantly impinge on the Earth’s upper atmosphere and produce clouds, much like high-flying jets leave white contrails behind their engines. More clouds can trap heat, but they also cause global cooling because not as much sunlight strikes the Earth. More sunspots mean a stronger magnetic shield, therefore fewer cosmic rays reaching Earth, thus less cloud cover and more global warming. The Sun is currently in a near-record period of low sunspot activity.

All sorts of interest groups are suppressing this information. Maybe worse, when Climategate broke, “climate justice” campaigner for Friends of the Earth Emma Brindal said bluntly: “A climate change response must have at its heart a redistribution of wealth and resources.” Not protecting Earth from manmade CO2 emissions or natural and manmade climate change – but redistributing wealth and resources, according to formulas that self-appointed ruling elites decide is “socially just.”

Climate campaigners also oppose “excessive” air travel for business or pleasure, 4×4 vehicles as “unnecessary luxuries,” and modern homes for Africans. Some even say Africans must continue living in mud huts and avoid the use of electricity and modern farming technologies. Minor US actor Ed Begley has said “Africans should have solar power where they need it most: on their huts.” They, Al Gore, Phil Jones and Mike Mann are exempted from these restrictions, of course.

Real social justice and human rights mean everyone has access to abundant, reliable, affordable energy, especially universally important electricity. Not from expensive, intermittent, weather-dependent wind turbines and solar panels. From fossil fuel, nuclear and hydroelectric power plants.

–from the Heartland Institute

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com

Earlier this year UK’s largest motorcycle manufacturer, Triumph, introduced and nearly instantly sold the entire batch of Rocket 3 TFC bikes, fitted with the largest engine available on the market. Those who missed out on that model can now go for the other, lesser variants of this monstrous Triumphs.

In the last week of October, the bike maker dumped all the info on the pricing for the Rocket 3 lineup in the United States and Canada. Two models are on the list, namely the Rocket 3 R and Rocket 3 GT.

Both bikes are powered by the range’s brand new 2,500 cc triple engine that delivers an 11 percent increase in power over the previous generation, which translates into 165 hp and 163 lb-ft of torque.

The numbers above are a tad lower than the output of the same engine fitted on the TFC variant. On that bike, the output was rated at 180 hp at 7,000 rpm and 166 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm, making the model the most powerful production Triumph ever made.

The main difference between the two bikes announced last week is the use there are meant for. The R is the “ultimate muscle roadster,” placing all the power of the engine under the control of the rider right from the start, while the GT is a tad softer and more touring-oriented.

In the United States, the Rocket 3 R will sell for $21,900, while the GT from $22,600. For comparison, the TFC variant of the Rocket 3 was sold for $29,000, and all the 750 units reserved for America were sold out in a matter of months.

Each new bike will be available in two color schemes: Korosi Red or Phantom Black for the R, and two-tone Silver Ice & Storm Grey with Korosi Red or Phantom Black for the GT.

Full details and specifications on both bikes can be found in their press release.

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com

In the past few years, the electrification bug has spread to the motorcycle industry. A great deal of startups have come and went, presenting the weirdest of concepts and, at times, bikes that would actually (probably) make it into production. But, so far, nothing truly extraordinary great has made it our way.

Some could argue that Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire motorcycle is the breakthrough they’ve been waiting for. Technologically speaking, that may be true, but as far as design goes, the LiveWire is far from the look some were anticipating.

To date, very few, if none, cruiser-shaped electric bikes have been shown. But that could change as soon as next week’s EICMA 2019 show in Milan, Italy.

We’re expecting to see a wealth of high profile bikes on the floor of the Rho Fairgrounds, but few will probably be as exciting as the Hadin Panther.

Little is known at the moment about both the bike and the company that supposedly makes it. Hadin is said to be a California-based enterprise that took it upon itself to create a more Harley-like electric motorcycle that Harley itself is capable of. A bike that is „smart, comfy, clean, safe and steady.”

Officially, nothing was revealed yet about the bike’s technical capabilities, but there are rumors about the so called Hadin Panther providing 100 miles of range (160 km), a top speed of 80 mph (130 kph), and an electric motor capable of churning out a shameful 60 hp of power.

There are a few images of the bike circulating online, showing a very American-looking bike, but we’ll have to wait for the official unveiling to see some more.

If you plan on finding more about the bike and the company, you could head over to the official website, but you’d only be greeted by a landing page meant to build anticipation for the official presentation.

A Classic Indian Scout from 192

from the National Motorcycle Museum

A design of Indian engineer Charles Franklin, the Indian Scout was one of Indian’s best designs on the street and track. Franklin became most famous for his work on Indian’s 42 degree V-Twins including the Chief. The first Scouts appeared in 1920 as 37 cubic inch motorcycles, later became 45’s.

READ THE FEATURE ARTICLE IN THE CANTINA – CLICK HERE

RIDING FREE FROM DC: Your Motorcycle Riders Foundation team in Washington, D.C. is pleased to provide our members with the latest information and updates on issues that impact the freedom and safety of American street motorcyclists. Count on your MRF to keep you informed about a range of matters that are critical to the advancement of motorcycling and its associated lifestyle. Published weekly when the U.S. Congress is in session.

Strange Times In Washington, D.C. As we enter the month of November the news cycle in D.C. continues to rage. The Washington Nationals World Series victory this week was a nice distraction for a city that is on the verge of a historic month. Two significant issues will face Congress in November; first the House of Representatives will formally begin an impeachment investigation of President Trump. This televised political event will surely consume most of the oxygen and stifle progress on other key legislative initiatives. The second major issue is another showdown regarding the funding of the government for fiscal year 2020. Currently none of the 12 spending bills required to keep the government open have been enacted. A temporary stopgap funding bill was passed in September, allowing the government to stay open until November 21st. However, if another temporary bill is not passed before then a government shutdown is likely. Regardless of the political storm surrounding the U.S. Capitol, we at the MRF will continue to “stick to motorcycles” working with our champions on both sides of the political aisle to advocate for the over 8.6 million motorcyclists in this country. As we tell every congressional office we meet with; our riders don’t vote Republican or vote Democrat they, “vote motorcycles.” Stay tuned. It should be a wild ride… MRF at the Mid-South M.I.L.E. Over the weekend, the MRF joined motorcycle advocates in Shreveport, Lousiana to speak at the 28th Annual Mid-South M.I.L.E. (Motorcyclists Improving Legislative Effectiveness). For those who may not now, the M.I.L.E. is a regional conference put on by the six states: Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma & Texas.  The conference kicked off Saturday morning with a general session that welcomed the attendees to the conference, and each state provided a legislative update of the past year’s successes and lessons along with a national and international update.  After lunch, attendees headed to a jam-packed agenda of breakouts which focused on everything from the MRF’s federal update and how to be an effective lobbyist, Bart Cocquyt with M.A.G. Belgium gave an excellent European update, along with Share the Road, Accident Scene management and host of other fantastic presentations. While I typically do not get to see many presentations at MOTM, I was diligent student taking notes and asking questions during the European motorcycle legislative update.  As we all know, the things Europe are working on tend to find their way across the ocean in the coming years.  Here is a fun fact:  Did you know Europe is banning the sale of all combustion motors by the year 2030?  That means Europe will only allow the sale of electric motorcycles and vehicles in just 10 years.  We try to share F.E.M.A’s (Europe’s version of a National Motorcycle Rights Organization) updates in the American Biker Journal as space allows but I encourage you to go to their website www.fema-online.eu and subscribe to their updates.  The best advocate is an educated one. The MRF would like to thank ABATE of Louisiana for their southern hospitality and we were excited to celebrate with the riders of Louisiana over their victory this year, becoming the 3rd state in the country to pass a law to address motorcycle profiling.  If you would like a representative of the MRF to speak at your conference, please reach out to the MRF staff about how we can present to your membership. All Members Are Not Created Equal We added 7 new cosponsors to H. Res 255, the motorcycle profiling resolution which brought our total to 115 cosponsors or 27% of the House of Representatives. While each lawmaker is entitled to just one vote as with any organization, some members of Congress carry more weight than others. This week we were proud to add Congressman Scalise from Louisiana and Congresswoman Cheney from Wyoming to our resolution. Congressman Scalise is the House Republican Whip, making him #2 in House Republican Leadership. Congresswoman Cheney is Conference Chair making her #3 in House Republican Leadership. Members of Congressional leadership often refrain from cosponsoring bills and resolutions so as not to step on the toes of their colleagues. Having these two influential members of the House Republican caucus join us is yet another sign that our message is gaining traction. A special thanks to the folks in Louisiana who TIRELESSLY contacted Congressman Scalise’s office about this issue. We in D.C. had written Congressman Scalise off, but the perseverance of the folks in Louisiana proved that the best advocates for motorcyclists are motorcyclists. Thank you to all that have contacted their members of Congress about motorcycle issues! The map below shows which states have at least one lawmaker signed on as a cosponsor.   Is your state not filled in yet?  Check with the D.C.  team about how we can work together to secure cosponsors from your state. RIDING FREE FROM DC: Your Weekly Biker Bulletin from Inside the Beltway Your Motorcycle Riders Foundation team in Washington, D.C. is pleased to provide our members with the latest information and updates on issues that impact the freedom and safety of American street motorcyclists. Count on your MRF to keep you informed about a range of matters that are critical to the advancement of motorcycling and its associated lifestyle. Published weekly when the U.S. Congress is in session. Strange Times In Washington, D.C. As we enter the month of November the news cycle in D.C. continues to rage. The Washington Nationals World Series victory this week was a nice distraction for a city that is on the verge of a historic month. Two significant issues will face Congress in November; first the House of Representatives will formally begin an impeachment investigation of President Trump. This televised political event will surely consume most of the oxygen and stifle progress on other key legislative initiatives. The second major issue is another showdown regarding the funding of the government for fiscal year 2020. Currently none of the 12 spending bills required to keep the government open have been enacted. A temporary stopgap funding bill was passed in September, allowing the government to stay open until November 21st. However, if another temporary bill is not passed before then a government shutdown is likely. Regardless of the political storm surrounding the U.S. Capitol, we at the MRF will continue to “stick to motorcycles” working with our champions on both sides of the political aisle to advocate for the over 8.6 million motorcyclists in this country. As we tell every congressional office we meet with; our riders don’t vote Republican or vote Democrat they, “vote motorcycles.” Stay tuned. It should be a wild ride… MRF at the Mid-South M.I.L.E. Over the weekend, the MRF joined motorcycle advocates in Shreveport, Lousiana to speak at the 28th Annual Mid-South M.I.L.E. (Motorcyclists Improving Legislative Effectiveness). For those who may not now, the M.I.L.E. is a regional conference put on by the six states: Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma & Texas.  The conference kicked off Saturday morning with a general session that welcomed the attendees to the conference, and each state provided a legislative update of the past year’s successes and lessons along with a national and international update.  After lunch, attendees headed to a jam-packed agenda of breakouts which focused on everything from the MRF’s federal update and how to be an effective lobbyist, Bart Cocquyt with M.A.G. Belgium gave an excellent European update, along with Share the Road, Accident Scene management and host of other fantastic presentations. While I typically do not get to see many presentations at MOTM, I was diligent student taking notes and asking questions during the European motorcycle legislative update.  As we all know, the things Europe are working on tend to find their way across the ocean in the coming years.  Here is a fun fact:  Did you know Europe is banning the sale of all combustion motors by the year 2030?  That means Europe will only allow the sale of electric motorcycles and vehicles in just 10 years.  We try to share F.E.M.A’s (Europe’s version of a National Motorcycle Rights Organization) updates in the American Biker Journal as space allows but I encourage you to go to their website www.fema-online.eu and subscribe to their updates.  The best advocate is an educated one. The MRF would like to thank ABATE of Louisiana for their southern hospitality and we were excited to celebrate with the riders of Louisiana over their victory this year, becoming the 3rd state in the country to pass a law to address motorcycle profiling.  If you would like a representative of the MRF to speak at your conference, please reach out to the MRF staff about how we can present to your membership. All Members Are Not Created Equal We added 7 new cosponsors to H. Res 255, the motorcycle profiling resolution which brought our total to 115 cosponsors or 27% of the House of Representatives. While each lawmaker is entitled to just one vote as with any organization, some members of Congress carry more weight than others. This week we were proud to add Congressman Scalise from Louisiana and Congresswoman Cheney from Wyoming to our resolution. Congressman Scalise is the House Republican Whip, making him #2 in House Republican Leadership. Congresswoman Cheney is Conference Chair making her #3 in House Republican Leadership. Members of Congressional leadership often refrain from cosponsoring bills and resolutions so as not to step on the toes of their colleagues. Having these two influential members of the House Republican caucus join us is yet another sign that our message is gaining traction. A special thanks to the folks in Louisiana who TIRELESSLY contacted Congressman Scalise’s office about this issue. We in D.C. had written Congressman Scalise off, but the perseverance of the folks in Louisiana proved that the best advocates for motorcyclists are motorcyclists. Thank you to all that have contacted their members of Congress about motorcycle issues! The map below shows which states have at least one lawmaker signed on as a cosponsor.   Is your state not filled in yet?  Check with the D.C.  team about how we can work together to secure cosponsors from your state. Click HERE to see if your member has signed on to H. Res 255. Tiffany & Rocky About Motorcycle Riders Foundation The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) provides leadership at the federal level for states’ motorcyclists’ rights organizations as well as motorcycle clubs and individual riders. The MRF is chiefly concerned with issues at the national and international levels that impact the freedom and safety of American street motorcyclists. The MRF is committed to being a national advocate for the advancement of motorcycling and its associated lifestyle and works in conjunction with its partners to help educate elected officials and policymakers in Washington and beyond.

by Steve Rice from https://www.perthnow.com.au

Motorcycles – there’s a lot riding on it. SA Police’s first solo road safety campaign intermingles the process of starting a bike with candid moments of a father’s life. You’ll ride slower after this.

The campaign – the first since the Motor Accident Commission was wound up in June – focuses on motorcycle riders and specifically men, who are most at risk while on the road.

It emphasises the need for them to return home safely and shows a variety of invaluable life elements – partners, children and pets – that would be lost if they died.

Police say riding motorcycles is a dangerous form of transport because of low visibility and minimal protection on the roads and that men are over represented in casualty crashes.

Motorcyclists comprise 15 of the state’s 89 road fatalities so far this year, compared with 10 for the whole of 2018.

The greatest representation of motorcycle-related serious injuries last year were men aged 50-59 followed by men aged 30-39.

SA Police acting Assistant Commissioner Dean Miller said the campaign aimed to address attitudes towards motorcycle riding.

“Police are committed to improving road safety to reduce road deaths and serious injury crashes on South Australian roads,” he said.

“We believe this is a very balanced approach to changing road user behaviour, particularly for motorcyclists. It contributes to our overall goal to make our roads safer for every road user.”

Police Minister Corey Wingard said the campaign was hard-hitting and would make an impression on motorcycle riders.

“We as a Government needed to look at better ways of tackling road safety,” he said.

“SAPOL is in a unique position when it comes to road safety issues as they see first-hand the trauma that can occur on our roads.

“I applaud SAPOL for this powerful campaign and I’m hopeful it will resonate with all those who see it.”

The campaign production also generated 47 locals jobs and injected money back into the South Australian economy.

by Bruce Brown from https://www.digitaltrends.com

Australian smart motorcycle helmet maker Forcite broke through the barriers that prevented several earlier smart helmet makers from going to production with heavily hyped designs. The initial run of 1,000 MK1 Founders Edition helmets sold out quickly, according to founder and CEO Alfred Boyadgis, 700 of which sold in the first 48 hours. Next on the horizon, Forcite intends to bring the MK1 to the U.S. in 2020.

Forcite’s MK1 patented helmet tech Raydar system includes LED technology currently used in Formula 1 race cars, a Sony HD video camera, dual microphones and ultra-thin 8mm speakers, and a fingertip handlebar controller. Data streams to the helmet via Forcite’s cloud-based server system, with information that includes directions, hazards, and alerts.

The MK1’s LED system uses visual cues on the visor for directions, weather, and other alerts with a combination of a flashing band of colored light just below the visor and audio messages. A green light indicates a turn coming up, blue is for the weather, orange is a caution signal, and flashing red and blue indicates police nearby. The whole point of the integrated components is to communicate to the rider without requiring eyes off the road.

The Sony military-grade camera has near-infrared sensors, an extra-wide 166-degree diagonal field of vision. The camera records continuous video for up to five hours. The camera is on the helmet front, just below the integrated visor.

According to Forcite, the MK1 audio system blocks road noise for phone calls, streaming music, or inter-helmet communication with other MK1 users. An onboard computer located in the lower front section manages the helmet’s sensors and audio and camera controls.

The MK1 helmet is designed to be both strong and lightweight, which means it’s made out of carbon fiber; the shell is a T-400 carbon fiber composite. The helmet weighs just 3.4 pounds, and Forcite claims it meets both ECE 22.05 and Department of Transportation certifications. There are eight ventilation ports, four in front, two on top, and two in the rear, all designed for maximum airflow with minimum noise.

The MKI has a UV400-rated visor and free anti-fog inserts. Interchangeable visors are available with clear, smoke, and iridium tints. There’s also an internal pull-down UV400 sun visor. To keep the helmet sanitary inside, Forcite uses an antibacterial and anti-odor inner liner riders can remove for washing.

You don’t need to touch the helmet to turn functions on or off, take calls, repeat instructions, or operate the MK1’s tech in any way. The Forcite handlebar control manages all operations so you can keep both hands on the bars while you ride.

Boyadgis and key members of the Forcite management staff are in the U.S. this month meeting with dealerships, establishing relationships, and holding events where prospective buyers can experience the MK1 on a closed track.

Forcite has not yet announced a date for the U.S. availability of the MK1, but the plan is to begin selling the helmet in the U.S. in 2020. Boyadgis expect the MK1 price will be less than $1,000 when it is available.