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THE AIM/NCOM MOTORCYCLE E-NEWS SERVICE is brought to you by Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (A.I.M.) and the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM), and is sponsored by the Law Offices of Richard M. Lester. If you’ve been involved in any kind of accident, call us at 1-(800) ON-A-BIKE or visit www.ON-A-BIKE.com.

NCOM BIKER NEWSBYTES
Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish,
National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM)

NCOM CONVENTION IN ORLANDO STRESSES UNITY
The underlying theme of the 34th annual NCOM Convention in Orlando, Florida, May 10-12, was “Unity” and welcomed back many past supporters and saw lots of new faces in the crowded conference rooms of the Doubletree by Hilton – Universal host hotel.

During the General Session, Outsiders MC member David “Double D” Devereaux, founder of the Motorcycle Profiling Project and member of the NCOM Legislative Task Force, spoke convincingly of the need for Unity in attaining our common goals, particularly in regards to state and federal anti-profiling legislation, and NCOM Chairman James “Doc” Reichenbach echoed those sentiments to the assembled representatives of hundreds of clubs, organizations and NCOM Member Groups.

One of the largest NCOM Conventions to date, this year’s gathering drew biker activists from motorcycle rights organizations (MROs) and Confederations of Clubs (COCs), as well as independents and other allied riders from across the country.

Motorcycle Profiling and “Save the Patch” were hot topics considering the recently victorious Mongols MC court case as well as the eventual dismissal of charges in the Waco catastrophe, while other important issues of concern to our nation’s motorcycle community included various legal and legislative seminars regarding RICO And Its Effect on Your Organization, Restoring Your Rights, Leadership 101 and “Share the Road” Motorcycle Safety.

Capping off a productive Convention weekend, the Silver Spoke Awards Banquet recognized outstanding freedom fighters; Congressman Tim Walberg of Michigan (GOVERNMENT), James “Hollywood” Macecari of Insane Throttle Motorcycle Magazine (ENTERTAINMENT), Jim Wear, founder of the Salute to American Veterans Rally (COMMERCE), with SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARDS presented to David Duff of ABATE of Iowa, William Bird of ABATE of Florida and Mike Friend of Bikers For Christ. NCOM’s highest honor, the Ron Roloff Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed upon “JR” Reed -1%er of Sons of Silence MC and Smitty 1%er of the Outlaws MC.

Next year’s 2020 NCOM Convention is scheduled for Indianapolis, and for more information contact the National Coalition of Motorcyclists at (800) ON-A-BIKE (662-2453) or visit www.ON-A-BIKE.com.

SUPPORT FEDERAL ANTI-PROFILING RESOLUTION IN U.S. HOUSE
All motorcyclists are encouraged to contact their Congressional Representatives to ask for their support of House Resolution 255, a bipartisan anti-profiling measure introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that is identical to Senate Resolution 154 passed by unanimous consent in the U.S. Senate late last year.

H.Res.255; “Promoting awareness of motorcycle profiling and encouraging collaboration and communication with the motorcycle community and law enforcement officials to prevent instances of profiling,” was introduced March 26 by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) and currently has 22 co-sponsors.

Both nonbinding resolutions, S.Res.154 & H.Res.255, call for cessation of law enforcement discriminatorily profiling motorcyclists by thwarting “the illegal use of the fact that a person rides a motorcycle or wears motorcycle related apparel as a factor in deciding to stop and question, take enforcement action, arrest, or search a person or vehicle with or without legal basis under the Constitution of the United States,” as profiling is defined by each resolution.

Concerned riders can contact their U.S. Rep. by calling the Capital Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and request that they join their colleagues in cosponsoring H.Res.255 to put an end to law enforcement unfairly targeting motorcycle riders for traffic stops, questioning and citations.

MOTORCYCLE SAFETY AWARENESS MONTH CONGRESSIONAL RESOLUTION
On May 1, 2019 U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) submitted House Resolution 338 in the U.S. House of Representatives; “Expressing support for the designation of May 2019 as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month,” which reads:

“Whereas motorcycling is a great American tradition enjoyed by an estimated 27 million people annually, representing almost 9 percent of the population;
Whereas motorcycles are a valuable component of the transportation mix;
Whereas motorcycles are fuel-efficient and decrease congestion while having little impact on our Nation’s transportation infrastructure;
Whereas the motorcycling community promotes rider education, licensing, and motorcycle awareness;
Whereas the motorcycling community is committed to decreasing motorcycle crashes through training and education, personal responsibility, and increased public awareness;
Whereas approximately 91 percent of motorcycles are operated on highways in conjunction with other vehicles;
Whereas motorcyclist deaths occur more frequently than fatalities in passenger vehicles;
Whereas motorcycle awareness is beneficial to all road users and will help decrease motorcycle accidents; and
Whereas the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration promotes Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month to encourage riders to be properly licensed, receive training, and to remind all riders and motorists to always share the road: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives —
(1) supports the designation of Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month;
(2) recognizes the contribution of motorcycles to the transportation mix;
(3) encourages motorcycle awareness by all road users;
(4) recognizes that motorcyclists have a right to the road and that all motorists should safely share the roadways;
(5) encourages rider education and training for safe motorcycle operation; and
(6) supports the goals of Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.”

H.Res. 338 has been referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and currently has 7 cosponsors.

MOTORCYCLISTS AMONG THOSE BENEFITING FROM PUBLIC LANDS ACCESS
Recreation industry leaders and off-road vehicle enthusiasts applaud Congress for the passage of the Natural Resources Management Act, S.47, now Public Law No: 116-9 after being signed March 12, 2019 by President Donald Trump, affirming the existence and proper management of millions of acres of public lands and parks, including Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) areas, for years to come.

The law permanently reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and the Every Kid Outdoors Act for seven years. Collectively this legislation will benefit thousands of parks, public lands, and waters as well as providing access to the outdoors to millions of off road motorcycle and ATV riders across the country.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund is America’s most important conservation program, responsible for protecting parks, wildlife refuges, and recreation areas at the federal, state, and local levels. Many of the lands that NPT has transferred to the National Park Service were purchased with funding from LWCF, including Rocky Mountain National Park, Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, Glacier National Park, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, and Zion National Park.

The sweeping Act reflects the bipartisan Senate-House agreement reached near the end of the last Congress to bundle together over 100 individual lands bills, striking a balance between creating new opportunities for natural resource and community development with limited, locally-supported conservation. It will improve public lands management, protect treasured landscapes, and increase public access for recreation while protecting private property rights.

Last year, the government released national data demonstrating the importance of an outdoor recreation economy that accounts for 2.2 percent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product and directly supports 4.5 million jobs.

MONGOLS FINED $500,000 & GIVEN PROBATION, BUT RETAIN TRADEMARKED LOGO
At a sentencing hearing on Friday, May 17 a federal judge in California fined the Mongols Motorcycle Club $500,000 and put the club on probation for five years following its racketeering and conspiracy convictions, but rebuffed yet another attempt by prosecutors to strip the group of its trademark protected back patch logos, citing constitutional protections against intrusions on free expression and excessive penalties.

Last December, a jury found the Mongol Nation as a whole guilty of RICO charges in a decade-long case in which prosecutors said the group operated an organized criminal enterprise. That jury further decided at the time that the government could seize the Mongols intellectual property, but in February U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter intervened and refused to approve the asset forfeiture.

Stephen “Bowtie” Stubbs, lead attorney for the Mongols, called the judge’s decision to not strip its identifying insignia a victory for all motorcycle clubs, but said that the $500,000 would be a “major burden” to bear for current members who had nothing to do with any of the alleged behavior of past members, and told NBC News that the club plans to appeal the entire case.

“The Mongols Motorcycle Club is very pleased that Judge Carter shut down another attempt by the government to limit symbolic speech,” said Stubbs, of Las Vegas, who is a member of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists Legislative Task Force (NCOM-LTF) and also serves as legal counsel for the Southern Nevada Confederation of Clubs (COC).

Prior to the sentencing hearing, prosecutors tried again, requesting the Mongols be prohibited from preventing others from using their image, which Stubbs said the judge also denied.

SHOW-ME FREEDOM OF CHOICE
Missouri is the latest state looking to give motorcyclists the freedom to choose whether or not to wear a helmet while riding, and hopes to soon become the 32nd state behind Michigan in 2012 to allow adult Freedom of Choice. The legislative package, including other transportation provisions, passed the Senate 21-12 on Thursday, May 16 and on Friday the House advanced Senate Bill 147 to Governor Mike Parsons (R) on a 94-46 vote.

If signed into law, SB 147 would repeal their decades-old helmet law and allow motorcyclists 18 and older the option to ride without a helmet, provided they carry proper health insurance.

Like Michigan, which shook off the sting of two previous gubernatorial vetoes of their helmet law repeal bills before bouncing back to amend their mandatory helmet law, Missouri’s legislature previously passed a helmet law repeal in 2009 which was vetoed by then-Governor Jay Nixon (D), and in 1999 a helmet repeal bill reached the desk of former Gov. Mel Carnahan (D) who vetoed it — members of Freedom of the Road Riders (FORR-MO) and ABATE for Missouri are hoping this time’s the charm!

“SB 147 has passed through both chambers, and only needs a signature from the governor (who can be reached at (573) 751-3222),” reports www.forr.net. “Yes, everybody Happy Happy,” commented Tony Shepherd of ABATE, a past member of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) board of directors, who has worked diligently towards passage with FORR-MO Legislative Coordinator Joe Widmer.

CONNECTICUT MAY EXTEND HELMET LAW FROM 18 TO 21 AND UNDER
Helmet laws vary from one state to the other, with some rules being more flexible than others, and at least until now motorcycle helmets were not mandatory in Connecticut for riders aged 18 and over. Prior to January 1, 1990, Connecticut was one of just four states that had no helmet requirement, but if passed House Bill 6161 would increase the minimum age for compulsory helmet use from Under 18 to Under 21.

HB 6161 passed the House by a vote of 113-13 on May 14th and is now heading to the Senate for consideration and vote.

Language instituting a universal helmet law for all riders was stripped from a larger bill, and although they still express opposition to any further attempt to mandate helmet use by adults, the Connecticut Motorcycle Riders Association (CMRA) has already claimed a victory in defeating that measure; but advocates hoping to finally reinstate Connecticut’s full motorcycle helmet law after 43 years still hope they can pass legislation next session, despite their setback.

~ A. Philip Randolph (1889-1979) Leader in Civil Rights & the American labor movement

ABOUT AIM / NCOM: The National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) is a nationwide motorcyclists rights organization serving over 2,000 NCOM Member Groups throughout the United States, with all services fully-funded through Aid to Injured Motorcyclist (AIM) Attorneys available in each state who donate a portion of their legal fees from motorcycle accidents back into the NCOM Network of Biker Services (www.ON-A-BIKE.com / 800-ON-A-BIKE).

Check out the entire line at 5-Ball Racing Leathers

http://shop.bikernet.com/

First, all of our leathers come with two deep gun pockets, which are great for cameras, phones, tools, you name it. We also have a media pocket on the inside back. It’s great for a file, taxes, the latest Cycle Source magazine or divorce papers.

Our Jak shirts come sleeveless, 5/8 sleeve and full sleeve. They are cool for the taller guy and for hot temps. I’ve ridden to Sturgis several times with my 5/8 sleeve. It’s a break when it’s hot. When it’s cold I added a sweatshirt and thermal and was still good to go. They have tails, so they are longer.

I worked with Debi at Bartels’ H-D to create the perfect women’s Hoodie jacket (Racy Women’s 5-Ball Jacket). We worked with our manufacturer on a lighter more comfortable leather. It has great curves and the hoodie is complete and able to zip together or into the liner of the jacket. It also has thumb holes for cold nights.

Our Special Opps series with vests and jackets is a more traditional biker jacket with a ton of pockets. The sleeves un-zip from the body to allow the jacket to be a vest.

We wanted a lighter vest for everyday use and came up with this Ballistic Nylon with leather trimmed vest. It’s great for Arizona riders who need something to breathe. I wear one around the shop in the winter and on my bike in the summer. It’s light, cool and has all the right pockets.

We designed the Flat Out vest for club guys. It’s super clean for patches. Like the Jak shirt line, we hide two slip-in pockets. We ever eliminated the waist band for the ultra-chopped and trimmed look.

We also have ultra-soft Speedway leather shirts in brown and black. They are classic and super comfortable.

http://shop.bikernet.com/

It’s all about Progress, goddammit!

I want to ride the Panhead and check out the risers and my fixed front brake. I need to go to the Marina supply store this morning. Maybe I will ride the Panhead.

READ THE WEEKEND ROUND UP EXCLUSIVELY IN THE CANTINA – Join Today

American Citizen Biker PAC ad to this 2020 Vision Raffle page http://citizenbikerpac.com/2020-vision-raffle/

(Amesbury, MA) The first of 12-months “2020 Vision Raffle” drawing was conducted May 20th, at Precision Powersports in Amesbury, with owner Josh Ballon drawing the lucky winner, who was rider Carlene A., of Wenham, MA.

Josh’s son Brandon recorded live via Facebook Video – (see https://www.facebook.com/precisionpowersportsllc/videos/327215767967960/) – Paul W. Cote, Sue Hart and Josh putting the tickets in the jug, swishing ’em around, while talking about the two Massachusetts Motorcyclists Survivor’s Fund and the American Citizen Biker PAC.

“What we ride, where we ride and who we ride with separates us at times,” said Cote during the streaming and mixing the tickets, “but when a rider goes down, we don’t ask those questions – we ask how can we help.”  And its the same with political issues, that affect us as Bikers and Americans, which the PAC will address going into year 2020.

Linda H. of Gloucester sold the winning ticket and was watching the live stream, called Carlene and told her to call Paul.  “She was excited, and we offered her one of the five prizes,” claimed Cote.  Prize options, each with a $2,020 value included trips to Boston or Bikertoberfest, a Henry Repeating “God Bless American” Repeating Rifle and 2,020 rounds of ammo, dinner for 20 of her buddies, or $2,020 cash.  “She took the ca$h” and said she’d buy her Sisters dinner at their June monthly Group meeting. Good stuff !”

Tickets for the next drawing, June 20th, are now available on-line via debit/credit cards at http://citizenbikerpac.com/2020-vision-raffle/.  Only 2,020 tickets each month, at $20 each, with one prize choice valued at $2,020, and drawing the 20th each month, benefiting the MA Motorcyclists Survivor’s Funds and American Citizen Biker PAC.

Six Business Units, including Tucker Powersports and J&P Cycles, to Become Stand-Alone Businesses

May 21, 2019 – Dallas TX – Motorsport Aftermarket Group (MAG) today announced a new and significant change to managing the multi-brand organization to its 1500 employees.

“We’ve asked each of our senior leaders to focus 100% of their efforts on creating value, delivering growth and expanding the entrepreneurial mindset within their business unit and their brands. When we do this, we will become more nimble, more aggressive and have a greater focus on the market and on our customers. We’d rather have a portfolio of successful companies with complete independence than force them to integrate, which turned out to be detrimental to several of our brands,” said Hugh Charvat, CEO of Motorsport Aftermarket Group.

“While our business units will continue to collaborate where helpful, there will be no corporate mandate to do so. And we’ll ensure complete independence between Tucker Powersports, J&P Cycles and our four other business units by making them stand-alone businesses. This demonstrates our commitment to supporting our dealer customers.”

“We now have great talent leading each of our business units, so the board and I feel that this is the time to unleash those individuals and all of our great employees to return our brands to the status they’ve enjoyed in the past without the operating restraints that have been in place as MAG.”

Known internally as “Unwinding the Vertical,” Charvat indicates that the change will be good for all the company’s stakeholders. “Aggressive companies led by great leaders will certainly have a positive impact on the powersports industry. Our goal is to lead in every product category where we compete.”

In the past several months, MAG has pursued and hired top industry talent to fill significant roles including powersports industry veterans Mike Kennedy, Greg Heichelbech, John Potts and Greg Blackwell.

About Motorsport Aftermarket Group

MAG is based in Coppell, Texas and includes six independent business units which manage 18 consumer brands. The company’s brands include Answer, BikeMaster, Burly, First Gear, Dragonfire Racing, J&P Cycles, Kuryakyn, Mustang Seats, Performance Machine, Progressive Suspension, ProTaper, QuadBoss, Roland Sands Design, Speed and Strength, Tucker, Tucker V-Twin, Twin Power and Vance & Hines. MAG business units employ 1500 people throughout the United States.

As per the suit filed, Royal Enfield has infringed Flash electronics’ patent on “Regulator Rectifier Device and Method for Regulating an Output Voltage of the Same” duly issued by the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) to Flash Electronics on February 20, 2018 after Flash’s R&D department made a breakthrough invention of the component in 2014.

Home-grown electronic and electric auto components player Flash Electronics India Ltd against Royal Enfield challenging patent infringement in the US regarding the production of an important component for motorcycles, the company said in a press release.

As per the suit filed, Royal Enfield has infringed Flash electronics’ patent on “Regulator Rectifier Device and Method for Regulating an Output Voltage of the Same” duly issued by the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) to Flash Electronics on February 20, 2018 after Flash’s R&D department made a breakthrough invention of the component in 2014.

Since then Flash Electronics has been the key manufacturer and supplier of this component to many leading two-wheeler manufacturers in India and overseas.

The regulator-rectifier is a vital component that smoothly and efficiently converts the AC (Alternating Current) voltage produced in motorcycle engines into DC (Direct Current) voltage to charge the batteries, power the headlights, light up the instrument panel hence drives the motorcycle’s electrical systems.

Besides USA, Flash has been granted patent in various other countries including many European countries including Germany, France, Italy, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, Austria, Switzerland as well as Turkey and the company would be filing similar suits in the respective jurisdictions soon.

Commenting on the incident, Sanjeev Vasdev, Founder and MD, Flash Electronics India Pvt Ltd said “We have been trusted suppliers to leading auto manufacturers across India and overseas and it’s unfortunate to have to deal with such an unexpected and unprecedented act on the part of Royal Enfield, one of the most prestigious names in the automotive sector.”

He added,” This incident is highly objectionable and has dented the credibility of the brand, at least with us as a partner”.

Further, Vasdev mentioned that the company was approached by 3 senior officials of Royal Enfield on 12th October 2018 in New Delhi to settle the issue amicably and requested Flash not to file any suit on the matter. Flash waited for the outcome of this meeting but Royal Enfield did not address the issue.

Vasdev further commented that Flash will take all necessary action required across the world to ensure that Royal Enfield stops infringing the patent and pays compensation for the violation which would run into millions of dollars. He also urged other component manufacturers to be vigilant , on this kind of predatory behaviour.

Speaking on the lawsuit filed, Royal Enfield said, “We would like to clarify that the said component is supplied to us by an external, proprietary supplier, which independently develops and owns the IP rights in the said component. The supplier denies plaintiff’s claims vehemently.”

The company is evaluating the issue internally and seeking legal advice from our US counsels.

Pa. lawmaker wants grass off roads to protect bikers

Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Washington County, is proposing legislation that would make throwing grass clippings on the roadway a fineable offense much like littering. She said the clippings present a hazard to motorcyclists as well as an environmental concern.

A Washington County senator is proposing a bill to try to protect motorcyclists and other motorists from a roadway hazard during mowing season and address an environmental concern at the same time.

Sen. Camera Bartolotta, a Republican, wants to add grass clippings to the list of items – waste paper, sweepings, ashes, household waste, glass, metal, refuse and other rubbish – that can result in a fine if someone is responsible for them ending up on a roadway.

Saying grass clippings not only cause the surface of the roadway to become extremely slippery, she said they also can clog storm drains and make their way into streams and cause pollution.

“Prohibiting grass clippings from roadways is an easy, commonsense solution to a deadly problem,” she said. “Land owners have a right to manage and maintain their property as they see fit, but they also have a responsibility to ensure they do not create a lethal hazard for other motorists on public roadways by being negligent.”

Her bill proposes fines of up to $300 for the first offense and up to a $1,000 for subsequent offenses. Along with that, her proposal would require the landowner to remove the clippings from the roadway.

Mike Sobol, a Cornwall Lebanon School District computer teacher, does not own a motorcycle but still sees merit to this proposal becoming law. He had to replace the fender on his car after driving past a person cutting grass and having stones shoot out from a mower damaging his car.

Beyond the safety hazard, he said, “This is a pollution issue too. This is a two-headed snake.”

While this doesn’t rank as the highest priority for the Alliance of Bikers Aimed Toward Education of Pennsylvania, the group’s state legislator coordinator John Kruger said it is a concern particularly to younger riders.

“The demographics of the riders are changing,” Kruger said. “So what didn’t bother the ‘old school’ riders is different than what bothers ‘young kids.’”

He put up a post on the group’s Facebook page about the proposal and it drew 215 comments with only three of them against it, he said.

“If you are driving your bike on a super sunny day, the last thing you’re expecting is ice on the road. Grass on the road is quite honestly ice in the summertime,” he said.

When riders complain to law enforcement, he said their complaints are dismissed. “You hear them say the current law is not enforceable.” But he said the senator’s proposal to add two words “grass clippings” to the law that makes throwing litter and other items on the roadway an offense would fix that.

Lowbrow Customs is the only place, world-wide, that you can find every single Colony Machine product (over 3,500!). Founded in 1969, Colony produces top-quality, made in the USA hardware for Harley-Davidsons 1911 to current. Their new 2019 catalog just came out and contains hundreds of new parts.

Click here to download the Colony Machine catalog as a PDF file. Perfect for quick reference or for printing out just the pages you need.

You can also shop Colony products at Lowbrow Customs.

It is finally starting to warm up and we bet you are gearing up for your summer fun.

The Smoke Out Rally is the epicenter of the Chopper World. It has everything: the ride-bike-bike show, music, drag racing, camping, & Mini Bike Racing. It’s where you meet your old friends and make new ones.

NOTE: This is the last day to save on Smoke Out tickets. Click here for your tickets and camping specials.

Enjoy the ride,

-Edge