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Freedom Fighter for Life, Gunny.
From TheGUNNY’S SACK
Just last month I had a few words to say about safety at motorcycle runs. I just returned from our ABATE Summer Run near Estacada, Oregon, and unfortunately there were more injuries. Folks leaving the run late at night hit a deer on the twisty road near the run site. The man was life-flighted and I don’t know about the gal on the back. These roads are curvy, wooded, and the night was DARK. My boss Sam Hochberg says he almost NEVER rides after dark in the countryside – although he’s not exactly Farmer John, being a Bronx boy. Please folks, these injuries are not only expensive as hell, they ruin otherwise great times; sometimes, lives. In this case it was a deer, but it could have just as easily been a car coming the other direction and crossing the line just a little bit. We gotta start keeping our eyes open and our minds on what we are doing – and if you can, like Sam says, just stay OFF those country roads late at night!
NEWSBIT’N’PIECES: TOKYO, JAPAN: It appears from the article I read online that the expertise Honda has in building transmissions for motorcycles is the driving force behind their start-up of an automatic transmission plant for their cars in Indonesia. They say the move will cut costs and they will have better control over the quality of the product. I wonder when they will start to build automatics again for motorcycles? They useta have that Hondamatic on one or two models. I don’t think I’ll wait for the day when we’ll see a Harley-matic.
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA: One person’s dream may not come true, but pursuit of that dream is filled with truths other dreamers can go to school on. That’s why Dan Hanlon, the former president of the Excelsior-Henderson Motorcycle company, sat down and wrote a book on the rise and demise of the company. Anybody with the idea of starting a company from scratch should nose through this publication. It might just save you some grief. The book called Riding the American Dream, is a chronology of the successes of his dream to resurrect Excelsior-Henderson. Its reported to be a good read just to find out the history behind the dream. He says no matter what happened to him it shouldn’t stop you from your dreams. Maybe the book will keep ya from making some of the mistakes he made.
TRENT, SOUTH DAKOTA: Representative Bill Janklow says he feels “anguish” over the death of Randolf E. Scott, the motorcyclist who was his victim the night he blew a stop sign in a hurry to go nowhere special. Janklow is well known locally for his disregard of speed limits. Now, he ignored a stop sign, it cost a biker’s life, and he feels “anguish”.
The law says you are innocent until proven guilty, but the facts in this case make it all pretty damned obvious what happened. The good Representative and former governor (home of Sturgis) has been formally charged with second-degree manslaughter in this incident.
I have very little sympathy for the man for what has happened. This kind of accident was absolutely preventable. If I’m a little out of line I’m sorry, but if he’s guilty they should throw the book at him. This guy is supposed to show the rest of us how things are correctly done. I think he has fallen far short of his obligations to his people, and it cost the life of yet another biker on the road.
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA: Wrangler Jeans has entered the motorcycle attire market, competing with Diamond Gusset. Many of us have worn these for years, mainly because they fit well and went over the tops of our boots. Rodeo riders have long worn these critters because they can take the punishment of falling off wild four-footed beasts doing their best to kill their riders. Now we have jeans specifically made for riding motorcycles.
They put the pockets higher up, so we don’t sit on that hard wallet with no money in it.
Wrangler will continue to make their regular jeans, and they’re good scoot britches even without all these doo-dads. But these new biker jeans will have, along with the high pockets, seams that are reversed to prevent chafing from long rides, and a little extra room in the thigh and knee so they don’t bind when sitting. They even flattened out the little copper rivets to protect your saddle. And, they’re longer. Boots stay covered so we don’t get that cold blast of air up the crotch when riding in cooler weather. Who needs THAT!?
ENGLAND: Dying to go? Well, the English have one-upped us again. This is from an article Sam’s associate attorney, Leah Johnson, found on the Internet. There is now a motorcycle funeral service in the UK that will give you your last ride in a Motorcycle Hearse. How about that? I think it would be a nice way to send our brothers and sisters onto the ride in the sky. The hearse part is sort of a long sidecar with open sides and a top high enough so the casket fits and rides high.
If you’re on the net, go visit them at
WHAT THE DEVIL? Here in Oregon, we’ve had enough harassment on runs lately, as reported here in the Sack. So, when the all-woman Devil Dolls MC came up here from California to have a poker run with the Gypsy Joker MC and other riders, they made a point to invite our AIM lawyer Sam Hochberg to ride with them. If only EVERY run could have a lawyer riding shotgun! Turns out there were no problems, and Sam says the Devil Dolls are serious bikers and really good people.
Aid to INCARCERATED motorcyclists: To add another service to the riding community, AIM has been offering AIM Criminal Defense in our network, to help us if we are in a pickle. Same number: 800-ON-A-BIKE. We’re proud to announce our NEW Oregon AIM criminal lawyer, JIM RICE. Jim spoke about the US PATRIOT ACT at last year’s Regional NCOM Conference in Portland, and he’s a member of OVMA – The Oregon Veterans Motorcycle Association. Welcome aboard, Jim!
GUNNY AGAIN: As I’ve said so often, we need to remember the people who can save our asses when we find ourselves mired in the goo. Sam Hochberg, of Oregon, and all the other Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (AIM) attorneys around the country, with the help of Richard M. Lester, spend untold hours of their own time, many times at no cost to us, to further our rights as motorcyclists. Whenever we find ourselves on the pavement due to an accident they’re available.
If you haven’t walked in their moccasins, do some simple research into what they’re all about. The motorcycle community is fortunate that these motorcycle riding attorneys are on our side. You can reach these AIM folks by dialing 1-800-ON-A-BIKER, and for a whole lot more information from AIM and NCOM, go to www.ON-A-BIKE.com.
If you’re a SACK fan, there are YEARS of old Sacks archived on the site, if you want to catch up on old news!
Keep the round side on the bottom.
Gunny, Oregon AIM Chief of Staff
