Look! A Yamaha Virago 1100. A Honda Nighthawk 700! A Honda GL1200 - and a Yamaha XT 350? A recent commute tickled my moto synapses with forgotten motorcycles. I saw all of those bikes--on the road, refueling and parked at the barber shop. Funny how 400 pennies per gallon brings the dusty rides out of American woodsheds...

People often ask me how I can afford to devote so much time and effort to bringing reason, accountability, objectivity and above all TRUTH to motorcyclists' rights, motorcycle awareness and biker politics. The answer is that I can't ... at least not as much ... perhaps not any more ... unless you are willing to ...

Is Your Chapter Making a Difference ... or just Partying Down? I was recently forwarded a weekly email newsletter from a local A.B.A.T.E. chapter ... http://tinyurl.com/6d5r6y ... for which this opening paragraph would be totally appropriate: "Here are this week's bar briefs and drink specials courtesy of A.B.A.T.E., the social riding club that reminds you to 'A'lways 'B'ring 'A'lcohol 'T'o 'E'vents!" No, they didn't say that. But they might as well have. Anyway, reading through paragraph after paragraph of biker bar band announcements and exclusive A.B.A.T.E. drink discounts sure made me want to fire up my bike and ride to the party. But it also compelled me to ...

Let's say you're a biker who never heard of "ABATE" before, and the first email you ever received from "ABATE" was like the one below. After reading it, would you consider "ABATE" to be a motorcyclists' rights organization?

Action Needed: Although rather lengthy, please read the below to familiarize yourself with the situation. We need the assistance of everyone who this email reaches. Our goal is to...

On July 13, 2008 the last formal meeting for the White Sands Chapter of ABATE of Florida, Inc. was held. For the past 2 months there have been no officers in place and after contact with many of the members it was found that there are no interested parties to accept the responsibilities of the available offices. With 38 members in attendance it was voted unanimously that the chapter would disband...

A few weeks ago I asked you "HOW WILL RISING GAS PRICES IMPACT THE MOTORCYCLISTS' RIGHTS ARENA?", and offered to pay $100.00 for the best answer. This query inspired many thoughtful and appreciated responses, all of which are posted here ... including the winning response submitted by ...

James "Doc" Reichenbach II serves in the conflicting roles of elected president and paid lobbyist for ABATE of Florida, Inc., an SMRO whose membership has flatlined at around 7,500, which I am told is less than 25% of the AMA Florida member base, and less than 1% of the 900,000+ motorcycle riders statewide:

Explosion in motorcycle sales, training shortfalls, licensing issues, decline in helmet use are key issues... Washington, D.C. Friday marks the official start of summer, and millions of Americans will hit the roads to head to their summer vacations. Unfortunately, for too many motorcyclists, this may also mark the beginning of another deadly summer. The Governors Highway Safety Association's (GHSA) new report, Survey of the States: Motorcycle Safety Programs, examines the dramatic increase in motorcycle rider deaths and looks at programs states have undertaken to keep motorcyclists safe.

Fellow Freedom Fighters: This recent PA helmet law study by Mertz and Weiss... ...was picked up by the major wire services and is getting media coverage EVERYWHERE. Google News alone shows 80 story links:

To Professors Mertz and Weiss: As an American citizen whose tax dollars fund the grants that subsidize you, and having in addition paid $10.00 for the privilege of downloading a copy of your report entitled "Changes in Motorcycle-Related Head Injury Deaths, Hospitalizations, and Hospital Charges Following Repeal of Pennsylvania's Mandatory Motorcycle Helmet Law", please allow me to convey my assessment of same. I will start with your conclusion and work my way back to the data ... much the same as I suspect you did...

"To evaluate the 2003 repeal of Pennsylvania's motorcycle helmet law, we assessed changes in helmet use and compared motorcycle-related head injuries with nonhead injuries from 2001-2002 to 2004-2005. Helmet use among riders in crashes decreased from 82% to 58%. Head injury deaths increased 66%; nonhead injury deaths increased 25%. Motorcycle-related head injury hospitalizations increased 78% compared with 28% for nonhead injury hospitalizations. Helmet law repeals jeopardize motorcycle riders. Until repeals are reversed, states need voluntary strategies to increase helmet use."

No release.

A motorcycle was my exclusive form of transportation long before gas topped four dollars a gallon. And as a 24/7 biker and long distance rider, I use and recommend the use of helmets when riding a motorcycle. In fact, I cannot imagine riding through several hundred miles of adverse weather without one. On the other hand, I fully appreciate the difference between the utility of helmets and the futility of helmet laws... and our roadways would be a safer place if "experts" like you did as well. In the article cited below, I read with great disappointment and disgust your following comments...

I'm sure you are aware of the roadblocks in NY during Americade last week. I am the promoter of a well known weekly sportbike gathering in Hollywood, CA and we had our rights equally trampled on during our gathering last night.

The latest motorcyclists' rights and motorcycle awareness headlines nationwide are now available 24/7 at LdrLongDistanceRider.com. Here is the link to add to your web browser favorites or bookmarks:

A few weeks ago here in SoBe, I passed a 49cc scooter with a sticker on its rear fender that read "ONE LESS SUV". And given the alarming number of recent reports of motorcyclists killed and injured in crashes caused by SUV drivers violating our right-of-way...

This may be Motorcycle Awareness Month for some and Motorcycle Safety Month for others... ...but it sure looks like a lot of people never got either memo:

I received news a few days ago that prosecuting attorney, Paul Knight who was working on the criminal case against Mayor Brenda Melancon [of Sorrento, Louisiana] has been removed from the case. This is devastating to me and my family, and is a blow to the entire motorcycle community.

Subject: URGENT NATIONWIDE CALL-TO-ACTION! A.B.A.T.E. of Louisiana, Inc. P.O. Box 541 St. Amant, LA 70774 Yesterday our Bills suffered a tough time on the House Floor.

The message conveyed by the following excerpts from 26 recent news reports requires no interpretation:

We examined cross-sectional time-series data from the 50 states and the District of Columbia for the period 1975 through 2004.... On average, when compared to state experience with no helmet mandate,

In reading this forum thread... Weekly Drink Specials from James "Doc" Reichenbach II's ABATE of Florida SE Chapter ...one can easily see how the history of James "Doc" Reichenbach II's ABATE of Florida illustrates the tragic decay and decline of an SMRO. First, "ABATE" stood for:

PLEASE READ EVITA GRAY'S SAD BUT NOT UNCOMMON STORY, AND HELP HER KEEP HER FATHER'S KILLER BEHIND BARS BY SENDING YOUR LETTERS AND FAXES PROTESTING THE POTENTIAL CLEMENCY OF TRACY EPPRIGHT TO VICTIM ADVOCATE RUSSELL GALLOGLY AT THE ADDRESS AND FAX NUMBER PROVIDED HERE:

I never cease to be amazed by the gall of James "Doc" Reichenbach II, and the gullibility of the Kool-Aid Kulties who mindlessly follow him. Even after we exposed what's really going on with SB-1992, he had this message broadcasted to his cult contacts list last night:

Attention Florida Riders and Freedom Fighters: In recent days, you may have heard cult leader James "Doc" Reichenbach II crowing about the stiffer penalties for right-of-way violations included in proposed senate bill SB-1992:

Attention Florida Motorcyclists! A modified version of Senate Bill 802, legislation that singles out motorcycle operators for discriminatory treatment for alleged traffic violations, will be heard in the Senate Committee on Transportation and Economic Development Appropriations on Tuesday, April 15 at 2:15 p.m. in room 309 of the Capitol.

Senator Frank Lautenberg has consistently shown that he is not friendly to biker issues. Do you want to see another 6 years of him? We now have a viable candidate running against him in the Democratic Primary.

1. From James "Doc" Reichenbach II, Elected President, Paid Lobbyist and Cult Leader of ABATE of Florida, Inc.:

There's an old truth that states there's two things you don't want to see being made -- legislation and sausage. Many times, the two are indistinguishable from one another. Such is the case with House Bill 1104 "Aggravated Right-of-Way Offense", which sought to close a "gray area" in Colorado statute.

A new study reported in the American Journal of Public Health finds that the repeal of motorcycle helmet requirements for adults has been associated with an increase in motorcycle fatalities, beyond the general increase that has been seen throughout the country in the last decade or so. Although the researchers argue that their study reinforces the case for universal helmet laws, the impact they found looks pretty modest:

"Motorcycles or Mopeds/Reckless Driving [EPCC]; Provides that if a person is operating or is in actual physical control of a motorcycle while driving recklessly, a law enforcement officer shall arrest the person, take him or her into custody, and seize the motorcycle. Requires that a person riding on a motorcyle or moped must ride while sitting astride the seat with one leg on each side and with both wheels on the ground at all times, etc."

Objectives. We assessed the implications for motorcyclist safety of recent repeals of universal helmet laws in 6 US states. Methods. We examined cross-sectional time-series data from the 50 states and the District of Columbia for the period 1975 through 2004.

Since 1975, more than 100,000 motorcycle riders in America have died in crashes. The majority of states required motorcycle helmets in 1975, but today, only 20 states have universal helmet laws that require all riders to wear helmets, 26 states have partial coverage laws (usually only for young riders), and four states have no helmet laws. A recent study by a University of Missouri professor found that the motorcyclist fatality rate has increased in states that repealed their universal helmet laws during the past decade.

Attention Florida Motorcyclists! Senate Bill 802, legislation that singles out motorcycle operators for discriminatory treatment for alleged traffic violations, will be heard in the Senate Transportation Committee on Tuesday, April 1 at 9:30 a.m. in room 37 of the Senate Office Building.

Be prepared for another article next week. USA Today called me this last Friday wanting me to write an article for them "concerning helmet rules". I was in a meeting and couldn't answer my phone when they called. I returned the phone call an hour after it came in, only to have a message answer. I told them to call me back, which she did to inform me that they were on such a tight deadline, they got someone else to do it. She wouldn't say who it was.

Fellow Riders and Freedom Fighters: Last week I warned you that something was up...

ABATE Panhandle Chapter President resigns, citing loss of respect for ABATE of Florida's state president and paid lobbyist James "Doc" Reichenbach II:

(Senate's version of HB137) will be heard next Tuesday, April 1st (April Fool's Day) at 9:30am in 37 SOB (Senate Office Building!). If people can't go to see it live, they might be able to watch it via the live broadcast on the website:

To John Yaukey and Robert Benincasa, Reporters for Gannett News Service: Let me begin by saying I use and recommend the use of helmets when riding a motorcycle. In fact, I cannot imagine riding through several hundred miles of adverse weather without one. On the other hand, I fully appreciate the difference between the utility of helmets and the futility of helmet laws. You obviously don't. Given all the spin you put into your article entitled "Motorcyclist deaths spike as helmet laws loosen"...

Florida Riders and Freedom Fighters: Appended below is an email from the state leadership of ABATE of Florida giving you guidance as to what you should be saying to your state legislators. With respect to proposed bills HB-137 and SB-802, I believe you will find superior guidance here:

Reporters John Yaukey (jyaukey@gns.gannett.com) and Robert Benincasa (rbenincasa@gns.gannett.com) of Gannett News Service are serving up a major spread of lid and lid law spin in USA TODAY: "Motorcyclist deaths spike as helmet laws loosen"

Bikers rights advocates nationwide are working hard to defeat Florida HB-137, proposed legislation that would authorize the seizure of motorcycles by the State. The bill has cleared the first committee with these amendments...

Carnegie Mellon Study Shows Just Listening To Cell Phones Significantly Impairs Drivers... Brain Imaging Reveals Drivers Are Distracted Even if They Don't Talk.

"Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber."--Plato "I have come to the conclusion that politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians."--Charles de Gaulle

Below is a first-hand, unedited account of the meeting by Robert "RC" Conroy, an independent bikers' rights advocate who attended and spoke before the Committee today. I will make no further comment now other than to emphasize that although this bill targets sportbikers, if passed ANY MOTORCYCLE IN FLORIDA could become subject to seizure. And if we allow this dangerous precedent to be set, ANY MOTORCYCLE ANYWHERE could one day become subject to seizure ... including YOURS!

MOTORCYCLE SAFETY TRAINING FUNDS UNDER ATTACK. PICKERINGTON, Ohio--U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters reaffirmed her desire to lobby states for mandatory helmet-use laws in testimony before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee Transportation Subcommittee on March 6, the American Motorcyclist Association reports.

GENERAL BILL by Lopez-Cantera Offenses Committed While Operating a Motorcycle: Provides additional penalties for certain offenses committed by person operating or in actual physical control of motorcycle; requires person be taken into custody; provides for seizure and forfeiture of motorcycle; provides for revocation of person's privilege to operate a motorcycle. Effective Date: October 1, 2008.

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) has learned that United States Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters sent letters to Capitol Hill with draft legislation outlining her intention to raid the 2010 motorcycle training and awareness funds set aside by Congress in the last Highway Bill (PL 109-59). Peters announced on Thursday, February 14 that she would like to see the earmarked training and awareness funds made available to promote the use of helmets in individual states.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters is urging Congress to allow states to divert federal money now used for motorcycle training and awareness to instead promote the use of motorcycle helmets, the American Motorcyclist Association reports.

More than 100 members of the U.S. House of Representatives have co-sponsored a bill that would end health insurance discrimination against motorcyclists and others who participate in legal recreational activities or use their motorcycles for transportation.

Fortunately for lobbyist and legislator, however, a convenient "scheduling conflict" allowed both lobbyist Reichenbach and legislator Lopez-Cantera to avoid a public showdown where one or the other would have to admit they were lying about Reichenbach's alleged support of HB-137:

I did not post any of the links containing this damning quote from Lopez-Cantera: "I recently met with James Reichenbach [abatefl@worldnet.att.net] from ABATE, and after I explained the true intent of this legislation he told me that he would support it." All I did was reference other people's postings. The full text of Lopez-Cantera's statement can be found in many locations on the Web, including the following:

Many of you who contacted Florida State District 113 Representative Carlos Lopez-Cantera [Carlos.Lopez-Cantera@myfloridahouse.gov] recently to protest "HB 137: Offenses Committed While Operating a Motorcycle"--a highly discriminatory and draconian proposal that would allow the state to seize bikes for certain traffic offenses--received a reply from Lopez-Cantera that included the following: "I recently met with James Reichenbach [abatefl@worldnet.att.net] from ABATE, and after I explained the true intent of this legislation he told me that he would support it."

In several recent articles like the one cited below, I read with great disappointment and disgust the following: "McNamara said 'Riders cite the pleasure of going helmet-less, but often the cost of care for the injured motorcyclist is passed on to society at large.' ... McNamara said he fears riders may not fully understand the scientifically demonstrated level of risk involved in riding without a helmet and just assume the risks are acceptable if the law does not prohibit it... 'The American Academy of Emergency Medicine believes that states should require helmet use in all age groups,' McNamara said." Here is my reply to you and your hypocritical colleagues:

Dear Doctor McNamara, Please do me a favor and stay out of the business of trying to decide what is best for me. As a physician I would think that you know all about anatomy. However, you should also know that your foot fits nicely in your mouth when speaking about things you have very little knowledge about. For instance the cost of care passed on to society at large for injured motorcyclists.

PHYSICIAN, HEAL THYSELF... Just who in the hell do you think you are, Doc? Neither you nor any other member of the American medical community has any right to be commenting on somebody else's "risky behavior" or "social costs" until you first deal with your own:

Read Part 1 here:

America is in a recession, a recession that many say will get worse before it gets better. And although the powers that be waited far too long before uttering the "R" word, there are some who predict the "D" word may apply before year's end. Call it what you will, but thanks to a myriad of factors for which we all are to some degree responsible, our economy is in a mess. And what do our politicos propose as the solution? Why an "economic stimulus package", of course! Free money for everybody! Whoo-Hoo!

Oxford epidemiologist Dr. Bette Liu (email: bette.liu@ceu.ox.ac.uk) is the lead author of a new--i.e. updated--international motorcycle helmet study summarized below. As you might expect, her research confirms the UTILITY OF HELMETS, with which I agree. My concern, however, is that it will be used to perpetuate the FUTILITY OF HELMET LAWS, with which I do not. I ask that you please read the information below, and then:

For those of you who answered the recent calls-to-action intended to counter the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB's) "9/11 attack" on motorcyclists' rights...

Florida Senate bill 828, sponsored by Sen. Michael Bennett (R-Bradenton), would prohibit passengers younger than 12 years of age on a motorcycle or moped. Use the AMA Rapid Response Center at www.AMADirectlink.com...

Here's a recap from this morning's hearing on HB 137. All quotes are as I remember them, as I did not have a tape recorder with me. All internet links and email addresses are listed at the bottom of this message.

Hi Paul, I have lifted the restrictions on your incoming emails, and you may feel free to post to our forum here... In order to avoid any future issues, please be sure that any posting you make includes your email address, is motorcycle-related, and is the truth. It is okay to post opinion as well as facts, just be sure not to represent one as the other.

Action Alert 01/08/2008 Draconian Legislation Proposed in Florida: Seizure and forfeiture of motorcycles part of legislation ... HB 137, "Offenses Committed While Operating a Motorcycle", introduced by Representative Carlos Lopez-Cantera (R-Miami)...

Date: January 1, 2008 - Last call for sending in election ballots, and planning for the near future of the AMA:

Charting NHTSA Numbers Exposes Flawed NTSB Recommendations ... Click or go to this link to read it now (available in HTML and downloadable PDF formats):

The National Transportation Safety Board ("NTSB") recently issued a series of press releases and motorcycle safety recommendation letters in which they claimed that increases in motorcycle fatalities have "...outpaced increases in activity measures such as motorcycle registrations". As the chart above clearly shows, that claim is false. Over the last 10 years, motorcycle fatalities have NOT outpaced increases in motorcycle registrations. In fact, the two measures have a near-perfect correlation coefficient of +0.9951.

Read it here...

Thanks to biker Tammy Jenkins, we have a transcript of the portion of the 6 November 2007 Meeting of the City Commission of Delray Beach, Florida pertaining to the proposed motorcycle noise ordinance 45-07 available for download here...

Ms. Adelus, You are a MURDERER. One of many who cloak their crimes under the false vestment of "professional journalist".

According to page 22 of your "Proposed Resolutions for the 69th General Assembly" of the Union for Reform Judaism ("URJ") to be held in San Diego, CA on December 12-16, 2007...

Life and living encompass many choices. As much as we would like to be, we are not personally in total control of how we live. We live with (and under) rules and regulations (laws) to co-exist peacefully among the population, and along the way develop (hopefully) our internal moral compass to help steer us as we move through life. The essence of Freedom is the possession of choices, to live as we see fit without the bringing of harm onto others. Webster's Dictionary defines freedom (in part) as "1. the state or quality of being free; esp., a) exemption or liberation from the control of some other person or some arbitrary power; liberty; independence; b) exemption from arbitrary restrictions on a specified civil right; civil or political liberty..." Always remember: this is not granted by government; on the contrary--men are "...endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." (as validated in our Declaration of Independence.)

Thanks to biker Tammy Jenkins, we have a transcript of the portion of the 16 October 2007 Meeting of the City Commission of Delray Beach, Florida pertaining to the banning of motorcycles (Ordinance 45-07) available for download here...

City votes instead to stiffen fines for noise along stretch of Atlantic... Read the entire article here:

A proposed ordinance in Delray Beach, Florida, would ban ALL motorcycles from a five-block section of Atlantic Avenue, between Swinton Avenue and U.S. 1, between the hours of 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. Further, the ordinance would require all motorcycles to be equipped with stock exhaust systems or "...U.S. EPA-approved low-noise emission mufflers..."

For the past several weeks the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) has been actively working on a multi-tiered strategic initiative to counter the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) program to pressure states into enacting mandatory helmet laws. We are prepared today to launch the program beginning with a Call to Action to our State Motorcycle Rights Organizations (SMROs).

Mr. Capka: The tentative agenda for next week's Motorcycle Travel Symposium clearly states that "better estimates of motorcycle travel are needed"...

ABATE OF IOWA is calling on all American motoryclists concerned about their Right-to-Ride to contact their U.S. Senators and Representatives and request that Congress initiate proceedings to reduce or eliminate the budgets of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ("NHTSA") and the National Transportation Safety Board ("NTSB") on the grounds that they are (a) illegally conspiring to circumvent the state lobbying restrictions placed on NHTSA by TEA-21 (the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century), and (b) irresponsibly wasting millions of taxpayers dollars focusing on an issue that constitutes only a minor portion of overall traffic injuries and fatalities. Here is their agenda...

On 13 September 2007, I sent a letter to National Transportation Safety Board ("NTSB") Chairman Mark Rosenker in which I pointed out that restricting cager cellphone conversations could have saved as many as 10,660 lives in 2006, which is about 15 times more than would've been saved by lidding every rider in the land:

Ms. Nason: CBS News has quoted you as saying that, in your role as NHTSA Administrator, "I love knowing that at the end of the day, what we are try[ing] to do--what I am trying to do--is make a vehicle safer for my children..."

Ms. Higgins: I took time away from work long enough to watch the live webcasts of the 9/11/07 and 9/18/07 meetings of the NTSB, both now archived here:

A folk hero is type of hero, real or in mythology, who is loathed by the rich and powerful but idolized by the common person, often stealing from the former to make life better for the latter. The folk hero generally starts off as a regular person, but is transformed into someone extraordinary by their rebellion against oppression upon their own lives.

Mark Rosenker, whose term as Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board I say we need to END IMMEDIATELY...

Mr. Rosenker: The universal helmet law mandate you proposed this week fails to address the causes of approximately 84 percent of all motorcycle fatalities. Not only do we have the NTSB's admitted issues with understated motorcycle registrations and vehicle miles travelled (VMT) in the demoninators of key NHTSA statistics, you made even greater and more reprehensible misrepresentations by overstating the numerator:

Mr. Rosenker: I watched and listened to the webcast of the NTSB Board Meeting you chaired this morning from 9:30 to 11:00am, the agenda for which was ostensibly "Motorcycle Safety":

Fellow Riders and Freedom Fighters in the State of Illinois: I have had the privilege of riding across your great state four times in the past six weeks: first going to and returning from Sturgis, then twice over Labor Day Weekend as part of two Iron Butt Association "Bun Burner Gold" runs from Miami Beach to Chicago and back by way of East St. Louis. On I-24 West near its terminus at I-57, three Illinois riders and myself were almost killed by a cellphone-impaired cager, one of many nationwide who apparently feel their right to gab is more important than our right to life:

With Congress poised to return today from a sleepy month off fromWashington, it's a great time to call or e-mail your federal legislators and remind them to support HR 1076 and S 616, the two pieces oflegislation filed on behalf of motorcyclists to fix the discriminatory loopholes in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). These two pieces of legislation are currently sitting in committee before both bodies of Congress. The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) encourages you to contact your Senators and Representatives this week.

Can you believe this?!? The State of Delaware is ENCOURAGING motorists to use their cell phones while they are driving!

In your op-ed piece below you say "... it was the driver of the tractor-trailer who was at fault in the tragic occurrence that [killed a biker] at South Downey and Fawcett Drive--but only for failure to yield."

In last month's "Hang Up and Drive!" installment, I pointed out that there are currently 236 million cell phone subscribers on our roadways ... that 73% of them are talking while they are driving ... that cell phone conversations impair their driving skills as much if they were intoxicated with alcohol... and that consequently they are four times more likely to cause or be involved in an accident than motorists who responsibly shut up and steer. And for those of you who discount these statistics--or for whatever reason refuse to accept the fact that cell phone conversation-impaired cagers are one of the greatest and growing threats to the safety of American motorcyclists--I relate the following:

As a concerned ABATE of Minnesota officer, I'd like to see if you could spread the word for us about this infringement of our rights both as riders and as Americans. Thanks, Stan "Stash" Rygh ABATE of Minn. Lower Corner Chapter

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ("NHTSA") has just released Traffic Safety Facts document DOT HS 810791. Here is the introduction:

US House of Representatives passes transportation appropriations bill (HR 3074) by a vote of 268-153, with no restrictions on any motorcycle funding the Motorcycle Riders Foundation reports.

The United States House of Representatives is scheduled to consider the FY2008 Transportation, House and Urban Development Appropriations bill (HR 3074) Tuesday July 24th 2007. The Motorcycle Riders Foundation has learned of a last minute attempt to eliminate the funding of the 2010 motorcycle safety grant program created in the last highway bill (PL 109-59).

GREENVILLE, S.C., June 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Michelin has notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Transport Canada that it is recalling Michelin(R) Pilot(R) Power 2CT and Pilot(R) Power 120/70 ZR 17 (58W) front motorcycle tires with the "Made in France" markings in the United States and Canada. This recall involves these specific tires only and has no impact on any other Michelin tires. Related actions are under way in other countries.

The March 2007 installment of Bruce on Bikers' Rights was an open letter to Rob Dingman, President and CEO of the American Motorcyclist Association ("AMA"):