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. For more information, call us at 1-(800) ON-A-BIKE or visit us on our website at http://www.ON-A-BIKE.com

COAST TO COAST BIKER NEWS
Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish, NCOM

January 17, 2005

TSUNAMI RELIEF Tonight Show host Jay Leno will team up with Harley-Davidson Motor Company to auction off a motorcycle signed by celebrities to benefit victims of the December 26th Asian tsunami that killed over 168,000 around the Indian Ocean, reported ABC's Entertainment Tonight on January 4, 2005.

HEALTH INSURANCE MEASURE INTRODUCED IN OREGON Although federal legislation to prohibit health care providers from discriminating against insureds who are injured while riding a motorcycle, ATV, or while participating in so-called "risky activities", was the last bill passed by the U.S. Senate on November 21st, S.423 died just days later when the House adjourned for the session without taking action.

Not content to wait for Congress to act, BikePAC of Oregon has requested State Senator Frank Shields to introduce legislative concepts draft 1068. LC 1068 would close the loophole that allows health insurers to deny medical coverage to motorcycle accident victims.

ABATE of Colorado successfully amended state law in 1997 to make it illegal to deny medical benefits to employees based on their participation in such activities, effectively overriding federal HIPPA regulations.

GANG BILL FILED IN SOUTH CAROLINA State Senators Jake Knotts (R-West Columbia) and Dick Elliott (D-North Myrtle Beach) have pre-filed a bill that would make it illegal to intimidate someone into joining or leaving a gang. A similar bill has been filed in the House.

The legislation defines a criminal gang as five or more people who organize to commit criminal activity, which could include hate groups, motorcycle gangs and terrorist groups. Steve Nawojczyk, a gang expert from Little Rock, Ark., said the measure is similar to what other states have enacted.

Richland County Assistant Prosecutor David Pascoe said the bill could help better prove a defendant is a gang member. Sometimes, such information is not presented to a jury because the information could be prejudicial, he said.

Knotts has tried unsuccessfully for several years to pass a bill making intimidation of prospective members illegal. Last year, a bill made it to the Senate floor but died without a vote.

NEW HAMPSHIRE BILL WOULD MUFFLE MOTORCYCLES The noise generated by motorcyclists touring the coastline has motivated a group of Seacoast-area lawmakers to file a bill request with the Legislature asking the state to revise the standards for testing motorcycle noise and limiting exhaust systems.

"The communities that have a lot of motorcycle (traffic) on Sunday afternoons are the ones who have an interest here," said Portsmouth City Attorney Robert Sullivan, who helped draft the bill request after being approached by the police chiefs of Portsmouth and Rye.

It would ban "straight-pipe" exhaust systems, referring to those that don't have mufflers with noise-reducing baffles. The proposal would prohibit motorcyclists from modifying a bike's exhaust system to make it louder than the muffler originally installed on the vehicle.

The law also would prohibit motorcycles from generating a noise level measured at greater than 110 decibels. Riders found to be not in compliance with the new standards would be guilty of a traffic violation.

NEW MOTORCYCLES SALES COULD TOP ONE MILLION The motorcycle industry has experienced 12 years of consecutive growth, and 24 percent more units have been sold in the last four years than in the entire preceding decade (1990-1999).

According to Motorcycle Industry Council estimates, year-to-date sales are up 4.4 percent through Fall 2004, marking the 12th consecutive year of growth for the United States motorcycle market.

"Motorcycling today is more mainstream than ever -- and the numbers prove it," notes the MIC. "The new MIC Owner Survey shows that since 1998, there has been a 34 percent increase in the number of motorcycles in use in the United States. Motorcycles are everywhere -- in advertising, editorial layouts, movies, television -- they're an iconic representation of freedom and individualism in our American culture."

In 2003, strong demand generated new unit motorcycle sales of more than 996,000 units, up from 936,000 in 2002. If the current growth rate continues, MIC estimates that 2004 sales of new motorcycles could top 1 million units.

HONDA SALES INCREASE BY A THIRD Japan's Honda Motor Co, the world's largest motorcycle maker, reports both its motorcycle production and sales in China are on track to grow by one-third this year, up 38 percent to 1.15 million motorcycles.

Honda predicted its global motorcycle sales will grow by 23 per cent to 10.7 million units this year.

Other Japanese motorcycle groups, such as Yamaha and Suzuki, have also built a strong presence in China which ranks No 1 in both motorcycle production and demand.

Yamaha aims to produce 1 million motorcycles in China by 2005 and increase output to 4 million units by 2010 through collaborations with local partners.

The nation's motorcycle output is expected to reach 17 million units this year, up from 14.7 million units last year, an official from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers told China Daily.

Motorcycle output and sales in China climbed by 18.06 percent to 15.54 million units, according to statistics from the association.

The nation exported about 3 million motorcycles during the period, up more than 30 percent from a year earlier.

However, analysts say China's motorcycle industry remains fragmented and less competitive in development capabilities and technical innovation.

At present, there are more than 120 motorcycle manufacturers in China.

HIGH TECH LICENSE PLATES COME UNDER FIRE IN NEBRASKA One customer complained so much about Nebraska's new computer-generated flat license plates that an office worker at the motor vehicles office scrounged up traditional steel plates for his motorcycle.

Some say the new plates look flimsy or cheap, other say they look like cardboard, but state officials are lauding the switch to lightweight aluminum plates.

A box of 50 new plates weighs 30 pounds less than a box of the old steel plates, said Beverly Neth, director of Nebraska's Department of Motor Vehicles. The new plates also are easy to read -- with clearer and more defined lines -- and have earned approval from state police.

A year ago, Nebraska State Penitentiary inmates began making the flat plates with equipment leased from 3-M Corporation.

The change is a mixed blessing for the prison industry, which puts out all of Nebraska's license plates. The old process was labor-intensive and kept 35 to 40 inmates busy. The new computer-run process uses about 20 inmates, said John McGovern, superintendent of Cornhusker Industries at the penitentiary. "That's the bad news for us, since it is our mission to employ inmates," he said.

FORMER BASKETBALL STAR SPONSORS MOTORCYCLE RACER Retired NBA star Michael Jordon has turned his focus from hoops to the racetrack as his latest business venture is motorcycle racing, a pursuit that dates to his childhood in Wilmington, South Carolina, he recently told Speed Channel’s "Two Wheel Tuesday."

Jordan is sponsoring Montez Stewart, a riding buddy in Chicago, and the color scheme for the bikes and leather are classic Carolina blue.

"I want to win," said Jordon in an interview. "I really want to make a statement about my support of this sport."

His father was a NASCAR fan and Jordan says he and his brother talked their parents into getting them a mini-bike. "I almost killed myself, but I had a good time. My brother and I shared it. I was primarily the driver because I was the more aggressive one and he rode on the back."

"When I was 12, we were racing some of the guys in our neighborhood and we took a tumble and got scraped up. And my parents always said that if we got scraped up, we were going to get rid of it, so we got long-sleeve shirts and tried to cover everything up."

"At dinner, blood started seeping through our shirts and they got rid of the bike a week later. So, that was the end of my motorcycle career until now." Jordan says he's in the motorcycle racing business for the long run. "Every time I go to the race, I have a ball, so I look to be around for a while."

'FRISCO NAMED BIKERTOWN USA Motorcyclist magazine has crowned San Francisco and the Bay area as the best motorcycle town in America, and the San Francisco Herald trumpeted the news in a September news story.

The paper said that what makes this place Biker Central is a feeling in the local motorcycle world that the area is, as it is in other walks of life, tolerant of bikers, perhaps even friendly. Motorcycling in the Bay Area is supported by a number of factors, some of them tangible – like the motorcycle only parking meters sprinkled around the city.

"There can be only one Best Motorcycling City," wrote Motorcyclist magazine, "and among all the United States of America’s roughly 19,355 incorporated burgs, you can't beat San Francisco."

"Great roads, great weather, great shops and great hangouts make the Bay Area a no-brainer as the best place in the U.S. for two-wheeled citizens."

The also-rans were San Diego, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Minneapolis, Denver, Daytona Beach and Columbus, Ohio.

NCOM CONVENTION REMINDER Don't forget to mark your calendar for the upcoming NCOM Convention, May 5-7 at the Sheraton Music City Hotel, located at 777 McGavock Pike in Nashville, Tennessee. Reserve your room by April 3rd for the special NCOM rate of $79 single/double by calling (615) 885-2200. Registration fees for the 20th annual Convention are $75 including the Silver Spoke Awards Banquet on Saturday night, or $40 for the Convention only. To pre-register, call the National Coalition of Motorcyclists at (800) 525-5355 or go to www.on-a-bike.com.

QUOTABLE QUOTE: "I love riding my motorcycle along the Pacific Coast Highway - the freedom of the road and the smell of the sea. That is the California spirit." California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's State of the State Address 01/05/2005

QUOTABLE QUOTE TOO: "They're not going to make me give up my motorcycle, too?" Newly Elected Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels when asked by the Indianapolis Star about riding his motorcycle now that he's the new governor.

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