Category: Biker News

On February 7, 2012, the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology will vote on H.R. 3199, introduced by Representative Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) on October 14, 2011. This bill would require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to seek independent scientific analysis on the effects of 15 percent ethanol blend (E15) gasoline. To watch a live webcast of the markup, click here. "The EPA's decision to allow E15 into the marketplace will impact every American who owns a car, lawnmower or boat," Sensenbrenner said. Automakers insist that using E15 will void warranties, lower fuel efficiency and cause premature engine failure. In off-road engines, the effects can even be dangerous for users. "There are serious concerns that the EPA used only one Department of Energy test and rushed E15's introduction into the marketplace," Sensenbrenner said. "This test was limited in scope and ignored a plethora of evidence – albeit inconvenient evidence for the EPA – that shows E15 gasoline has a negative effect on engines." The new E15 gasoline formulation may appear at a fueling station near you and you need to be careful where you use this new fuel blend. That is because the EPA, in October 2010, approved E15 for use in model year 2007 and newer light duty vehicles (cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty passenger vehicles). In January 2011, it added model year 2001-2006 light duty vehicles to the approved list. Riders should pay attention to this list because no motorcycles or ATVs are currently listed. The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is concerned about E15 because it burns hotter than gasoline that contains a lesser amount of ethanol. In engines not designed to dissipate that extra heat, damage in the form of premature wear can result. Although this is a concern in all motorcycles, it's particularly problematic for air-cooled engines found in many bikes. Moreover, use of E15 may even void the manufacturer warranty. Since the approved list includes many light-duty vehicles in use today, refineries, distributors, and fueling stations may choose to offer primarily E15 gasoline because of this action by the EPA. This should concern all motorcyclists and off-highway enthusiasts since this may affect the availability of gasoline with less or no ethanol (E10 or E0). We need your help to pass H.R. 3199. You can find contact information for your Representative at AmericanMotorcyclist.com > Rights > Issues & Legislation, then enter your zip code in the "Find your Officials" box. A prewritten e-mail is available for you to send to your federal elected official immediately by following the "Take Action" option and entering your information. In a previous AMA alert, Representative Sensenbrenner also introduced H.R. 748. This bill would prohibit the Administrator of the EPA from authorizing the use of gasoline containing greater than 10 percent ethanol in certain vehicles. For more information on H.R. 748, click here. Again, the AMA urges you to write your Representative today and ask them to support H.R. 748 and H.R. 3199.

Motorcycle-specific roadside checkpoints would be prohibited, according to wording included by Wisconsin Rep. James Sensenbrenner in the federal highways bill, in mark-up today in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Sensenbrenner applauded the committee's inclusion of his wording in the bill, stating that, "We need to focus on proven methods of motorcycle safety, including crash prevention, rider education, and training and proper licensing. Motorcycle-only checkpoints are an intrusive governmental overreach that place an undue burden on riders while doing little to actually improve safety. It is encouraging to see that the Transportation Reauthorization Bill will encourage more efficient use of taxpayer dollars and smart motorcycle safety policy." As it currently stands, Section 5007 of the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act of 2012 reads as follows.

SEC. 5007. PROHIBITION ON FUNDS TO CHECK HELMET USAGE OR CREATE CHECKPOINTS FOR A MOTORCYCLE DRIVER OR PASSENGER. The Secretary may not provide a grant or otherwise make available funding to a State, Indian tribe, county, municipality, or other local government to be used for any program to check helmet usage or create checkpoints for a motorcycle driver or passenger.

Because the wording of the measure says simply "checkpoints," as opposed to "motorcycle-specific checkpoints," it raises the question of whether such checks might also be prohibited in a broader, all-vehicle checkpoint. Opponents of such motorcycle-specific checkpoints have frequently stated that their opposition is to the singling out of motorcyclists, not the enforcement of existing laws. The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF), both of which have spoken out against motorcycle-specific checkpoints, have voiced their approval of the prohibition. Speaking for the AMA, Wayne Allard, vice president for government relations, said that "The AMA believes that strategies to promote motorcycle safety must be rooted in motorcycle crash prevention, and don't include arbitrarily pulling over riders and randomly subjecting them to roadside inspections." The MRF, in a release yesterday, had this to say. Representative Tom Petri (R-WI), a staunch defender of the motorcyclists, had this comment on the issue, “Motorcycle riders are right to be outraged at being singled out for safety inspections," Petri said. "Nobody is suggesting flagging cars down for unscheduled inspections, and there's no good reason why motorcycles should be treated differently. It's unnecessarily intrusive, and not a smart way to use limited police resources."

We at Krazy Biker Katz would like to let you know about a great organization! Riding With Angels is a worthwhile organization and we know Rosemary Smith personally and fully endorse her cause. She sent us an email recently we would like to share:

Krazy Biker Katz would like to acknowledge Zwiwwel Restaurant located at 1213 Palm Avenue in Sarasota for going above-and-beyond the call of duty to assist us during the Thunder By The Bay Festival. We thank you for your time and assistance. You guys are AWESOME! We urge all friends of Krazy Biker Katz to stop by this great eatery and tell them Krazy Biker Katz sent you. Drop us a line and let us know if you're treated as exceptionally as we were.

For some bikers, their life story can be read in their gleaming machines. Korean War veteran Richard Blake is one of those. The 83-year-old has been riding motorcycles more than 65 years.

NORTH HAMPTON, N.H. — Police Chief Brian Page took some heat last year, first for opposing a petitioned warrant article to curtail motorcycle noise in town, and later for refusing to enforce the ordinance after voters passed it by a 2-1 margin. Based on several legal opinions, Page said, police and the town could face legal action if they tried to enforce a lower noise threshold than state law allows. Page has been vindicated now that a Rockingham Superior Court judge granted a permanent injunction against the town enforcing the ordinance. The ruling was prompted by an action filed by Seacoast Motorcycles Inc., a Harley-Davidson dealer on Lafayette Road, which claimed that because there is a state law governing motorcycle noise, no town can enact a standard that is more restrictive. "The court agrees with the plaintiff and finds that the subject of motorcycle noise is preempted by the state and that, since the state has not authorized the town to regulate motorcycle noise, the town has no legal authority to adopt or enforce the ordinance," Judge Kenneth McHugh wrote in his Dec. 9 decision. Page, noting he has not yet seen the court order, told the Hampton Union he never doubted the outcome of the case, which centered on an ordinance that would have required motorcycles driving through or located in town to have mufflers that complied with the federal EPA standard of 80 decibels. State law allows 106 decibels. Page has supported efforts to lower the decibel limit in state law. "In addition," Page said, "I want to get out (the fact) that a number of the Seacoast police chiefs and members of the State Police look forward to continuing to work with the riders, the New Hampshire Auto Dealers' Association, the Seacoast HOG chapter, the New Hampshire Motorcycle Rights Organization and, of course, the General Court, in order to come up with state legislation that will make it easier and more efficient for law enforcement to test the compliance of the sound levels of motorcycle exhaust." One of those involved in the legislative push is state Rep. Michele Peckham, R-North Hampton. Peckham is a sponsor of House Bill 1442, due to be introduced in 2012 and scheduled for a Feb. 7 hearing in Concord. The bill would lower the state's motorcycle noise limit to the federal standard, beginning Jan. 1, 2013. Peckham told town leaders earlier this year that three attempts by members of the New Hampshire Legislature in the past four years to reduce motorcycle noise have failed. She called the opposition from the powerful motorcycle lobby opposed to lowering the decibel limit "fierce." Peckham said the bill was written not to go into effect until 2013 because the motorcycle community and motorcycle dealers have said replacing mufflers would be a great expense. "That grandfathers every motorcycle on the road today (that is compliant with the state's 106-decibel standard and) allows motorcycle dealers time to deplete their inventories," she said. Peckham said her bill also requires that any motorcycle brought in for servicing after the legislation's effective day would have to have EPA-compliant mufflers put on at that time. She urged those who supported the town's motorcycle noise ordinance, which passed at the North Hampton's Town Meeting in May 2010, to support her legislation. Among those now supporting Peckham's legislation is Larry Miller. Miller, who is now on the Select Board, and his wife, former state Rep. Judith Day, were prime movers in getting the town ordinance passed. Miller said it would be better to support Peckham's bill than for the town to appeal the court ruling on the town motorcycle noise ordinance. "Whether she'll be successful in getting the necessary support is still a question," Miller said. Town Administrator Steve Fournier said he had just read the court decision and that he needed to discuss any further action on the case with the Select Board and town attorney. However, he called the decision "pretty cut and dried." "I'm not sure on what grounds we could appeal, but we have to talk to our legal counsel about that," he said.

Motorcyclists in Illinois will no longer be stuck indefinitely at stoplights starting New Year's Day 2012. The Illinois legislature passed HB S860 which allows motorcycles stopped at a red light to go through the light if it doesn't turn green after a "reasonable" amount of time. Sensors installed in many intersections, which trigger light changes, aren't sensitive enough to detect motorcycles. Ill. Gov. Pat Quinn vetoed the bill, claiming it "endangers our motorists" because it allows the motorcyclist to determine how long is "reasonable," but both the House and Senate overrode the veto and the original bill became law.

The AMA is singing the praises of U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (Republican, New Hampshire) for standing up against a proposal that would have indirectly forced states to pass mandatory helmet laws. U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg (Democrat, New Jersey) was poised to introduce the proposal on December 14 during a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing on S. 1449 - the Motor Vehicle and Highway Safety Improvement Act of 2011, according to the AMA. His proposal was an amendment to S. 1449, but he decided against offering it in the committee. In a statement for the record, Ayotte noted that the amendment would take away the right of the people in a state to decide whether to have a mandatory helmet law "by indirectly forcing all states to pass mandatory universal helmet laws in order to receive funding for motorcycle safety. "States without mandatory universal helmet laws - such as New Hampshire -would be subject to stricter eligibility criteria, and would be forced to use 50 percent of their grant funds to promote helmet use," she said. "This amendment violates the original intent of the motorcyclist safety grant program, which has traditionally focused on encouraging states to fund motorcycle safety awareness, education and training. This amendment would divert funds away from awareness and education and, instead, use them to place federal pressure on states to enact mandatory universal helmet laws." Wayne Allard, AMA vice president for government relations, thanked Ayotte for her statement, noting the AMA also opposed the Lautenberg amendment. "Federal efforts should focus on preventing crashes rather than mandating what gear riders should wear," Allard said. Besides opposing the Lautenberg amendment, the AMA has been working on Capitol Hill to try to ensure that motorcycle-only checkpoints don't proliferate around the nation, and working to ensure that motorcyclists' concerns about possible engine damage are considered before federal officials approve the use of higher ethanol-gasoline blends for motorcycles.