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Past Reports
from NCOM
Sept -2000

Compiled and Edited by Bill Bish,
National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM)

September 28, 2000

MINNESOTA BIKER ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAW TESTED
In what is believed to be the first test of the recently enacted Equal Access Law in Minnesota, the Law Offices of Stephen R. O'Brien successfully obtained a $720.00 judgment against a bar owner who refused to provide service to a biker solely because he refused to remove his leather jacket.

On April 23, 2000, Chris Devoto, a member of the Minnesota Motorcycle Riders Association and ABATE of Minnesota, entered Steve O's Bar in Crystal, MN. Chris was wearing a typical ''biker jacket'' with both Harley-Davidson and ABATE emblems on it. A bouncer told him to take off his coat or leave. Chris informed him of the Equal Access biker anti-discrimination law and the bar's response was ''Sue us.''

MMRA attorney Stephen R. O'Brien, who is also the Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (A.I.M.) attorney for Minnesota, attempted to get the bar to change its policy, but the bar owner refused. Papers were filed and Hennepin County Court Referee Patrick Ellis assessed a $720.00 penalty against the bar, which has been paid. ''At the MMRA, we hope that once the word gets around, we will not have to use the courts to enforce compliance with the Equal Access Law, but we remain committed to do everything and anything to ensure that bikers are not discriminated against,'' said Janice Illingworth, MMRA President.

NO MORE NEED FOR SPEED
''It's official: According to sister publication Motorcycle Consumer News, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha - along with top European manufacturers such as Ducati - have signed a five-point plan of self-limitation to avoid outside governmental legislation concerning TOP-SPEED LIMITS,'' reports MOTORCYCLIST magazine.

The plan's main points: (1) Manufacturers will stop using top speed as a competitive marketing tool; (2) During 2000, no new models capable of exceeding the speed of the current fastest production motorcycle will be launched; (3) By 2001, all production bikes will be limited to 186 mph; (4) the manufacturers will retain tight control over factory race kits that are sold for racing purposes only; (5) The policy will apply worldwide. Better hurry and find that '99 Hayabusa...

GEORGIA BIKERS SUE OVER HELMET LAW
ABATE of Georgia Inc. has filed a Federal lawsuit against the State of Georgia and the Dept. of Public Safety in regards to the helmet law! The law says you must wear protective headgear of a type that complies with standards established by the Board of Public Safety. It also says the Board of Public Safety shall publish a list of headgear that has been approved by them. There is no such list. They say they don't have to publish a list since they have chosen not to approve any specific models of headgear. We say ''shall'' means SHALL!! So we shall let the courts decide!!

On August 7, 2000, there was a hearing on ABATE's motion for a temporary restraining order to stop the writing of tickets for no helmet violations until such time as the lawsuit is decided. The state had also filed a motion to dismiss the case as frivolous. The judge denied the motion for a temporary restraining order, but he also denied the State's motion to dismiss the case. This means that the case has merit and we will have our day in court!

Meanwhile, Michigan is going through the same ''no list, no law'' courtroom debates, and the MMA of Massachusetts has filed a similar lawsuit against the state for overzealous enforcement of their helmet law. If you'd like to help ABATE of Georgia fund this important court challenge, please send contributions to the ABATE of Georgia Legal Fund, PO Box 669, Pine Lake, GA 30072.

GOING TO BIKE WEEK?
ABATE of Florida, Inc. won a great victory in Florida this year. Everyone now has the right to decide for themselves if they wish to wear a helmet or not. It was a long and costly battle not only in money but also for the Brothers and Sisters that were not here to see their dream come true.

The cost of this freedom has put a drain on ABATE's treasury. We are not asking for money from anyone, what we are asking is that you consider staying at our ABATE Campground during Bike Week 2001. The money made at the campground will go to help the organization keep this a free state. Our rates are the best in the Daytona area and it is only 20 minutes from downtown Daytona. Listed below are the rates and phone numbers of our contact people. As you can see, the money you save will pay for your trip and give you extra to buy those new leathers you've been thinking about.
DOC REICHENBACH, PRESIDENT
ABATE OF FLORIDA

CAMPING FEES:
$9.00 PER PERSON, PER NIGHT
$55.00 ALL WEEK, PER PERSON
One Time Only $5.00 RV/CAMPER/
TRAILER LANE USE FEE

ABATE OF FLORIDA, INC.
P.O. BOX 2520
Deland, Fl. 32721-2520
(904) 943-9610
(Or)
Patti (813) 626-0589 Red King (407) 344-3162

SMALL TOWN RIOTS OVER HELLS ANGELS
In this classic man-bites-dog story, the small town of Missoula, Montana, recently rioted against their own police in support of the Hells Angels MC who were in town for their week-long ''USA Run.'' Townsfolk were upset over the excessive police presence, with more than 170 officers from as far away as Washington in full riot gear to police about 500 people. The Missoula police thought they were prepared for anything, except for the kind of trouble they got from their own citizenry. The police chief expected to use the department's ''civil disturbance unit'' if the Hells Angels caused problems, but ''We had not anticipated, or predicted we should anticipate, civil disturbances in opposition to police presence,'' he said.

Local people confronted police three times to protest the intense police presence, greatly beefed up by out-of-state and federal officers. According to the SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, Missoulians began protesting on Friday, but the real fireworks started on Saturday, July 30, when 47 people were arrested at a City Hall protest. Later that night, after the bars closed, a large crowd of citizens gathered in the streets to cheer on the Hells Angels as they roared out of town to their nearby campground. By 3 a.m., all of the Hells Angels were gone, and the confrontation boiled down to the police versus the people protesting the police treatment of the Angels.

Police officers dressed in body armor and gas masks pushed onlookers back with batons and discharged pepper spray to disperse the angry crowd. By the end of the weekend, 63 people had been arrested; all of them were people protesting the overwhelming show of police force. Not a single Hells Angel was arrested during the festivities.

YOU'D BETTER SHOP AROUND
According to a national survey recently conducted by the American Express Property Casualty companies, most Americans believe it's smart to shop around when purchasing high-ticket items, but few actually do so when it comes to vehicle insurance, one of the leading annual expenses in most household budgets. The survey concludes that less than a third of the population comparison-shops for auto or bike insurance (32 percent), but 64 percent said they shop around when purchasing a new car, 61 percent when buying an electronic item such as a cell phone or CD player, and 42 percent when they're in the market for a new household appliance.

The average cost of vehicle insurance is higher than many other major purchases, yet consumers often pay more than they should because they don't stop the think about the savings they may be missing. And, considering that insurance is a major expense every year, as opposed to every five to ten years for most other major purchases, many people can save hundreds of dollars per year and thousands of dollars over a lifetime by taking the time to comparison-shop, according to the survey.

While we're on the subject of comparison-shopping for insurance, www.InsWeb.com has been honored again by Forbes Magazine in their ''Best of the Web'' fall edition, and enables on-line shoppers to compare multiple quotes by more than 40 of the nation's highly rated insurers featuring auto, motorcycle, term life, health, homeowners, renters, condo and pet insurance. GO SHOPPING!

MINNESOTA VIKINGS GEAR UP FOR VICTORY
A new American motorcycle will lead the Minnesota Vikings to Victory this year. VICTORY MOTORCYCLES has announced its new rough and tough sponsorship of the NFL team with traditional biker style. Former Vikings greats and motorcycle enthusiasts Carl Eller and Jim Marshall joined with Polaris CEO Tom Tiller and Vikings mascot Ragnar to lead the team onto the field riding four thundering Victory motorcycles. As the ''Official Motorcycle of the Minnesota Vikings,'' a Victory motorcycle will lead the Vikings onto the field at every home game.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON IN THE OLYMPICS
Harley-Davidson will provide 102 motorcycles for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games for use in various activities. Sixty motorcycles will be used to transport approximately 200,000 rolls of film from Olympic Games venues outside of Sydney Olympic Park to the Park for processing, ensuring that journalists can immediately provide worldwide Olympic fans with the images they are anxious to see. Some of the Harleys will be set up to allow camera crews to film road events such as cycling; others will be used to carry bicycle spares for cycling athletes during competition.

Harley-Davidson will also supply bicycles, All-Terrain Vehicles, off-road motorcycles and scooters for use during the Olympics, which begin September 15, 2000. Bicycles, off-road motorcycles and ATV's will be used to transport people within the Sailing, Equestrian and Mountain Bike venues. Lead riders in a variety of sports will use off-road motorcycles for transportation, and ATV's will be used for general patrol and security and numerous venues. Scooters will be used throughout areas such as the Olympic Boulevard, where other vehicles will not have access.

In related news, on August 31st Olympic officials imposed an immediate ban on all forms of light transport including bicycles, rollerblades, foot-powered scooters and skateboards at all Olympic venues after a motorcyclist was killed outside the main stadium. New South Wales police reported that a man working at one of the Homebush Bay venues died from head injuries after the motorcycle he was riding collided with a woman riding a foot-powered scooter.

LIEBERMAN TAKES A RIDE ON A HARLEY
Vice Presidential hopeful Joseph Lieberman, a senator normally known for quiet demeanor, donned a helmet recently and took an unplanned spin on the back of a green Harley-Davidson, smiling and waving to reporters and workers as they circled the parking lot. It was all in the service of the presidential campaign, as Lieberman was visiting workers on a motorcycle assembly line in Kansas City, MO, though he later told an aide, ''I have a new fantasy. I want to buy a Harley-Davidson.''

Lieberman, Al Gore's Democratic running mate, later admitted that ''there was some pressure'' not to ride, because aides feared a repetition of the ridicule that Michael Dukakis got when he put on a helmet and rode in a tank during his presidential campaign in 1988. Asked why he did it anyway, the jeans-clad Lieberman told THE ASSOCIATED PRESS that he had made a ''promise to the guys on the line...Besides, I had a good time.'' Referring to the Dukakis ride, he joked that his decision to put on the helmet was ''another act of courage.''

TALK ABOUT A BUNCHA WANNABE'S
If not for the grave seriousness of the situation, the following AP story sounds like an episode of the Keystone Cops: Muslim rebels reneged on a deal to free several hostages who have been held captive for over four months in the jungle on the southern Philippine island of Jolo, because their leader was attending the funeral of the brother of one of their rebel leaders who had died in a motorcycle accident. Meanwhile, rebel leaders could not be contacted further because they had all gone to settle a brawl between members of their guerrilla gang and residents of a nearby town. Apparently, younger guerrillas were test-driving Harley-Davidson motorcycles purchased with ransom paid for earlier releases of hostages and got into arguments with annoyed local elders, said sources close to the negotiations. I suppose they must get those 60's biker movies there too, huh?

QUOTE OF THE MONTH:
''All experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed.'' The DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE on ''Voter Apathy''

AND THAT'S ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS!

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.
Visit us on our website at:
Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (A.I.M.)