Motorcycle Lifts.....we all need one.

For those of you new to the Riders Update, we like to offer a wide selection of topics.  During the course of each month we look at events, news, laws, and of course products.  This edition we turn an eye to motorcycle lifts.

As the country moves into winter and the inevitable winter projects and maintenance, their is one item we all need....a lift.  Pitbull makes a series of lifts we've seen demonstrated at a number of rallies. 

As always we welcome your suggestions and comments and please take advantage of the feature which allows us to send you a quick e-mail when we post each update.

Motorcycle Club Fights Fed over Logo

An unprecedented federal government effort to seize the Mongols Motorcycle Club’s trademark has quietly become a quarter-of-a-million-dollar headache for the Justice Department.

Four years after prosecutors grabbed attention by lassoing the Mongols’ logo – a ponytailed man riding a motorcycle – along with myriad club members in Southern California, an appellate court must sort out what the federal government might owe the club’s attorneys.

It could be a lot, in a free-speech case that’s also a cautionary tale about aggressive federal use of forfeiture to seize private property.

“What they did was an outrageous violation of the First Amendment, and an absolute abuse of forfeiture and trademark laws,” American Civil Liberties Union attorney David Loy said Monday in a telephone interview.

Forfeitures are big business for the federal government. Last year, the Justice Department seized some $1.8 billion worth of forfeited assets. Typically, these are ill-gotten gains from drug trafficking, financial fraud and other criminal activity.

The most recent Justice Department forfeited-assets inventory includes a $1.6 million Cessna Citation aircraft seized in Palm Beach, Fla., 10 million Vaquero cigars seized in Louisville, Ky., and 152 boxes of gold and silver taken in Charlotte, N.C. Officials also reported seizing lots of cash and real estate and, in Laredo, Texas, a big stash of “assorted fragrances.”

Los Angeles-based prosecutors claimed a huge haul in October 2008 when they announced mass indictments of those they called “violent Mongols outlaw motorcycle gang” members. The indictments followed a lengthy undercover investigation by four agents of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, who managed to become patch-wearing members of the club.
Prosecutors subsequently secured more than 80 convictions, mostly on racketeering and conspiracy charges. Investigators also seized hundreds of firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition, stacks of dollar bills and other items, opening one legal front that’s still active.

Myrtle Fall Rally - Smooth

 There were no major problems during the fall motorcycle rally at Myrtle Beach that concluded Sunday,

The weekend was busy for troopers, but South Carolina Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Sonny Collins said there were no serious wrecks or deaths during the event that wrapped up over the weekend.

"Everything' ran smoothly," Collins said.

A crash did occur in North Myrtle Beach on Friday night that sent at least six people to the hospital with injuries, city spokesman Pat Dowling said.

A motorcycle hit a car that turned in front of the bike. The rider was hurt, as was a combat medic who stopped to help. The biker suffered a broken leg and arm injury. Five other people went to the hospital for treatment.

Collins says the fall version of the motorcycle rally is always smaller than the two big events in May. The fall also is easier because there are fewer tourists.

Organizers managed to avoid the controversy that plagued the two spring rallies, when there were questions about dates for the May events.

Free Motorcycle Parking in the Big Apple

City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr., an avid Harley-Davidson rider, is motpushing for legislation that would make motorcycle parking free throughout the five boroughs.

City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr.

The Councilman, flanked by state Assemblyman Michael DenDekker and fellow riders, said the biggest issue facing bikers are muni-meters.  “There is no way for a motorcycle rider to affix a muni-meter (receipt) to their bike in a way that it won’t blow away and it won’t be stolen,”

DenDekker, a fellow motorcyclist, said after 34 years of riding he received his first $65 parking fine last week, due to what he sees as a faulty system.  “There’s no place on my motorcycle that I can attach this little piece of paper.”

DenDekker said making parking free for some 38,000 motorcyclists in New York City would put the brakes on the problem while being an environmentally sound move.  He said motorcycles generate less pollution, need little space and use minimal gas.

“The bicyclists get miles of bike lanes,” he said. “We pay $42.50 in registration fees and pay our taxes, too. We make our contribution and we’re not getting anything back. We just want a level of equality.”

A spokesman for the city Department of Transportation recommended motorcycle riders use clear plastic holders to attach parking meter receipts, as specified on the agency’s website, but did not elaborate.







Finally, while we don't condone intentionally breaking the law, I thought you may find this video interesting.  Conditions vary from city to city, and I concede NYC is more extreme than most locations.

Motorcycle Thefts Decline

Motorcycle thefts in the U.S. fell at a slower pace last year as declines in Texas and Florida were partially offset by an increase in California, the National Insurance Crime Bureau said.

There were 46,667 thefts in the U.S. last year, a decrease of 6 percent from 2010, even as motorcycle sales rose. Thefts dropped 13 percent in 2009 and 11 percent in 2010.

California, the most populous U.S. state and the one with the most stolen motorcycles since the NICB began collecting data in 1996, retained its top spot with 5,927 thefts last year. It was followed by Texas and Florida. After at least four straight years of declining thefts, California motorcyclists saw 265 more thefts than in 2010.

Thefts in Texas last year declined 10 percent to 3,950 from a year earlier. In Florida, thefts fell 5.3 percent to 3,927.

July and August were the biggest months for thefts in the U.S. last year, with more than 5,000 each, compared with 2,147 in February, the report shows. U.S. thefts declined because of advances in technology.. 

“Newer vehicles in cars and in motorcycles tend to have more secure features than ever before,” he said.

New York had 1,460 thefts in 2011, and New Jersey had 907. More than 500 motorcycle makes were among those stolen last year. Honda had the top spot with more than 11,000 motorcycles stolen, followed by Yamaha and Suzuki, the NICB said.

As referenced earlier in this post, new technology has helped reduce the number of thefts via more effective motorcycle alarm systems.  Here is a review of several types and brands.

Skyfall - New James Bond films opens with Bike Chase

The upcoming 23rd installment of the James Bond film franchise which is directed by Sam Mendes stars Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Dame Judi Dench and Ralph Fiennes and is scheduled for theatrical release later this year.

Skyfall is directed by Academy Award® winner Sam Mendes and stars Daniel Craig, who returns for his third film as Agent 007 James Bond, Javier Bardem, Dame Judi Dench, Ola Rapace, Helen McCrory, Naomie Harris, Berenice Marlohe, Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney and Ben Whishaw. The screenplay is written by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and John Logan. SKYFALL will begin its worldwide roll-out in the UK and Ireland on October 26th, 2012 and in North America on November 9th, 2012 (in IMAX on Nov 8th).

News......Both Good and Bad.

Connecticut  police say they've arrested a motorcycle club president and are trying to find his brother in connection with a stabbing at the group's clubhouse.

City police on Saturday evening charged 34-year-old Jose Roman of New London with first-degree assault and carrying a dangerous weapon and are seeking to arrest his brother, 31-year-old Juan Baptista-Roman, on similar charges.

Authorities told The Day of New London that 26-year-old Anthony Swift suffered life-threatening stab wounds and three other men were hurt on Sept. 22 in a brawl at the WildStyle Riders Motorcycle Club's clubhouse on Bank Street. Police say Jose Roman is the club's president.

Jose Roman is detained on $400,000 bail and will be arraigned Monday in New London Superior Court. It's not clear if he has a lawyer.

The stereotypical motorcyclist cruising down the interstate with a woman perched behind him is in danger of becoming a quaint memory.

According to the Motorcycle Industry Council’s latest statistics, 25 percent of today’s riders are women. And they’re not on sissy bikes.

Motorcycles are being tailored to this evolving market and the accompanying riding gear modified for shorter bodies and legs.

That, said Claudia Garber, director of women’s outreach for Harley Davidson, has spurred women to take the leap. The  contagion spreads from one woman to another. 

Safety is the biggest concern, said Cathy Gustafson, a long-time rider herself and a seven-year instructor for the state’s Motorcycle Ohio riding courses. 

“What I’ve learned from teaching some all-ladies’ classes is that ladies learn differently than men,” said Gustafson, married and the mother of two. “But physically, it takes them longer to get a skill. You can talk about it and  show a video or an actual class demonstration. But they have to actually do it, experience it, to understand. I tell women if they are pondering it, take a class. Our classes are very safety oriented. I can guarantee you that after that class, they know if they want to ride or not.”

The 2011 Harley Street Glide Gustafson rides today is an attention-getter with its Sedona orange metallic paint job and outfitted to the max.

Watching her ride off, it is hard to imagine the job that pushed her toward two-wheel transportation.

“I worked as a bank teller and used to wait on the lady who owned a bike shop. She offered me a job and then they got me riding,” she said. Today, Gustafson is a service consultant at Adventure Harley Davidson in Dover.

“Even when I started riding, very few women did. In probably the last eight years, there’s been a great increase. Women come to talk to you. We have ladies’ garage parties. Women now talk to the dealership guys about quick and easy detachable parts that make your motorcycle fit you,” she said.