ELECTIONS 2000 Y2K has come and gone, and since the world didn't melt down or freeze up, it's now time to turn our attention toward the November 2000 elections and start thinking about who's going to lead us into the new millennium. As the 20th Century comes to a close, the past decade has been a successful one for motorcyclists, with numerous victories in Congress including the repeal of the federal helmet mandates, passing federal protections against insurance discrimination, assurances from Congress that motorcycles will be taken into consideration during the future development of Intelligent Transportation System technology, and guarantees against motorcycle bans on public roads.
Following the repeal of the national helmet law came renewed efforts within the states to ride free, and Arkansas became the first state in the nineties to repeal their helmet law in 1997; followed closely by Texas, Kentucky and, most recently, Louisiana in 1999. Many states have become pro-active in other areas, such as Minnesota passing the first-ever biker anti-discrimination law; Virginia and Illinois passing laws against motorcycle road bans; and Arizona, Iowa, Oregon and Washington repealing or modifying their state's handlebar height laws (long used as harassment tools by law enforcement).
But the only way to accomplish pro-biker law is to elect biker-friendly politicians, and in order to do that we have to not only VOTE for them, but also work in their campaigns to help get them elected to office.
As U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell once said, "After you're elected, everybody wants to be your friend. But you always remember the people who helped to put you there."
NATIONAL COALITION OF MOTORCYCLISTS (NCOM)

BOY ARRESTED DURING HELMET SPAT A 9-year-old boy was handcuffed by a Palm Beach County, Florida, sheriff's deputy who spotted him riding his bicycle without a helmet after giving him a warning to wear one. Sheriff's officials say the incident, which was caught on videotape by a private investigator working on an unrelated case, does not warrant an internal investigation and are backing the deputy.
According to an ASSOCIATED PRESS article dated January 5, 2000, the sheriff told the boy once to walk his bike home and get a helmet, but later spotted the child still riding without the required headgear. The boy made a U-turn and sped away with the officer in pursuit. After the sheriff caught him, the boy attempted to run away again on foot, so he handcuffed him.
The video shows the deputy searching through the boy's backpack and pockets while the handcuffed child sits on the cement. The boy is also pushed down on the ground twice as he tries to stand.
The boy, who was not arrested, was given two $24 tickets - and a free helmet.
His mother wants the sheriff's officials to say the situation was handled poorly. "All of this didn't have to happen for one helmet," she said.
An attorney representing the child said the officer's actions violated the boy's rights. "You don't get to handcuff someone and push them to the ground for a civil infraction," he said.

DOCTOR HEAL THYSELF For years we've heard the medical community claim that motorcyclists riding without helmets are a huge public burden to taxpayers because of medical costs, but now the truth comes out in a front-page article in USA Today entitled, "Medical Mistakes 8th Top Killer." The November 30, 1999, article claims that medical errors kill more people in the United States than traffic accidents, breast cancer or AIDS, and between 44,000 to 98,000 American die each year from medical mistakes - making this the eighth leading cause of death, and resulting in costs of over $8.8 billion a year!
So, remember these figures from the Institute of Medicine next time your sawbones starts talking about how much it costs to treat a fractured skull. And show 'em the following, based on these statistics:

Number of physicians in the U.S. - 700,000
Accidental deaths caused/year - 98,000
Accidental deaths/per Doctor - 0.14

Number of motorcycles in the U.S. - 4,000,000
Accidental deaths/year - 2,000
Accidental deaths per bike - 0.0005

Therefore, doctors are approximately 280 times more dangerous than motorcycles!
NCOM NEWS & NOTES

MOTORCYCLE USAGE PROMOTED BY LONDON BUSINESS LEADERS To reduce pollution and traffic congestion, the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry is urging the government to encourage the use of motorcycles in London. Cited were studies in other countries that showed motorcycles were successful in both areas.
Incentives such as more parking spaces for motorcycles and scooters were suggested by the Chamber. In the capital area, 15,000 people commute via motorcycle, yet have available only 2200 parking places designated specifically for motorcycles.
FROM THE INTERNET

UNSAFE AT ANY SPEED An electronic speed regulator that uses satellite signals to stop cars from breaking the speed limit could soon become mandatory on British vehicles, and the controversial speed control devices could be required to be fitted on all cars within the next few years. Considering that technological advances can now achieve hands-free driving, and telematics (Intelligent Transportation Systems - ITS) are the wave of the driving future, it's a good thing that Congress passed legislation to ensure that motorcycles are considered in such "intelligent" technology so that your neighbor's SMART car won't run over your dumb motorcycle! It's also a good thing that motorcycle representatives from the ranks of rider groups from about 20 countries, motorcycle manufacturers and other industry reps, and national motorcycle rights organizations at the recent FIM (Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme) Public Policy Conference in Mulhouse, France, unanimously adopted a resolution "to oppose compulsory fitment to privately owned vehicles of any device designed to arbitrarily remove control from the driver to remote operation."
Although current technology doesn't apply to motorcycles, it's never too early to start thinking ahead!
NCOM NEWS & NOTES

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - Heng Sok's thin and muscular legs have propelled him through tough times for nearly 20 years. A 65-year-old farmer from eastern Cambodia, where poor soil and unpredictable rain keep rice yields low, Sok works as a pedicab driver in the Cambodian capital for a few months each year to earn extra money while his crop ripens at home.
It's an annual migration made by thousands of rural Cambodians who provide cheap, rustic transportation to city-dwellers. But pedicabs - known as cyclos - could face extinction from motorized, three-wheeled taxi carts that hit the streets of Phnom Penh a few months ago.
``It is no longer easy. There are too many cyclos and motorbike taxis on the street already. And now comes a new type of transport,'' Sok, the father of 12 children, says while a group of cyclo drivers gather in a patch of shade for a noontime snooze.
Cycles and bicycles were the standard mode of transportation in Cambodia until the late 1980s, when cheap motorbikes began pouring in from neighboring countries. Motorbikes also serve as taxis, but their limited cargo capacity left a niche for the cyclos, which can amble with heavy loads along the curbs of the capital's potholed streets, shuttling shoppers and goods to and from bustling markets.
Automobiles are also commonplace now that Cambodia is well on the road to recovery from the nihilism of the Khmer Rouge years and a more standard communist regime that followed, but the vast majority of Phnom Penh's 1 million residents still can't afford the $1,000 plus price of a used Toyota.
The slick new taxi carts, however, are quickly settling into the cyclos' niche. At $700 new, the Chinese-made trikes are being snapped up by ambitious motorcycle taxi drivers eager to exploit new markets.
But the taxis are too expensive for the farmers, who rent cyclos at a daily rate of 53 cents.
``I'm afraid we may soon be out of business because of those three-wheeled taxis,'' says cyclo driver Kang Cheat, also a rural transplant. ``They are powered by an engine, while we rely on our muscles.''
All that muscle power earns only about $2.60 a day, with half of that going for food and renting the cyclo.
Some, however, believe it is too soon to ring the death knell of the cyclo, which will likely remain a favorite of Western tourists wanting an Asian-style stroll down Phnom Penh's scenic river front.
Kang Cheat is taking no chances. Before his midday nap he pulls a battered text book from his pocket and quietly begins to read - the 23-year-old orphan has begun attending English classes for one hour a day in hopes a new language skill will lead to greener pastures.
``Driving a cyclo is not a steady job,'' he explains. ``It's a tough life."
BY KER MUNTHIT (AP)

THE MUENCH SHALL RISE AGAIN The Muench Mammut motorcycle prototype is due to be unveiled in mid-February 2000 and is based on the Mammut motorcycle developed in 1966. According to an INTERNET article from Germany, it will cost around 170,000 marks (approx. $90,000+), and is powered by a transverse, in-line four-stroke DOHC engine with 2000cc and 260 horsepower. Production will be strictly limited to an edition of just 250, all of which will only be produced to order against a down payment. Previous riders of the old Muench motorcycle included Malcolm Forbes.

EUROPEAN UNION CONSIDERS ROADWORTHINESS TESTING FOR MOTORCYCLES The European Union (EU) is once again considering the introduction of a roadworthiness testing system for motorcycles, according to the FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN MOTORCYCLE ASSOCIATIONS (FEMA). FEMA representatives attended a transportation meeting in December and voiced their opposition to the transport committee of the European Commission (EC).
FEMA noted that the Roadworthiness Testing System (RWT) is not a cost-effective way of meeting their goal of safety and control on emissions and noise, due to the small market that motorcycles represent and the disproportionate costs which would be incurred for a negligible effect.
According to FEMA, RWT will not solve the problem of noisy exhausts, which can be easily replaced by original ones just to pass the test and then be abandoned in favor of louder exhaust pipes.
Eight of the 15 EU member countries currently have some form of RWT systems.
The Committee of International Testing Authorities (CITA) is expected to issue a report, but FEMA questions CITA's impartiality because they represent testing authorities who would undoubtedly encourage the introduction of a RWT system for bikes in order to further their own interests.
The EC is awaiting the CITA report before taking further action, and EU member governments also have to take a position on this matter.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: "Fred Hill was and English dispatch rider (read motorcyclist) during WWII. During this time he never wore a helmet. Continuing the ride after the war, he felt betrayed when England instituted a helmet law, after all he had fought for freedom. Protesting the law by refusing to wear one, he was arrested and ticketed time after time. He was sentenced to a total of 31 prison sentences, the last one being a death sentence as he died of a heart attack in London's notorious Pentonville prison while serving a two month sentence for not wearing a helmet and refusing to pay the fines.
I related this story to a friend and was asked, 'What did he accomplish?'. To my astonishment, I didn't hesitate for some reason and the answer pospped right into what I sometimes call a mind. I said he accomplished what most people only dream of. He stood up for what he believed in and damn the consequences. What higher aspirations could a person have? He didn't repeal the helmet law, but I'm sure his courage was an inspiration to others to continue the fight.
Fred Hill was a biker. He and thousands like him around the world fight every day for what they believe in - Freedom."

JIM NEILSON, CHAIRMAN, CONNECTICUT MOTORCYCLE RIDERS ASSOCIATION (CMRA)