BIKERS HELP HURRICANE VICTIMS Bikers have big hearts and a willingness to help the less fortunate, and this generosity is particularly evident in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which ravaged the Gulf Coast on August 29th leaving hundreds dead and thousands homeless in the costliest natural disaster ever to strike American soil.

ABATE of Louisiana and ABATE of Mississippi have set up disaster relief funds to aid bikers who are victims of the storm. ABATE of Oklahoma recently donated $500 to each of those organizations to assist in their efforts, and many other motorcycle clubs and organizations are also contributing. ABATE of Florida set up a 3-acre shelter in the panhandle for those forced from their homes by the floodwaters and damage.

Rolling Thunder members from their Mississippi chapter went into flooded areas and helped direct distribution of donated necessities to disabled and displaced veterans.

The Christian Motorcycle Association rendered aid to Katrina refugees by serving coffee and offering essential needs in their time of distress.

American Honda announced that the company would make Personal Watercraft, All Terrain Vehicles and off-road motorcycles available to local agencies providing emergency relief efforts in the affected areas. To ensure the quickest possible assistance preparations have been made to supply units through local Honda dealerships in the vicinity.

Harley-Davidson announced that it is making a $1 million donation to the American Red Cross Hurricane 2005 Relief Fund for the victims of Hurricane Katrina and will also donate a 2006 touring motorcycle to be used as a fund-raiser on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." Celebrity guests will autograph the motorcycle, which will then be placed up for bid on eBay. A similar "Tonight Show" fund-raiser to benefit tsunami relief efforts raised $810,000 earlier this year.

Boston Harley-Davidson teamed up with defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox players in hope of raising $1 million through the Rally for Fellow Americans in Need. Two Harleys, one bought by the team and the other donated by the Harley dealership, were auctioned off. Sox teammates Keith Foulke, John Damon, Kevin Millar and Gabe Kapler all ride Harleys and participated in the fundraising effort. "This is our country and there's a serious tragedy in New Orleans and if everybody contributes something, somehow, I think it can work," said first baseman Millar.


GAS HIKES BOOST INTEREST IN TWO-WHEELERS Motorists tired of paying an arm and a leg for fuel are giving up their gas-guzzling SUVs and cars in favor of a more economical — and more fun — mode of transportation: motorcycles and scooters.

NADAguides.com, a leading vehicle information website, today announced that during the past three months, more people researched scooter and motorcycle pricing and specifications at its website than at any other time during its five-year history. Experts for the company cite high gas prices as a leading cause for the boost in its online motorcycle traffic, saying car, truck and SUV owners are realizing they can dramatically reduce their monthly gas budgets by owning a motorized two-wheel vehicle as an alternate means of travel.

"The motorcycle and scooter market is red hot right now," said Lenny Sims, Managing Editor at NADAguides.com. "On average, it takes about $60 to fill an SUV with a tank of gas and about $15 to fill a motorcycle when you consider today's gas prices. With numbers like these, it's easy to see why people are making the switch to a more economical approach to driving." Sims goes on to say that motorcycles and scooters offer a convenient mode of travel as well. "Economics aside, they're convenient in traffic and easy to park. If you live in a crowded urban area -- or a fast-growing suburb for that matter -- they offer a quick and easy way to get around town."

During the months of June, July and August 2005, traffic to the motorcycle section of the NADAguides.com website reached 810,901 visitors, an increase of 31% compared to the same timeframe a year ago.

So what were the most commonly researched motorcycles at NADAguides.com during June, July and August of this year? According to the website, five makes and models zoomed past the competition: 1. Harley Davidson XL1200C 2. Yamaha YZFR65/C YZF-R6 3. Honda VT750C4 Shadow 4. Honda CBR600F411 5. Honda CBR600RR3. Following are the top three most researched scooters: 1. Honda Silverwing 2. Suzuki Burgman 3. Vespa ET4.


AIRBAGS NOW AVAILABLE ON NEW HONDA MOTORCYCLES Honda Motor Co. has developed airbags for motorcycles that the Japanese automaker says is the world's first for production motorcycles.

The airbag, which inflates after sensors detect an oncoming crash, will be available on the new Gold Wing motorcycle that will go on sale in spring 2006 in the United States.

Tokyo-based Honda said the airbags will reduce injuries in head-on collisions.

The airbag opens in front of the riders and reduces the speed at which they get thrown off the motorcycle, lessening injuries when they hit the road or another vehicle, said Honda.


MASSACHUSETTS BIKERS HARASSED OVER HELMETS A group of about two dozen Massachusetts motorcyclists riding in the Yankee Homecoming parade on Sunday, August 7th were ordered by police to don their helmets. When one of them refused to obey, citing a newly enacted law excluding motorcyclists participating in public parades from the state’s helmet law, he was pulled from the parade by police.

Motorcyclists are now accusing police of being ignorant of the law, and some of them are so angry about their confrontation with police that they are calling for another boycott of the city of Newburyport, similar to one three years ago when motorcyclists felt they were being unfairly targeted by police in a crackdown on loud pipes and told to stay out of town. Their participation in the parade, at the invitation of the city, was meant as an "olive branch" to show that relations between the city and the riders had improved.

"There's just this negativity toward motorcyclists," said Paul Cote, legislative director for the Massachusetts Motorcycle Association. "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

"I am the law," the officer said, according to Cote, the biker who was kicked out of the parade for refusing to put on his helmet.

But the law was changed in February 2004, allowing an exception to the requirement that motorcyclists wear helmets for a "properly permitted public parade." Helmets are otherwise required at all times on roads in Massachusetts. Some of the riders challenged by police on Sunday were the very same ones who spent five years lobbying for that change in the helmet law, Cote said.

The reasoning was that most parades travel at very slow speeds, and the whole point of being in a parade is so spectators can see them, something that is hard to do when faces are covered by helmets, Cote said. Helmets can also be very hot during a parade when the temperatures hit 90 degrees, as they did on that Sunday, he added.

Police later admitted they were wrong, acknowledging that the law now allows motorcyclists to take off their helmets during parades, but have refused to issue an apology.


PHILIPPINE CITY BANS HELMETS While most governments around the world push for laws requiring motorcycle riders to wear helmets, Pagadian City in the Philippines has barred motorcyclists from donning helmets. The reason? To prevent crime.

Mayor Samuel Co implemented executive order number 72 for a three-month trial period, after which the city council will decide if they will pass a permanent ordinance banning the wearing of helmets while driving along city roads.

Referring to a local study, Co pointed out that 95 percent of the crimes involving carjackings and shootings were committed by suspects aboard motorcycles complete with either helmets or bonnets to conceal their identity. With the use of helmets now banned, it would be easy to identify suspects who pass along major routes in the city, Co said. Hidden cameras will be set up to capture images of the motorcyclists for easy identification.

In neighboring Dipolog City, local officials are also contemplating a similar ordinance following complaints from residents that most of the robberies and traffic related crimes were committed by suspects wearing helmets and other head gear.


MOTORCYCLIST APPOINTED TO VIRGINIA TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD Long time motorcycle rights lawyer and founder of the Virginia Coalition of Motorcyclists, Tom McGrath, has been appointed by the Governor of Virginia to serve a four year term on the Commonwealth Transportation Safety Board. He is the first motorcyclist to be appointed to the Board.

Among his accomplishments, McGrath led the successful effort to allow motorcyclists access to the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lanes and convinced the General Assembly to pass legislation guaranteeing motorcyclists the right to use these lanes.

He spearheaded efforts to increase funding for the Virginia Motorcycle Rider Safety Training Program and worked to enact legislation to preserve the funding.

McGrath was also instrumental in having legislation passed requiring the teaching of motorcycle awareness as part driver education in high schools.

McGrath is the Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (AIM) Attorney for Virginia, and was awarded the Silver Spoke Award for his legal and legislative accomplishments by the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM).

The Board of Transportation Safety seeks to identify the elements of a comprehensive safety program for all transport modes, the identification of unique safety needs of each particular mode of transportation, the identification of the common elements of accident situations and the allocation of grant funds made available to the Department of Motor Vehicles.


WIERD NEWS: GEMINIS WORST DRIVERS What's your sign? Please don't shoot the messenger, but Suncorp Metway, Ltd., a multi-faceted Australian Financial Service, ranked car accident claimants by their Sun sign in a study of 160,000 accident claims over the previous three-year period. This is what they found out:

The number one worst drivers were Geminis; "typically described as restless, easily bored and frustrated by things moving slowly," explained Warren Duke, Suncorp's national manager of personal insurance. "They had more car accidents than any other sign."

No astrologer would argue with that description of the sign of the Twins and probably this isn't very surprising news. But what about the other Zodiac signs?

Second and third place holders for this dubious honor are Taurus and Pisces. "Taureans were thought to be obstinate and inflexible, "said Duke," while Pisceans could be risk-takers and daredevils."

Capricorns, who came last on the list, are typically described as patient and careful, and therefore the safest drivers with the fewest accidents.

The great middle ground of this survey is held by Sun signs in this order, from worst accident records to the best: 4-Virgo; 5-Cancer; 6-Aquarius; 7-Aries; 8-Leo; 9-Libra; 10-Sagittarius; 11-Scorpio

Duke said the study was carried out as part of Suncorp's annual review of claims. "We always look for trends in claims to see if there are ways to reduce our pricing, but there is no intention to introduce astrology as a rating factor for motor insurance," he said.


QUOTABLE QUOTE: "You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) Indian spiritual & political leader