The GUNNY'S SACK

March 2001

The ABATE of Oregon Motorcycle Swap Meet in Portland was the start of our riding season, and I was there with a booth for Aid To Injured Motorcyclists (AIM), supporting our brothers and sisters. I don't know if anyone made any money or not but we sure had a good time. I think that's the whole story anyhow. Bikers enjoying their lifestyle.
Remember our AIM attorneys are there for us supporting our lifestyle, too, because they ride, and they donate their time pro bono to biker causes, from ABATEs to NCOM and to the Confederations of Clubs; they're part of us.
Call 1-800-ON-A-BIKE if you have any vehicle accident, bikes in particular, and you will get help.
Your initial consultation is free, too. Hope to see ya May 10-12 at the NCOM Convention in Orlando!!

NEWS BIT'S N PIECES:

ALBION, PA: According to Harold Benich , he is just a goober that likes to make things. This guy rides a home-modified Harley Fatboy that runs on Soy Bean oil. When it's running he says it smells like a batch of french fries and draws a crowd of hungry folks every time he stops. Guess it runs pretty good and he never has to buy gasoline. He gets just about 275 miles per tank full, or thirty miles per gallon. He built the bike from mail-order parts and an old diesel engine. It's believed to be the country's first motorcycle that runs entirely on soybean oil, according to the National Biodiesel Board in Jefferson City, Mo. It took him two years to build from Harley parts and an engine that was rescued from a construction site. He admits the oil-powered cycle won't accelerate like a factory-made scoot and it costs about a third more to run.
But, his fuel won't catch fire and is so clean ''even the fish will eat it.''
It's guys like this that keep us cookin' down the road.

PHOENIX, AZ: Titan Motorcycle Co. of America has secured court approval for an additional $250,000 debtor in possession financing. ''The additional cash will allow Titan to continue ramping up production to meet the rising seasonal demands,'' said CEO Frank Keery. He expects in the next few weeks to expand the Company's financial strength with an additional seven-figure debtor in possession loan that, once approved by the Court, will enable the company to operate through a successful reorganization in 2001.
The company has successfully executed a distribution agreement with the Independence Motorcycle Company. Independence Motorcycles is pleased with the initial success of their bike sales and will now distribute motorcycles through the Bikers Dream dealer network, a subsidiary of V-Twin, and operates six dealerships and licenses the name to 16 independent dealers in 14 states. V-Twin also has right of first refusal to sell the TITAN motorcycles within the territories of its Bikers Dream dealerships, in addition to any new store openings. With this agreement, V-Twin has placed an order to purchase three hundred new millennium-style motorcycles.
Terms were not announced.
That many motorcycles under any terms is a HUGE bite to take unless you're real sure you can swallow the whole thing. My best wishes go with this endeavor.

MIRA LOMA, CA: Ultra Motorcycle Co. announced results from the 33rd Annual Dealer news International Powersports Dealer Expo held in Indianapolis back in Februrary.
Their exhibition of motorcycles netted them around 60 new dealer
inquiries which are currently being reviewed. The Dealer Expo was attended by nearly half of UMC's current dealer base, and those in attendance placed motorcycle orders at the show for approximately 200 units, totaling more than
$4 million. On Feb. 16, at their annual Dealer Conference the company unveiled its
newest model, the ''Titanium Series 2.'' The differences between the 'T' series 1 & 2 include 6-gallon stretched gas tanks, cruiser-style handlebar, 18-inch front tire and wheel and uniquely styled longer rear fender with distinctive flip. I like the idea of more gasoline capacity, especially if you travel some of the long runs in the Southern California desert country where fill-ups are far and few between.

SOUTHFIELD, MI: Polk, the longest standing curator of auto records in the U.S., says the 2000 Motorcycle National Vehicle Population Profile (MNVPP) is now available. It's a census of every motorcycle and all-terrain vehicle (ATV) registered in the United States. This information, which can be sorted by make, geographic location, model, year and category (off- highway or on-road), gives Motorcycle Rights Organizations the ability to gather and
share information for more political clout. You can bet this tidbit was unintended but lets take advantage of it.
Polk's 2000 Motorcycle file is loaded with facts and stats we can use, such as: there are more than 5.5 million motorcycles registered in the U.S, and California has roughly 12 percent of them. Nearly 30% of all running bikes are located in four states: California, New York, Texas and Illinois.
Registrations in Louisiana and Texas have increased by more than 60% since 1997, which are the highest volume increases in the country. A thought: Texas and Louisiana have both recently passed laws that allow adults to ride free. Gee, I wonder if that had anything to do with this HUGE rise in registrations?

Official Hacked to Death in Pemba, Tanzania : WOW! Hey, be careful if you ride in Tanzania. Seems a government official there was out for a putt recently, and got stopped by a roadblockâ?¦this time by gangsters, not cops.
Some thugs hacked the guy to death with machetes! The Police think it might be political. He's just as dead, though. Police say there have been 24 people, including a cop, killed in violence here. Ouch! What a way to die.

UNITED KINGDOM: Britain's motor bike boom has continued into 2001, with January sales accelerating by 41%. More than 9,438 motorcycles, scooters, and mopeds were sold in the first month of this year, with scooters selling very well. These figures follow total sales for 2000 of more than 170,000 -- the best annual figure since 1983.
People are fed up with the creaking old English public transportation. Anyone with a full car license can just ride a moped. More and more people are turning to this inexpensive, environmentally-friendly form of transport to avoid getting stuck on overcrowded and delayed trains or in endless lines of cars.

CHINA: From Chinaonline comes this news; A short time ago we were saying look to China for motorcycle sales success. Now they're in trouble with huge surpluses and foreign manufacturers are causing hard times for domestic builders because of licensing disputes. I've seen at least one Chinese bike that wasn't up to par with the rest of the world.
Why so much bouncing around in the Chinese motorcycle industry? There are three reasons.
First a ban on bikes in some Asian cities hit manufacturers hard. Currently, more than 60 large and medium-size Chinese cities have bike bans (something for the rest of us to pay attention to).
Second, the huge profits in the industry a few years ago stimulated blind investment in the sector by various enterprises and local interests.
Currently, China has 150-odd motorcycle manufacturers, but less than 50 of them are filed with the state.
Third, orders fell rapidly as fake and shoddy products flooded the market. Some bikes were put together with parts that originated from ''dubious sources'' and customers wouldn't buy them. Guess I might have to look harder for a good Chinese scoot.

Keep the round side on the bottom.
Gunny, Oregon AIM Chief of Staff