The GUNNY'S SACK

September 2001

Wow! Time sure flies when yer havin fun. We've talked about the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) forever in this column and now I have a chance for my brothers and sisters in the Northwest to take part in the Regional NCOM meeting. That will be in Federal Way, WA, near Seattle, on October 13, 2001, at the La Quinta Hotel at 32124 25th Ave South. Ask for the NCOM special rate of $79.00 a night, or crash on a buddy's couch. The conference itself is FREE. The number for reservations is 1-800-583-2272.

This is a mini version of the national meeting in that it's just one day long. And it's on a Saturday for your convenience. All western state MRO's will be represented as well as many folks from Confederations of Clubs in this region. Don't miss out on this opportunity to be a part of our national efforts. All bikers and organizations are invited and welcome. AND IT'S FREE!

There will be seminars on Bikers rights through the courts, a Freedom of the Road seminar, an NCOM Region "I" meeting, and a Regional Confederations of Clubs meeting. Afterwards, there will be a Freedom Fighters Social on Saturday night. That's where it will get powerful. Plan on spending the night and I'll be there and look forward to seeing you all. Don't miss this one folks.

Sam Hochberg, our Oregon AIM attorney, tells me that one of the guest speakers at NCOM will be JIM REDDEN, the author of the book "SNITCH CULTURE," that was mentioned in last month's Sack. Should be real interesting.

This is just another of the ways that our AIM (Aid to Injured Motorcyclists) attorneys all over the country serve us besides taking real good care of us when we fall off our rides. They can be reached, by the way, at 1-800-531-2424, or 1-800-ON-A-BIKE, or at www.aimncom.com, if you find yourself in a pickle. Sam Hochberg here in Portland, Oregon, is at 503/224-1106. Oh yeah, and he's an email fanatic, so send him one at SamBikeLaw@aol.com. The Gunny can be found pecking away at his computer, at AIMGunny@aol.com.

NEWS BITS 'N PIECES:

BRITAIN: From news I'm reading by Mark Sage in the PA News, I guess Britain is having problems with their speeding drivers too. Speed traps there reveal that 66% of cars and 54% of trucks are exceeding the limits on rural roads. 35% of motorcycles are running 5 miles an hour faster than limits too. Over 55% of all rigs are exceeding the speed limits on their motorways (freeways?) as well. Oh, my! Are we in trouble again?

ASHEBORO, SC: There was another fatality in the USA because of a Police chase involving a MOTORCYCLE RIDER. As a result of such a chase, we have lost another brother, run over by a police officer.

This in the Asheboro News & Record, written by Chris Helms. Gerald "Tiny" Abney died as a result of injuries sustained during a "low speed" chase by Police. Apparently the Police car ran over Tiny's bike during the incident.

Not all details are clear at this writing, except that this big chase was just for a minor traffic infraction. Our North Carolina AIM Attorney, Bob Donat, is on the job looking at this case. We are, after all, vulnerable out there.

SAN JOSE, CA: According to the San Jose Mercury News, a Judge gave chase on his MOTORCYCLE, to assist local officers in apprehending a hit and run driver. He chased this woman for several miles at speeds up to 60 MPH on surface streets in town. Apparently the old gal had five crashes before the Judge got her stopped. I wonder if she will go to court or if the good judge took care of things on the spot?

TOKYO, JAPAN: Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Suzuki Motor Corp are partnering up on the design of a wide variety of American style bikes. They say they will work together to develop these new bikes and ATV's in order to take advantage of being able to make more profits working together in this world of fierce competition for the biker's dollar. Hope it works. Competition breeds ingenuity, by golly.

COTABATO, PHILIPPINES: Here we go again. An Irish missionary was killed on his motorcycle when he resisted four gunmen who tried to abduct him in the southern Philippines. Haven't we mentioned in the past that it isn't real smart to ride your bike where there is shooting going on? Man, when I see guns I leave the area. FAST!

FASCINATING FACT: Just saw this on the Internet. In the TV series "Happy Days"

the character ARTHUR "THE FONZ" FONZARELLI couldn't wear his LEATHER JACKET unless his bike was part of the scene. Seems the studio had problems with the leather linking the show in some way with a criminal element. Wow! Now that's reaching pretty hard.

PERTH, AUSTRALIA: Orbital engine company, the maker of the great new 4 stroke

for motorcycles among many other uses, including cars, is in financial trouble. The engine is environmentally friendly and fuel efficient. Hope the company gets their problems solved. If this engine is as good as they say it is, we need it.

LOUISIANA: I read an article from a Louisiana newspaper that hit the nail on the head as far as safety concerns for bikers. The guy said in essence that there were a large group of drivers on the roads today that had no regard for anyone on the road, let alone motorcycles.

He says the safety solution for bikers is BETTER TRAINING for all motorists and would-be motorists, and not more equipment laws. Finally, someone understands the problem! If we could get the self-centered driver to wake-up to the fact that he isn't the only one on the road that has the right to be there, we would all be much better off.

Motorcycle safety is a two-way street. We need alert and cautious drivers, regardless of how they travel from one place to another. It's called respect and just plain courtesy on the road for the other guy.

GUNNY AGAIN: In Oregon, we have one more camp-out called "The End of Summer

Run" and that's the end of the overnight rides for this year. Our southern Oregon ABATE chapters had a good run last month known as "The Southern Oregon Summer Run," or the "SOS" run, down near a historic old Stagecoach stop called Wolf Creek.

We were in a Forest Service campground with the vendors pretty well set around the baseball diamond. The bandstand was set up too, right in the middle of things. Speaking of bands, the music was different than we are used to, but most really enjoyed the change to CAJUN style. I sure did, but I'm an old duffer that doesn't like the constant hard rock that many younger folks do. Besides, I was stationed in New Orleans when I was in the Marine Corps several hundred years ago, so it brought back lots of memories.

The weather was great and temperatures stayed in the mid 70's. The camp sites were semi-isolated from each other so people enjoyed a little privacy when they needed it. All in all a great run. I'm looking forward to next year.

UPCOMING NCOM CONVENTION: The CAJUN music reminds me: Our next annual National Coalition Of Motorcyclists Convention is in New Orleans in 2002,

ending the night before Mother's Day. Once again folks, you DON'T want to miss this one. Workshops and seminars galore, and maybe even more importantly, there's the camaraderie of fellow bikers from all around the country and the world.

These gatherings are very important to all of us who ride. We learn more about how to protect ourselves from the antics of Big Brother in our lawmaking bodies around the country, among other things.

NCOM Conventions are sponsored by our Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (AIM) attorneys around the country and the Law Offices of Richard M. Lester in California. For more information, call NCOM at 1-(800) 525-5355, or contact AIM at 1-800-ON-A-BIKE!

 

Keep the round side on the bottom.
Gunny, Oregon A.I.M. Chief of Staff