The GUNNY'S SACK

October 2005 HooBoy! Fall will soon be upon us and it's RAINING where I live, in Hillsboro, Oregon. The Pacific Northwest is known, of course, for its wet climate, but it's also a wake-up call for all of us who ride. In MOST of this state we can ride pretty much year round, but we need to watch for what EVERY season brings to us. And WET PAVEMENT with a FEW WET LEAVES can dump ya quicker than scat. Be careful out there folks. Get out the winter riding gear and remember too, with the wet weather the temperatures drop and the shirt-sleeve riding ends. Your body can lose temperature all too quickly.

Some folks in colder climes will get caught on occasion in the SNOW stuff, and riding becomes a real challenge. Remember, easy does it. Some riders go year-round and know how to ride in it. If you're not one of them, I wouldn't try it. Now Sam Hochberg, the Oregon AIM lawyer who gets a little INK here in the Sack now and then (he IS my boss) tells me he spent a winter or two riding, back in his taxi-driving days in the Bronx, New York, back in ‘71 or so. It's cold back there, so Sam dialed in his poor-man's winter riding gear: newspapers, crumpled and stuffed under his leather jacket up near the collar, and into the helmet openings. For riding technique, he'd stop the bike, spin the back tire until the bike was pointed to go where he wanted, and then roll! Sam's advice: Don't do it! But we agree that THIS time of year, we have to start paying real close attention to all the stuff we DIDN'T see on the road in the summer. Might be a good time to go over the bike and either get it ready for the winter riding or lay-up as some parts of the country dictate.

It's time also to think about the KIDS IN SCHOOL and the dangers around those areas. KIDS DON'T TEND TO LOOK before they cross streets. Keep a close eye peeled because you can abruptly find a house-ape suddenly in your path. What'er ya gonna do then? Whoops! That can squeeze yur pucker string real tight in a hurry. I've had it happen and it's a real wake-up.

Again, I can't stress it enough, brothers and sisters just being able to ride a bike isn't enough. Please take a riding course this fall or sometime in the next few months. It could save your life. We are losing too many of our people, some of them awfully close to home. Don't let this kind of anguish come to your home. It will hurt too much.

NEWSBITS ‘N' PIECES:

CROSSING BIKERS: The Sack's own media reporter, Oregon AIM Attorney Sam Hochberg, has a new story for us: A POSITIVE PORTRAYAL of BIKERS on TV, for a change! It was on the October 2, 2005 broadcast of the TV show "CROSSING JORDAN." Jordan is a Boston coroner, and this episode, she gets a biker on her autopsy slab. His club brothers show up and TAKE the biker's body BACK to their clubhouse, prop him up dead on his bike, and have a party! So a coroner guy heads out to the clubhouse to get his body back, but he's so impressed by their straight talk that he allows the club to keep him there, and let the bikers bring the body back later for autopsy, which they do. THEN, they STEAL his body back, because HIS WILL SAID he wanted to be buried IN his clubhouse, and ON his bike -- and the coroner guys sided with the bikers.

NOW I KNOW why Sam wanted to report this one: Turned out that this biker in the storyline had been a LAWYER who'd chucked his practice to ride and hang out, until he died from a slow cancer. His rich parents show up and want their son buried on the family plot, but the coroner honors the "Will" that their biker son wrote on a roll of toilet paper and a lot of tequila! Sam thinks the writers on the show DID try to portray the bikers in a generally positive way. ANYONE ELSE who saw this episode, if you thought it was really cool or just BS, go ahead and email SAM, and he can let me know and report back next SACK! EMAIL DIRECTLY TO SAM at SamBikeLaw@aol.com.

HONDA MOTORCYCLE CO: Many of you have already heard the "good news" that there will actually be AIR-BAGS available on the newest Honda bikes coming out next year. They have been working on this for some years now, and I guess they have it in the bag so to speak. I must say I have some serious concerns about this idea. I'll hold my thoughts till I see if they really work.

APRILIA, USA : Aprilia, the Italian motorcycle conglomerate that also owns Moto Guzzi and Laverda, is looking for additional financing to carry on business. They are feeling the pinch caused by a slump in scooter sales and partially by the law recently passed that helmets are now required in Italy! So whuddaya know: HELMET LAWS DO stop enough folks from riding that it's put a DENT in bike sales there. Haven't we all been SAYING THAT for a few decades now?

FLORIDA: This state wants all motorcycle drivers to take a special safety course. It isn't just for youngsters anymore. The boom in bike sales caused by the sudden increase in gas prices has brought a lot more of us folks somewhat past puberty back to the motorcycle world. Many of these new riders wouldn't have gone near a bike a year ago because they were so dangerous, but now they’re climbing aboard without any training. How many times do I beg people to take a riding course? Doesn't matter who you are or how long you've been riding, you WILL learn something that just might save your bacon.

MASSACHUSETTS: Hey! If ya live in Mass. near Somerville there are unheated garage spaces being advertised for $100.00 a month for the winter months. Hell’s Bells! What's wrong with the living room in your home? It's heated and ya don't haffta spend any more money fer rent.

SOUTH DAKOTA: The state Supreme Court here will hear arguments in former Congressman Bill Janklow's request to regain his license to practice law. The state Bar's Disciplinary Board has recommended Janklow regain his law license on February 15th. If the Supreme Court agrees, it would mean Janklow's license would be reinstated about a year before his probation ends for second-degree manslaughter and other convictions in an August, 2003 crash that killed a motorcycle rider. MY feeling is he should NEVER see that license again, nor should he EVER legally sit behind the wheel of anything motorized.

FLORIDA: Here's a blurb that will surprise ya. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles annual Traffic Crash Statistics Report for 2004, motorcycle RIDERS WEARING HELMETS were MORE LIKELY to sustain an injury or suffer a fatality than their non-helmeted counterparts! 20% more NON-HELMETED riders are likely to walk away from accidents with fewer injuries than those wearing lids. Of the 388 people killed on bikes there, over 51% were wearing lids. According to my read of the ARTICLE about the study, riders without helmets are more able to react to adverse conditions than those who are covered. I gotta get ahold of that study and show it around a little!

GUNNY AGAIN: Our Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (AIM) attorneys are more than a bunch of folks who deal with accidents. These folks really care for the welfare of us and are dedicated to our rights. They provide their presence at all Confederations of Clubs meetings to help safeguard us from the long arms of the law that would see us ALL behind bars because we ride motorcycles. They handle some rights cases free (pro bono). They ride with us and know our lifestyle. Most people wouldn't talk to a lawyer if they had the chance because they have such low regard for the profession. But we can depend on THESE folks because they are part of us. IF YOU FIND YOURSELF IN A BIND, CALL YOUR NEAREST AIM ATTORNEY, and he will at least give you advice. Call the nationwide number 1-800 0N-A-BIKE, also 1-800-531-2424, or on the web at www.ON-A-BIKE.com. You can reach the Gunny anytime at AIMGUNNY@aol.com.