Biker News

Tattoos: There are Rules After All?

SFGate.com article by Edward Guthmann on tattoos, the Bay Area scene and recent trends in the sport.

SFGate article link...

Hollister 2006: Better Warn Them Not to Come

Article by Brandon Bailey of the Contra Costa Times on the Hollister motorcycle rally. Last week the city council voted down a final proposal from a promotional company from Florida to run the 2006 rally and promise the city a profit of $300,000. Despite the willingness of Biker Designs of Daytona to take on financial liability for the event, and assure coverage of security and medical liability of the rally, the proposal was rejected.

As is pointed out in the article, unless the city goes out of its way and spends some money to hang out the "unwelcome" sign, odds are pretty good that one hell of a lot of bikers will find their way to Hollister for the event that's been an annual rite of the season for many years. While this surety will certainly be welcome by the local businesses that always benefit from the rally, it may be more than ironic for the city which will be out on their own this year covering the overhead costs of managing the large crowd.

Link to Contra Costa Times article...

Coaldale, NV for Sale- $70,000

Coaldale, NV is for sale. The whole town. And there are some buildings there, and a little history. For those deep into the biker genre of film, this may be an opportunity. Back in 1994, the movie "The Stranger", starring Kathy Long, was filmed there. If you haven't heard of it, you are not alone, but there are people willing to compare it to "The Wild One".

If you win the lottery or just have a jones for your own town, beware; there are challenges-

"Its present population is zero. All of the town's buildings have been vandalized or damaged by fire. And Nevada environmental officials say the land under the gas station and garage is polluted by diesel and gasoline fuels."

David Henley article in the Nevada Appeal...

Poker Runs May Be Illegal in Texas

Beaumont, TX- From the Beaumont Enterprise- Poker runs are a common way of groups of any persuasion to get bikers together and raise money. Riders pay a registration fee and ride to a series of locations, generally sponsoring bars, and select a playing card at each one. The player with the best "hand" at the end of the ride wins a cash prize and the rest of the money goes to the cause. Rides are an opportunitiy for bikers to contribute to good causes while having fun on a Saturday or Sunday. Pig roasts are a common feature of the end of ride festivities across the country. These events, at least in Texas, may be illegal since they are a gambling activity.

According to Attorney General Greg Abbott, poker runs are illegal when participants must make a charitable donation to ride and have a chance to win cash prizes at the end.

Beaumont Enterprise story-

Barbados: Motorcycle Security 101- Take the Keys

Barbados- from Hubert Williams in the nationnews.com- Very entertaining story from Hubert Williams on a big problem among mail carriers. They get their motorbikes stolen. Often. It seems that when they have a number of houses in an area to drop off mail to, they leave the keys in the ignition! Anyone see the possible problem here? To make matters worse, the bikes are small and light enough for thieves to pick up and run with.

Article link...

Vote for Biker Build-Off Ultimate Pairing

Discovery Channel gives you the chance to vote for your favorite biker builder pairing.

Biker Build-Off link...

Motorcycle Maya

Houma, LA- from HoumaToday.com- Apologies, but here's Motorcycle Maya.

HoumaToday link...

San Diego: Flying Scooter

San Diego, CA- From NBCSanDiego.com- Don Shaw is the CEO of Shaw Aerospace. This little company produces a conversion kit that lets you turn a Honda Ruckus scooter into an ultralight aircraft. Shaw commutes on the thing (without the strut wheels).

NBCSanDiego.com link...

NYC: Transit Strike

New York- from Reuters- New Yorkers adopted various strategies for making it into the city on the first day of the subway and bus transit strike. Pictured near Grand Central Station is a man on a scooter trying to make his way through an ocean of taxis.

Reuters article...

Saddam and the Great Bike Escape

Baghdad- From a story by CORKY SIEMASZKO of the New York Daily News- Saddam Hussein reported that he felt he was set up when captured from the fox hole in Tikrit. Saddam had been changing locations every few hours or every day and had an escape plan worked out for the hiding place that involved escaping through the trap door and down a tunnel. An accomplice was then supposed to whisk the dictator away on a motorbike that was hidden in some nearby bushes.

When the time came, Saddam claims he passed out while in the tunnel, which led him to conclude that the tunnel had been gassed. No word on whether it was a KTM, BMW or local brand.

Daily News article...

Nigerian Women Defy Motorbike Ban

Nigeria-from the BBC- According to Islamic law, and I thought this rule pretty forward looking for Islamic law, women and men cannot travel together on public transport. A common form of public transport around Lagos and other cities are two wheel motorbikes. The state recently decided to enforce this ban, trying to get ahead of the change by putting a number of three-wheeled rickshaw bikes and women's only busses on the streets.

Women, complaining that the changes aren't enough, have been defying the ban and protesting. The defiance of the women, with the aid of taxi drivers, involves pretending that they are related.

To enforce the ban, thousands of religious marshalls have been patrolling the streets, stopping apparent violators. The response to the defiance has been mixed. Fights have reportedly broken out between marshalls and taxi drivers. Taxi drivers who have violated the ban have in some cases been slashed.

Starting next weeks, offending taxi drivers will be fined between $40 and $80 by roving magistrate courts.

BBC article...

Yamaha Faces New Profile for Younger Riders

Japan- from timesonline.co.uk- Things have been looking pretty good for Yamaha this year. High gas prices have driven record motorcycle sales and profits for the year. Yet the future is less sanguine for the motorcycle manufacturing giant. Japan itself, while representing only 10% of sales for the motorcycle division, is one of the few markets in the world where sales are shrinking.

Yamaha sales within Japan have traditionally been driven by younger riders. Younger riders have been influenced by biker gangs. Besides the fading of biker gangs from the local scene, Japanese youth are increasingly warned off motorcycle purchases by parents who see them to be too dangerous. Independant of the parental input, Japanese youth have been trading off interest in motorcycles for interest in computers- internet and computer games. Finally, birthrates in the country have been falling for years, which means diminishing numbers of potential customers for the motorcycle maker.

Yamaha would like to increase sales by going after, well, boomers. Retirees in Japan are spinning out of their corporations at a high rate and they have disposable income. Company execs are hopeful that they can be evolved into a source for big sales.

TimesOnline article...

Finding Your Inner Che

from a Michael Brunton story in TIME Europe- Like young Ernesto Guevara, London marketing executive Simon Smith departed the rat race in 1999 and spent two years wandering around India searching for his "inner Che" (yes, okay, Che didn't drive around India but that's beside the point).

Smith found a new path for himself and one that will help fellow bikers discover theirs. Since 2003, Smith has led up to 120 riders every February on the Enduro India tour. The tour is a two week, 2,500-km motorcycle trek from Goa to Cochin via the Western Ghat mountains.

The tour costs $6000 and $35/day for gas and entertainment. And it's filling up fast. For more information, go to www.enduroindia.com.

Time Europe article...

128 MPH Not Always Reckless in Nebraska

Nebraska City- from JournalStar.com- Jakob Carman, 20, was tracked down by a state trooper after racing away on his 2005 Yamaha motorcycle at speeds of up to 128 mph. A second motorcyclist was never caught. Carmen was arraigned on charges of reckless driving, and in most places, testimony that indicated he was going anywhere near 128 mph on a freeway or elsewhere might have been enough.

Otoe County Judge John Steinheider took a more sensitive and enlightened view of the situation.
“As much as it pains me to do it, speed and speed alone is not sufficient to establish reckless driving,” he told Carman. “If you had had a passenger, there would be no question of conviction. If there had been other cars on the roadway, if you would’ve went into the wrong lane or anything, I would have convicted you,” he said.

“In my street mind it’s reckless driving, but in my legal mind it is not,” the judge said.

Carman was fined $300 for not having an operator’s license or proof of insurance and for having expired in-transit tags on his motorcycle. The county is considering an appeal or the option of ticketing Carman for speeding.

JournalStar.com article...

Crossing the Simpson Desert on a Motorcycle

Canberra- from Forbes Advocate- Ben Holland and nephew crossed the Simpson Desert on modified motorcycles, following the French Line. To find out how they did it, where the Simpson Desert is, and what the French Line is, read the article-

Forbes Advocate article...

New American-Made Tattoo Machine

Phoenix- From Brendan Koerner of the New York Times- Tattoo machines were just another item whose manufacture was on it's way to China. Superior Tattoo Equipment fought back and came up with a design for a new tattoo machine that is competitive with the Chinese models on price and is superior in engineering. The secret to the improved design was to forego aluminum in the frame for glass-filled nylon. Superior Tattoo has sold over 1000 of the new V-RAD since it was introduced last June.

NY Times article...

Legal Restrictions Coming to Tattoo Parlors in Scotland

Edinburgh- from The Daily Record- Somehow, folks have been getting pierced and tattooed in Scotland all these years without legal protections. All that's about to change- Health Minister Andy Kerr revealed yesterday that new regulations will go into effect next April. The new regulations will cover tattoos and body piercing.

The Daily Record article...

Leno Signature Bike To Be Auctioned for Katrina

New Orleans- from KREG-TV (Memphis)- Jay Leno of the Tonight Show raised a chunk of money for southeast Asian tsunami victims last year by auctioning a Harley Davidson motorcycle on eBay that had been signed by a bunch of celebrities. The motorcycle brought in more than $800K for victim relief. The high bidder for the Road King was Houston-based Waste Management, Inc.

Waste Management has announced that they are putting the motorcycle on auction again, this time to raise money for Katrina survivors. The company spokesperson said that a Houston attorney has offered to open the bidding at $1M.

Proceeds from the auction will go to the Bush Clinton Katrina Fund.

KREG-TV article...

Togs and Gear for Jewish Bikers

Miami- from BusinessWire- Nationwide, there are an estimated 50,000 Jewish bikers out there. The largest organization of Jewish motorcyclists are the King David Bikers, with chapters in 11 states and 3 countries. Now, and just in time for Hannukah, King David Bikers is launching a line of Kosher biker clothing through their "Clothing & Chachkas Catalogue: Merchandise for the Motorcycle Riding Mensch and Menschette."

BusinessWire article...

Official club website.....

"Dykes on Bikes" Get Trademark

San Francisco- from the Sydney Morning Herald- After two years of legal wrangling, the San Francisco Women's Motorcycle Contingent has secured a trademark for their more familiar moniker- Dykes on Bikes. Up to this point, their application has been denied by the US Patent and Trademark Office on the basis that the term "dyke" is derogatory and insulting to women. Lesbian groups have argued that the term is now not only not derogatory, but is a badge of pride. In their support, the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the Brooke Oliver Law Group have agreed. Now, the Patent Office agrees.

Dykes on Bikes are a familiar sight in parades in San Francisco.

SMH article...

West Java: MC Production to Reach 5.8M in 2006

From Tempo Interactive- All three of the major motorcycle manufacturers in Java will be increasing production in 2006. Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha have all announced planned increases, with Yamaha starting production in a new facility in Karawang.

TempoInteraktif.com article-

Trik Daddy's Custom Cycles- St. Petersburg

Spring Hill FL- from Logan Neill of the St. Petersburg Times- If you're looking for a custom builder in Florida and have a hefty budget, you might want to put Trik Daddy's on your list of places to check out.

sp.com article...

Custom Bike Builders in Southern California

From KIMBERLY PIERCEALL of the The Press-Enterprise (PE.com)- Nice article on the custom bike boom as played out in Southern California where everything happens in a big way, usually involving ridiculous amounts of money.

So what happens when you take a new concept in a status symbol and mix well with way too much money and a psychotic need to be unique? You get a bunch of custom bike builders collecting $100K+ for weekend new-boomer riders.

Shown in the pic are some principals of Mad Dog Motorcycles of Rancho Mirage.

PE.com article...

Lagos' Loucin Shifts to Four Stroke Engines

From the Lagos Daily Champion via allAfrica.com- Chellarams PLC, makers of the Loucin brand motorcycle, announced a change from two to four stroke engines for their motorbikes. Two strokes, while relatively fuel efficient, are not considered environmentally friendly due to high emissions levels.

Shown is a Hero Puch.

The bikes have been manufactured in Nigeria for the past two years.

AllAfrica.com article...

Army Challenged on Tattoo Restriction

from WISH-TV, Indiana- Cory Davidson wants to be in the Army. Cory has a couple of tattoos. On first encounter, he was assured by recruiters that having tattoos would be no problem for entry into the service. Since then, Davidson has been turned away since the Army policy bars neck or collar tattoos. Davidson then spent $1000 to have the tattoos removed. Despite the effort and expense, the Army is sticking by their ruling. Assuring further press on the issue, Indiana congressman Mike Pence has entered the fray.

WISH-TV article...

Judge Rules on Scooter Rental on Block Island

Block Island, RI- from turnto10.com- In a continuing story, a Superior Court judge has ruled on the permissibility of scooter rentals on the island. Back in October, a Superior Court judge ruled that since scooters don't have pedals, that they must be treated under state law as motorcycles, which would require licenses as a condition of rental. Mopeds, by contrast, do have pedals and are considered motorized bicycles and not motorcycles. The court decided to hold off on implementing change to law enforcement regarding scooter rental on the island. In the Dec. 2 ruling, however, the judge decided that scooters will, in future, need to be treated as motorcycles.

The ruling will have a big impact on local scooter rental businesses who have been renting scooters to riders without motorcycle licenses for years. To abide by the ruling, businesses will be required to trade their fleets out to mopeds.

Turnto10.com story...

Stupid Biker of the Month- This One's From Australia

Buckland, from The Mercury- A rider, whose name was not included in the article, was stopped and ticketed at 1:20 on the Tasman highway buzzing along at 207 km/h. Six points and a $400 ticket later, he was back on the streets, chastened but apparently none the wiser. The four-month automatic license disqualification there doesn't go into effect until the fine is paid.

A short time later the same rider was caught and ticketed for cruising the same stretch of highway, this time at a more cautious 157 km/h. For the conversion challenged, 157 translates to about 98 mph! In case you were wondering, production bikes sold in the US are limited to a top speed of 87 mph out of the box.

The additional 6 points qualified the driver for an automatic suspension, this time extended to a total of 11 months!

The Mercury article...

Minibike Christmas- Check Local Laws

This story is from the Northwest Evening Mail. It warns parents (read adults) about the likely reaction of local police to kids or other people riding minibikes around on the streets. At least around Cumbria, and in a lot of towns around the UK, US and probably Australia, there are laws limiting the size of motorized vehicle that can be ridden on public streets. In many instances the laws are local and characterize the tiny minibikes not as motorcycles, but as toys. In cases where they are viewed as motorcycles, it may not be legal for kids under 16 to ride them on the street. If they are 50cc or larger in the states, most jurisdictions will require a motorcycle endorsement and registration and tags to ride them on the street. And the cops aren't generally open to negotiation on this one. They will confiscate the things.

So before you go out and buy yourself or junior that mini motorcycle, or gas or electric scooter, for the holidays, check with local police on rules for sidewalk and street use. Make sure you know the engine displacement size if it's gas powered. Also see what the rules are on riding the things on private property like shopping mall parking lots. And if you get one, get the helmet and be really careful on the streets. While top speeds on some expensive models can exceed 50 mph, most top out around 30-35 which doesn't give you a lot of range in dodging cars. Most importantly, the things are very short and are really hard to see using car or SUV mirrors. And folks driving the tiny bikes are typically not religious about adhering to driving laws.

Have a safe holiday season. If kids are driving them, make sure they know how to ride safely in traffic.

Evening Mail article..

Coast Guard Tattoo Limits - NY Times

Katie Zezima of the NY Times picked this story up. We posted it last month, but it's always nice when one of the big papers run the story. Bottom line here is that the Coast Guard recently implemented a new policy on recruiting restrictions. If too many tattoos are visible, then recruits are turned away according to the new policy.

While all services have restrictions on offensive, racist or gang-related tattoos, the Army, the Navy and the Marines have begun forbidding new recruits to have tattoos on their neck, face, head or scalp. The Air Force goes further in requiring everyone, regardless of length of service, to cover all visible tattoos with a uniform or have them removed.

Pictured is Master Chief Petty Officer Buck Ward.

NY Times article-

Dumb Tattoo Thief Caught

Waterford, MI, from courttv.com- One reason for getting tattoos removed is because of the social hooligan tag that employers may apply. Another one is of more immediate importance to criminals is that tattoos are a pretty visible means of identifying you. With that we come to Andrew Jeffrey Webster of Waterford, Michigan. Young Webster, 21, was filmed participating in a garden variety bank robbery in town on November 15.

While the tattoo was covered, enough of his was not, allowing local police to identity him. Well known enough to the locals for them to know he had a prominent tattoo saying "DUMB" on it, they figured it was a matter of time before having him get turned in. And, like a bad Hollywood plot, Webster was arrested in Detroit on November 19. He's in the Oakland County Jail on $150,000 cash bond.

courttv.com-

Sioux City Museum Motorcycle Show

from the Sioux City Journal- If you live in the Sioux City area, it may already be a long enough winter for you. If you can't get out there and ride, going down to the museum to see a few cool and interesting bikes might be the next best thing.

The exhibit, "Bikes: Motorcycles as Personal Expression." will be featured at the Sioux City Art Center. 65 motorcycles, mostly from collectors around the midwest will be on display, which will continue through March 5, 2006.

Sioux City Journal link

Heat Vision and Jack, Back?

From Cinematical.com via Martha Fischer- Ben Stiller's had this tendency lately to show up in any films where three or more comedians assemble, like Dodgeball and Ron Burgundy. According to this post, we were inclusively all denied exposure to what appears to be ripe motorcycle material for exploitation. In this case, a super intelligent being (from space or course since aside from Jimmy Neutron, we don't grow those natively), fights crime with the help of a talking motorcycle. Maybe it can find parking spaces and can self-cancel turn signals, too!

Stiller directed something back in 1999. The post says a movie pilot but more likely a TV pilot starring Jack Black. We do believe that Black may be able to pilot a bike himself; he did that scene Ron Burgundy where he, as a grimy biker, takes the tossed burrito in the face and then tosses the poodle off the bridge. The rumor is that Black may be trying to bring this one back. Stay tuned-

cinematical link...

Check the Chinese Figure Before Getting the Tattoo

From the Stephanie Hoo (AP) via the SE Missourian- It's a good idea to make sure the Chinese figure you've got picked out for that tattoo really means what you think it does. Apparently it's not always the case. Ms. Hoo explores errors in translation, and includes a link to a blog that makes a specialty of mistranslations.

AP article
Hanzi Smatter

Last Minute Gifts: Mikie the Bikie

Newcastle, PA- From Newcastle Star- Here's a woman who rides motorcycles and has direct first-hand acquaintance with bikers. Nonetheless, she writes a children's book on bullies, and bases the main character on a biker! At least the biker is pictured with a helmet.

Newcastle Star story

Belgian Post Office Helmet Human Factor Studies

Brussels, from AFP- You think McDonald's has the market cornered on saving time? The Belgium Postal Service is measuring how long it's delivery people take to put helmets on and take them off. Yes, it is cool that they get to deliver mail by motorcycle, having about 4000 motorized delivery people but that's another story. As it is, wearing a helmet while delivering mail was optional, but due to increased accidents recently, the policy has been changed to require helmet use. From what it sounds like, the Postal Service is trying to determine whether they can afford to have riders take the time to remove their helmets if they decide to stop and have a chat. We'll provide updates and statistics on this story as it breaks...

Yahoo News story..