Bikie 'colours' banned from Morcombe charity ride -
Brisbane Times - Outlaw bikies say
Queensland police are preempting tough new anti-biker legislation by
issuing no-patch orders against gang members who had planned to take
part in a charity ride on the Sunshine Coast yesterday.
United Motorcycle Council of Queensland (UMCQ) spokesman and national
president of the Tribe of Judah motorcycle club, Terry Walker, has
claimed outlaw council members were forced to abandon plans to join
yesterday's annual Ride for Daniel fundraiser for missing teen Daniel
Morcombe.
Members donated $10,000 to the charity, but claim the club colours ban
was an "unlawful directive" from police.
"They said ride...but ride without your patches," Mr Walker said.
The edict was issued as the Queensland Government re-affirmed its
commitment to introducing legislation to outlaw motorcycle gangs,
effectively banning riders wearing club colours or "patches", in line
with New South Wales and South Australia.
"Ride organisers received an unlawful edict from police blocking the
participation of riders wearing clothing that identified them as members
of some motorcycle clubs," Mr Walker said.
"You can't say that to our members...these guys live for their patches."
He said bikies would never, ever ride without patches as a cardinal
rule.
The Morcombe Foundation today confirmed the directive was reached in
discussions with police months before the ride.
The instruction was printed on flyer and posters, which read, "Outlaw
motorcycle club members are welcome to participate but must not wear
club colours".
The UMCQ represents 17 motorcycle gangs including the Bandidos, Hells
Angels, Rebels and Finks.
"The UMCQ member clubs decided to abide by this unlawful directive, out
of respect for the Daniel Morcombe Foundation and for Daniel's family,"
Mr Walker said.
Instead of joining the 50-kilometre ride, riders with the UMCQ arrived
some time later and presented a cheque for $10,000 before leaving
immediately.
"It's not illegal yet to be a member of a motorcycle club and to wear
your club's colours," Mr Walker said.
"The UMCQ would like to know what lawful authority the police rely upon
to issue orders regulating the clothes that the people of Queensland can
wear."
Comment was being sought from Queensland Police.
Lawmaker aims to plug up pipes - Modesto Bee -
That rumble rolling up valley roads on warm summer evenings is sweet
music to some -- and a buzz-kill for others. It's the roar of
motorcycles, revving at stoplights and thundering up and down the
street, bouncing shock waves off buildings like the soundtrack of a
1960s biker movie.
For some motorcyclists, the noise is as much a part of the riding
experience as fresh air. Harley-Davidson even sought to patent the
"potato-potato" sound of its engines a decade ago.
Some riders pump up the volume even more by removing stock catalytic
converters and adding aftermarket pipes in search of better performance
-- and an ear-splitting roar that can infuriate patio diners or sidewalk
latté drinkers.
BR Motorcycle Noise 05 BR Motorcycle Noise 03 BR Motorcycle Noise 04 BR
Motorcycle Noise 02
Modesto Bee - (BRIAN RAMSAY/bramsay@modbee.com) A motorcycle's exhaust
pipes from a model on display at Mitchell's Modesto Harley-Davidson in
Modesto, Calif. A proposed law working its way through the California
legislature, SB 435, targets modified motorcycle exhausts that produce
more air pollution. The bill also aims at the extra noise generated by
motorcycles. June 21, 2009.
Some bikers revel in the sound, and others justify it by saying it
protects them from inattentive motorists. "Loud pipes save lives" is
their mantra.
Nonsense, says Fresno motorcycle police Sgt. Eric Eide, who rides an
ultra-quiet BMW.
"Straight pipes are hugely offensive," he said. "It's a quality-of-life
issue."
Noise "is one of those things that needs to be addressed."
That appears to be happening. A proposed law working its way through the
California Legislature, Senate Bill 435 by State Sen. Fran Pavley,
D-Agoura Hills, targets modified motorcycle exhausts that produce more
air pollution.
The bill also aims at the extra noise generated by after-market
motorcycle exhausts.
Spoiling power, freedom
"That's going to spoil all the fun," said Chris Prendeble, a Hayward
resident shopping at Mitchell's Modesto Harley-Davidson on Carpenter
Road Sunday afternoon.
"I'm planning on getting a nice big, loud (bike)," Prendeble said.
"Preferably you take 'em and tilt the pipes down toward the street. That
really makes 'em pop."
Altering exhaust pipes isn't just about making bikes louder, Prendeble
said. It also amps up a motorcycle's power, which is important because
"otherwise, Japanese bikes leave you in the dust."
Robert Walsh, a 52-year-old Modesto resident looking over a silver bike
at Modesto Yamaha, said the proposed law was another case of the
government trying to rein in freedom-loving bikers. Although some bikers
make their rides louder purely for "narcissistic" reasons, Walsh said,
it's their right to do so.
Walsh himself prefers a laid-back, moderate rumble to an all-out sonic
shock and awe. He wears a helmet, but he's opposed to helmet laws, which
he says are another example of lawmakers intruding on biker rights.
"The more they keep taking our freedoms away, the more rebellion there's
going to be," Walsh said. "What are they going to do, run around with
decibel meters? There's better things they can do with their time."
Safety and sleep
Other bikers said they understand what's fueling the proposed law.
Harley rider George Hamrick of Atwater, in a black leather vest and a
flame-print head scarf, said "straight pipes" sometimes wake him up at
night, so the proposed law could be a good thing.
On the other hand, he changed the pipes on a Suzuki he owns because he
wanted the bike to be louder. He said he did it for safety reasons so
drivers can hear him coming and to improve mileage.
Some motorcyclists are trying to emulate the outlaw biker lifestyle
through loud exhausts, faux Nazi helmets and skull facial masks, Eide
believes.
He said officers use a vehicle code section to cite motorcyclists for
excessive noise but generally go after only extreme cases.
It isn't always easy for police to make noise violations stick. Mary
Lynne Vellinga, a legislative consultant in Pavley's Sacramento office,
said the standards in the current law are not clear and tickets may not
stand up in court.
She said her research shows that California Highway Patrol officers
wrote just 14 citations in the past two years.
Pavley's office wants to strengthen the law and, after an initial
setback, is still fine-tuning a bill that would do so, Vellinga said.
A portion of the bill that would require semiannual smog checks for
motorcycles appears dead for now, but Vellinga said Pavley's office
still intends to use SB 435 to target motorcyclists who remove catalytic
converters.
'Super-vocal' told to hush
Under current law, a motorcyclist cited for removing a converter often
can ride home, bolt the stock exhaust back on and have the citation
cleared.
That would be much more difficult if smog checks were required, because
many riders would need to have expensive engine modifications done to
pass a tailpipe emissions test.
Vellinga concedes getting a law through the Legislature has been a tough
slog.
"Motorcycle folks are super-vocal," she said.
But industry officials are aware a backlash is looming. Harley-Davidson
President Jim McCaslin, in a message on the company's Web site, told
riders to pipe down, citing a 400 percent increase in negative news
stories regarding motorcycle noise in the past 10 years.
Motorcyclist dies in SHA truck collision -
Baltimore Sun - A Baltimore County motorcyclist was killed early
Sunday after he crashed into the rear of a State Highway Administration
truck while attempting to enter the Baltimore Beltway's outer loop from
Belair Road in Fullerton, according to state police. Timothy R.
Williamson, 47, of the 4100 block of Taylor Ave. in Overlea, was
operating a 2000 Honda motorcycle north on Belair Road about 8:30 a.m.
when he drove onto the ramp to enter the outer loop, police said. On the
ramp, Taylor attempted to go around a stationary 2003 Ford F-150 SHA
pickup truck, whose driver had done some maintenance at a construction
site and was in the truck, when Williamson struck the rear of the
pickup. Police said Williamson, who was wearing a helmet, was propelled
from the motorcycle and was pronounced dead at the scene by medics. The
truck driver, whose name was not released, was not injured, police said.
Man dies in motorcycle accident -
MyWestTexas.com - A 46-year-old Midland man is dead after he lost
control of his motorcycle near the Loop 250 and Thomason Drive exit,
police said Sunday.
David Singer, 46, was pronounced dead at the scene when officers arrived
around 11:25 p.m. Saturday.
A passer-by noticed the Harley Davidson 1200 Sportster motorcycle on its
side with its lights on in the grassy median between the service road
and the highway and called for help, police said.
Singer was said to be traveling north on the east service road and moved
to the left, leaving the roadway when he entered the median. He tried to
regain control of his bike when he struck a metal pole in his path,
authorities said.
Police closed the service road down from Graceland Drive and the
Thomason Drive exit off the Loop and diverted traffic for nearly two
hours early Sunday as they cleared the scene.
This is the second fatal motorcycle accident to occur in the Tall City
in the past month.
Anthony Logan, 21, was killed when he crashed his motorcycle in the east
parking lot of Grande Communications Stadium late at night on June 7.
Logan was also found by a passer-by who noticed the bike lying on its
side.
Authorities believe he was found nearly an hour after the wreck
happened.
Both men were wearing their helmets when they crashed, police said, but
no witnesses were there for either accident.
Singer and Logan were both found to be deceased by the time officers
arrived.
Brockton detective recovering at Boston hospital -
Wicked Local Brockton - BROCKTON - A
Brockton detective is recovering at a Boston hospital after he was
injured in a motorcycle crash on Route 24 Saturday evening.
Detective George C. Almeida, 40, was taken by ambulance to Boston
Medical Center following the 7:15 p.m. accident on Saturday in the area
of Exit 18 on the southbound side of Route 24.
He was listed in good condition at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, a hospital
spokeswoman said.
Almeida was injured when a loose tire from a car on Route 24 northbound
rolled onto the southbound side of the highway and struck him on his
motorcycle Saturday night, authorities said.
Almeida was initially taken to Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton
Saturday night because a MedFlight helicopter was not available due to
weather conditions, a fire official said.
Local woman, injured in crash, still critical -
Journal and Courier - VEEDERSBURG -- A Lafayette woman who was a
passenger on a motorcycle when it was struck by an SUV Saturday in
Fountain County was in critical condition Sunday night.
Lafayette resident Lauren E. Vigstol, 22, was taken by PHI helicopter to
Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis after the crash at the intersection
of Stone Bluff Road and U.S. 41, according to police.
Romney resident Chase S. Hill, 25, was driving the motorcycle about 3:30
p.m. when the crash occurred. Hill was pronounced dead at the scene,
according to police.
Hill and Vigstol were not wearing helmets at the time of the crash and
both were ejected from the motorcycle, according to police.
An Indiana State Police statement gave the following account of the
crash.
Hill was driving a 2001 Harley Davidson east on Stone Bluff Road when he
failed to stop at a stop sign at U.S. 41 for an unknown reason.
"The motorcycle traveled onto U.S. 41 and was struck by a southbound
2007 GMC Yukon," the statement said.
Attica resident Christine J. Gilmore, 63, who was driving the GMC Yukon,
was not injured in the crash.
Lorain man killed in Amherst when motorcycle strikes car -
Chronicle-Telegram - AMHERST - A Lorain man
was killed Sunday afternoon when his motorcycle struck a Chevrolet
Cavalier on Leavitt Road.
Robert F. Gonzalez, 40, was ejected from the Suzuki motorcycle upon
impact, said Amherst police Officer Troy Gonzalez.
He was taken to Amherst Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“He died from a skull fracture,” said county coroner Paul Matus.
Matus said Gonzalez was stopped at a stoplight at Cleveland Avenue and
turned southbound on Leavitt Road at a high rate of speed. The Cavalier
was turning northbound onto Leavitt Road from Walnut Drive when the
Suzuki struck the front driver’s side corner of the vehicle about 11:52
a.m.
Police are still investigating the crash.
Man falls off, motorcycle keeps going -
Hickory Daily Record - HICKORY - A wreck on Interstate 40 backed
traffic up for miles Sunday afternoon.
Matthew Hall was driving his Yamaha Star motorcycle on I-40 West at
about 2:40 p.m. When traffic slowed down for road construction, Hall was
unable to stop in time, said Trooper Ryan Rudisill with the North
Carolina State Highway Patrol.
At about the 124-mile marker, Hall, 49, lost control of the motorcycle.
"He went into the left of the median," Rudisill said. "He tried to ride
it out, but he went off the bike."
Although Hall came off the motorcycle in the median, Rudisill said the
motorcycle stayed upright and continued going another 400 feet, crossing
over into eastbound traffic on the other side of the highway. He said it
was amazing oncoming vehicles did not hit the motorcycle.
Hall was taken to Frye Regional Medical Center with non-life-threatening
injuries, Rudisill said. The hospital would not release a
patient-condition report.
Motorcyclist in roll-over accident listed in stable condition -
Bloomington Pantagraph - BLOOMINGTON -- A
21-year-old Bloomington man remained hospitalized after a motorcycle
accident Saturday.
Ezra Hartseil was driving his motorcycle in an unknown direction
Saturday on Route 165 at 2300 East 1500 North Road at about 9:45 a.m.
when his motorcycle rolled over, said McLean County Sheriff’s police
Sgt. Hadley Welsch.
Hartseil was taken to OSF St. Joseph Medical Center, Bloomington. He was
in stable condition Sunday night, a nursing supervisor said.
Hartseil was cited for driving too fast for conditions, Welsch said.
Motorcycle Rider Slams Into Concrete Wall -
WTOV9.com - A motorcycle rider suffered
injuries after he crashed into a concrete wall in Belmont County late
Sunday, according to state troopers.
Dispatchers told NEWS9 the accident happened around 7 p.m. on National
Road near Big Lots in Bridgeport.
The driver of the motorcycle was 57-year-old William Butler Jr., and
troopers said he suffered serious road rash and was transported to
Wheeling Hospital.
According to troopers, Butler is from Bridgeport. And he's being cited
for the crash.
Dispatchers said the cause of the crash was driver inattention.
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