Where real journalism meets italicized smart-assed comments.

by Gus Breiland
Issue #80—Oct/Nov 2005

* Little Johnny Gets Banned

* Be the ENV of Your Friends

* 10 MPH—A Documentary

* Harley Rentals Ad Locations Domestic And Abroad

* 2004 Motorcycle Fatalities Increase

* Driver Kills Motorcyclist, Now May Sue Family Of Rider

Little Johhny Gets Banned
Crisp County, Georgia motorcyclists are working to reverse a policy that prevents students from riding motorcycles to their local high school. The issue arose when the principal at Crisp County High School denied a student’s request for a parking permit because he wanted to ride a motorcycle to school. The principal then went to the school board and the board passed a policy banning students from riding motorcycles to the high school, even though students have been allowed to do so in the past.

The policy does not apply to faculty and staff, who can ride to the school. The ban didn’t seem right to AMA member James Musselwhite, himself a 1962 graduate of the same school. Musselwhite and other motorcyclists in Crisp County are working to overturn the ban. One of those is Jim George, the president of ABATE of Georgia, who happens to live in Crisp County, a small, rural county in south-central Georgia. Both Musselwhite and George spoke against the ban at a subsequent school board meeting.

“In cases like this, the best approach is grassroots action,” said Terry Lee Cook, the AMA Government Relations Department manager. “Local elected officials pay attention when their neighbors, the people who vote them in and out of office, let them know they’re doing something wrong. And that’s what motorcyclists in Crisp County are telling their school board.” The AMA will continue to work with local motorcyclists on the issue.

I would have been the biggest badass chess player in my district. Well, except for Vlad “the Tuba Killer” Yapopovich. But we won’t speak of him ever again. MMM wonders what a banning does to a student’s attitude towards learning and expanding ones mind in acceptance of others cultures and points of view.

Be The ENV Of Your Friends
A sleek, almost silent, nonpolluting fuel cell-powered motorcycle is set to begin gliding down US streets by the end of 2006. The bike is dubbed the ENV (pronounced “envy”), short for Emissions Neutral Vehicle (http://www.envbike.com/). The London-based company Intelligent Energy decided to develop the bike itself after years of cool reception to its fuel cell technology from manufacturers.

Since its unveiling earlier this year, the ENV has generated enormous interest—proof that the public is ready to embrace fuel cell technology, according to company officials.

The motorcycle has a top speed of 50 miles an hour and can run for 100 miles, or, up to four hours on a tank of compressed hydrogen. A fill-up costs about four dollars. ENV makes no more noise than a home computer and emits only heat and water.

Intelligent Energy plans to sell the motorbike for between $6,000 and $8,000. The company believes the ENV will appeal to both urban commuters and recreational riders. (National Geographic News)

MMM will be trying to get their big grubby hands on the ENV. It might well be the new Silent Grey Fellow. And because I think this could be the coolest thing since Ural Sidecars and Stella Scooters.

10 MPH—A Documentary
We came across this on the local scooter website (www.minnescoota.com) while looking for interesting stories to share with our readers. It is a documentary named "10 mph." Apparently two guys shed their corporate jobs and made a film about riding a Segway “scooter” across the US, from Boston to Seattle. Josh Caldwell rode and Hunter Weeks directed the film on a new twist of the old dream of hitting the open road. I like this line out of their film’s write up, “From cubical farms to the open road…”

Take the time to watch their trailer. It is entertaining and will make you want to see their film. Keep watching their web site and MMM’s news for a release date into theaters or rental.

Harley Rentals Ad Locations Domestic And Abroad
Harley Davidson’s Authorized Rentals (www.harley-davidson.com) had expanded their influence, both domestically and internationally by adding 5 new rental locations. These locations include Alaska (Soldotna), Vermont (Barre), Belgium (Dendermonde), Scotland (Glasgow) and South Africa (Cape Town).
 
“We’re thrilled to offer these new rental locations,” said Lara Lee, Vice President of enthusiast services. “With more than 250 Harley-Davidson Authorized Rental locations worldwide, riders can fulfill their motorcycling dreams from Boston to Brisbane and from Los Angeles to London.”
 
Riders can enjoy the beautiful scenery along the Kenai River in Soldotna, Alaska or surround themselves with culture and heritage while traveling through historic Barre, Vt. Motorcyclists can also journey through the Middle Age Belgium town of Dendermonde, explore the Victorian city of Glasgow, Scotland, or tour the beautiful coastal city of Cape Town, South Africa.
 
Whether riding at home or on vacation, for a day or a week, renting through Harley-Davidson Authorized Rentals provides a motorcycling adventure backed by the Motor Company. Each Harley-Davidson Authorized Rental motorcycle has been serviced and maintained according to Motor Company standards. Every rental includes the use of a Harley-Davidson helmet and raingear, short-term luggage storage and 24-hour roadside assistance. For more information, visit www.hdrentals.com.

MMM encourages you to travel the world, even if it is in your own backyard. Next time you head out on the open road or over the pond, rent a bike instead of a car. Grab one more piece of luggage and throw your gear and helmets in. Read Locally, Ride Globally.

2004 Motorcycle Fatalities Increase
Motorcycle fatalities increased by 8 percent in 2004 over the previous year, according to statistics released Monday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

It was the seventh consecutive year that motorcycle fatalities rose, after years of declines during the 1990s — and it demonstrates the importance of a national study of motorcycle crashes that was funded as part of the transportation bill passed recently by Congress.

The multi-year transportation bill provides $3 million in funding for the first comprehensive study of the causes of motorcycle crashes since the well-known Hurt report done in the late 1970s. The study was one of the top priorities on the AMA Government Relations Department’s legislative agenda in recent years.

NHTSA reported that 4,008 motorcyclists died on U.S. roads in 2004. While motorcycle fatalities increased 8 percent, and SUV fatalities rose 5.6 percent, passenger car deaths dropped by 3.2 percent.

Driver Kills Motorcyclist, Now May Sue Family Of Rider
The driver of a Jeep who made a U-turn into the path of a motorcyclist, killing him, is considering suing the estate of the motorcyclist he killed, according to a newspaper report.

The News-Times in Danbury, Connecticut, quoted lawyer Philip Russell as saying he believes his client, Andrew Guazza, 31, of Beacon, New York, has a “valid claim” against the estate of the motorcyclist, Larry Pierce, 58, of New Fairfield, Pennsylvania.
 
On June 8, Guazza pleaded no contest to negligent homicide in Pierce’s death, which occurred in 2003 when Guazza made a U-turn in front of Pierce, causing the fatal crash. Pierce was airlifted to a hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. Guazza suffered injuries in the crash, primarily to his ankle.

Russell said the suit could be based on an allegation that the motorcyclist “came along unexpectedly at a speed substantially in excess of the posted speed,” the News-Times reported.

When are we as a society going to stop suing the pants off of one another? Even though Mr. Guazza may have a “valid claim”, etiquette and personal responsibility should trump said claim.

M.M.M.