Hey,

We are living in strange times. Zero policies means endless regulation and absolutely no freedom. Think about it. Zero emissions would mean we quit breathing. It also means death to plant life. They need, we need CO2.

Zero traffic deaths is virtually impossible. In one country, they immediately chose to ban motorcycles. Oops.

The Bikernet Weekly News is sponsored in part by companies who also dig Freedom including: Cycle Source Magazine, the MRF, Iron Trader News, ChopperTown, BorntoRide.com and the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum.





California Suspends Self-Driving Car Company, Cruise--

Tuesday, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) notified Cruise, a self-driving car subsidiary of General Motors, that the DMV is suspending Cruise’s autonomous vehicle deployment and driverless testing permits, effective immediately.

Since June 2022, Cruise has been offering commercial driverless car service, which means no driver behind the wheel. There have been reports of Cruise vehicles clustering at intersections, blocking traffic, and engaging in worrisome interactions with emergency vehicles.

In the release, the California DMV said, “The department’s autonomous vehicle regulations provide a framework to facilitate the safe testing and deployment of this technology on California public roads. When there is an unreasonable risk to public safety, the DMV can immediately suspend or revoke permits.”

The agency cited four reasons for the suspension.

• Based upon the performance of the vehicles, the Department determines the manufacturer’s vehicles are not safe for the public’s operation.

• The manufacturer misrepresented information related to safety of the autonomous technology of its vehicles.

• Any act or omission of the manufacturer, or one of its agents, employees, contractors, or designees which the department finds makes the conduct of autonomous vehicle testing on public roads by the manufacturer an unreasonable risk to the public.

• The department shall immediately suspend or revoke the Manufacturer’s Testing Permit or a Manufacturer’s Testing Permit – Driverless Vehicles if a manufacturer is engaging in a practice in such a manner that immediate suspension is required for the safety of persons on a public road.

This step by the State of California is dramatic for a state positioned at the forefront of deploying this recent technology. In the past week, federal regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation into recent incidents involving Cruise vehicles. However, the action by regulators in California is a powerful move to push back against the deployment of these vehicles, which many believe are not yet ready for our nation’s roads.

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation is committed to collaborating with federal policymakers to ensure the detection of bikers by self-driving technology. The lack of action by officials in Washington, D.C. remains frustrating. However, we are pleased to see regulators in California taking a stand in the face of growing incidents with Cruise vehicles. We will continue to watch other states and hope they will also fill the void left by federal inaction.





DEAD GUY QUOTE OF THE DAY--

“If it’s sent by ship then it’s cargo, if it’s sent by road then it’s a shipment" --Ray Russell





JACOBS ART GALLERY--

With Black Friday and Cyber Monday coming, I just wanted to remind you of the little guys.

Before falling for the savings at Big Box Stores; think of three of your favorite Mom and Pop’s.

We believe that Small Businesses are the backbone of our Nation and we’ve seen more and more of them close since 2020.

My family and our wonderful staff appreciate all of our loving customers that continue to Shop Small.

Without you, we wouldn’t still be open.



Have a Happy and Loving Holiday and Thank You,
--Scott, Sharon, Olivia and Alexa (and grandkids Daisy, Hendrix, and Levi)





WHO’S GOING TO PAY FOR THIS?--

The old saying in Washington, D.C. is "A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money." It is no secret that the Federal Government continues to spend more money than it takes in.

This week the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit held a hearing on just this topic. The hearing entitled "Running on Empty: The Highway Trust Fund" focused on the growing shortfall between money taken in to pay for roads and infrastructure and the money being spent by Congress on those projects.

The Highway Trust Fund is intended to function as a piggy bank. Revenues from gasoline and diesel fuel taxes are collected and the money is dedicated to the construction of federal highways. However, over the last thirty (30) plus years the model has started to fall apart. The federal gas tax of 18.4 cents per gallon has not been increased since 1993.

Surging inflation means that 18.4 cents per gallon does not go as far in 2023 as it did in 1993. Add to that the push for more fuel-efficient or electric cars and the result is less fuel sold and thus less money in the Highway Trust Fund.

In the last 15 years, the gap between money collected and money spent has reached $275 billion! This shortfall results in government borrowing and further government debt. The current system is not working, and policymakers are searching for solutions.

The most discussed solution is transitioning away from motor fuel taxes to a fee, charging individual vehicles for their miles traveled, called a VMT fee. The most recent 2021 Highway Bill included a directive that the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Treasury conduct pilot programs in all fifty (50) states.

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) understands the need to properly fund the construction, maintenance and repair of our roadways. However, we remain committed to protecting the interests of bikers. Any tax system must be fair and equitable for motorcyclists. It goes without saying that the weight of a motorcycle does far less damage to a roadway than much heavier vehicles. As such, any tax should consider the wear and tear caused by the vehicles being taxed.

Additionally, privacy concerns with any tracked miles are immense! Tracking by outside parties using GPS or other technologies that collect and record where we ride, who we ride with, and how we ride is something the MRF takes extremely seriously. Both data recording and transportation taxes are two priorities that have been and will remain a part of the MRF legislative agenda.

The highway funding tab will eventually come due. The funding system for our roads is broken, but the MRF is committed to protecting and defending the interests of bikers no matter what solution is eventually agreed upon.

--MRF







KING OF COOL: Metisse Steve McQueen Desert Racer.

At the height of the '60s counterculture you were either hip or a square and never the twain shall meet. But one man crossed the divide. he was everybody's “King of Cool” and it made him the highest-earning movie star in the world.

But Steve McQueen wasn't just a Hollywood actor, he was a child of the Depression, a Marine, a pilot, an avid car collector and a racer on two-wheels and four. So, when he proclaimed “This rig is the best handling bike I've ever owned”, the makers of that motorcycle got an endorsement money just can't buy.

But the story of that bike is as complex and cool as the man himself, and this stunning motorcycle, The McQueen™ Desert Racer by Metisse Motorcycles is one of just 300 built to honour that incredible tale.



The journey to the creation of one of the most iconic race bikes ever built starts a long long way from Hollywood, California. Across the pond in the UK during the '50s, Derek and Don Rickman were brothers successfully racing in the local motocross and scrambles scene.

But unlike today where you can walk into any dealer and buy a bike with all the bells and whistles, ready for some serious dirt track madness, there just really wasn't much on offer, especially in the large capacity category. So, the brothers simply built their own bikes, and with the success of their racing program, Rickman Motorcycles was a booming success, evening earning the pair a Queen's Award.

--from El Waggs
Pipeburn.com





Do We Really Know That Human Greenhouse Gas Emissions Cause Significant Climate Change?

It’s by far the most important scientific question of our age: Do human emissions of CO2 and other such “greenhouse gases” cause significant global warming, aka “climate change”? Based on the belief that an affirmative answer to that question is a universally accepted truth, our government has embarked on a multi-trillion dollar campaign to transform our economy by, among other things, eliminating hydrocarbon fuels from electricity generation (without any demonstrated workable plan for the replacement), outlawing the kinds of vehicles we currently drive, suppressing fossil fuel extraction, banning pipeline construction, making all your appliances work less well, and much more.

Express any doubt about the causal connection between human activities and climate change, and you could very well get labeled as a “climate denier,” fired from your academic job, demonetized by Google or Facebook, or even completely ostracized from polite society.

But is there actually any real proof of the proposition at issue? In fact, there is not.

The reason for today’s post is that a couple of important new articles have come to my attention that further make clear that the proposition that human activities, particularly “greenhouse gas” emissions, are causing significant climate change has not been proved and, based on existing data, cannot be proved.

--From the MANHATTAN CONTRARIAN
By Francis Menton
From WUWT

If you really want to know the whole story:




Ducati to begin Motocross Racing

Ducati's race bike will be joined by a range of off-road models

Ducati has made it official, confirming months of speculation. Ducati will begin motocross racing. They will also introduce a range of off-road motorcycles. The much-admired Italian manufacturer follows Triumph as another major motorcycle manufacturer entering motocross this year. They willl compete against the likes of the Big Four Japanese brands and Pierer Mobility’s three-headed monster.

Read at: https://blog.bikernet.com/ducati-to-begin-motocross-racing/

--Wayfarer
Editor



What they will tell you is that you need to go out of business because you are destroying the earth. Wikipedia has a much longer, less accurate explanation of the outfit. If the companies won’t comply B Lab Global will try and talk their ad agencies into dropping them. Good luck with that. like ad agencies care about the truth, lies, saving the planet or whether cats live or die. hahahahahahaha

B Lab Global is partnered with the UN. Which is the building EYE would fly into if I was going to fly into a building in a 737.

--J.J. Solari






For years I received weekly legislative reports and sometimes editorials from the NMA and then nothing via email. I was surprised to receive a 16-page glossy magazine this week.

Of course, these are car guys, but many of the topics like red-light cameras impact bikers, so I stay in touch with them. Unfortunately, this issue covered the move to electric extensively and I’ll get to that, but I wanted to touch on their legislative report.

There’s a push by the Zero nuts to reverse RTOR or right turn on red laws. The NMA secured the inclusion of a provision in a measure to save RTOR, which is working through the House right now.

They are supporting the Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration ACT (FAIR act) to protect innocent Americans from “Lawless” police seizures.

Implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act by the administration is ongoing. The NMA opposes several of the provision in that law. Again, the Zero road deaths and climate emergency notions or the war on Fossil Fuels is forcing strange changes to our roads to eliminate cars and force electric public transportation.

The U.S. Department of Transportation is now in the business of funding photo enforcement cameras in school zones and highway work zones. The NMA opposes them.

One of the ways to destroy the ICE automotive industry is to regulate cars so severely they become ridiculously expensive. Hang on, through the infrastructure bill they would require all new vehicles to be equipped with new technology, which will monitor the driver’s behavior, serious invasion of privacy and another Zero deaths notion.

These rules could lead to unjustified stops, unwarranted surveillance or even abuse of power like the government shutting off cars like Covid curfews.

After skimming through their cover story on Electric transition, I’m beginning to think they were paid off. The article leans heavily at the notion that whether we like it or not Electric is coming and it’s good.

I’m afraid I will never support or join the NMA again. Here’s the simple solution to 90 percent of these issues. If tomorrow there were no Zero mandates, no Stop Oil protestors, no Climate emergency, we would have a level playing field to test anything without fear of being doomed or persecuted. The United States could go back to being a free country and we could take a city or a state and test all these electric schemes. Let’s see if they work before we force anything on anyone. Seems simple to me.

--Bandit






Harley-Davidson, the iconic motorcycle manufacturer, is set to make festive season a whole lot better with jaw-dropping discounts of up to Rs 530,000 on their stellar lineup.

But there’s a twist – these deals are as fleeting as a summer breeze, and they’ll only be around while there are bikes left to go around.

Models included are:

• Pan America 1250 Special
• Sportster S
• Nightster and Nightster Special

Pan America Special is only Rs 1,609,000, down from its initial price of Rs 2,099,000, thanks to an impressive discount of Rs 490,000.

News Source: https://www.msn.com/en-in/autos/news/harley-davidson-offers-mega-festive-discounts-of-up-to-rs-5-30-lakh-on-its-select-models/ar-AA1iP5DV

--Wayfarer
Editor
BikernetBlog.com™





INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES OF THE WEEK--

"We are not what we know but what we are willing to learn." ~ Mary Catherine Bateson

"If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it." ~ Margaret Fuller

"Good people are good because they've come to wisdom through failure." ~ William Saroyan

"A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song." ~ Maya Angelou

"We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained." ~ Marie Curie

"Poor eyes limit your sight; poor vision limits your deeds." ~ Franklin Field

"Wisdom is knowing what to do next. Skill is knowing how to do it. Virtue is doing it." ~ Thomas Jefferson

"The wise person doesn't give the right answers, but poses the right questions." ~ Claude Levi-Strauss

From: https://www.TaiJutsu.art/

--Wayfarer
Monk in Training
Bikernet Temple
Pillar Peak, SD