Hey,
Another magnificent day in Paradise. If you’re into politics I know you’re on the edge of your seat. If you’re into football, you’re on the edge of your seat. If you’re into chopper building, you’re on the edge of your bench trying to make shit happen.
I’m sorta on the edge of my seat over several elements of this year. There are new book projects, movie and TV efforts. It’s going to be damn exciting with new builds, going to the Texas mile to test the Salt Torpedo, then to Bonneville hopefully.
I’m reading Denis Manning’s book about Streamliners and LSR attempts. It’s amazing the shit that can and will go wrong. Let’s hit the news and then I’ll bring you up to speed on shop projects.
Click for all the info...
Check the Iron Trader out.
The BroDown 2023
We're bringing it back! The "Brodown" parties we threw at the old Cincinnati V-Twin Expos were legendary good times. Now in 2023, we're going to the Drag Specialties NVP trade show which is for Drag dealers and vendors. Since trade shows are not open to the public and generally not super exciting times, we thought bringing back the BroDown with the band Dandelion Death might liven things up. This IS open to the public and there is NO cover charge.
Friday Night Jan 20, 2023
Doors Open At 7:00 PM
The Portal @ Fifteen Twelve
1512 Portland Ave, Louisville, KY
PRODUCT RESOURCE OF THE WEEK—Omaha Derby Covers
Irish Rich, the mad bike builder from Sturgis is a Sinner and worked with the bronze master in Omaha to make these derby covers but also air cleaner covers. This one will have a stud on the back and screw into stock air cleaner elements.
--Bandit
YEAR-END REVIEW FROM FEMA FIGHTING FOR US IN EUROPE--
Even though after the summer break most restrictions of the Covid19-measures were lifted, it soon became clear that there would be no return to the pre-pandemic normality. This did not stop us continuing our work. The number of visits to Brussels may be less than we were used to before 2020, we are still able to advocate the rights and interests of the European motorcyclists in Brussels and to a lesser extend in Geneva.
In this review we will first give a summary and then you will find the more detailed actions, ordered in the way of our strategic plan 2016-2026 by the four main topics.
To follow us, just click on your favourite social media channel.
Summary of actions
On the topic of environment and energy transition, part of the Fit for 55 package of the European Commission, we soon realized that in the European Union there is no political support at all for motorcycles, or other vehicles, on fossil fuels.
We therefore choose to lobby for internal combustion engines for longer distance motorcycles in general. In practice, this means motorcycles running on e-fuels and biofuels.
This is still an ongoing discussion, but with cars and vans, the door to these fuels is still a little open, so why not for motorcycles. Electric motorcycles can be a very good option for many users, but they need to be well facilitated with suitable charging opportunities. We lobbied to have small (L-category) vehicles included in the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR).
After the hype of automated vehicles, it now seems that manufacturers are focusing more on advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) and partially automated and connected driving. We contacted Euro NCAP about the relation between these systems and motorcyclists, because many ADAS still do not react properly to motorcycles and other powered two-wheelers.
From 2023 ADAS will be tested by Euro NCAP with motorcycles and FEMA will be involved in the development of the tests of Advanced Rider Assist Systems (ARAS). Other road safety aspects like safe infrastructure and driving licences have also taken much of our time this year as you can see later.
Our privacy and the protection of our vehicle data (and therefore also our personal data) is still a growing issue of concern. We keep following the developments and act when and where appropriate.
To be able to better look after the interests of our UK stakeholders and limit unwanted consequences of Brexit for both the UK and continental riders, we intensified our cooperation with the UK National Motorcyclists Council (NMC).
Finally, many motorcyclists own a historic motorcycle, often without realizing that. We looked after their interests too in 2022 and will keep doing that.
Environment and energy
As mentioned, the energy transition played an important role in 2022. Because in the EU plans motorcycles are still not mentioned, we could not do much in political lobbying, but we keep asking attention for the alternatives like e-fuels to be able to keep buying and riding new motorcycles with an internal combustion engine after 2035.
For motorcyclists who prefer electric motorcycles, we lobbied to include powered two-wheelers in the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR). We succeeded in that. Unfortunately there is no attention for the specific safety and security aspects of motorcycles in the AFIR, but here we kept lobbying to include these aspects in the charging infrastructure.
Sound did not play a big role in 2022, but on several occasions, we kept reminding the co-legislators that lowering the sound limit for new motorcycles is not the solution for the serious problem of noise annoyance. This solution must be found in a change in the culture of a part of the motorcycle community and enforcement.
The End-of-Life for Vehicles Directive kept us busy again too. On 24 and 25 March 2022 we attended a stakeholder meeting that was organized in order of the European Commission, and we lobbied again to keep motorcycles out of the scope of the End-of-Life for Vehicles Directive as this limits motorcycle owners to keep their motorcycles on the road in an affordable, sustainable and a responsible way. It would also limit owners of historic motorcycles to keep them running.
We took part in the UNECE Informal Working Group on Safer and Cleaner Used and New Vehicles for Developing Countries. (IWG on SCUNV), part of UNECE WP.29. The purpose of this working group is to regulate the export of used vehicles (including motorcycles) from Europe to other continents in a way that only clean and safe vehicles will be exported. We participate in this because we consider it as our duty to avoid the export of dirty and unsafe motorcycles to other continents.
Urban mobility /Future mobility
We had a meeting with the European Commission (EC) about SUMP (Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans) formats. Together with ACEM and FIM we had written the European Commission to share our concerns about the way a survey of the European Commission ignored motorcycling as an option in SUMPs.
We contributed to several surveys on this topic. We also keep alerting policymakers and the public on the beneficial aspects of using a motorcycle also in urban areas.
Road safety
As in previous years, in 2022 we had several contacts with the European Commission about the driving license regulation. In March, FEMA’s General Secretary Dolf Willigers was a speaker in a workshop about driving licenses, organized by the European Commission. We keep telling all policymakers that the current staged access system has no benefits and only heightens the threshold to obtain a full A driving license. We also asked for further harmonization of the driving license regulation on aspects as riding a small motorcycle with an A license and riding with a trailer. Together with ACEM we are also looking in ways to better include electric motorcycles as test motorcycles in the directive. Finally, we kept telling all policymakers that the focus of the tests needs to be changed from low-speed technical skills to higher level cognitive skills.
The European Commission is preparing a change of the current PTI directive 2014/45/EU to include all powered two-and three-wheelers in all member states. We provided the Commission during and after a meeting with the head and an expert of the cabinet of transport commissioner Valean with information that proves that periodic technical inspections have only a negligible effect on road safety, contrary to other measures like better education, safe infrastructure, etcetera.
During several meetings, we were active again in the road safety project SAFE-UP to make cars safer for vulnerable road users as PTW-riders.
By participating in a survey and several meetings we contributed again at efforts to develop an e-Call system that is good and safe for motorcyclists. We are convinced that well developed e-Call system has a positive effect on diminishing the effects of incidents like crashes on motorcyclists, because emergency services can be quicker and better alerted and crashed motorcyclists can be better found after the incident.
Early 2022 and again on 14 September, we had meetings about the technical and legal requirements and type approval of Personal Light Electric Vehicles (PLEVs). Important for us as this can become within our scope in future, but also to avoid confusing incident figures of this kind of vehicles with those of motorcycles.
Together with our Swedish member organization SMC and several road safety experts we are participating in an IRAP-EuroRAP working group to develop recommendations for safer infrastructure and enhance the IRAP assessment system.
We initiated a revision of the Dutch lane splitting guideline, which is used as an example is several other countries, to include the emergency lane.
We contacted Euro NCAP to share our concerns regarding the way safety assist systems are tested, which in our view can give drivers a false sense of safety that can be dangerous for motorcyclists. Euro NCAP will have better tests form 2023 and also invited us to participate in the development of tests for Advanced Rider Assist Systems (ARAS) for motorcyclists.
Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS)
Again in 2023 we were alert to developments that endanger the privacy of motorcyclists. For the time being this is a problem that mainly plays a role with cars, but in our view, it is just a matter of time before motorcycles are going to be “connected” and this can become an issue for us too. In April, we contributed to a public consultation on this topic.
We also kept an eye on ARAS for motorcycles and follow the lobby to make Intelligent speed assistance (ISA) mandatory for motorcycles, as it already is for new cars.
Other issues
Historic vehicles are keeping our attention. We did so by participating in the European Parliament Historic Vehicle Group, in our work on the End-of-Life for Vehicles Directive (ELV Directive), lobbying is several ways to keep riding a motorcycle with an internal combustion engine possible, in discussing historic vehicles with the European Commission and with, through a survey, developing a new definition of historic motorcycles that better meets the needs of motorcyclists.
The mobility between the UK and the EU still provides problems for those who do not ride their motorcycle themselves, but have it transported in a van or on a trailer. Together with the UK NMC we tried to get some clarification in this topic. In the end we think that we can give that now.
Early 2022, we published a revised set of the FIM-FEMA Joint Position Papers, that we presented together with FIM Europe during the IfZ 14th International Motorcycle Conference in Cologne early October. Next time the set of joint position papers will be from FEMA, FIM Europe, and NMC.
In December, FEMA was a guest in an American podcast. This was after we published an article about transport poverty and how motorcycles can keep people mobile with raising costs of cars and public transport. It turns out that our articles are read widely all over the world.
In the end of the year, we were confronted with a situation where a Dutch motorcyclist received a ticket from Uzbekistan for an alleged violation of ULEZ rules in London. We wondered how his personal information could be known by a private company in Uzbekistan and asked for Information about this from the Netherlands Vehicle Authority which is responsible for the Dutch vehicle registration databank. This is still pending.
FEMA’s Committee Meeting in Denmark
For the first time since the pandemic, FEMA was able to organize a real meeting for the member organizations, our first physical meeting since February 2020. The meeting was hosted by our member organization MCTC at the MC Touring Camp in Kolind, Denmark.
Written by Dolf Willigers
Photo’s courtesy of Wim Taal, Roelof Veldhuis, BMW,
www.classicbikehub.uk
QUOTE OF THE WEEK—
Motorcycles are the air we breathe, not something to be sold.
--Zack
KNUCKLEHEAD FEATURE OF THE WEEK--
Paul Davis, a young guy I met at Daytona built it, "Booger Watson" from Clarksville(?) TN. His father had a had a shop there. It’s a 68 cu in (EL bottom end with 74-inch bore). He said the cam was stock that they modified, FX frame, KR oil tank, seat was a Yamaha trials bike as I recall, Supertrapp dirt bike mufflers (which I started using on my bikes after that).
Bike was in a magazine (Choppers?) with claims of a bunch of performance stuff but that's not what Booger told me.
--Paul Davis
NEW FROM THE LINDBY FAMILY—This is our latest new product. It is an adjustable footrest for the FLH models. (Patent pending)
The bracket will mount on the frame by the voltage regulator and the customer will be able to adjust the 2 footrests to a comfortable angle.
We will offer the part in 3 finishes
-
Part # 280000 chrome
- Part # 281000 black
- Part # 282000 chrome/black
The product will fit from 1994 to present so it will fit a lot of motorcycle on the market.
Retail price $449.95
We will have the part ready for shipping by the end of this month.
Have a great day.
--Per Lindby
Advertisement
BIKERNET MEDICAL CENTER ALERT--
Look-it this ad from Moderna. they're just laughing at us now. they're as much as saying the shot will kill you. This is the conman actually mocking the sucker because the sucker is SO fucking stupid he won’t even notice.
--J.J. Solari
Research Chief
Bikernet Medical Center
Westwood, Los Angeles
AND THIS FEATURE JUST IN FROM JAPAN—BOLD IDEA CUSTOM CYCLES
Osaka, Ikeda-shi Airport 1-1-15-1F
TEL&FAX 06-6850-0503
MAIL
info@boldideacc.com
HP:
http://www.boldideacc.com
--from Sam Burns
Feature Bike Editor
Bikernet.com™
NEWS FROM THE MOTORCYCLE RIDERS FOUNDATION--2022 Ends With Multiple D.C. Victories for Bikers
In case you missed it, the last two weeks of 2022 saw multiple victories for the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) and all motorcyclists in this country. With the clock ticking down before the 117th Congress adjourned, three major parts of the MRF legislative agenda were addressed by leaders in Washington, D.C.
December 16th – Rep. Tim Walberg of Michigan and 26 bipartisan members of the House of Representatives sent a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regarding three recent fatal crashes between self-driving vehicles and motorcycles. The letter seeks answers about how self-driving cars interact with motorcycles and whether recent crashes are statistical outliers.
December 22nd – Rep. Susie Lee of Nevada inserted committee report language into the year-end omnibus government funding bill released by the U.S. Senate and passed both chambers of Congress. The report language states “The Committee is concerned that National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) may be conducting activities that encourage states to adopt legislation, regulation, or other policies that unjustly profile motorcycle riders. The Committee directs NHTSA to report to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations on the extent to which the agency works with states on motorcycle passenger policies within 120 days of enactment of this Act.”
December 23rd – Six years after it was first introduced the U.S. House of Representatives passed H. Res 366, the motorcyclist profiling resolution. The resolution “Promotes increased public awareness on the issue of motorcyclist profiling; encourages collaboration and communication with the motorcyclist community and law enforcement to engage in efforts to end motorcyclist profiling; and urges State law enforcement officials to include statements condemning motorcyclist profiling in written policies and training materials.”
To read the full version of H. Res 366 visit website
These three victories in the span of just a few days reflects the hard work of MRF members and our allies over the course of 2022. The work done at events like Bikers Inside the Beltway and by state motorcyclist rights organizations throughout the year paved the way for these successes.
As we look towards 2023 more challenges remain. For example, the Motorcyclists Advisory Committee (MAC) has yet to be established despite legislation passed in 2021 that directs the Department of Transportation to seat the MAC. Follow up on issues like profiling and self-driving cars will be necessary as will action on other items in the robust 2023 MRF legislative agenda.
While we are excited by the end to a successful year in our nation’s capital, we know that staying engaged is the only way to protect the freedoms we cherish. Thank you for your continued support of the MRF. Without your time, energy, and passion the voice of the street rider would disappear from the halls of power in D.C.
Let’s keep the momentum going in 2023! Not yet a member of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation? Join in the 2023 Freedom Fight.
Ride Safe and Ride Free
Advertisement
SAWICKI NEWS--2023 is off to a fast start
with Harley-Davidson releasing new lineup, more new products from Sawicki, our first events of the year, and the passing of legend Ken Block. So, here we go!
Big news from the motor company
this month and no I’m not talking about the pretty new colors H-D has to offer, although that’s always an important announcement for the V-Twin obsessed folks we call Fam. (check out our post about the new models on our socials) I’m talking about the major 120 years of Harley-Davidson announcement everyone’s talking about that goes down January 18. You know as much as I do so save the date and let’s see what it’s all about. I’ll meet you on social media to discuss our feelings on the matter. Deal? Tight.
ABOUT THE TEXAS MILE--
The Texas Mile has grown rapidly since our inaugural event in October 2003. Participants come from all edges of the United States, Canada and Mexico to test themselves and their motorized equipment on the fastest and most challenging 1-mile track in the world.
They achieve their top speed in 1-Mile and shut down in a 1/2-Mile. This bi-annual Motorsports Festival is created for performance enthusiast – Welcoming Motorcycles, Performance Street Cars, Race Cars and Land Speed Racers.
Spectators enjoy seeing the cars and motorcycles on the track and visiting with the participants in the paddock. There are onsite concessions to enjoy while at the event. For more details, see the rules and regulations section for participants and spectators.
Get off the highway and come out to The Texas Mile. It is like running on a straight 1 1/2-mile section of open highway without the fear of tickets and jail time. A High-Speed Shoot-out and Land Speed Racing Venue that compares to the likes of the legendary Bonneville that beckons one to “Drive in Your World, Race in Ours”!
WHY RUN?
Show what YOU have on a ONE-MILE straight (run wide open on an airport runway in Texas – 130mph, 160mph, 190mph & 200+mph)
Compete for the best of the best in your class
Set a high-speed record in Texas
Get the chance to join the 200+mph club of Texas
Test your equipment, prove something to yourself
Heck, just come out for a good time
NEW SBS BETTER BRAKES: NEXT-LEVEL BRAKE PERFORMANCE & ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
SVENDBORG, DENMARK. January 2, 2023 – SBS Friction A/S, the Danish manufacturer of brake pads for motorcycles, ATVs, SxS, and special applications, announced in 2021 a new strategy that would make the company the first brake pad production center in the industry, to fully embrace a sustainable proof-of-business both in production and in output. One year following, SBS is introducing the first Aftermarket brake pads that have both been refined and optimized for improved brake performance.
The new product series will be named SBS Better Brakes and will be available from January 1st, 2023.
The first products to be transitioned and introduced in the new SBS Better Brakes-series, are the popular SBS HF, SP, HS, and MS ranges. These ranges comprise more than 70% of the brake pads sold by SBS. Thus, the product launch will follow the company's intention to transition products with high impact in focus. The transition of HF, SP, HS, and MS compounds is expected to be completed by Q3 2023 .
Because of significant similarities in performance characteristics of the new SP and HS-ranges and with an intention of enabling easier product selection for dealers and endusers, SP is being discontinued and merged into the HS product references. The series merger will happen gradually throughout Q3 2023.
Improved brake performance and stopping power
Riders will get a better and more stable brake performance and stopping power with the new SBS Better Brakes-series. The re-engineered compound formulas enable an improved Coefficient of Friction that provides a more efficient brake grip throughout the braking sequence. This results in a significantly reduced stopping distance, of up to 12%.
The new Better Brakes-series are designed to maintain a static fade level throughout after being heated and with improved heat resilience that enables a consistent braking experience with more sense of control and comfort throughout the ride.
- When developing new compounds, especially as complex as these new SBS Better Brakes compounds where we remove key friction materials, including copper, nickel, and antimony, thorough testing and engineering are required to be able to maintain and, in most cases, also improve brake performance. We have managed to make this possible and in compliance with OEM development procedures, says SBS Head of R&D, Esben Juul Sørensen.
The SBS Better Brakes-series is designed without Copper, Nickel (sintered compounds) and Antimony (ceramic compounds), which and replaced with an iron-based formula, which gives an improved Coefficient of Friction while also being a more environmentally friendly resource.
All products in the SBS Better Brakes-series are furthermore enforced with NUCAP NRS, the advanced mechanical friction material bonding technology.
