Hey,

This is an interesting one as you will see. The motorcycle rights world is waking up and getting together to fight for our rights to ride against the Alarmists untruths.

Life is a game of words. From the time when we were kids and bullies called other kids names from fat to whatever. We remember as young bikers being called biker trash and worse. Now, it has to do with environment. Either you’re a die-hard environmentalist or you’re destroying the planet, a denier. Bullshit.

Unfortunately, the Doomsday proponents are wrong on every account and that forces them to be even more ardent and terrified. The rest of the public sat around drinking beer, while suspecting the radicals were wrong but not knowing for sure. Well, now it’s time to get educated and involved. Let’s hit the news.



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..







INTERVIEW WITH KEN DEGRAAF BY CLINTEL--

What would climate policy ideally look like in your view?

It would be decoupled from CO2. Climate is an existential threat—it threatens our very existence. We live our lives protecting ourselves from the elements. It takes energy to do anything, especially to stay alive.

--Clintel

Ken is a representative in the Colorado General Assembly. “In the 2023 General Assembly, I presented a bill to revoke CO2 as a pollutant.”

I wrote to Ken regarding our resolution. -- Bandit

Hey Ken,

I just read your interview with Clintel, amazing. What happened to your revoke CO2 as a pollutant bill?

I’ve been trying to put a resolution before congress to force the truth. I’m just an old biker who escaped California to Sturgis, SD three years ago. I’ve always been a freedom fighter for motorcyclists.

Here’s my resolution. I felt if Climate doom could be smashed, perhaps freedom and truth would shine again.

Here’s his response:

Thanks Keith! I’ve spent some time up in Sturgis. My wife did an internship there and my FIL helped with starting a new church.

The bill was expectedly, unfortunately quashed in the ideological filter they call “committee,” but I was able to put the verbiage into some proposed amendments for other bills that at least made the Dems squirm a bit.

I agree with your resolution, but I was generous in my assessment of science literacy in the political arena. The main issue is that they don’t want to know the truth because the truth doesn’t give them the moral authority to confront an existential threat. An “existential threat” is one that threatens your very existence, so their “solutions” can encompass the totality of your existence.

I stand by my assertion that “there is no problem the government cannot make worse with a “solution.”” Because if the “problem” they’re solving isn’t real, the “solution”’for it will be a real problem.

One issue with your resolution, although I agree with the sentiment, is that laws based on untruths are inherently unjust, but not meaningless. Laws based on untruths are the foundation of tyrannies and invariably create great misery whether they’re meant to or not.

Per our Declaration of Independence, “governments are instituted among men (to secure these Rights) deriving their just power from the consent of the governed.” It’s a very tightly prescribed box within which government can govern without lapsing into tyranny.

Getting people to get on board is the crucial part of your resolution. Maybe you need a booth at the bike rally for “Bikers against climate B$.” You know the greeniacs & carbonistas hate Hogs (I’ve not driven one, but in a prior life I flew them). We need the populous to understand that they are coming after every aspect of our lives to be put under their control, and the virtue-preening Care’ns (“I care more than you do”) will justify their tyranny by baseless compassion.

--Ken





BRAND NEW BIKERNET READER COMMENT—

Redhead Action in Deadwood

https://www.bikernet.com/pages/REDHEAD_ACTION_IN_DEADWOOD.aspx

You always continue to amaze me, when I read one of your stories. You hit the nail on the head in the storylines. I guess it always help when you live the true biker lifestyle. Great read. I hope I can write like you guys and gals eventually. Take care brother.

--Gearhead
Los Angeles

Thanks brother. --Bandit





EPA Proposal a De Facto Ban on Gasoline--Powered Cars and Trucks

WASHINGTON, July 5, 2023 — The American Petroleum Institute (API) today urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reverse course on its proposal for new tailpipe emissions standards for light-duty and medium-duty vehicles, which amount to a de facto ban on vehicles using gasoline and other liquid fuels that would drastically reduce American families’ freedom to choose a car or truck that best fits their needs and budget.

“We share the goal of reducing emissions across the transportation sector while ensuring continued reliability and affordability options for millions of Americans,” API President and CEO Mike Sommers said. “We support technology-neutral federal policies that drive greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions in the transportation sector, but this proposal seriously misses the mark. While not an explicit ban on internal combustion engines, this proposal is a de facto ban that will eliminate competition, distort the market, and restrict consumer choice, while being potentially more costly to taxpayers. API will keep all options on the table to protect American families and businesses if the agency moves forward with this ban.”

In comments submitted to the EPA, API outlined major concerns with several aspects of the proposed rule, including its heavy reliance on electric vehicles to achieve compliance.

While battery technology has improved in recent years, the proposed rule ignores the significant infrastructure, consumer acceptance, and supply chain challenges that remain. In addition, EPA’s narrow focus on a singular technology risks undermining U.S. energy security by forcing a greater reliance on foreign sources for raw materials and critical minerals.

API highlighted better ways to accomplish the agency’s goal of reducing emissions while preserving consumer choice in accessing affordable and reliable transportation options.

“EPA has largely ignored fuel and vehicle-based options that could better accomplish the agency’s objectives to expeditiously achieve greater transportation sector-related emission reductions from the entire vehicle fleet (both new and in-use) at lower cost,” Sommers said. “Meaningful carbon emission reductions are achievable sooner, and potentially at lower cost, via the use of proven and available technology in liquid fuels.”

--American Petroleum Institute




HERO-HARLEY LAUNCH--
Incredible Pricing. HeroMotoCorp announces launch of the first bike X440 under the Hero-Harley tie-up.

India and Hero MotoCorp celebrated 4th of July with the launch of Harley-Davidson X440. Freedom on the road becomes reachable to the masses with an incredible ex-showroom price.



This incredibly competitive price was a big surprise for many. The H-D X440 co-developed & co-designed by Hero MotoCorp through technical support by Harley-Davidson is priced at INR 229,000 ex-showroom (approximately USD 2,790 only, before taxes, insurance, etc)

The top variant is priced at INR 269,000 (approx. USD 3,280). Yup, those are the numbers.

The bike will be sold across 25 Harley-India showrooms and 300 select Hero showrooms in India.

This is gonna tempt many people because of the brand name and pricing. There are Royal Enfields everywhere you look and one might want this ride to look distinct on the road and make a statement.

Visit Harley-DavidsonX440.com the official website of the motorcycle, where you can see all the bike details.

'Book Now' page will allow you to get into the detailed booking process. Here, you must select your state and city, followed by the variant and colour you would like to buy. Choose the nearest dealer and pay INR 5000 to book the bike. This amount is fully refundable in case there's any cancellation. Once this process is finished, you will get a booking number. The deliveries are going to commence in October.



Triumph's joint development with Bajaj would have to price competitively with this if it wants to challenge Harley-Davidson which remains the top overseas manufacturer in two-wheeler segment in terms of number of units sold annually. This is the first time a Harley-Davidson branded two-wheeler has been manufactured in India.





Meanwhile, I don't believe it would affect the sales of the various, globally released models of Harley-Davidson which are also sold in India through Hero MotoCorp partnership. A person who desires a Fat Boy or Nightster, won't suddenly settle for an X440. Big V-Twin remains a separate identity on and off the road.





PINSTRIPER OF THE WEEK--Chiko’s Pinstriping.

--Sam Burns
Senior Art Curator
Bikernet.com™







QUOTE OF THE WEEK--
"Remember, life is always uncertain. Everything dead is certain, life is always uncertain. Everything dead is solid, fixed - its nature cannot be changed; everything alive is moving, changing - a flow, a liquid thing, flexible, able to move in any direction. The more you become certain, the more you will miss life. And those who know, know life is God. If you miss life, you miss God "
- Osho

Wait, hold it right there, Mr. Osho. If you believe in God, dead is not fixed, right?

Even in death we never stop. Even after our carbon molecules form another planet billions of years from now, we’re still on the move.

--Ming Ball
Director of Philosophy
Pillar Peak, SD


Bajaj Auto-Triumph launch Speed 400 bike at ex-showroom price of INR 233,000

Bajaj Auto on July 5 launched the Speed 400 in collaboration with British motorcycle giant Triumph for the Indian market at an ex-showroom price of INR 233K. The introductory price will be applicable for the first 10,000 customers, Bajaj Auto-Triumph announced at the launch event.

Bajaj-Triumph Targets Sales of Nearly 50K Mid-Sized Bikes in Global Markets This Year

The online pre-booking for the Speed 400 started last month after its premiere in London. The online pre-booking had a fully refundable payment window of INR 2,000.

The bike was unveiled after Hero Motocorp launched X 440 in partnership with Harley Davidson and the deliveries are likely to begin this month.

The motorcycle designed and manufactured in United Kingdom's Hinckley comes with a two-year unlimited mileage warranty and a 16,000 km service interval.

It features a new TR-series engine that has a fuel-injected, liquid-cooled single-cylinder unit with a cubic capacity of 398.15.

The engine has the capacity to churn out 39.5 bhp of power at 8,000 rpm, along with a peak torque output of 37.5 Npm at 6,500 rpm. It will have a 6-speed gearbox with a slip-and-assist clutch.

It will come in three distinct colours - Carnival Red with Phantom Black, Capsian Blue with Storm Grey, and Phantom Black with Storm Grey.

Source:
https://www.msn.com/en-in/autos/news/in-pics-bajaj-auto-triumph-launches-speed-400-bike-at-ex-showroom-price-of-rs-2-33-lakh/ss-AA1dvOA8





CALIFA ALERT--Help Stop Speed Ticketing Cameras in California

Sign the petition to stop speed cameras in California. Assembly Bill 645 by Assemblymember Laura Friedman (Glendale/Los Angeles) would allow the use of speed ticketing cameras in LA and five other cities.

If this bill becomes law, eventually the entire state will be overrun with ticketing cameras issuing hundreds of millions of dollars in tickets to unsuspecting motorists. This is the fifth or sixth iteration of this bill which we have previously scrapped.

Unfortunately, this year it has a much better chance of passing. It already passed the Assembly and is currently being heard in the Senate. Just a few more votes will be taken before it goes to the Governor.

We need your voice to tell California legislators – NO speed cameras in California!

SIGN THE PETITION

AB-645 would authorize up to 125 ticketing cameras in LA for a "pilot program." Under LA’s reviled red light camera program, the city deployed cameras at 60 locations and issued over 60,000 tickets per year. With 125 speed cameras, the number of tickets that will be issued in LA alone would number in the hundreds of thousands, and fines would total in the millions.

How bad could it be? In the city of Baltimore, residents were issued 432,836 speed camera tickets from 144 cameras in 2021. In the city of Chicago, which deploys about 160-speed cameras, residents were issued 2.81 million citations in 2021. That’s one ticket every 12 seconds and more automated tickets in one year than there are residents in the entire city, costing residents $89 million.

In addition to the fines and add-on penalties, drivers are often subjected to an average 21% increase in insurance rates when these tickets are issued.

The bill allows the cities to keep 100% of the revenue as long as they use the money to install the government’s desired roadway obstacles to driving, like road diets and bike lanes.

AB-645 makes the vehicle owner responsible for the ticket and only provides a photo of the vehicle license plate. The ticket will be heard in an “administrative hearing,” much like parking tickets, with no due process and little to no ability to fight the ticket.

The ticket would be prima facie evidence of the violation, meaning you are assumed to be guilty and must prove your innocence. The burden of proof would fall on the defendant, not the city, to prove their case.

Most all legal rights afforded to defendants in traffic court would be eliminated including your right to face your accuser, right to discovery, right to subpoena witnesses, etc. The standard of proof would be “preponderance of the evidence” (more likely than not) rather than the higher standard of “beyond a reasonable doubt” which is currently used in traffic court.

California’s speed trap law protections are eliminated with camera-issued tickets.
AB-645 specifically authorizes the cameras to be used on roadways designated as a “safety corridor” where previous legislation now allows cities to reduce the speed limit by up to 12 mph below the operating speed of the roadway as measured by the 85th percentile of vehicle speeds.

AB-645 allows ticketing starting at 11 mph over the speed limit, so drivers traveling below the operational speed of the road based on how it was designed will be subject to ticketing. This alone will result in up to 90% of drivers passing the cameras being cited, resulting in hundreds of thousands of tickets and millions of dollars in fines issued.

AB-645 allows the use of speed cameras for millions of dollars in fines to times when children are going to and leaving school. The cameras would be allowed to run 24/7 including weekends and late nights, ticketing drivers when no one is around.

The bill is opposed by law enforcement groups (PORAC), union groups (Teamsters), motorist groups, motorcycle groups, independent truckers, and many social justice groups (ACLU, etc.). The fact that so many different groups that are barely on speaking terms with each other oppose this bill should tell you how toxic it is.

--NMA







QUICK, NEW BIKERNET READER COMMENT--THE TRUTH BIKERNET WEEKLY NEWS for June 29, 2023

The Born Free photos/news flash was MAGNIFICENT !!!! what a photographic genius! What great use of written language! ha! ha!

I AM A ROBOT!!!

--Zack
Long Beach, Califa

Masterful work…--Bandit