News Bytes
THE AIM / NCOM MOTORCYCLE E-NEWS SERVICE is brought to you by Aid to Injured Motorcyclists( A. I. M.) and the National Coalition of Motorcyclists( NCOM), and is sponsored by the Law Offices of Richard M. Lester. If you’ ve been involved in any kind of accident, call us at 1-( 800) ON-A-BIKE or visit www. ON-A-BIKE. com.
NCOM BIKER NEWSBYTES Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish, National Coalition of Motorcyclists( NCOM)
NEW YEAR BRINGS NEW LEGISLATION Along with the new year comes an onslaught of new legislation, as new legislative sessions across the nation consider a myriad of motorcycle laws such as helmet legislation in ARIZONA that would charge riders a fee to ride without one. Prefiled on January 6, 2016, H. B. 2052 introduced by State Representative Dr. Randall Friese( D-Tucson) would modify their Under-18 helmet law to read;“ An operator or passenger of a motorcycle, all-terrain vehicle or motor driven cycle who is at least eighteen years of age is exempt from the helmet requirement if the owner pays a( as yet undetermined) fee when registering their vehicle.”
“ A person who violates this section is subject to a civil penalty of five hundred dollars,” and a‘ portion’ of the fees collected from the pay-to-play p-pot plot would be“ deposited in the Spinal and Head Injuries Trust Fund.”
Meanwhile, in INDIANA S. B. 157 would“ eliminate the portion of the motorcycle registration fee that is currently distributed to the spinal cord and brain injury fund.”
MISSOURI is considering numerous motorcycle-related bills, including seven helmet bills; one would repeal the law for anyone 18 or over( HB1663), another would exempt motorcyclists 21 or older from wearing a helmet if they have appropriate health insurance coverage( HB1464), one“ Prohibits law enforcement from stopping a motorcycle for failing to wear protective headgear”( HB1957), while( HB1371) treats the infraction as a secondary offense, requiring another reason to pull a rider over, and four separate bills concern autocycles and primarily exempts certain operators of motorcycles and motortricycles from wearing protective headgear( SB659, SB694, SB851 & SB1732).
Three-wheelers are of concern in several states, as legislatures struggle with defining and regulating“ autocycles,” and in KANSAS House Bill 2436 would allow persons to take a motorcycle license driving exam on a 3-wheeled motorcycle and would restrict such licenses to trikes.
In NEW HAMPSHIRE, as in some other states, the state legislature will consider HB 1308 to allow motorcycles to travel between lanes of traffic in certain instances, a. k. a.; lane-splitting. HB1347 would“ establish a committee to study sharing the road with bicycles and motorcycles.”
Also in the Granite State, Senator Andrew Hosmer, a Democrat from Laconia, has introduced SB 360 to repeal the statute restricting handlebar height and legalize so-called“ ape-hangers”. New Hampshire is currently among more than 30 states that limit the height of motorcycle handlebars.
Since 1967, existing statute prohibits handlebar grips“ higher than the shoulder level of the driver when in the seat or saddle” and also prohibits riding a motorcycle with“ improvised, defective, or repaired handlebars.”
“ I applaud Senator Hosmer for sponsoring this bill,” said Charlie St. Clair, executive director of the Laconia Motorcycle Week Association.“ I have never heard the height of handlebars presented as a safety issue,” he told the Laconia Daily Sun.“ There is no history of accidents caused by high bars.”
Without a federal standard, the regulation of handlebars on motorcycles rests with the states. Currently, 12 states limit the height of handlebars to 15 inches above the saddle. 5 others require the handlebars to be below the height of the shoulder. Last summer, South Dakota, which hosts the annual Sturgis Rally became the most recent state to repeal its shoulder level statute.
SHARE WHAT’ S HAPPENING IN YOUR STATE“ At our annual NCOM board meeting in November, the board discussed what information would be beneficial to share with attendees at our annual NCOM Convention in May,” says NCOM Board & Legislative Task Force member Annette Torrez, who is also chair of the New Mexico Motorcycle Rights Organization( NMMRO), adding that“ We decided on a session on state legislative victories and defeats. We all face similar and different issues in each state during our legislative sessions, and by sharing the outcomes on bills that were sponsored, passed, failed and the details, we can learn from each other. By the sharing of information we may be able to advance many of the same victories or avoid the pitfalls faced.”
The National Coalition of Motorcyclists( NCOM) welcomes your input, and encourages you to share your information with Annette Torrez at atorrez2 @ msn. com( 505) 730-0435 and / or NCOM Board Member John Bilotta, also Operations Director of ABATE of Virginia, at abateregion3 @ yahoo. com.
The 31st annual NCOM Convention will be held Mother’ s Day weekend, May 5-8, 2016 at Harrah’ s Resort, located at 777 Harrah’ s Blvd in Atlantic City, New Jersey, so reserve your room now for the special NCOM rate of $ 109 by calling( 888) 516-2215.
To pre-register for the 2016 NCOM Convention, contact the National Coalition of Motorcyclists at( 800) 525-5355 or visit www. ON-A-BIKE. com.
NCOM CONFERENCE CONVENES IN UNITY, COOPERATION & RESPECT The chill air in Kansas City, Missouri reverberated with the thunder of dozens of motorcycles as riders from a six-state area converged on the Holiday Inn KCI Airport November 21, 2015 for the National Coalition of Motorcyclists( NCOM) Region 2 Conference, which comprises Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. This year, the Conference was hosted by the newly-formed Missouri Confederation of Clubs and Independents, and chaired by NCOM Region 2 Co-Directors“ Tiger Mike” Revere, President of Central OK District ABATE and Liaison to the Oklahoma Confederation of Clubs, and Tony Shepherd of ABATE of Missouri.
Following is a conference report submitted by Tiger Mike:“ Riders from the Region 2 member states were both excited and thirsty for information on important issues, especially hoping for an update on the horrific Waco, TX event of May, 2015. Bikers were also apprehensive about whether the Waco tragedy might negatively impact attendance. As it turned out, the opposite was true, featuring a standing-room only crowd!
30 Thunder Roads Magazine ® Colorado February 2016 www. thunderroadscolorado. com