Archive for category Motorcycles

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Activists Missing After Declaring “War on Leather” at Motorcycle Rally

Posted on January 07, 2010.

Posted by Fuzzy Duffy

Activists Missing After Declaring “War on Leather” at Motorcycle Rally

Johnstown, PA (GlossyNews) – Local and state police scoured the hills outside rural Johnstown, Pennsylvania, after reports of three animal rights activists going missing after attempting to protest the wearing of leather at a large motorcycle gang rally this weekend. Two others, previously reported missing, were discovered by fast food workers “duct taped inside several fast food restaurant dumpsters,” according to police officials.

“Something just went wrong,” said a still visibly shaken organizer of the protest. “Something just went horribly, horribly, wrong.”

The organizer said a group of concerned animal rights activist groups, “growing tired of throwing fake blood and shouting profanities at older women wearing leather or fur coats,” decided to protest the annual motorcycle club event “in a hope to show them our outrage at their wanton use of leather in their clothing and motor bike seats.” “In fact,” said the organizer, “motorcycle gangs are one of the biggest abusers of wearing leather, and we decided it was high time that we let them know that we disagree with them using it…ergo, they should stop.”

According to witnesses, protesters arrived at the event in a vintage 1960’s era Volkswagen van and began to pelt the gang members with balloons filled with red colored water, simulating blood, and shouting “you’re murderers” to passers by. This, evidently, is when the brouhaha began.

“They peed on me!!!” charged one activist. “They grabbed me, said I looked like I was French, started calling me ‘La Trene’, and duct taped me to a tree so they could pee on me all day!”

“I…I was trying to show my outrage at a man with a heavy leather jacket, and he…he didn’t even care. I called him a murderer, and all he said was, ‘You can’t prove that.’ Next thing I know he forced me to ride on the back of his motorcycle all day, and would not let me off, because his girl friend was out of town and I was almost a woman.”

Still others claimed they were forced to eat hamburgers and hot dogs under duress. Those who resisted were allegedly held down while several bikers “farted on their heads.”

Police officials declined comments on any leads or arrests due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, however, organizers for the motorcycle club rally expressed “surprise” at the allegations.

“That’s preposterous,” said one high-ranking member of the biker organizing committee. “We were having a party, and these people showed up and were very rude to us. They threw things at us, called us names, and tried to ruin the entire event. So, what did we do? We invited them to the party! What could be more friendly than that? You know, just because we are all members of motorcycle clubs does not mean we do not care about inclusiveness. Personally, I think it shows a lack of character for them to be saying such nasty things about us after we bent over backwards to make them feel welcome.”

When confronted with the allegations of force-feeding the activists meat, using them as ad hoc latrines, leaving them incapacitated in fast food restaurant dumpsters, and ‘farting on their heads,’ the organizer declined to comment in detail. “That’s just our secret handshake,” assured the organizer.

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Help change the law to exclude youth-model motorcycles and ATV’s

Last update: Nov. 19, 2009

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has voted to stay enforcement of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) that currently bans the sale of youth-model motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). The stay, which extends through May 1, 2011, follows a unanimous vote by Acting Chairwoman Nancy Nord and Commissioner Thomas Moore.

While we applaud the CPSC commissioners’ vote to stay enforcement of the law, this does not solve the real issue, which is the law itself. Despite the stay, it is unclear whether state attorneys general will also decline to enforce the CPSIA. The sale of youth-model motorcycles and ATVs is still technically illegal. Even though a stay means that dealers would not be subject to fines or penalties imposed by the CPSC, state attorneys general would still be able to prosecute violators if they chose to do so. Youth-model motorcycles and ATVs should be exempt from the law, and Congress needs to act to make that happen.

Below are some quick links for ways you can help to exclude youth-model motorcycles and ATVs from the CPSIA or for more information about the issue:

  • Contact your representatives in Congress by using the Take Action button in the Issues & Legislation section of this website.
  • Act now to help kids keep access to youth-model dirtbikes and ATVs: AMA urges riders to contact elected officials by clicking here. Read the AMA’s letter to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees in support of Rep. Denny Rehberg’s amendment to prohibit the use of funds to implement and/or enforce the CPSIA.
  • Click here to urge your State Attorney General to follow the lead of the CPSC regarding stay of enforcement.
  • Individuals can sign up for the AMA/ATVA Government Relations Department’s Action E-list so that they can be notified by e-mail when their support is needed to make a difference on important issues.
  • Those interested in circulating a petition to change the CPSIA should contact Jessica Irving, AMA/ATVA grassroots coordinator, at jirving@ama-cycle.org.
  • For more historical information, please click here to see a video of AMA’s President Rob Dingman.
  • Read the AMA’s comments to the CPSC here.
  • Read the U.S. House of Representatives Bipartisan letter to the CPSC here.
  • Read the U.S. Senate Bipartisan letter to the CPSC here. Click here to read the CPSC’s response to the Senate letter.
  • To read the stay of enforcement from the CPSC, please click here.
  • For an abridged version of the stay of enforcement, click here.
  • The CPSC issued its final rule pertaining to the lead content limits on certain materials or products of the CPSIA. To read the final rule, click here.
  • Rep. Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (26-TX) sends letter to Chairmen Henry Waxman and Bobby Rush requesting a hearing on the problems in implementing the CPSIA. To read the letter, click here.
  • Read the AMA’s letter to the National Association of Attorneys General and its response.
  • On May 14, 2009, Acting Chairman Nord testified before a subcommittee of the House Committee on Small Business. Read her testimony here.
  • Sean Hilbert of Cobra Motorcycles submitted a statement for the May 14 hearing. To read his statement, please click here.
  • For more details about the bill (H.R. 1587) to exclude OHVs from the CPSIA, click here.
  • Click here to download a PDF version of the CPSIA.

Read the following AMA press releases on this issue:

Read these clips from U.S. Representative Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) about the CPSIA:

CPSIA Background
The CPSIA took effect in February 2009 and it immediately stopped the sale of dirt bikes and ATVs designed for children 12 and under. The law was meant to protect children from dangerous levels of lead in toys, but it was written so broadly that it also impacted children’s books, clothes, motorcycles and ATVs.

Under the CPSIA, all youth products containing lead must have less than 600 parts per million by weight. The CPSC has interpreted the law to apply to various components of youth-model motorcycles and ATVs, including the engine, brakes, suspension, battery and other mechanical parts. Even though the lead levels in these parts are small, they are still above the minimum threshold.

To ensure continued availability and access to youth-model motorcycles and ATVs, the Motorcycle Industry Council, Specialty Vehicle Industry Association, the AMA, ATVA and others asked the CPSC to consider petitions submitted to exclude youth-model motorcycles and ATVs from the final rule governing the law.

The CPSC staff admits that the risk of exposure to lead from youth-model motorcycles and ATVs is relatively low. But the staff told the commissioners that the law is written so strictly that no lead absorption into the body is allowed. As a result, they say, motorcycles and ATVs shouldn’t be exempt from the law.

In April, the two-member CPSC rejected an industry request to exempt youth-model off-road motorcycles and ATVs from the CPSIA because the agency did not believe that it had the authority to exclude these vehicles from the lead-content limits imposed by Congress. However, the commissioners signaled their desire to issue a stay to give Congress the opportunity to change the law so that youth-model motorcycles and ATVs can be legally sold. The commissioners also expressed hope that manufacturers will use the delay to make changes to their products to make them meet the requirements of the new law.

“…ATVs and motorized bikes appropriately sized for children 12 and younger can again be available and the commission will not seek penalties for violation of Section 101 and related provisions of the (law) against those who sell them,” said Acting CPSC Chairman Nancy Nord on April 3. “I hope that the state attorneys general will follow the lead of the agency on this matter.

“All stakeholders — industry, users, Congress and the commission — need to come together to fix the statutory problems that have become so apparent, in a common sense approach that does not unnecessarily burden those regulated, yet provides safety for American families,” she said.

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