Archive | February, 2018

Harley pulling a FOCUS POCUS

Harley-Davidson Inc.’s 115th anniversary bash in Milwaukee on Labor Day weekend will be more about the bikes and riding than big-stage concerts.

New venues, including motorcycle racing on Bradford Beach, will distinguish the 115th from Harley’s previous anniversaries, which attracted hundreds of thousands of riders to Milwaukee from all over the world.

Some things you can expect:

  • Lots of street parties across the city with live music, but no headline acts like Aerosmith or Bruce Springsteen.
  • Motorcycle field games such as “slow races,” T-ball, barrel rolls, plank rides and “weenie bites.”
  • A “moto-carnival” at Veterans Park with high-wire motorcycle thrill shows and the Wall of Death from the Full Throttle Saloon in Sturgis, S.D.
  • Racing on Bradford Beach, where bikes will tear through the sand on the Lake Michigan shoreline.
  • “Run What You Brung” drag racing and Flat Out Friday flat-track racing.
  • READ MORE: https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2018/02/27/harley-davidson-more-focused-bikes-than-concerts-115th-anniversary/375150002/
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Biker hit and killed by Garbage Truck in Polk Cty.

LAKELAND, FL – Members of the Lakeland Police Traffic Homicide Unit are continuing their investigation into a fatal accident early Tuesday morning, Feb. 27, between a garbage truck and a motorcycle.

Around 5:27 am. a contracted garbage truck for the Polk County Waste & Recycling Department was heading north on Socrum Loop Road when it struck a motorcycle from behind that was stopped at the intersection of Socrum Loop Road and Lakeland Park Boulevard.

The garbage truck driver, Alvin T. Lamar, 43, said he simply failed to see the motorcycle driven by Michael Louis Dimezza, 53.

Dimezza was thrown off the motorcycle and, despite attempts by Polk County Emergency Services and the Lakeland Fire Department to save his life, he died at the scene.

The road was shut down for 4 ½ hours while the traffic homicide unit investigated. No charges have been filed at this time.

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Motorcyclists ride to Fl. School to honor shooting victims

SUNRISE, FLA. (WSVN) – Owners of Harley-Davidson motorcycles rode across Broward County to pay tribute to the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in their own special way.

7News cameras captured hundreds of bikers as they hit the road in Sunrise on Sunday.

“It’s very inspiring. I mean, it’s people from all ways of life here,” said rider Ben Holmes. “It brings everybody together and just shows everybody cares.”

The bikers cruised 20 miles to show their support for the

READ MORE https://wsvn.com/news/local/harley-davidson-bikers-ride-to-stoneman-douglas-to-honor-shooting-victims/

 

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Unruly dirt biker takes one in the foot!

BEANTOWN, Mass

A reckless crew of ATV and dirt bike riders who were being tracked by Boston and Cambridge cops as they roared through the area on their off-road vehicles were stopped in their tracks by troopers on the Southeast Expressway today, where a handful of them were arrested, more than a dozen bikes were seized and one of them was shot in the foot, state police said.

(Boston, MA 02/24/18) Law enforcement stops dirt bike riders at the I-93 Southbound Massachusetts Avenue exit on Saturday, February 24, 2018. Staff photo by Nicolaus Czarnecki

With the help of Boston police, state troopers set up a roadblock for the riders about 5:18 p.m. near Exit 18 on Interstate 93. Overlooking the highway from a nearby overpass, Herald photographer Nicolaus Czarnecki captured the melee as a team of troopers — some with guns drawn — tried to corral the pack of 25 to 35 off-road riders as they desperately attempted to get away. Some jumped off their bikes and ran, others hopped onto the back of other bikes, and some even tried to ride over the median and into oncoming traffic.

Several of the riders managed to evade police.

State police spokesman David Procopio confirmed that one of the riders — a 28-year-old Randolph man — was shot in the foot by a state trooper while he was being placed under arrest. That injured rider, whose name has not been released, was taken to Boston Medical Center to be treated for the non-life-threatening injury, Procopio said. Another rider who complained of pain was also hospitalized.

One trooper was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital to be treated for a knee injury suffered during the apprehensions, he said.

Seven riders were placed under arrest and about 20 dirt bikes and ATVs were seized and towed from the scene. State police didn’t immediately identify those arrested but said they were each facing a charge of disorderly conduct and numerous motor vehicle offenses and will be arraigned Monday in Boston Municipal Court.

The officer-involved shooting is being investigated by the Suffolk District Attorney’s office.

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Indian Motorcycles that won’t be in Daytona

February 22, 2018

MADISON COUNTY, Fla. (WCTV) — Madison County Fire Rescue says a tractor-trailer hauling at least a dozen motorcycles went up in flames along Interstate 10 on Thursday.

MCFR says it happened just after 11 a.m. near mile marker 262 in Madison County.

Officials say it started when the trailer experienced a tire blowout and the driver attempted to make it to the next exit before stopping. Another driver reportedly flagged down the driver upon seeing flames coming from the trailer.

The Florida Highway Patrol and MCFR responded to the scene.

No injuries were reported.

MCFR says the tractor-trailer and the motorcycles it was hauling sustained damage in the fire.

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Motorcyclist killed when Careless Dick leaves car in middle of road

A motorcyclist died and his rider was critically injured after crashing into the back of a stalled car on N. Central Expressway early Sunday.

Dallas police said the woman who left her car in the middle lane of 75 could face charges. Police said it’s the negligence that stands out to them and that’s why it’s going to a grand jury.

Rita Garrison says her son Tyler was visiting North Texas from Asheville, North Carolina when tragedy struck. Tyler was riding a motorcycle southbound on Central Expressway around 4:30 a.m. Sunday when he slammed into the back of car stalled in the center lane near Walnut Hill.

The 25-year-old driver left her stalled car to stand on the shoulder waiting for friends to arrive. Police said the driver’s actions did not appear to be intentional, but may have been negligent. They did not say if her hazard lights were on or if she called anyone else besides her friends to help.

Attorney Toby Shook, in private practice and not associated with the case, worked for more than 20 years in the Dallas County prosecutor’s office and said investigators need to find out the circumstances of why the vehicle was left in the middle of the road.

“They’ll refer it to a grand jury when they think the risk that the driver took in this case abandoning the vehicle was substantial enough to rise to the level of criminal negligence,” Shook said.

Rita garrison’s said Tyler was a devoted father to a 3-year-old daughter, a motorcycle enthusiast and deeply rooted in his faith. She said tearfully by phone she wants the driver to know she is forgiven and she says Tyler would not want the woman’s life to be ruined over the incident.

Garrison had a passenger on his bike who was seriously injured and put in a medically induced coma.

The case will likely get referred to the grand jury on Tuesday. Since the driver has not been formally charged, police are not releasing her name.

Read more: http://www.fox4news.com/news/motorcyclist-killed-after-driver-leaves-car-in-middle-lane-of-central-expressway

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Motorcyclist arrested for speeding, YIKES!

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – A man is facing multiple charges after troopers say he rode his motorcycle at a speed of 170 mph on Interstate 64 near the Clark-Fayette County line.

Troopers arrested Brett Nathaniel Williams, 32, after they say he was clocked at going 100 mph over the posted speed limit.

Williams is charged with speeding, reckless driving, fleeing or evading police and other offenses.

Police placed him into custody on Winchester Road in Lexington near Polo Club Boulevard.

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Biker Killed, his life worth $1520.00 in Illinois

JOLIET, IL – A Joliet woman who had a revoked driver’s license when she pulled into traffic on Jefferson Street and killed Roger Phillips Jr., a Shorewood man on his motorcycle, is no longer in Will County custody. This past week, Will County Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak sentenced Victoria Martin, 27, to time served at the Will County jail. Martin had spent the past 199 days living in the jail. She was booked into the county detention facility during the early morning hours of July 31, 2017. On Tuesday night, she was set free.

Judge Bertani-Tomczak sentenced Martin to 30 months of court probation. Martin must pay $770 in court costs plus probation fees of $25 per month. In sum, Martin owes a grand total of $1,520 in fines to Will County’s judicial system for her role in killing the Shorewood motorcycle rider.

Back in December, Martin pleaded guilty to the felony crime of aggravated driving while having a suspended license. It’s a Class 4 felony. The 38-year-old victim was struck last July 30 as Martin pulled into oncoming traffic on Jefferson Street from the Citgo gas station. As she had tried to make a left-hand turn, she collided with the Shorewood motorcycle rider.

Read more: https://patch.com/illinois/joliet/woman-who-killed-shorewood-motorcyclist-given-time-served

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Harley-Davidson still to close Kansas City plant HD PLANT will close despite Missouri delegation plea

MILWAUKEE — Harley-Davidson Inc. said it is standing by its plans to close a motorcycle assembly plant in Kansas City, ending about 800 jobs there, despite a plea by Missouri congressional leaders who reminded Harley of the millions of dollars in incentives the state has provided the company over the last two decades.

In a letter sent Friday to Harley CEO Matt Levatich, Missouri Sens. Roy Blunt and Claire McCaskill and Reps. Sam Graves and Emanuel Cleaver II noted that Kansas City beat out 30 other cities across the country when Harley was looking to build an assembly plant in 1996.

“It came with a considerable incentive package from the city, Platte County, and the state of Missouri,” the bipartisan group of lawmakers said in the letter.

“Over that time, the company has become an important part of the community, and has grown to be one of the largest manufacturers in the Kansas City region,” the letter said.

State and local leaders offered a $6.4 million incentive package to lure Harley to Kansas City initially and those subsidies grew by tens of millions of dollars over time, according to a January story in the Kansas City Star.

Harley spokesman Michael Pflughoeft said Friday the company had not yet seen the letter. But he said the decision to close the plant was based on market conditions.

“Ultimately, this initiative is about reducing excess (plant) capacity. Our Kansas City workforce has done a tremendous job producing quality motorcycles and serving our customers. And we have always appreciated the support of our Kansas City community,” Pflughoeft said in an email to the Journal Sentinel.

“Unfortunately, there’s nothing our unions or local or congressional members could have done to relieve the pressure of excess capacity we have in the U.S. today. If there was, we would have reached out to discuss options.”

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Lady Riders MOTORCYCLE GEAR MAKERS NEED TO DO MORE THAN ‘SHRINK IT OR PINK IT’

The industry is looking for new ways to attract women and younger riders.

As the weather warms up, many Texans tune up their motorcycles and get them out of the garage. Texas ranks third in the nation for the number of registered hogs and choppers, but the industry is in trouble. As baby boomers age out, sales for many manufacturers are either flattening out or falling.

Robert Pandya, a former motorcycle executive, and founder of the group Give a Shift, spoke with Host David Brown about a report his group put together on declining ridership and what to do about it.

“There is a need to have this conversation,” Pandya says. “I realize that motorcycling isn’t for everybody out there. It’s a part of the transportation matrix, but the conversation is not happening.”

One of the demographics that manufacturers are missing out on is women.

“Women make up 14 percent of registered riders,” Pandya says. “There may actually be a higher percentage a lot of times a guy may go in and buy the bike so it’s a male name on the title. The opportunity for growth and to include more growth is phenomenal.”

Apparel is one way the industry tries to attract more females. The industry term for modifying clothes for a female market is “shrink it or pink it. This means just making a jacket or helmet a few sizes smaller and coloring it pink or purple. More nuance may be required to attract this under-represented demographic.

“There are manufacturers who are creating female-centric clothing that actually fits right that actually looks cool that is a complement to your motorcycling,” Pandya says. “Instead of it feeling like you’re wearing somebody else’s costume you’re actually in the right gear for you. That makes you more confident as a rider.”

The industry is starting to become conscious of the fact that up until this point they have largely ignored Generation X in favor of the baby boomer generation. Pandya says the conversation about increasing ridership for young people is starting to happen but hasn’t had the public attention it deserves.

“Almost every single car I passed on my way to the studio here had just one driver in it,” he says. “Here on UT campus there’s a huge shortage of parking spaces. If more people were on scooters or small motorcycles the freedom that a lot of college students are getting for the first time in their lives is complemented by two wheels and a motor.”

Pandya realizes that there are certain people who will never have any interest in motorcycling due to safety and other concerns. However, he does believe that it’s worth preserving for the people who want the freedom motorcycling can bring.

“As an option out there it’s a compelling thing to be on two wheels, to be in the environment riding through it,” he says. “You’re in the movie, you’re not watching the movie.”

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