The American Motorcyclist Association honored 59 U.S. lawmakers for their support of motorcyclists in the recently concluded 112th Congress.

Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Representative James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), and former Representatives Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.) and Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) in particular were honored with “Hero” awards by the AMA Government Relations Department for their efforts during the congressional session running from Jan. 3, 2011 to Jan. 3, 2013.

Klobuchar and Rehberg played important roles in getting youth dirt bikes and ATVs exempted from the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act “lead ban”. Bartlett helped work out a compromise over the expansion of a U.S. Marine base that could have encroached on the popular Johnson Valley off-highway riding area in California. Sensenbrenner introduced legislation banning federal funding for motorcycle-only checkpoints. Continue Reading »

Zero Motorcycles is offering two new police-spec electric motorcycles for law enforcement agencies and security companies for 2013. The Santa Cruz, Calif., company has been supplying police versions of Zero DS in 2012 (following an initial trial in 2011 in Scotts Valley, Calif.) with but 2013, the company is adding a new model based on the Zero S.

The 2013 Zero S Police/Security joins the Zero DS Police/Security after Zero saw demand for a pure street-based police bike in addition to a dual sport model. Both models are based on the 2013 consumer versions, which Zero claims are 93% more powerful than the 2012 models with 62% more torque. Equipped with the ZF11.4 powerpack, Zero claims a combined highway and city range of 74 miles from the DS and a combined range of 102 miles for the S model. Both police models are available with the ZF8.5 powerpack which provides a claimed combined range of 69 miles for the DS and 77 miles for the S. Continue Reading »

Anyone who has read a comic book has probably dreamed about putting on a mask and going out to strike terror into the hearts of evil-doers. A 43-year-old man in Argentina has been doing just that, dressing up and taking the name “Menganno” and patrolling the streets of Buenos Aires on a Bajaj Pulsar 200.

Menganno has been patrolling his neighborhood since at least 2010, usually in makeshift armor carrying a flashlight, pepper spray and a Captain Amerca-style blue and white shield. He added another weapon to an arsenal recently which has landed him in hot water with (actual) law enforcement, leading to Menganno being unmasked as Oscar Lefosse, a former police officer who served from 1986 to 1996.

In late January, Lefosse and his wife arrived at their home and allegedly came upon three robbers. Lefosse allegedly pulled out a Glock and opened fire at the intruders. Someone posting as Menganno on his official Facebook page claimed the three intruders were also armed and attacking him, posting a picture of his bullet-riddled car. Law enforcement officials dispute this account, according to The Telegraph, saying the bullets were fired from inside the car. Continue Reading »

Brazilian police made what they thought was a breakthrough in an investigation into a string of carjackings. The key evidence was a baseball cap bearing what police believed was the suspect’s name: Harley Davidson.

Sergeant Cunha, chief of police in the town Guapo in central Brazil, appeared on a television news station Goiania with an appeal to the public for help in finding a Mr. Harley Davidson after investigators found a black Harley-Davidson baseball cap and a gray T-shirt linked to the suspect.

“He left a grey T-shirt which he had used to cover his face, and also a baseball cap with a skull embroidered on it, along with the name Harley, and the citizen’s surname, Davidson, who is probably the miscreant we’re looking for,” Cunha told Goiania (as translated by the Daily Mail.) Continue Reading »

For years now, the motorcycle industry has had to design its motorcycles and their exhaust systems to stay below government-mandated sound levels, particularly with off-road motorcycles. The burgeoning electric vehicle industry may bring about the opposite now, with governments proposing minimum sound levels for the mostly silent-running electric cars and motorcycles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a which operates under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Transportation, is proposing new minimum sound standards for electric and hybrid-powered vehicles to provide an audio cue to warn pedestrians of approaching vehicles. The concern is primarily with electric vehicles traveling at slow speeds as they generate little noise. The proposal has been in the works for a while now, stemming from the bipartisan Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2010. NHTSA estimates the proposals would result in 2800 fewer pedestrian injuries over the life of each vehicle model year. Continue Reading »

In case you forgot or missed it the first time around, the Motorcycle Anti-Tampering Act (SB 435) went into effect January 1, 2013. Signed into law by Governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger, in late 2010, the law authorizes the PoPo to cite motorcycle owners with non-compliant exhaust systems and ticket them with a noise pollution violation.

SB 435 requires motorcycles and aftermarket motorcycle exhaust systems made on or after January 1st to display an EPA sound emissions label. Motorcycles produced prior to this date cannot be ticketed under SB 435. Motorcyclists must also first be pulled over for violating another traffic law such as speeding, illegal U-turn, etc. Police are not allowed to pull over a motorcyclist with the sole intention of an SB 435 infraction.

First time offenders will face a fine between $50 to $100 — a fine that can be dismissed with proof of correction. A second offense raises the fine to $100 to $250 with no provision for dismissing the fine with proof of correction. Meaning, you can’t keep reinstalling  your stock exhaust every time you get caught and pay nothing.

An argument against SB 435 is the emasculated EPA has no power for enforcing the correct placement of its mandated label for exhaust systems, on OEM or aftermarket exhaust systems. Thus, it’s difficult to find the EPA label, especially on motorcycles with bodywork, and unreasonable to expect police officers to be able to easily locate the label. It’s also unreasonable to expect a motorcyclist to disassemble the bike’s exhaust system in an effort to find the label.

The law was originally opposed by both the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC). These two organizations both recommended the J2825 standard developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers. The MIC is currently working with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the EPA on adopting J2825.

For now it is suggested that to avoid any unwarranted tickets regarding your bike’s exhaust system, the owner should carry receipts or other forms of proof regarding the date of manufacture of the motorcycle, when the exhaust was installed and/or purchased, etc.

Ed: This article has been updated with a comment from Zero Motorcycles.

Anyone else tired of hearing about the Fiscal Cliff yet? We are, and we were hoping to avoid having to write about it on this blog, but alas, motorcycle world has been drawn into the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 w The Act casts a wide net over many tax issues, including the extension of an existing tax credit for electric motorcycles.

Added to the Act by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the amendment allows the purchasers of electric two- and three-wheelers to claim a tax credit worth the lesser of 10% of the cost of the vehicle or $2,500. The amendment applies to street-legal vehicles capable of achieving speeds of 45 mph or higher. The amendment also reduces the requirements for the capacity of the vehicle’s power pack to 2.5 kWh from the previous level of 4 kWh.

The amendment was supported by Republican Congressman Greg Walden and Democrat U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, both representing Oregon. The state is home to a number of electric vehicle producers including Brammo, so it’s no wonder the act drew bi-partisan support. Wyden says the electric motorcycle industry is expected to generate nearly 2,000 jobs in the next 18 months and 16,000 jobs over the next five years. Continue Reading »

Lawmakers in a town in Indonesia have put forward new legislation that would ban women from straddling motorcycles when riding pillion behind a male rider. Women in Lhokseumawe city will still be allowed to straddle a motorcycle when she is the operator, but otherwise they will have to ride sidesaddle.

Lhokseumawe is a town in Aceh, a predominantly Muslim region of Indonesia that has in recently years has been implementing strict Sharia law. Officials say the new law will protect women from provoking male riders with their body positioning.

“Women sitting on motorbikes must not sit astride because it will provoke the male driver. It’s also to protect women from an undesirable condition,” Mayor Suaidi Yahya told AFP. “It’s improper for women to sit astride. We implement Islamic law here.” Continue Reading »

The Royal Malaysian Police has upgraded its motorcycle patrol squad with a fleet of police-spec 2013 Kawasaki Ninja 250 sportbikes.

The law agency’s Unit Rondaan Bermotosikal (Malaysian for motorcycling patrol unit) will receive 1000 units of the Ninja 250 which received a substantial update for 2013. Essentially, it’s the same as the Kawasaki Ninja 300 with ABS and fuel injection but with a 249cc engine.

The URB will use the Kawasaki Ninjas to patrol different hotspots around the country. The URB received an initial batch of 560 Ninjas from a total 1000 on order, and had a parade to celebrate the new fleet a few weeks ago (video below). Continue Reading »

Dorna announced it has removed Argentina from the 2013 MotoGP calendar over fears for the safety of Repsol employees – including Repsol-sponsored racers – following the Argentine government’s expropriation of the oil company’s local subsidiary.

Back in April, the Argentine government passed law 660 and expropriated 51% share of YPF, a Repsol subsidiary. The move created tensions between Argentina and Spain, leading Spain to issue a travel warning  for Repsol staff, advising them not to travel to the South American country.

Despite the continuing controversy, Argentina was penciled into the provisional 2013 MotoGP calendar released in September as the “to be confirmed” April 14 round in the hopes a resolution would be found. Continue Reading »