INDUSTRY INFOBITES

IT’S THAT TIMEOF YEAR AGAIN

The leaves have fallen and there’s going to be a nip in the air. That can only mean that it is Polar Bear Season. The of cial kick off for the 202223 was Sunday, Oct. 30 at the VFW Post 386 in Cape May, NJ, as it has been for years, and the meet ups will continue until Sunday, April 23, 2023 at the Plumsted Grill in Cream Ridge, NJ. You can nd all the stops in between on their website, as well as the other pertinent information to join in this winter riding tradition: polarbeargrandtour.com/rides.htm

DAMON HYPERFIGHTER UNVEILED

Damon Motorshas has unveiled its critically acclaimed HyperFighter Colossus, a raw, muscular-silhouetted, electrifying naked sport bike. Damon appeared in the Öhlins booth located at Stand I71 in EICMA Hall 24. Öhlins is a Damon partner that supplies the suspension systems for the HyperSport Premier and HyperFighter Colossus motorcycles.

Damon’s HyperFighter Colossus is the ultimate stripped-down, urban assault, electric sportbike. With 200 horsepower, a top speed of 170 mph, and the ability to go from 0-60 in less than three seconds, HyperFighter Colossus pays homage to the street ghters of yesterday while looking to the future with never-before-seen technology advancements including the CoPilot™ advanced warning system; Shift™, which transforms the riding position between sport and commuter modes while in motion; and HyperDrive™, the world’s rst monocoque constructed, 100 percent electric, multi-variant powertrain platform.

For more information on Damon Motors, visit www.damon.com.

GARMININREACHAIDSIN 10,000 INCIDENTS

Garmin® International, Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NYSE: GRMN), supported the milestone of 10,000 SOS incidents with an inReach® device1. As a global leader in two-way satellite communication, Garmin offers a wide variety of handheld devices with inReach technology allowing for two-way text messaging, location tracking, and critical SOS emergency response services, providing peace of mind to individuals around the world. From family camping trips in California to mountain climbing in the European Alps, inReach users participate in a variety of adventures, and thanks to inReach, users have the security of knowing help can be a button press away.

ARIZONA LANEFILTERING GOESINTO EFFECT

The new Arizona state law that allows lane- ltering for two-wheeled motorcycles under very speci c circumstances of cially went into effect on Saturday, September 24, 2022.

The Arizona state legislature passed bipartisan Senate Bill 1273 in March, signed into law March 24, 2022, by Governor Doug Ducey (R), and the bill does not allow “lane splitting,” but rather “lane ltering” by motorcycles traveling between lanes of street traf c at a speed of 15 miles per hour or less. Threewheeled vehicles, such as trikes or sidecars, are speci cally not included in this change in the law.

Lane splitting or ltering in some form are now allowed in Arizona, California, Hawaii and Utah, while states including Connecticut, Oregon, Washington and Virginia have introduced or are considering such legislation.

BIG BROTHERTO PUT ENDTO SPEEDINGIN NEW YORK Legislators in New York are mulling a bill that would mandate speed limiters in new vehicles that would be set to the local maximum allowable limit. The system, called “Active Intelligent Speed Assistance” (ISA) would use GPS and traf c sign recognition technology to determine the speed limit. New York City is already running a six-month trial with 50 vehicles from the city’s eet tted with an ISA system. Introduced by Manhattan State Senator Brad Hoylman (Democrat – really?) on Aug 12, if passed,

BACKROADS • DECEMBER 2022 would require any vehicle manufactured or registered in the state of New York to be tted with the ISA system, starting from Jan. 1, 2024. It cites the results of a study that show such a system could reduce traf c fatalities by 20%.

The bill also calls for existing active safety systems like automatic emergency braking, active lane control, blind-spot monitors with pedestrian detection, driver drowsiness detection, and even a data event recorder to be mandated from the same date. Notably, safety standards for new vehicles, unlike emissions standards, are set at the federal level, which brings into question whether New York officials will be able to implement the bill even if passed.

MUSICAND MOTORCYCLE FAN LORETTA LYNN PASSES

Country Music Star and AMA Hall of Fame inductee Loretta Lynn died in her sleep on October 4, 2022 at her popular ranch and tourist destination in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, at age 90.

The Grammy Award winning singer rose to stardom in the music industry over six decades with hit singles like “Coal Miner’s Daughter” and “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin,” but Ms. Lynn was also a long-time supporter of amateur motocross racing, and hosted the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at her “Loretta Lynn Ranch & Family Campground” since 1982, personally inspiring many young riders, and was appropriately inducted into the American Motorcyclists Association (AMA) Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2021 for “opening her arms and ranch to countless motocross families.”

WALKING DEAD STARTO JOIN THE BIKERIDERS For your Moto-tainment pleasure, Hollywood sources report that “The Walking Dead” star Norman Reedus has become the latest celebrity to join the cast of “The Bikeriders,” a ctional lm inspired by the photography of Danny Lyon and his 1967 book of the same name, and follows the rise of a ctional Midwestern motorcycle club. Seen through the lives of

the members, the club evolves over the course of the decade from a gathering place for local outsiders into a more ‘sinister gang’.

The biker theme is tting for Reedus, a longtime rider whose ‘TWD’ character Daryl Dixon is known for riding a motorcycle across the show’s 11 seasons. The 53-year-old actor also hosts the travel series “Ride with Norman Reedus” as he hits the open road to explore biker culture. ,