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doesn’t exist to them; it’s all about quietly bending to the will of the bureaucrats and hoping they will allow them to continue to build parts. Scary.

I still like to think we should balance freedom with regulation for the best outcome, but Zero won’t allow that. Something to think about. Let’s hit the news.

Hey, I often say we’re living is strange times. It started in the ‘60s with Helmet Laws but we made our point. The government just couldn’t allow freedom, so Joan Claybrook came up with the Public Burden Theory. Accidents cost the public, quick pass a restrictive law.

Some motorcycle rights organizations won’t fight for our freedom to choose and they buckled to insurance company threats. Maybe they wanted to make more money selling helmets? I don’t get it.

So, comes Global Warming. According to Marc Morano’s book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Climate Change, “MIT climate scientist Richard Lindzen has laid out the real agenda behind the global warming scare. “Controlling carbon is a bureaucrat’s dream. If you control carbon, you control life,” Lindzen said. We now know the climate isn’t warming it’s cooling recently. The seas rise less than they did 1000 years ago. There are more polar bears than ever before and none of Al Gore’s predictions came true. We are still here driving fossil fuel cars and motorcycles and having a good time.

Then came Zero mandates, which you will read about in the news. I know guys in agencies like the MIC who won’t even discuss these issues. Freedom

Harley-Davidson Adds AdrenalinePulsing Hillclimb & More To 115th Anniversary Festivities

In Milwaukee Labor Day WeekendHarley-Davidson Unveils More than 80 Events Across 20+ Venues, All Packed Into Five Days

Harley-Davidson is set to take grassroots racing over the top with the addition

of Hillclimb Motorcycle Racing to a slate of wide-open competition, moto-culturecentric activities and street parties during the Harley-Davidson 115th Anniversary Celebration in Milwaukee August 29-September 2.

The Harley-Davidson 115th Anniversary Hillclimb, which will offer a taste of Harley-Davidson heritage while showcasing the heart-pumping excitement of today’s racing action, is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 1 at Little Switzerland, a 200-foot-high ski hill in Slinger, Wis.

“It will be rider and machine against gravity on a steep-and-gnarly course up the face of the ski hill,” said HarleyDavidson Marketing Lead Eric Jensen. “Hillclimb is one of the original forms of motorcycle competition and a big part of our history that’s celebrated by The Hill Climber statue at the Harley-Davidson Museum. This event is a natural fit for our anniversary weekend as we put motorcycle culture on full display.”

Other racing action scheduled for the anniversary weekend includes: Flat Out Friday Powered by HarleyDavidson (Aug. 31) featuring bar-to-bar indoor flat-track racing on the concrete floor of Panther arena in Milwaukee on an oval circuit soaked with sticky Dr. Pepper syrup. Also, Run What You Brung Drag Racing Powered by HarleyDavidson (Aug. 31) will put participants side-by-side and head-to-head round after round at Great Lakes Dragaway in Union Grove, Wis.

Race entry information and event details are posted at h-d. com/115<https://www.harleydavidson.com/us/en/milwaukee115th.html>.

Waco Shootout News-Three Bikers

Hit With Murder Charges Following

Shootout At Texas Restaurant -

FORT WORTH, Texas – Three bikers were indicted on murder charges

Wednesday stemming from a 2015 shooting involving police outside a restaurant in Waco, Texas, including a prominent member of the Bandidos motorcycle club.

The indictment marks the first murder charges in the case and comes just eight days before the statute of limitations runs out. More than 20 other bikers were re-indicted on new charges ranging from rioting to tampering with evidence.

Police arrested nearly 200 bikers following the shooting at a Twin Peaks restaurant that left nine people dead and 20 injured. Investigators say the incident was sparked by rivalries

between the Bandidos and Cossacks motorcycle clubs. Waco police officers monitoring the gathering also fired on the bikers.

Jeff Battey is among the three Bandidos members charged with murder. His attorney didn’t immediately return a message from The Associated Press.

According to Waco police incident reports reviewed by The AP, Battey, a former Marine, and another Bandido charged with murder Wednesday, Ray Allen, were seen “triangulated” over Matthew Smith, a Cossack who died at the scene from gunshot wounds. The third Bandido member indicted Wednesday was Glenn Walker.

All the bikers arrested following the shooting were each charged with engaging in organized criminal activity, a felony. But prosecutors have dropped 154 of those cases in the last four months, saying they wanted to focus on those who were “more culpable.”

Only one biker — Jake Carrizal, a locomotive driver and the president of the Dallas chapter of the Bandidos — has been tried. His trial ended in a hung jury and a mistrial last fall. -Fox News

Zero Tolerance Alert, Motorcycle Riders Foundation Releases Statement On Road To Zero Report

- In response to a report issued by the Road to Zero Coalition, which is managed by the National Safety Council.

The report, A Road to Zero: A vision for achieving zero roadway deaths by 2050, was released in April and identifies policies and practices to achieve the very notable and worthy objective of attaining zero deaths in the United States in 30 years:

Motorcycling and the safety of riders who engage in this growing mode of transportation remains a key priority of the MRF, its Board of Directors and its network of 220,000 riders across the U.S. In fact, the MRF, either directly or through our member networks, have numerous initiatives geared towards rider safety touching on issues such as motorcycle awareness, rider education and training, impairment, as well as technological advancements for motorcycle and equipment manufacturers.

Because the safety of the motorcycle community is so paramount to our organization, we commend the objective behind Road to Zero. As such, we have been present and an active participant in almost every Road to Zero Coalition meeting since the unveiling of the program in 2016. During these workshops we’ve offered the motorcyclist’s perspective on key issues areas, making recommendations and playing a proactive role in the dialogue.

Therefore, it is discouraging that the recently issued report reflects none of this input, instead emphasizing only one countermeasure in which to mitigate motorcycle fatalities. Consequently, the

report fails to mention the presence and participation of our organization as well as other key motorcycle organizations, which collectively represent over halfa-million motorcyclists in the United States.

Within the report, the assessment on motorcycle fatalities again and again points to helmet laws as a proven countermeasure. However, there is the notable absence of mention of proactive measures, which prevent a collision from occurring at all. Reactive steps may or may not offer some level of injury mitigation only after a crash has already taken place.

If the goal is to eliminate all traffic deaths by 2050, there should be an emphasis on crash prevention and not simply safer crashing. These potential steps can manifest in a variety of ways including initiatives on rider education and training for new and returning riders, infrastructure, motorcycle awareness education for other roadway users and a variety of others.

In reviewing the report, the only proactive measures mentioned in regard to motorcycle fatalities are automatic emergency braking, self-balancing control mechanisms for motorcycles and a connected vehicle system. However, each of these presents its own set of concerns; a motorcycle coming to a halt could result in throwing an unprepared rider, the self-balancing technology is not yet available and there are numerous studies which indicate that motorcycles are not consistently identified by lane assist, collision warning, and emergency breaking systems as a part of a connected roadway system.

While these are certainly areas that should be reviewed, discussed and improved, they are not yet tangible solutions and there is uncertainty that they may even come to fruition by 2050.

If the objective of Road to Zero is to truly achieve zero roadway deaths by 2050, we encourage leadership behind the program to be inclusive of input and ideas from all roadway users and to consider discussing practical proactive measures for motorcyclists.

The road to Zero is about control, just like Global Warming and Climate Change. We need to decide whether we want Freedom or Zero Freedom. Watch for Fred Harrell’s response later in the news.--Bandit

Harley-Davidson Says ‘Thank You’ To Those Who Have Served And Their Spouses-Extends $99 Harley-Davidson Riding Academy Offer to Spouses of Those Who Have Served, As Well as Spouses of First Responders - Military Spouse Appreciation Day and HarleyDavidson – thanks the millions of people

who protect our country, our safety, and our freedom to ride and their spouses – is extending the offer of HarleyDavidson Riding Academy New Rider Course to spouses of eligible current and former U.S. military personnel and first responders (law enforcement, fire, and EMS) for just $99. “Along with saying thank you to those who have served, Military Spouse Appreciation Day offers us the perfect opportunity to thank the spouses who support members of the military, as well as first responders each and every day,” said Tim Budzien, Harley-Davidson U.S. Military Lead and U.S. Air Force Veteran. “We are proud to extend a discounted $99 Riding Academy offer to spouses of eligible U.S. military personnel and first responders so they, too, can discover their own personal freedom.” Stop Dreaming and Start Riding Today - Make this your year to learn to ride. H-D Riding Academy will help get you out and build your skills on two wheels in just a few days.

The Harley-Davidson Riding Academy New Rider Course gives you what you need to get your license and ready to ride in just a few classes. Offered at select H-D dealers, the New Rider Course provides you with expert guidance from Harley-Davidson certified coaches.

To find available courses near you, contact your local dealer or search for classes at www.h-d.com.

Eligible current and former U.S. military personnel, first responders (law enforcement, fire, and EMS) and their spouses can register and sign up now to take an eligible course now through September 30, 2018. Offer valid in continental U.S and Alaska only. For additional terms and conditions of the offer visit www.h-d.com/ AmericanHeroes

Bryan Smith Suffers Broken Fibula

At Texas Half-Mile - Indian Wrecking Crew Rider Bryan Smith to Miss Calistoga Half-Mile & Arizona Mile Indian Motorcycle Racing Wrecking Crew Rider Bryan Smith suffered a broken left fibula during a multi-rider crash in Semi 1 at the Texas Half Mile on Saturday, April 28. The 2016 Grand National Champion will miss the Calistoga Half-Mile and the Arizona Mile. Following those races, Smith will reevaluate his health and determine his ability race at the Sacramento Mile on May 19.

Smith placed ninth during the season opener at the Daytona TT and seventh at the Atlanta Short Track. He was unable to finish at the Texas Half-Mile and currently ranks 13th with 22 total MRF Report - Ethanol Deal Struck-As I have been reporting on in my weekly bulletins, President Trump has been trying to broker a deal in the long-

running fight between ethanol producers and oil refiners over federal biofuels mandates, more commonly referred to as the Renewable Fuel Standard.

It is being reported that yesterday, a deal was struck between Trump, the heads of the EPA and Department of Agriculture and several key Senators. From what I understand, the President has agreed to allow 15 percent ethanol fuels year-round (EPA currently bans E15 sales in the summer months due to smog concerns) – this will be in exchange for decreased regulatory burdens on oil refineries, though the specifics of what that would entail have yet to be outlined.

Refiners’ concerns generally center on the cost of compliance credits known as renewable identification numbers, or RINs, which are used to prove they have satisfied their annual ethanol quota set forth by Congress.

One of the ‘gives’ to the oil industry is that the EPA would allow EXPORTED ethanol fuel to count towards the required quota, whereas previously, they could only count domestically used ethanol. The likely result is that, because companies can satisfy their regulatory requirements of blended ethanol gasoline through export products, there may be less ethanol blends in the domestic market (and at the pump).

Details are still emerging on the potential compromise, however what is unclear at this time is how this will affect plans by Sen. Cornyn’s office to introduce a comprehensive RFS reform package.

It’s also unclear what direct relief and education consumers (i.e. motorcyclists, boaters, etc.) will receive if any? Though we should view it as a positive that the net effect could mean less need for higher ethanol blended gasoline, there are still concerns about consumer awareness and education about the effects on their motorcycle engine.

This fight is far from over; I expect to gain more information in the coming days and especially next week during

Bikers Inside the Beltway. -Megan J. Ekstrom, Vice-President,

Government Affairs & Public Relations

Motorcycle Riders Foundation, www.mrf.org

From The AMA - National and

Regional News - U.S. Interior

Secretary Ryan Zinke signed two secretarial orders in April to prioritize his department’s recreation mission and increase access to public lands.

Secretarial Order 3366 directs certain Interior bureaus to create and deliver plans to the department within 90 days that focus on developing or expanding recreational opportunities on public lands and waterways.

This order also directs bureau heads to designate one full-time employee charged to oversee recreational opportunities. Secretarial Order 3365 establishes the position of Senior National Advisor to the Secretary for Recreation to help ensure coordination of recreational policy in the department.

Rick May filled the position. He is a motorcyclist. May, who joined Interior in November 2017, is a retired U.S. Navy SEAL Captain and decorated veteran who served in the Iraq War. Since his departure from active duty in 2010, he has worked with wounded Veterans in various types of recreational activities, helping them to reintegrate back into mainstream America.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has issued a call for nominations to fill vacancies in 34 of its Resource Advisory Councils. The states involved include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, the Dakotas, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

The AMA recognizes the value of these councils that are charged with advising the U.S. Interior Secretary on land use planning and management of BLM lands in their areas. The AMA encourages interested riders to nominate themselves.

There are three membership categories for BLM.

Nominees must be a resident of the state in which the RAC has jurisdiction. For more information, contact Twinkle Thompson-Seitts, BLM Communications in Washington, D.C. at (202) 208-7301 or pseitts@blm.gov.

State News - SACRAMENTO, CA.

- The state’s anti-profiling bill (A.B. 2972) cleared its first hurdle, clearing the policy committee on a 5-2 vote. But the measure met opposition on the Assembly floor from the Republican Caucus. Several Democrats also voted “no” or abstained, resulting in a 2821 vote against the bill, which would prohibit law enforcement officers from stopping and questioning motorcyclists based on their choice of vehicle or clothing.

Assembly member Anna Caballero (D-Salinas), who introduced the bill, requested reconsideration, which means the bill may be voted on again before the June 1 deadline.

ANNAPOLIS, MD. - S.B. 606 passed the General Assembly and is expected to be signed by the governor, creating an Off-Highway Recreational Vehicle Trail Fund to maintain and build trails for off-highway recreational vehicles. The bill, sponsored by state Sen. George C. Edwards (R-Cumberland), also requires the state Secretary of Natural Resources to administer the fund; requires the comptroller to distribute 25 percent of the revenue in fiscal 2019 and 50 percent in fiscal 2020.

The revenue will come from the excise tax imposed on certificates of title issued for off-highway recreational vehicles.

NELSONVILLE, Ohio - The Wayne National Forest’s notice of initiation of the assessment phase of Forest Plan Revision was published in the Federal Register on April 19. This notice signaled the official start of the Forest Plan revision process that will continue for two to three years.

Those wishing to submit comments, information or scientific data before the announcement of the comprehensive public engagement plan should contact WaynePlanRevision@fs.fed.us, or mail submissions to Lori Swiderski at Wayne National Forest, 13700 U.S. Hwy. 33, Nelsonville, OH 45764.

AMA News - The AMA will celebrate the past, honor the present and build for the future at the 2018 AMA Legends & Champions Weekend, Dec. 7-9, at the Hilton Columbus/Polaris in Columbus, Ohio.

The event includes the 2018 AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, the 2018 AMA Championship Banquet and the annual AMA Congress.

Also, during the weekend, the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, will host an open house in honor of the Class of 2018 and to install their Hall of Fame nameplates and representative motorcycles or memorabilia in the Hall of Fame museum. Tickets for the 2018 AMA Legends & Champions weekend will be available soon.

Reservations at the Columbus Hilton/ Polaris are available now at a special group rate.

It’s wild and it never ends. If for some remote reason you need more news. Just pop over to Bikernet.com for the latest, the greatest, the fast, the furious and the never-ending battle for truth, justice, freedom and the American Way. --Bandit

CAFFIENE AND THE CRUSADE FOR OBSCURITY

by the time my wife and I had reached camp the sun was all but gone and the canopy of trees removed any help the moon might give. We had just finished up 400 miles of leisurely sightseeing and I was all too ready to lay it on the kick stand for the night. An older gentleman stopped by the site gifting us with some wood and paper, so we could get a fire going. He reminisced about his days on the road and said he’d wished more than once someone had done the same for him. It was a welcome gift; my legs were sore and scavenging for wood in a picked over forest wasn’t anything

I was looking forward to. We traded the wood and the short story for a handshake and quickly set up camp. Soon the fire was decorated with foil packs of meat and canned vegetables that were quickly devoured and into the tent we quickly retired. The next morning dew had blanketed everything we owned, but the fire pit was still warm and smoking. I added some twigs and shit to the embers and we were back in business with a modest fire. Abbey and I had brought an old coffee pot that her dad gave us before we left and that very morning it was priority one that we made good use of it. Time tends to stand still when you are using a fire heated percolator but the panic of having no cups dwarfed the issue entirely. That morning we sat huddled around mutilated Yoohoo cans with the tops crudely removed, jagged and sharp both enjoying the best cup of coffee either of us had ever had. I don’t ride for purpose, I ride for experiences. When I set out on the road for any reason, in the back of my head I know there is a great chance something I may never forget may happen, and that’s half the fun. But most importantly, I ride for one of two things… milkshakes or more often coffee. I like the feel of road vibrated hands taking a moment to cradle something that can’t easily be devoured in an instant. It slows me down and gives me a reason to stop. In that moment you either finish or ride away, or you get caught up in a conversation with someone you most likely will never see or hear from again. Good or bad it’s the risk you take and what you take away from it is entirely up to you. But the truth is some of the best times I’ve had on the road are from a shitty cup of coffee.

I found myself two hundred miles deep into the same ride one day and the road had taken me into a smooth and relaxed portion of Virginia when I realized that gas may become scarce if I wasn’t careful. The back of my throat reminded me that I needed something and the bottle of water I was drinking went down dry and burdening. The trees broke for an instant and settled within the void was a small gas station and a mom and pop store almost on the verge of abandonment. I filled the bike up to the point it over flowed hoping to get as much from the tank as possible but most importantly I walked inside for something to drink besides f#@king water. The coolers offered little relief from the ambient temperature surrounding them and were filled with random cans of cheap beer, none of which could make a consistent six pack if they tried. It was a wasteland. Behind the counter a woman had made it her life work to fill the space with her own human mass but still amongst the disarray she radiated a welcoming smile between two elasticized rosy cheeks. “You have anything besides beer?” “Beer and birdseed….alls we got” a bazaar exclamation if ever I had heard one, but the truth none the less.

In typical small-town fashion, she offered me a cup of coffee from the back room generously heated in a microwave. I imagined it was caked with six years of chili splatter and Hot Pocket grease, but it was a welcome offer that I gladly took her up on. The cup of black dense liquid was served in

a paper cup bleached by years on a sunlit shelf with a tan hew I could only image was nicotine from the last decade, give or take. The microwave had obvious abilities to allow liquid to exceed boiling and the wax paper cup felt even stickier then it had five minutes prior, but I sat happily perched on a rotten railroad tie and subtly became part of the landscape. I sat there for an hour, my upper lip blistered from the cauldron I was consuming. I dared not let it cool down for the taste would probably be god awful. I watched the town pass by and pickup trucks come and go filling up on gasoline and random cans of beer. I never did see a bag of bird seed change hands but I did get to talk with a few locals and become part of an experience that normally I would have passed by at 60 plus miles per hour taking for granted my surroundings, and wasting an opportunity.

For me, motorcycles give you a chance to become part of what you’re traveling through. It’s easy to ignore your surroundings using any other form of mobility. The sights, the smells are more prevalent on a bike. A cup of coffee is my reason to stop and be part of that moment for a short while. Some of my favorite times with my favorite people were because of a cup of coffee, there might just be something to it…..