AN URGENT CALL TO ACTION FOR ALL AMERICANS:

-----Original Message-----
From: Michelle Richardson, ACLU [mailto:aclu@...]
Sent: Tuesday, October 27, 2009 6:06 PM
Subject: Will the House protect your privacy?
...

We've got another big chance to end Patriot Act abuses--but we have to act fast.

The Senate Judiciary Committee had the opportunity to pass legislation to rein
in a bill that has become a symbol of out-of-control government invasions of
your privacy.  They failed--approving a bill that does little to curtail the
sweeping powers embedded in the Patriot Act.

That's why we must do everything we can to ensure that the House of
Representatives passes a stronger bill--one that can lead to genuine reform of
the deeply-flawed Patriot Act.

Act right now. Ask your representative to co-sponsor the USA Patriot Amendments
Act of 2009.

http://tinyurl.com/yj46u53

Three Patriot Act provisions are set to expire on December 31, 2009.  We have to
seize this chance to demand that Congress put an end to the government's
unchecked spying powers and ensure that innocent  Americans' private information
will remain just that--private.

The USA Patriot Amendments Act of 2009 protects constitutional speech and
privacy rights by:

*  Amending  the national security letter statute to ensure that the government
obtains financial, communication and credit records only of people believed to
be terrorists or spies;

*  Requiring the government to convince a court that a national security gag
order is necessary;

*  Terminating the "lone wolf" authority that permits the government to spy on
people who are not part of a terrorist organization; and

*  Ensuring that the so-called "library records provision" does not authorize
collection of library and bookstore records if they contain information on the
patron.

As you can imagine, the bill is not perfect. It leaves the Patriot Act's
so-called "material support" provision intact, permitting prosecution of those
who work with or for charities that give humanitarian aid in good faith to
war-torn countries. We're asking Members of Congress to add a provision that
would limit prosecution to those who actually intend to support
terrorist-oriented actions.

Please ask your representative to co-sponsor the USA Patriot Amendments Act of
2009.

http://tinyurl.com/ykgvt5u

As an ACLU lobbyist, I've worked to end the dangerous ways that the Patriot Act
curtails your freedom for more than six years. I can say first-hand how much
your emails matter if we are to pass genuine Patriot Act reforms.

Thanks so much for taking action today.

Sincerely,

Michelle Richardson
Legislative Counsel
American Civil Liberties Union

Donate Now:

http://tinyurl.com/yguydsb

Send to a Friend:

http://tinyurl.com/yzq8rh3

© ACLU, 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10004

***

REPEAL THE PATRIOT ACT:

http://www.reformthepatriotact.org/

***

A MUST READ: MATTHEW P. HOH'S LETTER OF RESIGNATION:

http://tinyurl.com/matthew-hoh-resignation

***

A MOTORCYCLE RIGHT-OF-WAY VIOLATION WIDOW AND SURVIVOR ADDRESSES THE KILLER OF
HER HUSBAND
An open letter from Amy Pickholtz to Brenda Melancon

Bruce on Bikers' Rights (November 2009)

Brenda Garon Melancon, Former Mayor
44337 Melancon Street, P.O. Box 7
Sorrento, LA 70778 . 225-675-8*7*

I hope on this day, 14 October 2009, that you will spend some time reading my
letter, and that the message I am conveying will make a difference, because on
this day I will spend some time at the cemetery mourning my husband Jim, and
spend some time honoring him by reflecting on all the reasons that I fell in
love with him.

"It's not the life that you live, it's the courage that you bring to it."--Yogi
Bhajan

This is the quote I adopted in 2004 when I started to teach yoga.  I really
never understood why I adopted this particular quote as my own credo, and even
put it on my yoga business cards.  Now, I truly understand why.

It's been 2 years since your grossly negligent behavior as the driver of the car
who violated our right-of-way, and as the Mayor, who although with prior
knowledge did nothing about the existing problems at the intersection.  We know
the result of your negligence.  The death of my husband Jim, the permanent
disabling injuries to me, and the devastation to our entire family.  I will
remind you of your immediate response after the crash when asked if you had been
in touch with the Pickholtz family, was "No. I don't wanna know.  This is all so
devastating to me.  The accident was just horrible."

Horrible, yes, but this was not an accident, Ms. Melancon.  This was an
incident, caused by you, but not solely about you.

You reiterated how devastating all this was to you when you took it upon
yourself to call The Advocate newspaper in Baton Rouge to use them as your own
personal platform in response to the Sorrento Town Council meeting reporter
including in her article my showing up at your public town hall meeting on
Tuesday June 16, 2009.  The headline on Friday June 19 read, "Mayor: Crash
'devastated' her":

http://tinyurl.com/yk6e98a

You literally slid out of the back door of your own town hall meeting (without
having opened up the floor to any further business), when faced by me and the
other 16 motorcycle riders, family and friends who sat or stood quietly without
disrupting any of the business of your town council meeting.  The Advocate
reporter was irresponsible to even write an article for you and furthermore to
intertwine my previous quotes into your dictated agenda.

My message to you of "It can never be over" written on a poster board was in
response to you saying "It was a terrible accident, and I'm very sorry.  I'm
glad that it's over..." after the Grand Jury hearing concluded they would not
indict you on Criminal Negligent Homicide, Criminal Negligent Injury and Failure
to Yield from a Private Driveway.  The Grand Jury's failure to indict does not
mean you were found innocent.  It means that the law in Louisiana does not
support Justice.  You should have been found guilty by proximate cause for
killing my husband Jim, and for seriously injuring me, and you should have been
charged with the ROW Violations ACT 195.

How can you think this will ever be over?

You need to know that I still need to go weekly to grief therapy, still need
physical therapy, have to rely on pain medication daily, still live with PTSD,
survivor's guilt, chronic pain, disabling injuries and depression.  I am still
paying exorbitant medical bills, and health insurance premiums as a result of
you crashing into us.  I have had continued tests, treatments, surgeries and
therapies.  I am scheduled for my fifth surgery.  I must maintain myself
physically in order to function at a reasonable level to care for children and
maintain my household.  The simplest tasks have become physically challenging
and my everyday functioning is completely at the mercy of my pain levels
throughout the day.

I am still unable to provide an income for my household.  You took away took
away my financial stability, and my physical ability to do the work I used to
do.  Yes, the insurance companies paid.  It is a pittance after all the medical
and legal expenses, and with the ongoing medical expenses and no income, how
long do you think it will last?

And what are your financial ramifications?

You had the audacity to question if I think you felt nothing, for learning a
"person was killed", as you put it, while propped up on your platform in the
Advocate newspaper. This is not about what I think you feel, Ms. Melancon.  This
is about how you have taken no responsibility, morally or ethically as a human
being, or any action to make any positive impact as a political figure. A person
was killed, Ms. Melancon.  His name was Jim Pickholtz and he was a son, a
father, a husband, a friend and the absolute, unequivocal love of my life, with
whom I was supposed to grow old.

Since you took it unto yourself to refer to your letter of May 22, 2008, in the
newspaper, I am taking it unto myself to refer to your letter, also, in which
you expressed "sympathy and condolences for the loss of my husband."  I need to
remind you that I did not "lose" my husband and your wording was entirely
insensitive to the fact that you killed him.  Your timing couldn't have been any
worse, either.  It was very damaging for me to have received your letter on
Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, and even more damaging to read what I consider
an empty jumble of contrived clichés and self justification defending your
previously perfect driving record.

Nowhere in your letter or to the media did you ever ask, "Is there something I
can do to help?", or ask how I am, or how the children are.  Nowhere did you
reach out a hand or reach beyond your own self, or into your political position
as a public official to DO anything to help me, my family or the community.

Why?

Courage.  Well... it takes courage to do so.  I think you've buried your head in
the sand as a coward.

I am writing proposed legislation and will be on the floor with two Bills next
June, even though I have never been politically minded before.  I am talking
with the new administration in Sorrento in order to make the necessary changes
to the entrances and exits of the property at the Ascension Civic Center.  I
have volunteered as the Director of the Baton  Rouge Chapter of MAC [Motorcycle
Awareness Campaign], and have applied for MAC to be present at the largest
festivals in the area that are non-motorcycle events so that our message and
mission goes out to the motoring public.  I am speaking on behalf of MAC and
independently on television shows, radio shows and at events held by
Motorcyclists' Rights Organizations that invite me.  I am actively involved in
my community and do whatever I can to help by guiding and talking with other
crash victims, and comforting other widows of motorcycle riders killed by
motorists like you.  I am trying to make a difference, so that no one!
   else has to go through what I am living.

All of this takes courage.

In two years I have come from being totally incapacitated, months spent in a
wheelchair, and having to re-learn the simplest of physical functions that we
all take for granted--like walking, from begging God to take me to Jim, to
waking up daily in grief and depression and loneliness, in anger and pain, to
enduring the emotional and physical rollercoaster of loss--of Jim, of health, of
my blended family, of my entire life as it was, what I describe as "blissfully
happy."

It takes courage to standup for my rights and advocate for motorcycle awareness.
It took courage to sit before you in your meeting.  It takes courage to write
you this letter, which I can only represent as my truth.  It takes courage to
accept that I am a victim, but that I will not be victimized.  It takes courage
each day to live without Jim, yet honor Jim all the ways that I choose.

So I ask, who are you speaking with about being a driver who killed a
motorcyclist?  How are you educating motorists to look for motorcycles?  How are
you spreading the message to other motorists, so that they don't kill a
motorcyclist, too?

You had over a year in office to correct the problems that exist at that
intersection, and you have the rest of your life now as a civilian to do
something, and yet to this date, you still have done nothing.  I maintain that
no matter what the Attorney General says about the crash site, the tree line,
the guardrails, or the stop sign placement at that intersection didn't kill Jim:
You did.  You were behind the wheel of the car, and you violated our
right-of-way.  You are the proximate cause of this incident.  You also knew
about the obstructions and yet, you didn't take the care to insure that the
right-of-way was clear.

The law in Louisiana is not yet in place, but it will be after next session,
that would have convicted you, which is Ordinary Negligent Homicide.  I maintain
there is no justice, there is just law.  If there was justice, you'd be off the
road, without a license to drive.  You'd be at the very least doing community
service and advocacy work for motorcycle awareness, and you would have been
found guilty on all counts of negligent homicide, negligent injury and failure
to yield, and you would have been charged under the current ROW Violations Act
195 and convicted of that, too.  Louisiana should be ashamed as a State to not
have the proper law in place to convict those responsible for negligent
homicide.  And you should be ashamed, Brenda Melancon, that you're doing nothing
to make amends for killing my husband Jim, permanently injuring me, and
devastating an entire family, not for months, but for the rest of our lives.

Perhaps you shouldn't have listened to your lawyers, and been in touch with us
personally from the beginning of this tragic incident.  Perhaps you should have
considered the timing of your letter, the affect of the content and your
comments to the media with greater stringency.  Perhaps, you should look at the
forgiveness that you hope I will be able to offer you with some more reflection
and merit.

I invite you muster up the courage to take your head out of the sand and do
something.

In memory of my husband Jim I remain,

Amy Pickholtz . brmac@...
FTY-ROWV Widow/Survivor/Bikers' Rights Activist
Director, Baton Rouge Chapter, Motorcycle Awareness Campaign
P.O. Box 4762 . Baton Rouge, LA 70821 . http://www.macorg.com

***

FOOTNOTE FROM BRUCE ARNOLD

It's a shame that Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood apparently never reads the
many FTY-ROWV messages like this that are regularly sent to him.  Perhaps if he
did, motorcyclists would not have been slighted at the USDOT's Distracted
Driving Summit a few weeks ago:

http://tinyurl.com/yjerwmh

Perhaps if he did, he'd acknowledge that every year right-of-way violations by
distracted, inattentive and negligent cagers contribute to the loss and
suffering of over 100,000 families like Amy's who are impacted by motorcycle
accident injuries and fatalities.  Perhaps if he did, he'd address more of the
distracted driving problem than teens texting.  And perhaps, the (preordained?)
outcomes of his staged summit would've included more than plugging the new
website of Cooper Munroe and Emily McKhann, two "moms" (who just happen to be
long-time political activists) that Lahood claims he "first met ... at our
Distracted Driving Summit where they were blogging about the conference to their
community."

http://tinyurl.com/yhl48qn

I cannot find any reference to either of LaHood's designated distracted driving
divas ever having any involvement with the cause prior to the Summit.  So I can
only wonder how they happened to be in attendance, and what good fortune it was
for all involved that "fate" brought them together with the Secretary.  And
isn't it just amazing that these two "concerned mothers", traffic safety
neophytes such as they were, managed to bring "their" new distracted driving
website online less than 24 hours after the Summit concluded:

http://www.momsmsg.com/

Oh well...  Most of you still believe that Pearl Harbor was a surprise attack
... that JFK was killed by a lone gunman ... and that on 9/11 a small band of
Muslims with bad flying records and box cutters outwitted the world's most
sophisticated and powerful air defense systems to hijack four airliners, using
two to topple three WTC towers, flying one low enough to punch a hole in the
first floor of the Pentagon without damaging the lawn, and crashing one into a
field in Pennsylvania without leaving any significant debris.  So I doubt Le DOT
will have any trouble pulling LaHood over your eyes.  Besides, very soon we'll
all have bigger fish to fry:

http://tinyurl.com/OilPeakalypseNow

***

READ "BRUCE ON BIKERS' RIGHTS" ONLINE HERE:

http://bikersrights.ldrlongdistancerider.com

READ "DISTANCE RIDING WITH BRUCE" ONLINE HERE:

http://distanceriding.ldrlongdistancerider.com

WATCH THIS TWO-HOUR VIDEO AND LEARN THE TRUTH:

http://tinyurl.com/6zx6px

"If you willingly trade liberty for security, expect to be sheared in good times
and slaughtered in bad. Such is the fate of the Sheeple. If on the contrary,
you'd rather die on your feet than live on your knees, rise up now and join us
in the struggle: The battle for bikers' rights is not about patches, parties or
poker runs. We fight to protect the freedom and promote the interests of
American motorcyclists ... to defend our right to choose our own modes of
transportation, attire and lifestyle ... to deter and defy discrimination
against us ... and to vanquish those who violate our rights or
right-of-way."--Bruce Arnold

***

FIRST AMENDMENT NOTICE:  This is a political communication to Bruce's Rights
Riders List exercising our Freedom of Speech as guaranteed by the U.S.
Constitution and exempted from the C.A.N.S.P.A.M. Act of 2003 to convey
information regarding motorcyclists' rights and motorcycle awareness issues.  To
insure that you continue to receive emails like this, please add
"bruce@..." to your address book and safe senders list. To
no longer receive our emails, please reply to this email with "UNSUBSCRIBE" in
the subject line.

***

MOTORCYCLISTS SLIGHTED BY USDOT DISTRACTED DRIVING SUMMIT
Event Staged as Pretext for More Government Intervention

Bruce on Bikers' Rights (October 2009 | Special Edition)

Last week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and the Department of
Transportation staged a two-day Distracted Driving Summit in Washington DC:

http://tinyurl.com/ncozgx

Of all motorists, motorcyclists are the most vulnerable to injury or death as a
result of accidents caused by distracted drivers.  Yet for some reason, neither
the American Motorcyclist Association ("AMA"), nor the Motorcycle Riders
Foundation ("MRF"), nor any of the attorney-fronting faux MROs were invited to
sit on any Summit panel, give a presentation, or even make a formal statement. 
In fact, neither "motorcycles" nor "motorcyclists" were even mentioned in the
Summit agenda:

http://tinyurl.com/yalgzex

Why motorcyclists were slighted is a mystery.  Another mystery is how the
federal government managed to issue press release DOT 156-09 summarizing the
conclusions and recommendations coming from the Summit at 1:07pm ET, when the
Summit did not officially conclude until 23 minutes later:

http://tinyurl.com/yekqh2x

Could it be that the desired outcomes from the Summit were determined in
advance, and that the event itself was merely pretext for a pre-determined
government agenda?  Well if that was the case, it would be no historical
first...  But either way, it would appear that motorcycle riders have no
explicit place in that agenda, nor were we mentioned in Ray LaHood's opening
remarks that set the stage for this choreographed demonstration of "democracy in
action":

http://tinyurl.com/ya6uko5

One would hope that the editor of "Seventeen Magazine", along with all the other
traffic safety experts on LaHood's blue-ribbon panels, would have at least
recognized the existence of motorcycles as an accepted form of motorized
transportation, and acknowledged the right of motorcyclists to safely share the
road.  To determine whether that was indeed the case, I invite you to watch the
recorded two days of webcasts here:

http://tinyurl.com/ndklek

If two days is more time than you can spare, you can alternatively read the
detailed notes taken by veteran bikers' rights activist Lynn Wesley, who made
that investment on your behalf:

http://tinyurl.com/y9p3cm8

http://tinyurl.com/ybwll7j

Expect your conclusion to coincide with this observation made on Day 2 by AMA
representative and Summit attendee Imre Sautzer:  "For many years, individuals
and groups in the motorcycling community have been working with all levels of
government (particularly state legislators) to insure all vehicle operators are
held accountable for their actions.  With all the recent interest to address
distracted driving in our state legislatures, we believe practical and
enforceable laws that protect all roadway users, particularly vulnerable users
such as motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians, are essential.  But I'm
concerned that much of the research and technology discussions that took place
yesterday paid little or no attention to our place in the transportation mix."

Another conclusion you might reach is that the principal piece of federal
legislation for which this Summit was staged is the "Alert Drivers Act"
(S1536/HR3535):

http://tinyurl.com/y8h52a5

http://tinyurl.com/ye6cz2r

If passed, this bill will reduce the amount of Federal highway funding available
to States that do not enact a law prohibiting an individual from sending or
receiving text messages while operating a motor vehicle.  Some will call this a
blackmail bill ... some will label it feel-good legislation ... some will say
it'll make no difference ... and some will assert the reverse.  I say it's a
far, far cry from what I was hoping for.  As I proposed to Secretary LaHood a
few weeks ago, "...motorists who engage in discretionary distractions must be
held accountable for the harm they cause."  And I am sure Summit attendee Greg
Zaffke II and thousands of others who have lost love ones to careless cagers
will agree that bans on texting will do nothing to mitigate a myriad of other
discretionary distractions (like painting fingernails) which are just as
dangerous.  I likewise expect little argument to the assertion that distracted
driving (or FTY-ROWV) penalties that are either difficu!
  lt to enforce, or not sufficiently severe, will probably be ignored:

http://tinyurl.com/yaa9nl6

There is some irony associated with the "Alert Drivers Act".  The puppets we
call politicians, and the powers pulling their strings, not only know but rely
on the ease with which the American people can be distracted from what's really
going on around them.  And I can't help but wonder if they might be reluctant to
mandate we pay attention when we are driving, for fear we might start paying
attention when we are not:

http://tinyurl.com/ycdj6ja

In closing, I wish to thank motorcyclists' rights activists and advocates Lynn
Wesley, "Hairy George" Nitsky, Imre Sautzer and Greg Zaffke II
(BlackNailBrigade.com) for their contributions to and inputs from the Summit.  I
also encourage all riders and freedom fighters to join Greg in Lake County
Illinois this coming Thursday morning, October 8th, for his "Nail Polish Crash
Awareness Ride and Protest" to coincide with the arraignment of Lora Hunt on six
counts of reckless homicide:

http://tinyurl.com/ydrpj9z

May justice be served...

Speaking strictly for myself and no other individuals or organizations,

Bruce Arnold

Bruce@...
Co-Moderator, Bruce-n-RC's Biker Forum
Author and Publisher, LdrLongDistanceRider.com
Mile Eater Gold Member, Iron Butt Association (IBA)
Sustaining Member, Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF)
2009 Chairman's Circle, American Motorcyclist Association (AMA)
Signatory, 911 Truth Statement & Petition (911Truth.org|ae911Truth.org)

***

READ "BRUCE ON BIKERS' RIGHTS" ONLINE HERE:

http://bikersrights.ldrlongdistancerider.com

READ "DISTANCE RIDING WITH BRUCE" ONLINE HERE:

http://distanceriding.ldrlongdistancerider.com

WATCH THIS TWO-HOUR VIDEO AND LEARN THE TRUTH:

http://tinyurl.com/6zx6px

"If you willingly trade liberty for security, expect to be sheared in good times
and slaughtered in bad. Such is the fate of the Sheeple. If on the contrary,
you'd rather die on your feet than live on your knees, rise up now and join us
in the struggle: The battle for bikers' rights is not about patches, parties or
poker runs. We fight to protect the freedom and promote the interests of
American motorcyclists ... to defend our right to choose our own modes of
transportation, attire and lifestyle ... to deter and defy discrimination
against us ... and to vanquish those who violate our rights or
right-of-way."--Bruce Arnold

***

FIRST AMENDMENT NOTICE:  This is a political communication to Bruce's Rights
Riders List exercising our Freedom of Speech as guaranteed by the U.S.
Constitution and exempted from the C.A.N.S.P.A.M. Act of 2003 to convey
information regarding motorcyclists' rights and motorcycle awareness issues.  To
insure that you continue to receive emails like this, please add
"bruce@..." to your address book and safe senders list. To
no longer receive our emails, please reply to this email with "UNSUBSCRIBE" in
the subject line.

***

A CALL-TO-ACTION: AN AMERICAN BIKER DEMANDS THE TRUTH ABOUT 9/11

28 September 2009


My Fellow Americans:

While visiting Washington DC recently, I was exposed for the first time to the
"9/11 Truth".  Like Neo in the Matrix, I took the red pill offered by Morpheus,
and began to see things as they really are:

http://www.ae911truth.org/

I now have reason to believe that "9/11" may have been an inside job.  I have a
good idea as to what might have happened, and recognize that our government's
official story defies both physics and logic.  I also have a good idea as to who
might have been behind the attacks, and what their motives might have been for
staging them.  What I do NOT have with any certainty, however, is the ACTUAL
TRUTH about what happened to our nation on 11 September 2001:

http://world911truth.org/tag/john-farmer/

The 9/11 Commission Report has been exposed as almost entirely untrue by John
Farmer, the Dean of Rutgers School of Law--Newark who served as Senior Counsel
to the Commission.  In short, THEY LIED.  As that is now public knowledge, it is
time for Americans to ask some tough questions, and for once in our history,
insist on the real answers.  Specifically, I hereby call on all who read this to
contact their United States Senators and Representatives and DEMAND a new,
impartial and independent investigation to uncover for once and for all the
Truth about 9/11:

http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

Speaking strictly for myself and no other individuals or organizations,

Bruce Arnold

Bruce@...
Co-Moderator, Bruce-n-RC's Biker Forum
Author and Publisher, LdrLongDistanceRider.com
Mile Eater Gold Member, Iron Butt Association (IBA)
Sustaining Member, Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF)
2009 Chairman's Circle, American Motorcyclist Association (AMA)
Signatory, 911 Truth Statement & Petition (911Truth.org|ae911Truth.org)

FIRST AMENDMENT NOTICE:  This is a political communication to Bruce's Rights
Riders List exercising our Freedom of Speech as guaranteed by the U.S.
Constitution and exempted from the C.A.N.S.P.A.M. Act of 2003 to convey
information regarding motorcyclists' rights and motorcycle awareness issues.  To
insure that you continue to receive emails like this, please add
"bruce@..." to your address book and safe senders list. To
no longer receive our emails, please reply to this email with "UNSUBSCRIBE" in
the subject line.

***

RECESSION, REVOLUTION & BIKERS' RIGHTS
A Call for Focus and Fidelity among Freedom Fighters

Bruce on Bikers' Rights (October 2009)

"Truth is authority. Authority is not truth."--Christine Ebersole

Rather than answer the call of a shallow party-line hack like Utah State
Representative Curtis Oda to "proudly" run Ole Glory up a pole and celebrate
9-11 ... a date which should more appropriately "live in infamy" like December 7
... I chose instead to mark the 8th anniversary of our 2nd Pearl Harbor by
riding 1100 miles from South Florida to the Washington DC Beltway suburb of
Silver Spring MD. In so doing, I logged my 43rd Iron Butt ride and not
coincidentally my "11th" SaddleSore 1000.

I had a mixed agenda for my three-day stay in our nation's capital, not the
least of which would be gazing at the gaggle of true believers in Glenn Beck's
9-12 Project gathered on the National Mall for an Astroturf Tea Party. What I
saw was life imitating art, with Beck playing the role of deranged "Network" TV
anchor Howard Beale while his staged, sign-waving and media-seeking followers
vied to broadcast their prepared sound bytes and declare with Twitter-compliant
brevity why they were "mad as Hell" and "not going to take it anymore".

I classify this Tea Party (promoted by Dick Armey's FreedomWorks.org) as
Astroturf--rather than genuine grassroots--because although their mission may
have been to meld a movement with a consistent message, what they and Beck's
Beale have actually done is tap a common emotion:

DISCONTENT.

The sources of that discontent range from the understandable (such as those who
have lost their jobs and homes in the recession) to the unacceptable (such as
"birthers" and other bigots willing to accept or espouse almost anything that
might "get that N**ger out of the White House"). And it was clear that those
gathered under the Tea Party umbrella not only lacked a shared vision, but were
working at cross purposes. Ask yourself, for example, how protestors waving
images of Obama with a Hitler mustache ... or posters denouncing Pelosi as a
Fascist ... can peacefully stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Neo-Nazis and
Skinheads sporting swastika tats? And who in their right mind would label a man
of mixed parentage a "Nazi" anyway, given that a principal and widely known
plank in their Aryan supremacy platform has always been ethnic purity?

Not all in attendance were confused Klansmen, however. Many appeared to be
average Americans rightfully concerned but deliberately misinformed about
"Obamacare" by everyone from the Congressionally-rebuked Representative Joe
Wilson ... to the not-quite-so-bright Constitutional attorney Mister "I have
read the entire text of proposed House Bill 3200" Michael Connelly ... to the
fired treasurer of the Minuteman Project now selling patriotism by the page at
"FaxDC.com", disgraced reactionary rip-off Stephen Eichler:

http://tinyurl.com/msokdc

http://tinyurl.com/kwnpmh

http://tinyurl.com/moajco

The misguided masses were also demanding that (a) their taxes be lowered today,
while at the same time (b) their grandchildren be relieved of paying off our
exploding national debt tomorrow. I applaud their belated interest in fiscal
responsibility, but question why they were silent for all those years when Dubya
and Darth were digging the hole in which we now find ourselves. I also have to
wonder about their grasp of macroeconomics ... given that taxes and debt are
Uncle Sam's two major sources of money (other than printing it) ... and that
lowering the former usually increases the latter. Granted, one would think that
reducing government spending will enable us to have our cake and eat it too. But
even if we stop bailing out Wall Street billionaires and building bridges to
nowhere, that won't free up enough funds to make us fiscally sound by the time
young Johnny and Sally graduate. Obamacare or Nobamacare, it's simply too late
now. And it's too bad Leonard Burman wasn't t!
  here to explain "Catastrophic Budget Failure" to this crowd:

http://tinyurl.com/kn879c

http://tinyurl.com/mymdwl

Yes, my fellow riders, I fear that Lady Liberty may be standing on her last leg.
But she didn't get that way overnight. And it sure as Hell didn't start when
"Run DC" stepped into the 'House:

http://tinyurl.com/l7hdb5

Since 11 September 2001, and for many years prior to that sad date, "We the
Sheeple" have been fleeced, slaughtered, suckered in and sacrificed to serve the
needs and fuel the greed of corrupt politicians, white collar con-men, and the
cold-blooded multinational corporations Dwight D. Eisenhower warned us about way
back in 1961:

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of
unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial
complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and
will persist."

On 9-11-01, "the disastrous rise" Ike warned us about culminated in the
(preordained?) fall of three (not two) World Trade Center towers ... the third
(not struck or seriously damaged) housing three floors of (damning?) SEC
securities transaction records. On that day, we also suffered the loss of three
thousand lives (with tens of thousands more to follow) ... four commercial
airliners (with all on board vaporized or otherwise disposed of) ... and a
gaping (but wide enough for a 757?) hole in the side of the Pentagon, once known
as the world's most secure building. Yet even today, two elections and a new
administration later, our Big Brother government expects us to believe that all
of this masterfully-plotted and perfectly-timed destruction was accomplished in
a matter of hours by 15 Saudis and 4 of their cousins using nothing more than
big balls and box cutters.

IF YOU BELIEVE THAT ... or if you believe we have been told the truth, the whole
truth, or anything close to the Truth about 9/11 ... then I ask you to Google
"911 truth" and "911 peak oil" ... and take the time to objectively view and
critically evaluate videos like these:

http://tinyurl.com/ml38wp

http://tinyurl.com/phfzeu

http://tinyurl.com/n684b7

http://tinyurl.com/kuca7w

I doubt if all the major assertions in any of these presentations are completely
correct. But if just one of them is true, then logic dictates that everything
the government has told us about 9/11 cannot be.

AND WHAT THE HELL DOES ALL THIS HAVE TO DO WITH BIKERS' RIGHTS?!?

The message lies in the parallels between the 9-11 Truth protestors, the 9-12
Tea Party organizers, and those who lead and serve our motorcyclists' rights
organizations (MROs):

Like the Tea Party organizers, our MRO leaders must learn how to energize a
diverse political base. The Tea Party organizers accomplish that by exploiting a
common thread of discontent to bring them all together under one umbrella. MRO
leaders can go that one better by focusing on motorcycle-specific issues that
impact all riders ... chief among them being failure-to-yield and right-of-way
violations (FTY/ROWVs) by care-less and discretionarily distracted drivers ...
seeing to it that the riders they injure are cared for, and that families of
fallen riders are provided for ... and assuring that cagers guilty of maiming
and murdering bikers are brought to justice. In part due to our combined
protests and the vigilance of a dedicated few, for example, nail-painter Lora
Hunt now faces a six-count indictment of reckless homicide for taking the life
of Anita Zaffke:

http://tinyurl.com/nybs79

Once MRO leaders establish a motorcycling-specific focus, they must remain true
to that focus. Divert the attention of the membership, and you dilute the
effectiveness of the organization. Yes, this very article reflects that
motorcyclists are affected by many issues that are not motorcycling-specific,
but THERE IS NO AMPERSAND ("&") BETWEEN THE "M" AND "R" IN "MRO". Even the
largest of our bikers' rights groups have limited political capital, and if not
invested wisely it is wasted. MROs who lead loyal freedom fighters into battles
over extraneous issues both limit their potential and fragment their base. And
MRO leaders like TMRA2 Finance Officer Tom Maddux who spread unsubstantiated
hoaxes and alarms about ridiculous threats that do not exist ... like Obama
"[raising] the communist flag over the White House on Sept. 20th" ... destroy
their own integrity and damage the credibility of both their MRO and our
movement:

http://tinyurl.com/ls2fy4

Finally, like the 9/11 Truthers, bikers' rights activists and advocates must
stick to our guns and stay true to our cause if we expect our voices to be
heard. For any number of disturbing reasons, millions of American Sheeple simply
don't want to hear the Truth about 9/11. And sadly, millions more in the
mainstream could care less about motorcycling issues, motorcyclists' rights, or
motorcycle awareness and safety. But the 9/11 Truthers are never going to give
up until their issues are addressed.

AND NEITHER SHOULD WE.

Speaking strictly for myself and no other individuals or organizations,

Bruce Arnold

Bruce@...
Co-Moderator, Bruce-n-RC's Biker Forum
Author and Publisher, LdrLongDistanceRider.com
Mile Eater Gold Member, Iron Butt Association (IBA)
Sustaining Member, Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF)
2009 Chairman's Circle, American Motorcyclist Association (AMA)
Signatory, 911 Truth Statement & Petition (911Truth.org|ae911Truth.org)

P.S. Thanks to Robert "RC" Conroy of BigBendBikersForFreedom.com, who put much
of this together long before I did, and has yet to say "I told you so".

***

READ "BRUCE ON BIKERS' RIGHTS" ONLINE HERE:

http://bikersrights.ldrlongdistancerider.com

READ "DISTANCE RIDING WITH BRUCE" ONLINE HERE:

http://distanceriding.ldrlongdistancerider.com

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT BY DONATING ONLINE HERE:

http://support.ldrlongdistancerider.com

"The battle for bikers' rights is not about patches, parties or poker runs. We
fight to protect the freedom and promote the interests of American motorcyclists
... to defend our right to choose our own modes of transportation, attire and
lifestyle ... to deter and defy discrimination against us ... and to vanquish
those who violate our rights or right-of-way."--Bruce Arnold

***

FIRST AMENDMENT NOTICE:  This is a political communication to Bruce's Rights
Riders List exercising our Freedom of Speech as guaranteed by the U.S.
Constitution and exempted from the C.A.N.S.P.A.M. Act of 2003 to convey
information regarding motorcyclists' rights and motorcycle awareness issues.  To
insure that you continue to receive emails like this, please add
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***

23 August 2009

The Honorable Ray LaHood
Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Ave, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000 (tel)
202-366-2191 (fax)
Ray.LaHood@...; ritainfo@...; dot.comments@... (email)

Ref: USDOT Distracted Driving Summit, 09/30/09-10/01/09
URL: http://www.rita.dot.gov/distracted_driving_summit/


Dear Mr. Secretary:

Distracted driving is turning our nation's roadways into killing corridors, and
it is time for "Pay Attention or Pay the Price" to become more than a hollow
slogan.  If we are to stop the slaughter...

AMERICAN MOTORISTS WHO ENGAGE IN DISCRETIONARY DISTRACTIONS MUST BE HELD
ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE HARM THEY CAUSE.

-- By "American motorists", I mean (a) all who share our roads via two wheels,
four or more; and (b) regardless of age, experience, license class, nationality
or other arbitrary distinction.

-- By "discretionary distractions", I mean all activities in which a motorist
might elect to engage that are known or might reasonably be expected to impair
or detract from their ability to drive safely, including but not limited to cell
phone conversations or texting, grooming or applying cosmetics, and eating
behind the wheel.

-- By "held accountable for the harm they cause", I mean more than being
ticketed for failure-to-yield every time they turn left without looking and
murder a motorcyclist.  I mean being required to pay restitution for the loss,
damage or injury caused by their election not to pay attention.  And I mean
taking away their license and their freedom when their decision to drive
distracted results in the injury or death of innocent people.

Legally banning the distractions would likely work about as well and last about
as long as Prohibition.  And laws that penalize only teens or truckers for
texting, or prohibit only cell phone conversations via hand-held devices, are
"feel good" half-measures difficult to enforce and easy to ignore.  It is not so
difficult, however, to determine if a driver causing an accident was texting,
talking on a cell phone, eating a cheeseburger or painting their nails at the
point of impact.  And if the penalties for causing an accident while engaging in
discretionary distractions are severe, they are not likely to be ignored.

And what should those penalties be?  Any Internet search engine will provide you
with numerous references to studies indicating that driving while distracted is
just as dangerous, if not more so, than driving while impaired from alcohol or
drugs.  And since driving while distracted and driving while impaired are both
discretionary activities with equivalent social costs, should they not carry
equivalent legal penalties?

Severe DUI/DWI penalties have not eliminated drunk driving, of course.  But
according to MADD.org, since 1980 alcohol-related traffic fatalities have
decreased nearly 50 percent.  That is largely due to the deterrent effect of
significantly increasing the penalities associated with causing an accident
while driving drunk, coupled with an impactive barrage of related PSAs. 
Mounting a similar campaign against distracted driving, it seems, would yield
similar results.

I ask that you please forward this letter to all the participants in your
upcoming Distracted Driving Summit.

Speaking strictly for myself and no other individuals or organizations,

Bruce Arnold

Bruce@...
Author and Publisher, LdrLongDistanceRider.com
Co-Moderator, Bruce-n-RC's Biker Forum
Mile Eater Gold Member, Iron Butt Association (IBA)
Sustaining Member, Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF)
2009 Chairman's Circle, American Motorcyclist Association (AMA)
1521 Alton Road No. 262 . Miami Beach FL 33139 . 786-326-8079

***

READ THE LATEST INSTALLMENT OF "BRUCE ON BIKERS' RIGHTS" ONLINE HERE:

"Harley-Davidson and Corporate Social Responsibility to Fallen Riders"
http://bikersrights.ldrlongdistancerider.com

READ THE LATEST INSTALLMENT OF "DISTANCE RIDING WITH BRUCE" ONLINE HERE:

"Bikation 2009: Sixteen Days for 69"
http://distanceriding.ldrlongdistancerider.com

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR MOTORCYCLISTS' RIGHTS BY DONATING ONLINE HERE:

http://support.ldrlongdistancerider.com

"The battle for bikers' rights is not about patches, parties or poker runs. We
fight to protect the freedom and promote the interests of American motorcyclists
... to defend our right to choose our own modes of transportation, attire and
lifestyle ... to deter and defy discrimination against us ... and to vanquish
those who violate our rights or right-of-way."--Bruce Arnold

***

I can't believe I forgot to ask how the rally went?
Fun?
Wet?
Safe?

Wait, that sounds wrong...

Anyway, how was it?

Mike

Has anyone here ridden Ferrum Mountain Rd or Five Mile Mountain Rd
between Ferum, VA and the Blue Ridge Parkway?  I'm thinking of
incorporating that into the sunday ride...from Stuart VA take hwy 8 to
hwy 40 and hwy 40 to ferrum...then the above mentioned roads to the
parkway.  It would add about 15 miles to the ride but likely about 45
minutes.  I just can't tell if they are dirt roads, which is fine by
me, but not for some of the guys on other bikes.

Mike

There has been talk about putting together a regular ride.  I know
some of you enjoy riding to Michael's on Sunday mornings.  My father
and I have pretty good route hammered out for a Sunday ride that we
do as often as possible.  Usually I don't know if I'm going until
about noon on Saturday, but any of you guys are welcome to join us.
We usually leave Chapel Hill around 8AM and get back to the area
around 530-600.  We live about 25 minutes apart so we usually meed in
Graham on I-40 at either a breakfast place (Bojangles or
Biscuitville) or at the rest stop just west of Graham.

Anyway, there is about 30 miles of slab to get started and then all
side roads from there on.  Ends up coming down 86 from Danville VA at
the end of the day and then taking 119 back to Mebane.  I usually
break off from there to visit elderly relatives and the like, but
that would put your right back on I-40 for a quick slab ride home.

Its about 410-430 miles with about 70 miles of Blue Ridge Parkway.
There is a lot of back roads with some of those great 1.5 lane
Virginia roads that have no lines (Stay on your side of the road!).

We start the fun stuff north of Piedmont Triad Airport and go back
roads up through Walnut Cove and by the east side of Hanging Rock
State Park.  Then some more side roads roughly following hwy 8 north
to Stuart, Va.

At this point we have the option of hwy 8 to Tuggles Gap on the
parkway or 58 to Meadows of Dan at the Parkway.  Then north on the
Parkway all the was to Peaks of Otter.

This is the halfway point.  There is a restraunt at Peaks of Otter
that is operated by the park service that has a KILLER Sunday lunch
buffet.  Lots of good southern cooking with 4-5 different means and
all the fixins.  The deserts are worth the price of admissions alone,
home made apple pie, peach cobbler, fresh berries and REAL whipped
cream.  It is a bit pricey at 13 bucks a head, but a great meal in
the middle of a great ride is worth a lot eh?

Then we head down the mountain and pick our way south on rural VA
roads all the way to Danville and home.

Anyone who is interested in joinint just let me know.

We travel at a relatively spirited pace usually 10-15 over the
limit.  We do NOT leave people behind.  Ride at your own pace and we
will wait for all parties to catch up at each turn.

All of that being said, I won't be going this Sunday as I'll be out
of town!

Mike

Happy riding!

Just got turned on to the site from my friend Mitch (yellow Buell
XB9R) who ran into a few of you guys out on the back roads around
Holly Springs. Moved hear over a year ago from south of Fuquay. We
live in the Windcrest KB Home subdiv. next to the new Advance Auto.
Looks like there's a pretty good sportbike presence around here(Holly
Springs). Look forward to seeing some of you out on the road. :) Oh
yeah, I have a '89 Kawasaki EX500 (sorta)
http://home.earthlink.net/~motormech1/  Looking a bit different than
that now. New pics soon. Later.

Hi Josh, thanks alot. Does anyone from the group get together regularly for rides. I know alot of people go to Michael's restaurant in Chapel Hill on Sunday a.m. It seemed like it from the posts. Thanks.

 

Kenny 

joshua knight <focus791@...> wrote:

Welcome to the group. Nice bike!  You must be handy with a wrench...

Josh


motormech2 <motormech2@...> wrote:

Just got turned on to the site from my friend Mitch (yellow Buell
XB9R) who ran into a few of you guys out on the back roads around
Holly Springs. Moved hear over a year ago from south of Fuquay. We
live in the Windcrest KB Home subdiv. next to the new Advance Auto.
Looks like there's a pretty good sportbike presence around here(Holly
Springs). Look forward to seeing some of you out on the road. :) Oh
yeah, I have a '89 Kawasaki EX500 (sorta)
http://home.earthlink.net/~motormech1/  Looking a bit different than
that now. New pics soon. Later.

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•  Visit your group "ncSport-Touring" on the web.
   
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Celebrate Earth Day everyday! Discover 10 things you can do to help slow climate change. Yahoo! Earth Day

Welcome to the group. Nice bike!  You must be handy with a wrench...

Josh


motormech2 <motormech2@...> wrote:

Just got turned on to the site from my friend Mitch (yellow Buell
XB9R) who ran into a few of you guys out on the back roads around
Holly Springs. Moved hear over a year ago from south of Fuquay. We
live in the Windcrest KB Home subdiv. next to the new Advance Auto.
Looks like there's a pretty good sportbike presence around here(Holly
Springs). Look forward to seeing some of you out on the road. :) Oh
yeah, I have a '89 Kawasaki EX500 (sorta)
http://home.earthlink.net/~motormech1/  Looking a bit different than
that now. New pics soon. Later.

---

YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS

•  Visit your group "ncSport-Touring" on the web.
   
•  To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
   ncSport-Touring-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
   
•  Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.

---

---

Blab-away for as little as 1¢/min. Make PC-to-Phone Calls using Yahoo! Messenger with Voice.

Just got turned on to the site from my friend Mitch (yellow Buell
XB9R) who ran into a few of you guys out on the back roads around
Holly Springs. Moved hear over a year ago from south of Fuquay. We
live in the Windcrest KB Home subdiv. next to the new Advance Auto.
Looks like there's a pretty good sportbike presence around here(Holly
Springs). Look forward to seeing some of you out on the road. :) Oh
yeah, I have a '89 Kawasaki EX500 (sorta)
http://home.earthlink.net/~motormech1/  Looking a bit different than
that now. New pics soon. Later.

---

YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS

•  Visit your group "ncSport-Touring" on the web.
   
•  To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
   ncSport-Touring-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
   
•  Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.

---

Just got turned on to the site from my friend Mitch (yellow Buell
XB9R) who ran into a few of you guys out on the back roads around
Holly Springs. Moved hear over a year ago from south of Fuquay. We
live in the Windcrest KB Home subdiv. next to the new Advance Auto.
Looks like there's a pretty good sportbike presence around here(Holly
Springs). Look forward to seeing some of you out on the road. :) Oh
yeah, I have a '89 Kawasaki EX500 (sorta)
http://home.earthlink.net/~motormech1/  Looking a bit different than
that now. New pics soon. Later.

Rick,

 

As a new rider, I don’t have any experience to talk about regarding tires.  When I was getting ready to replace my rear tire I sent an email to one of my friends in Atlanta.  He has been riding all of his life, is extremely meticulous, does tons of research, and is very aggressive (type A++ personality).  I trust his opinions on everything that I’ve talked to him about. 

 

I asked if he had any recommendations for tires and I also asked if there were any safety issues using a different brand between front and back.

Here is an excerpt from the email that he replied to me:

 

Mike,

 

I've tried virtually all the sport touring tires on the Concours, and I think the Avon Azzaro ST45 and ST46 are the best.  Best cornering, and by far the best wear. They should wear even better on a 750 than on the Concours, because of the lower weight. You would have to check to make sure Avon makes them in the right sizes for the ZR-7S, but they very likely do. 17-inch wheels are the most common.

 

I liked Dunlop 205's better than the Concour's stock Dunlops. The 205's later became 220s.  They have a reputation for long mileage, but not the two sets I had. The front was hard to lay over in a corner, and the rears wore out in only 4K miles.  The Michelins handled well, but didn't wear well either.  Bridgestones are pretty good tires, with a good grip. I haven't heard anything bad about them, and I haven't used them on the Concours, but the Battlax won't last as long as the Avon.  It's more of a sport bike tire - perhaps over-emphasizing traction at the expense of mileage - for the kind of everyday riding you are doing.  Metzler ME-6s are great as well, but they stopped making them for the Concours 16-inch rear wheel. They would be a good choice.  You really can't go too far wrong with any premium Sport Touring radial. The dealer or someone with a ZR-7S may have contrary experience with THIS particular bike; but, all in all, I would recommend the Avons.   They are particularly good in the wet.

 

The ideal situation is to use the same brand and model tires front and rear.

They are generally designed for this with complementary and supplementary tread patterns. Typically, the front outlasts the rear about 2 to 1, so the best time to change brands is every second tire change.  But be careful, because it isn't exact timing.

 

In reality, there isn't that much difference, and it certainly is not dangerous to mix brands.  Just don't mix radials and non-radials.  You could certainly put an Avon ST-46 on the rear now, and replace the front with an ST-45 later.  Or put on another Battlax for now, and when it wears out, put on two Avons.  Or bite the bullet, trash the front Battlax, and put on two Avons NOW!

 

It's generally not a good idea to change tire sizes - that's somewhat experimental.  You might find some combination that works better than the stock sizes, but probably not. Bigger tires can increase traction and reduce wear, but the tires on the 7S are already pretty wide. After a point, bigger width tires slow down steering and can cause interference problems with the swingarm or chain.  And they cost fuel mileage.  You can generally go UP only about one width with existing rims; after that you need wider rims.

Different profile (height) tires can raise or lower the front vs. the rear, which can have significant effect on cornering and stability. Some people do that on purpose - often a taller back tire, or shorter front tire speeds up steering - weighting the front wheel and decreasing trail.  The opposite makes a bike more "stable" and slower steering.  But it's probably best to stay with the 160/60ZR-17.  That's a 160mm width, sidewall height 60% of width (profile), 150+mph rating, and radial, for a 17' wheel.

If you haven't been through the motorcycle tire changing thing yet, you will find you have to consider the price of the tire PLUS the price of installation.  Many dealers will charge $25 or more, per wheel, to install!  Some will charge $50 if you don't buy the tire there!  So you have to find the best total price package, tire plus installation. My local Kaw dealer has good tire prices, but charges a fortune to install. If you buy 'em online cheap, the dealers will try to punish you on install. So, I use a little guy who does only tires - sells all brands for a decent price, but installs them for only $10, if you bring in the wheel.  Best overall price.

 

It's definitely worth investigating.  By the way, it's virtually impossible to change and mount a large rear radial yourself - without automated tools. Possible but VERY difficult!!  Plus you will screw up the rim.   You can readily change dirt bike tires with hand tools, but not street bike tires. Particularly the rear.

 

I have generally found ideal tire mileage and handling to occur at about 2 or 3 pounds ABOVE manufacturer's spec for air pressure - particularly for the front tire.  Too low and the front will cup.   Over the long term, you can tell by wear patterns - if the tires tend to wear out too soon in the middle of the tread, it is too hard.  If it tends to cup, it is probably too soft.  My bikes corner MUCH better with 2 or 3 extra pounds in the front tire.  Even quality tires can leak down 3 or 4 pounds a week, and need to be checked and inflated EXACTLY every time you ride - well, every DAY that you ride.

 

---

From: ncSport-Touring@yahoogroups.com [mailto:ncSport-Touring@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Rick Carnagey 'Yaahoo'
Sent: Tuesday, April 18, 2006 5:58 PM
To: ncSport-Touring@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [ncSport-Touring] Tire Suggestions

 

Well it looks like the rear tire has about 1000 miles left on it.    That won't last long!

I've been getting about 7k miles on rear tires and was wondering if anyone any suggestions for a longer lasting tire.   Since I do ALOT of touring the Micheline Powers Roads and the Metzler Z6's I ran before lasted to 7K which isn't bad.   But I'm wearing them out right down the middle.   I did notice my chicken strip was smaller on the Micheline's and that made sense to me cuz I felt more confident in the turns with them than I did with the z6's.  Just never could get used to the flat shape of the z6's.

 

Mike (Allen) what did you run on your VFR?   I know you did ALOT of touring on it.  What kind of milage did you get on your tires?   Any suggestions?

 

I have thought of moving to a more touring oriented tire, but an a little hesitant to do that cuz I do still like to wick it up through the turns sometimes and am concerned with loosing too much grip.  

Live to Ride!
96 Honda VFR 750
NC Sport-Touring Group
Southern Cruisers
Greater Raleigh Chapter
Member ID #70024

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Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+ countries) for 2¢/min or less.

I know someone that has Avons and swears by them too.
  http://www.avonmotorcycle.com/us/en/default.asp







--- In ncSport-Touring@yahoogroups.com, "Mike Danckert"
<mdanckert@...> wrote:
>
> Rick,
>
>
>
> As a new rider, I don't have any experience to talk about
regarding tires.
> When I was getting ready to replace my rear tire I sent an email
to one of
> my friends in Atlanta.  He has been riding all of his life, is
extremely
> meticulous, does tons of research, and is very aggressive (type A++
> personality).  I trust his opinions on everything that I've talked
to him
> about.
>
>
>
> I asked if he had any recommendations for tires and I also asked
if there
> were any safety issues using a different brand between front and
back.
>
> Here is an excerpt from the email that he replied to me:
>
>
>
> Mike,
>
>
>
> I've tried virtually all the sport touring tires on the Concours,
and I
> think the Avon Azzaro ST45 and ST46 are the best.  Best cornering,
and by
> far the best wear. They should wear even better on a 750 than on
the
> Concours, because of the lower weight. You would have to check to
make sure
> Avon makes them in the right sizes for the ZR-7S, but they very
likely do.
> 17-inch wheels are the most common.
>
>
>
> I liked Dunlop 205's better than the Concour's stock Dunlops. The
205's
> later became 220s.  They have a reputation for long mileage, but
not the two
> sets I had. The front was hard to lay over in a corner, and the
rears wore
> out in only 4K miles.  The Michelins handled well, but didn't wear
well
> either.  Bridgestones are pretty good tires, with a good grip. I
haven't
> heard anything bad about them, and I haven't used them on the
Concours, but
> the Battlax won't last as long as the Avon.  It's more of a sport
bike tire
> - perhaps over-emphasizing traction at the expense of mileage -
for the kind
> of everyday riding you are doing.  Metzler ME-6s are great as
well, but they
> stopped making them for the Concours 16-inch rear wheel. They
would be a
> good choice.  You really can't go too far wrong with any premium
Sport
> Touring radial. The dealer or someone with a ZR-7S may have
contrary
> experience with THIS particular bike; but, all in all, I would
recommend the
> Avons.   They are particularly good in the wet.
>
>
>
> The ideal situation is to use the same brand and model tires front
and rear.
>
> They are generally designed for this with complementary and
supplementary
> tread patterns. Typically, the front outlasts the rear about 2 to
1, so the
> best time to change brands is every second tire change.  But be
careful,
> because it isn't exact timing.
>
>
>
> In reality, there isn't that much difference, and it certainly is
not
> dangerous to mix brands.  Just don't mix radials and non-radials.
You could
> certainly put an Avon ST-46 on the rear now, and replace the front
with an
> ST-45 later.  Or put on another Battlax for now, and when it wears
out, put
> on two Avons.  Or bite the bullet, trash the front Battlax, and
put on two
> Avons NOW!
>
>
>
> It's generally not a good idea to change tire sizes - that's
somewhat
> experimental.  You might find some combination that works better
than the
> stock sizes, but probably not. Bigger tires can increase traction
and reduce
> wear, but the tires on the 7S are already pretty wide. After a
point, bigger
> width tires slow down steering and can cause interference problems
with the
> swingarm or chain.  And they cost fuel mileage.  You can generally
go UP
> only about one width with existing rims; after that you need wider
rims.
>
> Different profile (height) tires can raise or lower the front vs.
the rear,
> which can have significant effect on cornering and stability. Some
people do
> that on purpose - often a taller back tire, or shorter front tire
speeds up
> steering - weighting the front wheel and decreasing trail.  The
opposite
> makes a bike more "stable" and slower steering.  But it's probably
best to
> stay with the 160/60ZR-17.  That's a 160mm width, sidewall height
60% of
> width (profile), 150+mph rating, and radial, for a 17' wheel.
>
> If you haven't been through the motorcycle tire changing thing
yet, you will
> find you have to consider the price of the tire PLUS the price of
> installation.  Many dealers will charge $25 or more, per wheel, to
install!
> Some will charge $50 if you don't buy the tire there!  So you have
to find
> the best total price package, tire plus installation. My local Kaw
dealer
> has good tire prices, but charges a fortune to install. If you
buy 'em
> online cheap, the dealers will try to punish you on install. So, I
use a
> little guy who does only tires - sells all brands for a decent
price, but
> installs them for only $10, if you bring in the wheel.  Best
overall price.
>
>
>
> It's definitely worth investigating.  By the way, it's virtually
impossible
> to change and mount a large rear radial yourself - without
automated tools.
> Possible but VERY difficult!!  Plus you will screw up the rim.
You can
> readily change dirt bike tires with hand tools, but not street
bike tires.
> Particularly the rear.
>
>
>
> I have generally found ideal tire mileage and handling to occur at
about 2
> or 3 pounds ABOVE manufacturer's spec for air pressure -
particularly for
> the front tire.  Too low and the front will cup.   Over the long
term, you
> can tell by wear patterns - if the tires tend to wear out too soon
in the
> middle of the tread, it is too hard.  If it tends to cup, it is
probably too
> soft.  My bikes corner MUCH better with 2 or 3 extra pounds in the
front
> tire.  Even quality tires can leak down 3 or 4 pounds a week, and
need to be
> checked and inflated EXACTLY every time you ride - well, every DAY
that you
> ride.
>
>
>
>   _____
>
> From: ncSport-Touring@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:ncSport-Touring@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Rick
Carnagey 'Yaahoo'
> Sent: Tuesday, April 18, 2006 5:58 PM
> To: ncSport-Touring@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [ncSport-Touring] Tire Suggestions
>
>
>
> Well it looks like the rear tire has about 1000 miles left on
it.    That
> won't last long!
>
> I've been getting about 7k miles on rear tires and was wondering
if anyone
> any suggestions for a longer lasting tire.   Since I do ALOT of
touring the
> Micheline Powers Roads and the Metzler Z6's I ran before lasted to
7K which
> isn't bad.   But I'm wearing them out right down the middle.   I
did notice
> my chicken strip was smaller on the Micheline's and that made
sense to me
> cuz I felt more confident in the turns with them than I did with
the z6's.
> Just never could get used to the flat shape of the z6's.
>
>
>
> Mike (Allen) what did you run on your VFR?   I know you did ALOT
of touring
> on it.  What kind of milage did you get on your tires?   Any
suggestions?
>
>
>
> I have thought of moving to a more touring oriented tire, but an a
little
> hesitant to do that cuz I do still like to wick it up through the
turns
> sometimes and am concerned with loosing too much grip.
>
>
>
> Live to Ride!
> 96 Honda VFR 750
> NC Sport-Touring Group
> Southern Cruisers
> Greater Raleigh Chapter
> Member ID #70024
>
>   _____
>
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>

Wouldn't it be great to have and extra rear wheel for a VFR. That way
you could easily switch from touring to sports....

Seems like everyone's getting tires.  I don't have anything to add, as I purchased my first set.  But I do have an update.  The shop said they'd pay for the cable.  They ordered one today, so I'll be good as new soon.  Very professional about it!

Josh

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I ran the Metzler Sporttecs (sp?) which is a much more sport oriented tire.  I did a great deal of riding in the mountains on the VFR and was very aggresive in the turns so I felt the need for a much softer tire.  At best I was getting 3500 out of a rear tire and 4500 from a front...I was very hard on the brakes and throttle though when in the hills...I've mellowed some now and will begin shoping for a harder compound tire to run on the GS. 

 

Before the GS I had heard really good things about the Michelin Pilot Road, but I never go the chance to run a set.  I don't know if you would do much better than the 7K you are getting out of the current set. 

 

I'll be honest and say my knowledge about cycle tires is pretty limited.  I pretty much call someone I trust and ask them what they would p ut on the bike were it theirs.  I sell tires among other automotive service for a living so the last thing I want to do is study up on tire tech. when I'm at home! 

 

I know there are some tires out there that have a harder compound rubber in the center of the tire and softer compound on the on the sides to provide a little more confidence in the turns.  The one piece of advise I can give you is some that carries over from the car world.  Check the speed rating of your tire and make sure you do NOT go down in speed rating...you do not want V or below as the tire will handle much more poorly than what you are used to.  A dealer may tell you they will last much longer, but the sacrafice is too much IMHO.  I'm not sure how many H and V rated tires are out there that will fit a VFR, but better to check than not.

 

I do plan to do some studying before I get my next set of tires for the GS, but I imagine an hour or so on the message boards will teach me enough to have an educated guess.  I'll let you know what I decide and what I think of the new ones.

 

One tire I know I did NOT like... I was stuck in bumf*ck Arizona at 6PM on a saturday and in bad need of a tire before I headed on...I took the only tire I could find that fit, a Dunlop D208...it lasted about 4K, but for whatever reason I never fealt comfortable riding aggresively with that tire.

 

Funny how you mention the chicken strip getting smaller on your tires, mine seem to be getting larger!  I'm getting slower with my old age...there used to be none at all, now there is nearly a 1/4 inch on either side...of course one good get off rob you of a lot of confidence.

 

Anyway, I hope that was at least some help...although I doubt it. 

 

How many of you guys are riding the Cape Fear 1000 this weekend?

 

Mike

 

PS If any of you see David Riley (License tag "CDOG") at the awards banquet please tell him Mike Allen said hi and that I'm jealous of hell that he got to ride while I was at a damned wedding.

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I'm getting a new tire this week. My front is shot. Of course I will
be using the Pilot Powers. I just don't want to be concerned about
grip from a tire. Milage does bother me a bit. Getting 3500 miles out
of a tire is good for me but expensive. Im sure the roads are good
tires for touring. I don't know if you can do much better than 7k with
a tire on a motorcycle and even if you could it's probobly not worth
the risk. It reminds me of a qoute

"It is unwise to pay too much, but it is worse to pay too little. When
you pay too much, you lose a little money - that is all. When you pay
too little, you sometimes lose everything because the thing you bought
was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law
of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot - it
cannot be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add
something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have
enough to pay for something better."

John Ruskin 1898

Registration just opened.

http://www.rallythevoid.org/pages/17/index.htm

Sorry I can't make the Cape Fear this weekend, buddy getting hitched.

So the rally schedule this year: I'm sure I'm missing some.

Mason Dixon 20-20 -- +-30HRS. (This rally is my favorite:  well run,
well organized, super competitive, great people.  I suggest any of
you wanting to try a full day rally make this one your first.)  May
27th YORK, PA.

http://www.masondixon20-20.org/

Minute Man 1000 -- 24HR event based in Mass.  I've not ridden this
rally and likely won't be able to this year as I'll be doing one the
following week.  I hear the staff are great folks and you'll get to
see some beautiful places.  June 10th Greenfield, MA.

http://www.minuteman1000.com/

Minnesotta 1000 -- This will be my first "Team Strange" event.  I'm
going to ride this rather than the Minute Man to get a feel for their
style of rally.  Rumor is they are super strict and picky with some
trck questions...fun or annoying, haven't passed judgement yet.  June
17th somewhere in the twin cities, starting location not yet
announced.

http://www.teamstrange.com/2006/mn1k/06mn1k_main.htm

Butt Lite IV -- This is the big show for this year.  A seven day
rally that will tell me if I'm really stoopid enough to want to do
the Iron Butt next year.  I'm going to actually try to get
sponsorship for this if you can believe it...HA!  August 8-15th NORTH
AMERICA.

http://www.teamstrange.com/2006/mn1k/06mn1k_main.htm

and finally the void on Oct 14th which is local and a mini
rally...you guys should all think about doing this one as it is great
fun and a great intro to rallying without the need to deal with
riding in the dark or sleep deprivation.

Anyway, I hope some of you think about joining our little sport.

Later all,

Mike

PS -- 400 great spur of the moment miles in the mountains
yesterday..left home at 730 and rolled in at 545...If any of you ever
make it to Peaks of Otter on the Blue Ridge Parkway on a sunday, stop
and have the buffet...the fresh peach cobbler alone is worth the
price.

I got out tonight... waited until 7:15 and headed out down Beaver Dam road (Your favorite Bryan).  As I crossed falls lake the sun was setting over the lake....nice.

 

I rode back roads I'd never ridden before for about an hour until after dark and stopped off at a Mcdonald's in Butner for some ice cream and coffee (yeah I know it was hot today...but I'm an addict).  

 

Got in another 45 minutes riding and just got home.   Riding at night is nice in the summer.......

 

I don't suppose that those guys will fix your cable since they broke it....   did you call and let them know?  Or has it been too long since they mounted the tires?

Bryan <raleighhvac@...> wrote:

To bad about that cable. Don't let a bad speedo stop you from
riding... I only got to ride for 45 mins today. I was hot...I loved it.

Live to Ride!
96 Honda VFR 750
NC Sport-Touring Group
Southern Cruisers
Greater Raleigh Chapter
Member ID #70024

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To bad about that cable. Don't let a bad speedo stop you from
riding... I only got to ride for 45 mins today. I was hot...I loved it.

To bad about that cable. Don't let a bad speedo stop you from
riding... I only got to ride for 45 mins today. I was hot...I loved it.

Too bad I didn't see this sooner..... I'd a taken ya up on it!

Bryan <raleighhvac@...> wrote:

Any one up for a evening ride today? I was thinking of riding near hwy
42 at 5 or 6 today for about 2 hours.

Live to Ride!
96 Honda VFR 750
NC Sport-Touring Group
Southern Cruisers
Greater Raleigh Chapter
Member ID #70024

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