Setting a Precedent - A WIN for the Riding Community

The news spread like wild fire yesterday when second year U of A law student - Stuart Young's - Motorcycle Noise Bylaw ticket was thrown out of court.


The main stream news is filled with the news.

www.edmontonjournal.com/technology/Edmon...d/4303380/story.html

www.canada.com/news/Motorcyclist+wins+ca...t/4303482/story.html

www.inews880.com/Channels/Reg/LocalNews/story.aspx?ID=1366271

www.globaltvedmonton.com/video/index.htm...kbQCXTtKnFUj_DsJdF9F

www.globaltvedmonton.com/video/index.htm...fjYyNGJm5oEdy9EpUcxa

edmonton.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews...17/?hub=EdmontonHome

www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2011/02...le-noise-ticket.html

www.edmontonsun.com/news/edmonton/2011/02/17/17319266.html

I have been sitting on the knowledge for three weeks that Liane Langlois had helped Stuart Young with the research that he used to successfully fight his ticket - and that Stuart Young was as prepared as he could be - prepared enough that the judge hearing the case wanted three weeks before rendering a verdict. The commissioner did his home work, he read the documentation, watched the videos and determined that the EPS had administered the test improperly and much more.


Some city councilors now appear to be trying to distance themselves from the issue - some coming out publicly to say that they had been skeptical and thought this would be the result - the old - I told you so's - they are beginning to come out of the wood work.

From iNews 880: "I wasn't in favour of the bylaw to start with," says Coun. Tony Caterina. "One of my concerns was that this would be virtually impossible totally to enforce. I think we've used our police service for this, rather than things that are more important. "I think this is now an indication of where this might go. The technology supposedly is there, but as we see with this first one, it wasn't there to substantiate a ticket.
City lawyers are saying this ticket being thrown out will have no bearing on the cases to come. Stuart however feels he can provide others with a means to fight their tickets.


In this chess game - the next move is up to the city - there are talks of appeals and the officer in charge of the testing is confident that he and his officers just need time to work out the bugs. But that begs the question - why weren't they prepared right off the hop?


According to CTV : "We'll grow and adapt and if there are any issues, we'll address them. But our 2011 Excessive Noise Program is going to roll out much as it did last year," said Const. Eric Theuser, who oversees the program.

The officer in charge of the Excessive Noise Program says police were properly prepared before the bylaw came into effect.

About 35 EPS members received a full day of training.


Liane Langlois has worked tirelessly on finding a way to get this unjust bylaw repealed. Now if a civil rights lawyer could be found there just might be a way to see this bylaw repealed and either make noise testing mandatory for all vehicles that use the roads OR scrap it completely. 


I for one personally believe that the City of Edmonton has met their match in Liane Langlois and Stuart Young - these two have done their research and while there are many neigh sayers out there that do not believe this bylaw can be repealed -  I, however am of the frame of mind that you should NEVER discount the efforts of a small and determined group of people.

“We must remember that one determined person can make a significant difference, and that a small group of determined people can change the course of history.” Sonia Johnson

I hope that EVERY RIDER out there has learned a valuable lesson - COMMUNICATION, ACTION and DETERMINATION are key to getting fair treatment (or getting anything done for that matter) - if you actually get off your duffer and do something - if you join forces with others - WE, the RIDING COMMUNITY CAN affect change. The bend over the desk with no Vaseline attitude NEEDS to stop NOW!


If you got a ticket, FIGHT IT. Let's keep up the pressure - let's work TOGETHER for the common good here folks - while the ball is currently in the city's corner - we need to be mounting the next stage of this fight - raising some money and finding a lawyer to take the City of Edmonton and the EPS service to court for wasting taxpayers money and for discrimination - at least that is my humble opinion - what say you?


I would LOVE to hear your thoughts!


I am leaving Edmonton for Red Deer in a couple of hours - I am looking forward to the hugs and the chats! This news should make discussions lively!

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider
www.beltdrivebetty.com
www.bustedknucklechronicles.com

Mackie Harley-Davidson's Owner thwarts would be theives and a lot more news

In Oshawa, the owner of Mackie Harley-Davidson prevented a theft of a $500 leather jacket from his store.

From the Durham Region News:

Mr. Mackie said the man put the leather coat on underneath another coat.

"We asked them to come back in and go through the security system," Mr. Mackie said. "They said he was too busy and he had bad legs."

Mr. Mackie was now standing in front of the couple's car and he told them he would call the police.

A woman was driving and she began to go forward, forcing Mr. Mackie onto the hood of the car as they drove away. They went east on Champlain Avenue to Thornton Road, then north.

"There was a lot of yelling and shouting," he said.

The driver began "driving crazy," trying to force Mr. Mackie off the car.

"The whole time I was worried about my life. The man said he'd go back to the store," Mr. Mackie said. "They pulled over and I hopped off the car and they sped off."

Now I applaud Mr. Mackie for wanting to protect his store and inventory, but as Mr. Mackie himself is quoted saying: "It wasn't one of my smarter moves, but my adrenaline was pumping. I got caught up in the moment."

In BC we now have the pay before you pump law because a young man didn't know to call the police instead of chasing the would be robber. As much as we want to sometimes, vigilante justice, protecting your own property can cost you your life and sometimes the fall out is dumb, knee jerk reaction laws the rest of us have to put up with. Please use caution - your life is worth so much more than the property you are defending.

Another item  that caught my eye this morning was one from The Motley Fool.

In the article he questions the wisdom of Harley-Davidson relying so heavily on India and other international divisions to generate their forecast income. He expresses that the open road feeling that Harley-Davidson sells in their marketing just isn't a reality in countries like India. He says that the time it takes to get to an open highway can be hours. 

If you are investing on the stock market, if you are contemplating buying anyone's stock, research into a company and it's chosen path is vital. I feel this article could be relevant to anyone thinking of investing in Harley-Davidson - it is one more path to enlightenment.

I invite you to read his entire article - I think it is written from a place of understanding.

Like every day I welcome your comments on the stories of the day - your feedback is important to myself and the rest of the community - through sharing we become stronger and more united. Join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook , the Forums on www.beltdrivebetty.com or here in my blog.

In Other News:

Atlanticade will return to St Andrews NB but the dates will be different

 In BC - Other Non Profit events want the proposed festivals bylaw in Salmon Arm shelved until January of 2012

In Kansas, Big Dog motorcycles has withdrawn their request for a tax relief extension.

In Nebraska they are contemplating relaxing helmet laws

For those traveling in the US the new ride guide from Motorcycle-USA might be a handy tool

For those who love their motorcycle magazines, Cycle News has gone digital

We came across an old Steve McQueen commercial on Superbike Planet. 

There is tons of news and sports news to be had today - check out www.beltdrivebetty.com where we sift through the news so you don't have to.

The Beat the PMS Blues on Line Show 'n' Shine voting is going well. You can vote for your favorite machines in each category every day! Voting ends March 3rd.

If you are looking for road side assistance programs we have two great offerings for you. From MotoRescue - $49.95 a year and from Best Road Side Assistance, the BDB Club Program:

6 Calls - shareable between spouses, transferable from car, to pickup to motorcycle for only $89.50 per year - includes, lock out, fuel delivery and more. Good in the Continental USA and Canada and comes with additional travel perks and incentives making the FREE membership in the BDB Club Really Valuable!

Don't forget to add your events to our Canadian Motorcycle Event Calendars - once approved your event is shareable to 86 social networks, by email, Facebook and Twitter not to mention 5 styles of calendars and by RSS Feed.  We are working to bring our community closer together by providing as much event information, riding club and charity information as possible - your help to accomplish this lofty goal is VITAL! Make sure your club information is accurate and make sure you use our events calendars to promote your local community events to others!

Well - I have a newspaper to finish and a ton of packing to do to get ready to leave in the morning for the Red Deer Motorcycle Show here in Alberta.

You have a fabulous Hump Day,

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider
www.beltdrivebetty.com
www.bustedknucklechronicles.com

Businesses say Daytona Bike Week Vendors hurt business

A rather interesting article came out of Daytona Florida.

It appears that some businesses would like to see the vendors at Daytona Bike Week be gone.

Why? Because there are property owners who collect a ton of rent from vendors twice a year (for Bike Week and Biketoberfest) and leave their rental buildings vacant the rest of the year.

One store owner said it is a bad look for Daytona to have so many store fronts closed all year long and feels that these "businesses" should have to be open all year long.

From WESH 2.com:

Twice a year, you have a bunch of tenants come here, collect a ton of rent. Come Monday, the tenants go and so does the money that should have been flowing through the economy," Politis said.

There are some full-time businesses on Main Street, but plenty of empty store fronts that property owners rent out for special events. They can make a small fortune renting space just a few weeks a year.But the stores stay empty the rest of the time in the heart of downtown -- in the shadow of the Ocean Center looking to attract conventions. 

Politis said an empty Main Street makes for a bad image.

So, what would you think if you owned a store that was open all year round in Daytona Beach - or anywhere for that matter and have half or more of the other stores in the downtown district closed even in high tourist season? 

If you were the person who had an empty store that you gained enough revenue from renting it for 3-4 weeks a year that you didn't feel the need to open a real store - what would you say?

Man - this is one topic where I can see both sides of the equation and yet I see a different way of looking at this... my question would be - instead of getting rid of the vendors who come to Daytona specifically to offer wares to riders - why aren't these store fronts being rented out during High Tourist Season? Now there's a question I would like an answer to. Somehow the motorcycle rally vendors are being blamed for this situation, not sure that is fair.

Your thoughts on this topic are, like every day, welcomed. 

You just never know what one can learn from sharing opinions and ideas.

In other news:

Honda reports an increase in Motorcycle sales as does Triumph.

BMW has it's 2012 pricing available on ther 1600 GT and GL Models

Bikers in the United Arab Emirates are not spending as much on luxury buys including motorcycles

The German Motorcycle maker, Horex reveals it's patent for the W8 configuration on their V6 Roadster.

Harley-Davidson reveals it's first video creative from their new ad agency Victor & Spoils It's an interesting idea - I personally am not sure it hits the mark though.

You tell me after you watch it: http://www.beltdrivebetty.com/index.php/whats-hot/bdb-tv/viewvideo/658/manufacturer-commercials/h-d1-factory-customization

There is a ton of news today on www.beltdrivebetty.com hope to see you there!

Make sure you cast your votes today for your favorite bikes in our Beat the PMS Blues on line Show 'n' Shine. One lucky winner will come away with a Drift HD170 video camera.

There is also a Doran 360M Tire Pressure Monitoring system up for grabs not to mention leather goods, hotel stays, food, tattoos, event tickets and more - help us determine the winners! You can vote once per 24 hour period until March third!

So what did you get for Valentine's Day? I got flowers and a card from hubby and my cat got me a card about doing the important things in life like scratching his head, changing his litter box, feeding him and rubbing his belly - he said he hoped I had a great Valentine's Day and signed it - from the one who runs the house! Cats - go figure... What a great card!

I am outta here for today - tons of work left to accomplish before I hit the road to the Red Deer Motorcycle Show here in Alberta this weekend.

Have a freaking awesome Tuesday everyone.

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider
www.beltdrivebetty.com
www.bustedknucklechronicles.com

Food And Motorcycles

There is one thing that most riders will agree on outside of their love for their 
motorcycle, they love food - the fresh air and open road seem to stimulate the appetite.

One motorcycle shop has decided to combine the two.

There is a BBQ joint inside Jarman’s Sportcycles in Virgina.

The owners say it is a great addition to their business - having their life long friend who was a motocross racer their shop used to sponsor, bring his BBQ lunch counter into their shop.

From the Daily Progress:

But Mr. Chips ain’t no tarted-up, wussified palace of pretension with plastic plants and faux antiques screwed to the walls. No, sir. This is a classic lunch counter. There’s ’cue, and stew, soda, chips and iced tea. The motor milieu includes real motorcycles such as a classic Triumph Bonneville that can be revved up to provide a little dinner music.

“Well, yes. I think it’s very odd to have a barbecue restaurant in a motorcycle shop. We may even have the only one in the United States of America. I don’t know,” says Chip, spooning up a bun full of pulled pork for a sandwich. “It’s certainly something I’ve never seen before.”

Sounds like a great destination ride to me!

The voting continues in the Beat the PMS Blues on line Show 'n' Shine

In other news:

Singer Macy Gray gives away a First Aide Motorcycle in Jerusalem

A unique Motorcycle Hunt to boost business in Arizona - you could win a $35K motorcycle

The Elephant Snow Ride in Colorado made the news

Rockers Alice Cooper and George Thorogood are entertaining at the Buffalo Chip for Sturgis this year

An Ontario Motorcycle Tourism Map is in the news again!

There are many more stories in the news and sports from the weekend and today on www.beltdrivebetty.com

I have a ton to do before I leave for the Red Deer Motorcycle Show this Thursday.

I am looking forward to seeing a ton of you riders from that Central Alberta country!

Have an incredible Monday

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider
www.beltdrivebetty.com
www.bustedknucklechronicles.com