A Balancing Act

A Balancing Act

I got some feedback on my post about the post regarding SGI and the fact that SGI is calling for mandatory class 5 license before you can get a motorcycle license and that they are calling for a minimum gear requirement for new riders.

I did not know that my asking questions or stating my personal opinion was doing harm or making it come across as if I am the law and final word on a topic.

I did not know that asking for your thoughts and opinions on issues was a one sided public forum created without conversation from others.

I ended my article yesterday , like I do most days, with this:

Begin Quote: What are your thoughts on minimum gear requirements - people being people, do we need to be more clear about what constitutes minimum gear?

What should that minimum be?
I'd love your comments and feedback - tell me what you think of mandatory gear and mandatory training and lets hear what insurance is like in your province. End Quote

I wanted to start a dialogue but the dialogue I got, was sure not what I expected.

Although this blog has a comment section, an upset reader decided to send me an email, here is part of the comment I got:

Begin Quote "Sometimes you have to listen instead of making your views law and order.. you or the police do not run my life.. so if it does more harm to the greater good than good, just shut the heck up before you start something you complain about frequently in a one-sided public forum you have created without conversation from others...your comments sometimes stir up the same shit that Australia is going through.... leave well enough alone..."End Quote

It's a balancing act - trying to report on the news - to keep people informed, and be a rider at the same time, a person with opinions and viewpoints based on personal experiences.

I have never once said that I have all the answers or that I think I am right all the time. I have always been willing to have my mind changes by thoughtful comment, facts and dialogue.

I have always looked upon this job - reporting on the news of our community, as a give and take process, as a way to start dialogue and get people thinking and talking about the various issues our community faces. 

I can only imagine what kind of balancing act it must be to take in the considerations of thousands of individuals, all with different experiences, fears, perceptions and knowledge when trying to implement policies around public safety and around your money (IE Insurance costs).

If you are comfortable with the risks you take when riding without good gear, that's your choice.

I am pro choice, but I am also an advocate of paying for your choice.

My insurance is high enough thank you very much.

I have always said a person should be able to buy special insurance to cover their risk choice and have a special sticker on their plate that says they have paid for their right to choose so the cops have no reason to stop them.  

While many who ride exercise common sense and act like adults, I want to remind the writer of the above missive, that we have web sites like the People of WalMart for a reason.

We have TV shows like Canada's Worst Driver for a reason - because sadly, not everyone has "common" sense...

Here is a link to the SGI report for those who care to read it and see what is happening in Saskatchewan:
http://www.sgi.sk.ca/pdf/Motorcycle-Review-Committee-Report-on-Findings.pdf

I firmly believe that having dialogue is the first step to coming to a meeting of the minds, or finding better solutions to issues...and sometimes it means finding solutions that might never have seen the light of day if we hadn't talked to each other.

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions - will we agree?
Maybe yes - maybe no.

Have a great weekend and if you are lucky enough to be riding, please ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you.

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider

Motorcycle Insurance, New Riders and Safety

SGI - Saskatchewan Government Insurance has released some information on the proposed changes to motorcycle insurance and rules in that province.

According to the article in the Times Colonist, SGI intends to see new rules in place regarding getting a license to ride, the clothing you must wear but mandatory rider training is not on the agenda.

Before you can get a license you will have to do a skills and ability test, no more writing an exam and hopping on a bike.

All riders in the graduated licensing program will be required to have their arms and legs covered, wear ankle boots, a three quarter helmet minimum, wear gloves and eye protection.

Another change is that anyone wanting a motorcycle license would have to hold a class 5 drivers license.

Fearful that people will not be in a good frame of mind to learn and that rural areas will not be able for provide it,  means that mandatory rider training has been ruled out.

Don Fuller of R.A.G.E., Riders Against Government Exploitation, says that while R.A.G.E. likes the changes for new motorcyclists that the recommendation to charge rates based on type of motorcycle doesn't do enough to address rider safety.

Now I have a couple of questions about these proposed changes.

Why is it only new riders are being required to wear a minimum amount of safety gear?

Why aren't all riders required to wear a minimum amount of safety gear? If this is about reducing the cost of claims, then every rider should at least wear proper footwear, jeans and a jacket on top of gloves, helmet and eye protection.

Just calling for arms and legs to be covered means little. That means I can wear a long sleeve tee shirt and my arms are covered or that I wear spandex tights and my legs are covered. Neither of which are going to protect me at all in a crash situation. The road will chew that fabric up and grind it into your hide along with the gravel, sand and dirt that is on the road.

Why should you have to have a drivers license to get a motorcycle license?
Being a car driver does not equate to you being a good rider.

Sadly it seems we have to make laws to protect people from themselves in order to reduce crashes and claims, so since that seems to be the case, why are these proposed changes so broad and vague in their descriptions and requirements?

Personally I think SGI should reduce your insurance by the amount the rider training costs you for your second year of insurance thereby taking the financial sting out of mandatory training.

With the advent of Kevlar Jeans, Kevlar shirts, armour and the advancement in the cooling capabilities of modern jackets and all of the other advances in safety gear, there is no reason for a rider to go unprotected.

What are your thoughts on minimum gear requirements - people being people, do we need to be more clear about what constitutes minimum gear? What should that minimum be?

I'd love your comments and feedback - tell me what you think of mandatory gear and mandatory training and lets hear what insurance is like in your province.

Have a fabulous day everyone...

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider

The Sturgis North Lawsuit - Update

The lawyer who is representing myself and three of the 6 others in the lawsuit that Sturgis North launched has informed us that he is preparing to ask the courts in Surrey to transfer the case to Salmon Arm.

The lawyer will be out of office for a minimum of two days and because of travel it may be three.
Then there is all of the preparation to be ready for the time in front of the judge.

My share of this round could be as low as $2,500.00 and as high as $3,500.00

That means I need to kickstart the campaign to raise funds to defend myself.

I have been nose down, arse up getting my 2014 sales materials completed, translating them into French, training a new sales person on top of a million other little things.
Lise Charron is our newest team member. Lise is our Provincial rep for Quebec and Northeastern Ontario.

I need sales people in every province, and I pay good commission so if you know someone who'd be a good fit, send them my way!

I'd much rather earn the money I need than beg for it.  
And long term I will be able to with some staff.

I do need your help to get over this hurdle though, so....

For those who are just finding out about the case and what it's all about you can visit our Defense Fund Page to find out more.

I am asking that if you believe I have done nothing wrong in my reporting, and you can spare $5 to help out, it would be deeply appreciated.  Every little bit helps keep this community newspaper, our web site and all of the supports we offer the rider and this community going. Click here to DONATE

Thank you again for your belief in me and the work our small team does for our community.

In other news, the bikers who were convicted in the Bandido's slaying are heading to appeals court.

A guy in the US learned about wheelies, high speed and cop cars!

An inspiring story about a man who was told he'd probably never walk after a motorcycle crash accomplishes something huge!

I am finally catching up on things a little and hope to be back blogging in a more timely fashion again starting with today!

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider





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Belt Drive Betty

Editor & Rider

When you are fuelled by passion and tenacity....

Dreams, we all have them, but some go out and live them while others seem to get caught up in the day to day turmoil and their dreams sit on back burners.

I have often times lamented about the young people in our society and the way generations of parents have raised them.  So many of these kids seem to lack dreams, direction.

You hear people complain about how many kids have cells phones at under a year old and know how to use them but guess what - their parent gave it to them - the kids aren't the problem - I finally figured that out.

There are some bright young people out there...
Take the young man featured in this video interview brought to us by our partners at Revzilla:

It is inspirational to me to see a young man just go for it.

Chase YOUR dream, you'll never know what you could have achieved if you don't....

Visit Revzilla's page on Chad Hodge - the designer of the Bell Bullitt Helmet.
In Canada, Bell Helmets are distributed by KIMPEX, proud partner of our Beat the PMS Blues Online Show 'n' Shine.

Have a fantastic day everyone,
Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider

PMS has got a hold on me...

I have been working an average of 17 hours a day since mid December and to be frank I am crabby and over tired and still far from being caught up from the time it took to heal up after my motorcycle crash.

Since the middle of December, we here in Grande Prairie Alberta have accumulated a ton of snow, have seen extreme high winds, freezing rain and tee shirt weather all with 24 hours of each other.

The Farmer's Almanac says that we will get more snow in March than we have had all winter, wow, another 5-6 feet of the white crap in March.  It's already been the worst winter for snowfall in over 20 years up here!

Mother Nature's bipolar ways have me in a PMS funk like never before.

Yes, PMS has got a hold on me like never before and I am turning to you, my community, for your help.

You see I have this Dr. named Feelgood and he says I need to see a lot of bikes for the next 90 days or so, or he fears the worst for me.  He gave me this prescription:

You are the pharmacy, the riding community...Please enter your motorcycles in our FREE - 7th Annual, Beat the PMS Blues Online Show "n" Shine.

Courtesy of CKX Helmets, Heat Demon, Kimpex, SHD Enterprises, Bagot Leather and Native Arts Tattoo we have some wonderful prizes up for grabs - with FREE Shipping this year!

It is my hopes that you guys love me enough to want to help me get through this dreary, soul sucking winter so I can ride in - May or June (I think that's how long it will take for the snow and ice to leave the North this year!)

Thank you to those who have already entered. It's going to be fun to see who wins what...for the rest of you, you have 1 week left to get your entries in!

There is a lot of manufacturer news today.

Indian has entered the market in India, there is also a first ride review of the new Chieftan
Triumph has opened a new dealership in India and plans on 9 more.
Ducati is also in the news with a Panigale 899 ride review and feature on the factory for the 1199 Panigale.

The Hells Angels are also in the news today.
In Quebec there is now a second officer being investigated for leaking information to the Hells Angels, and also from Quebec comes the headline that the Hells Angels have won a major supreme court ruling.

Remember all you Canadian riding club event coordinators - our Canadian Motorcycle Events calendars are waiting to promote your events! Get your motorcycle event added and remember that if you honour us as a sponsor with a link on your site and our logo or banner, we give you free advertising in our weekly newspaper The Busted Knuckle Chronicles, so add our banner or a link as a sponsor and then send us your poster!!!! bdbetty @ gmail.com

I got an email from Sturgis Canada promoting giveaways at the Vancouver Motorcycle Show this weekend. I guess their email marketing team hasn't purged me from the Sturgis Canada(North) mailing list even though the owners, Ray and Joan are suing me.  I want to thank Jean Cameron and the gals from the Cumberland Motorcycle Round Up and my good friend Bill Braham for running the Vancouver booth for me.

I do not think I could have concentrated on the show and my job if I would have had to be in close proximity to the people suing me.

I am still accepting donations to the defense fund as I need to raise $15K or so.  It irks my pride having to ask for help, but I have no choice, our community newspaper needs your support.

If donating isn't your thing, I'd be grateful if you renewed your subscription (We are still on the honour system for about another month until Ali gets our one component configured), or buy a patch, a tee shirt, a coffee mug or become an advertiser and help us keep spreading the news.

Have a fantastic Thursday, for those who subscribe, I hope you are enjoying our third instalment of Ride Ireland in the Busted Knuckle Chronicles and all of the slideshows and videos that are now a part of the paper!

PMS has got a hold on me and I need your motorcycle photos to help me deal with it!  

Get your photo entered today in our Beat the PMS Blues Online Show 'n' Shine - there is only one week left!!!!!

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider

Defending your position in Australia, California and Grande Prairie AB...

Today Campbell Newman announced that his government would look at rescinding the Anti Bikie Laws in 2016.  According to the article from Yahoo News 7, Newman claims that was the plan all along.

Begin Quote: "Premier Campbell Newman on Tuesday said his government intended to repeal tough legislation targeting outlaw motorcycle gangs after a three-year review." End Quote

Also out of Queensland comes an article from a former senior police officer turned lawyer, who recommends that motorcyclists videotape their encounters with police as it puts them in a much better position for a half decent stop.

Begin Quote" Adam Macgill said video evidence would show alleged targeting of innocent riders was “not a figment of these people's imaginations”, following the case of a Wynnum motorcyclist whose encounter with police has been viewed more than 487,000 times on YouTube.....He (Macgill) told Fairfax Media it was unlikely motorcyclists pulling out cameras would reduce the chances of being stopped by police, but “if you know you're on video, you play cricket with a straighter bat”.
End Quote.

Australia is the only democratic country in the world that does not have a Charter of Freedoms and Rights and as a result, there is very little for protection for the average rider from the anti bike laws.

If it really was the plan of Queensland Government to repeal the laws after the three-year review, why has he waited until now to announce that?  Did the YouTube video from the rider who was stopped over 21 times have anything to do with Newman making that announcement? I guess we'll never know.  Some positions simply can't be defended and harassment like the rider in the video has experienced is one of those.

By making that announcement, I wonder if Newman is hoping that people will look at the Anti Bikie laws and think - Short term pain for long term gain.  What do you think?  I'd dearly love to know.

Also in the news today, comes word of a massive rally in California at the state capitol.

The Motorcycle Rider Unification Rally was held to protest the diminishing of freedoms and rights by motorcyclists as well as the NHSTA's push for conspicuous clothing among other things. The riders gathered at the rally represented every kind of rider from Hells Angels and outlaws to the independent.  Every race, every brand and pretty much every kind of patch was on hand.

These people are defending their right to ride, to be a part of the motorcycle community and to do so peacefully.

It would sure be nice to see Canadian bikers get together in this fashion to protect our rights and freedoms that are diminishing just as fast here, as they are south of the border.  

I wonder if I will live long enough to see that become a reality.

There is also an article on a man who is now doing jail time over a little ride he took with his son.

The father took his 22-month-old son for a motorcycle ride and coming around a corner lost control. Both of them went flying about 50 feet, neither of them was wearing a helmet, according to the police the man panicked and locked up his front brake.  The child died as a result of head injury and the man was charged with aggravated child abuse among other things.

According to the article Moore defended his actions - Begin Quote: "Moore testified he'd taken his toddler and older sons for dozens of rides without trouble." End Quote

The man was sentenced to one year in jail. 

Where do you stand on this issue, what do you think of his defense?  Should he be in jail?

So here's where things stand with my defense:

• My lawyer has filed my statement of defense in the Sturgis North, Ray Sasseville, Joan Hansen lawsuit.  
• Ali has added my statement of defense documents to the Belt Drive Betty defense page.  
• Because of the support of this community, I have rounded the first corner in what could prove to be a lengthy court battle.  I say lengthy because the lawyer from the other side has been replaced by Ray until a new lawyer comes on board.

Not only has it been a very humbling experience to have to ask this community for help, but it was also very humbling to talk to my banker and to be reassured that this situation would not affect my business loan. When she read the lawsuit document, she couldn't believe that a lawyer would actually file this kind of lawsuit. 

Because 4 of us are sharing the same lawyer, I have been told that a realistic goal for my defense fund would be $15-$20,000 if this drags out at all. 

These people have nothing to stand on, the lawsuit against me is groundless, frivolous, a nuisance, an enormous drain on time and resources - but I have to defend myself and go through this exercise.  

I'd counter sue if there was actually a hope of collecting, but based on the Michael Smith win, I won't bother. I fear I would just be throwing more good money down the tubes. 

I am looking forward to my day in court though. The fight was brought to me and I won't back down and because of you, I don't have to.

From what I read on the Vancouver Motorcycle show website, it's a good thing that I have volunteers running my booth in Vancouver, as those who are suing me will be there.

To those who have already donated to the Belt Drive Betty defense fund, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I still have a ways to go, but with your help I know I'll get there.

To those thinking about donating, I ask you to consider either subscribing to our newspaper or advertising with us if you are a rider who owns a business.  When you advertise with us, you help the Busted knuckle Chronicles to spread the news farther a field. All the events and charities win, the riding community wins and so do the businesses of our community.  I really like win-win-win situations. I really dislike taking donations - I deeply appreciate them, but there's a bit of pride swallowing involved that just doesn't sit right.  I hope you understand what I mean...

I have been thinking about what to do should I find myself with extra money that is not used to defend myself.  

My question to all of you is, what do I do if I find that more money to support the newspaper and myself comes in than I need? 

I have to declare all donations as income and pay tax on it, so how should I handle this situation do you think. It's purely hypothetical at this point, but I'd rather be proactive and have a plan in mind.

Your ideas would be greatly appreciated.

In closing I want to thank the CVFR (Canadian Veteran Freedom Riders) of Calgary for doing such a great job of running my booth for me so I could stay in Grande Prairie and deal with everything that is on my plate. I needed a break from all of the work that goes into the shows. Last years aggressive riding season coupled with some bad luck like a bike wreck has taken a toll and I need to nurture myself and my family.  This coming weekend in Edmonton, the Northeastern Alberta Motorcycle Tourism Association is running the booth and I know they too will do a great job too. I'll be there on Friday filming for season 2 of "Ride Like a Local" on Eastlink TV. I have to hightail it right back to Grande Prairie so that I can build the newspaper so I'll only be there the one day.

The gang from the Cumberland Motorcycle Round Up and my old friend Bill Braham will be running the Vancouver booth for me. Stop in and give these volunteers a pat on the back for me please!

Without the love and support of this community I could not continue to do the work that I love so much - promoting and supporting the riding community - I love you guys.  THANK YOU.

That's what's fit to print today.

Stay safe and warm - oh and Air Canada, thanks for the apology over the service dog issue. A little late, but better than not at all.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Belt Drive Betty,

Editor & Rider