Finding Inspiration inside of anger ...

Sometimes I get inspired by the strangest things...
yesterday I found inspiration in anger of all things!

Charities - be they motorcycle events or not are the back bone of our social safety nets.
Many charities are being put in a position where they are being forced to pay for police overtime to host parades and awareness events as city and town budgets are stretched to the max.

After the article out of Olympia and having had my own experiences with police services as an event coordinator and as a member of the local toys for tots group - I was very, deeply angry. (My daughter and I - 22 years ago, were benefactors of a toy run and it's generosity - without them her 4th Christmas would have been - bleak to say the least)

I have been learning to focus on the outcomes I want.
So after a good cry, I asked myself the ONLY important question: HOW do we change this?

After all kinds of phone calls, research on the computer and letter writing I hit on something that if we can get community support for, I believe we can make work!

The idea is to train a bunch of riders in every community to become Professional Traffic Control people using their motorcycles for blocking traffic just like most of us do right now but we'd be certified by the province's transportation and safety departments. Just like crossing guards we would have CPR &  First Aide training, we'd be taught the Highway Traffic Act as it pertains to controlling traffic and we'd then - after a practical training session and a small written exam be certified. 

I have been talking to various Safety Council's across the country and there is great interest from them so we shall see what we can do to put together a pilot project and if successful, we'd be able to reduce the costs of keeping people safe. This would free up the police services, reduce costs to everyone and there would be no more hassles. I have also put out inquiries about the cost for insurance and how we could deal with that.

You can help by going to your local charities, presenting them with the idea and getting letters of support from them. The more support we can garner the more likely we are to be successful in getting this project of the ground. We also want letters of support from the riding clubs and the more riding clubs that we can get to support this initiative the better!

The letters of support can be sent to the CMTA (Canadian Motorcycle Tourism Association)
They can be sent to my office here in Grande Prairie and I will make sure they get to the right people!
CMTA
10908-102 St
Grande Prairie AB T8V 2X3

The news is kind of flat again today - it is that time of year!
One story of note is about a group called CALM - Citizens Against Loud Motorcycles

Read the article folks - this noise stuff has become a cancer.
The only question we need to ask ourselves is HOW do we change the tide of anti motorcyclist sentiment. When we ask HOW can we do something the answers will come and we will be successful - the challenge is we need every motorcyclist possible asking themselves that question so that we can find the creative solutions.

One group in the states has signs made that are posted a few blocks before you enter hospital and nursing home areas . They also have them in their business and eating districts...

The signs ask motorcyclists to use respect with their throttle hand as people are sick, infirm or doing business. If we used that principal here - if we simply reminded people  that we need to live with others and share this world perhaps we could impact some of the wrong doers and or show offs. Like I said folks we need creative ideas! Put your thinking caps on and email me your ideas for a more peaceful and less contentious way of policing our own and stemming this flow of anger towards our community!

As always I welcome your feedback and differing opinions and ideas becasue it is through the sharing of ideas and discussion that we grow, evolve and become stronger as a community.

Join me on Face Book, in our forums on www.beltdrivebetty.com and/or right here in my blog - talk to me people!

Have a wonderful, creative thinking kind of day - I know mine will be...
Please if you are attending Christmas Parties, plan your way home in advance!

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

Dear City officials and police Staff Sergeants - I am disappointed in you....

The news feeds are really quiet this morning. There is a Story on the celebutante Paris Hilton and her new 125 team...I can't believe that - I really can't - Paris Hilton and motorcycles...oh well.

The other story of note is about the passing of the legendary Tony Kirby.
He was the editor of Dirt Bike and the founder of Side Track and a hell of a story writer. The Australian and world wide dirt community is going to miss this mas talented way with a pen.

On the weekend there was a story that got my ire up.

In Olympia Washington it appears that they do not understand dollars and cents nor do they have any more common sense than some of the other jurisdictions out there...
The headline? Toy Run hits bumpy road.

The city wants to change the parade route AND charge the committee for police overtime.
So - I have a question for the BEAN Counters in every city hall around the world and for the chiefs of police or staff sergeants around the world....

Let's say it costs $3-4 thousand dollars in over time and in the bigger cities $10K to police a toy run parade - let's  look at the toys and money flowing in to charitable organizations to help the KIDS of our communities as opposed to the costs.

Let's take a case study of this situation - right here in a small centre like here in Grande Prairie Alberta - it would probably take 2 police motorcycles at $100 per hour for the officer and machine and about another 10 officers at about $75 per hour to stop traffic for the parade to go through and if the city put up barricades another 10 hours of set up and tear down for city staff on over time at lets say another $100 per hour.

You'd be looking at roughly $2,500 for the parade to come out of city coffers. (Why? because the police bill the city for their time) The toy run here generates about $20K and a ton of toys. If the Salvation Army here didn't get that shot in the arm there would be a lot of kids doing with out. Take  $2,500 - $3,000 out of the budget and there is the entire 4-6 year old category that would have to do without toys.

Imagine your own 4 year old and their abject disappointment that they had no toy - no gift at Christmas...what would that look like? How would YOU FEEL as a parent?

Our toy run always had it's own blockers - the police will NOT after 31 years allow us to block traffic ourselves - it's unsafe don't you know.  Yet in other jurisdictions like Vancouver - professional crossing guards are used to block traffic - it is after all a rolling parade and only blocks intersections for what-  even on a big run of 7-15K riders a half hour...
Why can't our people take the professional crossing guard course and be licensed to provide this service to the city for other parades besides the toy run...would that not help with costs - everywhere?  Would that not make sense? I'll tell you why. Because the police sergeants want the over time being billed - it's about budgets and if they can show a lot of over time then they have more leverage when asking for budgets to be upped.
(That appears to be the case here in GP unlike Vancouver where some creative thinking has taken place.)

In Olympia Washington they raise over $200K dollars plus toys - who is going to fill that void? Is the city going to? NO.  What about the average citizen - will they fill that void with out an organized effort? Unlikely...

You smart people in city halls and police detachments everywhere - you make my heart heavy that you can not see beyond the end of your noses...take the blinders off, get your heads out of your a$$es and look at what you are doing to the children of our communities - you who live in big warm houses and probably have never known a night of hunger need to learn some empathy and use some creative thinking - OUR CHILDREN deserve so much better than your narrow minded political agendas.

They deserve a toy at Christmas and a meal that says - celebration - we care - you are important...

What you bean counters,  police officers and bureaucrats are sending for a message is: you kids - you who have so little - you aren't worth spending a few hours of our day away from our families. You aren't worth me giving up $100 or $200 in pay - you aren't worth a few man hours - you don't count.

And when you go home and you hug your children and share a great meal with them after opening a bazillion presents on Christmas day... I doubt any of you even think of those who have nothing.

I have been there. I know first hand what a box of food and a bag of toys means to a family that has nothing but each other.


EMPATHY - the lack of it is what is wrong with this society and most importantly with our police services (and I am referring to those who make the decisions).
If you people can't get out and park that shiny car that I and every tax payer provides you - at an intersection for an hour...if you can't see your way clear to be generous of spirit - why do you feel the need to kill the spirit of generosity in others?

Just remember - the kid that you don't help today - the one who lives in poverty, that lives in fear, with hunger...that child has two potential paths to follow - the one we show them as a way out through kindness, love and empathy or the hard route that takes them straight to jail...these kids are our future and to not reach out a caring hand to give them hope and joy - well it's more than morally wrong.

And remember - these kids - the ones YOU are hurting - they are our future teachers, doctors and lawyers or the cons and drug dealers you are going to deal with in the system - and that weight needs to be put on YOUR shoulders. You have the opportunity to change a life and a life path...question is - which path are going to show them?

I would love to hear your opinion on this topic....join the conversation in our forum, here in my blog or on Face Book...


Have a wonderful, love filled day - I know mine will be...
Please if you are attending Christmas Parties, plan your way home in advance!

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

3,800 arrested for pillion-riding - understanding what other riders go through...

We here in North America are a pretty fortunate lot. We do face discrimination, we do face harsh laws and penalties but we also enjoy a certain level of freedom and peace not found elsewhere in the world.

I am highlighting a story about everyday riders who are being penalized for riding two up due to marshal law being implemented to keep holiday processions and celebrations safe.

According to Wikipedia: Muharram (Arabic: محرم) is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year in which fighting is prohibited. Since the Islamic calendar is lunar, Muharram moves from year to year when compared with the Gregorian calendar.

On December 2nd, the police in Lahore Pakistan asked for a total ban on pillion/two up riding because motorcycles are often used by terrorists and criminals.

So 3,800 people who use their motorcycle for transportation lost them - were fined AND had their bikes confiscated - because they defied the ban and were lumped in the category of criminal.

I feel so sorry for these people. When I look at what is happening around the world to motorcyclists, I see this unfriendly madness and I see it creeping in to the North American way of thinking and it is terrifying.

We need to start being far more proactive in policing our own and looking after, defending and protecting our freedoms in this country and the US because if we don't get with the program soon we will be as oppressed as bikers in other country's are. We are becoming more oppressed more babysat than ever before by a police service that is so alarmist that it is indeed scary.(I know we need to be vigilant but some of the measures that are being implemented in the name of security and safety are to my way of thinking OVERKILL and others are so poorly implemented as to be laughable.)

We need to start looking after our community - acting like a family again and start having each others back...like we used to. It is time to truly start working together, to talk, share and unite...can we do it? That remains to be seen...I'd like to think we could.

In Edmonton they are bracing for the first round of noise violation tickets to start going through court - but they are not the only ones, riders across Canada are holding their collective breaths to see what is going to happen here...if these riders can beat their tickets it will be a victory for the little guy - the motorcyclists who is becoming an oppressed citizen in this country and south of the border. I am so proud of whoever the 50 so riders are who are fighting their ticket and carrying the torch. Way to go people!

The stand most riders take on the Noise Bylaw issue is one of "ticket everyone fairly - we have no problem with that -  just quit targeting ONLY us."

If you think that we are not being oppressed: look at the NHTSA in the states and it's MOTORCYCLE ONLY Check stops..helmet laws are being looked at for all of the US and have come into effect in BC already - Canada's last bastion for the beanie.


How do we change this tide of anti biker mentality?  We start by focusing on the things we want, the things we enjoy as a collective. We conduct ourselves with respect and courtesy and when we see others who are not - we take some kind of affirmative action to either educate or turn your back on the offenders - shun them from your circles, walk away from the one who has to do a wheelie on main street for his perceived audience, if you don't give him/her the audience and attention he/she seeks they will eventually tire of their stupidity or move on to a different way of expressing their need to be  noticed.

Folks - I love my community, culture and way of life and I for one do not want to see it get to that point here it is in country, like it is in countries like Pakistan or cities like Manila... and it could - with the threat of terrorism constantly looming - it really could happen here - we, the tax payer - the people - are the keepers of freedom and common sense...WE need to step up and look after what our soldiers have preserved for us - the concept and notion of Freedom of oppression - if WE do not defend our rights and freedoms as citizens - well as the old adage goes - USE IT OR LOOSE IT...

As always I welcome your feedback and input on the days news topics.

Get in on the discussion in our forums, on Face Book and right here in my blog - I love it when you talk to me!

In Other News:

From Motorcycle -USA's Bryan Harley is a write up on Pat Simmons of the Doobie Brothers

From Westlaw News & Insights is an expose on the Tuetul's feuds in court.


JD Power is slamming the motorcycle industry over quality control issues.They explicitely tell dealers that riders who are happy with their dealer experience will spend almost $1000 more in a year at a shop than if they are unhappy with their dealer experience.
So guess what folks GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE REALLY DOES PAY OFF!!!!!

There  are some great motorcycle reviews to read in the lifestyles section and other news stories to peruse under the What's New & Hot section so...join us at www.beltdrivebetty.com - we sift through the world wide motorcycle news so you don't have to.

Have an wickedly great day - I know mine will be...
Please if you are attending Christmas Parties, plan your way home in advance!

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

Change and growth...

Motorcycling is changing and evolving so fast...

When Ali and I started on this journey together we sought to create a web site that was meant to provide a rider with everything Canadian Motorcycling under the sun - a clearing  house of information, a place you could come and not have to remember a ton of web addresses to know where you could go to get what you need.

We wanted to fill it with the rider owned businesses, bands, artists, tattooists etc that serve our community. Rides, photos and news that affected us. We wanted to be the portal that helped you find stuff from coast to coast to coast.

What we never expected was the volumes of information that would be shared in four years of working together. Coming soon will be our 5th web site make over in four years.

While this current site is well done, our content management system is going through an upgrade that will further improve functionality, allow us to have tools that until now have been unavailable to us and will make managing everything we are doing much easier.

The undertaking is enormous. Moving some 20,000 pages of information, transferring all of our memberships, components, pictures and videos. A lot of work will go on behind the scenes and will not affect you or the use of the current site.

We want to make your user experience on our site stellar.
The current site is web mobile and Blackberry friendly, but the new site will be Iphone, Blackberry and Android ready. From it will come all of our various mobile apps that are in the works. The new site will also be comprised of separate and distinct sites to better segment out the information and make it easier to find what you need.

We have purchased new components that will make highlighting our business partners and their special offering easier to find.

We have so many incredible things that are going to be available - I am as excited as when I rode a motorcycle by myself for the first time.

One of the biggest changes we will have coming is our community and groups web site.
The tools and components are already installed on www.beltdrivebetty.com and we are learning how they work and checking all sorts of things - tweaking tuning and ensuring seamless operation. Our status walls and community news walls are all mobile! Android, Iphone and Blackberry! Everything is working well on www.beltdrivebetty.mobi too!

It is neat learning all of these new technologies. Hard on the head some days, frustratingly slow and confusing at times but we are getting there and keeping up with the times!

The changes that will come are going to - I hope - will make your experience on our site 100% better that what it is now, and I think it's pretty decent as it stands.

Your answers to the content survey for the The Busted Knuckle Chronicles newspaper have been really helping us to fine tune things and we appreciate so many of you diving in to help out!


Learning, growing, changing evolving - I hope you will choose to come along with us as we enter a new set of twisties on the information highway!

In the news today:

In India sport bikes are a hot commodity it would appear and I do mean that literally!

In Great Britain the boys at MCN test out the new 2011 Suzuki GSX-R600 first ride

In Manila they are proposing new motorcycle safety laws

In the US a Kalamazoo teacher is celebrating her new motorcycle.

Motorcyclist Magazine looks at the 2011 Spyder

The Long Beach show will see Cobra unveil their Custom Hondas

And in Oregon - mandatory motorcycle training comes into effect.

And the American police are on the hunt for a thief who used Craig's List to steal two motorcycles.

There are some great new products under the Health & Technology for your bike link and lots of sports news as well so check out the days offerings at www.beltdrivebetty.com
we scour the news so you don't have to!

Have an wonderous day - I know mine will be...
Please if you are attending Christmas Parties, plan your way home in advance!

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

When a jurisdiction changes the rules

So, what happens when a province changes their rules of the road and you visit that province and are uninformed of the new laws?

Well in September the laws in BC changed and in three very short months 77 Albertan's found their holiday plans in tatters - their vehicles were impounded, they were left on the side of the road, forced to find accommodations where ever they were caught.
Their offense? Speeding 40 over. The costs of impounding and fines alone can be over $1000 - hotels etc are on top of that.

And the RCMP have NO MERCY. Their answer is: This isn't a race track.

And their drinking and driving laws changed as well seeing your vehicle impounded if you are at .05 - .08 is a thing of the past in BC.

And guess what...Alberta is watching. If the laws in BC show a reduction in speeding and drinking and driving well get ready cause it WILL be coming our way.
Minister Luke Ouellette is especially keen to see if drunk driving cases are reduced in B.C. “It’s certainly worth looking at,” Ouellette told the Sun earlier this fall.
 
So, a word to the wise, if BC is in your holiday plans - SLOW DOWN and if you have so much as one drink - take a cab, get a ride with a friend or stay put - otherwise you ARE going to be in a world of hurt!

As always - I enjoy it when you jump in on a topic and share your ideas and opinions.
Join in the conversation here in my blog, in the forums on www.beltdrivebetty.com, on Face Book on my Personal Page: Belt Drive Betty or on our Fan Page at Belt Drive Betty & The Busted Knuckle.

In Other News:

Harley-Davidson is releasing some of it's first bikes built from Complete Knock Down Kits at their Indian Assembly Plant

In China - a flagship Benelli store has opened

In Hong Kong the police are testing the Brammbo Electric Motorcycle for their police force.

At the October 2010 Haynes International Motor Museum auction a new high mark  - An unknown private buyer with an excessive amount of disposable income – and, we hope, a passion for this beautiful machine – purchased a 1929 Brough Superior SS100 for the new record high amount of £286,000 (US$450,188)

If you love rare motorcycles and have some disposable cash the 1994 Ducati Supermono
is up for grabs.

In the US - Victory and Operation Gratitude have made about 60,000 soldiers day!

Also in the US Helmets are the hot topic with the Feds...THEY WANT ALL MOTORCYCLISTS wearing helmets.

There is still a ton in the days news that I have not touched on...visit www.beltdrivebetty.com for the rest of the days top news stories!

Have an inspiring day - I know mine will be...
Please if you are attending Christmas Parties, plan your way home in advance!

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

From Paris Hilton Sponsoring a Moto GP Team to Big Brother cramming it down our throats again...it's a big news day!

There is so much in the news today I scarcely know where to start...

Let's start off with the funny of the day. Paris Hilton lending her name to a MotoGP Team...
I realize that the relationship between Queroseno Racing (BQR) team will probably be a financial victory for the players and stakeholders, but if you read the article I am linked to you can see how "Comfortable" the celebutante is on a motorcycle...I know teams need sponsors to make what they do possible but really folks....Paris Hilton and Motorcycles...sorry, I just can't wrap my head around it...

We have another fluff piece for you today - about Tom Cruise and David Beckham forming a midnight motorcycle club - it's not true of course but I thought it was a howl to start the day off with something that funny....and phoney!


In more serious news, Hero Honda's new partner in India will be the Munjal family who is paying Honda out for it's 26% stake at One Billion dollars.

Big Brother in Europe is not backing down on Manditory ABS on Motorcycles

In Abu Dhabi motorcyclists are upset at the new parking fees and the fines imposed for not paying them (They site the fact there is no place for tickets to be placed and no ticket designed to stay on the motorcycle)

Also in the Middle East - in Dubai the surge in vehicle registrations is astounding at a 65% increase and their motorcycle community has grown from 9800 to over 18,800 in just 9 MONTHS!

Harley-Davidson bought back more of their debt and saved themselves millions in interest.


A dude in the US who seems to think Motorcycles need to be banned as unsafe.

In Pima County Arizona the officials there are scaring up $220K to buy a piece of land to prevent the Hells Angels from buying it.

If you are still hunting for a perfect gift or stocking stuffer here's some info on what appears to be a great read: "The Little Book of Fast Bikes"

Or a set of Continental Tires...the review on them is pretty impressive.

Conti's in Calgary has some great helmets on sale.

Visit our classifieds section for some great gift ideas, some new to you bikes...you never know what you might find in there!

I have some news of my own that I would like to share.
The BDB Foundation has begun sourcing out products and ways and means to raise funds to put into the CMTA's Injured Rider Fund.

To that end we now have 4 patches - all limited quantities from 35 - 100 patches in this first round in total, some signs (5 I think) and some license plates - about a dozen styles of them, that we are selling on our site and will be donating anywhere from $1.00 to the entire profits of the item into the Injured Riders Fund. Visit our almost complete and almost ready to be resurrected BDB Foundation Store...shortly that is where you will go to get your subscriptions for the Busted Knuckle, order your Little Black Book phone books, I even have an Amazon Book Store now!

Only 35 available - 7" x 7"

100 Available - 3" x 3"

 Everything we sell will have a little something set aside for the BDB Foundation to donate to worthy causes, right now the one we are working on supporting is the CMTA's Injured Rider Fund.

We are also promoting the Death Wobble Bikini Calendar - all of the proceeds of it are going in to the CMTA's Injured Rider Fund. You can see the calendar in our classifieds....

Cookie, the President of the CMTA says "If we can have a few thousand dollars raised by the time riding season comes around again, it will sure make it easier for the committee to be able to assist people in an expedient manner. The idea is that the CMTA will gift people the money to assist them between when the accident happens and insurance benefits like section B benefits etc start coming in. And once the rider is on their feet if they  are in a position to and feel so inclined they can gift the funds back to the CMTA Injured Riders Fund so that it can help someone else out and reduce the need for fund raising."

We at the BDB Foundation plan to do our part to make this fund become a reality so it can be of real assistance to this community when a rider needs help.  We need some social safety nets people - we really do!

Well folks - there is still a ton of news that hasn't been discussed over on www.beltdrivebetty.com - but I also have a ton of other work to accomplish as I get ready for the January round of bike shows! I need volunteers in Calgary & Edmonton - if you are so inclined, please drop me a line:
bdbetty @ gmail.com (fix the spaces in the address before sending)

If you are so inclined to jump in and have a discussion on any of the topics of today - I WOULD LOVE to hear your thoughts...you can join me on Face Book on my personal page: Belt Drive Betty or on the Belt Drive Betty & The Busted Knuckle Fan Page, or in our forums on www.beltdrivebetty.com, here in my blog or on Twitter - bdbetty


Have a FANTASTIC day - I know mine will be...
Please if you are attending Christmas Parties, plan your way home in advance!

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

Kawasaki's 2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R on Technical Hold - or the right way to handle a recall

I think that the auto industry could learn a few things from Kawasaki.


Kawasaki believes that there is nothing as sacred as their reputation for quality and in a move that surprised no one they announced that they are recalling all of the ZX-10R's.

Not only are all that are on dealer's floors being shipped back to the company but:
Those who have taken delivery of a unit will be instructed to return the unit to the dealership for a full refund and will be among the first to have the option of receiving a new unit once the technical hold has been lifted. 

No pussyfooting around, no putting profits before lives but holding true to the integrity that this company has long been known for...I like that and while I may never own a Kawasaki motorcycle, (I have never found one that fit me right - and yes I have test ridden a few)
I can honestly say that most people I know who have a Kawasaki are pretty happy with their dealer and their bike.

Pat Savage - our old friend has been over in Thailand and Norway for quite a while now...and the cat is out of the bag as to what he has been up to!
He has been working on a soon to be aired series called the Savage Roads and ''Ridin Hard... Livin Free''  is his new CD being recorded now in Legend Studios.
What a busy guy!  Anyway, Pat has a special offer for all you bike riding music buffs so make sure you read the article (It's a short one)!

Also in the music Genre is an upcoming band called the MeanStreet Riders.
If you haven't read the article done by MJ Reynolds of Motorcycle Event News in the US, you should take a look at her pick for 2010 stocking stuffers - the lady has got an ear for music! We got a hold of MeanStreet Mary and she sent us the bands digital bio and some downloads of their music...The downloads are on the Lifestyles - Music Page and they are free!

The winners for tickets to the Toronto International Super Show in January were
Mark W and  Willy P - thanks for playing our Trivia game! It was interesting to see how many people could not answer the first Question! (Over 100 people tried and failed!)

 

The question that stumped so many? 
Prior to Harley-Davidson, who made motorcycles for Evel Kneivel?   Answer - American Eagle

I welcome your thoughts and opinions on the topics of the day, the Kawasaki Recall and Music and TV done by riders...Join the discussion in our forums, on my Face Book page or our Face Book Fan Page or right here!

In other News:

China officially takes over as the world's LARGEST producer of motorcycles in the world - sorry Japan, mover over!

In London England, Prince Charles proves that a parent is a parent is a parent no matter what the title!

In California, David Mann was remembered and celebrated.

In shopping news - besides the great offer from Pat Savage, HaberVision is offering up some wicked specials!

And in Sports - Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada is planning on shaking things up in the National Superbike Series!

Have a FANTASTIC day - I know mine will be...
Please if you are attending Christmas Parties, plan your way home in advance!

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