BIKER NEWS

originally posted October 5, 2011

By Tim Anderson

An audit of Colorado’s Motorcycle Operator Safety Training (MOST) Program by the Office of the State Auditor released September 26, 2011, shows the motorcyclist-funded program to have significant problems. The audit calls for wide-ranging corrections to the program, or an outright shutdown of the program.

MOST was designed to provide financial reimbursement for students to take rider education courses in order to make them more affordable in an effort to increase rider safety.

The Colorado Motorcycle Show & swap is coming up fast, and once again Southwest Scooter News is publishing the official guide, program and map to the largest indoor motorcycle event in the Rockies.

It just keeps going, and going, and going….

The Energizer Bunny of winter motorcycle events, the Annual Colorado Motorcycle Show and Swap, is ready to go again.

The 34th annual biker extravaganza is set for January 28 & 29, 2012, at the National Western Stock Show Complex.

The two-day gathering of all things motorcycle is shaping up to be anther great show, according to show promoter Jack Portice.

Karma’s a bitch.

Bill Janklow, the long-time South Dakota Governor and US Legislator who killed a Minnesota motorcyclist when he sped through a rural stop sign in 2003, announced last month he is dying of brain cancer.

His condition is considered terminal, though he is reportedly undergoing treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Just ‘cause things get a little icy doesn’t mean it’s time to put away the motorcycle.
For the 46th year Harry’s Roamers Motorcycle Club, Colorado’s oldest MC, is holding motorcycle ice races at Rainbow Falls Lake Park. The races got started as a way to have a little fun on the weekends during the winter, and not a whole lot has changed in that regard. It’s still a great way to have fun with motorcycles in the dead of winter, whether you’re watching, racing, or just come up for the social aspects.

The Holiday Season officially kicks off Sunday November 27, 2011 when the annual 2-Wheeler’s Toy Run rumbles across Northwest Denver.

“”We’ve been doing this for a quite a few years now,” explained Arlin Fatland. “We always go, no matter what the weather. If it’s too cold and snowing, we pile into cars and make the run. It’s always a lot of fun.”

A New Mexico District Judge approved a preliminary injunction in early September that prohibits the city of Santa Fe from barring members of the Bandidos MC from wearing club insignia at public events in the city.

The ruling came about after an attorney for the club went to court to get a judge’s assurance that Bandidos could go to the Santa Fe Plaza during the city’s September Fiesta celebration while wearing club patches and other insignia.

A New Jersey man was charged with animal cruelty after police spotted him driving his motorcycle with his small dog on his lap, police say.

Gyula Szatmari was headed home to Tuckerton from his job in Roselle Park when he was pulled over in the rain on Route 18 in Marlboro. The 56-year-old was issued citations for careless driving and the improper transportation of an animal.

Szatmari told police that he had been riding his bike with his dog “Bosco” for years, Monmouth County SPCA Chief Victor “Buddy” Amato told the Asbury Park Press.

The Motorcycle Roadracing Association race season was cut short, with the final round of the MRA 2011 season held at Pikes Peak International Raceway on September 17-18.

Cool fall weather hung over the weekend and the paddock was finally treated to a break from the extreme heat of the summer, but the racing didn’t cool down, as many season championships came down to the final round, and fierce battles were waged in every class.

Harley-Davidson is working hard to expand dealerships and sales in China, according to Bloomberg.com.
China is the largest motorcycle market in the world, and Harley sold a little more than 200 bikes in China last year.

The problem lies in the Chinese regulatory environment. “About 100 cities in China, including Beijing and Shanghai, have restrictions that include banning two-wheel vehicles from elevated highways and major thoroughfares to curb noise and thefts, according to the state-affiliated Society of Automotive Engineers of China.”