Our next meeting will be held at The Deerhead Sportsman’s Club on May 18th at 1:30PM. The Deerhead is located at 314 Londonderry Turnpike (Rte 28 By-pass) Hooksett, NH 03106 Phone: 603.623.9083

This meeting is a manatory meeting for all officers to be present.

This is your organization, come to the meeting with your ideas of making it stronger. Is your membership up to date? Nows the time to renew it. Show your support signup a friend.

9:00 AM

Penalty-Free Motorcycle Exhaust Decibel Check

NH Division of Motor Vehicles, Hazen Drive, Concord

9:30 AM

Arrive at Hazen Drive for Ride to State House

10:30 AM

Blessing of Motorcycles

Motorcycle Awareness/Saftety Month Proclamation - Governor John Lynch

Remembrance of Victims of Motorcycle Crashes

A Mom’s Personal Story

(Ample parking at State House on Park and Capitol Streets)

Safe Rider Education Programs

Sign Up for Rider Education Programs

12:00 PM

Post-Rally Reception at Heritage-Harley Davidson

Manchester Street, Concord, NH ( food fund raiser)

Sponsors

• NH Highway Safety Agency
• NH Department of Safety/DMV
• NH Department of Transportation
• City of Concord
• Meredith Harley Davidson
• Motorcycle Operator Safety Training, Inc.
• New Hampshire Motorcyclists Rights Organization
• Heritage Harley-Davidson
• Concord HOG Chapter

This is your organization, come to the meeting with your ideas of making it stronger. Or e-mail your ideas or comments to Bob Wyman

Is your membership up to date? Nows the time to renew it. Show your support signup a friend.

Honda has announced they are relocating their U.S. motorcycle manufacturing operations to Japan. A statement quotes president and CEO Akio Hamada as saying, “This was a complex decision tied to the important role that Honda in Ohio plays within our North American automobile operations.”

Honda’s Marysville, Ohio plant produced 44,000 VTXs and Gold Wings last year, and a total of 2.25 million motorcycles and ATVs since it opened in 1979. Also consolidating to the new plant in Kumamoto are motorcycle manufacturing operations from Hamamatsu, Japan.

Honda states that “The move reflects a global Honda strategy for production of certain larger motorcycles,” and their announcement that the DN-01 sport cruiser will be available for sale in Japan this March signals a willingness to bring to life some of their recent concept bikes. The Ohio factory’s 450 motorcycle-related employees won’t be laid off and will be reassigned to automotive production jobs at nearby Honda plants.

Once the dust settles and the move is complete in 2009, it sure will be interesting to find out what Honda has up their sleeves in Japan.

The entire bill can be viewed and printed out from this site: House, No. 1464
As riders, we know the horror stories of those who turn left in front of oncoming motorcycles and/or force us off the roads trying to get into our lanes and/or pull out from parked positions into our lanes of travel. If the violators are cited at all, its a $35 civil fine.

Meanwhile, lives are lost and bodies are broken, . . . and families and friends are left to pick up the pieces. Often, the attorneys representing the victims make more money than the victims, due to contingency fee agreements sharing in the minimal liability limits of $20,000 from the at-fault operators insurer and no other assets to attach to.

“What are we fighting for ?”

Justice. Justice for all

There are more motorist than guns in Massachusetts and the vehicles are more deadly than the guns, . . . but where is the justice for all and outcry from the public when an inattentive motorist violates the ‘right of way’ of another lawful road user and causes death or serious bodily injury that lawful road user?</dd>

Don’t wait until it happens to someone you know - now is the time for action.

House, No. 1464, modeled after the AMA’s “Justice for All/Right of Way” legislation, seeks in Massachusetts to

1. Increase the civil fine from $35 to $350;
2. Create minimum criminal sentence of 2 1/2 years for the death or serious bodily injury of any other road user and 10 year loss of drivers license;
3. Create minimum criminal sentence of 5 years, and 15 year loss of license, if operating under the influence, violating the right of way of any road user, resulting in the death or serious bodily injury of any other road user;
4. Defines ’serious bodily injury’ as the inability to engage in usual activities for 30 or more days;
5. Shift the excess medical expenses (and health insurer liens) and loss wages, from the victim to the at-fault person, . . . so the victim and/or their family is not victimized twice (injuries and financial burden.

It lousy to say and ask for, . . . but we need VICTIMS of ‘right of way violations,” . . . . riders and other road users (bicyclists, pedestrians and other vehicle operators and their families) to STEP UP and tell their stories of INJUSTICE they have lived through, to the Judiciary Committee members on March 18th. And we need letters of support for HB 1464.

Some have called or referred to this HB 1464 as the ’snitch bill.’ To they, . . . we can’t say here what we’d like to out of respect of the brother and sisters we’ve buried, . . . and to the families of riders seriously injured, out of work, mounting medical expenses, . . . and any response would detract from our mission. And this bill was ENGROSSED by our Senate last session but expired with the House taking no action before the end of that session.

The much heralded “Melanie’s Law’ was a first step, but it only deals with ‘repeat offenders.’ This is bigger than that law. Be a part of it.</dd>

In the words of Pat Benatar, “What are we waiting for ?”

The Clerk of the Senate Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Senator Robert Creedon of Brockton, has sat with MMA representatives and offered to help coordinate our Victims testimony at the 3/18 public hearing.

Elisa Mello of Middleboro has pledged to testify. It is likely several of the widows and victims helped by Nelson’s Ride and the MMSF / Essex County since year 2000, will testify.

If you can testify, . . . please contact MMA Govt’ Relations, MMSF President and AMA Community Council Director Paul W. Cote at claimscote@aol.com.

“Standard” protocol - live testimony should highlight written testimony. Testifying at public hearings is generally limited to 3-minutes per speakers and not to repeat what’s already been testified to. Paul and the Senate Committee Clerk will help coordinate. Paul can help writing written testimony.

March 18th is OUR DAY to affect change in public policy, at the state level, to STAND YOUR GROUND and NOT BACK DOWN.

And for those of you on the South Shore, . . . Feb. 26 the trial starts in the Wareham District Court against the driver who killed Brian Mello and caused serious injuries to Tom Newhook and Wolfgang Decker. The MMA and MMSF are looking to PACK that Courtroom with leather in silent support of those victims.

And on the North Shore, the driver who killed Larry Monahan of Haverhill is seeking ‘early release,’ less than a year into his ‘plea bargained’ sentence of 2 years - that had been accepted by the family. Letters to the Parole Board are needed before Feb. 24. See http://www.massmsf.org/ for more info and a sample letter.

If you can help in Wareham on Feb. 26th or at the State House on March 18th, or have any comment to make, please contact Paul W. Cote at claimscote@aol.com.

The time is now. To tell your pain to those who can make changes so others don’t have to suffer as you have. “Its a do or die situation.” Step forward, please.

With TONS of respect to those who have fallen through no fault of their own,PC