Monday, October 15, 2007

Custom Roland Sands Design Bike To Benefit Ride for Kids® Efforts

Bike to Tour with Cycle World International Motorcycle Shows® to Raise Awareness and Funds
Newport Beach, Calif., (October 15, 2007) – Start with a 2007 Honda CBR1000RR, add the customizing talents of the Roland Sands Design crew and you get a one-of-a-kind sportbike – the ConqueRR. But what makes this motorcycle truly special is the reason for its creation – to benefit the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and its Ride for Kids® program.

The ConqueRR’s mission is to support the Ride for Kids® motorcycle charity events in their fundraising efforts for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, which seeks to find the cause of and the cure for childhood brain tumors. This is accomplished through participating in a drawing at one of the 13 Cycle World International Motorcycle Shows to win this unique machine as well as by raising awareness of the 37 Ride for Kids® events that take place across the United States each year.

“The RSD ConqueRR project is exciting to all of us,” said National Ride for Kids® Director Kyle Clack. “To combine Roland’s vision, a Honda CBR1000RR and the focused mission of Ride for Kids® is an amazing way to positively affect the lives of these brave young children and their families. Our combined love of motorcycling translates directly into hope for a better future.”

Designed to reflect the fighting spirit that is so much a part of the small heroes who face these devastating brain tumors, the ConqueRR is the result of a collaboration of companies from across the motorcycling world. Starting with a machine that is already on the cutting edge of sportbike technology and style made the customizing task a tough one. Sands and his group concentrated on cleaning many of the bike’s lines – taking a very detailed package to the next level.

“It’s my honor to donate my skills as a motorcycle designer and builder to Ride for Kids,” said Roland Sands. “I hope to inspire my fellow motorcycle enthusiasts to buy a ticket not only to win this bike, but to support these amazing kids.”

Built by Roland Sands Design, the bike features prototype RSD “Assault” Gold Anodized Ultra-Light Weight Wheels, RSD “Combat” crash sliders, RSD “Combat” triple trees, RSD “Combat” reservoir covers, RSD “Combat” mirror clean-up kit, and one off grips. The custom paint job is courtesy of Chris Wood at Airtrix, who has painted most of RSD’s custom motorcycle fleet. Performance-minded upgrades are included throughout the bike in the form of Performance Machine radial mount brake calipers, Erion Racing headwork, cam and custom exhaust, Speigler brake lines, Dunlop Tires, DID chain, and a HotBodies Racing undertail section and windscreen.

“The ConqueRR is the latest example of the generosity and caring spirit of the motorcycle industry,” said Cycle World Magazine Marketing Director Corey Eastman. “For all of us that have had the honor to work on this and other Ride for Kids projects, it is gratifying to see our passion for motorcycling benefit the kids and families facing this battle for life.”

The ConqueRR will be displayed as part of the Cycle World booth at each of the 13 Cycle World International Motorcycle Show stops. Ride for Kids® representatives will be on site at each event encouraging participation in the motorcycle drawing and educating attendees about upcoming Ride for Kids® events. For more information or to enter the drawing without attending a show, visit www.rideforkids.org.

For the 15th consecutive year, Cycle World, the world’s most popular motorcycle magazine, is the title sponsor for the series and leading manufacturer Toyota will return for the 10th year as presenting sponsor. The Cycle World International Motorcycle Shows® presented by Toyota is the world’s largest powersports show series. For more information on upcoming tour dates, call 800/331-5706 or visit motorcycleshows.com.

The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s Ride for Kids® program, started in 1984, has raised more than $37 million to find the cause of and cure for childhood brain tumors. Thanks to the generous support of the motorcycling community, the PBTF has become the world’s largest non-governmental source of funding for childhood brain tumor research. The Foundation also provides family support through college scholarships, educational literature, newsletters, online resources and informational broadcasts. For more information, please go to www.rideforkids.org.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

AAA Opposes HB 4749, Which Provides 'Opt-Out' Option for State's Helmet Law

$100 fee makes it OK to go without helmet?
DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The State House passed legislation today (October 11) that would enable motorcyclists to ride without their helmets on Michigan roads. In their latest bid to rid riders of their helmets, special interest groups in Lansing have proposed an 'opt-out' solution. For a $100 fee, motorcyclists would have the chance to buy their way out of a helmet.
American Bikers Aiming Toward Education (ABATE) conceived the bill, which would require riders to be 21 years or older, licensed to operate a motorcycle for at least two years, complete a motorcycle safety course and have insurance or security of $20,000 for first-party medical benefits in the event of an accident.
"It's like a 'get out of jail free card,'" said AAA Michigan Community Safety Services Manager Jack Peet. "Those who can afford the fee don't have to wear a helmet; everyone else does."
The reality, added Peet, is that no one can afford HB 4749, which would result in 22 additional fatalities each year, along with 132 more incapacitating injuries, 610 other injuries and $140 million in added economic costs to Michigan citizens.
"If the mandatory helmet requirement is repealed or waived through a fee, there will be a significant increase in severe head injuries and deaths," said Peet. "Studies show that in a crash, unhelmeted motorcyclists are three times more likely than helmeted cyclists to suffer traumatic brain injuries."
In addition, motorcycle crashes account for a disproportionate share of money paid out of the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association (MCCA), a fund which is supported by a surcharge on every auto insurance policy in this state. Although motorcyclists represent 1.7 percent of the assessments paid into the MCCA, they account for 6.7 percent of all claims reported.
Since its inception in 1978, MCCA has reimbursed member insurers more than $210 million for 503 motorcycle injury claims exceeding the threshold. Total reimbursement for all claims exceeds $4.4 billion. If the mandatory helmet law is repealed, serious injuries to motorcyclists will rise. Since Michigan's no-fault law allows lifetime benefits for all "reasonable and necessary" medical costs, the number of claims and the amount paid by the MCCA to reimburse insurance companies will increase, causing all policyholders in Michigan to pay more.
The $20,000 first-party medical benefit touted by ABATE, says Peet, wouldn't begin to cover these catastrophic expenses.
In addition to increased medical costs passed on to taxpayers, Motorcycle deaths and injuries are on the rise after the repeal of mandatory helmet laws in Florida, Kentucky and Louisiana. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that in the three years after Florida's repeal of its mandatory helmet law in 2000, 933 motorcyclists were killed, an 81 percent increase.
Another study found that fatalities grew by more than 50 percent in Kentucky and 100 percent in Louisiana after those states struck down mandatory helmet laws.
Opponents of the mandatory helmet law believe that it infringes on individual freedom of choice and the right to privacy. They argue that individuals who do not wear helmets harm mainly themselves. However, that is really not the case. The consequences of that person's decision not to wear a helmet is borne by all of society through higher insurance premiums, lost productivity and increased health care costs.
In Florida after the helmet law was repealed, the cost of hospital care for motorcycle injuries grew from $21 million to $44 million in the 30 months after the law changed.
AAA Michigan offers automotive, travel, insurance and financial services to more than 1.6 million members in Michigan. It is part of The Auto Club Group (ACG), the largest affiliation of AAA clubs in the Midwest, with approximately 4.1 million members in eight states. ACG belongs to the national AAA federation, a not-for-profit organization with more than 50 million members in the United States and Canada.
First Call Analyst: FCMN Contact:
Source: AAA Michigan

Friday, October 12, 2007

Michael Guilford dies in Motorcycle accident

GAINESVILLE — Florida walk-on football player Michael Guilford was killed early Friday morning in a motorcycle accident in Gainesville.
Guilford, a redshirt freshman from Quincy, crashed his 1998 Kawasaki motorcycle into a median around 1 a.m, killing both him and passenger Ashley Slonina, also a Florida student. Neither Guilford nor Slonina was wearing a helmet, Gainesville Police spokesman Keith Kameg said.

Police believe excessive speed was a factor in the accident. Police are also investigating whether alcohol was involved. Guilford, nicknamed "Sunshine" because of his blonde hair, was a star on the scout team, frequently imitating the opposition's quarterback. He acted as Troy Smith as the Gators prepared to face Ohio State in the national championship game, and acted as Kentucky's Andre Woodson in practice Thursday, according to the Tampa Tribune.

Source: Palm Beach Post