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Here we go again with the blog. This is a spot where you can voice your opinion - or ask a question... so feel free! |
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Entries: 1 - 5 of 7
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5% of company proceeds going to Bikers Down Society - like WOW  Riding with Style is broadening their community involvement efforts and are inviting others to get involved and support The Bikers Down Society. This enables them to provide a greater benefit to the Motorcycle Community because now 5% of all their profits from their shop will go to the Bikers Down Society - Toad Memorial Fund. Now how cool is that!
I think it’s a fantastic offer - time and resources are valuable assets, and its clear that Jimi and Sally are being passionate about The Bikers Down Society and are supporting them in a variety of ways.. This being one of them...
Their sincere, enthusiastic involvement will go a long way in helping out the Motorcycle Community. So keep that in mind when you are seeking out leathers, motorcycle apparel, or alterations thru their shop and you TOO will be helping out the motorcycle community.
You can check out their site at www.ridinginstyleleather.ca/
Any other companies wanting to come on board, please don't hesitate to contact me at janice@novascotiabikers.com
Something we should send to all car owners
The Biker |
When you see us moving past you quickly:
Don't take offense or think we're trying to "show off". Ninety five percent of the time, we're trying to get out of your blind spot or taking ourselves out of a potential dangerous situation that has evolved around us. Distancing ourselves from you does not mean we want to race, but that we're giving ourselves the edge we need at the moment.
When you hear our horn:
Don't take offense or think we're trying to aggravate you. All we're doing is letting you know where we are in relation to you on the road, and we're more than likely aware of your inattentiveness to us while you're talking on a cell phone, eating, reading or involved in some other distracting aspect to your driving. It's important to us, and you, that you know we're there.
When you hear our loud pipes:
Don't become angry and hostile toward us. Yes, some are quite loud, but for some, there's a purpose behind being loud. It's about letting you know we're close by and we're constantly hoping that our investment in this accessory will help save our lives. Our pipes are really not about our ego...it's a pride and personalization to our form of transportation.
When you see us in our clothes:
Don't become fearful of us or think us weird. Our leather jackets, chaps, gloves and boots are the barriers between loosing massive amounts of flesh should something cause us to go down...nothing more, nothing less. Safety gear is paramount to our riding. We wear patches on our jackets, and pins on our vests. These are symbols of pride and honor within our group(s), individuals giving back to those who gave. These things bond us as a brotherhood and sisterhood among bikers. Not that we're better than anyone else, but that we have the same kind of nobility and pride in our accomplishments as you may have in the various aspects of your life. I guess one could say; our patches and pins are the decals and the bumper stickers of our involvement with society and the general public, of which we are very pleased to be a part of in our own little way.
When you see us in a restaurant:
You don't have to shield your child or feel intimidated. We have family, wives, husbands, children and loved ones too, just like you. We smile; we laugh and enjoy the moments we have. We are approachable, and would befriend you, if given the opportunity.
When you see us in a parking lot:
Don't convince yourself that we're there to "get you". More than likely, we just finished a long ride and are taking a break. Or, we may be meeting up with other riders for a charity run for young children, or another very worthy cause. We may just be admiring one another's bikes, sharing our pride with other brothers and sisters, just like you do with your personal vehicle. It's what we do...it's a part of our lives, and we'd be more than welcome to share with you what riding a bike is all about...if you'd only ask.
When you see aggressive riding bikers:
Don't put us all in the same stereotypical category as those whose behavior and actions would cause you to react in disgust and intolerance. Many of us do not agree with this style of riding either, and we know and understand that human nature tends to blend us all together as the "same group". Most of us don't want that title...and don't deserve it.
When you see a group of bikers on the roadways:
Give us the courtesy of sharing the road with you. Please don't "move in" between several bikers in formation. This gets us very excited and nervous, especially when it's done with no due regard for our safety. Provide us with your awareness of the fact that we are much more vulnerable than you. We don't want to challenge you, for all of us are wise enough to know...we'd lose that battle.
When you are turning left or entering a roadway/highway:
Look, then look again...and then one more time. For we can be easily hidden, and appear to be invisible by such things as a telephone pole, another vehicle, bright lights or the glare of the sun...or possibly, the beads hanging from your rearview mirror, among numerous other items that are displayed there. If you see us flashing our lights at you or blowing our horn, we're only trying to ensure that you will see us before tragedy changes both our lives.
When you are behind us:
Please give us the room we need and don't tailgate us. If you hit us, we're going down...HARD! We don't want to play games with you, we just want to enjoy the ride and the fresh air, and experience that which many of you have never lived for. If we accelerate away from you, don't interpret this action as though we want to drag race you. We're only trying to take ourselves out of a bad situation if you insist on being too close.
When, and if, you experience road rage:
Don't take it out on us just because we're smaller than you and more vulnerable. Think about what you're doing and the end result that may become a reality. The consequences of your actions and choices could be very detrimental to our well being, our families, our children and our loved ones. Yes, there are those that can tend to piss you off, however, rage towards them will not solve the issues, but accentuate them. Nine out of ten bikers will do everything they can to take themselves out of that situation without causing you or them harm.
When you have an opportunity to talk to us:
You'll discover, outside any influenced or stereotypical mindset you may have, that we are just as human as you are, just with different interests and toys. Many of us would give you the shirt off our back if it would tend to brighten your day or console you in some way. We're really no different... and we drive cars, trucks and vans too. So, meet us and greet us...I think you'll be pleasantly surprised that you'll be met with open arms.
Thank You for attempting to understand! |
Toad Memorial Party for Bikers Down Society
Hey all you people that got out to the Party on the weekend in Halifax. Considering the weather - we really had a good show of people and a really good time. I was wondering if this is something we should do every year this time of year..... I would have to have some feedback to see if it would be doable. The price of everything has gone up and its not cheap to put on these kinds of shows.. On top of everything we still managed to raise close to $7000 and its all going to charity..... $4000 into the pot for the Bikers Down Society - which is a great start...and $3000 to the Jimmy Jam Society who did the bar - all 100 % of their proceeds will go to children.. Its all good, but alot of work and worry if there is not the people........
Think its something that everyone would want to participate in for next year?
Do let me know....... I know I had a great time... ~ J
Turpin versus helmet?
He did laps at 110 km/h to prove turban held tight
Observant Sikh challenges Ontario motorcycle regulations
KIRK MAKIN
From Friday's Globe and Mail
February 15, 2008 at 4:10 AM EST
BRAMPTON, ONT. — A devout Sikh all his life, Baljinder Badesha never imagined that his religious devotion would compel him to race a motorcycle around an Ontario speedway to test whether turbans unravel at high speeds.
The bizarre image of Mr. Badesha's experiment last year - conducted under the auspices of the Ontario Human Rights Commission - was evoked during a constitutional challenge to a law that forces motorcycle riders to wear a helmet.
Ontario Court Judge James Blacklock was told yesterday that, in order to disprove a Crown theory that turbans unravel at high speed and cause accidents, Mr. Badesha drove around Cayuga Speedway at 110 kilometres an hour.
His turban held fast.
Baljinder Singh breaks the law Thursday by riding his motorcycle without a helmet in Brampton, Ont. Manitoba and British Columbia exempt Sikhs from such rules. (J.P. Moczulzki for The Globe and Mail)
Mr. Badesha and the human rights commission maintain the helmet law discriminates against Sikhs because their religion obliges them to cover their long hair with nothing more than a turban.
"Observant Sikhs are put in the impossible position of choosing between ordinary, everyday activities and observing their faith," said lawyer Scott Hutchison, who is representing the OHRC. "That is religious discrimination."
Mel Sokosky, a lawyer for Mr. Badesha, said his client is far too religious to consider compromising his beliefs. "Mr. Badesha's desire is not a trivial pursuit," he said. "This is not a game he is playing. He isn't here to waste the court's time. This is a matter of primary importance to Mr. Badesha."
In an interview, Mr. Hutchison said the Cayuga turban test became necessary after the Crown declared that an expert it had hired proved that turbans unravel rapidly in 100 km/h winds.
The Crown's test had been carried out by a professional engineer who purchased a mannequin head, mounted it on a stick and then placed the assemblage in a wind tunnel.
However, Mr. Hutchison was unable to find a documented case anywhere in the world where a Sikh motorcyclist's turban had unravelled. Skeptical, he persuaded the OHRC to authorize its own test.
After he confronted the Crown with the dramatically different test result, prosecutors conceded that their engineer had grossly miscalculated the force of the wind he had generated to batter the imitation head, Mr. Hutchison said.
In fact, the device had been subjected to a 300 km/h wind.
Mr. Badesha, a 39-year-old father of four who immigrated to Canada in 1989 and had been an avid motorcyclist in his native India, said in an interview yesterday that he was charged in mid-2005, about a month after he purchased his 2003 Honda Shadow.
He noted that Sikh soldiers have never worn helmets, and argued that Sikhs should be left alone to make their own decisions about motorcycle gear.
"Who cares?" Mr. Badesha said. "Everybody ends up dead anyway. People die in cars too. In life, you have to take risks, no matter what."
While the Crown case initially questioned the sincerity of Mr. Badesha's religious convictions, its main argument is now based on increased costs to the health system, should helmetless Sikh motorcycle riders end up suffering head injuries.
Mr. Hutchison and co-counsel Owen Rees disputed this contention yesterday. They pointed to a study they had done that concluded that, assuming half of all Sikh motorcyclists wear turbans, the increase in serious injuries would be between .43 and 2.83 Sikh riders a year.
The study also projected that medical treatment for traumatic brain injuries would increase from $151,700,000 to $151,834,685 - a .00005-per-cent overall increase in the province's annual health-care budget.
Mr. Hutchison told the court that the province already licenses motorcycle riders in spite of the fact that they have far more accidents than automobile drivers. "Clearly, the decision to allow motorcycles to be used at all recognizes and accepts a significant degree of risk and concomitant social cost," he said.
India and Britain exempt Sikhs from wearing helmets, as do Manitoba and British Columbia, where a human-rights challenge precipitated the exemption.
Entry for February 13, 2008
N.S. woman fined in accident that killed five people
By BEVERLEY WARE South Shore Bureau
Wed. Feb 13 - 5:03 PM
BRIDGEWATER – Roberta Haines has admitted crossing a double solid line in an accident that killed five people last May, including her own daughter.
Ms. Haines, 54, was not in Bridgewater provincial court this morning to enter the plea. She is apparently back in hospital for ongoing treatment of injuries she suffered in the accident. Crown attorney Lloyd Tancock said an automatic conviction was entered late last year under the Motor Vehicle Act, but Ms. Haines had requested it be set aside.
But Mr. Tancock said he spoke with her Halifax lawyer Tuesday and Alex Keaveny said he is no longer opposing the automatic conviction.
Judge Anne Crawford immediately reinstated the conviction and gave Ms. Haines until April 9 to pay the $279.50 fine.
The ticket was issued Oct. 30, 2007, alleging Ms. Haines, who lives in Halifax, drove to the left of the double solid line on Highway 103 at the Blockhouse exit. She was driving a blue four-door 1996 Taurus owned by Dale Melanson.
Five people died in the accident and Ms. Haines was left in a coma for days.
When she woke, she learned her daughter Raella Haines, 22, who had been sitting beside her in the front, had been killed. Also killed were the four people who had been on the two motorcycles she hit: Gary Clarence Robar, 57, of Upper Branch, his daughter, Tanya Lousie Robar, 33, of Pine Grove, his common-law wife, Ann Louise Jodrey-Mailman, 57, and Ms. Robar's fiance, Mike Everett, 40.
Mr. Robar's son, Shawn Robar, is suing Roberta Haines, claiming she was speeding, driving recklessly and may have been impaired by drugs or alcohol at the time of the May 27 accident. In a defence filed with the Supreme Court in Bridgewater, Ms. Haines says such a claim is “frivolous and vexatious” and that Mr. Robar's father was the one at fault.
Shawn Robar is also suing Mr. Melanson alleging he failed to keep his car in proper working order.
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