Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125794
o N g, Q. N .... m cO a. ::> « ~ w Z W ...J U > U By John D. Ulrich It all started back in 1970. I was young, idealistic, and a new motorcyclist. I watched as land closure gathered steam, noise pollution started to cause a furor, and conservationalists wound up their war on motorcycles. Was I worried?- Heck no! I just wrote my assemblyman in Sacramento and assumed that he would make every thing cool again. Well, maybe.·1 wrote and wrote, joined Motorcycle Owners Riders and Enthusiasts (the California motorcyclist's lobby organization) in 197 I, and wro te again each time a bj(l affecting motorcycle operators came up. I was sure that each time I wrote that my man in Sacramento duly noted my opinion and voted accordingly. After all, he always wrote back thanking me for my in terest and suggested that I write again. When 1972 came and suddenly I was a voter as well as a concerned motorcyclist/citizen, I invited my assemblyman to speak to a group of newly enfranchised young voters at a local high school. A letter came back saying that no, he could not make it this session, but if I could come up to the state capitol in Sacramento, he would be happy to see me. Hot damn! Invited to capitol by an ASSEMBLYMAN! Big time! A chance to really save the day for motorcycles in California! So off I went, graduated from high school just three days, with high hopes, a sleeping bag on my bike, and two buddies to make that long lonesome highway from Los Angeles to Sacramento a little less lonely. The day after we rode into Sacramento, we donned clean dothes and ties and entered HIS office at the pre-determined hour. It was after the round of handshaking and introductions, the usual '"How was your trip?" pleasan tries, and learning. that we would see the Assembly in action and get a tour of the capitol, (minus the usual big group) to boot that I asked the burning question. How does the assemblyman feel about the affect of no fault insurance on motorcycle rates? He says that he will have his staff pull the information I had sent him from my letter file and we will discuss it after the Assembly session and capitol tour. In the meantime, he will arrange for u-s to speak to the man who sponsors the no fault bill in the Assembly, a man who I cannot name for reasons which will become obvious soon. We will speak to him while the Assembly is in session. We are duly impressed. Just like that and our man starts things happening! Mr. Assembly No Fau-It Bill Himself! Hot damn! Double big time! . We hit it up the official legislator elevator, get cleared by the badge toting man at the elevator door, and get seated - in the visitors section of the Assembly floor. Our man takes over Mr. Assembly No Fault Bill Himself's job at the podium running the session and Mr. Assembly No Fault Bill Himself comes back. . More introductions and hand shiking. "So you're here visiting the capitol, eh. You boys from Boy's Country?" UBoy's Country"? What is this UBoy's Country"? Does Mr. No 'Fault think that only juvenile delinquents or orphans visit the capitol? "N 0", I answer. "We just wan t to ask you about your no fault insurance bill. What happens if motorcycles are excluded from no fault insurance and an excluded motorcycle collides with an included car?" "If they are excluded, then in the event of such a collision the procedure NDL EBARS SOME PEOPLE HAVE NEVER SEEN A GOOD HANDLEBAR. MUCH LESS ... OWNEO ONE. ~o\ orcycle Accessor' les FL!NDERS o Pasadena. California f Unexcelled aua\\\~ CHECK OUT FLANOERS BAt:ls AT YOUR LOCAL OEALER. THEy'RE THE BEST MONEY CAN BUY. P.O. Box 2297d, Pasadena, Cal. 91105 (213) 681-2581 is just the way it is now. The person at faul t is liable and would have residual liability insurance to cover the liability. The motorcyclist would have the same type of insurance that he now has liability. If two cars coUide, then fault is not determined, and each ddver's insurance company pays his own damages." I press on with the questioning. "Are motorcycles excluded under your bill?" "Yes, but it looks like I will have to include them to get the bill passed. The governor wants them included, and the state board of insurance wan ts them included, and I will include them if I must to get the bill passed." I am horrified. I had written to the governor just weeks before and his answering letter assured me that he would make sure that no fault bills would not burden the California . motorcyclists with exorbitant premiums as happened in states now usio_g no fault. "But if motorcycles are included their insurance rates will go up to abo\l t 50% of their value, as happened in Delaware. " "Delaware has nothing to do with it. You cannot say what will or will not happen under th is bill. I don't know what effect the bill will have on motorcycle rates or car rates or anything else. Who told you this would happen?" This is getting hairy, so I fire my name-dropping bomb. "Russ Sanford. And if you don't know what effect this bill will have on people's lives and wallets, why are you pushing it?" "'Look, young man, I don't have time to argue with you. I have to get back up there (gesturing to the podium, where our man has taken over). Do you young want everything to stop? "You can't just not introduce legislation just because you don't know what it will do. If problems come up, you go back and fix them. I don't know who this Russ Sanford is, but he is just telling you this because for .ome reason he wants motorcycles out of no fault." Mr. No Fault's apparent belief that I believe everything someone tells me without evaluating its content or logic is starting to ·get to me. Yeah, maybe he wants motorcycles excluded so that he can afford to own one in the future, says my hidden thought. "Mr. Sanford js president of our lobby group, Motorcycle Owners Riders and Enthusiasts, and if motorcycles are included in no fault it will hurt a lot of people." "I don't know who he is. Look, we won't let these insurance companies do anything that they can't justify with statistics. I sympathize, I own a little Yamaha. I probably don't ride as much as you do, but I own it." By now I'm so mad I want to yell obscenities at this character, but I bite my lip and remain·calm. "The insurance companies will be able to justify exorbitan,t rate increases- with sta tistics. " "Then they will get their increases. Why should 'car drivers carry motorcyclists just so they can have low rates? If the insurance companies can show that motorcycles are involved in more accidents, then they will be able to raise rates. Look, l've gOt to get back (gesturing at lbe podium)." "Sure", [ say as 1 sag back into my seat, doubtiug the future of motorc)'cling and the existence of Russ Sanford, our MORE lobbyiest, as well, "Thanks a lot." A t this point one of my buddies, Dan, turns to me and speaks. "We're f"mally legal adults and voters, and the guy calls us boys and treats us like idiots who can't think for ourselves. Why clidn't you tell him that including motorcycles and raising rates is not fair because most car/bike accidents are caused by the car drivers? Increased bike insurance rates would penalize bikers for the negligence of car drivers. The reason bike liability insurance is so low now is that the insurance companies rarely have_to pay out on liability coverage." "Sure," I acknowledged, Ubut I was so mad I forgot. That guy ;s a bastard!" Our man comes back, informs us that at 11:00 our guide will show us around the capitol, and that then we should meet him back at the Assembly floor. From there we will all go back to his office and discuss no fault insurance. He also asked if Mr. Assembly No Fault Bill Himself answered our questions. "Well, at first he did, but he was so sure he was right he re.ally didn't give us a chance," I said. UHe is a traitor to motorcycling!" blasted my other buddy. "I wonder if all those bike shop owners in his district know that their Assemblyman is abou t to stab motorcycling in the back?" "Not very good answers, huh? Well, after the tour we'll call in the man who wrote the bill for Mr. Assembly No Fault Bill Himself and talk about it. I'll see you guys later," soothed our man. Yes, we were qujte impressed at the treatrnen t our own assemblyman was giviI)g us. He is quite a guy! An hour later we re-joined our man and hit it back to his office. There we learned that the man who wrote the no fault bill will come in right after lunch. "Fine," says I, "but before we break for lunch I have a question about something else. I notice that you recen tly endorsed Candidate A for County Supervisor, yet Candidate B also used your picture in his literature. Why is that?" - "Well," begins our man, "of course I only endorsed Candidate A. But we take pictures around here all the time, and since Candidate B felt that my picture would help his campaign, he used it, as did Candidate C. As long as they don't say I endorse them, it is acceptable." We split for lunch and Bob made some heavy observations. "Look, the governor writes one thing in his letters, does another thing; Mr. Assembly No Fault Bill Himself will do anything to get his bill passed and his name in the paper, not caring who he hurts doing it; and candidates for political office openly try to fool the public into voting for them by using implied endorsements. The only guy up here who seems to care about the average citizen is our assembly,man, and he is outnumbered and surrounded by crooks. His voting record proves he listens, but what about those o'ther guys? Oh, well, at least we have one good man." After lunch we met the man who wrote the- bill for Mr. Assembly No Fault Bill Himself. We explained our views on "no fault" and he agreed with our assemblyman that our arguments seemed quite logical. We also learned that Mr. Assembly No Fault Bill Himself had told both of them that he would exclude motorcycles from his bill. Therefore, he was lying to someone. He had told us he was going to include them. Our man promised to look into the matter and keep in mind what we had told him. I -had pi! t 'my fai th in th estate government to protect motorcyclists from injustice and had seen the governor p.rom'ise me one thing in a letter and yet do another thing. I had met a powerful assembly leaders who did not care what happened to whom if his bills passed and his name got in the papers. I learned of the efforts of candidates for high office to fool people into voting for them. I had also met my assemblyman, probably the representative' most responsive to his people in state government. I left knowing that he was an honest man, listened and tried to help. I had faith in him, trusted him, and looked forward to voting for him in the next election. He had treated us well, and heard us out. Yet he is but one man. I left knowing that most . assemblymen do not have time to fu.lly investigate the aspects of each bill. They rely on such men as Mr. Assembly No Fault Bill Himself for their information. I still ha,d my ideals. Bu.t I had something else, too, something all the fast riding and beautiful coastline could' not seem to cure me of. I had the Sacramento Reality Blues.