That TigerLily in Las Vegas is quite the pot stirrer. Now she’s challenging Nevada’s rider program. I communicate with Tiger Lily on a regular basis and my hat’s off to her. I don’t always agree with her but I sure appreciate her passion for rights, liberty, and freedom. You go girl!

Lily Gonzales, ... shared her concerns and a list of reasons why she believes the Nevada Rider Motorcycle Safety Program should be discontinued. Ms. Gonzales asked that a serious discussion of the following items concerning the Nevada Rider Program be placed on the agenda for our next Motorcycle Advisory Board Meeting:

The program has undermined the rights of motorcyclists.

It has undermined motorcycle tourism.

It continues to work with mainstream media to blame motorcyclists when there is a motorcycle accident.

It has failed to demonstrate its effectiveness to reduce deaths or accidents.

It has participated in being less than truthful to our Senators during legislative sessions by siding with law enforcers whose only agenda appears to be control and domination over motorcyclists rather than safety.

It has disproportionately allocated funds among the various parts of the State.

It has showed bad faith by moving a meeting to an earlier date in an apparent effort to exclude members of the public and media.

It is run by a retired cop that is compensated by contract in order to not adversely impact his pension.

It is unable to describe how it is that a rider can know for certain if they are complying with Nevada’s helmet law.

It makes up meeting rules on the spot to muzzle people with serious questions.

Ms. Gonzales stated that she will have documentation to support these statements at the next Motorcycle Advisory Board meeting.

I have mixed feelings about this battle; I have to admit that I don’t know as much as I should about this program. There were no such programs when I started riding 45 years ago. I know folks that have ridden all their lives, take the course and really enjoy it and can’t believe how much they gain from the class. I have gone to the Riders Training main office in Carson a couple of times and have met Ken Kiphart that is head of the program. I have discussed helmet legislation with Mr. Kiphart and felt like the subject got a pretty neutral response from him. He certainly hasn’t done us any favors during legislation, in fact he kind-of threw us under the bus the last couple of sessions. From what I know and remember, ABATE across the country worked hard to get the Rider Safety program in place and has received a lot of positive recognition for it over the years. Then on the other hand, maybe the program has just become another government agency that is now burdened with bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo. For that reason I think TigerLily stirring the pot just might be what the program needs. If TigerLily is out of place then they should be able to respond to each of her concerns. There are now private rider’s training schools that did not exist when the program started. Maybe it’s time to let this program be run by the efficient private sector.

Having a passion for old bikes, and old vehicles in general, the issue about Ethanol-blended fuel is a concern to me. It has become apparent that more research is needed to ensure it is not going to damage older or air cooled engines. 10% Ethanol is being sold at a lot of gas stations now and EPA wants to increase the ethanol to 15%. Automakers insist that using 15% Ethanol will void warranties, lower fuel efficiency and cause premature engine failure. EPA used only one Department of Energy test and rushed 15% ethanol into the market. I have read that ethanol burns hotter and this higher temperature will damage air cooled engines and the older water cooled engines. Gas stations are required to post the ethanol % at the pumps. It is my recommendation to avoid putting anything over 10% ethanol in your bike. U.S. Republican Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) has introduced a bill that calls for new research into the effects of certain ethanol blended gasoline. To contact your federal law makers to urge them to support H.R. 3199 go AmericanMotorcyclist.com.

Christmas For Kids has done a wonderful job again this year! Thank you everyone for your time and effort, a lot of children will have a much better Christmas because of you. See you at the Parade of Lights.

Merry Christmas!

John Bland, President ABATE of Northern Nevada – MRF state rep.