Cycle Update

California will enforce OHV noise rules
The California Department of Parks and Recreation plans to strictly enforce new noise regulations beginning July 15, 2003, for all off-highway motorcycles and ATVs operated in State Vehicular Recreation Areas. The new rules bring California’s off-road noise emissions levels down from among the loudest in the nation to some of the quietest, lowering the maximum decibel level limits from 101 to 96 decibels.
For OHVs manufactured after Jan. 1, 1986, the noise limit is 96 decibels. For competition OHVs manufactured after Jan. 1, 1998, the noise limit is 96 decibels.
The new noise law is part of AB 2274, signed into law by Gov. Gray Davis in September 2002 and which went into effect Jan. 1, 2003. AB 2274 represents one of the most sweeping changes of California’s off-highway vehicle program in its 30-year history.
RUMOR MILL
Look for an all-new Kawasaki ZX-10R to replace the aging ZX-9R. It should have features like radial brakes, and a 1,000cc four-cylinder engine. The new model should be first shown at the Milan, Italy show, with deliveries to dealers in Spring 2004.
Honda is working on its own liter-bike replacement for the CBR954RR. This should also displace 1,000cc and arrive as a 2004. Another long-in-the-tooth Honda model, the CBR1100XX is due for an update. A 1,200cc engine is rumored to be in the works, along with variable valve timing along the lines of the VFR model. Could a replacement for Yamaha’s 18-year-old V-Max be in the works too?
STATES RELAX HELMET LAWS
Pennsylvania has become the latest state to consider helmet use optional for motorcycle riders. Gov. Ed Rendell is expected to sign the law, but he still recommends that motorcycle riders wear helmets.
Pennsylvania is one of a dozen states that in the last year have considered relaxing helmet laws. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that since Congress repealed a law in 1995 that tied federal funds to state helmet laws only 20 states still have mandatory helmet laws. The remaining states either let adults decide or have no laws at all.
As the rates of helmet-wearing fall, the motorcycle fatality rate has risen. The helmet laws have support among physicians and insurers, who say they save lives and money on caring for trauma victims. On the other side are those who say the government can’t make everything risk-free, and should let adults decide for themselves.
FREDDIE MARSH, 1900-2003
Freddie Marsh, who raced dirt-track in the Northeast in the 1920s and ran his last hillclimb at age 88, died June 8 at age 103, according to a report by the American Motorcyclist Association. Marsh was a member of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.
Marsh was a long-time dealer, having opened an Indian dealership in Hartford, Conn., in 1926 and owning a Moto Guzzi dealership in East Windsor, Conn., at the time of his death. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002. Marsh began racing flat-track in the 1920s and competed at races across the Northeast for decades, picking up a nickname: Freddie “Demon” Marsh. When he gave up flat-track racing, he raced hillclimb.
MONDIAL DU DEUX ROUES
The Mondial DU Deux Roues (World of Two Wheels) motorcycle and bicycle show is coming to Paris, France, this September. The show, which is both a trade show and public show, will take place Sept. 25 through Oct. 5, 2003. For more information, or to book exhibitor space, contact AMC Promotion, 23 Ave. Franklin Roosevelt, F 75008, Paris, France; telephone 33 (1) 56 88 22 40; email: info@amcpromotion.com.
BASSANI DISTRIBUTORS SOUGHT
North County Customs, the exclusive worldwide distributor for Bassani’s line of custom exhaust systems for Harley-Davidson motorcycles, is looking for regional dealers in Europe, Asia, South America, Australia and South Africa. Customer demand for these performance systems has provided for massive expansion and the need for local dealers. If you are a licensed business in those regions and interested in becoming a Bassani authorized dealer, email: nicepipes@adelphia.net or telephone: 714-680-0911. On the Web: www.northcountycustoms.com
PATRIOT ACQUIRES STEEL DREAMS Patriot Motorcycles has acquired Steel Dreams Event Co. as a part of its entertainment and media division. Steel Dreams was formed in 2001 to produce entertainment events and create additional television programming for Steel Dreams TV. Steel Dreams is broadcast into 70 million homes weekly, through its nationally syndicated network. For further information contact Mark Green at 949/ 640-6620.