JOB ADVERTISEMENT

The Federation of European Motorcyclists' Associations are recruiting a

CAMPAIGNS OFFICER

The holder of this position will be primarily responsible for representing and advancing the interests of road-riding motorcyclists within the institutions of the European Union and other relevant European organisations

Applicants should be motorcyclists, ideally with an experience of working for their national riders' organisations and should be competent in at least two languages, one of which must be English

The contract for this position will run from the 1st January 2001 to the 30th June 2002 with the holder receiving a gross annual salary of 24,750 Euro and Ticket Restaurant vouchers.

In June 2002 FEMA will be appointing a suitably qualified person to the position of General Secretary and it is envisaged that the person holding the position of Campaigns Officer will have had every opportunity to demonstrate their suitability to be considered for the General Secretary' position

Persons interested in being considered for the position of FEMA's Campaigns Officer should write to the Acting General Secretary at the following address setting out in at least 500 words the reasons why they consider they would be suitable for the position and enclosing a Curriculum Vitae

The final date for such applications to be received at the FEMA Secretariat is the 30th September 2000

Rue des Champs 62, 1040 Brussels, Belgium

Tel: 0032 2 736 9407, fax: 0032 2 736 9401

e-mail: fema_ridersrights@compuserve

Motorcycle Action Group Netherlands will organise a demo run against road pricing on Saturday the 23rd of September 2000.

There will actually be three demo runs at the same time. Bikers will gather near Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht and ride together to the city of The Hague (Den Haag). These four cities were chosen because this is where the first toll portals will appear.

Why?

In order to fight congestion, particularly in the west of the Netherlands, the Dutch government is planning a series of measures to reduce traffic. The best plan they have come up with so far is to let every road user pay!

One of the proposals means that on a number of roads an electronic toll will have to be paid. MAG NL is strongly convinced that motorcycles can be an important part of the solution and are not part of the traffic problems. Traffic jams are caused by cars and motorcycles can (and do) easily pass.

Furthermore, motorcycles use only a quarter of the parking space needed for a car. The government should promote the use of motorcycles and should not burden motorcyclists with an extra tax. Those, for example, who choose a motorcycle to get to work and back should not be punished for the Governments failing policy on traffic.

Where?

From Amsterdam

The Esso petrol station on the A8 motorway between Zaandam and Amsterdam. We will gather here from 10.00h and we will leave at 11.30h for Den Haag.

For more information call Nico at ++ 31 20 6250186 or mail to

<nicoperk@xs4all.nl>

From Rotterdam

The Shell petrol station 'Portland' on the A15 motorway between Hoogvliet and Ridderkerk. We will gather here from 10.00h and we will leave 12.15h for Den Haag.

For more information call Robert at ++ 31 10 4582669 or mail to

<kubusmag@zonnet.nl>

From Utrecht

The Shell petrol station 'Hellevliet' on the A12 motorway, just outside Utrecht in the direction of Den Haag. We will gather here from 10.00h and we will leave 12.00h for Den Haag.

For more information call Rens at ++ 31 26 4951059 or mail to

<geintje@xs4all.nl>

Visitors/motorcyclists from other countries are very welcome to join MAG NL on the 23rd of September. However, this is a 'one day event', so you will have to arrange your own accommodation such as a campsite or a hotel.

All this information is also available on our website: http://www.mag-nl.org

Due to the high number of motorcycle accidents in Luxembourg (in May not less than 5 accidents with deadly injured motorcycle riders) the Luxemburgish Minister of Transport Henri Grethen started the campaign "together take care of each other" with the aim of reducing the number of motorcycle accidents.

The campaign consists of:

* a TV spot showing how easy it is for a car driver to overview a motorcycle rider because of his thin silhouette.

* a leaflet with the most important advices for motorcycle riders and for car drivers were produced and sent together with a letter personally addressed from the minister of transport Henri Gethen to the 14.000 Luxemburgish motorcycle riders.

'the Police Grand-Ducale will do more speed controls, particularly in the north of the country'

It's not just bikes - all motor vehicles are becoming less politically correct. The private motor vehicle is under attack at the national level, as Vice President Al Gore is renewing his

1992 call for the phase-out of the internal combustion engine, and at the state level where a pair of California bills seek to give local governments the right to set draconian speed limits, and on down to the local level where "Traffic Calming" (i.e. intentional obstruction of traffic) is the newest tool to pry Americans out of their cars and off their motorcycles.

Gore's anti-car position is not new, but what's noteworthy is that he thinks it'll sell in the upcoming election. Bush is seen as vulnerable on environmental issues, so Gore is pushing his hatred of cars. It's hard to believe that this guy once owned a 305 Superhawk.

We think his position will hurt him, as most Americans view public transportation as they do public toilets: disgusting. And fuel cells might not be a viable option by 2017, when piston-driven vehicles would no longer be sold, if Al gets his way.

From the land of the rising sun comes the latest in motorcycle safety technology, if not the most controversial, as Honda's fleet of Advanced Safety Vehicles includes a Gold Wing touring

motorcycle equipped with an SRS airbag system. The Gold Wing GL1500 Interstate is equipped with a tank mounted airbag system that Honda has been developing for some years.

Theoretically, airbags for motorcycles could reduce rider-ejection speeds through airbag deployment and could lessen injuries to riders caused by contacts against other vehicles or road surfaces in accidents.But Honda researchers caution that the motorcycle airbag system has both potential benefits as well as some adverse effects, and further research and development is needed.

An airbag wouldn't have saved the life of an Italian youth who was recently shot to death by police for riding his scooter without a helmet. Seventeen year old Mario Castellano was fatally shot in the back July 20th when he attempted to run a police checkpoint set up in Naples to enforce a new law mandating helmets for Italy's 9 million scooter and motorcycle riders. The young rebel refused to wear a helmet because it ruined his gelled hairdo, and he ran the checkpoint because he didn't want to be ticketed again as he had been repeatedly before the shooting for flouting the recently enacted helmet law.

The killing provoked scattered riots, calls to boycott helmets and

several vigils. Upon hearing of the shooting, friends and family of the dead biker stormed the police station, destroyed police vehicles and came to blows with the police themselves. More than 1,500 angry mourners attended the boy's funeral.

Policeman Tommaso Leone was arrested on suspicion of homicide, and is being held without bail in a military prison. He claims the shooting was an accident, but reconstruction of the incident showed that Leone had fired at the teenager after failing to catch him. Interior Minister Enzo Bianco called the shooting unjustifiable and promised to bring the circumstances of

the case to light.

Italy was the last country in Europe to pass a helmet law for scooter riders, and since March police have had problems implementing the helmet law as fashion conscious Italian youth refuse to wear them.

If Town Councilman John Hickey gets his way, Narragansett, Rhode Island, will take on a bit of the flavor of the Old West someday soon, with police telling those with loud motorcycles to

... get out of town.

''If they're from out of town, it would be okay with me if police take them to the town line and tell them to go,'' Hickey said, discussing his amended motion on the July 17 council agenda aimed at controlling the roar from some motorcycles.

For residents, the penalty would be different. The motorcycles would be impounded until the mufflers were brought back to factory specifications. Hickey said the loud ones are modified to make more noise than they normally do.

''They want to show off,'' he said.

Councilman David Crook Sr., a retired policeman, said two separate approaches by police might not be legal.

''Are we getting into selective enforcement?'' he asked the council. Councilman George Lenihan Jr. asked, ''Couldn't we just cite them?''

''I don't want to fine them,'' Hickey said. ''I want them out of here.''

Town Solicitor Mark McSally said he would have to do some research ''to see if we have authority to do'' what Hickey suggested. The council voted 4 to 0 to ask McSally to look into the matter.

''The show's much better when you're sitting up front'' is the campaign marketing message that Kawasaki is using to target

the women's motorcycle buyers market.

Kawasaki hopes to identify with female riders who have abandoned their roles as passengers and are taking to the road riding their own machines. In 1998, Kawasaki owner surveys revealed that women represented 32% of purchasers of 600 cc and under Kawasaki street motorcycles.