The Motor Enforcement, Accident Reduction effort, referred to as Project M.E.A.R., will include officers from Virginia State Police along with the Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach police departments. The Portsmouth Sheriff’s Office also is participating.

Throughout the year, law-enforcement agencies work together on projects to increase enforcement on roads, track down people wanted on warrants and to identify criminal activity in undercover operations.

Original story can be found here…

I counted about 8 on I-64 between Greenbrier Parkway and Indian River Road today at lunch, so watch yourself out there.

Agents at the Port of Baltimore were alerted by Fairfax County police investigating an auto theft ring who said a shipping container bound for Bolivia might contain stolen motorcycles.

The agents used a database to find a container still in the seaport that matched the description offered by the police in Virginia.

Federal agents pulled the container from the ship, opened it and found four salvage cars or sport utility vehicles. Salvage vehicles are vehicles usually purchased at auction for their parts value.

Inside the salvage cars were boxes containing disassembled motorcycles — a 2009 Harley-Davidson Night Train and a 2007 Kawasaki ZX660J.

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The Milwaukee-based bike maker, which has been hit by a steep decline in sales during the recession, also said on Thursday that it would put a growing emphasis on markets outside the US. It aims to boost foreign sales from 31 per cent of the total this year to at least 40 per cent by 2014, appointing 100-150 new dealers outside the US.

Keith Wandell, who took over as chief executive in May, said that “growth is the single most critical need for Harley-Davidson right now”. The company announced an 84 per cent plunge in third-quarter earnings and a 21 per cent drop in revenues.

While the Harley brand is recognized worldwide, Mr Wandell said that “we have great conviction that there is much more we can do to tap into the power of that brand and extend it further”.

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The company with a global reputation is riding off because of the economy.

Work hasn’t stopped inside the Milwaulkee Iron warehouse, but Randy Simpson won’t be welding here much longer.

“I don’t want to sit here and wait for the next phone call,” owner Randy Simpson said. “I want to get out and enjoy myself a little bit while I still can.”

Simpson has made a living building custom choppers. But low demand has put him on the chopping block.

“It’s a pure economic decision. I’m tired of putting money into the company to keep it open.”

Simpson is shutting down and selling the business.

Conditions may not be good for Simpson to run Milwaukee Iron right now, but he says several people have shown an interest in taking over, so he feels like his business will carry on.

“Someone could come in here and take a $300,000 a year company and turn it into a $5 million dollar a year company.”

Whether that happens depends on who makes a bid when the company get auctioned off August 27th.

Then there was a second deadly motorcycle accident on the same day, which shut down part of Interstate 81. State Police say a motorcycle rider was merging on I-81 from I-77 in Wytheville, when it ran off the road and crashed.

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The commonwealth experienced an 87 percent jump in motorcycle fatalities in 2007, according to the most recent figures from the VSP.

As a result, the VSP launched its “Ride Smart, Arrive Alive” program to help curb the rise in fatalities.

The program consists of three objectives — education, enforcement and roadway management.

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BETHESDA, Md., June 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Motorcycle Riders Foundation strongly supports the Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act (HR 2057) and urges Congress to swiftly pass the legislation in order to safeguard individual vehicle ownership rights today and in the future.

“We have formally committed our support to the Right to Repair Act because we believe that consumers are entitled to the right to choose how their motorcycle, car or other type of vehicle is maintained or upgraded. The point of Right to Repair is to protect the freedom of American consumers to choose how they take care of their vehicles, be it in their driveway or at a trusted repair facility, and to ensure that they have access to all the information required to complete service and repairs,” said Jeff Hennie, vice president of government relations for the Motorcycle Riders Foundation.

The Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act was introduced into the 111th Congress by Reps. Edolphus Towns (D-NY), Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and George Miller (D-CA) to offer protections for vehicle owners by making it illegal for vehicle manufacturers to withhold information necessary to diagnose, service or repair motor vehicles.

“Vehicles, including motorcycles, are becoming increasingly complex with the addition of more and more computer technology, and that is only going to increase in the future. Ready access to accurate service and repair information from the manufacturers is essential to the safety and well-being of the entire American motoring public,” continued Hennie.

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation encourages its members and all motorists to visit www.righttorepair.org to send a letter to each of their congressional representatives, urging them to support the Right to Repair Act (HR 2057) by adding their names to the growing list of co-sponsors.

About the Motorcycle Riders Foundation:

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF), incorporated in 1987, is a membership-based, national motorcyclists’ rights organization headquartered in Washington, DC. As the first motorcyclists’ rights organization to establish a full-time presence in Washington, MRF is the only Washington voice devoted exclusively to the street rider. MRF established MRFPAC in the early 1990s to advocate the election of candidates who would champion the cause of rider safety and rider freedom. For more information, visit www.mrf.org.

About Right to Repair:

The Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act, which was introduced by Reps. Edolphus Towns (D-NY), Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and George Miller (D-CA), would require vehicle manufacturers to make the same service information and tools capabilities available to independent repair shops that they provide to their franchised dealer networks. The legislation further provides vehicle manufacturers with strong protections for their trade secrets unless that information is provided to the franchised dealers. The bill clarifies the responsibilities of the Federal Trade Commission in enforcing the bill’s requirements. For more information about the Right to Repair Act, visit www.righttorepair.org.

Website: http://www.mrf.org Website: http://www.righttorepair.org/

So it stands to reason that when about 1,750 Harleys descend on a city, as they will in Roanoke through the weekend, the thunder of all those bikes could compete with a jumbo jet full of screaming babies.

And, oh doctor, that’s the way Susan Thrift likes it. “It just makes your blood flow,” exclaimed the 56-year-old payroll administrator from Chesapeake, when asked about the roar. “It used to be annoying until you get on one.”

The state rally of the Harley Owners Groups, or HOGs, has begun. All 17 of the Virginia HOG chapters have rumbled into town on their Fat Boys, Sportsters and Road Kings for the four-day convention.

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