Motorcycles

Classic motorcycles from law enforcement and the military will be on display starting Sunday at the California Oil Museum. Motorcycles from the 1920s to the present will be part of the display called "Bikes & Badges: Motorcycles of the Police and Military." Among the classic motorcycles on display will be the 1968 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide ridden by actor Robert Blake in the film "Electra Glide in Blue" and military motorcycles from World War II. The exhibit will be open through Feb. 17.

Gov. Ed Rendell has signed a bill to repeal a state law requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets. Under the law, which takes effect Sept. 4, helmets will be mandatory for bikers with less than two years' riding experience, but the waiting period will be waived for anyone who completes a motorcycle-safety course.

They leak, shake, rattle and spark -- and sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars. The rarest of rare vintage motorcycles, these decades-old machines are challenging to start and difficult to ride. Yet they are becoming more expensive to purchase despite -- and some say because of -- the down economy. For years, ultra-obscure bikes such as a 1936 Crocker Twin or a 1907 Curtiss V-8 were collected by a small handful of moneyed gearheads.

Re "Mom, Can I Have a Hog?" editorial, May 13: Judging from the botched attempt to describe the appealing aspects of motorcycles to potential buyers, it is clear the author of your latest anti-motorcycle editorial knows next to nothing about motorcycles or the people who ride them. Rather than waste everyone's time trying to dissuade people from purchasing motorcycles, why not advocate better training for new riders and higher licensing standards at the Department of Motor Vehicles?

Police Chief Elvin G. Miali urged the City Council on Tuesday to consider reinstating a motorcycle program. Fountain Valley police stopped using motorcycles in 1982 because of liability risks and officer-safety concerns. Only Fountain Valley, Los Alamitos and La Palma do not have motorcycle patrols in Orange County, Miali said. The Police Department has been awarded a grant from the state Office of Traffic Safety to pay for four motorcycles, officer training and related equipment.

Honda Motor Co., Harley-Davidson Inc. and other motorcycle makers must cut tailpipe exhaust by 60% starting in 2006, U.S. regulators said in the first such change since 1978. The rules require so-called highway motorcycles, including Honda's Gold Wing and Harley's Fat Boy, as well as scooters and mopeds to emit less smog-forming hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, the Environmental Protection Agency said.

A federal judge in Denver said a Canadian and California partnership and not one from Colorado will be granted the right to produce motorcycles bearing the coveted "Indian" brand name. Judge Zita Weinshienk's written decision came 10 days after bike enthusiasts and potential Indian brand distributors attended a court hearing trying to persuade her that the Colorado company, Eller Industries, would be a better choice. But Weinshienk ruled in favor of Imcoa Licensing Co.

The motorcycle industry has been in a major slump this year, but the local convocation of biker bigwigs, flashy steel and looky-loos will go on this weekend -- on a diminished scale. The International Motorcycle Shows, which for 29 years has traveled the country showing off its latest and greatest technology and products, makes its annual stop at the Long Beach Convention Center. But the show will have nearly 9% fewer exhibitors and will be missing some of the industry's major players.

A California Highway Patrol officer died Wednesday after his motorcycle collided with a trash truck on Highway 163. Dean Edward Beattie, 46, a 24-year veteran, was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly after the 1 p.m. accident. Northbound lanes of the highway were closed for several hours. The incident was under investigation.