Death of the Chopper?
Death of the Chopper?
UP FRONT
David Edwards
HEADLINE WRITERS CAN BE A CRUEL LOT. For the most part they toil away thanklessly on the weighty matters of local, national and world news, distilling a story’s content to a few easily digested words. There’s not a lot of room for creativity, or fun, in city council meetings or budget overruns or a war’s death toll. But every once in a while a peripheral news item comes across the wire, seemingly heaven-sent, that brings out the jackal:
The accompanying print and web stories quoted a press release from the dreaded California Air Resources Board announcing that it had negotiated a settlement with “television personality” Jesse James (married to actress Sandra Bullock) that involved a fine of almost $275,000.
STAR’S PIMPED-UP CYCLES SPEWED BAD AIR “MONSTER GARAGE,” MONSTER FINE SANDRA BULLOCK’S HUSBAND LANDED WITH MONSTER FINE BULLOCK’S DIRTY HUBBY BIKE-BUILDER JESSE JAMES COUGHS UP $271,250
The penalty was levied, said CARB, pursuant to the 1998-2005 sales of 50 West Coast Choppers custom motorcycles not in compliance with the state’s emissions standards, namely fitment of non-certified exhausts and the lack of fuel-evaporation recovery systems.
“Emissions data shows an uncertified engine in a motorcycle can emit
up to 10 times more pollution than a certified one,” the release proclaimed; though, in fact, not one of the offending WCC bikes had been tested by the agency.
“Nope, but I had them tested!” says James emphatically.
“They run clean. One of my ‘non
bikes has the same emissions as a Prius.”
Notably louder than a Toyota, though, which along with James’ high-profile celebrity status, made him a juicy target, never mind that most of the machines he sells probably see less than 1000 miles a year. Gnat flatulence is more of a danger to the atmosphere.
Tom Zimberoff is an interested observer. He’s just released Art of the Chopper //, the second edition of his thoughtful, stupendously photographed exploration of the neo-custom movement (www.artofthechopper.com), one very much fueled by Mr. James and his outlaw machines.
“There is little about art that complies with motor vehicle codes,” he
writes. “By virtue of its own best points, a chopper will flout at least a dozen or so state and local statutes, speed limits notwithstanding. Choppers are bereft of turnsignals, horns, gauges, mirrors, idiot lights and rear suspension. They bristle with racing motors, loud pipes, apehangers, velocity stacks and
whatever additional gimcracks a builder sees fit to flaunt. Pass an emissions-control test? I don’t think so. But neither will a city bus. Neither will your barbecue! And there are more barbecues and buses fouling the air than all the motorcycles on the planet.”
More irony: According to James, CARB was more interested in making headlines than in maintaining ozone levels.
“I really think that anyone who chooses to ride a motorcycle in this day and age should be commended, not fined or overly scrutinized-last time I checked, a motorcycle was a low-emissions, fuelconserving vehicle,” says James, who claims that he offered to retrofit the bikes in question with the proper equipment but was flatly turned down. “CARB sees it differently. They see motorcycles and motorcycle shops as easy targets for fines and settlements, all under the guise of the great concern they have for the environment.”
Certainly, the procedure as outlined by James seems flawed.
“They revoke the DMV registrations on the bikes you build, telling you that they produce ‘10 times’ the pollution of a CARB-certified bike,” he relates. “You will be forced to go to a Settlement Conference and meet there with legal council. Let the haggling begin, and once you agree on an amount to pay for the gross negligence of polluting the environment? The bikes that had their registrations revoked are magically reinstated and deemed California-legal!
“I’m not saying that I did nothing wrong, but I am saying that when it comes to the environment, the environment should come first, not the cash! Somebody needs to hold CARB accountable for their methods and practices.”
Just a nuisance for one SoCal chopper fatcat who jotted off a check to cover the fine as easily as most of us pay the cable bill? Think again, says James.
“This isn’t about me...this fight is about all the small shops that do repair work and maybe build one or two bikes a year on the side. They are going to get slapped with a $40K fine and have to file Chapter 11.”
As goes California, so goes the country, sometimes ominously so?
“If you notice, CARB has dropped the ‘C’ and is now just the Air Resources Board,” warns James. “They want to take these enforcement tactics nationwide...” □
