2d ago

The rider of a Harley Davidson motorcycle who killed two pedestrians had 70 driving infringements, as well as 11 previous convictions for bad driving

www.rnz.co.nz

'Honorary' Filthy Few member Mark Kimber sentenced for the manslaughter of Tauranga pedestrians Geoffrey and Karen Boucher

10 comments

While 3 and a half years feels fair I think its dangerous to put someone like that back in prison. It risks undoing all the rehab efforts hes gone through. He should have 3 years community service and be suspended from driving forever.
- I agree, but not having a licence isn't going to stop this cunt
- @Fizz @Davriellelouna, if you're killing someone you shouldn't be able to enjoy the comforts of home while the ripples of your action devastate the lives of those around the deceased, imho the sentence should have your judgement as follow on once released.
Why is the motorcycle brand relevant?
- It is relevant to the outlaw motorcycle club culture which he participated in, evidence of poor character and shit taste.
- Because most readers have a pretty good idea of what a Harley looks like, that's why.
- The cynic in me wants to believe that it really separates this large, heavy motorcycle from "e-bikes", because reporting on some of this stuff tends to be really vauge and misleading.
  We've had "e-scooter" crashes where the article will show a mobility scooter, but the public knows "e-scooter" as those things people stand up on and behave badly on (from their perspective). Without distinction, you're throwing the wrong vehicles under the bus (no pun intended).
- It's not, directly - it would appear to be a bias the reporter injected; the real story is that this person is/was an active member of the "Filthy Few" MC - "filthy few" being a slogan used by the Hell's Angels and patches given for doing the dirty work (look up Charles PeeWee Goldsmith). The brand of motorcycle has no material bearing on the crime committed - there is enough history of this person's violent and criminal past presented; the mention of the bike brand has no purpose other than to incite moral outrage. Harley sold it's first Police motorcycle in 1908.
  
  While this is possible, it's also possible that it was included because a Harley Davidson is a distinctive motorcycle to most people.
  You say Harley and most people get a pretty specific mental image. Say Kawasaki Vulcan and the average person will probably picture a sport bike.
  Edit: Apparently HDs aren't as common in New Zealand as the US either. In 2023 Honda alone sold more than double the new bikes of Harley.

10 comments