Shocking Barack; Brian Wismann and Dave Schiff still riding their electric motorcycles

Airbrush "Yes We Can"
Alex Burnard

Brian Wismann and Dave Schiff are riding electric motorcycles retracing the route that the automotive CEOs took from Detroit to Washington D.C. to ask for a bailout of the industry. They aren't asking for a handout; just a chance to meet with the President. They've been on the road since last Monday and their web page is full of stories of their adventures and more importantly their cause.  Brammofan's blog is also chock full of interesting and useful information.  It seems that they are gaining momentum as they progress towards their goal, but as of now, they are still lacking the meeting with President Obama that they so desire.  They are asking, sometimes pleading, that if anyone knows the man, or knows someone who knows him and can help them get a meeting with him, please contact them on their website or on twitter.  Following  them via a GPS signal on the website is a fun and easy way to stay abreast of their adventures; currently they are just south of Pittsburgh.

Throughout the trek thus far they have had quite an adventure.  In Adrian, Michigan, they met with the Mayor, Gary McDowell, who gave them a lead on two Senators and a Congressman to contact for help in getting in to see the President.  Outside Adrian City Hall,  a construction worker, John Lueder, took their Enertia electric motorcycle for a ride.  Although John was wearing a helmet covered with biker stickers and was obviously not the electric bike type, when he returned from his test ride, he had a new outlook, and appreciation for the cause.

In Toledo, Ohio, they had lunch with Energy Saver Advisors Vice President, Matt Simon while their bikes charged on two outlets outside.  The office where they dined was surrounded by glass panes and overlooked the Toledo Mud Hen's (Detroit Tiger's Farm Club) playing field.  While there, they were briefed on the innovations and steps forward that the Toledo group were making in green energy awareness and use.  Toledo is now a leader in the development of solar power. 

In Fremont, Ohio, they were almost empty on electrical power and coasted in to a local Chinese restaurant.  When they asked to use the power outlet, they were told "No", and their response was:
"You know what; there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. We know we aren’t entitled to anyone’s
electricity. We’re grateful when we get it, and we’re not embittered when we don’t. Now, if only legislators would get serious about a recharge-friendly infrastructure. Lucky for us, another business down the street hooked us up no problem."  Unfortunately, in Loraine, Ohio, another Chinese restaurant denied them use of an outlet.  This may have been what prompted Brammofan to post on his blog this headline  "China Says “NO!” to U.S. Electric Vehicle Charging Efforts", although he admits in his opening line "Okay, so the headline is a bit of a stretch"

They had a little scare along the way when a follower sent them information that the President may not be allowed to accept gifts.  This caused the tweets to fly and fans offered answers.  Read the full story here. Fortunately, that issue was resolved when they received a solution from one of their followers.

"A few days back we learned the constitution forbid elected officials from accepting gifts. But today, @sefba, a helpful follower and astute observer of governmental type stuff, informed us that the President and Vice President are exempted from this strident no-gift policy. Even better, since Brian/BRAMMO are American, there is no limitation on gift value (the prez and vice prez can accept gifts from foreign citizens, but the value can’t exceed $250). Check out the link Thank you @sefba!"

In Cleveland Dave ran out of juice before Brian, and Brian went on to the Institute of Art where he gave an inspiring presentation to the aspiring automotive designers. They were, however, able to charge the bikes overnight in one of the school's design studios, and ride them through the halls on their way out in the morning.

Next they visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland where they thought the staff would be "creative, open-minded, engaging, and fun". "Unfortunately, the people we encountered seemed about as “Rock and Roll” as tax attorneys", they said.  On the other hand, they thought the folks at the nearby Science Center would be  a "little neurotic".  That wasn't the case at all.  They claimed the center was a "rectangualar repository of really cool people", and enjoyed visiting with Vice President, Blake Andres, who let them plug in outside and gave them a tour of the facility.

In Aurora, Ohio they had a maintenance problem and needed to change out a motor controller, but didn't have one handy.  They called support at Best Buy, who is now selling the Brammo electric motorcycle in some stores in California, and responded to their request, while  the Aurora police department let them charge up and store the bikes at the station overnight.

Outside Aurora they ran into bad weather and had to ride in the rain all day.  They were soaked and their spirits were dampened.  They began to think the mission was a "doomed enterprise...with the socioeconomic structure of America built around automobiles that run on fossil fuel."  With diminished spirits they limped into Sebring, Ohio on the last of their electricity.  In Sebring the people were friendly and their spirits soared as they got food in their bellies and recharge for their bikes and their souls. Here, they also realized that many cities like Sebring have a well thought out plan for lighting their Christmas trees, but no plan for re-charging electric vehicles.  Still, it gave them hope that it could be done and they held a brainstorming session to come up with ways to improve the infrastructure and power grid.

In Pittsburgh, PA they shared in a tailgate party of a Steelers game with Thomas Newcome, the first RV they came to, who allowed them to recharge their bikes and even fed them sandwiches and some "really good clam chowder."  As the game began, they decided to purchase some tickets from a scalper and enjoyed the game while talking to people in between plays and at halftime about their mission. 

Finally, a post on their web site bears re-printing.  They explained what this trip is really all about.  It may seem like a gimmick to some, and it may be, but if it helps to improve the re-charging infrastructure across America and afford a better means of "green", energy saving, transportation, then they have succeeded -- whether the President is willing to see them or not!

"Can we make it do DC? Can we really give a bike to Obama? From the outset we’ve asked ourselves those questions. But those aren’t the real questions, the big questions, the questions to which even an imagined “yes” generates goose bumps. Can Americans innovate? Can we create jobs? Can people go from A to B without harming the earth? These are the questions that matter, the real questions behind our trip. And since we are optimists, we decided to answer them in advance. Definitively. In custom paint. So we rode to Swewickey PA, just outside Pittsburgh, and met with Jeremy Seanor, owner of Lucky Strike pinstriping. Rolling the bikes into the shop we immediately realized they would be in good vehicular company–on the left, a 1959 Corvette convertible, on the right, a Plymouth GTX, and dead ahead, an AMC Javelin. Jeremy laid down some of the cleanest lines we’d ever seen from a paintbrush, and it was cool to see such a traditional craft applied to so modern a form. But the best part by far was riding away from the shop, looking down and seeing “yes we can,” and dreaming about what the world will be like if EVs succeed."

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 Other "Shocking Barack" articles

Shocking Barack; two guys on an electric Brammo motorcycle make a trek to visit the President
Shocking Barack; a trip to the White House to present the U.S. President with an electric motorcycle
Shocking Barack; Can the U.S. President accept the gift of a Brammo electric motorcycle?
Shocking Barack; electric cars and motorcycles need recharging stations

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