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Anti-VLAD motorcycle t-shirt a top seller

A t-shirt that says “Get stuffed Newman” is the top seller at the Biker Life store on the Sunshine Coast.
Owner Mal McLaren says the $30 t-shirt has been a huge hit, even though he doesn’t believe riders are being hassled as much as some people claim on Facebook.
“We found trade dropped off after the Queensland Government introduced the anti-bikie laws,” he says, referring to the Vicious Lawless Association Disestablishment (VLAD) Act and other law amendments passed last year in a war on criminal motorcycle gangs.
“Riders were intimidated to go riding because most bikes are slightly modified and riders are concerned about being pulled off the road for being unroadworthy.
“Riders fear that if they get pulled over by the police for ID checks to see if they are criminal bikies they’ll end up getting their bike confiscated.
“But I reckon that’s unfounded. Police seem to be overlooking illegal modifications like exhausts and handlebars because they are so busy photographing people’s tattoos.
“They’re not enforcing those (roadworthy) issues if your attitude is good. I’ve only heard of the odd person who has had an issue with the police because they’ve arced up.”
RECOMMENDED READING: What to do when pulled over by police.
He describes many of the social media claims of police harassment as “urban myths”.
I can’t get eye-witness or first-hand accounts of any of them,” he says. “I’ve heard heaps of stories but haven’t been able to substantiate any.”
He says riders are returning to the roads after a quiet period where his trade dropped off significantly.
“Maybe it’s because the police are too busy with the Christmas blitz.”
Meanwhile, his t-shirt, which features a back-to-front swastika, is selling well.
“We did it like that so it wouldn’t offend any war vets,” he says. “When it faces that way I’m told it means ‘that’s how life is’.”

20140102-161548.jpgHis second top seller is a black t-shirt that says “Queensland biker. The other 99%” referring to the 1% who are outlaw bikies.
There is only one Biker Life store, but the t-shirts are also available online here.
However, don’t expect to get special online discounts as Mal and wife Marlene don’t believe in it.
“If a distributor sells the same thing online at a discount price it’s unfair to take the business away from your retailers,” Mal says.
“It was done to us and we won’t do it to anyone else.”
The couple are currently negotiating to buy a well-known motorcycle clothing business and promise not to undercut their retailers with online discounts.

  1. how about this bloke makes a donation to the UMCQ to assist in the fight toward getting rid of these laws, you know , see as how he is cashing in on it. fucken freeloader

  2. Why do you suck up to Newman by referring to Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs as ‘criminal motorcycle gangs’? Apart from insulting members of these clubs by labelling them as a criminal without any proof, you also abandon any claim to objective journalism by adopting the Queensland Government’s terminology.

    And yes, there are people who feel strongly about this issue. me included.

    1. A lot of us feel strongly about it my old sunshine, you at least got that right. Some (possibly not all) of them are criminals,no doubt about it. Drug running filth. You telling us they are actually the Salvation Army?

      1. And a lot of us feel strongly about puerile, frightened filth such as yourself, who have bought the government lie and promulgate it.

        Cur.

      2. Some (possibly not all) of the Queensland Police and LNP have criminal records. No doubt about it. You telling us they are actually our salvation?

      3. Are you referring to the Salvation Army members found guilty of molesting children? I don’t believe all of them are pedophiles because some are , or that all police are rapists because some are, so how about you afford the same coutesy to epople you don’t even know.

  3. I hope all profits from these t-shirts are donated to UMCQ for the High Court challenge. It would not be a good look to profit off other peoples suffering.

  4. I like the T-shirt but don’t like the idea of any reference to the swastika 🙁 however reversed in may be. Make one without it and I’m in.

    Good to see people coming out and say that the hoohaa about riders being harassed is BS.

  5. Mark, surely as a journo you would have asked the question why he was selling the T-shirts if he didn’t believe the issue was real. Did you ask him if he was donating anything from the sale of the shirts toward the high court challenge or if it was just a cynical cash grab?
    Your article comes across as advertorial rather than anything approaching true journalism.

  6. I know this bloke will never see a cent of mine, and im pretty sure a lot of others feel the same way. Plenty of motorcycle related businesses doing it tough because of these laws and they sure don’t need one of their own propping up the Government and their propaganda machine.

  7. Gee, covered yourself in glory here, huh, Mark?

    Get a clue.

    Why are you spruiking this dick’s T-shirt business?

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