How to Pass Like an Idiot
by Steve
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
A woman was killed while riding on the back of the Harley-Davidson last Sunday, after another motorcycle ran head on into hers...
The crash occurred about 1:15 p.m., when Joe Silver Sr., a 43-year-old Tracy man riding his 1993 Suzuki motorcycle east on the two-lane road, tried to pass the vehicle in front of him, CHP Officer Tom Stewart said. Silver crossed the double yellow lines into the westbound lane just as he was going around a curve and collided with the Harley, Stewart said.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/08/06/BA0RRDG1F1.DTLI've crossed over the double-yellow line several times to pass cars. I only do it when I can get a long view down the road, and when the road is clear. My Ultra Classic doesn't accelerate well in the higher gears, so I don't normally try it.
My presumption is that people with bikes that accelerate very well tend to take these risks more often. I'm not going to say never ever cross over the double-yellow lines because clearly, there are times when you can safely do so.
I just wanna say that if you're going to do it, and you're on a blind curve, think about that rider who's coming at you from the other side.
Labels: California Motorcycle Deaths, Safe Riding
3 comments | | Perma Link
How to Survive on a Motorcycle
by Steve
Friday, April 27, 2007
0 comments | | Perma Link
Motorcycles Banned From Highways in the Future?
by Steve
Sunday, April 15, 2007
A rider who goes by the name "Thorsblood" posted a thought-provoking article on HarleyChatGroup asking the question if motorcycles will one day be banned from our nation's highways...
http://www.harleychatgroup.com/....viewtopic&t=32225
At issue is a speech from Mark V. Rosenker, Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, given just a few days ago (Apr 11, 2007). The speech detailed the direction our federal government is moving towards with regards to two new highway safety technologies:
- Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)
- Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems (IVBSS)
Both of these technologies involve small electronic sensors and transmitters placed along highways, bridges, and signs, that pick up information from the roadways and transmit them to devices built into cars and trucks. The idea is that this information could be used to provide useful information to drivers and to even take control of their cars to maintain a safe flow of traffic.
What Thorsblood pointed out is that this technology seems to exclude motorcycles, and that this may ultimately cause motorcycles to be banned from using "intelligent highways". That is, Rosenker gave examples of how this technology will help car drivers, but did't include a word about motorcycles.
Thorsblood went on to say that this technology is being deployed in Europe and Australia and in those regions there is already discussion about motorcycles not being included in this new technology, and that motorcycle interest groups need to step up and make their voices heard.
To add my dark-twisted thoughts to this, federal government could very well be interested in gaining more control of people using highways through these technologies, to automate law enforcement tasks, monitor the whereabouts of an individual, and therefore enact legislation to exclude incompatible vehicles from these highways.
Certainly motorcycle manufacturers can equip bikes with these technologies, up to a certain degree. That might prevent a ban of motorcycles from these highways. But it will also result in a change in the way we ride motorcycles. These intelligent control systems may prevent us from riding too fast, too slow, lane splitting, or too close to each other. It could eliminate all advantages of riding a motorcycle.
It's often been said that as gasoline prices go higher, more people will ride scooters and motorcycles, and that this will force government to rethink its transporation strategy. However, if biofuels like ethanol can gain greater usage, it could become cheaper than gasoline, and that could keep people in their cars.
Will ITS and IVBSS take more freedom away from riding motorcycles? Or will it utimately cause motorcycles to be banned from certain highways?
Labels: Legislation, Safe Riding
0 comments | | Perma Link
MSF Tests Efficacy of Repeat Safety Courses
by Steve
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Last month the Motorcycle Safety Foundation announced it was testing the effectiveness of rider safety after riders retake the same MSF course multiple times...
http://online.msf-usa.org/....x0SSTvuHdZsYvLXnK1IR6g%3d%3d
Their hope is to find out if riders can avoid more crashes if they take the same MSF course over and over again..."The MSF's rider education and training system used in this study is built upon the principle of safety training renewal," said Dean Thompson, MSF director, communications. "We believe a rider's decision-making and crash-avoidance skills can benefit from being refreshed over time. It is important for riders to regularly refresh their knowledge, skills and risk management strategies.
Let me say this first: Safe riding and crash avoidance is something a rider does while on the road, not in the classroom. Certainly MSF courses will teach the techniques. But these techniques are no good if the rider doesn't employ them.
That's why riders make mistakes. It's not because they didn't know the proper techniques, it's because they forgot to employ them. When you're on the road, there's just so much going on, you can only think about one thing at a time. And if you make a mistake, it's not because you're a bad rider, but because you're human.
There is a misconception among many new motorcycle owners that MSF courses and motorcycle endorsements are forms of "graduation" that give them credibility as riders. The fact is that even endorsed riders and even MSF instructors get involved in accidents, either by their own fault, or by someone else's. It's because someone failed to employ the techniques they learned.
I'm sure the MSF will conclude that repeated safety courses will lead to fewer motorcycle accidents. This will naturally prompt states to adopt laws requiring motorcyclists to retake MSF courses every year. It will also open the door for courthouses to order MSF training everytime a biker is ticketed with a traffic violation.
That in turn will create an even bigger misconception that the MSF course is the panacea for all of our riding mistakes.
Labels: MSF Course, Safe Riding
2 comments | | Perma Link
Blessing of the Bikes
by Steve
Friday, April 06, 2007
I can forsee a trend where motorcycle riders possessing a belief in God will seek a blessing for their bike. As the mainstream media continues to feast on motorcycle accidents and deaths, riders are becoming ever more aware of the Grim Reaper.
I imagine most, if not all, of the motorcycle ministries out there already do this for their members. But there aren't many motorcycle blessing events set up for the general public. That may start to change.
The Kileen Daily Herald, a newspaper in Central Texas,
published an article about a bike blessing at Fort Hood, where the general public was allowed to participate in...
"We are concerned about the safety of our soldiers and civilians," McCullar said. Capt. Michael Albano, the squadron's chaplain, asked God's blessing on the motorcycles and encouraged the riders to keep their safety rules in mind even after the blessing.
Every year our riding club participates in a local event called, "BFE Ride", where BFE stands for "Bikers for Education". The event is held at a Catholic church in Fallbrook, CA. Just before the poker run gets underway, the priest comes out with a bucket holy water and shakes droplets of the blessed liquid on every motorcycle.
After the ceremony, everyone walks out to their bike to see if there's actually water on it. You can always hear people say, "Yea! My bike is blessed!". Other people will say, "Shit, and I just washed my bike too!"
Do these blessings really work? Well, I've had it done to my Yamaha Road Star at this BFE Ride, and a couple years later I had an accident on it. Perhaps, it didn't work. Although, I did come out of that accident pretty much scott-free, with nothing more than road rash on my right forearm. Interestingly, after I fell off the bike, the damn thing kept rolling! In fact, it rolled right through an intersection that's normally quite busy. Except, no cars hit it. Maybe the blessing worked.
I dunno. I think these bike blessings are going to become more commonplace as the media reports more heavily on each and every motorcycle accident.
Labels: Bike Blessing, Religion, Safe Riding
3 comments | | Perma Link
Are Women Safer as Riders or Passengers?
by Steve
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
I came across an interesting question from a male rider on a motorcycle forum, asking other women if they believe they are safer on the road riding their own motorcycle, or as a passenger...
http://harleychatgroup.com/....asc&start=0
The guy rationalized that many of the women riders he witnessed are not caught up in the "ego" thing or the "macho" thing. That is, they put more value in safety and learning from each other. Therefore, if they bitch on the back of another guy's bike, then theoretically, they're just as bad off as men.
One lady rider named, "wildthing" said this...But I don't feel being in the front or on the back of a bike makes one place safer than the other, if somethings going to happen it's going to happen. But after saying that there are always exceptions to the rule.
Another gal named "BikerBabe" made an interesting point...To anwer your Q Ebay, I feel safer riding my own. Besides, the times I have ridden on the back, I have been known to occasionally swat the rider with exclamations to "watch out".....that alone could be a hazard.
A guy named "Old_Evo" pointed out that women riders tend to ride more slower, and therefore, opened themselves up to more danger...My wife and I rode with Women on Wheels for many years and I believe all of the above to be true. My only complaint with many of the women riders and my wife is that at times they are too timid. They will ride at the posted speed and settle in behind cars and trucks when IMHO it is a lot safer to give it some gas go around them and you are then riding out in front of all the traffic.
My personal opinion is that women are not any more or less concerned about safety than men. I guess it all depends on who you ride with. I've seen gals wearing novelty helmets, put more emphasis on their appearances, and enjoy showing themselves off as sexy kitties on the back of a Harley. Women are not necessarily into a "macho" thing, but they are definitely into an "ego" thing.
Guys will tend to ride more cautiously when a woman is on the back, for one because they don't want their woman to get hurt, and two because they don't want to show her that he's fallible as a rider. On the other side of the coin, wives and girlfriends often say that they have full trust in their men, and that in turn causes men to pull out all the stops in riding safely.
A gal may not be safe on the back of a bike if the guy riding it doesn't have good control of a bike with extra weight and height, however.
Labels: Safe Riding, Women Riders
6 comments | | Perma Link
Putting Trust into On-Coming Traffic
by Steve
Monday, May 08, 2006
Riders in Southern California are probably familiar with Glendora Ridge Road with its spectacular views of Mt. Baldy and the San Gabriel Mountains.
It's also known for some dangerous curves with folks riding and driving into oncoming traffic.
That's what we experienced today. Lewis and I from our riding club met up with about seven riders from the Bikers Ballroom group for a lunch at Mt. Baldy Lodge and a ride along Glendora Ridge Road, to Glendora Mountain Road, to East Fork Road, to San Gabriel Canyon Road. All in all, about 50 miles of tight-twisties, narrow roads, and high-elevations.
Glendora Ridge Road is the most hairy with perhaps the tightest-twisties of all, but making it more difficult is the road being narrow enough that both directions of traffic share the same lane. There's actually enough room for both directions to pass each other safely; it's the curves that are troublesome.
As you approach a curve, you can't see what's ahead. Moreover, there's no line painted down the middle of the road demarcating each direction. You have to take it on faith that any on-coming rider or driver is slowing down enough so as not to veer into the middle of the road, or worse, your side of the road.
Twice I led the group around a tight curve and found an on-coming rider or driver rounding it too fast and nearly hitting one of us. The first time it was a rider trying to sweep through a curve, the second time a car. The narrowness of the road makes the curves deceptive. Your tendency is to approach the curve on the far right, and cut across to the left so as to maintain some speed. You just can't do that on Glendora Ridge Road. Even if you were to remain in your half of the road, you don't know if there's a rider coming at you too fast.
In the end there were no altercations, but Glendora Ridge Road is an example of putting trust into the guy coming at you.
Labels: Safe Riding
0 comments | | Perma Link
New Hampshire Plans New Motorcycle Safety Programs
by Steve
Friday, January 06, 2006
After seeing a rise in motorcycle-related fatalities, New Hampshire safety officials say they will step up safety programs aimed specifically at bikers.
Not exactly what they plan to do. However, the Associated Press notes that the State had implemented plans in 2005, such as safety messages for motorcyclists and other drivers through advertising, road signs, highway maps and messages on state employee paychecks.
Ideas for 2006 may include requiring new motorcycle riders to pass a written test before getting a learners' permit.
Labels: New Hampshire, Safe Riding
0 comments | | Perma Link
Cool Motorcycle Ad
by Steve
Sunday, August 21, 2005
1 comments | | Perma Link
You Have to be a Biker to Understand
by Steve
Friday, February 04, 2005
GaijinBiker, who blogs on Riding Sun, wrote an interesting commentary about why cagers tend to drive more recklessly:
OK, here's what I'm talking about. People take steps to avoid risks when they cannot afford to bear the consequences of an undesirable outcome. You might buy a lottery ticket for a dollar, because if you lose, hey, it's just a dollar. But if that same ticket cost $1,000, you might not be so eager to play, even if the prize were worth millions. The cost of being wrong rose above your comfort level.
A biker's comfort level for getting into an accident is very, very low. Zero, in fact. As a result, we tend to be very, very careful, especially when riding close to other motorists, who can make sudden, unpredictable moves.
The driver of a car has a much higher comfort level for smash-ups. No one really wants to wreck his car, unless he's entered it in a demolition derby. But in all but the gravest of accidents, today's automotive safety technology assures drivers that they'll be able to walk, or even drive, away from the scene with nothing more than a higher insurance premium.
Because car drivers are insulated from the consequences of their driving behavior, they take more risks. They speed, run stop signs, put on makeup, light cigarettes, eat food, and turn without signalling. Some even install dashboard-mounted DVD players with miniature widescreens, lest they get bored while waiting at one of the red lights they decide to actually stop at.
In an earlier post, I mentioned that as the number of bikes increased on London's M1 motorway, the number of accidents fell. That's because the bikers had a lower tolerance for error, and acted accordingly.
I've always told my car-driving friends that riding a motorcycle actually makes you a better "driver", simply because bikers tend to be more aware of their surroundings, and hence make fewer mistakes.
And if you've been unfortunate enough like me to have taken spill on your bike while traveling at a fast speed, you'll become an even better driver and rider. When you can feel the Grim Reaper nearby, you don't make very many mistakes.
But maybe there is some truth to that in driving cars too. My first car accident came when I was driving a little Honda Civic. Another driver, driving a 60s era Chevy Camaro, drove down the wrong side of the street, and we smacked head on. My Honda looked like a smashed aluminum can. My little brother, whom I had picked up from school, had his scalp ripped open, from the front to the back.
Since then, it seems that whenever I buy a new car, I buy one that's bigger and stronger. After the Honda I got a Chevy S-10 Pickup, and after that I got a GMC 4x4 full size pickup. I don't know if I did that consciously for protection reasons; maybe a little voice inside me kept reminding me of that accident. I always liked pickup trucks anyways.
For me anyways, trial and error has always been the best form of education. For those folks who drive and never ride, perhaps will never fully appreciate good driving skills.
Labels: Safe Riding, Unsafe Drivers
1 comments | | Perma Link
