Motorcycle Consumer News / Motorcycle Consumer News / Safety and Legislative Issues

Left on Red

drummer — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:41:40 GMT

We all have heard and read the article, but I wanted to post it so anyone could see which states allow for Left on Red.
[quote]SC Governor to sign red-light motorcycle bill into law
The Staff of Clutch and Chrome
July 9th 2008

Bikers will be legally allowed to run red lights in South Carolina if their motorcycle doesn't 'trip' the traffic light sensors when the State's Governor signs the bill this afternoon.

Governor Mark Sanford is expected to sign a bill granting motorcyclists the right to pass through red lights if the traffic signal doesn't change within 2-minutes of stopping, following a growing trend by other states. The bill will be signed into law Wednesday afternoon at the South Carolina Statehouse in Columbia.

Bikers have long complained about road sensors not tripped by motorcycles with many overcoming the problem by illegally running red lights. The new bill will require them to stop and allow them to go through the red light if the signal doesn't change within two minutes, as long as they can do so safely.

Arkansas, Idaho, Minnesota, North Carolina, Tennessee and Wisconsin all have similar laws, and while South Carolina's bill started out applying only to intersections with the buried sensors an amendment was soon made applying it to every intersection. [/quote]

Left lane use in your state

drummer — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:32:54 GMT

Recently I went to Pennsylvania to see family. That is where I was raised and got my first drivers license. As was the law then, the law is still you pass in the left lane and then get into the right lane or "travel lane." They now have signs along the highways telling you, the driver, that this is state law.

This has raised a few questions in my mind.
First, how many states have this law? Does yours?
Second, assuming it is a graduated speed for multiple lanes with the fastest lanes being the left lane, does this impede traffic flow? Or does this assist with traffic entering the highway?
Third - do these states have fewer highway related accidents from side impact crashes?

If you have thoughts on this, I'd like to hear them. If you know where I could find out stats on this, I would like to know that as well.

Motorcycle Accident Injures One

hallowedcontactpatch — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 09:12:37 GMT

I was caught in the traffic jam of this one just after it had happened while riding home from work yesterday. Where this woman attempted to make a U-Turn:

- speed limit is 55 mph

- there is a tight curve in the road and a fairly steep incline (what part of WV is not hilly???)

I still have not read or heard how the guy is doing. I regularly see people making U-Turns on the Interstate on those gravelly connections in the median clearly marked for Emergency Vehicles Only. Stuff like this really makes me mad!!

BRIDGEPORT -- A driver of a motorcycle is at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, after an accident in Harrison County Thursday evening.

It happened just after 5:00 on Route 279 near Bridgeport. Bridgeport Police say 75-year-old Willa Jean Sandy of Clarksburg tried to make a u-turn in her minivan.

25-year-old Michael Stonestreet of Bridgeport tried to avoid the van, and hit a flat-bed truck parked on the side of the road.

Stonestreet was flown by Health-Net to the hospital. There's no word on his condition.

One lane of Route 279 was shut down so that investigators could reconstruct the accident scene. It remains under investigation.

Death at the Salt Flats

caseysanta — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:26:08 GMT

I think most of you have seen this but here goes anyway.

caseysanta

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Motorcyclist Dies in 239 MPH Crash on Bonneville Salt Flats

Friday, September 05, 2008

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WENDOVER, Utah — A 47-year-old record-setting motorcycle racer has died after losing control and crashing while traveling at 239 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.

Investigators were not sure what caused Cliff Gullett, of Bozeman, Mont., to lose control of the motorcycle Wednesday during a time trial.

The American Motorcyclist Association said on its Web site that Gullett was competing in the 500cc Streamliner class at the Salt Flats, where drivers go for speed records every summer on the open space just east of the Nevada state line.

Gullett owned Team Bozeman Motorsports, a motorcycle and snowmobile dealership. He had set a handful of world land-speed records and wanted to eventually become the first to reach 400 mph on a two-wheeled Streamliner, according to an interview last week with The Billings Gazette.

Curt Lance, Team Bozeman's general manager, said "Cliff always told me that if anything happened on the Salt, he wanted it to be quick and not lingering. He died doing the thing he loved to do most — racing at Bonneville."

Stayed at a Best Western?

drummer — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 05:11:35 GMT

Just an FYI:

http://www.scmagazineus.com/Hotel-chain-latest-victim-of-cyberthieves/article/115860/?DCMP=EMC-SCUS_Newswire

Seems as though Best Western has had the largest security breach with the possibility of millions of identity thefts.

Not to be a "fear monger" but most home owner insurance policies offer ID Theft protection floaters for cheap. Mine is $20 a year and they do all of the phone calling etc.

If you could ....

drummer — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 06:51:42 GMT

In North Carolina, anything with 50cc engine or smaller only requires a helmet for the people riding: No license, No training.

So if you had the ability to provide feedback to a legislator about the growing use of scooters and mopeds, what would you suggest they legislate? The use of MSF courses? The need for a license of some sort? Protective clothing?

Keep in mind that these things could also come back to haunt us. A - if there is great success with these legislative installs, they would try to push it on MC riders. B) - if not done, a motorized two wheel vehicle insurance could sky rocket.

A Rider's Plea For Attention

Jester — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 08:30:30 GMT

A Rider's Plea For Attention

In light of all the recent meetings and near misses with cars, trucks, and SUVs, I'm working on a draft of a letter I can cut and paste to the editor of the Bee and other media. What many of these incidents stem from is inattentiveness on the part of the general driving public. I plan to send a copy of this to as many forums as I can as well as the editorial staff of as many news papers as I can find. I'll forward a copy to everyone in my Email address book as well.

Can you help me draft such a letter? Save the sarcasm, (I've got that covered), I'm going for 'sincerely concerned for one's personal safety' on this one. I am trying to achieve a(/n inter)national open plea for awareness to all automobile drivers. Will you help? Any and all suggestions you offer will be seriously considered and greatly appreciated. I'm realy looking for ways to cut it down while retaining the tone and message.

J

A Rider's Plea For Attention.

Dear car, truck, minivan or SUV driver, I am writing to you in an attempt to draw your attention to the rising number of motorcycles appearing on the roadways these days. As gas prices soar, more and more people are turning to the motorcycle as a form of economic transportation. I'd also call your attention to the fact these vehicles do not enjoy the luxury of crumple zones which you all do. Inadvertent contact with a motorcycle might not affect you much but the effect on a motorcyclist is often disastrous! Sadly, many of these contacts could be avoided by simply checking your mirror and over your shoulder before merging into another lane.

In the past week of commuting, I have experienced four incidents where an automobile driver has merged into my lane while I was occupying it. In two of these incidents the driver continued to merge even as I sounded a long, loud, continuous blast of my horn. In one of those incidents, I had my son on the back seat with me. Were I half as inattentive as these drivers, I might not have been writing you today...and my son might not be starting school next fall. Fortunately, these inattentive drivers are the minority on our streets.

It would be easy to blame all this poor driving on cell phones, but they account for a small portion of the distractions which present themselves in an automobile cockpit. No, I believe inattention is the root cause of the problem. The lack of awareness of what is around you, especially before you change direction in your vehicle can cause problems which sometimes lead to fatalities.

I understand your frustration with people riding irresponsably, I assure you I am not one of them. I am just trying to get to work, or the store, or to the hills where I can enjoy a nice relaxing ride with a minimum of traffic.

I figuratively stand before you and beg you for my life. I beg you for the life of my children who both share the love of motorcycling that I do; and for the lives of motorcyclists everywhere. Whether you know it or not, you all possess the power to kill. You also possess the power to save lives by granting us your attention.

Please, check around you for other vehicles before changing lanes and merging with other traffic.

I thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Larry W Peer RN BSN
Motorcycle Safety Foundation Ridercoach
Father of Daniel and Melody

Benefits of Tire Pressure Checks

rw2000 — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:29:32 GMT

For years I've made it a habit to check tire pressures before I ride. In addition to any other benefit, the handling and tire wear will be predictable.

A side benefit is that any deviation from normal may indicate a problem. Tire pressures go up and down with changes in temperature and barometric pressure (usually 1/2 psi or less), but when all is well the deviations in pressures will be the same in the front and back tires (and in air suspension adjustment, if you happen to have that).

This morning I checked as usual, and found that the rear tire was down 1-1/2 psi. It should have been down 1/2, because that's how much the front tire pressure had decreased.

Although I had cleaned things up after Friday's ride and noticed nothing out of the ordinary, I gave the tire a good inspection. While some might just re-inflate it, I have learned from experience that a decrease like that, even in two days, is very unusual. I found a fairly well-hidden part of a nail, and a couple of inches away a quarter-inch gash in the tread. If I had just started it up and gone, I probably would have been stranded on the road somewhere pretty quick. On a typical morning, that might be the HOV lane on the freeway, which is not a good place to be stopped.

So this is a little reminder that a pre-ride inspection is a good idea, including an air pressure check. It can tell you a lot about the condition of your tires even without a visual inspection. Besides, bikes handle better with full pressure instead of half pressure in the tires.

The Magnificent Hough Thread

ibafran — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:34:15 GMT

DataDan (6/2/2008)[hr ...I do hope you'll post some of your disagreements with Hough. Not because I find a lot to disagree with, but just to stoke some discussion in this otherwise somnolent forum.

Thus goaded from another thread, I rise from my slumbers to see if anyone is willing to critique, apologise, or rhapsodize over the the premier street riding safety tome of our times. I mean no disrespect toward Mr. Hough. Indeed, I would be honored if he made an appearence at this thread because something caught his interest.

I will be refering to the original book. If others are using a later edition, please make that clear. It is understood that all quotes will be from the original. To keep quotes to a minimum length, maybe include a page number. The page number can be used to read the wider context at home or work as necessary. Forum participants are highly encouraged to particpate as best as they can. The book is not mandatory to the fun of honorable discourse laced with humor. zzzzz Uh?! Sorry, nodded off there for a bit.

Sources other than Mr Hough ought to be about something found in PM. It would amaze me if someone found a quote from Mr. Rau that contradicted Mr. Hough's PM. Lets try to stay on target. Thread drift occurs. We can drift back if we want.

My regets for my ham-fisted typing and fuzzy thinking.

Here is some stuff to get us started:

I blew off the preface because it was history and in my convenience to do so. If someone finds a point of interest there, they should bring it up.

-P.10 end of first paragraph, "In my opinion, it is possible to reduce the risks of motorcycling to an acceptable level."

In my opinion, the key word is 'acceptable'. Depending on my skill level for conditions, many risks are no-way acceptable to me. Just because I do everything possible to minimize risk short of not riding doesnt mean that the risk becomes acceptable.

Note that there is no reference to a person who is accepting biker risks. There are a lot of people who would not like to accept biker risk at any level. Parents and spouses as well as civic minded and meddling fools.

-P.10 end of paragraph 2; "The big payoff is that becoming a proficient motorcyclist is immensely satisfying."

Immensely satisfying is nice but falls way short of my desires. Immensely satisfying would be actually having my garage cleaned out. A task so onerous as to make the Labors of Hercules pale to insignificance. Despite the Rolling Stones quest for satisfaction, immensely satisfying just doesnt cut it. When on my bike, I am searching for a moment of joy. I want to be exillerated while riding. Granted, doing my own roadside flat repair and pressing on regardless can be pretty satisfying. Yes, biking satisfaction is real nice. But it is no way enough.

-P.10 paragraph 3; "In real life, however, one person is not likely to encounter hazards as frequently as I've tossed them out."

I suspect the Mr. Hough does not commute very much in an urban area of 3-6 million people. Rootie notes that some days it is just impossible to rise to the challenge. I should start keeping track in my daily riding notes how many times and why I have to pause and 'suck it up' to leave the garage on the bike. If i am particularly attentive to PM's hazzards, then I am mentally very busy for most of my riding. I suggest that a lot more riders face my conditions than are currently accounted for. Its often worse than Hough's scenarios.

-p.11 paragraph 1. "It includes the core knowledge and skills that a proficient motorcyclist should possess."

I hope that we have some fun delineating the necessary and sufficient knowledge/skills at the very core of our proficiency.

-P.11 paragraph 2; "...I get a lot of feedback from veteren motorcyclists,..."

This here's a chance to give some feed back. Have fun, all y'all.

The bicycle thread

ibafran — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:07:09 GMT

Due to the high price of fuel, many people are spending more time on bicycles.

The Chicago Tribune and other local papers are placing more and more articles on the bicycling popularity. I am getting a lot of amusement reading about bicycling safety, conspicuity, and the moral high ground of how green it is, yada, yada.

A lot of this info is not reaching the bicycling public. Thus, bicyclists are becoming a safety hazzard like deer. Naturally, the papers like to mention the carnage. "Two bicyclists were killed this week..." No real facts about the incidents. The bicyclists may have made some glaringly idiotic manuver and got run over? Or they may have been victims of the ever popular "I didnt see him." scenario. We don't even know if it was hit&run or if anybody was charged?

I suggest that we keep an eye on the developements of the bicycling public. Maybe we can help out with a few observations to the local papers. Returning adult bicyclists seem to be the very worst. Commuting bicyclists have a wide range of bad habits plus lack most of the proper, legal equipment. Chicagoland might be one of the most lawless places for bicyclists. Red lights are run. Travel the wrong way on one-way streets is common. Any bikers coming thru chicagoland and not on the x-way, would do well to be especially vigilant for bicyclists.

We have a lot of joggers/runners in our streets too. And roller blades, electric scooters and all manner of weird stuff is being used to commute. I am waiting for reports that bicyclists are starting to collide with these groups too.

Bicyclists may/may not be using hand signals for turns. And like the harley riders, bicyclist hand signals are not particularly clear except for some of the universal street gestures. Do not rely on seeing a bicyclist do a head check before turning. And if you do see a head check, it may mean nothing more than the bicyclist is looking for an address or a hot babe.

The high cost of fuel removes some cages from the street (yay). Yet the same costs drive idiots and their behavior into the streets (boo). And so it goes...

As an erstwhile bicyclist with lots and lots of experience in chicagoland, I sure would like to sit down with Lance and trade a bunch of observations about today's bicyclists.

Michelin Pilot Power 2CT Failure

MichaelPadway — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:07:40 GMT

A trial lawyer who handles major injury cases recently called me to consult on the motorcycle aspects of a motorcycle accident caused by a tire failure. The failed tire was a Michelin Pilot 2CT.

Michelin has a recall on this tire, but claims that they have had no injury-casing failures. This claim seems doubtful, given that this is not the first inquiry I have had regarding an injury claim from the failure of this type of tire.

Michelin says they have no incidents of failure, and no injuries. The recall is being done in conjunction with NHTSA, so I would assume if this is causing injuries, that NHTSA will be contacted by some of the injured riders.

Michelin has been an innovative tire company and has produced many excellent tires. Hopefully, I am just being exposed to the rare case in which the tire failed, causing a crash. On the other hand, I would certainly be interested in other cases of the tire failure causing an injury.

Traffic safety article from Atlantic Monthly

ibafran — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:35:06 GMT

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/traffic

So called traffic safety articles that the cagers have access to might perpetuate certain myths and/or confuse the general cager. If the cagers are reading this stuff and we are not, we could be surprised by evolving cager behavior.

I hope this is found to be benneficial here. All musings and wonderments are welcome.

HiViz studies?

drummer — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 17:12:41 GMT

I am curious if anyone knows if Hi Viz colored clothing really helps to avoid accidents. Does anyone know of a study the supports the thought Hi Viz really helps? I mean it makes sense to think it does, but I wonder to what degree.

Close one today

torqueman — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 21:25:40 GMT

Well I should have known better. I should have been a little less aggressive. I should have been a little more attentive.

On a two lone 55 mph country road the car in front of me which had been going somewhat slow... and annoying the heck out of me for some reason... put on their right turn signal. I actually wondered why they would be turning into the cemetery as it is a very old one and does not get a lot of visitors (though miraculously it is kept immaculate by someone who deserves more recognition.) I start a pass on the left in a passing zone. Their right turn signal on but... can you see it coming... decides to turn left. A quick on the gas and left move kept me from a side swipe.

It was a dumb rookie mistake I made. On the other hand why do people have to be so darn stupid?

NC MC Handbook

drummer — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 07:41:11 GMT

I found this link and was really curious what was contained in the book. After reading it, I thought this is a really good prep for beginning riders. Just thought it worth passing along...

http://www.ncdot.org/DMV/driver_services/motorcyclists/motorcyclehandbook/download/MotoHandbook.pdf

Motorcycle Lawyer Discusses How Negligence is Proven

MichaelPadway — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:30:29 GMT

Motorcycle accidents are usually caused by someone's carelessness or failure to act. Often times it is a combination of negligent acts or a failure to act by one or more persons or entities that cause an accident to occur. The law requires that each person owes every other person a duty to act as a reasonably prudent person would act under the same or similar circumstances.

When a person does not act reasonably, then they have violated that duty and will be held responsible for any injury or damage that results. This duty is created from statutory laws and rules in prior cases that have evolved over time. Specifically, the process of negligence uses the following information:

• the qualities of the motorcycle
• reconstruction experts with specific expertise in motorcycle accidents
• photographs of the vehicles
• other physical evidence
• testimony of the parties and eyewitnesses

Generally, each side points to those pieces of evidence, and those statements of witnesses that are favorable. The jury or the insurance company for the defendant will evaluate all of the evidence developed by each side, and determine who is at fault, and in what percentage.

Michael Padway if offering a Motorcycle Safety Clinic for organizations, call 1-800-446-9227 to arrange a speaking engagement.

About Michael Padway

Michael Padway is an experienced California motorcycle lawyer specializing in motorcycle accident cases. He has represented hundreds of motorcycle accident victims and works to bring his clients the best settlements possible in a timely and efficient manner. Because Michael is a motorcycle rider himself, he understands the ins and the outs of motorcycle accidents and what is needed to win his cases. He is willing to assist anyone in the US find legal representation in their area. MichaelPadway.com

Air Horns

Nomad17 — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 07:29:06 GMT

While at the bike show last weekend. I came across a vender selling Rivco Chrome Dual Air Horns. Nice looking. I was just wondering if any one has installed one on their bike. Or any other type of horn that is louder than stock for added safety for drivers to hear you.

Nomad17

Triggering Traffic Signal

sidecar — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 15:36:01 GMT

Supposedly these are sensitive enough to detect a bicycle.
http://www.telegram.com/article/20071220/NEWS/712200684/0/FRONTPAGE

hmmm.

AZ considers photo radar

mdaley1008 — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 09:20:33 GMT

Public safety or revenue source, they can't have it both ways.
If they want to use high velocity drivers as a revenue source, then great, stop calling it a fine, and don't count it as proof you are high risk driver. Issue "speed permits", if they have the technology to use photo radar, then the permit would be in the form of a transponder, when the radar picks up a speed requiring a permit, then a fee is charged. Getting the permit will require skills test, training etc.. Safety benefit, better trained and skilled drivers.

Photo radar is a poor choice for road safety. There is no human contact to gauge the condition of the driver. Is he drunk, high, sleepy, plain reckless? This type of person is allowed to continue driving on the road after the radar takes the pic. Or looked at from a behaviorial change point, an immediate feedback given to an undesired action is far more effective in change.

Motorcycle accidents and law suits

Bwana — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 13:08:20 GMT

This happened one year ago today and recently the rider has decided to sue for undisclosed damages.

My brother was attempting to turn left out of a parking lot (he was in a car). Upon completing the left turn he would have been approaching an intersection that was approximately 150 to 200 feet away.

His vision was obscured by mailboxes right next to the exit and a poorly located dumpster with a bush between it and the road about 30 feet closer to the intersection.

After waiting for a lengthy period of time for a gap in the flow of traffic he pulled out. When he was well into the street he saw a head light emerge from the blind spot created by the visual obstructions mentioned above.

The rider admits in the accident report to laying the bike down before impact.

According to my brother, and this should be readily confirmed by the photos from the scene, the bike stopped pretty much on impact leaving a small dent in the fender that was readily popped out by hand and a mark on the hubcap. The bike's front tire was still contacting the hubcap and the headlamp was still contacting the dent. The bike was on its left side and still oriented perpendicular to the car. The rider ended up on the pavement directly in front of the car. Accident scene photos were taken but my brother hasn't seen them. I attempted to get a look but they'd been handed over to the state and were unavailable.

The posted speed limit was 35 mph and the bike was a Honda Shadow (mid 1980s model). The bike had made a right turn at the intersection so he wasn't flying through it at speed.

I had my brother place his car in the same location and I took my cage through the rider's travel path. I had my wife video tape this pass from the passenger side, the middle of the car, and from my side of the car to get a good shot of what the rider saw depending upon his lane position. In all three vids you can clearly see the front of my brother's car sticking out in front of the mail boxes and the dumpster when you round the corner at the intersection.

You cannot, however, see the driver of the car until you get even with the dumpster.

My assumptions are that the rider must have locked the front wheel and tucked in as the rear of the bike never swung around and that the bike was not moving very fast upon impact as it remained in contact rather than bouncing. It is also clear that my brother had brought the car to a halt before impact as it didn't move forward of the bike relative to the damage.

Several witnesses were around and attempted to help the guy up and my brother instructed them to leave him alone and told him to stay down. Someone else attempted to move the bike and again my brother told them not to touch it as there was perhaps an injury.

The rider was transported by ambulance to the nearest hospital and was treated and released. We have no idea of the extent of any injuries and the damage to the bike appeared to be minimal. What we do know is the insurance company did cover the rider shortly after the accident to the tune of $2000 to $3000.

My assumption is the guy attempted to swerve around him and grabbed a hand full of front brake simultaneously tucking in with a low side. I have my doubts that this is little more than a money grab ploy as he's got representation from a company that advertises on the boob toob and only gets paid out of any settlement. The rider also claims the car was still moving when the bike hit it. I find this a bit odd as he was sliding around on the pavement at that particular time. My brother maintains he stopped immediately upon seeing the headlamp.

The insurance company said the claim is for an undisclosed amount and could exceed coverage. Naturally this has my brother a bit uptight as he's on disability after a debilitating spinal cord injury that happened about 15 years ago and this could really screw up what little he's got now that he's carefully invested and grown so he can make payments for the medications he's on now ($500/month, thanks W).

I am a bit biased, even as a motorcyclist, that this is a load of BS but it is my brother that is being sued. He used to ride too, years before his injuries, so this upset him quite significantly at the scene even though he was the only one that knew what to do, or more appropriately, not to do with the rider and the bike.

No citations were issued. Yet I think my brother should have been cited for failure to yeild and the rider should have been cited for failing to maintain control of a vehicle and possible failure to avoid a collision.

My thoughts are the lawyers will seek ridiculous money and the insurance company will offer a fraction of that. Then they'll negotiate to a rather low figure so as to avoid court room drama and expense. I'm assuming that number will be commensurate with a little less than the insurance company would spend on legal fees and the injury specialist firm will be happy with their 30 to 40% of 25 to 30 K as they only had a legal secretary fill out a standard form followed by half and hour of back and forth with the insurance company over and out of court settlement.

The accident took place in a rather smallish town. The rider lives not far from the scene as does my brother so both of them should be well familiar with the intersection and the businesses near with their parking lots and associated entrances/exits.

So, my question is what are everyone's thoughts?

String up my brother?

Make the rider take MSF training and then advanced training so he knows how to turn an accident into an inconvenience?

Sit outside his home with surveilance cameras to see if he's out doing backflips on a trampoline?

Settle out of court and make the rider complete the above training if he's got intentions of keeping his MC endorsement? I'm assuming he's got one because he was wearing leather jacket and a full face helmet rather than a beanie and a wife beater (it was a nice day last year).

Sorry for the babbling post, but I'm interested in some unbiased opinions.

Experienced Rider Courses - Raising the Demand

ST-TLW — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 05:44:36 GMT

I understand that the offerings in various states for Experienced Rider Courses (ERCs) are low because there isn't a big demand for them. It seems to me that with the fatality rates pointed to the age group that typically isn't represented in other fatal crashes there would be more people looking to learn some better skills.

Do you think it is because riders think they possess all the skills they need? Or is there more publicity needed for course offerings?

Wouldn't clubs take advantage of courses if they could be offerd to an entire group?

I'm interested to hear what people think about this.

Keep Your MIND On The Road

motormule — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 16:50:39 GMT

Had a chat across the fence with my neighbor today....he told me that he was out walking his dogs the other day , he was crossing the street ( legally ) at a traffic light controlled pedestrian intersection , and almost got mowed down by an inattentive cager on her cellphone....

He screamed at her.....of course , she paid no heed...

The " Ten O'clock News " featured a segment last night that stated that cager / pedestrian collisions ramp up three fold in Seattle when we switch from daylight savings time to standard time.....

Maybe the local cagers need a latte before going public in their cages........

Or maybe they need to get their heads out of their @#ses , and pay attention to the road , and honor the rights of the others sharing the public byways with them.....standard time or daylight savings time.....

Will THE GOV'T address this lack of cager awareness of others sharing the public roadways ......I doubt it........$$$

BTW , my neighbor has never complained about my Screamin' Eagles.....he would if there was something to bellyache about.....

It's all about respect for the Common Good.....

Motormule

Cell Phone Users

motormule — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 19:30:06 GMT

There is currently a docket on the Washington State legislature's agenda dealing with cell phone usage during an unlawful motor vehicle operating infraction......the State wants to tack on an additional $101.00 on top of the vehicular penalty.......

Is this appropriate ? Or enough ? I don't think so .

Motormule

XL1200C

Seattle , Wa .

Helmet dilemma

Ki — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 14:14:45 GMT

A quick background on me in case it matters:

New to motorcycling, 48 year old male living in Nova Scotia with summers off for fair weather day trips riding my 1978 Kz400 with small windscreen on mostly secondary highways at maximum speed of 100 km/h.

Currently, on my egg shaped head, I'm using a $99 size large Fox full-face with clear visor that I purchased in a rush to use on the motorcycle training program.

I recently purchased a small pair of tinted goggles from a Triumph dealer that I can position on my forehead and carefully get the helmet to slide over while at the same time sliding them down perfectly on my eyes. I like to leave the face shield up on a sunny day and feel the wind on my face but when I tried it with sunglasses the wind, dust and debris seems to easily find its way around them.

I know my current helmet leaves much to be desired as far as fit and structural integrity are concerned so I've decided to relegate it to passenger status once I'm free of the Class 5A Learner no passenger rule during my first 30 days of riding.

Is the Shoei modular/flip-up (with a good set of ear plugs) available in at least four local bike shops my best option?

There's a BMW dealer about a three hours drive where I can also get a Schuberth Concept or C2 if that's a better fit for my head size and shape.

I have serious doubts about most of the $200 modulers ability to stay locked during a mishap.

Possible good news from Nevada

sidecar — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 11:46:54 GMT

Nevada Legislature to nullify HOA restrictions banning Motorcycle and from issuing speeding tickets.

http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/17/1799.asp

Close call Leson

Gfurlo — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 22:04:26 GMT

Almost took out a biker while commuting yesterday morning.

I was pulling out of a side road onto a highway,

It was early, that twilight time when you can almost see, all the traffic had their head lights on.

Tee intersection, I was turning right to go with the flow of traffic.

Traffic was very heavy, bumper to bumper.

High way posted speed 50; traffic was going fast then slowing, speed (15 to 35 mph)

Looking left there was an opening a block or so, heading toward me.

Most of the cars had about one to two car length openings,

This opening was maybe four or five car lengths.

A small car with a Semi five car lengths behind.

I kept looking Right to see if traffic was doing one of those panic stops, then looking back left to see if the opening was still there. It was.

Just as I started to accelerate and merge in, I saw the bike and slammed on the brakes.

The bike saw my vehicle lung forward and then stop, he hit the brakes and started to go left toward the inside lane. I’m sure his adrenaline was pumping at that point.

The two head lights of the Semi turned into THREE. There was a bike in that opening.

The bike was riding in the drive wheel track. The biker was blocking the Semi’s left head light and I was seeing the Semi’s right light and the bikes head light as the other light.

I could have been one of those, I never saw him people. So how many people turn left in front of a bike, and truly never see the bike till it is too late?

I was preoccupied all day over how I almost hit this guy. When I think back there were several clues that I should have paid more attention to.

#1 Yaw like there is a space for a car that four cars haven’t already tried to moved into.

#2 The head lights were of different size, and were at different heights, not a lot different but in hind sight there was a difference.

I was trying to think of what I as a rider could do to not put myself into this situation, short of not riding? Maybe I should look into that Hi-Viz jacket, but in that low light and all the head light shining toward you, I’m not sure if a yellow jacket would have helped.

MSF "for cagers" website

ibafran — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 18:25:58 GMT

http://www.forcardrivers.com/

enjoy, and share your thoughts.

Michelin Pilot under investigation

drummer — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 04:45:22 GMT

[I copied this post from another forum]

Anyone see this?

http://www.productsliability.net/res...e-defect-news/

While checking on auto tire recalls I ran across this info on R bikes and a recall of Michelin Pilot Power 2CT and Pilot Power 120/70 ZR 17 front motorcycle tires.

Intelligence in State Gov

drummer — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 17:27:37 GMT

A proposed bill before the government of North Carolina is for motorcycles. If after a full red light cycle and the motorcycle is not sensed, the biker can proceed on Red exercising caution.

http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2007&BillID=S1359

http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2007/Bills/Senate/HTML/S1359v0.html

Web Access to Outstanding Articles

ST-TLW — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 13:47:45 GMT

One of the best safety related articles I have ever read in any publication was the July 2005 MCN, Medical Motorcycling. It was a woman's first-hand account of post accident road rash. Her article really drives the point home about wearing good gear and the unfortunate consequences when things go wrong and you don't. The term road rash almost sounds macho and a "right of passage" every rider should expect to earn.

I've handed that article to dozens of people to educate them on protective gear.

My point of this post is that I realize MCN doesn't wish to place al of the articles online but some are so valuable to the riding community it would be great to have a link to direct people to from other forums. I don't think I've ever seen the subject of road rash so clearly described in any article or publication.

Does anyone else recall that article? Is it possible for MCN to make a small number of these articles available?

Tom

Time to end "the wave"?

BW — Wed, 10 May 2006 14:06:27 GMT

Y'all are going to think I'm a sourpuss, but whatever.

I thought it would be interesting to start a discussion around whether it's time for motorcyclists to stop "the wave." You know, that thing where every motorcyclist who sees another in oncoming traffic waves hello?

I have three problems with the wave. The first two don't really matter, but I would argue that the third issue is a very serious one. My first issue is that I don't like the notion that I'm somehow automatically a kindred spirit with everyone on two wheels. Second issue is that on a beautiful Sunday afternoon drive there are so many other riders out that you spend half the time with your left hand waving in the breeze. I feel like some silly politician waving at every bike I see.

But the third issue is really the important one. Every year I see riders endanger themselves unnecessarily because they felt some obligation to wave to me when they should have been worrying about controlling their bike. Just the other day I had a rider in oncoming traffic who looked to me like he was in trouble. He was sandwiched between the car in front of him, which was slowing down, and the car behind him, which was not. In the middle of all this he took the time to wave to me. I waved back, but kind of shook my head.

Last year I was riding through one of the busiest intersections in my state (VT). Some kid on a Suzuki Bandit I could see was furiously trying to get his bike into neutral while in traffic so he could free up his clutch hand to wave to me. He then gave me a frantic wave and went riding on. This was on a 4-lane undivided highway between the Interstate turnoff and a couple of busy shopping malls. You can die doing that nonsense. My suspicion is that he had just gotten a bike, desperately wanted to be part of the rider "brotherhood" and was waving at everything in sight to prove that he was now part of the 2-wheel club.

So to me it begs the question of how many people get killed or injured each year because they were waving when they needed that hand to work the clutch or otherwise control the bike. I bet it's not an insignificant number.

So what do you think. Is it time to encourage people to end the wave? I've thought about writing the AMA and suggesting that they mention it in their beginning rider courses.

Or I could pursue my other idea which is to take a big gloved hand and put it on a stick with a suction cup that bikers can put on their gas tanks. That way there will be this big visible hand that automatically waves at every damn thing that goes by. Think people would buy them?

Ben

Wait until you read this...

Rootie — Fri, 04 May 2007 21:15:50 GMT

Most of us are aware of New Jersey Governor John Corzine's accident. If not, here is a short summary. The Governor was traveling in an SUV and not wearing a seat belt. The driver was a New Jersey State Police officer assigned to the Governor. The SUV was going 91 mph because the Governor was late for a public forum with Don Imus and the Rutgers University women's basketball team (I'm sure everyone is familiar with that little scenario).

Well, originally the report was that someone driving a red pickup truck caused the accident. Thank goodness for our newspapers (this takes a lot for me to say that because I'm not a big fan of today's twisted journalism) because the truth came out that it was the Governor's vehicle that caused the accident. Public sentiment in NJ was that the Governor should be issued a ticket for not wearing a seat belt and the State Trooper should be issued a ticket for speeding and reckless driving. It's only fair because an ordinary person would be issued these tickets.

The NJ State Police Union website issued a statement from their president that because the pubic wanted the Trooper to be issued a summons that the Troopers would start to ticket the general public for any small infraction they could find. I thought it was all BS until yesterday when, only 5 miles from my home, the State Police set up a traffic stop and issued tickets to people for...GET THIS!...Not wearing a seat belt properly. The driver had his seat belt on but it was not in what the officer felt was the proper position on his body. Also, a 70-year-old man was issued a ticket because the license plate holder from his car dealership slighty covered the license plate. He offered to remove it, but the officer replied: "take it up with the courts".

What kind of country have we turned into? My suggestion is that the NJ State Police start wearing a different badge design on their uniforms. The new badge design should be a swastika.

As a licensed driver/rider, what do you think of this?

BRC

torqueman — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 15:31:43 GMT

I took the BRC with my son and daughters boyfriend this weekend. The old man was able to show those young whipper snappers a thing or two.

I got lucky in that coach Dave was a police officer who had been through the police motor training. He recognized that I was not a beginner a challenged me to do the exercises beyond what was required. He had me doing full lock 360s in the box. Great fun when you don't have to worry about dropping your own bike.

The first day in the class room seemed to be of questionable value to me. I would bet that most of the students would not be able to pass the 50 question test in one month. Sure there were others who take safety seriously but most seemed to be the poker run bar crowd in their half helmets. I would bet they will not be participating in safety discussion after this weekend.

The second day was the first range day. I was surprised it was only 4 hours for each group. By the end of the day I was wondering if it was worth my time. The kids were learning much better than I could teach them so I was determined to stick it out.

Now the third day was the payoff. There was some real good training going on there. The coaches were very knowledgeable and fun to work with. Most of all they challenged me beyond the class requirements and that was cool they took that much interest in making it a good experience for everyone. All that for $25. What a bargain.

I found the class to be worth while. I can't guarantee you will get a great coach like Dave was but I would recommend checking it out to even long time riders if you have never done it. I might have to catch the ERC when a class opens up.

Back to Hough

motormule — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 18:47:01 GMT

I've been riding for two years now , with 9000 miles in the saddle . In my early going I read and reread Proficient Motorcycling and More Proficient Motorcycling....the Hurt Report states that crash incidence ramps up for riders in their third year .

I'm going to hit the books again with renewed vigor......my question....

How many of you old timers supplemented your road time with Hough's ( and others ) publications ? And if so , can you specify how your riding was influenced ? This might sound stupid ........

I feel as if my skills have been learned in stages , currently I'm hitting a wall ( no pun intended )......it would help me to know how others at my mileage and skill level continued to progress .

Motormule

2005XL1200C

Seattle , Wa.

Tiered Licensing - Pros/Cons

sidecar — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 15:05:41 GMT

I believe the issue of tiered licensing deserves it's own thread and it belongs in Safety and Legislation.

There's little published on the issue and as Torque pointed out the reference in the NAMS is old. So it's time to open the floor to touchy feely opinions.

Don't be shy, we know you've got one, let's hear it.

So tell us, why you believe tiered licensing would reduce collisions and motorcycle fatalities? If like me, you disagree, then why not?

GDL / JOL thread

sidecar — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 18:38:03 GMT

Seems to me that GDL might need it's own thread so ......

Tasks for operating a motor vehicle on public roads can be divided into two (2) categories:
- making it do what you want it to
- deciding what that is

You can only make a vehicle do two things:
- change speed
- change direction

Big scary truck, SUV, car or a motorcycle those are the only two things you can do. (Yeah, you can drop a bike, but that's a change of direction.)

Most people are sufficiently skilled to make a motor vehicle do what they want in a matter of hours. A typical Rider Ed course in the US runs about 10 hours of riding time covering between 20 - 30 miles. Courses can starts with students that don't even know where the controls are or how to operate them. Courses typically concludes with a riding skills test.

Deciding what to do and when to do it takes more than a few hours to learn. In my opinion it's a continuous learning experience from the day you get behind the wheel or sit on the saddle till you're too old and feeble to keep them from prying the license out of your hands.

IMHO our GDL and JOL laws aren't intended to turn out great drivers with all the skills they'll ever need or even mediocre drivers. GDLs and JOLs are designed to ensure that young drivers have at least the minimum skills for managing time and space on our roads before they're licensed. GDLs also permit young drivers to operate a motor vehicle with restrictions designed to help them avoid the major pitfalls that young inexperienced drivers tend to encounter until they acquire sufficient skills to remove the restrictions and give them full driving privileges.

Shelf life for helmet?

Grunbay — Thu, 11 May 2006 05:26:24 GMT

I have an Arai helmet which is three years old, but was manufactured in December 2000. It has never been subjected to any crashes or other severe shocks. It is, however, now over 5 years old. Are there standards regarding how long before a helmet may degrade over time? My wife's Shoei is nearly 10 years old.

Amazing Deer Story

OzarkWingGuy — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 05:36:34 GMT

Here's a link to an amazing story of a deer and cycle accident that has a happy ending:

http://lifeisaroad.com/deerkilling.html

Hadn't thought of this before

drummer — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 05:29:45 GMT

Recently I had the misses follow me while I was on the bike. She was driving her car and we got onto the interstate for about 2 exits. After reaching the destination she said to me, "I thought the hyperlights were going to help me see your break lights. Seems as though I never saw your breaks cause I was always creeping up on you." BTW - she doesn't tail gate.

In thinking about it, I realized, she was not talking about off of the interstate but just while we were on the highway. While I was riding on I-85 I did not use my breaks but rather compresion to slow me down whether it was due to exiting or some other factor. I just did not need to use my breaks.

This made me aware that people have no sense of space when the vehicle in front of them is a small mass. They creep up on them without even knowing that they are doing it. Granted, this is using a small sampling of people but it makes sense to me.

The long and the short of this is - I am going to start using my breaks on the highway just enough to engage the lights to ensure that the person behind knows I am slowing. Hopefully it will decrease the number of tail gaters and increase the distance from the car behind me. (if that doesn't work, there's always the throtle)

MSF true interest in safety?

torqueman — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 10:42:36 GMT

https://online.msf-usa.org/Perspectives/Article.aspx?aid=JK4mYk%2bGVlLDtbE8TkTRGA%3d%3d

Well this is coming to a head. It is about time. For a perspective from MCN.

http://www.mcnews.com/mcn/proficient_motor.asp

Seems to me rider safety is taking a back seat to getting people licensed and buying new motorcycles. The fox is watching the hen house. Your thoughts?