2Wheeltips

I finished watching the video sent to my by a friend (see "Safety, Safety, Safety (part 1)" and I must say the conclusion was very interesting. The man in the video had a few very powerful comments that I want to point out here:

Your attitude towards safety is what matters
It doesn't matter the occupation or activity. The same people riding around ill-dressed are probably the same people who do not wear seat belts, do not use safety glasses around power tools and probably are the ones who use a gas grill indoors.

Others are affected too...
What happens to those who are close to you if you get seriously injured in an accident?  Children, spouse, parents. Who will take care of them?

Recovering from an accident is painful...
It will take months to heal and some injuries are permanent, such as seizures, scars, missing and disfigured fingers and limbs. Also, who will pay for all of your medical bills and your regular bills if you are unable to return to work.

The video helped me see motorcycle gear in a different light. Let's be honest, on a hot day it gets uncomfortable inside a helmet. And a pair of shorts and sandals would feel feel much better than hot boots and jeans. What would feel more uncomfortable would be getting skin grafts or learning to operate a wheelchair with my chin. Looking at it that way, I think I'd rather be hot or not ride at all than to risk going through what the guy in the video when through.

Here is a newspaper article I came across recently about helmet standards. It is from the NY Times and covers the safety of the buckets we all put on our heads. What do you think ?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/automobiles/27SNELL.html?_r=1

A 2wheeltips.com friend of mine sent me a DVD on industrial safety. He figured it was something I'd like since one of the goals of 2wheeltips.com is to help riders understand  that shorts, t-shirts and fake helmets will not help you if you fall off your bike. It is not an easy message to tell......because you do want to look good on your bike and A LOT of motorcycle gear is ugly and expensive. I'll be the first to admit, you will not catch me dead in a lime green helmet or one of those ugly green/yellow riding jackets that look like something a crossing guard would wear.

But at the same time, I don't think my riding jacket should cost more than my Cashmere Hugo Boss coat either (if some company comes along and makes good looking riding gear that doesn't cost an arm, they will make out like bandits).

I watched a few minutes of the DVD and it talks about a guy who worked at a oil refinery. He's your typical rough and tumble guy who had worked there for years, knew his job and could do it in his sleep. Long story short, since he knew his job so well, he cut every safety corner in the book. It finally caught up to him when he caused an explosion (by not following safety procedures) and he was almost burned to death.

Watching the DVD, all I could think about was how many riders do the same thing. They've been riding for many years and they've got the whole motorcycle thing figured out.....so they think. They started out using riding gear but somewhere down the road, the t-shirts replaced the jacket, sneakers replaced boots and shorts replaced the jeans.

And then their turn comes.......and they get into a situation where they wish they had had some of that stuff on.

It doesn't have to be a crash either. It could be a nail kicked up by a car that hits your arm at 65mph. Or rocks falling off a construction truck that smack you on the fingers (I've had that happen before). Or even dropping the bike at intersections because the ground was oily and their sneakers slipped(boots can help here). 

I was riding yesterday on a busy road just after rush hour. The traffic was slow and I was minding my own business staying in my lane and watching my following distance.

Then out of no where, an idiot on a sport bike zoomed by and passed me in MY LANE! I'm thinking to myself, what kind of fool would do such a thing? What if I would have moved a bit to avoid a pothole, or a dead animal or even a car battery in the road? He would have hit me and we would have both been hurt.

Unfortunately for him, there was a red light up ahead and I drove right up to him, tapped him on the shoulder and told him he was a complete #$%#$%^&*#@@$! and that he could have killed or hurt both of us. He was in total shock that he was getting lectured in the middle of the highway. From talking to him, I could tell he was a new rider.....perhaps 2 years or so.  After a few more choice words, I moved so he could go and he rode away. At the next intersection, he made a left turn and almost rode off the road.

I know we are all taught to stay out of the way of cars and trucks on the road, but I think we should not forget about idiots like this guy that are on the road. They tailgate in group rides, weave in and out of traffic, speed through intersections and pass too close to other riders. They can get you just as quick as a distracted driver. They are also the ones you read about in the newspapers and see on the 6pm local news.

I took my Yamaha fjr 1300 out for a spin yesterday. I haven't been on it much because it needs tires.....soon. I figure I have 500 miles before the only riding I can safely do will be in a straight line.

Anyway, while riding I noticed the bike didn't have much cornering traction and I could not lean it hot and heavy through the curves without it "drifting." In some curves I could feel the back tire slide out a bit. Even when making quick lane changes, I felt like I was riding on bubble gum or some other gooey substance. I knew immediately it was the tires. I decided to ride less aggressively and finish up the ride at a moderate pace.

So what happens when motorcycle tires need to be replaced? Well...cornering traction suffers...a lot! If you are used to leaning your bike hard and fast through curves, doing it on worn tires may land you in a ditch on the side of the road.  Also you may notice the bike drifting around when changing lanes. And finally, your stopping distance is impacted.

Will I try to get the final 500 miles in? Probably. But I know that I can not ride the bike like I normally do until I replace the tires.

Take a look around any motorcycle dealer, store or event and you will see tons of clothing for men but very few items for women. Even worse, the stuff you do see looks like warmed over men's clothing with pink or purple designs and a few plastic beads. No woman with any fashion sense would be caught dead in some of the stuff that is labeled "women's motorcycle clothing."

There are a few brands out there for women but the makers assume the women are passengers and not riders! In many cases the clothing is not sturdy and begins to fall apart after a few wearings. Women who ride their own bikes had to make a choice: wear men's clothing or wear the passenger quality stuff that will fall apart before the riding season ends.

Fortunately, some manufacturers are paying attention to the growing number of female riders and started making fashionable riding gear for women. One company that comes to mind is Scooter Girls. They make very fashionable motorcycle gear with all of the safety features, such as reflective panels and impact pads, that you would find in a men's jacket. Their stuff looks so good it could double as a regular coat! If you are into leather and don't want an ugly men's styled jacket, there is DeHall Designs. This company makes tons of women's jackets, some of which can be customized. Last I checked they were using fine Italian leather to make their gear.

So the next time you need some motorcycle gear, check out what these two companies have to offer before you buy men's styled clothing. You many be pleasantly surprised at what's out there for women.

One of the things I hear new riders talk about all the time is how much faster it seems they are moving on a bike, when in many cases, they are riding below the speed limit and cars are passing them.

One of the things I tell them is riding in a car is much different than riding a motorcycle. In a car you are isolated and can not accurately judge your speed. On a motorcycle, you are out in the open and the ground is rushing by a few inches beneath your feet. For a newbie, getting an accurate "feel" for how fast 55mph is can be scary and troubling.  If you are going to become a decent rider, it is something you will have to get used to.

So, how do you get comfortable with riding at highway speeds? Well....practice makes perfect. The more you ride, the faster you will you get used to it. We are not saying you should go out on a major freeway and hit the gas, but once you get comfortable riding around the neighborhood streets you need to spend some time on some major roads. Another thing that can help you is to keep your head up and look down the road where you want to go and not down at your feet or in front of the bike. We have a video on this so you can see the difference keeping your head up makes. /videos/view/keep-your-head-up_156.html?m=9

And finally, never rider faster than your skills allow. Now is the time to learn and build your motorcycle skills. Once you've mastered the basics, you will have plenty of time to ride fast if that's what you want to do. If you try to burn up the road before you are ready, you may end up a motorcycle statistic.

I was at a motorcycle class recently and one of the sponsors asked me to blog about a topic that he felt does not get enough attention; knowing when to hang up the helmet when you do not have the physical skills to manage a bike.

Why did this come up? Well... during the class, one of the students kept dropping his bike. During every exercise, we kept hearing a loud crash followed by cursing and a racing engine. This happened more than once. Of course the student blamed it on the bike. He complained there was something wrong with the throttle and that's why he could not maintain the speed needed to complete the exercises.

To see if the throttle was the problem, one of the class sponsors checked it out. He didn't find any problems. He was able to maintain a constant engine speed at various rpms.  He then asked the student to do it and he could not. Why? He seemed to have some nerve disorder that caused his hands to move back and forth! Because of this, he could not control the throttle.

For obvious reasons, he wasn't able to finish the class and left early. What was not obvious to him was he should not be on a bike. He is not only a danger to himself but to others as well. We all know the day is coming when we will have to hang up the helmet and move on to other hobbies. For me, it will be one of the saddest days of my life. Hopefully I will have enough sense when that day comes to think of the dangers I pose to others and myself by riding around unable to operate the controls.

Share your thoughts.....

Here are some pics I got from one of my friends on facebook and is a perfect example of what can happen to you if you are not careful at intersections. This is a classic case of a car turning in front of a motorcyclists and the rider not being able to stop. I don't know if anyone survived, but I seriously doubt it.

1 out of every 4 motorcycle accidents happen just like the one in these pictures. Always pay attention and reduce your speed when there are cars or blind spots at any intersection you cross.

I was reading through a few posts and messages I get each day and one of them was on first aid kits. Most people I know carry something for headaches, allergies and the occasional scrape you will get from riding. But this message spoke about the need to check your first aid kit to see if any of the medicines have expired. Something I haven't done in a while (sort of like TCLOCS....how many really do it every time they jump on their bikes?).

The message mentioned the need for sissors for cutting clothing and latex gloves if you need to help a friend.  Something I never thought about. Some of the examples I think are somewhat extreme (a stryofoam cup to contain a displaced eye).

It was a great article and had excellent information. The main point I got from it was a first aid kit should be considered part of your riding gear. Here is the link to the article.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=670733698#!/notes/eric-shah/first-aid-kits-does-yours-need-a-check-up/120787724630466