2Wheeltips

There are times when we open our mouth,
and all the scent in it comes out;
It depends upon the type of bike you ride,
whether your breath is one that gives you pride;
Now I know what you are thinking,
Is it the bike that I ride make it stinking;
When I say bike I am not talking about brand,
But that which you keep behind your underpants.
Please don't get upset and rude with me,
I am just trying to help you just to see;
See what is what I can hear you say,
 It is what you friends have been trying to tell you all day;
When ride 600 miles a day, and in the saddle you do sit,
Please don't take pride and not stopping for a quick;
Ahh be brave and say what's on your mind,
Do not chicken out and cut your words short,
2wheeltip will not take you to biker's court;
What was it you were going to say that rhymn with sit,
but you did not have the nerves, so you use the word quick;
I really am trying to keep it clean, I really did not want to be mean;
I know you love not to change clothes,
or take a bath when on a roll;
You try to see how far you can ride, and how many days as well,
and you forget that your body begins to smell;
You love to stand close in the face of others,
and open your mouth and we smell trouble;
Because you are really kind,
We do not tell you what's really on our mind.
That is why you keep asking yourself,
IS IT JUST ME OR IS IT MY BIKER'S BREATH?

It is a choice that I have made,
to be sure that others are paid;
I see the gear and I hear the rap,
It makes my head hurt and I want to take a nap;
How much is it going to cost me today,
to ride with the big boys and play it safe;
Helmet on my head,
Chaps around my leg;
Glasses covering my eyes,
Armor covering my thighs;
Jacket wrapped around upper body,
and gloves covering my hand,
 And I am riding around looking
like the wrapped up mummy man.
My colors are black and drawing in the heat,
But the gear is so safe, it is a must to keep;
Boots on my feet feeling real tight,
squeezing my toes with all its might;
Down the road, I must go
Dressed like a mummy ready for a show;
I see my friends checking me out,
Scratching their heads with a sign of doubt;
They are wondering what's wrong with me,
That I am riding around looking like a biker's mummy.

Something that comes up quite often is the topic of helmets.

In one camp, you have some who refuse to wear one or, if they do, they wear a novelty helmet to keep from getting stopped by the local police.  They feel wearing a helmet isn't needed and mandatory helmet laws equal the govt. getting in their business. Some even claim that motorcycle helmets are dangerous and will cause whiplash in an accident.

Then there are some who wear novelty helmets for lifestyle reasons. For them, a helmet is a fashion accessory and must look good with the bike and the clothes they are wearing. Nothing else matters.

But the real reason for wearing a helmet should have nothing to do with any of that stuff. You wear a helmet to protect:

1. your head and face from flying debris such as rocks, nails, sticks
2. your head if you crash or go down on your bike

Unfortunately, there are plenty of helmets out there that can't do any of these things. If the helmet you are wearing can not, then you should start looking for a "real helmet".....one that can.

You may be asking, "how do I find one that can give me protection?" Look for one that has passed a helmet testing standard. DOT is one, SNELL is another, ANSI and ECE 22.05 are others.We are not recommending one standard over the other, but the better made helmets will have a sticker on the back that indicates that it has satisfied some type of helmet standard. If it doesn't, then you should keep looking.

Some of the things the test standards check:

1. Will the chin strap break if it is yanked hard
2. Will the outer shell get brittle and crack in cold weather
3. How well it will resist puncture from flying debris
4. How much head protection it offers if it is smacked....hard
5. Will the face shield shatter into sharp cutting pieces if it is hit

A tested helmet is not "magic" and will not save you in very extreme situations. But they definitely can protect you from serious injury and even death in many common motorcycle accidents.

 

So, you curse those darned "cagers" on the road as you are out there enjoying your ride....  Well, fellow bikers, it is not just the people in automobiles and trucks and buses that we have to watch out for; we also have to pay attention to the irresponsible bikers who share the roads with us.  Below is an e-mail I received today from a friend of mine who is a very experienced biker and an MSF rider/coach.  I thought it was worthy of sharing with all of you!

" I ride to and from work in Newark almost every day.  On my way home from work yesterday around 1620, as I merged on to Rt.78w,I was very nearly hit on the left side from behind by a sportbike doing well over 100mph. ( I couldn't tell you what brand of bike it was,color of bike or what rider had on if anything. Did have a dark full face.)
I was in the merge lane doing about 45,looked over my left shoulder,saw it was clear and continued to accelerate into the right lane when something screaming almost hit my left side,close enough to feel the wind blast and cause my body to jump.Two others blew past my right side an instant later.I felt rage flush through my body and wanted to give chase,but we were in moderate traffic and they were weaving through the traffic so fast they were more than a 1/4mi.ahead in a second. I even found myself wishing they'd crash!
Glad they didn't only because of the trauma they'd cause the innocents. They just pissed me off big time. You expect things like that at bike rallies,but not where we all travel on a daily basis. Guess I forgot I was in Newark NJ. It bothered me all the way home. I guess this is why I have always believed the "Angels" ride with me! (God's Angels,not the other ones)
We tell our RENJ BRC students to "Turn your head" after a mirror check. We urge Car drivers to "Look twice,save a life!"
I guess the moral of the story is   "Look twice, Save your own life!""