2Wheeltips

When I lived in Korea, motorcycles, two wheelers, scooters, had the right of way. The culture of the people expected two wheelers to split lanes, cut in front of you and stop, run through red lights, yellow lights and green lights. It was known that a two wheeler will ride on the side walk and anywhere else it needed to ride to keep moving. I was riding and was obeying the rules of traffic, and many people in cages were upset. It appeared many were expecting me to keep moving, run the red light, split the lane etc., and when I did not, it threw everything else out of whack.  I understood and was told that if you hit a two wheeler even if it is the two wheeler's fault....you have to pay an arm and leg heavy fine. (Maybe when some of our 2wheeltips members from other countries read this, the member can add important information that wil help us, and or correct any error in my understanding and thinking). There is no such thing as, "I did not see you." The fine is so heavy that you do all that you can to see a 2 wheeler. The only thing that frightened me while riding my 2 wheeler in Korea was another 2 wheeler riding up and sharing my lane and coming out of nowhere to do it. I felt safer on my 2 wheeler than in a cage.

When I lived in Korea, I rode an 80cc scooter and then purchased a Softail Deuce Harley Davidson. When I started riding in Hawaii, I had to go through a cultural change in that motorcycles do not have the right of way and people are not looking out for you or expecting to see you.

Now, we have areas here in MI where, if you injure or kill a construction road worker, you will pay a heavy fine and spend up to 15 years in jail (or both). It says that the state is serious about protecting its workers.  So, if the fine is increased for hitting a motorcycle (sitting, moving, parked, and or standing) such as an $8,000 fine, and 6 months in jail for an injury and up to 15 years in jail for a death (no exception, regardless of who you know) then I think deaths will go down, and people will not be saying, "Oh, I didn't see the motorcycle."

It might take about 3 years for the word to get out that people are both being fined and going to jail before the culture takes it seriously.  However, in Korea, motorcycles are not allowed on the highway. Often you will see a group ride on the highway and, to my knowledge, nothing is done (the riders were riding bikes of at least 800cc). If the rule was not in place, 2wheelers with 50cc would be out there on the highway. The traffic was so thick in the inner city like Seoul that if you got up to 45mph you had a good day to remember.

Have a law passed: Cages have the right of way on the highway and bikers have the right of way on all other roads. I love riding in America; I just wish the rule of law concerning protecting bikers from cagers----was such that every biker would be 100% happy and excited that such a law existed. I would hate for a family member to have to go to jail for 15 years because a biker, due to his/her own fault went beyond his/her riding skill level, or was intoxicated and caused a cage kissing which resulted in a death. When I think of my own family member doing the right thing and the 2wheeler doing the wrong thing (with my family member paying the fine) it causes me to think differently.

The bottom line is that there needs to be a way that people who are riding a motorcycle are taken as seriously as construction workers in a work zone, and given all safety space that is needed so that no one gets hurt. (The writing of this blog is by no means the opinion of 2wheeltips, it is just the author's point of view.)

I was out on a short ride the other day with some friends. I was leading the pack since I was introducing some new roads. Once we got going, I noticed that one of my friends kept tailgating me....and at some points even passing me! He almost ran into me a few times because he could not see my turn signal in time.  It shocked me because everyone knows (at least I thought) tailgating another motorcycle is a no-no and you do not pass other motorcycles when riding in a group. If you do, you will cause a crash if the rider in front of you swerves to avoid a pot hole or brakes suddenly because traffic slowed down. Youtube.com is full of motorcycle crashes that highlight this point.

So the next time you go out for a group ride, make sure you keep our distance and never pass a bike in front of you unless the rider signals you to do so.

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 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

For those of you who haven't ridden through the winter and are about to start riding now that the weather seems to be getting nice here are a few tips:

• check out your bike thoroughly. Tire condition (pressure, tread, dry rot), brakes, cables, bulbs and all electrics.Check the side stand.
• Check all fluids (oil -should have been changed when you put the bike away, if not change it now)

Yep that's right give it a good TCLOCS.

All you gear heads get out the wrenches and get to work. All those not mechanically inclined, call your dealer service department NOW. They are about to get very busy. Fot those of you that don't know a good dealer service department, Xtreme Machines in Millstone has an excellent service department. You don't want to waste any primo riding time. Spring and fall have the most comfortable riding weather.

Remember when starting out, your skill set is a little rusty, take it slow. Those of you who have taken a BRC last year, go practice some of the exercises, braking, swerving, weaving are a good place to start, then practice your cornering and quick stopping. Those of you who are more experienced may want to consider taking an Experienced Rider Course, RENJ (Rider Education of New Jersey) offers classes. As a RiderCoach I know how important it is to reinforce proper riding habits. Pay special attention to cornering and proper entry speed, slow, look, press and roll. Remember going wide in turns is the single greatest cause of single vehicle motorcycle accidents.

I look forward to seeing you all out riding, keep the rubber side down.

Tony 

We just added a news feed from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Motorcycle Recalls.

Check it out. It is located on the News tab and the link is on the right navigation at the bottom. Let us know what you think.

FYI. We also have motorcycle Tire recall data too. It is also in the news tab.
Let me know what you think.

Harry Hurt, the motorcycle expert behind the 1981 Hurt Report, has died at the age of 81.  Many motorcyclists are familiar with Harry Hurt; the research he did analyzing 900 motorcycle accidents from 1976 - 1977 resulted in the Hurt Report, the most extensive report ever written about motorcycle accidents and their causes.  For those of you who would like to know more, we are listing the link to the article about Harry Hurt from the LA Times:
http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-harry-hurt2-2009dec02%2c0%2c1034954.story

Your friends at 2wheeltips.com

By Dino Dogan
Now accepting friends on Facebook :-)

Here are some disturbing statistics.

People killed in motorcycle accidents for the years
2005=4,553
2006=4,810
2007=5,174
2008=5,290
How come the numbers are going up?

People injured in motorcycle accidents for the years
2005=87,000
2006=88,000
2007=103,000
2008=96,000
What happened in 2007 to cause the spike in injuries? 

Lets brainstorm and come up with ideas to lower these numbers in 2010.

What can we do about this?
How low do you think we can get these numbers?

 

This is a link to an article a client of mine wrote about his motorcycling trip to the United Kingdom.  It is a pdf and linked on my web site:


http://www.advancedmotorcycletraining.com/DavidHenke.PDF

Regards

Nigel