2Wheeltips

I have seen several bikers videos and photos of wet t-shirt contest and it appears that the people involved are having a lot of fun and the on lookers are having fun as well. I must say that I entered the wet t-shirt riding group. When I rode out of North Carolina it was hot and the first stop that I made, I took off my t-shirt and soaked it in water and put it back on. I put on my full armor riding jacket (mess) and zipped it up. I felt like I was riding air conditioner and it felt good. This is what I did during the day all the way to Orlando, FL. When I left Orlando on my way to Weston, FL, I did the same. I really liked it the cool breeze refeshing my upper body. I kept drinking water and water and water and each time I made a pit stop it was a (hummm how do I say this) pee stop as well. When I left Weston on my way to Key West it was morning time and I did not think that I needed to soak the t-shirt so I did not. However, I found myself, later in the restroom soaking the t-shirt and riding wet and feeling the coldest touching my upper body. Well when I arrived in Key West it was hot..... I did the sightseeing that I needed and got me something to eat in a place that had the air conditioner on; and just before I got on the bike; I thought about putting water on my t-shirt. I started thinking, that I should have soaked my t-shirt in the restroom at the place where I ate and I was ready to go. I hopped on the bike and headed north about 4:30pm. The good thing is that the weather started getting cooler on the way back to my "chash station" and I did not need the wet t-shirt. The moral of the story, is each time I read the words "wet t-shirt" or see a photo of someone in a wet t-shirt, I will think of my ride to Key West, Fl riding in a wet t-shirt under a mess riding jacket and I am a member of the wet t-shirt riding group.

Do you ever wonder what motorcycle helmets look like AFTER they have been tested by Snell?  Well, we did....  So, we contacted Snell and they were kind enough to send us half of what was left of a half helmet after they smashed it during testing. 









Follow the arrows in the last two photographs and you will see the point of contact on the outside of the helmet and the resulting compression of the interior liner. 


These cross-section photographs allow you to see what we can normally NOT see after a helmet has endured some sort of impact (from hitting the ground when a rider is thrown off a bike in an accident, for example).  "One and it's done" is a clever way to remind ourselves that after one impact, although our helmets may look relatively fine from the outside and even from the inside, the damage from the fall has been done.  The helmet is no good and should not be used again.

Last week, there were several motorcycle fatalities in my area.  One of the accidents was close enough to where I live, and on a road that I travel often, so I was a bit rattled to hear about what happened.

Here is the link to the article:

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20100522/NEWS/100522009/Piscataway-crash-kills-South-Plainfield-motorcyclist-28

Here is another accident that did not have to happen.  Although I wasn't there, I know that road and the hill over the interstate, and if you go over it too fast, accidents like this can happen. 

Motorcycle season is underway and you need to be careful and put into practice the intersection skills that you find here on 2wheeltips.  Approach and ride through all intersections cautiously and the life you save may be your own.

A friend of mine recently responded to an accident scene involving a motorcycle (the driver made a left turn in front of the bike). Unfortunately the biker did not survive the crash,  but to make matters worse,  the police and medical personnel had a difficut time identifying the rider and his emergency contact information.
Most of us have our In Case of Emergency (ICE) information in our phones (most newer phones have ICE), but what if we are incapacitatied and our phone is locked or damaged. Even when we ride in a group, how many of us know each others ICE info? I believe all riders and passengers , at a minimum, should carry their ICE information on a laminated card in their wallet,  jacket,  and somewhere on the bike to avoid becoming a John or Jane Doe. This card could also contain a brief medical history, list of medications, and allergies which can be very useful to medical personnel responding to an accident scene.

More wisdom and advice from David Hough:

Q: What is the deal with riders in the 2 - 3 year range and accident rate increase?
 
A:  It's easy to get cocky on a bike, because once you master the basic skills you might think you're ready for anything. After two or three seasons, riders may start to take increased risks, not realizing that the lessons are just starting. A few crashes or near misses typically gets the overconfident rider back on track.

Q:  Where do you see the future of motorcycling going? From what camp will the new leaders and innovators come? Sport bikers? Women bikers? Do you feel that there is a passing of the guard happening?
 
A:  The motorcycle industry is very nervous about the average age of motorcyclists, which is increasing something like 7 years every ten. There just aren't as many young riders getting in, but there are lots of older riders fading away. With competition from all sorts of exciting sports and games, the motorcycle industry seems to be building faster and more aggressive machines. Unfortunately, race-technology bikes are expensive, and young people typically can't afford them. One interesting phenomenon is the sales of three-wheeled motorcycles such as the Can Am Spyder. Spyder buyers seem to be young professionals ready for something exciting, but without the same level of risk of a bike.
 
The BMWMOA Foundation recognizes the need to encourage younger riders, so they have a two day "camp" prior to each International rally for less experienced riders. The idea is to get newer, usually younger, riders involved in the social activities such as seminars, rather than just "hanging out."
 
There are a lot more women riders now, and there are women riders' seminars and conferences to allow women to encourage and educate each other. Personally, I'd prefer to see women just become "motorcyclists" without the need to segregate. Women riders are a huge untapped market that the industry has been slow to recognize.
 
Q:  What was motorcycling like when you started? There wasn't a "Hurt" report, a 750cc bike was considered "big", decent books, training or other resources.

A:  Actually, when I started, a 650cc was a "big" bike. The "senior" class on the Isle of Man was 500cc. Lots of people were riding around on 250s, 500's, and 650s. There wasn't much in the way of riding gear, other than leather boots and leather jackets. It took a while for useful helmets to come along. Bell came out with a full coverage helmet with a tiny face opening that made it look like a diving helmet. Everyone knew that motorcycling was dangerous; no one knew exactly why. And when the big buying boom of the 1970s came along, crash and fatality numbers shot through the roof.
 
Q:  Advice for the "no helmet", t-shirt/flip-flop and shorts crowd. You don't want to rain on their parade but anything you can mention that can possibly help?
 
A:  Some people are so focused on personal freedom that they will cling to any scraps of logic to "prove" that helmets aren't useful. I'm with (the late) Hugh Harry Hurt here. Even the cheapest DOT approved helmet is better than no helmet. I would prefer we not have to have helmet laws, but too many riders have proven they aren't too sharp about avoiding crashes and injuries. It's not possible to crash without involving other people. And neither the Constitution nor the Bill of Rights guarantee the freedom to operate a motor vehicle any way you want. There's a huge difference between helmet usefulness and helmet laws. If those who fight helmet laws would simply wear helmets voluntarily, there would be no need of laws.

This is the last segment from our interview with David Hough.  Stay tuned to watch the interview videos, also on 2wheeltips.com.
 

Ride Like a Pro has a franchise in NJ that is run by 2wheeltips members, Al and Bill.  Al and Bill sent us this notice regarding their 2010 schedule, which is now open for registration.  This is a great class to attend and we have several videos that we took at some of the 2009 classes.  Take a look at the videos and read the following letter regarding the NJ classes if you are interested and would like to know more:

"First I would like to thank you for showing an interest in our “Ride like A Pro” training course. For those of you who are looking to sign up for one of our training courses this year, here is the process that you need to follow.

Go to our website http://www.ridelikeapronj.com and pick a training date.
fill out a registration form (include the training date on it)
If you are a returning student, remember to fill in the comment section with your student number to receive the discount rate of $100.00.
E-mail the form and wait for a return e-mail.
If you receive an e-mail that states “no slots available” please fill out another registration form with another date on it. If your e-mail states “slots available” you will be sent a link to our paypal account to pay for that course (returning students must mail in a check) You will be allowed five days to do so, or may opt to pay by money order or personal check and mail it in.
Once we have received your payment you will receive another e-mail that will give you a student confirmation number for that class.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to call our office and leave a message, please remember that this is a part time business and it may take a few days for us to call you back.
Again, Al and I would like to thank you for taking an interest in our
Ride Like A Pro NJ classes. Are goal is to turn good riders into great riders by introducing them to these advanced techniques under the watchful eyes of Motor officer instructors who have a passion to pass on their experience and training, which will give you the CONFIDENCE that you need to CONTROL your motorcycle.
Thanks,

Al & Bill"

Note: 
All and Bill also added this note about preparation for the RLAPNJ training:

"PREPARING FOR TRAINING

We suggest to get the most out of the training is to purchase our “Ride Like A Pro V”, DVD and Parking Lot Pals from our website and practice the exercises as much as you can to prepare yourself for the training."

Ride Like a Pro has a franchise in NJ that is run by 2wheeltips members, Al and Bill.  Al and Bill sent us this notice regarding their 2010 schedule, which is now open for registration.  This is a great class to attend and we have several videos that we took at some of the 2009 classes.  Take a look at the videos and read the following letter regarding the NJ classes if you are interested and would like to know more:

"First I would like to thank you for showing an interest in our “Ride like A Pro” training course. For those of you who are looking to sign up for one of our training courses this year, here is the process that you need to follow.

Go to our website http://www.ridelikeapronj.com and pick a training date.
fill out a registration form (include the training date on it)
If you are a returning student, remember to fill in the comment section with your student number to receive the discount rate of $100.00.
E-mail the form and wait for a return e-mail.
If you receive an e-mail that states “no slots available” please fill out another registration form with another date on it. If your e-mail states “slots available” you will be sent a link to our paypal account to pay for that course (returning students must mail in a check) You will be allowed five days to do so, or may opt to pay by money order or personal check and mail it in.
Once we have received your payment you will receive another e-mail that will give you a student confirmation number for that class.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to call our office and leave a message, please remember that this is a part time business and it may take a few days for us to call you back.
Again, Al and I would like to thank you for taking an interest in our
Ride Like A Pro NJ classes. Are goal is to turn good riders into great riders by introducing them to these advanced techniques under the watchful eyes of Motor officer instructors who have a passion to pass on their experience and training, which will give you the CONFIDENCE that you need to CONTROL your motorcycle.
Thanks,

Al & Bill"

Note: 
All and Bill also added this note about preparation for the RLAPNJ training:

"PREPARING FOR TRAINING

We suggest to get the most out of the training is to purchase our “Ride Like A Pro V”, DVD and Parking Lot Pals from our website and practice the exercises as much as you can to prepare yourself for the training."

Q:   1) What has been the key to your success/status in your field? 2) Why are you a part of this field (what's your deepest motivation for doing what you do)?"
(submitted by Jackson G., Belmont, CA)

A:  One key to success is being committed to what you want to do. But I've also been fortunate to have bumped into people who encouraged me, and to have worked in a profession that prepared me for the tasks I later took on. I didn't decide to get into motorcycle safety. Rather, I just started sharing what I had discovered, and riders were receptive to my ideas. It was sort of like a cute little puppy that grew into a huge mastif.

Q:  "My questions would investigate how he came to be involved in this field. I like those stories, and usually offer insight and perspective."  (Submitted by Lawrence S., Washington,DC)
 
A:  When I first started riding, there wasn't much available to help me learn. I taught myself, with the advice of other, more experienced riders, who would offer advice such as "when you stop being afraid of the bike it's time to get off." Their advice wasn't very helpful, and I continued to look for more information and try to figure it all out. I suppose my interest in motorcycling was helped along by my curiosity about mechanical things. When I was about 6 I took apart a cap pistol, but never could get it back together right. Later, I was working on bicycles, then building small boats and fixing outboard motors. Most of my knowledge came from trying things by trial and error, and then figuring out how to avoid making the same errors the next time.

Q:  "Do you have any regrets? What's your favorite memory? What bike(s) do you wish you had in your garage from your history?  (Submitted by Lorin R., Austin,TX)

A:  Sure, I have a few regrets, but mostly they are guilt trips for saying something that I should have kept to myself. I don't think we make mistakes. We just put one foot in front of the other, and later on, we realize some of those steps were mistakes. Once in a while we stumble on something unique. One year I was returning home from a big BMW rally in Missoula, Montana, and decided to take the long way home. I was driving my sidecar rig, and headed for Hells Canyon between Idaho and Oregon. I found out about a power line access road that climbed up about 4,000feet out on the Oregon side, and I still remember that as a pleasurable adventure. I moved on from bike to bike, but I still have my BMW "airhead" I bought new in 1980. Does that count as "history"?
 
Q:  If you were a motorcycle what kind would you be and why?" (submitted by Nicholas C., Dallas,TX)

A:  If I were a "motorcycle" it would have to be a 1937 Indian Scout. Come to think of it, maybe I am a '37 Scout.

Q:  Give us your advice on appropriate motorcycles for newbies. We see brand spanking new riders on bikes that make us do a double take. What bikes are absolutely off limits for a person just out of basic rider training?  Do you have any pointers for those who want to get into riding? (submitted by Tony B, Edison, NJ)

A:  There is a tendency for riders to buy machines that are too big and too powerful, and for friends to suggest getting a powerful bike right away. When you are a newbie, you have lots of new thoughts rattling around in your head, and a machine that is hard to control is an extra liability. I would limit the first machine to something no larger than say, 650cc, and I would suggest a used bike rather than a new one. I would avoid bikes with peaky power bands or ergonomics that force a race posture. And I would suggest against a heavy cruiser with feet-forward ergonomics. My choice for a newbie would be a Suzuki 400cc "SM" single or a used SV650.
 
Remember that a bike has a different style of protection than a car. On a bike, you wear the protective shell. So, shop for riding gear before you buy the bike, and get some good gear right away. Then you can buy a bike with what's left over, one reason for a used machine.

Q: Expound on physical skills vs. mental skills needed for riding.
 
A:  At first, you may be intimidated by all the physical skills, such as shifting, braking, countersteering, balancing and so forth. When those physical skills start to become habits, many riders assume they are now skilled. But the mental skills of observing traffic and surface hazards, executing corners, trip planning, etc. are a much bigger and higher plateau. That's one important purpose for books on riding skills, since you can pick up a lot of the mental tactics by reading.

Stay tuned...more David Hough wisdom to come!

More words of wisdom from David Hough:
Q:  What can we do as a community to make motorcycle safety a wide-spread phenomenon not just among riders but among drivers as well; short of forcing evey driver to ride a motorcycle for a month just to see what its like.
In UK they have billboards alerting drivers to the presence of motorcycles on the road. I believe I've even seen the actual traffic sings; I've never seen a traffic sign in US that alerts drivers to the presence of motorcycles. Can something like this be done.
 
A:  The common assumption among motorcyclists is that all those "cage" drivers are stupid and blind, and out to get us. We get that from the famous Hurt Report of 1981, where three-quarters of all "motorcycle" crashes in the Los Angeles area were crashes with cars, and most of those crashes were the fault of the car driver. That's no longer true. Today about half of motorcycle crashes are collisioins, and half of those are the fault of the motorcyclist, not the driver.
 
We also have more knowledge about the psychology of how people see things, although motorcyclists in general haven't been paying much attention to the psych researchers. In a nutshell, people who don't see a motorcycle probably won't see a motorcycle sign. if you want to avoid collisions, ride like you were invisible. Or, to put this another way, take responsibility for whatever happens. Pay attention to the situation, and don't let yourself get taken out by a driver who is drunk, aggressive, or talking on the phone. Controlling the bike is only half of the equation. The other half is controlling the situation.
 
Unfortunately, that's one of our problems with current training: the emphasis is on physical control skills rather than mental skills.


Q:  Since you helped create MSF curriculum, do you feel that its getting watered down.  (submitted by Bob S., Saratoga,CA)
 
A:  It's true that I had some involvement in MSF curricula, but the situation was much different back in the formative years of the MSF. The staff was much more open to discussing things with experienced riders and journalists. And we could have good dialogue because most of the staff members were experienced and often skillful riders. Whenever I found myself in the Irvine, CA area, I would stop by the offices, visit with one or more staffers, and usually be invited to ride to lunch. We would share our knowledge freely with the MSF, knowing that we were helping them to help motorcyclists.
 
For instance, we had ah, "juiced up" a BBP course in the Seattle area. When the MSF curriculum manager found out, she called the safety coordinator and asked if this were true. "Yes", he responded, "Do you want us to stop?" "No," she said. "Keep on doing it, but write it down for us." As it happened, they sent up a staffer to audit what we were doing, and many of our ideas turned up in the Experienced RiderCourse.
 
Since then, the MSF has become like an ingrown toenail, unwilling and unable to have dialogue with others who might have something to offer, and increasingly depending upon the limited motorcycling expertise of the staff. Like any of us, they write about what they know--which at this time is more about instructional design, and less about motorcycling. So, the new MSF courses are much slimmer and more "touchy-feely" than the old courses. Some have called this "dumbing down" because the courses seem to be getting easier and easier to pass.
 
I'm not outraged that the courses are slimmer and easier to pass. But I'm sad and frustrated that the national organization whose job it is to come up with solutions to reduce the carnage is neither accomplishing that task, nor talking openly to the motorcyclists--the "subject matter experts" who would be quite willing to volunteer their knowledge on behalf of the nation's motorcyclists.
 
Q:  I think what I would most want to know would be how bikers are able to ride for so far and for so long without having saved up much money beforehand."  (Submitted by Beau G, Seattle, WA)

A:  I have a much different style of travel than some of the really long distance guys, such as Greg Frazier. Greg travels as economically as possible, riding a secondhand nondescript machine and often camping out. I travel less often, but when I go I prefer to travel at a more comfortable level, sleeping on cushy beds, and having nice meals. But I'm also a bit frugal. For instance, in Europe and the UK, there are thousands of "Bed and Breakfast" places--essentially the spare bedroom made available when the kids left home. They are comfy, but cost less than the typical US motel.

More from our series of words of wisdom from David Hough:

Q: If you could do it over what mistakes would you avoid. Not limited to motorcycling or divide it into motorcycle world, book world and life.
Brian P./35/M/SanFrancisco,CA
 
A:  The biggest mistakes I have made involve opening my mouth when I should have kept quiet. I tend to just say what's on my mind, and sometimes that creates problems. For instance, in a recent interview for BMW Owners News, I mentioned that "motorcycle safety" is an oxymoron, like "military intelligence." That really upset a BMW rider who is in the military. I apologized, but the damage was done.
 
I don't think it's possible to say things spontaneously on the national stage, and not anger someone. One lesson is to avoid passing judgment on other people, or passing along rumors. Have you noticed how President Obama looks left and right, but never straight at the camera? That's because he's reading from the teleprompters at each side of the podium. He doesn't dare miss a comma, or add anything spontaneous, because his speech is written out very carefully, and he must not deviate from it.
 
Q:  Tell us about Coffee with Dave and where can we catch it next?
 
A:  I borrowed the idea from Fred Rau, who started his "coffee with Fred" sessions at the Americade years ago. I arrange for coffee, donuts, and bananas, in a seminar environment. Anyone can ask whatever questions come to mind, within certain rules. Sometimes it's a gab fest, soetimes it turns into a serious skills discussion. And often I'll invite some guest to talk about riding across Russia or doing the Paris-Dakar rally. The next official "Coffee with Dave" will be at the BMWMOA International rally in Redmond, Oregon, July 15 - 18, 2010. For details, go to bmwmoa.org and find "rally."
 
Q:  Tell us about the lessons you've learned while teaching. Also, tell us about your favorite and most effective way to share information with a thirsty mind.
 
A:  One big lesson about teaching is that the teacher always learns more than the student. You may know something very well, but trying to teach it to someone else is a different kettle of fish. As you try to figure out how to explain it, you may discover things you didn't realize, or learn how to approach someone with information so that they can absorb it.
 
I've also learned that it's a waste of time to attempt teaching something with which you aren't experienced. Specifically, a motorcycle instructor needs to be a veteran motorcyclist as well as a teacher. I remember an event years ago when I was auditing a class of high school shop teachers who were being trained to be motorcycle instructors. One instructor in training gave the command, "OK, start your bicycles." He apparently didn't realize that his credibility had instantly gone down the drain.

Q:  From a global organizational perspective, what improvements would you suggest for organizations like MSF.
 
A:  I have offered suggestions to organizations including that one in Irvine, California, and even written articles about this in national magazines. But I've learned that offering suggestions to those Irvine folks has about the same result as peeing into a hurricane. When we are seeing an increase in motorcyclist fatalities, it's obvious to me that we need more serious training courses that would address the issues we see in the statistics, region-by-region.
 
There are a number of motorcycle enthusiasts in the USA who have considerable experience in both motorcycling and training, and would be very willing to share their skill and knowledge with a national organization. But that would require that the organization in question understands that it really needs more subject knowledge. And it would also require that the organization overcome their preternatural drive to dominanate training. It's like an alcoholic; you can't help until he asks for help.
 
I might offer some advice to the motorcycle industry. It's your bucks being spent. Refocus the safety organization on educating riders to avoid crashes. Tie financial support to results. If the training reduces crashes and fatalities, OK the safety guys get their money. If not, yoiu might as well cut off the funds. And if your primary goal is to sell more bikes, put your money into marketing, and leave training foundations to do...training.