2Wheeltips

Many bikers don’t know that you should never buy a used helmet. Helmets are good for protecting your head in only one accident. Afterwards it is time to get a new one. If the helmet is used, you have no way of knowing if it has been in an accident or not.

What tempts many into getting a used helmet is how it appears on the outside. Except for a few scrapes it looks fine.

But it’s not the external shell that protects your head, it is the internal foam. To prove this, we contacted our friends at Snell Memorial Foundation, the folks that do helmet testing. You will find the “Snell sticker” on the back of all helmets that have passed their tests. They were kind enough to send us the remains of a tested helmet and did us a favor by cutting it in half so we can see the internals.

With the exception of a few scrapes, the external shell is intact. But, on the inside, you see the foam layer is compressed where it was hit during testing. Once the foam layer is compressed, it does not expand and the helmet loses its ability to protect your head. Also note in the pictures that the foam layer has separated from the outer shell and is completely unattached and free to move around. Those tests, by the way, simulate a rider falling off a bike and hitting their head on the ground.

So, the next time you think about buying a used helmet, think again. A few dollars saved is not worth the risk of a serious head injury if the helmet is no good.  You can get a brand new tested helmet for $10.00 more than some of the ones you see on eBay and other places. Better safe than sorry. 

Ever wonder why your ears ring, you have a headache or you feel "fuzzy" or tired after a long ride? Ever notice at most motorcycle rallies you see many riders wearing not one but two hearing aids? Well....now you are about to find out.

Some of you are probably thinking it has something to do with loud engines or loud pipes. If you did, you are partially correct. A bigger part of it is wind noise. That ear ringing, fuzzy feeling, headache is from the loud noise. In fact, at highway speeds (50mph+) the sound of the wind rushing past your ears is louder than the engine. How loud is the wind noise? Close to that of a chainsaw! Seriously.

Now think about riding around month after month, year after year with a chainsaw blasting in your ears. What do you think will happen to your hearing? Nothing good. People who work in high noise environments know this already:

             1.  Factory workers use hearing protection
             2.  The guy cutting your grass wears hearing protection
             3.  Airline luggage handlers use hearing protection
             4.  If you go to a gun range, you must use hearing protection
             5.  Motorcyclists? (birds and crickets chirping)

For motorcyclists the solution is very simple, buy foam earplugs. They are about $0.09 - $0.11 a piece so there is really no excuse not use them. You can find them in most drug stores or at the local Lowe's or Home Depot. Just make sure they have a NRR (noise reduction rating) of 25 or more. The NRR is printed on the packaging.

Here are more articles on this topic from Dr. Melissa Heche AuD who wrote a 2wheeltips column on motorcycling and hearing.
http://www.2wheeltips.com/magazine/tag/hearing loss

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.

 

Here I am again, writing about something that I'm sure I've covered many, many times. There has to be a video, audio or pictures on this topic somewhere on 2wheeltips.com, but just not under this heading. So here goes......

Now that you have finished your motorcycle class and have a bike, it's now time to hit the road. Before you do, you need to understand how important it is to put on the right clothing.

Now, some of you are probably thinking, "I'm not going to dress up like a crossing guard. Part of riding a bike is looking good and there is no freaking way I can look good dressed up like Capt. Safety." I agree......some stuff that passes as motorcycle gear looks like it belongs at a construction site and not on a biker. But that doesn't mean you should ignore the need to protect yourself from the dangers you will encounter when on the road.  

Take a step back and think of the many everyday activities that are considered dangerous and how those who participate in them handle the danger:

• Construction site? Hard hats, safety lines, steel toe boots
• Baseball? Batters helmet to protect you from a 100mph fast ball to the head
• Football? Helmets & pads to prevent concussions and broken bones after a tackle
• Soccer? Shinguards to protect your legs from cleats
• NASCAR? Helmets & harness to keep you from snapping your neck in a crash
• Airline luggage handler? Earplugs to keep you from going deaf
• Road worker? Gloves to protect your hands from cuts and abrasions

            .......
            .......

• Motorcycling??? Hmmmmmmm.......
  

Motorcycling is just as hazardous as any of the above. If you fall off your bike at 55mph without the proper gear, guarenteed you will get hurt worse (perhaps death) than anything you could get from the above activities.  But guess what? Many people will go out riding dressed like this:

Instead of this:

Do you think the hot exhaust pipe can melt her flip-flops? Or how about a piece of metal hitting her at 55mph? Do you think it will split her arm open? What if they crash? Will that tight t-shirt and shorts protect her skin from road rash? We all know the answer to each of those questions.

I'm not deceiving myself here. I know that some people will never wear anything but jeans, t-shirts and novelty helmets. That image goes with a certain biker lifestyle and it will never change. However, you do need to understand, just like a football helmet or a safety line, how the right gear can prevent serious injury.

In the upcoming articles, I'll discuss why you need to wear:

• A helmet (a real one)
• Jacket & Pants
• Gloves
• Belt
• Boots

Stay tuned.......

I'm sure I wrote a blog about this somewhere, but since I didn't see it in this category I figured I'd write another one. I guess it will not hurt.

Donʼt even think about riding without insurance or registration
If you get stopped, you could pay fines, get points on your regular license and  have increased car insurance. The police will not let you ride it away meaning you will need to get it towed. If you leave it on the side of the road, it's an invitation for someone to steal it. Either way, you will be walking.

Take a class and get a motorcycle license
If you don't, you are a danger to yourself and to others because you havenʼt learned the absolute basics of riding a motorcycle. If you think you will not get caught, think again. Police set up check points all the time on motorcycle routes because they know a good deal of bikers donʼt have licenses, endorsement, inspections, proper helmets or insurance. Again, if you want to walk home, have your bike towed or stolen, and pay big fines....ride without a license.

Get enough insurance
Another thing is to get the proper amount of insurance. Unfortunately you can get a bare bones policy that offers very minimal coverage. Not even enough to fix a broken arm, replace a car rear view mirror or even repair your bike. These policies are cheap, but are they worth it?

Don't get a stolen bike
In some areas you can get a “hot” bike for $500.00. It may be tempting..... but do you really feel comfortable riding around on a stolen bike?

Although you probably would never do any of the above in your car, too many motorcyclists ride around without a license and proper paper work. With all of the focus on cracking down on motorcyclists, doing any of the above is a sure way to get yourself into trouble.

If you want to have a chance of becoming a good biker, you need to start with the type of bike you are on. Remember: it’s your FIRST bike and you are a NOVICE. You don’t have the skills yet to handle high end motorcycles.....yet. Just like your first car, it wasn’t the biggest baddest machine in the dealership so why should your first bike be? Here are some common mistakes you need to avoid:

Don’t get the biggest or baddest thing out there. It’s a very common mistake. If you do, this is what usually happens:

• It’s too heavy for you and you drop it constantly, causing hundreds if not thousands of dollars in damage.

• The power of the bike intimidates and scares you. You finally decide it is not for you because there is no way you can tame all that power. This usually happens when you release the clutch too quickly and the bike either pops a wheelie or lunges violently forward. Most of the time, these bikes are back on the market in under 4 months.

• You get into an accident and get hurt. You break your foot, leg or collarbone. If it’s really bad, you may lose part of a leg, arm or hand. if you didn’t have on protective clothing, you need skin grafts and are permanently scarred. Everyone tells you that motorcycles are dangerous and you are going to kill yourself. You decide that it isn’t for you and give up. The bike gets sold (if it wasn’t totaled in the accident) usually for a big loss.

• You manage to hang on but you are not really having a good time. How can you when you are trying to manage something that is outside your abilities? You don’t look forward to riding and the bike sits in your garage most days. Down the road, the bike gets sold, again usually for a big loss.

Your first bike should be something you can ride, have fun on, and use to improve your skills without intimidating you. This will not be a 2000 cc custom chopper, 1000 cc sportbike or a 800lb cruiser. It will not. So get over it.

It will probably be a 250cc - 750cc cruiser, or a 250cc - 500cc sport bike or a 400cc - 600cc standard motorcycle. Many newbies get on big bikes and crash them in the dealership parking lot....they don’t even make it to the street.

You will keep your first bike between 6 - 18 months before you are ready to move on. You can always sell it to another new rider.

Make sure the bike fits!! Now that you know not to get the biggest thing in the dealer, you need to make sure the one you get fits you. Here are some basics:

• Make sure you can put your feet flat on the ground with a few inches of bend in your knees. If you are on a bike where you can barely put your feet on the ground, that is not good!! Why? Because not all real roads are level or smooth; that only happens in the BRC.
  
  You will come to a stop on roads where one side is higher than the other. If you can not put your feet down flat to stabilize the bike, it WILL tip over and you WILL drop it. Also, you WILL come to intersections where there will be oil, sand, rocks or other slippery stuff on the ground. WHEN  your foot slips you need to have enough leverage to keep your bike up. Also when parking and maneuvering your bike, how can you move it if you can't get your feet on the ground?

• Make sure you can comfortably reach and operate all of the controls within a comfortable riding position. No way you can improve your skills if you can’t get to the controls!! 

• Make sure all the controls are adjusted to fit you before you leave the dealership. That includes the right foot brake, the left foot shift lever, the right hand brake, the left hand clutch lever, and the handlebars. The dealer should do this for you. 

• Make sure the bike is not too heavy! Even if you go with a small engine, you still need to have the strength to manage the bike. You need to do this to park it, turn it around and maneuver it. If you can’t get if off the side stand, you are headed for trouble down the road. You should either find a bike you can handle OR hit the gym to increase your strength.

• You need to be comfortable on the bike. If the seating position is bad, or you feel cramped into a small space, maybe it’s not the bike for you. Likewise, if you feel stretched out or your body position doesn’t feel right, again....it may not be for the bike for you.

If you follow some of these basic tips when selecting a bike, you will avoid many pitfalls and set yourself up to becoming a better biker

We know it has been a while, but we have completed the curriculum for the "after the BRC/BRT" set of videos.  They are grouped into 3 sets:

Introduction and reality check
These videos go over the basics to make sure you know what you are getting yourself into. You last chance to bail out before it's too late!!

Parking Lot Practice
In your motorcycle class, you practiced on a bike so small and weak that no self respecting biker would be caught dead on one. Now that you have a license, you need to go out and practice what you learned again on a real bike.....your bike. These videos will show you what you need to practice and why.

Road Practice
Now that you can ride around a parking lot without loosing control of your bike, it's now time to hit the road. But the road is a very dangerous place for a newbie. These videos give you tips on how to handle situations that can help you avoid imortality in a youtube motorcycle crash video or worse.

We have  list of 50 or so videos so it is an ambitious undertaking to say the least. Let us know what you think and give us suggestions on videos you would like to see. If you have film or videos you would like us to use, let us know and we will let you know how to get them to us.

So you took the BRC…you either passed it and got your motorcycle endorsement or you are licking your wounds because you failed the class.  Now what?  Well, if you passed, you may be thinking to yourself: 

• Am I really ready for public roads?
• What do I do now to expand on what I learned in class?
• How do I continue my path to becoming a really proficient motorcyclist?
• Who is willing to ride with a newbie and help mentor me?

And, if you failed the class, you may be thinking:

• What do I do NOW if I really want to get my license?
• Who will help me get myself motivated and prepared to try again?

Thanks to 2wheeltips member, Thundurburd, we have added these topics to the site.  Thundurburd pointed out to us how important it is to continue the learning process even after the BRC is over.  Anyone who took the BRC without ever having sat on a motorcycle before knows that, even once you have successfully graduated from the class, you are far from experienced.  You are a newbie, a novice with lots to learn.  After all, you learned to ride on a protected range, and public roads have all kinds of realities that the range cannot simulate (inclines, tight curves, all kinds of road debris and impediments).  Here, we offer videos, blogs and forums that will help you as you continue the learning process and make your way to becoming a proficient motorcyclist.  And, if you failed to pass the BRC the first time around, we understand that, too.  Not everyone passes the first time they take the class.  Perhaps there are issues that you need to understand better in order to complete the class successfully. 

Either way, watch our videos, read our blogs, send us your questions and link up with other bikers who can also help guide you on improving your ride!