2Wheeltips

As a father you would do anything to keep your child safe. There should be no difference when it comes to them riding as a passenger on a motorcycle!

My daughter has been riding with me since she was four years old and has been riding for four years. Let me tell you that it's been a blast for both of us, it's something we can share and enjoy together. We try to ride as much as we can, school drop-offs/pick-ups, shopping, visits to grandparents house and windy rides along the river.

But, before this wonderful adventure began; I wanted to make sure that we did it right! My initial thought was a harness, research on children riding motorcycles had confirmed some reservations that I had on certain techniques and opened my eyes to things I didn't think about.

The obvious one for me was proper attire and a well fitting helmet; this just made sense, or because my daughter was so young, I knew getting thwapped by a junebug and holding up an oversided adult helmet would not be enjoyable or comfortable for her. The other factor is to be prepared for any circumstance and that the helmets inability to do it's job if it does not fit right.

The technique I was never fond of was the thought of having my daughter ride in front of me on the motorcycle. I came across an article that talked about a child slipping and the choice of letting go of the handlbars to catch them...and you know where this is leading! If you let go of the handlebars (even with one hand) what else are you probably not focusing on? Yup, your eyes on the road. So, probably more than likely this progression of events is not going to end well. Also, not a choice or a scene that I would want to be stuck with replaying over and over in my mind.

So, the one item I did not think about was the fact that children can fall asleep from the vibration of the motorcycle. If it's not good to have the child sitting in front of you, now they are in back of you, with the potential to fall asleep! This completely solidified my thought of a harness that would secure her in place just in case.

The next task was finding a harness, there were belt devices that the driver wears that has loops on both sides of the rider for the child to hang on to. This was a nice setup, but a child can easily let go of the loop if they fall asleep; nothing is going to prevent them from dozing off to one side or the other. Also, with my daughter being four years old; one is trusting she'll remember what she needs to do and the other is the strength to hang on for a sustained amount of time. Keeping all these considerations in mind and some lengthy searching, I finally found the Child Riding Belt (www.childridingbelt.com).


It seemed to fit the needs that I was looking for, the ability for my daughter to ride securely behind me without the dependency of her having to hang on and in the case of her falling asleep there would be no chance of her falling off!

I can attest that this device has been great; my daughter has worn this on rides for the past four years. Over that time we have put on a couple thousand miles together and not had any issues with it. She has fallen asleep once and the harness kept her on the bike securely. I know because my back was the pillow :)

The way the harness works, there is a belt that goes around the driver, there is a foam pad between that belt and the harness for the child. This is great keeping a slight distance so the child is not pressed right up on the back of the driver. They even put two handles on the foam pad that the child can hang onto if they desire. The harness has straps that go from the bottom of the pad down around the childs upper legs and connect to the back of their belt along with straps from the top of the pad over the childs shoulders to the back part of their belt. The shoulder straps can not slip off because they are ajoined by a neck pad that supplies padding and stability for their neck.

My original goal was to have her ride to feel comfortable with and not intimidated by the motorcycle, to appreciate and respect it for what it is. What I didn't realize is what we were going to gain together, to watch her grow up on the bike and see the changes has been something I will always cherish! Our first ride, I told her to hang-on and when we stopped I found that she bruised her little hands from hanging on too tight. From then she has felt comfortable enough to not hang on and wave to the shadows as we ride along. To this year being excited to not wear the harness on short trips and hanging on to the passenger handles. That's my girl!!!

If you are contemplating having your child ride with you, I would encourage you to do your own research. My hope is that this little writeup gets you thinking about the safety issues involved and to do it right! It will make the ride for you both more relaxing and enjoyable, which will then allow it to grow into a time to cherish. Because we all know how fast our children are growing up and soon (I hope) they will be asking when they can have their own motorcycle, then maybe we've nurtured a riding companion for life!

On March 5th, Sport Honda Powerhouse in Metuchen, NJ hosted its first Safety Day.  The whole day was dedicated to motorcycling safety issues and was co-sponsored by the NJ Gold Wing Road Riders Association and Rider Education of NJ.  Lots of people showed up and there were plenty of activities and seminars to take in.  Although I didn't get a chance to attend the seminars, etc., I saw lots of people assembled to learn about all types of safety issues.  Sport Honda has a great meeting room that is adjacent to their service area and while they were conducting seminars there, other visitors could wander around the showroom, take a look at all the Honda bikes and scooters that Sport Honda has available, grab something to eat and drink, and just enjoy the company of so many motorcyclists who not only enjoy riding, but enjoy riding SAFELY!  Kudos to Sport Honda for hosting their first motorcycle safety day….I am looking forward to safety day being an annual event!!

Rider Education Article
by Gene Knutson
International Director, Rider Education

Deadly Motorcycle Accident Statistics
Take a look at the statistics below if you think riding without a motorcycle helmet is a good way to save money.
With the number of U.S. motorcyclist deaths jumping 78% to 5,154 in 2007 from 2,897 in 2000, a recent University of Southern California study points to the wearing of a helmet as the major factor in surviving a motorcycle crash.

Below are additional statistics that explain why motorcycle insurance premiums continue to rise.

Motorcycle Fatality Statistics:
Although motorcycles represent only 3% of all registered vehicles in the United States, motorcyclists accounted for 13% of total traffic fatalities in 2007.  Per registered vehicle, the fatality rate for both motorcycle operators and passengers is 5.5 times higher than that for passenger car occupants.  Per vehicle mile traveled, motorcyclists are about 35 times more likely to die in a car crash than people traveling in passenger cars.
These findings are among the most recent statistics released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Deadly Motorcycle Crash Statistics:
During 2007, 50% of all fatal motorcycle crashes involved collisions with another type of motor vehicle in transport. Of these two-vehicle crashes, 78% of motorcycles involved were struck from the front. Only 5% were struck from the rear.  In 25% of fatal motorcycle crashes, the motorcyclists crashed into a fixed object like a telephone pole or a concrete abutment.   Speeding was a factor in 36% of fatal motorcycle crashes during 2007.  This compares with 24% for passenger cars, 19% for light trucks and 8% for large trucks.  Florida (530), California (495) and Texas (375) had the highest number of motorcycle fatalities in 2007.

Fewer Motorcyclists Wear Helmets:
The NHTSA estimates that helmets saved 1,784 motorcyclists from death in 2007. If all motorcyclists had worn helmets, an additional 800 lives could have been saved.  Helmets are considered to be 37% effective in preventing fatal injuries to motorcyclists. This means for every 100 motorcyclists killed in crashes while not wearing a helmet, 37 of them could have been saved had all 100 worn helmets.
Sadly, use of motorcycle helmets in the U.S. has declined by 13 percentage points to 58% in 2007 from 71% in 2000.
Remember, in an accident your head is usually one of the first parts of your body to feel the impact.  Why chance it, wear a helmet and continue to see the sunrise tomorrow.

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!""

Here is something many riders don't know about. The age of your motorcycle tires is just as important as the depth of the tread.

Why? Because motorcycle tire rubber is soft....much softer than the rubber in your car tires. And it has to be....soft rubber grips the road very well and lets you ride those twisty roads with confidence. It is also why motorcycle tires wear much faster than car tires.

Because they are softer, they will dry out and crack as they get old. Once this happens it doesn't matter if it is a brand new tire or one with a few hundred miles, it is dangerous to use because old motorcycle tires are slippery. They have less grip and increased braking distance which could get you into a crash.




If you ride 2000 miles a year (the estimated average for bikers in the U.S.) or more, you will wear your tires out before they "age" out. If all you do is ride to the local bike night and back a few times a month, you will have hard cracked tires with plenty of tread.

How do you tell the age of the tire? That's simple. It is right on the sidewall....but it is encoded.

The first 2 numbers are the week of the year the tire was made and the last 2 numbers are the year.  So this tire was made the 13th week of 2004.....sometime around the 1st week of April 2004.

Knowing the tire age has a few uses:

Buying used bikes
When buying a used bike, you definitely want to check the tire age. If the tires are over 5 years old, use the tire age to negotiate a better price. You will need to replace those tires soon.

Dealers with leftover bikes
Due to the economy, many motorcycle dealers have brand new 2007 - 2009 bikes.......with old tires. Even brand new bikes have tires that are at least 1 year old on them. So a "new" 2007 bike could have tires made in 2005. Here is a chance for you to ask for a price break or have the dealer put newer tires on the bike as part of the deal.

Websites that sell discount tires
Why do you think some websites (I won't name any here) sell motorcycle tires for 65% - 75% off? Because they are old. Some of them have been sitting around in storage for 6 or 7 years. If you order from a discount tire website, let them know up front you will not accept any tires that are over 18 months old. If they ship them anyway, refuse the order.

I hope this helps.

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.

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). 

All of this stuff happens every single day and riders can avoid twisted ankles, deep cuts and burnt legs if they would just put some clothes on.

By the way, the picture here is from a motorcycle injury....

 

 

In addition to having an ICE entry in your cell phone, check out this neat little gadget to attach to any helmet - bicycle, motorcycle, etc., for emergency responders to gain quick access to vital information, even before having to remove the helmet. In addition to having this for yourself, put it on your kid's bike helmet. And it's cheap enough for that little bit of extra security.

http://vitalid.ca/store/Scripts/prodView_sport.asp?idproduct=19

We just got this from our contact and Snell Foundation, the company that does helmet testing.  Their new motorcycle helment certification M2010, is the highest motorcycle helmet standard in the world. Helmets with this certification are coming to the market now and this site have information on the M2010 testing and other helmet safety info.

http://www.snellm2010.org/

I know…you like the look of that novelty helmet that you saw on someone and you know that you would look GREAT in the same helmet….  Riding down the road on your cruiser, wind in your face,  that's the ride and the look for you!  You'd ride without a helmet if only your state allowed it, so the novelty helmet is the next best thing, right?  After all, something is better than nothing, and you won't be pulled over for riding without a helmet.  All is good on the road, right?  Well, perhaps you should think again.

Complain all you want about the government getting involved in your personal business by requiring you to wear a helmet, but it's not the state official who will be injured if you crash with no head protection.  And, personally, I just want you to understand a little more about novelty helmets before you convince yourself that they do anything to help you in the case of a crash or fall.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tested some novelty helmets to see how they performed against the DOT certification.  All the novelty helmets tested failed.  I repeat…..all of the novelty helmets test failed. Not only did they fail but the test results even state that you have a "100-percent probability of brain injuries and skull fracture, indicating that the person wearing the helmet will sustain fatal head injuries."  Other findings from the tests….."All the novelty helmets failed to pass the impact attenuation, penetration, and helmet retention system requirements."

In plain english…..when they hit the ground, they will split open or get punctured by debris on the ground. What remains of the helmet will come off your head because the chin strap will stretch or snap from the stress of the impact. You will crack your skull and die or become a vegetable. Sounds nice, huh?

The bottom line is that your head gets little to no protection.  Good luck if your novelty helmet even remains on your head.  Most of the helmets tested could not even do that!  Some chin straps could be pulled off the helmet with a good yank. Why not just wear a baseball cap? They are cheaper and seem like they give the same amount of protection.

So, it seems to me, at least, that the choice is pretty clear.  Like your head?  Care about your brain?  Wear a helmet that is DOT and/or Snell certified.  Think about it now, before you need it, before you have an accident or fall…because if you wait until AFTER that accident or fall, it is too late.