Motorcycle Nation Podcast

Stupid kills. Yeah, I said it. Let me give you an example from this weekend. As most of you know, I am a motorcycle safety instructor in the ABATE of Indiana program and I also am a certified state motorcycle license examiner. Saturday morning I was testing the 60 people that showed up and this older gentleman was there to take the test. When it came time for his group to take the test I read the disclaimer and explained the first test sequence. When I asked if there were any questions he looked at me like he was unsure if he could do what I just asked him to do. He said, “I am 63 years old!” I replied, “Yeah.” The group erupted in laughter, which was not my intention as I do not go out of my way to embarrass anyone.

I ran the group through the sharp left turn and normal stop and this guy loses points on both. If you can not perform these skills then there is no way you can do the weave and the u-turn. I failed him right after the weave. In Indiana you can test up to 3 times on a learner’s permit. If you fail 3 times you have to retake the written test and wait 30 days before you can test again. But, they allow you to test twice in the same day if you choose. Well this guy decided to go for the second test. I got him through the turn and stop again and, of course, he failed in the weave and u-turn again. He tried pleading his case before we started the weave by telling me that he was disabled and he never rides his bike over 45 mph anyway. I told him that he probably should not be riding a motorcycle then. His reply was that he had medication for his disability. I told him that if he took meds that he definitely did not need to be riding and he probably is not supposed to be driving a car. He made sure that I knew that he was allowed to drive a car.

Bottom line. Stupid kills. I failed him on the spot. My name is not going on a permit saying that he even has the basic skills to operate a motorcycle.

Ride Safe
Steve & the MC Nation

Literally. Seeing red. How many times has this played out in your experiences? You pull up to a red light and bring your motorcycle to a smooth, safe stop. Cross traffic begins to thin and you prepare to proceed through the light to your destination. As the cross traffic begins to come to a stop, you begin to anticipate the changing of the light by easing your clutch into the friction zone and letting the motorcycle slowly start to edge forward. Just then it happens. The traffic traveling the opposite direction begins to proceed but your light does not change. You wait as the same scenario of thinning out takes place and then they come to a stop and cross traffic begins to move again. You begin to see red. Literally. In more ways than one.

This is a problem everywhere. The sensors buried in the pavement are supposed to detect the metal mass above them to trigger a light change. Most cities have the sensitivity set to detect automobiles which have far more mass to them than a motorcycle. So, you do not get detected sitting there and you see more and more red as the lights cycle. So, what options do we have when faced with this predicament? Wait for a car to pull up or run the light are about our only options outside of purchasing a “Green Light Trigger”, a device that proclaims the ability to trigger the sensors. I am somewhat skeptical of this, but if any of you readers have first hand knowledge, let us know.

California has taken measures to mandate that any new installations have sensitivity settings that will detect motorcycles and even bicycles. Other states have passed red-light laws. These laws allow you to safely proceed through the red light if the light is not being triggered. My experience has been that most occurrences happen in left turn lanes, but my research has shown that it often happens at throughways as well. Either way, it is a frustrating experience when your choice is to wait or illegally run the light.

The states that are allowing motorcycles to safely proceed through the light, legally, if it will not trigger have provided a simple approach to solving the problem without spending taxpayer money. Hats off to Minnesota for leading the charge to allowing this law back in 2003. Since then, Tennessee, Arkansas, Idaho, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and South Carolina have seen the light as well (no pun intended). There are currently proposed bills in Oklahoma, Georgia, and Missouri. I like this law. My only problem is that there are irresponsible motorcyclists out there that will not safely check for traffic and will lose their lives. When this happens, the cries will not cease to echo in the halls of the state legislatures. If you live in one of the states that allow this action, please be responsible and be safe. Let’s show the safetycrats that this can work and see if we can’t get it adopted in other states as well.

As always, I encourage your comments whether you agree with me or not!
Ride Safe
Steve & the MC Nation

Some states have mandated that anyone wanting to obtain a motorcycle endorsement on their license must pass a motorcycle safety course. This brings up many issues. I will be blogging on this subject in the next few days.

I want to ask you, whether your ride a motorcycle or not, do you agree that a rider safety course should be mandatory? Leave it in comments!

Thanks for your support!

Steve and the MC Nation

The local newspaper, The Indianapolis Star, ran a story about a young man that lost his life in a motorcycle accident this weekend. The reporter actually only told part of the story, which is a little surprising. Normally the first thing reported is that the motorcyclist was not wearing a helmet. It is not even mentioned in this story. But, don’t stop there. Check out the comments left on the story and you will start to see other information. I did not know this person personally but I am friends with people that were close to him.

I was told that there was a history of extremely fast riding. I heard from one of my sources, even before I read the comments for the story, that the estimated speed was 130 mph. There was a hill in the area of the accident and at the estimated speed, or a much lower speed, it would be impossible to stop the motorcycle prior to impact after cresting the hill. i also received information that the skid marks were in excess of 40 feet long. What reason is there to run that type of speed on any road meant for general transportation? Some people want to ban motorcycles for actions such as this. Others want to ban sportbikes only. You could almost compare it to the handgun issue that we have here in the United States. Guns do not kill people,the person pulling the trigger does. Motorcycles do not run 130 mph without someone there to roll on that throttle. It is all about responsibility. I know hundreds of people that ride sportbikes that have never seen speeds over 75 mph which would pass on almost any highway here. Responsibility.

We are shooting ourselves in the foot. We are bringing unnecessary negative attention to our nation and we need to stop. Look at the comments to the story. Funkyzero writes that their children will never ride a motorcycle. MissLinda basically said that most people have problems with the riders. The problem is that when people see someone running at light speed, performing a stoppie, or riding a wheelie down the highway, they don’t differentiate between a responsible rider and an irresponsible one. They see a motorcycle. So, all motorcyclists are irresponsible in their eyes.

This situation is a very unfortunate one but definitely one that could have easily been avoided. Irresponsibility is a stereotype that we can not afford to have tagged on us. Let’s police our nation and save lives at the same time. Our thoughts go out to both families and anyone who is affected by the senseless death.

Ride Safe

Steve and the MC Nation

Seems like every time I look at the weather forecast this week all I see is rain today, thunderstorms tomorrow, rain Thursday, blah, blah, blah. I am so sick of rain I can’t see straight. I also know that things could be worse. That rain that we are getting right now could be snow and that would be even worse. But, life moves on rain and all. I have been teaching a weeknight motorcycle safety class this week and rain is one of the biggest fears of many riders, experienced or inexperienced. So, I thought that I would drop a few quick tips on you. I have struggled the past 24 hours to think of a topic for the post today and it has been in front of me the whole time. Go figure!

Being prepared is the first step to riding in the rain, and what I mean by being prepared is to have your choice of rain gear with you. Some people seem not to mind getting caught in the rain in pants and a t-shirt. The problem is that the longer you ride in that condition, the more apt you are to grow frustrated and uncomfortable. So we prepare ourselves for riding in the rain by having raingear available. There are different types of raingear and all different materials. You can purchase a one or two piece suit. It is advisable to choose gear that fits over your normal riding gear. Look for suits that have retro-reflective piping or patches built in for visibility (remember our earlier post on See and Be Seen?). It should also have elastic around the ankles and wrists for a snug, waterproof fit and rain flaps that cover all zippered areas. Some riders also choose to purchase a special type of glove for wet weather riding.

After our gear, we should make sure that our motorcycle is safe to ride in the rain which mostly entails insuring that we have a good set of tires that are not overly worn. Lack of sufficient tread will not allow the tire to disperse the rain correctly and could cause hydroplaning. That is one butt puckering situation that I don’t want to find myself in! We should also have good brakes but there are issues with that that we will discuss further here shortly.

Now it comes to the riding. The first point to make here is that if you are out and it just starts to rain, you should pull off the road and wait out about the first fifteen minutes. During daily highway travel, our friendly automobiles and trucks are leaking oil and it deposits itself on the roadway, usually down the center. During the first minutes of the rain, those oils and antifreeze rise to the top and make the surface slick. The slick stuff will eventually work itself to the side of the road and allow for safer riding. Basically, there is one action that we, as riders, can take in any situation that poses a hazard and that is to simply slow down. When riding in the rain, back off the throttle and don’t be in any big hurry. You also do not want to make any sudden moves such as a quick press of the handgrips to quickly change lanes. Make it a gradual, smooth press and keep as upright as possible on the slick surface.

If your motorcycle is equipped with disc brakes, you must allow for a greater stopping distance. When the discs are wet your stopping distance will double or triple at least. Keep this in mind. And finally, relax. Do not get in the panic mode and stiff arm the handlebars. You must ride with the gentleness and finesse that you do in other weather. Stiff arming the motorcycle will just make it more difficult to maneuver and stress you out even more. If you feel stress during the rain dance, park the motorcycle and wait the rain out.

Gotta Go

It is raining and I gotta ride!

Ride Safe

HarleyMac1 and the MC Nation

Yesterday I received a phone call from the ABATE state office asking if I would be able to show up at the safety site to meet up with two fellow instructors / site coordinators. Our local Fox news affiliate (WXIN FOX59) wanted to do some live feeds during the morning newscast concerning our motorcycle safety program. The past few years we have gone to their studios and posed in front of a few motorcycles and gave a quick overview of how our program works and our mission. Having live feeds from a site was a little different and we were wondering what the spin was going to be.

In recent light of US Transportation Secretary Mary Peters recent request to raid the funds earmarked for motorcycle safety (see letter to Dick Cheney here http://www.mrf.org/pdf/Dick-Cheney.pdf [a duplicate was sent to Nancy Pelosi in the House of Representatives]) to use towards the promotion of helmet usage, we were expecting to be asked about mandatory helmet laws. To our surprise, the subject never came up. It was a nice interview that really focused on our program and what we offer the Indiana motorcyclist. They asked many good questions about how we train and what we focus on.

I hope that there were many viewers this morning as I expect that motorcycle sales are going to rise along with the price of gas. More people are looking for an economic way to commute and the motorcycle is one of the most efficient and boasts gas mileage at least double most automobiles on the road. It is an excellent alternative mode of transportation and a way to save money, but it is not for everyone. My concern, and I am sure the concern of many others, is that we will have this onslaught of new riders with no experience attempting to teach themselves because the rider safety courses just do not have the resources to keep up with the demand. Fatalities will rise and with that rise comes the push for helmets and the increase in motorcycle insurance across the board.

Don’t get me wrong here. I encourage the use of helmets and I wear mine all the time. I must confess that that was not always the case. I started wearing my helmet religiously in 2004 after I hit a deer and went down. Luckily, I had just shaved my head for the first time a couple of months earlier and my head was cold that morning so I wore my helmet, only to keep my head warm. But, I do not agree with mandatory helmet laws. I believe in freedom of choice. I want to open this up to all of you. I don’t think anyone can argue that wearing a helmet is the smart choice. But, what are your thoughts on mandatory helmet usage? Fire away in comments and invite your friends to do the same.

Until next time!

Ride Safe

HarleyMac1 and the MC Nation

The two most critical things that are required for safe motorcycle operation are see and be seen. See means to position yourself in the most advantageous position that allows you to see ahead and to the side so that you can search for potential hazards. Seeing not only involves being able to scan to the front and sides, but also scanning for potential hazards from the rear, like that dump truck bearing down on you that does not see the light is red. Knowing he (or she) is coming is step one in stoplight / stopsign survival but the most important one. If you don’t know what is coming, knowing how to avoid it does not matter right? The other survival items are to not forget to downshift to first gear during the stop approach and to not sit at a stop with your motorcycle in neutral. Seeing that dump truck getting ready to run up your back does not do any good if you are not prepared to get out of the way.

Being seen is the most challenging part of motorcycling. How many times have you heard a car driver say, “I did not even see them!”? So, you wanted to turn left across oncoming traffic to go to the store. You were paying attention to traffic but you never saw the 275 pound biker riding his motorcycle with a headlight on high beam and two bright driving lights, one on each side of the headlight, shining brightly? You did not see him so you went ahead and made that turn right in front of him and he smashed into the side of your car? Give me a break. But, you must still strive to make yourself more noticeable in traffic. An accessory that can be used with the headlight to draw more attention to the motorcycle from the front is a modulating headlight. Modulators are not legal in all states or countries so check with your local law enforcement before installing. Modulators change the intensity of the headlight many times during a minute to make them cycle between bright and brighter. Picture the headlights on most police vehicles when they have someone stopped. The use of modulators came about because of the automobile industry. Many states allow the running of high beams during the day to bring more attention to the motorcycles. When the automobile industry started manufacturing cars and trucks with daytime running lights motorcyclists needed a new way to stick out in traffic. Modulators was the solution.

Not only are the bright lights on the front of the motorcycle a good way to do this, bright lights on the back of the motorcycle help as well. There are many accessories out today that help to bring attention to the back of the motorcycle. There are taillight bulbs that utilize LED’s to make them brighter than your normal brake light / taillight combo. You also have replacement bulbs that have a scrolling type pattern that constantly moves until you apply the brakes. These bulbs, along with many other variables of brake lights and license plate frame lights also blink a pattern at the first application of the brakes and then go solid as a normal. These are other attention getters and could help you stay alive. Check out the catalogs for available accessories as there at too many to mention in this blog post.

Another way to be seen is by your clothing. Bright colors and retroreflective materials are excellent ways to try to insure that other road users see you. I read an insurance industry survey a couple of years ago that polled automobile drivers and they were asked what color of motorcycle helmet was most noticeable as they drove on the road. Any ideas? I thought of red or yellow. The answer…white. So, when choosing riding gear, make sure that you choose bright colors and make sure that it has retroreflective materials built in. Retroflective materials will light you up at night. And for those of you that choose to not wear a helmet, maybe you could paint your bald head, like mine, with some reflective paint!

Finally, another excellent way to be seen is, again, to choose the proper lane and lane position. If you are riding on a two lane road and you are following an RV, is your best choice of lane position to be seen over closest to the line on the shoulder of the road? Can oncoming traffic see you? No, your best position is against the center line. This lets the oncoming traffic see your headlight and it also allows the RV driver to see you in his side mirror. Lane choice and lane position are constant changing matters and you will need to adjust them according to the current situation.

See and Be Seen. Live to ride tomorrow. Now that we have covered some early season safety tips we are going to move on in the upcoming posts. It’s time to ride and we are going to get into that and start talking some industry stuff along with some great rides.

Until next time!

Ride Safe

HarleyMac1 and The MC Nation

Spring has sprung in many parts and motorcyclists are starting to wipe the dust off the motorcycle and hitting the road. Before you ever throw your leg over that seat and kick up the sidestand there are some things that you should give thought to and take action on. First off, any mechanic will tell you that you should change your oil and filter. The temperature changes that your motorcycle experienced over the winter allowed condensation and your oil may have lost some of the protection level that it provided before the winter as this introduced water. Another good thought is to change the spark plugs. Using a new, fresh set of plugs each season gives you optimum performance.

Perhaps the most important mechanical check you can do is to inspect your tires and check the air pressure. Why is this the most important? The other two items that I discussed are related to the mechanical operation of the motorcycle. Tires are related to operation of the motorcycle as well, but they are also the only things that are keeping your butt from sliding across the pavement. Check those tires for evidence of dry rot. Are there any nicks or slices in the sidewalls? Any nails or other items in the tread that may cause pressure loss? Pull out your motorcycle owner’s manual and get the manufacturer recommended tire pressures. If you are high or low, make the appropriate change. Remember, set the tire pressure for the type of riding you will be doing for that day. “That day?”, you ask. Yes, those tire pressures should be checked every day and adjusted for either one up or two up riding. Check your manual. I would guess that there are many of you that have never looked. You are putting yourself and your passenger’s life in jeopardy if you are not using correct tire pressures for the loading.

Another good idea is to check your lights and signals. You don’t want to be oblivious to a burnt out bulb and have that approaching car not receive some kind of signal that you want to turn left across their lane. They are bad enough when you do have a working signal, but let’s not tempt fate here.

Give that motorcycle a good inspection and then turn to your safety gear. Make sure that everything is in good shape from last year. Did you forget about that rip in your rain jacket that is going to open up like the Hoover Dam in the next rain storm? Could you use a new shield on that full face helmet? Do you need new riding boots? Make yourself as prepared as your motorcycle.

Here is hoping that you have a safe and memorable riding season. If you come across a good destination, have a funny riding story to tell, or get great service from a dealer make sure you let us know at Harleymac1@mac.com You just might hear your story on The Motorcycle Nation Podcast (MC Nation) which will be making it’s debut soon.

Ride Safe

HarleyMac1 and The MC Nation