Motorcycle Nation Podcast

The popular Rider’s Edge® (RE) motorcycle safety program offered by the Motor Company® has been at the heart of many discussions lately after it was announced that Buell production would end. The big question that has popped up is what is the future of RE without the use of the Buell Blast?

I have long thought that the Blast was a less than suitable training motorcycle. This is my opinion only, although if you asked the question to many of my colleagues you would get that same answer. There are two main reasons that I feel this way. The first lies in the single cylinder 492cc powerplant. This is too much power to put in the hands of a beginner who does not have the concept of throttle control and friction zone yet. The first reaction that a novice has when a motorcycle gets away from them is to apply a death grip to the handle bars. As we all know, in our right hand is the throttle which a death grip tends to roll on causing even more power transfer. This spells a bad day. A 125cc or 250cc motorcycle, while definitely still dangerous, is much less forgiving in the same situation.

The second reason I do not agree with the Blast as a trainer lies in the brakes. This motorcycle was produced, as best I can tell, with an entry level sportbike rider in mind. It is small because its secondary target market is made up of females. Again, my opinion. Because it is directed at the sport bike crowd it has extremely aggressive brakes. No other motorcycle class on the market can compare with the brakes on sportbikes. Low motorcycle weight paired with excellent brakes make sportbikes some of the quickest stopping bikes on the market. New riders tend to “attack” the brakes instead of reaching and squeezing the front brake lever. They also tend to stomp on the rear brake pedal instead of applying steady, even pressure. Doing either one of these can cause serious consequences, many times reason one. Panic hits, the deathgrip is applied, and we are in trouble again.

Those are my reasons. Now, back to the original question. With the demise of Buell, what will the future training bike of Rider’s Edge be? I discussed this with a RE provider and the answer I got is this. The government requires that manufacturers who cease production on a product continue to provide repair parts for a period of seven years. The RE program was also granted permission to use used motorcycles that they take in on trade provided they fully inspect them. This was prohibited in the original rules of the program. So, RE will continue to use Buell Blasts in the near future. The most surprising piece of information that I was able to get was that the Motor Company® has told the providers that they will have a new training unit available within five years. Whether this means that HD themselves will build it or that they will contract it out remains to be answered. Whatever route they take, I hope that they address the two problems that I have noted here for the sake of their students.

Ride Safe

Indiana motorcyclists are proud to have a Governor that not only rides a motorcycle, but is willing to get out and ride with the citizens of Indiana. Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels leads a few rides a year that travel the state making stops in small towns all over. The most recent ride, August 14th, was on a beautiful day and surprised many of the first time riders with the route snaking us through some Southern Indiana backroads that had enough curves you would have thought you were on the Tail of the Dragon at times. The best part was that this ride was escorted start to finish by the Indiana State Police Motorcycle Unit. Thank you Gents!

Indiana State Police Electra Glides provided escort.

Whoever ordered the weather up for this ride did well but could have turned the temperature dial back about 10 degrees. I am not sure how many miles were covered as I left after the second stop so I could get back to Indy in time to see the Colts preseason game. The two stops that I did make were Milan and Madison. Milan is famous for their 1954 winning of the state high school basketball championship. The small town team beat the largest high school powerhouses that year and was the team behind the movie Hoosiers. The second stop that I made was in Madison, a really neat town on the Ohio River that looks across into Kentucky. This town also has a famous side as it is the host of the Madison Regatta, a hydroplane racing event held annually on the river.

Ohio River at Madison, IN

Riding with the Governor is free and we had over 400 waivers signed for the ride. If you are in the Hoosier state I encourage you to come out next time and ride with us. No matter what your political party of choice is, it is encouraging to have a rider in charge. The motorcycle rides that the Governor puts on are about motorcycle awareness and when a reporter questioned him on Friday about helmets he made a great statement. He told them that he chooses to always wear a helmet but that education, not mandatory helmet laws is what will save lives. Way to go Governor!

Staging at the State Capitol building.

I recently wrote about the release of the two gentlemen that managed the motorcycle safety program for the State of Indiana through the Department of Education. The state said they were “downsizing” due to the economy and felt that someone else within the administration could oversee the program. This allowed them to cut two salaries from the payroll.

The Executive Director of ABATE of Indiana, Jay Jackson, met with Superintendent Dr. Tony Bennett last week. Dr. Bennett assured him that the state was proud of the program and Jay came out of the meeting feeling confident that the existence of the program is solid. That is good to hear for the thousands of motorcyclists that wish to take a safety course.

I still have a problem with the way this is being handled. My problem is that the state has potentially placed an important program, one that saves lives, into the hands of a non motorcyclist. There was also no thought given as to much of the behind the scenes requirements. The biggest one is the red tape involved with receiving the motorcycle safety and awareness grant money that is available from the federal government. How does this person that is responsible for the program now know the who and how to apply? Do they even care as a non motorcyclist?

I am going to get off my soapbox. I am disappointed that two men that were dedicated to motorcycle safety have been downsized. I am sure that there were plenty of areas in procurement where money could have been saved. Why is it people that had to go? I am still unsure if this is over but only time will tell. Until then, we will continue on as normal teaching the people of Indiana the safe aspects of operating a motorcycle.

I really don’t think that I have to tell anyone that. The economy is clearly in turmoil and has been for quite some time. As discussed in earlier posts and throughout the motorcycling media community, the motorcycle industry is not immune. I have researched and read of the state of the industry in many places over the past months about the slump in motorcycle sales which impacts accessories and clothing sales as well. Many companies have been slammed by this.

Fortunately, the slump has been nonexistent in my little world…until yesterday. Two close friends, very dedicated and professional men, were “downsized” due to the ecomony. I realize that this is happening all over the nation but these men held very important positions. I am not going to mention their names to maintain their privacy but many of you that read this will know who they are. These men worked for the Indiana Department of Education and one of their main responsibilities was the motorcycle safety education program for the state.

These men have dedicated well over 25 years each in the motorcycle safety arena. They have served as administrators of a state program, motorcycle safety instructors, and instructor trainers. They are involved with the State Motorcycle Safety Administrators (SMSA) and one has held a board position with the organization. Their names are well known all over the nation in the safety community and both are very well respected. Their leadership will be missed. I wish them luck.

Their surprise departure, told around mid morning that they were being let go without notice, leaves a void in the Indiana safety program. We have not been given any feedback as to who our contact will be with the state. You see, these two men were Indiana motorcycle safety. They wrote the contracts to the subs like ABATE. They managed the money that was used to run the program. Now they are gone.

So, as we feel sorrow for the loss of employment for these two men we face another question. What is the state of motorcycle safety in Indiana? Was this a political move disguised as “downsizing”? We just swore in a new Superintendent of the Department of Education earlier this year. Or, is the state truly in that large of a financial crisis? Only time will tell where this leads but two good men are now out of the work that they love. What a tragedy.