mika
Still Wondering
Thursday, 12 August
On the Street
After putting down my buck and getting my coffee and change I talked with some fellow riders at the local official fly-over-land coffee shop. I am a little grumpy and not all that fired up after this.
The motorcycle in my patch of fly-over-land prairrie has been filled with motorcycle fatalities the past couple of days. In all the cases the cyclists have been hit by 4 wheeled machines and were in no way at fault. The discussion around the coffee pot at the official fly-over-land coffee shop was about the small penalties the law calls for in cases such as these. Two drivers caused five deaths in two accidents. There is the potential that between them they could serve as little as 25 years or five years per life.
I have no idea what the sentence min/max should be. No matter what the penalty handed down it will not restore the lives of these riders. Those seeking vengance are often cautioned to dig two graves, one for the subject and one for themselves. Yet I am at a loss to accept the low value put on these rider's lives by the law.
Our favorite pass time is dangerous. There is no getting around that no matter how you package the bike, the rider or the road when cagers cross medians or run down from behind bikes that are being safely operated. That said it remains our responsibility to trained and alert. I was reminded o this when I checked my RSS feeds from BMW.
Increasing Number of Motorcyclists Demands Increased Attention to Rider Safety
11.08.2010
Press Release
Woodcliff Lake, NJ  August 11, 2010 Summers here and more motorcyclists are hitting the roads than ever before. According to a recent survey by the Motorcycle Industry Council, the number of motorcycles owned and used in America grew 19 percent since 2003. That means an estimated 25 million people  equal to the population of Michigan!  swung a leg over a bike and rode last year.
Baby boomers, many with their children grown and more time or their hands, make up 44 percent of all riders, according to the survey. Unfortunately, riders 40 and older also make up a large portion of motorcycle accidents, with fatalities in this group nearly quadrupling in the last 10 years, reports the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Forty-five percent of those fatalities were caused by rider error.
ÔÇ£Summer is a prime time for motorcycle accidents,ÔÇØ says Jim Millard, lead motorcycle instructor at the BMW Performance Driving School in Greer, S.C. ÔÇ£More motorcyclists and automobiles are sharing the road than at any other time during the year.ÔÇØ
Millard suggests that riders take a refresher course with a qualified instructor before venturing out, and offers these rider safety tips:
When riding, keep the eyes scanning! ItÔÇÖs imperative that you look way ahead and gather information early so you have time to react. Always ÔÇ£lead" the bike with your eyes by looking where you intend to go. This means looking through a cornerbefore you ask the bike to negotiate the corner.
Understand your bikes braking capabilities. ItÔÇÖs a good idea for riders to know their bikeÔÇÖs ability to slow down. This can be a scary thing to learn, so a lot of riders don't learn it until they NEED their brakesÔÇÖ full potential and that is not the time to learn it. Good rider training classes will have a session on braking techniques and these exercises will give you the confidence and understanding of how to utilize your brakes effectively in an emergency situation. This should include bikes with and without ABS.
The BMW Performance Center offers motorcycle training classes for on- and off-road enthusiasts. Sessions range from classroom instruction and drills on-site at the BMW Performance CenterÔÇÖs on- or off-road courses to an all-inclusive guided three-day GS Adventure Ride traversing the back roads of the western Carolinas and eastern Tennessee.
For information or reservations, call (888) 345-4269, or click on the following
link: http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Content/Experience/Events/PDS/ProgramsandCourses/Motorcycle.aspx
Bike Candy
via: theKneeSlider.com
Fred Krugger took top honors in the AMD World Cahmpionship of Custom Bike Building for 2010 with his Veon Project. The trick feature of this bike is the adjustable frame designed by Mark van der Kwaak.
Electronic suspension systems offered by many manufacturers such as BMW allow riders t adjust various elements of ride control to provide a range from comfort mode to hard core racer. van der Kwaak's design gives the rider adjustments over a range from cuiser to racer modes by actually adjusting the chassis itself.
Cruiser Mode
Race Mode
Cruiser Racer Seat Height 23.8 inches 30.5 inches
Rake 30 degrees 23 degrees
Trail 4.7 inches 3.1 inches
Wheel Base 63.4 inches 60.4 inches
Ground Clearance 6.7 inches 9.3 inches
H-D's V-Rod engine powers this beast. The V-Rod has been much better received in the European market than in the US and has been used much more extensively in custom builds. Krugger has used it in at least two projects you will find on his web site. He takes a straight forward way of dealing with the fuel delivery system air requirements with a pair of velocity stacks poking out along the center line of the gas tank.
Interesting bike.
I am going to switch to root beer and maybe go for a ride this evening. I hope I am in a better mood after.
On the Street
After putting down my buck and getting my coffee and change I talked with some fellow riders at the local official fly-over-land coffee shop. I am a little grumpy and not all that fired up after this.
The motorcycle in my patch of fly-over-land prairrie has been filled with motorcycle fatalities the past couple of days. In all the cases the cyclists have been hit by 4 wheeled machines and were in no way at fault. The discussion around the coffee pot at the official fly-over-land coffee shop was about the small penalties the law calls for in cases such as these. Two drivers caused five deaths in two accidents. There is the potential that between them they could serve as little as 25 years or five years per life.
I have no idea what the sentence min/max should be. No matter what the penalty handed down it will not restore the lives of these riders. Those seeking vengance are often cautioned to dig two graves, one for the subject and one for themselves. Yet I am at a loss to accept the low value put on these rider's lives by the law.
Our favorite pass time is dangerous. There is no getting around that no matter how you package the bike, the rider or the road when cagers cross medians or run down from behind bikes that are being safely operated. That said it remains our responsibility to trained and alert. I was reminded o this when I checked my RSS feeds from BMW.
Increasing Number of Motorcyclists Demands Increased Attention to Rider Safety
11.08.2010
Press Release
Woodcliff Lake, NJ  August 11, 2010 Summers here and more motorcyclists are hitting the roads than ever before. According to a recent survey by the Motorcycle Industry Council, the number of motorcycles owned and used in America grew 19 percent since 2003. That means an estimated 25 million people  equal to the population of Michigan!  swung a leg over a bike and rode last year.
Baby boomers, many with their children grown and more time or their hands, make up 44 percent of all riders, according to the survey. Unfortunately, riders 40 and older also make up a large portion of motorcycle accidents, with fatalities in this group nearly quadrupling in the last 10 years, reports the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Forty-five percent of those fatalities were caused by rider error.
ÔÇ£Summer is a prime time for motorcycle accidents,ÔÇØ says Jim Millard, lead motorcycle instructor at the BMW Performance Driving School in Greer, S.C. ÔÇ£More motorcyclists and automobiles are sharing the road than at any other time during the year.ÔÇØ
Millard suggests that riders take a refresher course with a qualified instructor before venturing out, and offers these rider safety tips:
When riding, keep the eyes scanning! ItÔÇÖs imperative that you look way ahead and gather information early so you have time to react. Always ÔÇ£lead" the bike with your eyes by looking where you intend to go. This means looking through a cornerbefore you ask the bike to negotiate the corner.
Understand your bikes braking capabilities. ItÔÇÖs a good idea for riders to know their bikeÔÇÖs ability to slow down. This can be a scary thing to learn, so a lot of riders don't learn it until they NEED their brakesÔÇÖ full potential and that is not the time to learn it. Good rider training classes will have a session on braking techniques and these exercises will give you the confidence and understanding of how to utilize your brakes effectively in an emergency situation. This should include bikes with and without ABS.
The BMW Performance Center offers motorcycle training classes for on- and off-road enthusiasts. Sessions range from classroom instruction and drills on-site at the BMW Performance CenterÔÇÖs on- or off-road courses to an all-inclusive guided three-day GS Adventure Ride traversing the back roads of the western Carolinas and eastern Tennessee.
For information or reservations, call (888) 345-4269, or click on the following
link: http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Content/Experience/Events/PDS/ProgramsandCourses/Motorcycle.aspx
Bike Candy
via: theKneeSlider.com
Fred Krugger took top honors in the AMD World Cahmpionship of Custom Bike Building for 2010 with his Veon Project. The trick feature of this bike is the adjustable frame designed by Mark van der Kwaak.
Electronic suspension systems offered by many manufacturers such as BMW allow riders t adjust various elements of ride control to provide a range from comfort mode to hard core racer. van der Kwaak's design gives the rider adjustments over a range from cuiser to racer modes by actually adjusting the chassis itself.
Cruiser Mode
Race Mode
Cruiser Racer Seat Height 23.8 inches 30.5 inches
Rake 30 degrees 23 degrees
Trail 4.7 inches 3.1 inches
Wheel Base 63.4 inches 60.4 inches
Ground Clearance 6.7 inches 9.3 inches
H-D's V-Rod engine powers this beast. The V-Rod has been much better received in the European market than in the US and has been used much more extensively in custom builds. Krugger has used it in at least two projects you will find on his web site. He takes a straight forward way of dealing with the fuel delivery system air requirements with a pair of velocity stacks poking out along the center line of the gas tank.
Interesting bike.
I am going to switch to root beer and maybe go for a ride this evening. I hope I am in a better mood after.