In
the words of my teenagers, my first
attempt at incorporating a survey
in our newsletter was an "epic
fail". I had not thought about
how to actually collect the participants'
name and email. In addition, it required
the user to select every answer whether
or not it was correct.
<sigh>
So.... I am here to apologize. I
have to do a little more testing before
we give it another whirl.
What's
New!
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Allstate’s Quote Donation Revs
Up Motorcycle Safety
Company pledges $5 to Road Guardians
for every new motorcycle insurance
quote
NORTHBROOK,
Ill. (October 11, 2010) – Motorcyclists
are about 37 times more likely than
car occupants to die in a crash, according
to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration,. Allstate is helping
bikers stay safe on the road by donating
$5 to Road Guardians for every person
who calls for a quote for motorcycle
insurance.
“I believe Allstate’s
coverage for cyclists is the best
there is. But, we know that regardless
of insurance coverage, a rider has
to take personal steps to ensure safety
on the road,” said Chuck Paul,
vice president of Allstate’s
emerging businesses. “Anyone
who gets a quote for their bike through
Allstate is helping their fellow riders
stay safe at the same time.”
Allstate’s quote donation program
with the Road Guardians will run through
December 31, 2010. Road Guardians
provides safety and education resources
to cyclists, including a first responder-based
curriculum that teaches riders how
to start proper & effective emergency
care at the scene of a motorcycle
accident until help arrives. To date,
nearly one-third of the students who’ve
received Road Guardians first-responder
training have used their skills within
three years of instruction.
“The funding from Allstate will
be used to help train and educate
road riders to be there for their
fellow cyclists when they need it
most,” said Vicki Sanfelipo,
president of Road Guardians. “We’re
working with Allstate to help save
lives by offering on-the-road training
to help prevent and respond to crashes.”
Riders who are interested in getting
a quote from Allstate that benefits
Road Guardians can call 877-871-0500
for a motorcycle insurance quote.
For every completed quote, $5 will
go to the Road Guardians.
DISCLAIMER: No purchase necessary.
Program applies to motorcycle insurance.
For each quote received, $5 will benefit
the Road Guardians. Maximum Allstate
donation is $100,000. Program donations
limited to quotes received beginning
now and ending December 31, 2010.
This promotion is not available in
AL, AK, ME, MA, NC, NY AND UT. The
Road Guardians name and logo are used
with its permission, which in no way
constitutes an endorsement, expressed
or implied, of any product, service,
company or individual.
About Allstate
The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL)
is the nation’s largest publicly
held personal lines insurer. Widely
known through the “You’re
In Good Hands With Allstate®”
slogan, Allstate is reinventing protection
and retirement to help more than 17
million households insure what they
have today and better prepare for
tomorrow. Consumers access Allstate
insurance products (auto, home, life
and retirement) and services through
Allstate agencies, independent agencies,
and Allstate exclusive financial representatives
in the U.S. and Canada, as well as
via www.allstate.com and 1-800 Allstate®.
We're Moving!!
Come check out the
open house on October 23, 2010.
As I write this month’s article
I am so filled with emotion! This
is an exciting time
for Road Guardians as we settle into
our new home in Big Bend Wisconsin.
We have brought many volunteers together
and through our partnerships we are
creating a Road Guardians compound,
a place for bikers to gather where
they can socialize and learn. Click
on this
link for our Oct. 23rd Open House
information and come see what
is sure to become a “destination”
for bikers! Our products and seminars/classes
will support the six areas of motorcycle
safety outlines in the National Agenda
for Motorcycle Safety. We will encourage
life long learning in a fun full service
environment. I am also concerned.
It seems that no matter how many opportunities
we provide for bikers to take a moment
of their lives to be “better
bikers” they find so many excuses
not to attend educational seminars
that I am left scratching my head…
Can’t attend because __________
(fill in the blank). I challenge each
one of you to plan to attend 1-2 educational
activities each year even if it means
that you have to give up a breakfast
ride or another charity run that has
nothing to do with motorcycling. We
do so much for others, taking 10%
of our time/finances to support our
own and reduce injuries and fatalities
to bikers should be a goal everyone
tries to achieve. The negative impact
on the motorcycling community as a
result of motorcycle crashes affects
us all and there is much that each
one of us can do to lessen that impact!
I am eagerly anticipating
2011 to see how opportunities that
Road Guardians is going to be able
to offer as we partner with Allstate
Insurance to bring this message of
six areas of motorcycle safety to
the motorcycling community! We have
partnered with Allstate to give talks
at all Allstate Garage major motorcycle
rally events, Cash for quotes ($5.00
goes to Road Guardians – just
call 877-871-0500 for your no obligation
quote and help us!!!!), we are working
with Allstate’s ONE campaign
to urge car drivers to “Look
Twice” and we are hosting or
annual Biker’s Betterment Conference
(BBC) in Chicago the last weekend
of March so mark your calendars!!!
This month we are featuring
Indiana personal injury firm, Sevenish
Law. Randy Sevenish and his wife,
Regina, are avid motorcyclists.
Excerpted from sevenishlaw.com: "The
attorney and staff of Sevenish Law
Firm know the dangers a motorcyclist
faces, because we ride too. We ride,
we understand motorcycle injury law,
we understand bikers and bikers trust
us. We've encountered near misses
ourselves and handled so many motorcycle
injury claims that know the questions
to ask:
-Was the other driver impaired
by alcohol or drugs?
-Was the other driver distracted?
(Driver inattention is the leading
cause of Indiana motorcycle accidents
- 23 percent.)
-Were they obeying traffic laws?
(unsafe speed, failure to yield,
improper turns, and crossing the
center line are major factors in
many cycle crashes.
-Did an object (e.g., dead animal)
or hazard (pothole, uneven pavement)
lead to the crash?"
Lynne: Chris, I discovered a splatter
of grease coming from my turn joint
of my frame. I took my bike in for
its 20k maintenance and they tell
me this is not uncommon for the grease
to warm up on a hot day– long
ride– and spooge out. So in
other words they say nothing is wrong.
Is this a correct assessment?
Chris: Well, Lynn this is indeed
correct and it is quite normal. It
does this so that when heated it can
still stay pliable inside and not
hinder movement. I hope this answers
your question. Thanks a lot.
ALL OVER THE
MAP
Leading A Group Ride: Part 2- Safe
Practices and Habits J. Garley
Habits formed when we ride solo need
to be altered when leading a group.
Accelerating from a stop sign
for example; within 5 seconds, the
lead bike can easily be moving at
40 mph while the last half of the
group still has their feet on the
ground waiting to proceed. This is
a major cause of the slingshot/slinky
effect that results in riders at the
end of the group exceeding the speed
limit just to catch up. I hold my
speed at 20 to 25 mph for as long
as it takes until I see the Sweep
bike clear the stop sign, then I accelerate
slowly. The same is true for slowing
for a stop sign; the lead
may begin to slow down while the last
half of the group continues at highway
speed, which forces them to sharply
brake (causing riders to want a long
gap in-front of them). Well ahead
of the stop, slightly use your brakes
long enough for your brake light to
be noticed by the group. Remember,
with the exception of the first bike
behind you (on your right), the group
sees bikes and bikers; they probably
do not notice the stop sign ahead.
Leaving a parking lot
involves most of the above slow acceleration,
but with a significant difference.
Make eye contact with each rider in
the group to be assured they are ready
to roll. Even bikes that are running
might have riders looking for their
gloves or changing glasses. It’s
much better to wait an extra minute
in a parking lot for the last rider
than riding slowly in traffic (or
stopped along the side of the road
for that extra minute).
Parking the group
relies on the idea of gently slowing
down. It is vital that you approach
and enter the parking area slow enough
to account for all the cars, trucks,
people, etc. that are stopped and
/or in-motion. Figure out how to loop
the group around so all bikes are
in the parking lot before any of them
need to stop. The idea is to get the
last bike in the group off the road
before the bikes ahead of them come
to a stop.
In my opinion, hand signals
are over emphasized. Most involve
the left arm, and most of those appear
identical (or fail to convey the intended
information) when used by riders.
Due to the fact that all hand signals
involve letting go of the handlebar,
I prefer to minimize their use to
the following: Left Turn, Right Turn,
and Single File/Staggered Formation.
Everyone who went to a competent grade
school knows Left Turn and Right Turn.
These hand signals are a good addition
to turn signals because they confirm
the onset of a turn rather than a
turn signal initiated by mistake.
In pre-ride meetings, stress an extended
arm vs. a raised arm against the helmet
is the difference between a
Right Turn hand signal and Single
File/Staggered Formation hand signal.
Once in single file, do not forget
to signal a return to staggered formation.
The group should not have to determine
this for themselves; you are the ride-leader.
Road Debris is pointed
out using the left or right leg and
should only by used when debris is
within the lane. It doesn’t
make sense to point out road kill
or tire treads in the ditch or on-coming
lane because we don’t ride in
the ditch or on-coming lane. Do not
go overboard however. A couple of
years ago, my leg persisted a little
too long and I hit the debris with
my foot. Trust me, it hurts a lot,
it hurts immediately, and it causes
you to wonder if you screwed-up your
ankle so bad that you cannot use the
rear brake or kickstand.
Split group at stoplight
will occur, and when it does, riders
tend to run a red light rather than
be left behind. We don’t need
to discuss why this should be avoided.
During the pre-ride meeting, stress
the need to obey traffic signals and
drive defensively. After you pass
through the green light, you can monitor
the signal light in your rear view
mirror and if necessary, scout-out
a safe place to drive very slow, pull
into a large parking lot, or pull
over and stop on the right shoulder.
If you choose to stop (generally a
lousy choice), make certain you signal
Single File, and make certain you
have a sufficiently long shoulder
for the whole group, not just the
bikes that made it through the light.
Remember, those at the light may also
need to use the shoulder while you
wait to confirm the group is back
together and then wait for a break
in traffic to get the group moving
again.
When approaching stoplights,
be aware of how long the light has
been green. It may be best to slowly
approach a green light to deplete
its cycle and have the whole group
wait at a red light. Then your group
has the benefit of the full green
light cycle. If you know the light
cycle to be short (especially true
for left turn arrows), and if there
are two lanes available, by all means
indicate to your group that they should
use both lanes.
Lane changes on highways
are unavoidably awful in a large group.
Long strings of bikes will almost
always get split-up, riders will likely
be pressured to take risks beyond
their skill or comfort, riders will
undoubtedly cut-off the slow vehicle
once they pass and return to the lane.
Trucks need a lot of room ahead and
truck drivers have very strong opinions
regarding folks who squeeze-in.
Don’t even think about passing
on a two-lane road with a
large group of bikes.
Lane changes, the slingshot (or slinky)
effect, and stoplights are three compelling
reasons to use multiple ride
leaders (and sweeps) to minimize group
size. In my opinion, safety
is degraded as a group gets larger.
The exception to this is when you
have the benefit of police escort.
Without question, the most effective
tool to lead a ride is for the lead
bike and the sweep bike to have a
CB Radio. There is
no substitute for communication and
feedback regarding the group, rider’s
ability to keep-up, the completion
or interruption of stoplights, breakdowns,
etc. Yup, CB typically means Ultras,
Wings, Royal Stars, Voyagers, etc.
which may sound elitist. But there
is no doubt in my mind, it is the
safest and most satisfying way to
lead a group ride.
A few years ago, I bought a very clean
2002 1800. The previous owner, who
was meticulous in having almost all
his maintenance done by a local Honda
dealer, had the 20,000 mile scheduled
maintenance performed at about 19,000
miles, just before I bought it. I
then enjoyed adding 5,000 miles (mostly
commuting and business), and decided
to do my own 24,000 scheduled maintenance.
(I’m an FAA licensed aircraft
mechanic, and enjoyed working on my
Harley.) Because the bike has a Honda
extended warranty, for proof of maintenance,
I take lots of pictures of my procedures,
use only genuine Honda parts and fluids,
and keep meticulous records. Imagine
my surprise when it came to changing
the air filter. (See attached photo.)
Found the air box filled with the
previous owner’s home insulation,
presumably by an animal! Couldn’t
tell this from a lack of performance
(which was great all along). Going
to recommend to the dealer and to
Honda that the air cleaner be routinely
viewed more frequently (as soon as
I can find a convenient way to view
it).
This brought to mind that it may be
advisable to cover over the air inlets
and tail pipes before storing the
Wing for extended periods. (Remove
the pockets for easy access.) I cover
with two plastic bags, with a layer
of aluminum foil on top on each inlet
and exhaust, held on with heavy rubber
bands. I’m told like humans,
critters don’t like to chew
the aluminum foil. And, you may not
want the aluminum foil in direct contact
with chromed tail pipes. (I’ve
also heard of little critters even
getting into cylinders through open
valves.) Of course, be sure to remove
the covers before starting the engine!
Also, I’m trying to figure out
how to see into the 1800 air inlets
to occasionally check filter condition
between filter changes. Perhaps I’ll
find something that may be rented,
such as a very small TV camera or
flexible borescope. Or, I’ll
make my own.
In
the words of my teenagers, my first
attempt at incorporating a survey
in our newsletter was an "epic
fail". I had not thought about
how to actually collect the participants'
name and email. In addition, it required
the user to select every answer whether
or not it was correct. 
