BAY AREA WINGS

CD Comments:

News and Coming Attractions

    As I begin this months’ newsletter, I looked outside and saw how beautiful the weather looked. The sun was out, the plows have come down the road and scraped the road down to blacktop and the snow was melting. I started to get the

undeniable urge to get the bike out and do some riding. This was Monday, President’s Day. Tuesday was the same, as was Wednesday. Then came Thursday. We awoken to icy road and very high winds. That gave me a shock of reality. Winter is still here.  I wrote this to remind you

that just because the weather looks nice, it is still winter. Someone at work told me of a friend of his who has a Harley, actually got his bike out and rode it on Tuesday. I don’t need to tell you all what the wind chill factor is when it is 30 degrees and you have a 60 mile per hour wind. Maybe I do. It is –11 degrees. Another problem is what the road salt will do to your aluminum wheels! It takes a good rain to wash it off the roadways.

    Well folks, we will be having a movie party next month. Diana and I went to the mall on Tuesday and saw  the preview for a really good looking

movie. It is about four friends who are having a midlife crisis and they decide to take a     motorcycle trip . We think it starts on March 10, ( we will verify) and we thought it would be fun to see it as a group. This is just a glimpse of some of the fun we are going to have this up coming riding season.

   Our mid-month breakfast

gathering will be at Round’s

Restaurant in Traverse City. Check out the calendar. 

    Diana and I are still looking for someone to step up and

become our assistant. It really isn’t a hard job. If you are interested, please let me or Diana know.   

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    A few years back, a representative of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety made a point at a motorcycle safety conference that rider education programs were not only useless, but may actually be a factor in rising accident rates. Their contention was that the training somehow imbued riders with a false sense of self-confidence, thereby encouraging them to take more risks. The “Superman Syndrome” also shows up on internet bulletin boards when referring to wearing helmets and giving the sense of invulnerability. 

    Fred Rau, of Motorcycle Consumer News, wrote about these stupid theories and moved on to tell what he had gleaned from his first motorcycle rally in 1970. Veteran riders imparted the following bits of ’wisdom’:

·          Avoid using the front brake because in a panic situation, you’ll be thrown over the handlebars.

·          Buy fingerless gloves so you can ’feel’ the bike’s controls.

·          Don’t wear a helmet unless it’s the law; Regular helmets take away from your peripheral vision and will overheat your brain in warm weather.

·          Pull baffles so drivers can hear you coming.

·          In most emergency situa

·          tions, you’re better off laying the bike down than to brake or serve.

·          On a low speed turn, drag your feet so you can ’catch’ the bike if it starts falling.

·          Injuries are less severe if you loosen up with a couple beers.

    Scary, isn’t it! Our rider education programs are in place to provide riders with as much knowledge and practical skills practice as possible. This, in turn, enables the rider to make the best decision possible in a real-world situation, safely and effectively. Does this make us ’Superman’?  No, but it does create a class of  “smart” riders who are aware of their personal, as well as their machines, limitations, and will act accordingly.   

    

Ray Holler:

Chapter Rider Education