#safety

“It’s clear to me that more of us are dying because there are too many people who really shouldn’t ride motorcycles and the industry and advocacy groups do nothing to discourage them.” – Me, “So Why Are we Dying?,” CityBike Magazine, August 2012.

From the moment my first child was born, I began planning for the day that she would ask me to take her for a motorcycle ride. As a person who’s devoted over half of my life and the bulk of my career to motorcycling, I couldn’t imagine not sharing this activity with my children. However, my wife and I often have differing opinions (Since dealing with conflict promotes personal growth, perhaps this is why I married her.), so I figured it would be a good idea to discuss my hopes with her long before our girl popped the question.

Living is fraught with risk. Every being spends the bulk of its existence simply trying to keep living. Every critter sees itself at the top of its personal food chain until, one day it comes face-to-face with an even bigger, hungrier one. Or maybe it’s just a boulder rolling down a hill.

Conspicuity has long been a concern of safety-oriented motorcyclists. We make ourselves visible by wearing bright gear and varying our position in the lane. Headlight modulators have been a tool some riders have used to reach out and grab the attention of drivers. Riders have also used brake light modulators (such as the Signal Dynamics BackOFF XP ) to alert drivers that they were slowing down. Until now, however, these modulators required that the rider actually apply the brake to get the lights to flash. Although riders are familiar to motorcyclists’ frequent use of engine braking, the predominance of automatic transmissions in today’s cars means that many drivers have little or no real experience with the use of engine braking. Consequently, they are not prepared for how dramatically motorcycles can slow without the use of brakes – or the associated display of brake lights.

There are reasons for crashing, and then there are excuses. If you’ve ever dumped a motorcycle due to something silly or careless, then you probably know the difference. You feel stupid and embarrassed, and there’s no way you want to admit to your buddies, your significant other, or your insurance company just what it was you did, exactly. So, you make something up.

Confidence colors everything about our experiences on two wheels. At the early stages of our motorcycle careers, we’re mostly concerned with simple tasks like staying upright and not falling over. There are thousands of ways in which a moto ride could turn ugly, and we’re proud when we overcome hazards like gravel and traffic and rain. Your moto mind is sharp because your safety requires it.

The latest kerfuffle our man Evans Brasfield uncovered with Indian’s brake switch throttle override deal got my wheels turning once again, down the sweet memory lane of 25 years of jailhouse lawyering that of course goes hand in hand with an activity as dangerous as motorcycling.

Springtime is a joyous season for motorcycle riders, as beloved machines get to spin their wheels after a winter’s hibernation. Tree and flowers bloom from the earth as motorcycles blossom on the roads.

Some people ride motorcycles to be seen. You know the kind, they pull up at Bike Night on their super-expensive bike with their matching motorcycle “outfit.” For these people, a motorcycle is just an accessory in their endless quest to attract attention. Then there are motorcyclists. They know that making sure you’re seen is an important part of riding a motorcycle. And we’re not referring to the “look at me while I ride this motorcycle” type of posing. Instead, the message real motorcyclists are trying to send is “Look at me. I’m riding a motorcycle, and I am entitled to this space in this lane.”

The month of May is earmarked as National Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Month, the brainchild of congress launched in 2004. Coinciding with the springtime kickoff to the riding season, the goal is “To promote motorcycle awareness and safety and to encourage all citizens to safely share the roads and highways of this great Nation by paying extra attention to those citizens who ride motorcycles.”

“Stay-away from that front brake or you’ll go-over the bars!” There is an abundance of information available to today’s riders, but some of it is plainly false and even harmful, like that misleading front-brake chestnut above, or the old “Lay her down!”