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While motorcycling is primarily a solitary activity, there are times when riding two-up is a nice change of pace. Carrying a passenger can be a thrilling and pleasurable experience for both operator and pillion, but it can just as easily be uncomfortable, risky, stressful or downright dangerous. Following a few simple suggestions can go a long way towards insuring a successful outcome. I’ve given many a ride in my career, and have learned some very valuable lessons, both the hard way and from the experiences of others. 

This is my list of do’s and don’t. I’d like to hear from you, if you’ve got any to add. 

Motorcycle Passenger Rules (REQUIRED) 

1)     If you don’t trust or feel comfortable with someone, don’t ride

When you learn more in 2 days than the previous 10 years of riding, it’s significant. Such was my experience under the tutelage of Jimmy and Heather Lewis. Jimmy stresses proper body position, peg weighting, throttle/clutch control and picking an appropriate speed as the keys to success.

 I spent a recent weekend with about 30 like-minded nutcases in Primm, Nevada learning how little I really knew about riding off-road. I started riding in the dirt pretty late in life, about age 35. Fortunately, several experienced friends gave me plenty of practical suggestions to get me through my initial rides. And over subsequent years, I acquired additional ideas that helped me refine my craft.  But over the last few years I could smell

Art Friedman has detailed a dozen motorcycling myths over at Motorcycle Cruiser:

1. Other Drivers Don’t Care About Motorcyclists
2. Loud Pipes Save Lives
3. Motorcycle Helmets Break Necks
4. Helmets Block Your Ability to See or Hear Danger
5. A Helmet Won’t Help in Most Crashes
6. A Helmet Will Leave You Brain Damaged in an Crash When You Would Have Simply Died
7. A Skilled Rider Should Be Able to Handle Almost Any Situation
8. If You Are Going to Crash, Lay It Down
9. One Beer Won’t Hurt
10. It’s Better to Stay in Your Lane than Split Lanes
11. I’m Safer on the Street than on an Interstate
12. A Skilled Rider Can Stop
    Keep reading >>

One of the most oft repeated cliches of modern times is “Speed Kills”. For the last several decades, it’s been constantly used by several well meaning but misguided groups trying to promote safe driving. I believe the original use of the term was popularized in the ’70s to warn people of the danger of methamphetamine. But, now it has come to be construed that anyone who violates the posted speed limit is a homicidal maniac. The problem with this inaccurate and over used the phrase, is it has become part of our collective unconsciousness and its meaning is taken as fact without question. I really hate this kind of mass brainwashing as it keeps people from asking hard questions;

I’ll be devoting this latest episode of “Winter Riding” to only one piece of gear: the facesheild!

Making sure your vision is unobscured is the most significant safety precaution you can take. It is integral to competent riding and anything which restricts this source of invaluable information needs immediate correction. One of the problems with riding when the temperature starts dropping is condensation. Most riders use the term “fogging” and it’s effects can range from annoying to dangerous. It can be particularly bad in humid climates, even at moderate temperatures. Even though it’s virtually impossible to eliminate all the warm moist air you exhale from finding its way to your facesheild, there several techniques that will help mitigate it’s effects.

My

“Any public policy that encourages anyone to get on a motorcycle is bad public policy. The problem is that the vehicle is inherently dangerous.”

So says Dr. Jay Falk with the Florida College of Emergency Physicians and academic chairman of emergency medicine for Orlando Regional Medical Center. The quote is from an article about Florida’s lack of a mandatory motorcycle insurance law. (Washington and Florida are the only two states that do not require motorcyclists to carry insurance.)

The thrust of the article is that by not requiring insurance, Florida makes motorcycle ownership more attractive to young riders, specifically teens, who then crash and die. To bolster the argument they offer the following examples:

Last weekend, three Palm Bay teens died when

I feel like a lone wolf when I’m riding these days. Primarily because other motorcyclists are virtually absent from the roads. Winter riding is pretty much a solitary activity, your pack is hibernating. There are a number of reasons riding this time of year is not desirable. The risk increases while comfort decreases as the temperature starts heading toward freezing mark. Traction can diminish or disappear entirely, cager awareness of motorcycles drops off sharply, hypothermia goes from possible to likely and daylight is in seriously short supply. So why would someone ride this time of year ?…….. because riding is always FUN, no matter what time of year. With a little preparation and common sense, winter riding risks can be

I was strolling down the street this summer looking forward to the end of another work day.  It was around 90 outside and I was looking forward to my ride home along the lake.  I ran into Dave sitting having a smoke and solving the world’s problems.  We started talking about a bike he had built and sold then the conversation moved to BCCOM.  Dave is one of the hierarchy in the BCCOM organization.

BCCOM is the British Columbia Coalation of Motorcyclists.  They have a rather strong voice when it comes to lobbying the goverment on behalf of all motorcyclists.  They lobbied to have us included in HOV lanes, and priority loading on BC ferries, to name a few.

Anyhow they are now tableing

The Washington Motorcycle Rider Safety Task Force, formed in January of 2006 by Governor Chris Gregoire, has released their report and recommendations to reduce motorcycle fatalities in Washington state.

The task force included members of motorcycle rider groups and state agency representatives, the Department of Transportation and the Department of Health.

The task force identified the following trends in motorcycle fatalities in Washington:

• Most fatalities occur during daylight hours in dry weather.
• More than 80% of fatalities occur between April and September
• Half of all fatal motorcycle crashes were single vehicle crashes. When alcohol is a factor, two-thirds of fatal crashes are single vehicle crashes.
• The most common contributing factors to motorcycle fatalities are lane error,
  Keep reading >>

When I ride I maintain an extra margin of safety from drivers who are talking on cell phones. I generally assume that they will, at any moment, do something stupid and endanger me and other drivers. Until now this has been a habit born of instinct and experience. Now there is some science behind my instincts.

Researchers at the University of Utah have published a study showing that motorists who talk on handheld or hands-free cell phones while driving are as impaired as drunk drivers.

Read that again.

Talking on a cell phone while driving results in impairment equal to a blood alcohol level of 0.8.

“We found that people are as impaired when they drive and talk on a cell phone as they