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Carry all proper documents (license, registration and insurance) as well as medical conditions, allergies and emergency contact information.
2) Develop a sign language for basic communication. (Have simple gestures or touches that indicate the need to stop, slow down, go to the bathroom, get food, get water, take a photo, etc.)

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 the stagnation of a lack of fresh information. So it didn’t take much cajoling from one of my early mentors to convince me to sign-up for professional instruction.
Besides, the fact that I could combine it with a preceding week of riding in AZ this time of year didn’t hurt.
In case Jimmy’s name isn’t familiar to you, he was Cycle World magazine’s off-road editor for a bunch of years. He also competed in numerous long distance dirt events including the Baja 1000 and the Paris to Dakar. In the later, he took 3rd place in 1994. So the guy pretty much knows what he’s doing. The fact that he rides a BMW GS1200 means he tends to attract the Beemer crowd, but all brands, displacements and skill levels are welcomed. Jimmy performs all the same drills he asked us to attempt, but on the big and very heavy GS.

The class lasts 2 full days and costs about $600 and includes a very complete lunch both days as well as dinner the night in between.

The class had quite a diverse group of attendees. In addition to the expected GS, HP and X-Challenge BMW groups, there was substantial representation from the Austrian and Japanese faithful also. One guy even gave it a go on A Suzuki 650 V-Strom. The age seemed to range from mid-20s well into the 50s and maybe beyond. Even the fairer gender had several representatives. This mix demonstrates a large diversity of riders in the off-road community.
We spent the first day doing drills. While this may not seem very interesting or challenging, it really let’s you know where you’re at and some of them were things you normally wouldn’t attempt while just out for a trail ride. My favorties were:
Purposely locking up the front wheel to get intimate with the sensation, and then reacting appropriately by releasing the front brake. I’ve always been very uncomfortable with a sliding front wheel but as I gained the “feel” for it, I started purposely trying to hold it on as long as possible and “enjoyed” it. The low sun angle this time of year allowed us to see the spokes stop rotating and feel the difference during the transition from rolling to sliding and back. Fantastic!

I also really enjoyed practicing unweighting the front wheel to assist in clearing objects which may be encountered out on the trail. It didn’t take long for this to turn in wheelie practice due to the ease with which the WR would hoist the front end.
The second day we went trail riding and interspersed it with a few additional practical drills. We divided ourselves into “hard” and “easy” groups and took separate trails to various rendezvous points. I choose the hard group and was rewarded with several very challenging sections that really test my mental and physical envelope. Perfect!
My most remembered moments were:
On a first stop of the second day, during a demonstration of ledge ascent/descent, Jimmy used me as an example of how vertical a bike bike can get without going over.

Later in the day, some of the riders in the easy group were given a chance to try something a little harder. When the first two members of the hard group got stuck going up the steep climb, most of the courage gathered earlier in the day by several members of the easy group waned. Most headed back down the easy way. As the third starter, I motored past one of the zero-velocity climbers and made it to the top without event. Serious accomplishment confidence!One of our stops was a sizable sand dune. My first attempt at a long, steep sand climb was successful and exhilerating, so I did it several more times, gaining additional confidence and knowledge.

No one was made to do anything they didn’t want too, which kept everyone basically in their own personal comfort zone.The biggest lessons I learned were: I should be spending most of my time on the pegs (sitting takes away stability and control), the front brake is still more important than the rear (even in the dirt), smooth throttle application keeps your wheels in line and in control and it’s better to slow down and have more time to react to a hazard than hammering it and hoping for the best.
I definitely give this class my highest rating and will probably take it again next time my skills need a jump start. And if you find yourself looking for a top notch school to improve your own personal off-road riding skills…….
http://www.jimmylewisoffroad.com/Jimmy_Lewis_Off-Road_Riding_School/Ji mmy_Lewis_Racing_Inc._.html

Rhino
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF CLASS MEMBER JASON LIEBRECHT
]]>Good stuff. What other “myths” have you heard about motorcycling?
]]>I reached my breaking point this past weekend. A person I normally hold in high regard, uttered this phrase during a discussion of motorcycle safety at an Experienced Rider Course (MSF-ERC). I’d finally tired of hearing this ridiculous supposition used to continually explain virtually all risky driving practices and called him on it. My little tirade got plenty of attention and the group became very quiet. Even the instructors had no rebuttal (hopefully they agreed but weren’t about to start a real debate as it would derail the class).
Speed in and of itself does NOTHING. If speed kills, than most of us should be dead. Throughout history, when the next faster moving device came along, the current population decried it as the latest death trap. When the car first appeared, and was able to go 25 MPH, I guarantee the horse and buggy crowd was all up in arms. While speed may be a factor in accidents, it is rarely the cause. What kills is bad driving (or riding)!
What speed actually does, is reduce reaction time and increase energy. Physics verifies both of these concepts. But what can’t be verified and we ignorantly accept as truth, is that going fast causes death. The Autobahn, the Bonneville Salt Flats, motor-sports of any kind; if these activities truly “kill” than why do they have safety rates better than average drivers commuting to work? Because the people who engage in these activities tend to be well trained. Maybe if we considered limiting driver’s licenses to people who can actually prove they have driving skill, we could put a more significant dent in fatality statistics.
Sure, if we all slow down, less people will die ….. and no one will get anywhere in a timely manner. But maybe if our politicians instead insisted all drivers get serious training and are required to pass rigorous testing, maybe instead of a band-aid, we can put a tourniquet on this bleeder. Sure, a lot of people won’t be able to get a license, but shouldn’t they be on the bus anyway? The best way to promote the use of mass transportation, is to make sure there no second choice.
We have this Speed = Death expression today because law enforcement wants two things: the first is to scare us into slowing down, which minimizes their workload and second, and more importantly, it gives them license to generate revenue in the name of safety. There are several variants, the most popular being the use by police to “explain” an otherwise unknown accident causes: “it was speed related”. It’s become the “catch all” of excuses. Even though it’s frequently indeterminant, what speed a vehicle was traveling; we just believe whatever the cops (aided by the media) tell us.
I’ve ridden at extremely high rates of speed, both on and off the track, and after 27 years the worst I have to show for it is a crooked collarbone. What I know, is there is a time and place for speed. Good judgment, practiced proven skills and plenty of experience makes a lot more difference than MPH. Does this mean we should go as fast as we want anytime, anyplace, hell no! It means, start realizing velocity only one of several factors in the big picture, it’s never the ONLY factor.
And a little P.S. to the Cops …. If you really care about safety and some guy is out on a rural road virtually by himself and “doin’ the ton”, I contend he’s very little danger to society in general, so leave him alone (or at most, a friendly warning). But if that same guy is doin’ 10 over down a residential street at 5 PM, now your talkin’ a real public safety issue!
But that’s just my opinion,
Rhino
]]>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 HJC CS-12 helmet came with a “real” breath guard that actually seals around my nose and mouth and vents through two snorkels that plug into outside vents. This is the most ffective solution I found to eliminate shield fogging. Don’t count on the standard breath guard on most other helmets, it’s mostly a cosmetic feature which makes only a marginal attempt to deflect your breath from ending up on your sheild . There are several products like the FogCity which apply to the inside of your faceshield and do a remarkable job of minimizing fogging. My chief complaint with these type of products is a tendency to slightly blur your view, especially at night. Many riders notice no effect at all, but you won’t know unless you try it. You might also consider a DOT approved snowmobile helmet which provides excellent protection while incorporating specific cold weather features like special venting and double-paned shields.
A home remedy for fogging I’ve used with great success in the past, is to wear a painter’s paper facemask and cut a quarter sized opening in the bottom (so your breath is directed down and out of the helmet). Some helmets have a small piece of fabric that runs across the bottom of the leading edge of the helmet (these are to reduce noise). You must remove this when using the facemask technique or all that hot moist air will just get redirected back up into the helmet. Another method that works well, but requires constant interaction, is cracking open the faceshield a couple millimeters. This keeps it clear at higher speeds (above 25 MPH). Below that speed a few more millimeters works. At full stop I open my sheild all the way. This method might not suit you, as your face will be pretty cold. As a last resort, try to exhale downward by putting your upper lip forward of your lower lip. I even try to modify my breathing velocity and rate when traveling particularly slow or when stopped (rush hour traffic).
Keeping your sheild clean inside and out is one of the best ways to reduce fogging. You should occassionally clean your sheild inside and out with soap and water. I like to remove my sheild from my helmet and then hand-wash it in the sink about once a week. Not only are your hands the least likely material to scratch your sheild, but you can feel encrusted crud more easily and give it a little more knuckle grease. Make sure not to use any paper products (which contain wood) to clean or dry your sheild, it’s pretty much guaranteed to scratch, if not immediately, then cumulatively. My preferred “rag” is a piece of an old T-shirt that’s been washed many times.
Between thorough cleanings I like to use a product called Plexus which is specifically designed to clean and polish plastic products. Not only can it minimize very light scratches but it causes bug splat to have a much less adhesive quality (kinda like PAM spray for your facesheild). Eventually, over time, your sheild will become scratched to the point where it’s hard to ignore the lack of clear spots and starbursts start to form around the headlights of oncoming vehicles. At this point, there’s no use trying to polish out the imperfections; just bite the bullet and buy a new sheild.
Daylight becomes pretty scarce commodity about the time Halloween rolls around. Inevitably you’ll get caught out after dark. If you like to wear a tinted shield (like I do), it’s imperative you carry a clear shield with you everywhere you go. Believe me when I say you will go out during broad daylight with the intent of returning before sundown, and at some point your plan will go awry. If you don’t have someplace on your bike to put that extra sheild, I recommend putting it inside your jacket under your arm, surrounding your rib cage. It’s out of the way and almost unnoticeable, but it’s there when you need it! Always protect your spare sheild from scratches by putting it in some type of soft-material sleeve; old socks work great.
Just like darkness, wetness will eventually catch up with you at some point in your riding career. In areas where you’ll be following a lot of traffic, the spray thrown up by the 4-or-more-wheelers is usually so fine it sticks to even the newest,cleanest sheild. I purchased a thumb squeege which slip over the gloved thumb of your left hand and does an excellent job of wiping away this particularly persistent mist. Well there you have it, keep that thin piece of plastic between your eyes and the rest of the world as clean, clear, smooth and moisture-free as possible and you’ll eliminate one more risk factor. Rhino
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“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 two uninsured motorcycles carrying them crashed into each other at high speed. And late Monday, a 23-year-old, uninsured Kissimmee man died when he crashed a Honda motorcycle while passing three cars in a no-passing zone.
Sorry, but a 23-year-old man is not a teen; nor I suspect would a law requiring him to carry insurance have necessarily kept him off a bike or kept him from violating traffic laws.
But wait, there’s more; referring to crash involving the three Palm Bay teens:
In last weekend’s triple fatality in Palm Bay, two 19-year-old men — one with a passenger celebrating her 17th birthday — were riding without insurance or motorcycle licenses. They crashed into each other going at least 80 mph on a residential street, police said.
So not only did they not have insurance, they did not have motorcycle LICENSES. The deaths are tragic, certainly. But please, someone explain to me how a law requiring these riders to have insurance would have prevented these deaths? The lack of a legally-required license did not stop them; why would lack of legally-required insurance?
Quoting from the same article:
Older riders tend to be more cautious and carry insurance, police say, but still crash and die routinely.
Huh, so the older riders that have insurance crash and die too? Interesting…
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The previous 5 miles were through 4 inch deep slush
A rather unfortunate incident forced me to become a winter rider again. A couple of weeks ago, my cage, a Chevy Express van, suspiciously burned in a parking lot while I was on vacation. While waiting for the investigations of the fire department and insurance company to finalize their bureaucratic machinations, I had to find alternate transportation. My insurance only covered about a week of rental vehicle (check your policy), so it was either ride the bike or pay out of my pocket about a $1000 to have a car for a month. I’m cheap, so you can guess which option I choose. The first two vehicles I owned and operated were motorcycles (that cheap thing again), which I rode year-round until I was able to afford a car several years later. Being forced to ride in all seasons and all kinds of weather is a test of your true enthusiasm for motorcycling. And while this circumstance may seem to be terribly inconvenient to the average fair weather rider, I saw it as a challenge to my passion and opportunity to improve riding skills and experience. With all the recent (last 10 years or so) advances in riding gear and equipment, hypothermia and other low temperature bodily challenges have pretty much been overcome. The only big concerns I have now are traction and wildlife related.
Arsonists Suck!
Winter riding was much more difficult in the early ’80s, mostly due to a lack of available cold weather gear. But between a $40 snowmobile suit, ski gloves and heavy hiking boots, a bearable compromise was achieved. One of the biggest differences was made by discovering a product called “Hippo Hands”. These were like 2 small tents that wrapped around the handlebars and allowed you to slide your hands into openings up to your elbows to keep them out of the wind. On the plus side, no wind whatsoever touched your hands, allowing you to use lighter weight gloves; the drawback was not being able to see your controls. It was quit difficult for a time (I still look at the keyboard when I type) but eventually I became quite adept at “feeling” the controls. Being forced to do something is the best way to learn it well and fast.
Now you know “why” I ride in the winter. In the next installment, I’ll give you some advice on “what” you should do to improve your odds and comfort.
Rhino
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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 idea of graduated licences. Now it has it’s good points and it’s bad so I am sure there will be quite a few opinions on this. There is no way that the manufacturers are going to take any responsibility for selling some green horn a R1 and sending them off to their certain doom. They now propose manditory driver training to help people gain some of the basic skills before they head out. They aren’t all agreed on how best to lay down the graduated licences part. I’m thinking if you set it up so new riders have to start out on low cc bike then work their way up after a year to a bigger bike it may help slow the rise in motorcycle related accidents. I started out on a RZ350 I hated the fact everyone else had faster bikes but looking back it was the smartest thing I ever did. I realize there may be lots of very experienced riders just getting their licences but rules are put in place to save the weak and stupid.
]]>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:
Based on these findings the task force concluded that the most important factors are within the control of the rider and that, therefore, efforts should focus on rider skill and behavior.
Among the recommendations are:
The complete report, with lots more detail, is available at: http://www.dol.wa.gov
]]>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 are when they drive intoxicated at the legal blood-alcohol limit” of 0.08 percent, which is the minimum level that defines illegal drunken driving in most U.S. states, says study co-author Frank Drews, an assistant professor of psychology. “If legislators really want to address driver distraction, then they should consider outlawing cell phone use while driving.”
The study found that both handheld and hands-free cell phones impaired driving, with no significant difference in the degree of impairment. That “calls into question driving regulations that prohibited handheld cell phones and permit hands-free cell phones,” the researchers write.
The study found that compared with undistracted drivers:
“Impairments associated with using a cell phone while driving can be as profound as those associated with driving while drunk,” they conclude.
This leaves me wondering about devices that allow motorcyclists to use cell phones while riding. If talking on a cell phone makes you as impaired as being drunk, and with the very high percentage of motorcycle accidents where rider impairment is a factor, why would anyone use one of these devices?
You can read the full study at http://www.hfes.org/Web/PubPages/celldrunk.pdf
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