Two wheeled Beverley Hillbillies!

I just read another great post over at Heinz and Frenchie's blog. It's about a trip to a bistro. The colors in the photos are an appealing assortment of pastel type shades. What's amazing about the thing to me is that residents can buy passes to beach chairs. Weekly, monthly, or yearly. The advantage to a scooter rider is that they don't have to haul stuff. You can read the post by clicking here.

Of course, with proper planning you can actually haul quite a bit on a motorcycle. Take a look at this, for example.

I was getting ready to go man a table for an ABATE motorcycle show in our local mall. Years of commuting have thoroughly educated me on how to pack stuff on a bike. As you can see, I had stuff in the tank bag, lunch in the saddlebags, cold beverages in the black bag ( there's a cooler inside ), and my very own chair. It's one of those folding canvas chairs wrapped in its own bag. Pretty much self contained and ready to go. As you can see, there's still plenty room to pile stuff on. Granny Clampett has nothing on me and Sophie! Has anyone seen the rest of my bungie cords?

There's a number of areas where ABATE and I disagree. We've generally agreed to disagree in a friendly and respectful manner. There is one big matter we both agree wholeheartedly on. That's the matter of rider training. ABATE is a big believer in the value of training. In fact, they've helped us out financially by providing containers for bike storage at a number of sites. Just inside the doors of the containers are signs pointing to ABATE's help and support. For that kind of support I'm really grateful.

The person from ABATE who was organizing the show asked us to man a table for our training program. They provided a table for us. Since I lived close I volunteered for weekend duty. Amazingly, it was a weekend I wasn't teaching. The young man in the picture is on a sort of treasure hunt. He's got a sheet of paper in his hand. There's a list of questions that he has to look at the bikes to answer. For successful completion, the kids received a model of a cruiser.

I was told by one of the guys that the group wasn't allowed into the mall last year. Seems management had an objection to the noise. Being there Friday night and helping set up, I could see his point. There was a little argument over how to get the bikes into the mall. The manager wanted the bikes pushed in. He was afraid of damaged floor tiles. Not to mention the noise of running bikes. The manager was finally convinced that his floor tiles would be better served by bikes being ridden. Some of those cruisers are pretty heavy and they would have to be pushed a long ways. There would be more of a chance of dropping bikes by pushing rather than riding.

So the bikes came in a few at a time, motors running. There's just something about those open pipes that created too great a temptation for some of the riders. A few "accidental" throttle rolls rattled windows. I do have to admit that there's a unique character to the rumbling bikes inside an enclosed space like the mall corridors! It will be interesting, however, to see if they are back next year.

Anyway, I got sidetracked. I got my lunch and a chair. Now we just have to go find a warm beach!

Miles and smiles,

Dan

Distracting upheavals!

The experts say we should do everything in our power to focus on our riding. Which means avoiding distractions. That's pretty good advice. Especially when riding twisty roads. What's really amazing is that things you'd normally not consider distractions can actually be pretty powerful ones! Yesterday I discovered another one of those things.

I had an early appointment in Monmouth yesterday. Monmouth is the home of Western Oregon University. While not a large city, Monmouth does have a unique distinction. It was a "dry" town until 2002. That meant no sales of alcohol in stores, restaurants, and bars. That was a stipulation from the early settlers from Monmouth, Illinois in the mid 1800's. 640 acres were deeded for the city and a college. These pioneers considered themselves strong Christians. Thus the stipulation that came with the land deed. Eventually the dry status got reversed. Even then, the vote was close. Somewhere around 57% for ending the alcohol ban and 43% for keeping it.

Monmouth is about 45 minutes North and a bit West of me. One blessing of living is this area is that we are surrounded by farm country. While urbanization is creeping outwards, there's still plenty of open space. As was the habit of farmers, roads wind around the fields. Sweet!

Sophie saw duty yesterday. I'm sort of in an intermediate stage with her. The STeed is still up for sale. With today's economy, calls are understandably scarce. She's a prize to me but probably not as much so to prospective buyers. Since she's for sale, I've spiffed Sophie up pretty good. The new windshield starts the glamour. Bodywork has been polished. The faded gray plastic was restored to almost new condition thanks to some magic potions and a lot of elbow grease. Sophie is glowing like a new bride.

Therein lies the rub. The bike needs to run once in a while to keep the juices flowing and the battery charged. However, I don't relish the idea of another massive cleanup. So, I'm ashamed to say, Sophie's become a fair weather ride. Whatever you do, please don't say those words anywhere near where she might hear it. You can imagine why I ask. Elvira gets dumped on with dirty weather duty. Hey, I gave her full disclosure before she married into the family! Since there was fog that was expected to give way to sunshine, I gave Sophie the nod for this trip.

After my meeting, the plan was to cross over into Independence then hit the old Corvallis Highway. You've seen this road mentioned before in this blog. There's some straight stretches with roller coaster ups and downs. In between are some great curves. The particular section I'm writing about is a series of corners posted at 25 mph. First there's a big left turn. A few hundred feet of straighaway brings you to a big curve to the right. After that turn is a shorter stretch that leads to a left turn. Then a right. A half mile down the road brings another sharp right, then a left, then back to a long straight stretch. Confused? Just remember the sharp turns connected by short straight stretches!

As luck would have it, I caught up to a car right as I entered the the first left hander. Yes, I saw the car ahead of time. No, I don't have the patience to pull off to the side of the road and wait for the car to get farther away. Besides, what usually happens is that yet another car will come along. So I followed the car for a bit and plotted my strategy.

The car was a square BMW older model four door sedan. The only BMW car model I can readily identify is the 325i because I lust after one. This car was once bright red but had faded some. Kind of like a woman's lipstick put on early in the day and worn late. Surprisingly, or maybe not, the car driver did pretty good in negotiating the first curve. Passing the car would mean a huge handful of throttle followed by a double handful of brake to slow in time to make the next curve. I decided to hang back a bit and see what came next. I do have enough patience not to make unsafe decisions.

Left curve completed, we entered the right hander. I'd left enough space to have a bit of fun in the curve. By which, of course, I mean the right peg scraped. Having fun, but keeping concentration, I noticed the BMW slowing some. The passenger door window came down. A head with close shaved hair came out the window. Somewhere in his mid-twenties, I guessed. His gaze was on the roadway beside the car. Was he seeing something I wasn't? I'm trained to always be looking for traction clues by watching for changes in color and texture on the roadway. No, I wasn't seeing anything menacing. At least, not yet.

We're approaching the next curve, which is to the left. I'm still wondering what's going on. The guy's mouth is open, now. The BMW is slowing for the corner. A little more than what I would normally expect. I'm hooked on what's going on but trying to get ready for the corner at the same time. Since the curve's to the left, I've put Sophie to the right side of the road. Which gives me a better view of the passenger. A little too good, I might say.

All of a sudden, there's a whole new world of color and texture changes to the road's surface. I thought at first that the guy had dumped a big cup of cola or something. Except I notice that there's no cup in the hand clutching at the door. Massive quantities of liquid are coming from the man's mouth. Yes, he's throwing up. Not just heaving, mind you, but bona fide projectile vomiting.

Several things are happening at once, now. My first thought is,

"Crap! I hope that's not going to splatter on the bike!"

Remember, I'm trying to keep Sophie sales-ready clean. My second thought is,

"Yikes! The curve's RIGHT THERE!"

It was like one of those monster movies. You don't want to look but you can't seem to peel your eyes away from it. Not only didn't the driver slow down, but he seemed to actually increase speed through the curve! This served to throw the passenger a little farther out the window. It also created a spray out the right side of the car that seemed to last all the way through the corner. By now I've decided that if the car doesn't stop I'm just going to slow waaay down and let them get away from me. What kind of driver does that kind of thing to their passenger? I figure it's the act of one college kid against another. Evil at the time, but fodder for laughs at some future point. If they both survive the next few minutes, that is.

Fortunately, the driver stops by the side of the road before the next right hander comes up. Possibly being a college student, he probably realizes the effect that centrifugal force will have. If he pulls the same stunt to the right, his sick passenger is likely to puke in his lap. That would certainly deter me from further prankish behaviour.

I was tempted to stop and take a picture for evidence. A restricted line of sight for other traffic is one reason I didn't. Secondly, it seemed too much like the act of a papparazzi voyeur. So, instead, I decided to finish my journey and leave them to their own devices.

What's amazing is how far I got sucked into watching the whole ordeal. It was sick and disgusting and yet fascinating at the same time. In the end there was no harm, no foul. Except to the outside of the BMW, that is. It just goes to show that distractions can happen anywhere at any time. We always have to work at keeping our heads in our ride. Not to mention our lunches in our stomachs!

Miles and smiles,

Dan

Hibernation.

I normally try to avoid posting videos here. I figure I owe it to those who take the time to visit to actually write something. However, this video fits in so well with yesterday's post I couldn't help it. This came across our instructor's list courtesy of Dean W.

I've written before about the critical aspect of keeping motor skills sharp and on a "top of mind" basis. Riders who put their bikes away for the Winter need to compensate for the rustiness that sets in over the break. Our brains will file less frequently used motor skills a little deeper in the file cabinet to make room for current stuff.

This video is about three minutes long. It's work and family safe. On a side note, the guy on the Triumph looks a lot like Matthew Allen in the UK, otherwise known as Mad. Are you still around and reading my friend?

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=W-7b5l62f14

For your convenience, here's the link to the website listed in the video

http://www.devon.gov.uk/bikers

Miles and smiles,

Dan

Fill those spots!

Cruising through a couple of cities yesterday, I noticed that most of the motorcycle parking spots are empty. They're so empty you can hear your voice echo. Of course, the weather yesterday might have had something to do with it. High winds and heavy rains don't make ideal inducements to ride.

I had an early morning appointment in downtown Portland yesterday. Following that I ski'd, I mean rode, back to Salem. I saw only three other bikes actually being ridden. One was a big BMW GS dual sport, the other two were being piloted by motor officers. Duty calls despite the weather, I guess.

Speaking of weather, the weatherman on TV likened us to being at the end of a fire hose. Fast moving jet streams were dumping tropical moisture on us from some Pacific island chain. We had wind gusts of 30 some miles per hour. A couple hours NW of us, Astoria on the coast got nearly four inches of rain. To top off the day, our neighbor's giant Weeping Willow tree finally gave up the struggle last night. Somewhere around 11:30 PM I awoke to what sounded like fireworks. Fortunately, the tree crashed to the ground without hitting anything vital.

With weather like this, you know I just had to ride. It's an ego thing, I admit. The last thing I want said about me is that I am less than a hardcore rider. Call me juvenile, but I'll probably still be trying to prove my Road Warrior status until I can no longer move. Katie was kind of worried about me riding. I think the prospect of the heavy, gusty, wind on top of the heavy rain shook her up a little. Especially since my itinerary called for around 250 miles. She's my best friend and deeply loves me. I know she wanted to keep me from riding but didn't want to deny me what I needed. That's true love. I love her, too, but I needed to ride. It's who I am. It's what I do. I just hoped she didn't have some premonition of my impending doom. Her slightly frightened look haunted me all day. Just to end the suspense, things turned out well yesterday with no close calls.

Finding a place to park nearly drove me crazy. Which spot to choose?!! Hmm. This one's nice, but that one has a better view. Oh, not that one. It's under a tree full of birds. Ok, how about this one? Well, the one next to it is a little cleaner and the stripe's brighter. Aaargh!!

This spot is usually crammed with bikes during the summer. The lack of other riders is sort of bittersweet to me. One the one hand, I like the feeling of being one of the "crazy ones" who rides all year. People never know how to take you. Yesterday, for example, I was walking on the sidewalk in my wet gear, helmet in hand. A guy passed me going the other way. He caught my eye and I knew he wanted to say something. So I decided to humor him and act like I might be interested.

"Getting wet, huh?", he says, with entirely too much pleasure, I thought. Of course, I think I'm much more manly than him since I'm the one with the wet motorcycle gear. So who cares what a lightweight like him thinks, eh?

Here's another empty space at the Community College. More fodder for my ego. Which brings me to the other side of the coin. I've thrown my loyalty behind Andy Goldfine's Ride to Work campaign. Notice that it doesn't say Ride and Build Your Ego. Drat.

Not everyone can ride to work all year, I know. Little things like snow, for example, get in the way. Around here, however, snow and ice are less frequent. It's certainly not as much fun to ride in our Winter, but certainly something that can be accomplished. Not everyone wants to ride in bad weather, either. I'm okay with that. However, there's some who would probably want to ride more, they just need a little help to get there. Here's a hardy soul who rode yesterday. The birds are acting like they hope the rider left their lunch bag out somewhere.

My challenge to everyone is to help fill these empty spots as much as possible. Just across the street is another example of empty motorcycle parking.

In nicer weather, there's at least two bikes here. Sometimes up to four. Yesterday it was being used by a UPS truck. Nothing against UPS. They do a great job and I'm always glad to see their trucks roll up to my door. However, there's six tires on this truck. Those tires should be split among three bikes!

New riders are often looked down on by more "experienced" riders. Notice I put the word experienced in quotation marks. Real experienced riders are mature enough to reach out to new riders. Help them find the right gear to cope with the elements. That alone goes a long ways towards keeping them riding.

Help them think like motorcyclists. This includes realizing they can still be safe in wet weather, they just need to go about things a little differently than in a car. Here's a classic example I encountered yesterday.

I was in the lane where the white van is now. Notice the railroad tracks? These run along 12th street in Salem. 12th is a busy North-South route that skirts the downtown area. A lot of traffic comes and goes from the downtown core along streets that intersect the railroad tracks. Rubber pads separate the rails. When it's wet, everything's slick. I had to make a right turn. That's what this van is going to do. The van driver is going to start the right turn while still on the tracks. There's not much room to make the corner as you can see in the next photo.

By the way, I hope you appreciate these pictures. Each photo is taken while standing in the rain and trying to hold the camera still against the wind!

Leaning the bike to turn while on the tracks isn't a good idea, as you know. A new rider can find themselves in the middle of a heart stopping moment. These kind of things can make people swear off riding real quick! Teach them the tricks like crossing the tracks straight up, then making a quick right turn. Little tips make big differences.

Teach new riders about the wonderful treachery of wet leaves. On the way home I snuck out on some back roads high up in the hills. Miles of twisty roads to play on. Yesterday I found myself riding very carefully. Those big leaves are pretty to look at but deadly. In some places there were literally only the wheel tracks open among the leaves. Here's a place where I came down off the hills onto River Road.

Yes, it's awesome riding up in these hills. Except for the leaves of course. You can kind of see some leaves still on the sides of the lanes. At the bottom of the hill a rider's going to have to stop. Not a big deal? Check out the bottom of the hill.

Surprise! Of course, it shouldn't be. There's that thing called looking well ahead and getting critical information early. This situation isn't an issue under those circumstances. Get the information early. Plan and adjust the braking point early. Remember that other motorists can be having traction issues at the same time. Stay alert. These aren't things we can assume new riders will just automatically know. That's where we come in.

Rather than letting newer riders get scared off, or leave frustrated, sharing some of our hard won experience can help them embrace the challenge. A little knowledge can spell the difference between giving up or feeling empowered. Helping others avoid the hard lessons we've learned doesn't cheapen our own image. I know that some feel like everyone should have to learn on their own. In the long term that's counterproductive to our goal of making motorcycles everyday transportation. Freely sharing will make us all better off in the big picture.

My goal is to help fill these empty motorcycle parking spots. Are you in the mood to join me?

Miles and smiles,

Dan

Faces of the fallen.

Once more Veteran's Day is upon us. I would hope this isn't the only time that those who have and are serving get attention. A guy in a sporting goods store made a comment to me the other day. He said that we're hearing a lot less about Iraq these days in the news. I reminded him that our men and women are still living it every day. He didn't know what to say after that.

I'm one of those who thank members of the military for serving. I've paid the tab at restaurants for uniformed soldiers. The purpose of telling you that isn't to make me look special or better than anyone else. People are free agents and have to do what their hearts move them to do. Maybe my heart's just moved a little more because of kinship. A lot of soldiers from my era were drafted. Military people today are volunteers. They're the ones who are pretty special in my book.

I saw a guy with a t-shirt that read:

"My cousin serves for God and country. He fights for friends and family."

What a travesty if that nobility goes unappreciated. These are pictures of lost lives. Thankfully, a lot come back to us still among the living. Nobody comes back unscathed, though. Physically or mentally, there's a price. Thank you to one and all. We're sorry for your pain but blessed by your efforts.

It's been my custom on this day to take a ride on the bike. I'd visit graves of family buried in the Willamette National Cemetery. I would ride to the Memorial Wall in Portland. Last time I did the ride I got so lost emotionally that I nearly crashed on a wet bridge in the Big City. My senses were dulled to the smell of a diesel spill on a rainy street. It was way too close. I'm not ready to take that chance this year. Yeah, I know it's not in the same spirit of sacrifice our soldiers show. On the other hand, crashing a bike on the freeway doesn't have the same international implications.

There's a floating display at our mall. It's called the Wall of Honor. It started as a school project. Thousands of pictures cover the boards. Names, units, birth places. And those faces. I can't describe how haunting it is to me. Looking at the faces of these human beings The earnest faces of young men and women. At the time the pictures were taken, these people had no idea of anything but a normal future of growing old. Now they no longer exist except in our memories. And the pain that family and friends live with each day hence.

Nothing any of us can say or do at this moment will bring these ones back. They deserve honor for their sacrifice though they may never be aware of our prayers. For this special day tomorrow, though, I offer these prayers.

If there is any kind of afterlife, may these souls be reaping the just rewards for their sacrifices.

May their families eventually find the peace and strength to cope and carry on.

Most of all, may humanity one day find a better way to solve their differences and live in harmony.

God bless, and Godspeed to all.

Miles and a solemn heart,

Dan

News from Honda.

Sorry for the lack of posts this week. The boss has been down. That always keeps me busy. Evening times are tied up with client dinners. Since the boss is out of town, he's got nothing to occupy him in an empty hotel room. So we take people to dinner. The good news is that it means a great meal at company expense. The bad news is that dinners go to 7:30 or 8 PM. Since the restaurants are in Portland, that means an hour and 15 minutes to get home afterwards.

I'm ashamed to say it, but I only rode two days this week. For one thing, the boss flies down. Which means I drive. He's pretty good about my riding a bike for work. Unfortunately, as of yet, I haven't been able to convince him to ride pillion! Oh well. The other thing is that I can enjoy a beer or two with the meal. If I'm riding, it's a self-imposed rule written in stone. No alcohol. Period.

Today I'm sitting in front of the laptop catching up on reports. I needed a break so it was a perfect time to slip in a post. In another few minutes I have to attend a webinar that will last two hours. More computer screen time.

I rode on Monday to the Big City. As much as I'd like to take back roads, it works out better for time and distance to travel the freeway. Yeah, it's boring, but it's seat time. Other commuters are bored, too, it seems. I passed a guy in a small Subaru sedan. He had a small, round, head. Not much chin to speak of. Sticking out the back of his head was a ponytail. I wonder if the act of pulling his hair back into the ponytail shortened his jawbone? One thing for sure is that the ponytail must have been putting undue pressure on his brain. This guy was doing a crossword puzzle while driving. Propped onto the steering wheel was a book of puzzles. A pen was in his hand.

I'm pretty sure he didn't actually have the multi-tasking skills for this. Watching in my mirrors, I'd see the car twitch like he'd drifted and corrected quickly. One time he went over two lanes. The car twitched again and went back right one lane. I was tempted to turn him in but let it go. None of the news stations I listen to reported a wreck so I hope all turned out well.

Last week or so I did a post on motorcycle ABS. I'd heard a rumor that Honda was going to install ABS on all its bikes in the next couple of years. So I hunted it down and found the source. Honda had a report issued in May of this year. The rumor is true. The photo above is of Honda's CEO as he's delivering the speech. Honda has big plans to become more efficient in producing cars and motorcycles. Secondly, they want to be more "green". Thirdly, there's plans to incorporate more safety features into their vehicles.

Here's the quote from the report on the ABS.

"In the area of safety technology, Honda will install a motorcycle airbag system and ABS (Antilock Brake System) on more products. Honda plans to install ABS in all 250cc or larger class models worldwide, except off-road models, by the end of 2010.

In advanced nations, Honda will introduce its innovative environmental and safety technologies including a Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) system for motorcycles which significantly improves fuel efficiency as well as electronically-controlled combined ABS (C-ABS), an advanced brake system which further improves stability while braking. Moreover, Honda will improve the product attractiveness of medium-to-large size models and strengthen those aspects of a product which contribute to the joy of riding .
·
Motorcycle R&D will also be strengthened with a determination and passion to create the Super Cub of the next generation. "

So it seems this even includes the Rebel!

Interestingly, Honda attributes a lot of its success and strength to motorcycle production.

It's not listed in this report, but Honda is also working on navigational systems that will incorporate safety features. I read about a system that will issue a warning when another vehicle gets within a certain proximity. Kind of like the military's bogie warning systems! When a talented Japanese company like Honda puts its collective mind to something, the results should be impressive! Here's some information from that report.

"Honda has demonstrated motorcycle safety technology for the first time at an automotive technology event in Germany earlier this month.

Silicon.com's Julian Goldsmith reports Honda's motorcycle technology is in line with UK government initiatives launched in July to encourage manufacturers to consider motorcycle safety and put together an assessment program.

According to the government, motorcycles account for one per cent of road traffic, but account for 20 per cent of those killed on the road.

Honda cites an EU funded research project called the Motorcycle In-Depth Study published in 1999, which found of the 88 percent of motorcycle accidents caused by human error, 38 percent were due to the motorcyclist and 50 percent were the fault of the other driver.

Of the latter, the majority of accidents occurred because of perception failures (failing to see the motorcycle) or comprehension failures (not recognizing the approaching object as a motorcycle) or decision failures (failing to assess the speed of the oncoming motorcycle and pulling out).

A significant proportion of motorcycle accidents involve an oncoming vehicle either pulling out of a minor road on a junction into the path of the motorcycle, or crossing into the path of an oncoming motorcycle to turn right from a major road into a minor road.

Honda's main safety feature generates warnings to both vehicles as they are approaching each other by delivering continuous positioning data over the GPS network.

Honda says the Vehicle2Vehicle (V2V) system will work with its vehicles and those of eight other manufacturers and it is participating in projects in Europe, Japan and the US.

The warning indicator display varies in intensity, color and position of the lights to inform the rider of the seriousness and direction of the hazard ahead. A further enhancement of the system is a spoken warning relayed to the rider's helmet via Bluetooth connection.

Other safety initiatives include this riding simulator that can be used for training learner motorcyclists before they get out on the road. The trainer puts the student through a number of safety exercises.

Another safety feature going into the manufacturer's production of Super Sports bikes for the first time this year is electronically controlled Combined ABS, to provide enhanced braking capability in a wide range of road conditions. "

I finally have a weekend off. Katie's been neglected because I've spent so many weekends teaching. Trying desperately to remember to keep things balanced, I'm going to devote some time to worshipping her!

Stay tuned for next week. There are several interesting topics coming up here. In the meantime you can read the entire report from Honda here.

Miles and smiles,

Dan

So far, so good!

Well, I just heard from my insurance agent. The results were, in his words, "nearly perfect" and I was being offered preferred rates for the upgraded life insurance policy.

That's the short story. I'll tell you more in a bit. Let this first part serve as a warning. This sort of relates to motorcycling. The title of the blog has the word "musings" in it. Here's some of that. If information on my personal health is more than you care or want to know, you may be excused now! See you for the next post. Of course, you'll always be wondering what you missed.

Part of what's required to successfully ride a motorcycle is being in reasonable physical shape. Despite the fact that riding is mostly mental, there's a certain precision of physical skill execution involved. Not to say that we need to be in perfect physical condition. How many riders would there be if only perfect physical specimens could ride? Harley Davidson released a statistic regarding the average age of their buyers. If I remember correctly, it was 47 years. There's bound to be some physical imperfections there, I'm sure!

Realistically speaking, then, riders need to be aware of those kinds of limitations and adjust accordingly. Whether it be sight, hearing, bodily weakness, and so on, these limits need to be heeded. On the plus side, I think having a passion for something like riding, and teaching riders in my case, can help keep us healthier. Is it the passion itself that makes us better off? Or is it the subconscious desire to keep healthy enough to enjoy our passion?

Bear with me. I'll get to the meat of the matter pretty soon. It's a rainy morning. I have a hot cup of coffee in hand and I'm not really in any sort of hurry to get anywhere with any speed.

Riding means that there's a certain level of risk acceptance. That's a whole discussion by itself and I'm not going to conduct it right here. No matter how good my skills, there's still a chance I could get killed on a bike. I try really hard to avoid that possibility. Still, though, it's one of a hundred things that could end my earthly existence. Which brings me to the point. I know, finally.

I've seen too many wonderful ladies left destitute when their husbands die. Sometimes that's just the way it is because of the couple's financial situation. As long as I have the means to do so, I've determined that Katie won't be among that group. There's a few investments stashed away. I've maintained a life insurance policy. A couple of circumstances came up that made me stop and jump through a few hoops. I'm happy to announce that the jumping had a positive result.

My previous rates were locked in for 10 years. I recently received notice that the rates were about to start jumping up substantially in each upcoming year. However, if I cared to, I could submit new health information that might help lower the rates. What that boiled down to is that I've have to face that dreaded event called a physical exam!

It wasn't the actual event that put me off. From here on out in the post, I'm sharing from a guy's point of view. As a female, your results may vary. Statistics seem to show that the gals tend to be a bit smarter than us guys about these kind of things.

What worried me was what the results might tell me. I know so many guys with prescriptions for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type II diabetes, and so on. Many of them are suffering unpleasant and, shall we say, unmanly side effects. Having seen the five decade mark come and go, I considered myself relatively lucky. No prescriptions but nagging doubts.

Was the lack of drugs because I really didn't need them or because I just didn't go to the doctor? If I subjected myself to him, would he find I'd been deluding myself? A lot of conditions are supposedly symptomless. Was I afflicted but blissfully ignorant?

Oh, I've been to the doctor a few times over the years. I have a high pain threshold so it's pretty major when I go in. Let's see. There was the broken bone in my right leg. I didn't really think it was broken so I walked around on it for three weeks. When it didn't feel better I finally went in. I swear it's true. Ask Katie. Better yet, Clinton reads this blog. He could tell you.

I went in once for a puncture wound that went all the way through my left hand from palm to back. Fortunately I had some antiseptic ointment. So I put some on the end of the sharp object then pulled it back out of my hand. The next morning I went in for a tetanus shot and some antibiotics. Have to be prudent, you know?

Then there was the five broken bones in my right hand. I probably would have went on my own, but I really had no choice. I was unconscious when the medics loaded me into the ambulance and took me to emergency.

Yes, I've lived the rough life of a Warrior!

I feel compelled to put in a disclaimer. The smart thing to do is to get regular checkups. Things can be detected and corrected before they are bigger problems. That's the smart thing. I, however, am like a lot of other guys. We don't go like we should. It's worse for me because I have a pretty macho attitude. It ain't right but it's me. If you have to be brutal about it, then, you might say the smart thing is to not be like me.

Anyway. It was time to deal with the life insurance thing. Money is important. So is taking care of Katie. So I bit the bullet and went in for the physical. While I was at it, I decided to bump up the policy. Money doesn't go as far as it used to. Don't tell Katie, though. Incentive, you know?

The nurse drew blood. And some more. Blood pressure was checked. Height and weight. Poking and prodding. No lecture from the doctor. Was it the lack of a need or the look in my eyes? Soon they let me go. Now came the waiting.

You know how the mind takes things and chews on them? There was a lot of that going on. I could see pill bottles, or worse, poised to enter my life. Finally, the call came.

It was my agent from State Farm. He told me that the results were, in his words, nearly perfect. Blood pressure great. Cholesterol levels fine. Height and weight in agreement. No diabetic indications present. In fact, State Farm was offering me their best preferred rates and would lock those rates in for another 10 years.

Another bullet dodged. Life's good!

Miles and smiles,

Dan

Smugsy revisited.

My encounter with Smugsy really "bugged" me. Bad pun intended. To illustrate, I took a couple of photos of a Praying Mantis hanging out on the porch the other day. It's a bug, you know. A hungry one too, it seems, as it explores the cat's food dish. You notice the dish is empty. Our cat's 19 and a half years old. She doesn't do much anymore but she can still eat!

Several of you made some pretty astute comments about the situation. About Smugsy, not the cat. There's some aspects that seem relevant to commuting on a motorcycle. They deserve a little further exploration. This blog was started to encourage the use of a bike for everyday transportation. In the process we're going to bump up against preconceived notions. Everyone's got them, favorable or not. Everybody's also got a reason for riding. Those reasons are as varied as the riders themselves. As a motorcycle safety professional I personally disagree with some of those reasons. Particularly when someone rides a certain bike just to make up for something that's lacking in their psyche. News flash: If someone isn't enough without it, they'll never be enough with it.

When we look past the world of bikes it's apparent that this compensation happens in many other areas. Cars, trucks, houses, lifestyles, you name it. People who drive hybrid cars like the Prius are a cross section of humanity. Like riders, they are either really trying to do something responsible or they're looking for validation. In a lot of ways I don't actually care. They can do their thing and I'll do mine. I've got my reasons to ride and they're not really anybody else's business. Unfortunately, life isn't that simple for a rider.

Motorcycling, at least the recreational side of it, is getting more mainstream all the time. When the weather's nice, I see a lot of bikes that are ridden to work. I work a lot of weekends trying to add even more folks who ride to work. It's a great trend but we're still in the minority. There's organizations like the AMA, ABATE, and the MRF, that work to defend our right to ride. I applaud and benefit from their efforts. I guess my biggest question, though, is why do we have to defend our rights in the first place? Haven't you found yourself in a situation where a non-rider somehow puts you in a situation where you feel the need to defend your choice of transportation? It's not right but it's our reality. Why? Because the vast majority of voters and influencers are non-riders.

It's admittedly been a long way around but I'm getting back to Smugsy. It's people like him who have an affect on legislation. Good or bad. Whether I like it or not that's reality. That's one of the reasons I made my point and let it go. I didn't make it about bikes versus hybrids. It was about two travelers and the respect that should be shown each other. In this case, one traveler failed to play nice.

Maybe it's too subtle to follow. I don't know. My dealings with others are a fine line between standing up for myself as a motorcyclist and not crossing the line into antagonism. I'm certainly not going to let anyone walk all over me just because I don't want to alienate someone who could someday vote against motorcyclists. I'll never shy away from a battle. That battle, however, will be over how humans should treat each other and not about "car drivers" versus "riders". Am I writing this in such a way that you can follow my logic?

The incident with the Prius driver was an actual happening. What the guy said was pretty random. At least on the surface. Who really knows where people are coming from? It's like being pulled over by a cop. The cop seems rude and unreasonable. Sometimes the individual is just a jerk. How do we know, though, what might have happened recently for them? It's quite possible that the attitude is a direct result of the last traffic stop or call. Have you read Charlie's blog? Charlie's a probation officer in Spokane, Washington. After you finish this post go read this. Law enforcement personnel deal with things that make no sense. Worse, they would blow your mind, to use the common expression. As a professional, you'd hope the officer would be able to compartmentalize. I can tell you from experience that it can't always happen. That's the way it will always be since we're dealing with humans and not robots.

What had Smugsy's experience been with motorcycles? Does he often encounter riders with loud pipes? Did somebody take advantage of the "biker" stereotype and use it against him for intimidation somewhere? Has he been "strafed" by squids as he took his family on a relaxing drive? Has he lost a relative to a motorcycle accident? Or was it "none of the above" and he is just a "fear biter"?

I had absolutely no way of knowing. All I could tell is that from somewhere down deep a spark exploded. He obviously felt he couldn't stand up to me on a man to man basis. So he tried to put me in what to him was a lower class. He's a little man who needs a step ladder of some sort. Smugsy was no match as a man. I wasn't going to follow the road he pointed to. This wasn't about bikes versus hybrids.

Honor is a part of my makeup. But so is practicality. The situation boiled down to having two questions answered. What would I gain by conquering Smugsy? What could be gained by letting it go? As you know, I let it go. He may still view me as "one of those" but it wasn't by any direct action of mine. At least not to my mind. Your results may vary.

The logical conclusion didn't make it any easier to deal with. Yes, I wanted to grab him and shake him. Yes, I stewed about it for a long time. I'm both angered by his attitude and saddened by his attitude. Ultimately it will be him living with who he is, not me. I know that sounds all noble and everything. The fact that I'm saying philosophical things to make me feel better about not "doing something" to Smugsy. I don't know about noble. Maybe it's just a guy facing the passage of time. Conserving energy isn't always a bad thing. You want philosophical? Here's something Grandpa used to tell me.

Never wrestle with a pig. The pig likes it and you'll only get dirty.

This from a guy who could never get enough of proving how "manly" he was in his younger days. Then time caught up with him. A man can't just start saying that he no longer has what he used to. So he makes up sayings like this. It's working pretty well for me, too.

See how conserving energy can sound philosophical and noble? What it really means is that I'm just too tired to waste resources on this! Catch me twenty years ago.

I did have this horrible thought, though.

Who knows? Maybe one day Smugsy will become a rider. God, I hope not! I won't even ask what kind of bike he'd ride. I wasn't going to go there. Did I just do that? Shame on me. No offense intended to any readers. If you're reading this you're plenty enough by yourself. You don't need a certain kind of bike to feel worthy.

If I were to have engaged in the bike versus hybrid discussion, these are some points I would have made. Again, your comments covered some of this. Educated folks, you are!

It takes a lot more energy and resources to build a hybrid than a bike. More raw materials which require more energy. More truck, train, or ship space to transport these materials. Which takes more energy. More manufacturing time which requires more energy. More expense to buy the hybrid. Comparing the price of a new Prius to my new FJR, the Prius is several thousand dollars more expensive.

Operating costs aren't really that much less. At least to my way of thinking. Like you all brought out, the battery pushes the car at low speeds. At highway or freeway speeds, the Prius gets good mileage but is still operating as a regular internal combustion car. I'm told the batteries won't last the life of the car itself and replacing them is pretty expensive. Somebody at a dealer told me it was around five thousand dollars.

Then there's the disposal of said batteries. Toxic elements to be dealt with. Not so much of a problem with a bike.

Motorcycles are looking more "green" all the time, aren't they?

Not to say that a hybrid car is a bad thing. Just not wonderful enough to get all smug and self righteous over. I sometimes wonder why we all can't just do whatever we feel right about doing? Maybe I'm getting old and tired. I can't help but feel we'd all benefit a lot more if folks would support each other's efforts. The current method still has some bugs to work out, I think.

I'm just a simple Road Warrior. My brain doesn't have all the great answers. One thing I'm pretty sure of, though. I'll bet Smugsy never smiles as much in his Prius as I do on my bikes!

Miles and smiles,

Dan

2SMUG4ME



My bike is parked between the building and his car. I'm sitting on the bike. Helmet and gloves off. His car is a pale green Toyota Prius. There's personalized plates adorning front and back. They read LES CO2.

Took me a while to get it. Was Les the driver? What did the second part mean? I could be excused, though. There were other things on my mind. Things that were threatening my good mood. Things like the back bumper of the Prius. It was looking to do bad things to my front wheel. Smugsy and I were sharing the Super Slab. The endless ribbon of steel and concrete that connects us all eventually. The Prius and I were to be connected here and now if I didn't do something.

Smugsy had passed me on the left. I was mellow and happy this day. Bike and I rolled easily along in the right lane. The rider's equivalent of smelling the flowers. Pleasure was about to turn to pain. Unless I did something. Real soon. There was only one solution in this formula. Prius passes. Prius moves right quickly. Rider brakes and rolls off. You could say I was disenchanted. At least I was in a good position to figure out that damned license plate.

Now here we were. I needed a stretch. Smugsy needed a bathroom. Circumstances said we should meet again.



Smugsy was walking back to his car. He'd have to pass by me. I studied him. Didn't look like a tree hugger. Sun didn't touch his skin much. I'd guess he spent a lot of time indoors. Hugging a bottle. Flush cheeks and small red veins marked his face. He was a small man. I guessed something like six decades had passed for him. Guys like him are ignored in crowds every day. Just another "nobody" shuffling along the sidewalk.

Smugsy walked with his head down. My eyes glared at his skull. As people will, he felt my gaze. Stare at someone across a room. Pick someone not looking at you. Watch them start to fidget. Pretty soon they'll look at you. Smugsy looked up at me. His body stiffens. There's surprise and a little fright in his eyes. He shoots a quick look at his car. It's on the other side of danger. His human helplessness is naked in front of me. Smugsy hunches his shoulders. Like he's bracing for a blow.

Good and Evil argue. Good says to let it go. Evil tells me I was nearly killed. Good says it wasn't that close. I was able to adjust, wasn't I? Evil reminds me that I call myself a Warrior. Warriors avenge wrongs, don't they? I tell both voices to get lost.

I tell Smugsy I didn't appreciate his move. Smugsy says he didn't see me. His reaction at seeing me betrays it as a lie. Smugsy knows it, too. He's trapped. He takes the offensive. A mouse squeaking at a cat. He's shaking a little. Fear? Self-righteous rage? Booze withdrawal?

"Bikers are irresponsible. You're the opposite of hybrid drivers. Pretty soon you'll all be gone."

Smugsy stares into my eyes as long as he can. Which isn't long. He's at a disadvantage. His eyes are uncovered. Mine are now behind dark glasses. I see his temporary bravery deflate. Does he have a death wish? Is he deluded? The shaking is worse now.

Good is speaking again. Let the man go. He's scared. The strong show mercy.

Smugsy is waiting for my reaction. His fear is plain. He seems shocked by what he just said. Did he just condemn a biker? I'm not one, of course. That's how Smugsy sees me. I slow count to twenty. Delay the reply. Toy with the mouse. Finally, the cat lets the mouse see freedom.

I reply by pointing my finger at his car. Smugsy doesn't get it. Point to him. Point to his car. Now it dawns on him. Smugsy is at his Prius in record time. He drops his keys. Now he's inside. The door slams shut. I've heard these cars use a battery for slow speeds. The gas engine takes over at higher speeds. I smile. I'm sure both help get Smugsy out of here.

I think of Smugsy after he's gone. He's not the only smug hybrid driver I've met. Talk of a bike compared to a hybrid can happen later. Isn't it enough to do the right thing? Why be smug? So many thoughts in my head. My brain needs peace. I pick a thought and go with it. Little people in giant pickups. Little people in hybrid cars. Overcompensation takes many forms, it seems.

Leave Smugsy and his ilk to live how they will. Hunger rumbles my body. A saddlebag holds relief. Over a sandwich I marvel at how beautiful Elvira is. Life's good on a bike!

Miles and smiles,

Dan

Another argument for ABS.

As you know, the reason I bought a new bike was to upgrade to ABS. I believe in it so firmly that I put my money where my mouth was. As one who practically lives on a bike, ABS is a welcome backup to my own skills. Yes, I think I have really highly developed riding skills. No, I don't think I'm infallible. As good as I am, ABS never has an off day, never gets distracted, and always has up-to-the microsecond data on what's happening with the tires. I'm not saying I would never again ride a bike without ABS. However, the bike I use for business will always have it. Think about how much multi-tasking is required during our work day. It's great to have ABS in the background. It wil always totally be there even when my mind may not be.

In an interesting coincidence, right after my last post which was on braking, I received some information on how ABS has contributed to reducing rider fatalities. In a release from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety ( IIHS ), it was stated that bikes with ABS had a 38% lower representation in fatal crashes than similar motorcycles without them.

The news release was provided by MSNBC. You can read the article here.

What was interesting was that similar bikes were compared. In other words, a sport tourer model for example, was picked. Researchers looked at the fatal crashes involving that particular model. The model without ABS was represented more frequently than the same model with ABS. You can see for yourself by clicking here for the October 22 IIHS status report.

Since this kind of research is used to determine insurance rates, I'm going to ask my agent if my rate can be lower due to having ABS!

An vital reminder is that there are no magic bullets. ABS is certainly a wonderful tool. It is not a force field that will deflect all troubles. We still need good braking skills. Not every stop will require ABS. When we need to stop the bike "right now!" use the ABS. That's why we paid extra for it, after all. It's still critical to use the brakes smoothly even when getting into the ABS. Believe it or not, with really abrupt braking inputs, it's possible to still skid a tire. We've seen what we call a dashed skid mark. The rider controls weight transfer while the ABS controls wheel rotation. Here comes that "practice" word again!

By the way, I've been doing my own practice with the ABS on Elvira. She will stop so quickly from highway speeds that I literally get motion sickness from the sudden decelaration. Now that's the way a bike is supposed to stop!

Miles and smiles,

Dan

Coming up next, my brush with Smugness!

Bodies in braking.

"Why do I always stomp down so hard on the rear brake when I'm stopping quickly?"

This was a question asked of me by a student in an advanced course. The Road Warrior part of me wanted to make some sort of flippant reply. Like this:

"Because you're a dumbass! If you know you're doing it, just don't do it anymore!"

Which would have been great for my ego but wouldn't have been of much use to the student. This student was sincere in their request for information. This person had obviously tried to quit using so much rear brake. Despite that, it kept happening. I needed to give them some meaningful feedback that would actually help correct the problem. Which I was able to do, of course. Come on, I'm the Guru, right?

In order to fully understand how things work we need to look beyond the physical. You may have heard of an athlete of whom it's said they have good mechanics but still aren't great. The key to greatness is realizing that there's both physics and physiology involved. In other words, we need to become aware of how our body reacts to certain situations. Once we've achieved that awareness, we can make our bodies work for us instead of against us. Like I've said before, successful riding is comprised of unnatural acts.

My first real exposure to delving into the big picture was provided by a past instructor. It was during firearms training in Academy. As we were being schooled in proper techniques the instructor told us to watch each other as we were shooting. We were told to look at the dynamics of the human body while drawing and firing a weapon. It was a lesson in both the mechanics and physiology of shooting. This would prove valuable in later years. Whatever your view of firearms, the same principle applies to riding a motorcycle.

With that in mind, let's go back and see how this applies to a better understanding of what's happening during maximum braking. Maybe we can take our skills to a little higher level in the process.

First off, let's look at the mechanics of braking.

We all know about weight transfer, right? As we begin braking the weight of the bike and rider moves forward. This weight gives us more traction for braking. It's not there all at once, so our squeeze of the brake lever has to be progressive and smooth. As the front of the bike weights, the rear gets lighter. Less weight means less traction for braking. In other words, we squeeze more firmly on the front lever while using light to lighter pressure on the rear brake pedal. Since the weight eventually quits moving forward and starts to equalize again, we also need to let off the front brake a little right at the end of the stop. Pretty standard stuff.

Another mechanical aspect is the position of the foot peg in relationship to the brake lever. For this particular student, the peg was close to the pedal. The student also had rather large feet. When the student applied the rear brake a large part of his boot was pressing on the pedal. This resulted in quite a bit of pressure initially, as well as a lessened ability to lift his boot for lighter pressure. The student needed to move his foot back on the peg. Actually, moving the peg permanently would be wise if possible.

Now let's look at the physiology involved. Just to avoid a separate issue, I'm going to throw in one other "p" word here. That's the word "psychology". Not that we're psycho for riding, although some unenlightened individuals might call us that. What I'm talking about is how our perceptions are altered by the physical size of the rear brake pedal.

I don't know if you've ever taken a close look, but a lot of cruisers have really large rear brake pedals. They're almost the size of the brake pedal in a small truck. This situation can create a psychological impression that there should be a lot of braking available from a pedal that size. It's just not true and a rider needs to ignore the mental picture created. Good technique is always "light to lighter" on the rear brake no matter the size of the pedal!

A definite physiological aspect to braking is where we look while stopping. I wrote a post about this a long time ago. Not only does keeping our eyes up and looking well ahead provide stability and help us stop in a straight line, it also affects how we apply the brakes. Simply put, looking down makes our bodies clench more while looking up opens up our stance and smooths things out. Try it sometime in a safe place. Notice the difference in smoothness when looking well ahead as opposed to looking down at the instruments or a few feet in front of the bike. Why not work with our body's natural reactions?

Speaking of natural reactions, consider this. Maximum braking on a motorcycle is stressful. Whether on the streets or just in front of an instructor, heart rates go up and adrenaline flows. Somewhere in the back of our minds is the thought that we're trying to avoid either hitting something or having the bike fall down due to a front wheel skid. In either case, the word "impact" is floating around in our heads. It might not be that exact word, but our body anticipates the hit. So what does the body do?

Think about the last time you rode in a vehicle with someone else and had a close call. It might have been a friend or partner who wasn't paying close attention to what was ahead. Perhaps it was teaching a young person to drive. Anyway, what did you find your physical reaction was? Didn't you brace yourself some way? Either with your hands on the dash or with your feet on the floorboards? Maybe both? Even if you were the driver and pushed the brake pedal, what was your left foot doing? Bracing your body, wasn't it? Both feet were pressing hard on something.

So what makes stopping a motorcycle any different? Our feet are called into play by the physiological reaction to the situation. The feet and legs want to brace us against the conjured up impact scenario. What just happens to be under the right foot? Riders often find themselves applying way too much pressure on the rear brake as a result. Most of the time they're not even aware of it. Such was also the case with my student.

The answer is simply to get in the habit of bracing our knees against the gas tank. This way the body can still clench and brace but the force is applied higher up. Without all the pressure on our feet we can use the proper pressure on the rear brake. The added benefit of pressing our knees against the tank is that it keeps the posterior firmly planted in the seat. That's a much better control position. With some ABS bikes, I've seen riders come quite a ways up off the seat. Better to stay seated.

Bear in mind that the correct actions aren't going to come automatically at the time they're needed. You knew this was coming, didn't you? The only way to make sure we do exactly the right thing in an emergency is to practice. Practice doing it right over and over. Notice I said practice doing it right. Practice by itself doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice is what makes perfect. Sorry, there's no other way. Repeated perfect practice teaches the brain and body to work together in harmony. Both mind and muscle will know how to apply exactly the right braking pressure in an emergency.

What? Are you still reading? You should be out riding and practicing! Get out of here!

Miles and smiles,

Dan

Closing out the work week.

The work week closed out pretty much like it began and continued. On a bike. Tuesday thru Friday weren't as much fun as Monday's ART class, but it's all good.

I had ordered a new windshield and trim piece for Sophie. They arrived on Wednesday. Since she's up for sale I decided to spruce her up a bit. The old windshield was getting yellowed. Just below the windshield is that black piece of trim with the slot and the Honda logo. A few years ago a bouncing rock took a chunk out of the top of it. There's been a piece missing in the top left corner of the slot for a long time. She's looking pretty sharp, now, isn't she? Dang, it's going to be even harder to part with her now!

Friday saw me faced with a need to go back up to Vancouver, Washington. We used to have an office up there but closed it out. We moved most of the stuff to a storage unit. I had to go fetch something. Since I was going up there, I'd scheduled a meeting at Adventist Hospital to consult with them on their new building that's going up. This would be a great chance to make sure the new windshield didn't blow off after my installation job. Hey, any excuse, right?

Now that I have Sophie at the storage unit, my question is "how's she going to carry all that stuff?".

My meeting with the hospital folks went well. It was a quick consultation to get some questions answered for a factory order. I had informed them ahead of time that I would be riding. Since it was a quick meeting, I didn't shed the riding gear. Except for the helmet and gloves, of course. It's kind of hard to have much of a discussion through a full face helmet. Nobody blinked an eye. Just another reason to prove that motorcycles can be used for business as well as pleasure.

What was really cool is what happened after the meeting. I'd only had one cup of coffee and no breakfast that morning. When I was done at the hospital I found a place to remedy that situation. Katie had slipped a bagel with cream cheese into my tank bag. Bless that angel! While replenishing my bodily fuel stores, I called my boss. He wasn't anwering the phone so I left him a message with a couple of updates. Then I added the next part.

"If you're going to call me back in the next hour and a half you'll have to leave a message. I'll be on the bike and won't hear the phone ring!"

Mileage for the day was at 201 by the time I reached home. Not a bad way to end the week.

By the way, when I got home and checked my e-mail there a message that had been forwarded to me from our training program's headquarters. A student, actually the guy from the Governor's Advisory Committee, had offered some feedback on his experience at ART on Monday.

As a little background, here's a brief rundown on the format. We work on advanced braking and swerving drills. The main focus, though, is on cornering properly. That includes making smooth transitions at the right time, lines, and strategies for setting up and linking turns. In a weird happenstance, it was also a name day. Out of 11 students we had four named Dave. Our three instructors were Dan, Dan, and Stan.

Part of the cornering portion includes inviting students to take a passenger ride on our bike. If a student looks to be not getting it at all, we sometimes nearly command them to ride with us. Respectfully, of course! Nothing like seeing and feeling it as the instructor rides the track. It's a very effective learning tool for students. Practically speaking, it can be hard for the instructors. We have to be able to keep up with solo riders despite being two up. It wouldn't look good to the rest of the class if the instructors were clogging the traffic flow, now, would it? Some of our students are less than thin, you might say. It's a careful balance of keeping up without scraping so hard as to be dangerous or frightening to the passenger. Some students come to class with a deep aversion to leaning. Somehow we make it all work.

Here's the input from this particular student:

"On Monday, Oct 13, I spent a very productive and enjoyable day in the Advanced Rider Training course near Canby. The instructors, Dan, Dan, and someone whose name I have unfortunately already spaced out, were all excellent. To all my rider acquaintences and friends, I have been urging them to take this course.

At the course's conclusion, we were invited to provide written feedback. I did so, but as I thought about the course over the next couple of days, I had further thoughts. I hope you will share these with the instructors for that day.

Having taken previous Team Oregon classes, I expected to be observed and to be given feedback on my riding skills. That happened in this class as well. But two teaching techniques that were new to this class were especially useful to me.

First, the opportunity to ride along with an instructor as he talked aloud about his line of path for approaching each curve, feeling him brake and downshift at just the right time, watching the course as he watched it, and listening to his strategy. Very cool. I took every opportunity to do this, and I would love the opportunity to do that sometime in the real world with an instructor as well. Suggestion for additional advanced training.

A second strategy that was both a little intimidating and yet highly useful was having the instructor shadow me thru the course to judge my perfomance near the conclusion of the day. Again, this one-on-one experience really gave me the assurance that if I was doing anything really inappropriate it would not be missed. My only suggestion would be to take the extra time to have each student shadowed for a couple of laps at the beginning of the ART class so that the "post-test" could be used to measure change. Doing that would also inform each student about any special issues he/she needs to focus upon for the remainder of the day.

All in all, this training was just excellent. In all my team Oregon trainings, I have had nothing but excellent educators who obviously enjoy their work.

Keep it up and keep the rubber down.

Thank you."

It's always nice to get positive feedback. This kind of thing keeps my fires for training burning hot. Whenever a person can find a passion for something that helps add value to the world, what better treasure can we hope for?

See you Monday. I'm working on a post about braking technique and how human physiology affects it. A student asked me a very interesting question last Monday. Stay tuned.

Miles and smiles,

Dan

Empty heads and heritage.

"Hello! Hello? Can you hear me? Oh, there you are. How's it goin'?"

Believe it nor not, these words are coming from the recesses of a public restroom stall. Who in the world is so important or ignorant that they have to talk on a cell phone while sitting on a toilet? Come to think of it, why does it seem that nobody can ever peel that blasted thing away from their heads? Whether they're driving, sitting at a restaurant table, or even, Heaven forbid, sitting on a toilet, people can't just shut the stupid things off?

I've been threatened with collisions while riding by countless oblivious drivers. I've been annoyed by rude people having loud conversations at the table next to me. Yes, I've even been publicly put down but secretly admired when I've reminded these bovine brains just how rude their conversations are. As if that's not bad enough, now I'd had to worry if there was a certain Senator in the stall looking for company. And should I be concerned about leaving quickly?

After a trip to Ashland last week, I think I have a reason for some of it, at least. This is sort of a philosophical side road. There's not much about motorcycling here except for a couple of things. Cell phone distracted drivers are a prominent hazard for motorcyclists. Especially for those of us who commute and ride a lot. The other thing is that I used a motorcycle to get to Ashland. I just feel compelled to speak my piece here. In the process, maybe this post can serve as a reminder to us to keep the really important things in their proper place.

Ashland is in Southern Oregon. It's a smaller town in the midst of the rolling hills. The two big attractions are Southern Oregon University and the Shakespearean theme to the town. There's a long history of performances of William's plays. It was while I was having a sort of unauthorized look around that these thoughts came to me. Hey, if a door is open a crack, that's as good as all the way, isn't it?

I'm standing and looking at this stage. As I do so, I'm thinking of how many performances have been presented here. More than that, though, I'm slowly becoming surrounded by the great cloud of human drama permeating the air. Believe it or not, I've read a number of the Wise Scribe's works. Yes, Road Warrior can read! In the cloud I can feel the joy and anguish of human emotions as they encounter a vast array of situations. I can feel tragic love and fiery hate. There's both the base and the more subtle nuances of relationships. Eons pass and specific details may vary slightly, but the common threads bind us to all those who lived before.

Shaking myself back into the present, I wander some more. Some cleaning gals have spotted me but aren't looking to threaten me with eviction. My eyes are caught by the row of green plaques lining the edge of the balcony. They list the plays performed for each year. 2008 is represented at the far right. At the far left is the first one. It was a long time ago.

By now my belly was rumbling so I pulled myself away and headed down the street. There's a little cafe called Zoey's. Should have taken a photo. The camera was around my neck and I looked a proper tourist. During the meal the Nikon sat on the table. Never thought to take a picture of the place. Zoey's is a sort of Yuppie / Hippie blend. Somehow I accidentaly ordered a vegetarian sandwich. There were neat ingredients like roasted red peppers and feta cheese. I could swear I saw chicken on the description. After I got the sandwich I double checked the menu. Nope, no chicken. How did my brain suddenly get so empty?

Then it hit me. So many people these days are empty headed. Not that I'm saying they're stupid. Although that certainly seems to be what their actions are telling me. I've used the expression "afraid to be alone with their thoughts". What I should really be saying is that there probably aren't any real thoughts in there anymore. People are driven crazy by the echo of silence. So they try to fill it. With endless cell phone chatter.

This is a place across from Zoey's called "The Ashland Springs Hotel". Here's a quote from their website.

An oasis of gentility and charm in the beautiful Rogue River Valley, Ashland Springs Hotel is the premier choice for lodging in Southern Oregon. A two-year restoration project transformed the former Mark Antony into a haven of taste and elegance reminiscent of Small European hotels. Ashland Springs Hotel combines the charm of a bed and breakfast, the friendliness of a small inn, the feel of a spa resort and the safety and convenience of a hotel.

The place reminds me of a time when people would sit in the lobby and actually just chat with each other. A time when you'd sit on your front porch and talk with neighbors as they passed by. They weren't just "the neighbors". They were Pete and Martha, Harold and Linda, or whatever. Days when human interaction was always more important than electronic entertainment, which there was little of anyway. You shook a man's hand and felt the human contact. His eyes could tell you a lot about him. Face to face and the personal touch were always the preferred way to go.

People don't have that anymore. So called friends are tinny voices in their ears. There's a local coffee shop closing after 15 years. Business is way down. The owners are lamenting that people just don't come and linger and visit anymore. They say that folks wake up and start the day behind schedule. Drive thru and "to go" orders rule the day. Actual human personal contact is getting a lot more rare. Don't believe me? Try calling your power company, your phone company, or a large department store. Hope you like computers and recorded menus.

This was an actual father and daughter taking a break in Lithia Park. She was chatting happily away. Dad was eating a sandwich. There's a sign that asks people not to feed the ducks. Ever hopeful, the ducks aren't asking the pair to break any ordinances. However, if something just happened to fall on the sidewalk, well, they'd be happy to clean it up.

Movies and video games further dehumanize things. Other people aren't real to folks anymore. Maybe that's why it's so easy to pull out in front of someone else in traffic, or cut them off. It's not real people, after all, it's just shadowy forms intruding on their space. Isolation from human contact breeds selfishness which, in turn, breeds rudeness. You mean there's other people around that I have to think about?

Adding to the situation is the lack of real thinking. Maybe that accounts for a lot of behaviour, too. Katie says that drivers who drive stupidly have death wishes. I think they just don't know better anymore. Other drivers adjust in their own self preservation efforts which lets these stupid drivers off the hook as far as consequences go. I don't think most of these idiots actually even realize just how dangerous and stupid their actions really are.

There's a little more, too. Hang in there with me. Remember Shakespeare? How many people have read any of the great written works that have come before us? Who thinks deeply about the past? Who contemplates the great mysteries around us? How many, instead, just want to be entertained?

I stood and looked at these Wood Ducks for a long time. Not that they were so interesting. They just sort of cocked an eye at me, decided I wasn't a threat, and tucked the bills back under downy feathers. The water was making a soothing sound as water does. My mind was full of thoughts and questions. There was no shortage of deep things to think about against this peaceful background. A cell phone would have been a troubling intrusion. Mine was locked in the bike's bags.

In my opinion, people have lost touch with most things that are truly meaningful. If a person doesn't read great literature, doesn't study our varied and fascinating heritage and history, and doesn't care about much more than crossing off the next thing on their shallow task list, what thoughts are left? It's no wonder they always need a cell phone attached to their head. The emptiness must be deafening and scary.

Do you remember Steve Williams recently talking about how the road devours all concerns? Click the link to the right and find the August 24, 2008 post with the same name. Somewhere in the post Steve mentions Colin Fletcher. As it happens, I'd already read a book written by Colin, It's called "The Man Who Walked Through Time". The book describes a solo hike Colin took through the entire length of the Grand Canyon. This happened in the mid to late 60's, if I remember correctly, and took several weeks.

A great test would be to ask ourselves. How we would come out mentally after so much time alone? Would we be refreshed by the chance to think or insane from a lack of stimulation?

Empty heads or full of heritage?

Thanks for hanging in with me through this wandering mild rant. I wish I had some easy answers, but I don't. In the meantime, though, I continue to study and understand the enemies I encounter in my motorcycling adventures!

Miles and smiles,

Dan