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| December 17, 2008
Excerpt from: Motorcycle Lawyer | | Important Insurance Reminder | In normal times, about 25% of the motorists in California operate without insurance.
As the economy continues to sag, that number is going up.
California allows motorists to operate with as little as $15,000 in liability coverage. As the economy sags, more drivers are buying the lower limit policies.
If you are the victim of a left turning car that cuts you off, this means that a lot of the time, you are going to be out of luck economically as well as having serious injuries from an accident. Unless, that is, you get decent uninsured motorist coverage. The higher your uninsured motorist limit, the better you are protected. If the other driver has no coverage, your UM coverage will protect you up to its limit. If the other driver has low limits, your UM coverage will act as "under insured" motorist coverage, or UIM. In this case, your insurance will effectively act to increase the available policy limit to the level of UM coverage you have purchased.
Given the high medical expenses and long time off work that can result from an accident, motorcycle riders need to get this coverage.
Remember, also, that there is still some medical insurance out there that won't cover you for motorcycle related injuries, and most motorcycle policies don't provide much, if any, payment of medical bills other than UM coverage.
Surprisingly, it is relatively inexpensive coverage to purchase.
I always feel a pang of sympathy for a rider that buys an aftermarket pipe for a new motorcycle, but then rides without uninsured motorist coverage.
Remember, this is one of the few places on your policy where the coverage you are buying protects YOU, not someone else.
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| December 17, 2008
Excerpt from: Motorcycle Addict | | Looks and feels awesome | I just got a new Sargent Seat for the Speed Triple as a present. It is incredible how much better it feels, and of course it looks cool, as well. This particular seat has the silver welt. While I am not usually a fan of contrasting welt, it definitely is the way to go on this item.
Over the years, I have been curious about the reason that so few manufacturers put the time, effort, and money into their seats that they will spend putting a small amount of extra horsepower into the engine.
While we all like more power, the reality is that rarely do we use the last bit of it. Many of us never do. On the other hand, the seat is an issue every time we are on the bike.
Because most stock seats are not that great, a huge industry has grown for aftermarket seats. This is a good thing, because we need choices, but it is still surprising that the manufacturers don't seem interested in doing their best in this area.
It is a little cold and wet now for me to put the kind of miles on the new seat that it will take for a full report. Others have commented that the addition of a Sargent is the single best improvement that can be made to a Speed Triple. Most also mention that there is a break in period required before the improvement is fully appreciated.
I will try to report back when I have some miles on the seat.
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| December 01, 2008
Excerpt from: Happenings | | Good and Bad But Higher Tech for Sure | I have never been a fan of half helmets. They pull up from the wind at higher speeds, and they don't protect your jaw, teeth, and most of your face, like a full helmet.
On the other hand, there is a large group of riders who detest any helmet. Helmets are disliked by this group for several reasons, among them the feeling of restriction, heat in the summer, and the feeling of weight on the head.
There is a split in the helmet industry between softer outer shells and harder outer shells. At present, the belief is that you have to choose between better protection from lesser impacts, and better protection in larger impacts. Either you try to avoid any injury in lesser impacts, or you try to minimize the damage from greater impacts.
Carbon Kevlar has a number of characteristics that make it a good choice for the outer shell of a helmet. It is light and looks good (matter of preference). The carbon is very strong for its weight, and gives a lot of resistance to deformation. It won't bend easily if hit, and will withstand a good amount of force. Kevlar has a lot of tensile strength. It is very difficult to cut, resists abrasion, and holds things together extremely well. The combination offers the potential for a very good helmet material.
It is a good thing for all of us to see this material used in a motorcycle helmet. Motorcycle helmet testing is not as useful as real world experience. It would be even better if that real world experience were being tracked.
Carbon Kevlar is not a cheap material, and the Harley helmet is $250. This is more than a lot of half helmets, but less than a lot of full face helmets.
I have never tried to impose my choices on anyone else. That said, I suspect that the combination of cool looks, light weight, and technology will encourage a lot of riders who detest helmets to choose the Harley Carbon Kevlar.
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| December 01, 2008
Excerpt from: Motorcycle Addict | | One of the Few Things You Do Alone | Each new phone that comes out has cooler features, while also bringing the of the world to you that much faster with just a little more invasion into your life.
Sometimes the email is from someone you want to hear from. Other times it is invasive or even spam. The rapid fire onslaught of information brings ever more communications that, when you think about it, are problems that belong to someone else.
Riding a motorcycle cuts off that electronic clutter. (OK, so a lot of us have sound systems). Riding requires focus. Focus further limits the intrusion of life. A quick way to relieve the brain and to get some of the same benefits that come from meditating, is to get on the bike and ride.
The Fryed Brothers link this need with the control that you get from motorcycling, with their song "I Ride". They explore the feeling a child gets from a first bicycle. A motorcycle is the same experience, only faster and larger.
When we talk about "freedom", part of that experience is getting away from the constant flogging of advertising, points of view, and other people's problems.
The risks of riding have to be balanced with the mental benefits.
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| December 01, 2008
Excerpt from: Motorcycle Lawyer | | Harley Rider in Accident Two Years Ago | The heat is on the Dept. of Transportation to get going on the study of motorcycle injuries funded long ago, partly by the motorcycle industry itself.
Interestingly, Mary Peters, the head of the Department of Transportation, is herself a rider. She crashed her Harley two years ago, with a fractured collar bone as the result.
Her personal conclusion is that her helmet saved her. At least, publicly, that is how she describes the accident. Her focus, of course, is that motorcyclists should be encouraged, persuaded, required, to wear helmets.
I agree that it is far safer to wear a helmet than not, but obviously there is something else going on here. An awful lot of helmet wearing riders are being injured and killed.
Peters blames part of the issue on older riders. She notes that there are more 50 year old plus riders out there than ever before, and cites the statistic that they are having 400% more accidents.
Still, this is far different than an actual study of the issues. Drinking and driving, faster motorcycles, older drivers, etc. Many potential things we can point at. No substitute for information.
I would like to know the effect that faster, more maneuverable cars have on the statistics. Although there have been a few initiatives to make automotive drivers more aware of motorcyclists, this has not been shown to have much effect.
On the other hand, there is a lot of evidence that drivers who make a left hand turn in front of motorcyclists cause a serious amount of injuries every year.
| Topic Tags: Broken Collar Bone, Death, DOT, drinking and driving, faster motorcycles, Helmet, left hand turn, Mary Peters, Motorcycle Safety, Motorcycle Study, older riders | |
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