Motorcycles – Look Twice Save a Life

Motorcycle Safety

“Killed – Don’t Drink and Ride” teaser spot for the Save a Life Tour

www.SaveALifeTour.com 30 second motorcycle safety teaser spot created for Kramer International’s “Save a Life Tour” alcohol awareness program. Created at the request of the military, a major supporter of the tour. The “Save a Life Tour” is dedicated to saving lives through prevention and education about the dangers of drinking and driving, and of course drinking and riding, which is becoming a major epidemic in the military.

Ron Jensen of Rapid City shares about Life Initiatives

Please excuse the noise. This was filmed in an informal setting during the Sturgis Harley Rally.

My Goldwing Trike – Cured my Mid Life Crisis

Ok I’m in my mid fifties have never ridden a motorcycle since I was eighteen years old and I’m in the middle of a mid life crisis. Should I go for the red sports car or a powerful Moto Gp clone motorcycle. I’m in a quandary, My wife has just told me to get a life and I’m panicking. Then it happened; I was surfing the net looking for that elusive boy toy when I flicked the page and it jumped out at me ” The Honda Goldwing Trike.

I have never ever thought about having 3 wheels before I always imagined old people crawling along in the cycle lane to pick up their pension, and that is definitely not me. I spent some time researching the Goldwing trike as well as looking at the Harley which was also great fun as it adds to the anticipation.

I have now taken delivery of a second hand 2005 Gl18800 Honda goldwing trike in a metallic white and it is absolutely stunning. It is the anniversary edition with the cobra sidecar conversion and is in showroom condition, however at nearly 35,000 bucks it is a once in a lifetime experience.

Riding a Goldwing Trike takes a little getting used to but the kit conversion has been done so well it gives that feeling of confidence which you get when your driving an expensive car, it corners great and the performance engineered suspension just makes it a dream to ride.

When I bought it the salesman told me to take it out for the morning and try it for size so we took it for a 50 mile run and were totally blown away by it’s attitude. My wife is in love with me again and although it is my mid life crisis the goldwing trike has re-introduced us and we’re loving it. We’re out hogging the road at every opportunity and there is nothing I like better than pulling into a service area or parking lot as within 5 minutes there is a crowd of folks admiring it.

So if you are sitting behind a desk all day wondering what else life has to offer you, here’s a tip don’t let the rest of your life pass you by. Take it by the throat and do what you want to do be it sky diving, snowboarding, writing a novel or what ever; just make sure it happens.

What ever Life decides to throw at me now I will no regret the day I fell in love with my Honda Goldwing Trike.

Life Saving Motorcycle Safety Gear

If you ride a motorcycle, you are probably aware of some of the statistics about life saving safety gear and the painful injuries of people that were not properly protected when they got into an accident. Helmets, boots, gloves, proper pants and a leather jacket should all be worn when riding a motorcycle no matter what the weather conditions. These items will keep you protected from road rash if you accidentally go down a slide on the pavement. The helmet has a more than good chance of saving your life or from you ending up with brain damage if you hit the ground. Don’t pick out gear just because you like the way it looks and you are trying to be fashionable.

Your gear needs to fit you properly and be rated with certain standards to ensure that you are being protected properly. Motorcycle safety gear is not worn as a fashion statement and there is some gear that has passed safety requirements but is still not the best depending on the style of riding you do. You need to make sure that your gear is tough enough to protect you when you need it to and if you are an aggressive rider, the more the better.

Motorcycle safety gear isn’t cheap by any means, but for a reason. You can end up paying upwards of $500 for a premium helmet, that you might just think is a piece of plastic and foam but could end up saving your life, making it priceless. All of your other gear will probably cost anywhere from $500-$1000. You can’t put a price on your safety. If you have to spend more money on higher quality clothing, you should be willing to do so. Don’t cut corners on something that will potentially save your life.

A helmet should be full faced for the best protection. The portion covering the face is just as important as the part that covers the top of the head. Even though you might be more comfortable wearing lighter materials while riding, this definitely won’t provide you with the right amount of protection. Even if you wear lighter weight textiles, make sure you have armor underneath. There is soft armor and hard armor. The soft armor is known to have higher absorption than the hard armor. Memory form offers the most protection because of it’s high level of absorption. Armor is worn underneath your regular motorcycle clothing or inserted into your jacket and pants.

One very important piece of motorcycle safety gear is your boots. These are certainly an investment as they are likely to outlast your motorcycle. You need to have good leather boots that you can comfortably wear when on your bike. You want to make sure you feel stable when shifting and breaking. There are different boots available for different bikes and the different weather conditions that you might be riding in. Do some research to see which boots will work best for you. Safety gear is something that you will have for a long time and you will be glad you have it when something unpredictable happens.

Motorcycle Clothes Could Save Your Life

Styling or protection, what do you need to consider about the type of clothing to wear on your motorcycle? First and foremost, you need protection from injury.

There nothing like laying your bike down on asphalt and leaving lots of your skin on the street to get you to think about wearing protective clothing on your motorcycle. If you are like most peopke, you think about falling (impact) or abrasions. Both of these type of injuries can be very painful especially if you survive them. Clothing can play an important part in both primary and secondary safety.

Are you aware that 30% (50% at night) of drivers involved in accidents with motorcycles claim they didn’t see the bike? How many times have you not seen a motorcyclist and you are even more aware of them than the average driver?

Driving in your neighborhood on your bike could be highly dangerous. Approximately 90% of urban motorcycle accidents are caused the other driver not by the motorcyclist. Riding with your headlights on is very important to being seen. Bright colors or reflective stripes can help a lot.

since the human body is really not very impact resistant, you are going to need to wear some protective clothes. Sometimes you just got to fall off your bike to avoid even more serios problem, you will need to minimize the injury from impact. That old saying it didn’t hurt till I stop could very well apply to you. there are some very cool impact resistant clothing, jackets, pants, etc that come in the form of armor or padding. The are especially adapt at absorbing the impact and spread the load across the body. This reduces injuries. You probably have seen them already. The jackets looks like the cyclist is all bulked up. It has armor protection or pads where the body meets the road. Know Armor makes these but there are others. They can be expensive but if you can’t afford armor then go for high density foam. Some protection is better than none at all.

Ok, so now you have fell off your bike and are skidding quite rapidly. You need clothing that will protect you from abrasion, the friction of the aspalt against skin. Normally shirts and pants are no good in this type of situation. Your skin will help but only for a few seconds. What should I be wearing? The answer is leather. Haven’t you noticed that the stunt drivers wear leather to proctect them not just to look cool. It is part of their protective gear. Cordura and Kevlar are pretty abrasion resistant but can’t match the protection of leather. Your leather jacket needs to be thicker than something your would wear on a date.

Have you considered wearing a one piece suit? They provide better protection that wearing a leather jacket and pants. If you are skidding across the asphalt, one or both pieces could provide an opening for the asphalt to take a bite out of you. Getting in and out of those one piece suits can be difficult but fun for everyone else to watch. Seriously make sure either your jackets, pants or suit is re-enforced in areas that are proned to high impact or friction. The good jackets and suits will have armor or pads in those areas. Make sure your jacket, pants or suit fit snugly but comfortably. Out here in the desert, it can get pretty hot so look for ventilation holes in the jackets, pants or suits.

All motorcycle helmet equipment must comply with U.S. Department of Transportation Sec. 571.218 Standard No. 218 FMVSS 218 – 49 CFR 571.218. I don’t believe there any U.S. standards for abrasion or impact clothing. The

European Standard EN1621-1/1997 would be good to look for in your clothing in the U.s. To gain the CE mark products have to be tested and approved by an independent, Government approved test house. While the CE mark can’t guarantee to prevent all injuries in an accident, it may significantly reduce the severity of your injuries.

Boots & Gloves are just as important as your jacket and pants. Those fingers are attached and your want to keep them attached and in good working order. The same goes for your feet. The trick here is to get the protection but also allows you to safely operate your bike without any problem. Think leather. It is always a good choice! You can find gloves that will have padding around your knucles. Keep in mind the weather and how it can affect your hands and feet.

Motorcycle boots can seem expensive, but you can they can last you for a very long time. Since your feet operate the brakes and shifters, you want boots that fit and are comfortable and do not interfere with you doing your job.

They say dress for success. Well, you need to dress for cycling so that you can do it over and over again. Fortunateley, most of the motorcycle clothes you purchase will last for a long time because of the material they are made out of. Go out and enjoy your self.