Agent3012

Wired Magazine just posted an article on The LA Road That Tricks Bad Motorcycle Riders about a picturesque curve known as "Edwards' Corner" on Mulholland Highway in California. This curve attracts photographers and motorcyclists alike, but it also seems to be a common spot for crashes. You may have seen examples from rnickeymouse's Youtube channel like these: It's amazing how such a small curve can attract so many bad riding decisions.

From what I've read, the drop after a year often has to do with the fact that riders that would be more routinely prone to crash do so within their first year, and then give up riding completely after that crash. The remaining riders may not be more experienced after that year, but many less safe riders will have stopped contributing to the accident rates. Based on most studies I've seen, the first 6 months of riding is the most dangerous. After that 6 months, accident percentages start to drop as riders continue to gain experience. However, many statistics show a spike in accidents around 18 to 24 months. The theory is that during the 1st year, new riders gain experience, but still ride conservatively due to lack of confidence. After the 1st year, their confidence will sometimes outpace their growth, and they'll outride their skills. By 2 years, their experience catches up with their confidence. Interestingly, according to most studies, any time you switch to a new bike, the clock partially resets, with many accidents involving experienced riders that have purchased a new bike within the last 6 months. It's recommended that you spend plenty of time re-learning those "muscle memory" skills for a new bike with new behaviors.

I wouldn't mind stronger pressure on manufacturers to make ABS available on all motorcycles in the US. The technology will help reduce crashes before they happen, versus act on one in progress like helmets and other items in the list. The US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducted a study of ABS that concluded that 250cc and above bikes equipped with ABS are 37% less likely to be involved in a fatal crash, and completed another study that concluded that 48% of all severe and fatal crashes could have been avoided with motorcycle ABS. The EU has mandated that ABS will be required on all 125cc and above bikes for sale in 2016 and onward. Hopefully that will help make it more common here as well.

Rider hits flooded section of highway before he even notices it, manages to not die. This is my nightmare whenever it starts raining hard, and I'm coming up to a highway overpass.

The presentation in that commercial confuses the point it's trying to make. It's part of an anti-speeding campaign that is trying to point out other drivers are going to make inattentive mistakes, but your speed can turn a minor accident (or even potential near-miss) into a life-threatening event for everyone. These commercials explain the same idea better, I think: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-rCf3ScrCA

I am 100% behind the idea of every rider wearing a proper helmet, yet a mandatory helmet law would more than likely become damn annoying in short order. Any national law is going to be watered down to the point where even the least protective $30 half-helmet would qualify under DOT approval. While the pressure to wear a proper helmet would not only decrease injuries overall, and likely even lower helmet prices as sales rise nationally, every time a rider gets broadsided by an SUV and dies, it'd be a week of wading through loud complaints about that death CLEARLY proving helmets are useless. Not to mention all the riders who get around existing helmet laws with fake DOT stickers on skid lids. Instead, as important as I think helmets are, I have to agree with the AMA that we're likely better off using that money in rider education, and in particular, anti-drunk-driving efforts, which account for far too many accidents.

Obviously, there's no one single safety item that will instantly make your ride "safe", but that doesn't make those items not worthwhile if you remember to combine strategies. A combination of riding technique and safety equipment. Helmet colors can impact visibility more than some might think. The surface area is small, but the higher an object is (within reason) the more likely drivers are to notice it, and a light-colored helmet defines your size and shape to help drivers determine your speed and distance. There are trade-offs to colors, like Hi-viz colors being great in daylight but no different than other colors in low light, white is not as visible in daylight, but better all-around, etc. For those who like the idea of headlight modulators, but not the actual execution, you could consider the P3 Photon Blaster lights. These LED auxiliary lights have a "conspicuity flicker", which means they flicker at a frequency that you can't see when looking at them, but will notice in the corner of your eye. Alternatively, you can use the SMIDSY maneuver to increase your visibility when coming up on someone turning left.

I had a left-turning driver pull out in front of me at the Holden Arboretum last year. I swerved to avoid him, but went down due to all the gravel on the right side of the road. Based off the witness accounts, the he Kirtland police that showed up said the guy should have been cited, but the road was under the jurisdiction of the HA police officer, who did not. Fortunately, it was clear from the police report that the driver was at fault. I called his insurance, and after receiving the report, they paid out for the bike pretty quickly. I'd get a hold of the police report as soon as possible to see what it describes. It may also have information about the first officer on the the scene in case you need to contact them as well.

The event itself is usually small enough that it's easy to pass through. My main reason for heading out to it is that it also marks the last weekend that Eddie's Grill is open, so I like to go get my last bit of Summer overpriced 50s nostalgia burgers.

The main advantage to a 3/4ths jacket is that it helps to reduce the warm air sucked out the back. A one-piece obviously helps to eliminate that, but I've also had luck with one-piece base layer like this. You'll also want to plug up the neck area with a neck guard of some sort.

Okay, I'll be the one to admit it, these two are accurate. I always feel bad when I don't see a wave until I'm already starting to pass the rider coming the other way. But then, I'm also the goofy guy that waves to riders going the other way on the highway. *shrug*

I'll admit, I am act similarly when I hear about these accidents. I regret that someone was hurt or killed, but I do want to learn more about the accident to help evaluate my own safety behavior and risk assessment. RIP rider.

Protective gear would likely have helped reduce injuries, maybe even saved a life, but I there's always a possibility the accident could have been avoided with .

There's a new "No Prisoners" compilation video for 2013 (obligatory warning - graphic crashes - real people getting hurt): There are the usual "riding beyond their skill level" and "left turn" accidents, but a concerning number of low-sides through curves. I can't tell how many are rider-error (too hot in the corner, leaning too far, breaking while leaned) or otherwise (diesel spills appear to be common in the clips from England). The riding advice given above still applies. Ride safe for the rest of the season everyone!

Thanks for posting this route suggestion! Just got back from Route 250, and it indeed was a fun ride.

I picked up a Garmin Nuvi 765 from eBay a while back for $75. While they don't have all the features of the Zumos, they do have Bluetooth headset capability that allows them to talk to my Sena helmet headset. Not perfect by any means, but serviceable.

I definitely recommend skeptical riders at least try a decent ride with earplugs to see how much of a difference it can make. There are really more than one concern that earplugs can help address. The first is clearly the reduction of hearing damage caused by wind noise over distance. An hour at 110db will damage your hearing, but at 115db, it only takes 15 minutes. Wearing a properly-fitted helmet that has been engineered to reduce wind noise will help, but even the Schuberth helmets are still registering 85db at 60mph. A basic set of ear plugs can reduce that noise by 30db. Beyond permanent hearing damage, riders face what audiologists call "Temporary Threshold Shift", wherein a long duration of excessive noise will cause your ears to shift their hearing pattern to a lower level. Essentially, your ears limit your ability to hear sounds after some time on the road, in an experience similar to when you're at a concert. Continuous TTS exposure can cause permanent hearing damage. Earphones help reduce TTS, and even though they limit the sound coming to you, you're actually able to better hear danger signs in your environment during a long ride than without them. Another concern is that long, unprotected exposure to wind noise can tire a rider out. Try ear plugs the next time you take a long ride and compare how you feel when you stop to how you feel when you don't. A less tired rider makes fewer mistakes while riding, leading to a safer experience during and after the ride. So ... what earplugs are best? That's likely going to vary based on your preference. One option is to try an http://www.earplugstore.com/unfoamtrialp.html'>ear plug sampler kit to experience what shapes, sizes and materials work best for your ear. My personal preference are the http://www.amazon.com/home-improvement/dp/B0017JIT4C'>Howard Leight Laser Lite corded foam earplugs. They fit me well, are cheap, and I like the cord making them harder to lose when I take them out at a stop. By the way, if you do go with foam earplugs, this video explains how to properly insert them to get the best protection and quickest installation.

I just completed a loop around Lake Erie a few weeks back. I want to second the suggestion to make sure you have a credit card with you, as many places big and small either whined about my debit card, or even flat-out refused to accept it. And as mentioned, make sure that you have all the paperwork and documents needed, even if you don't think you'll need them. Here's the list of what you'll need that I used to prepare. You may want to consider turning off your phone (or at least disabling "roaming") when you get to the border to avoid international rates, or check into a pre-paid international phone, text or data plan. I brought a car GPS with me instead of using my smartphone like I usually do because of the insane data rates. And paper maps. Lots of free paper maps from AAA.

A more specific question to ask is, “if you’re not going to have one on, why run two separate lights instead of one bigger light?” Yamaha engineers have stated there are a few reasons for this: - It is cheaper to produce 2 single focus reflectors than 1 multi-focus reflector - With two lights, those single reflectors can be better optimized for their specific task - Better reflector optimization means the bulbs can be cheaper and use less power They have been asked about running two lights, and have referenced internal safety studies that show two lights being on at the same time can be mistaken for a car by a driver looking to pull onto a road at night. When a driver can only see headlights, they estimate distance based on the distance between the two headlights, misjudging a closer motorcycle for a car further away. As for the safety factor of running with your hi-beam on, it’s true that a brighter light makes you more visible in many situations, but not all situations. A misaligned hi-beam that is too bright during the day can actually reduce your visibility in certain driving scenarios. A hi-beam helps when the driver looking at the motorcycle has a darker background, such as when there is a building or trees behind the bike. When a motorcycle has a lighter background, such as the sky when coming over a hill, the hi-beam can actually cause the motorcycle to blend in with that brighter background. It’s also true that if a hi-beam is misaligned and shining upwards towards a driver’s eyes, the extra light can make it harder for a driver to judge the distance and speed of the motorcycle coming at them. The problem is that there are so many variables here, it can be shown that while these factors can contribute to specific accidents, when all accidents are considered, the average statistics that lead to one being better than the other can even out in many scenarios. Speaking of statistics, it is also important to note that most of the studies around hi-beam safety are now 30 years old. Lo-beams have improved with brighter and better bulbs, optimized reflectors and overall technology improvements. I ride with the hi-beam on my 1973 CB350F because it’s actually only as bright as the low-beam on my 2004 FZ6. In the end, it just means we can find reasons for both hi and low beams to be "the best strategy" in different situations. But they shouldn't be your only strategy, and combined with other factors like lane placement, hi-viz colors, SMIDSY maneuvers, etc, etc. That said, I did perform the dual-headlight mod on my FZ6 because I hate the asymmetry of having one light off.

That at least tells us that no sound is getting to the speakers vs a pairing issue with the phone. I'd double check the speaker cables, I recall there being connectors partway down the wire to aid in getting in and around the internals of my helmet, they may have come loose. I'd also try pulling the main unit off the clamp unit and checking for any bent pins, then re-seating it. The lights on the main unit can be on even if it's not fully connecting to the clamp unit. From there, I'd reach out to the Sena support team.

Just to confirm, when you turn the unit on and off, you are hearing the "Hello" and "Goodbye" prompts, correct? That tells us that at least the speakers are physically working. From there, I would try turning on the phone and SMH10, then try playing some music without wearing the helmet. Make sure the volume on the phone is set to the maximum. If you can hear the music coming from the phone, it means the device may be connecting, but not with the A2DP profile for some reason. If you haven't, you may also want to try resetting the SMH10 to the factory defaults using the instructions on page 16 of the manual (online version), then going through the pairing process again. If you need it, here is Sena's video of the pairing process with an iPhone: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fenzocrl0vI You can also reach out to the Sena support team directly on this page.

Good news to everyone who was worried that all these posts of riders getting off with only a warning might jinx their next ride. I have taken the hit for you. I was riding through the back country roads of NE Ohio, no more than 5 over and often under the posted speed limits, but made the mistake of rolling up a big hill right into 35mph Waite Hill at 50mph after a few miles of 45mph roads. The LEO was waiting in a church parking lot aiming his radar at the crest. He let the 2 cars ahead of me that were going the same speed pass by, but pulled out after me. I had hoped for a warning. My driving record's been clean for 12 years, I'm over 30, riding with full protective gear in hi-viz safety colors and was as nice as I could be when speaking to him. Nope. 50mph ticket in a 35. $189 going to the Waite Hill coffers. *sigh*

The C3 isn't particularly fast with a 50cc engine, but it does have a larger storage space under the seat than many other scoots. It's listed as 9 gallons of space, though it's very shallow. The C3 reminds me of the old Cushman scooters from the 40s.

Lots of travelling coming up. I could use a Puig double bubble windscreen for a 2004 Yamaha FZ6.

I've seen that linked thread pop up in some other forums, and it turns out there's some more info that may shed some light on what happened. The tire shown is a rear tire for a smaller bike like an FZ400, mounted to the front, in reverse, on an ST1300. I'm told this called "going double dark", where you mount a car tire on the rear, and a rear MC tire to the front. After reading the whole thread over there, I have to agree. First of all, running a rear tire that is designed for a light bike as the front tire on a really heavy bike is a recipe for disaster in the first place. Second, it is obvious that nhrider isn't sharing the WHOLE conversation that he's had with Bridgestone. He's just picking and choosing the most damning sounding quotes, out of context. The quote about the tires having experienced this type of cracking due to being in below freezing conditions sounds bad if that's all there is to it. But, if it's in the context of saying that letting the tire temperature get below freezing and then, say, hitting a big rock in your gravel driveway as you pull out at the beginning of your ride, before the tire is properly warmed up, then you can start to understand how being really cold could eff up any tire (of any brand). Third, nhrider posted that he was riding at triple digit speeds the night before he noticed this. Again, if you're going to run a rear tire that was intended for a light bike as the front tire on a bike that weighs double what the intended load is for that tire, and THEN go triple digit speeds, you should not be surprised at ANYTHING that the tire does. Overheating the rubber in a tire can do funny things to it. Especially if you do it multiple times. How do we know that on top of everything else, he didn't have 25 psi of air in the tire? I'm not saying he did. I'm saying we don't have the whole story. We don't have the complete chain of emails. We don't know everything he said to Bridgestone and we don't know everything Bridgestone said to him. So, personally, I don't see anything so far that will make me change my tire buying. I've been running Bridgestones on my GSX-R for at least 4 years now and they have been awesome. Stick good enough to drag knee. Last longer than any other sport tires I've tried. Still stick good even at the end of their life. Work well in rain and in cold. Knobbies on my 525 also work good and last just fine. But then, I use the tires as intended by the manufacturer.... If you want to stop buying a certain brand of tire because of one story you read on the Internet, let me tell you about the time I crashed on Dunlops because they were still cold after 25 miles of riding. Oh, and hang on, I'll go get you a sob story about Michelins, and another one about Metzelers, and one about Pirellis, too. So then what brand are we going to buy?