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| The Body and Machine Section is the place to hang out and grab pertinent information for everything from motorcycle maintenance to fitness to very cool stuff to know about! |
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May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, By Jody
Despite significant gains since the enactment of Federal motor vehicle and highway safety legislation in the mid 1960's, the annual toll of traffic crashes remains tragically high. Recent data indicate that deaths and injuries attributable to motorcycle crashes are becoming a larger portion of this grave public health problem. Motorcycle crash-related fatalities have been increasing since 1997, while injuries have been increasing since 1999.
Many motorcycle deaths could be prevented if motorcyclists would take responsibility for ensuring they have done everything possible to make the ride safe by wearing helmets and other protective gear that increases their visibility to other motorists, riding sober and taking rider training classes.
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Mission
Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month is a national initiative aimed at getting motorists and motorcyclists to “Share the Road” with each other.
Share the Road Model Language
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has developed model “Share the Road” language by reviewing materials currently being used by safety, and motorcycle safety agencies and a variety of national organizations that have a vested interest in motorcycle safety. These materials included operator licensing manuals, public service announcements, brochures, pamphlets, posters, and Internet Web sites. The agency identified the common themes and language from these materials that serve to effectively convey the importance of sharing the road safely with motorcyclists.
We encourage local, State, and national organizations to use the following model Share the Road language in their motorists awareness programs:
* Motorcycles are vehicles with the same rights and privileges as any vehicle on the roadway.
* Allow the motorcyclist a full lane width. Although it may seem as though there is enough room in the traffic lane for an automobile and a motorcycle, remember the motorcycle needs the room to maneuver safely. Do not share the lane.
* Motorcycles are small and may be difficult to see. Motorcycles have a much smaller profile than vehicles, which can make it more difficult to judge the speed and distance of an approaching motorcycle.
* Always signal your intentions before changing lanes or merging with traffic. This allows the motorcyclist to anticipate traffic flow and find a safe lane position.
* Remember that motorcyclists are often hidden in a vehicle’s blind spot or missed in a quick look due to their smaller size. Always make a visual check for motorcycles by checking mirrors and blind spots before entering or leaving a lane of traffic and at intersections.
* Don’t be fooled by a flashing turn signal on a motorcycle – motorcycle signals usually are not self-canceling and riders sometimes forget to turn them off. Wait to be sure the motorcycle is going to turn before you proceed.
* Remember that road conditions that are minor annoyances to motorists can pose major hazards to motorcyclists. Motorcyclists may change speed or adjust their position within a lane suddenly in reaction to road and traffic conditions such as potholes, gravel, wet or slippery surfaces, pavement seams, railroad crossings, and grooved pavement.
* Allow more following distance, three or four seconds, following a motorcycle so the motorcyclist has enough time to maneuver or stop in an emergency. In dry conditions motorcycles can stop more quickly than cars. |
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| Motorcycle Radio Network |
| On May 1st 2009 Jody and I were asked to be guests on the Motorcycle Radio Network show with Bill and Todd, to check it out click here, to listen directly click here. We talked about the Big Event coming up, The Garage-Girls Ultimate Biker Makeover Carlisle Edition. Don't forget the deadline for submissions is May 15th, so get your entries in for a chance to win tons of awesome parts and new riding gear! ~Sara |
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Thoughts from our readers....
Just checked your web site today to see if there were any updates. I really enjoyed the “Thoughts of a Passenger” by the Iowa Harley Girl. It was a well written piece and I liked the fact that it shows motorcycle enthusiasts’ don’t necessarily need to be riders! There are some just as passionate women passengers out there too.
I was also happy to see you highlighting the MRF, and raising some awareness to motorcycle rights and legislation. For those of us that enjoy the ride, and want to keep enjoying it, it makes sense to protect and take in interest in our sport/hobby/industry/way of life. I’ve been a member of ABATE of WI for 21 years. I joined when I was 19 and riding a jap bike. I’ve never regretted sending in my membership money.
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Today I just signed up to take part in the 3rd Annual International Female Ride Day in Milwaukee on Friday May 1. Is Garage Girls going to participate in either the New York or Milwaukee events?? Maybe you want to at least highlight the date and add it to your events on your web site you can check it out here
Riding in a group isn’t everyone’s idea of a good time, but the number of women who ride, and the turnout on this date ought to turn some heads. Keep up the good work Your fan, Carrie Spike Zimmer Milton WI |
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Nothing Beats a Good Pair of Riding Boots, By Trish
I learned the hard way how important a good pair of boots were for riding; I crashed my ’72 Ironhead wearing low top Chuck Taylors. While they may be comfy and tres chic on the punk scene: they didn’t protect my ankle and side of my foot the way leather would have on the pavement. Crashing sucks, but road rash hurts worse than a bruised ego! They also didn’t protect my foot a week later from the break it endured when my bike compression kicked back on me during my usual kicking routine (Hey, it was a rough week, trust me). That was enough to sell me on a good pair of leather boots from Harley Davidson Footwear.
I decided to go with a classic look – a boot like my Dad wears – I figured, “hey, he’s been a biker for forever and a day, and that’s the only ones he wears”, so I chose classic engineer style riding boots.
These were super comfy, stylish and probably could hurt if you kicked someone hard enough – and best of all: they protect when I’m riding, and have a good, solid soul (kinda like me!) for kick-starting a finicky old Ironhead!
My only piece of advice to Garage Girls out there: pick a half size too big or a wider width if you don’t have narrow feet. Break in on these wasn’t the most pleasant experience.
Check ‘em out here
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Patience is a virtue
we have all heard this line before, but have you ever realized that it truly is the key to so much in life. Take working on your bike for instance. You got 3 different types of people that will fit into this line up. The first group is not interested in lifting a finger to maintain his/her machine. the 2nd will go at it without doing any homework, without learning about the task first and will end up hacking the shit out of their bike because they just can't wait and HAVE to do it NOW. the last group actually enjoys working on his/her bike and will have the PATIENCE to get it done the right way. |
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Having patience gives you the quality needed, ability to do research, oppurtunity to take pride in your work, and the ability to know as much as you can before you dig into your project.
I remember when I was young, I was hanging with my dad down in the garage, I don't remember exactly what we were working on but I was helping him drill a hole, it was a tight space and I basically had to get in a fetal position to reach where I needed to drill. I had a hard time keeping the drill straight because of the awkward position I was in, and I kept dropping the drill. I finally let out a "screw this, it's not going to work", when Dad asked, "whats the matter, you don't have the patience to get the job done right?"... I said "what", he asked "what are you in such a hurry for"? I didn't know. He then told me, "Take the time to position yourself to get a good grip on the drill where it won't slip out of your hand." So I fumbled around for a few minutes trying to position myself better. Sure enough I was able to brace my legs against something and have much more strength in keeping that drill on course. I got the hole drilled and felt like I just won some race now that I had finally gotten that hole drilled. It was an awesome feeling. It was an experience I will never forget and a valuable lesson that has stayed with me over the years and throughout the projects.
There is nothing better than driving/riding down the road on something that you fixed,modified or built with your own two hands. You know that feeling you get when you ride, you think you can't top that feeling, yes you can! It is 100 times better when you have the patience to work on your stuff yourself.
Now I did leave out one last type of person in this equation, the weirdo that does crafty things to his/her ride, that person doesn't count... you know the one that glues all kinds of weird shit all over their bike or tries to decoupage it, or the one that puts those gaudy steering wheel cover and matching seat covers in their car. Leave that shit for your scrap book! I'm talking about the guy/girl that wants a new set of Handlebars. They headed down to their local shop worked with the parts guy and picked out a set. They waited for the bars to come in, mocked them up on the bike and measured accurately what size cables and brake line they will now need. They also figured out if they are going to need a longer wire harness for the switches. Traveled back to the shop ordered the cables and wire harness and waited for the parts to come in. In the meantime he/she then drilled the bars in the right spots for the wires to be run through the bars for that clean look, because for this type of person "spaghetti" ( a term for wires) hanging all over their new bars isn't going to cut it. Once all parts were in they took the time to line everything up before tightening down and using locktite. Grips were installed using grip lock because your clutch side grip should not twist like your throttle! Once the job was complete and the bars were wiped down, the front brake was bled,the bike was fired up and off they rode with a shit eating grin bigger than the cheshire cat. This ride was better than any other ordinary ride. Why? Because Patience is what got this job done, patience is what got this job done right, not half assed or hacked. Patience helped turn this vision into a reality and something to enjoy. We live in a world where we want everything NOW, instantly. No one has the patience to wait for anything.
Ever stand in line at the grocery store and hear the people complain about the guy in front of you taking too long? How about when your at a restaurant and someone complains the food is taking WAY too long. Really? Is it taking that long? Did you have to go out back and kill the chicken yourself, then pluck the thing and cut it into sections, at the same time get the side dishes prepped? Patience people... Patience will get you the results you want, the right ones that are not all hacked up, the ones you can be proud of. |
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