One phenomena in this world is that bikers get too often injured, because they got run off the road like they wasn’t there; like they were invisible.

I know this from first hand experience. The accident I was involved in was the drivers fault, according to police. I followed that car for the last 2 miles. The driver signaled a left turn into a side road, and started to turn off. I looked in the mirrors for traffic around me and at the same time twisted on the throttle. When my eyes got back on the road ahead of me, guess what I saw: The car had turned back onto the road, had slowed down considerably and a physical principle was going to be tested: a body of matter cannot occupy the same space that is occupied by another. Hence the name my friends call me by - Pegleg. I know now that this accident could have been avoided had I obeyed commandments 1), 4), 6), 7), 10) and 12).

Well, to some extend we motorcyclists are invisible. Not to the eye, but to the brain. When a person drives a car, it is second nature to look for other traffic, i.e. other cars, trucks and busses. That is the norm.

The abnormal, like cats, dogs, pedestrians and bicyclists are being recognized because their behavior is so different from the normal traffic pattern, like speed, direction and so forth. They cause erratic maneuvers, but are not run over like they weren’t there. And than there is the motorcycle. It behaves perfectly similar to cars, same speed and same direction as the rest of the traffic. But it isn’t a car or truck or bus. So it doesn’t register easily in the brain of the driver. Remember, he/she is used to look for cars, trucks and busses. If motor bikes would be commonly known for being capable of doing great harm to cars, a biker would be in no bigger danger than a semi truck. To complicate this, we have to recognize the fact that drivers are many times preoccupied with other thoughts and sometimes even other activities while doing something routine, like driving to work.

What can we bikers do about this?

Scare the car driver ! Yes ! Put a rocket under your crotch and appear out of nowhere in his mirror or window and be gone before he knows what he saw. Works well in demolition derbies. Not here. Or terrorize the motoring public with chains, steel pipes and sawed off shotguns. I don’t think so.

There is a different approach. It is called DEFENSIVE riding. Not passive, not aggressive: DEFENSIVE !

Following are the 12 Commandments of Riding Defensively:

1. Never assume that you are being seen and recognized.
2. Make sure you can be seen.
3. Position yourself where you have room to escape if someone fails to recognize you.
4. Never assume that you are being seen and recognized
5. Don’t follow close, not even closing in for a passing maneuver..
6. Don’t assume that the car in front / aside of you is going to do what would be obvious.
7. Never assume that you are being seen and recognized
8. Run your high beams during daylight. OR flash them.
9. Use hand signals along with your signal lights.
10. Never assume that you are being seen and recognized
11. Make eye contact with drivers.
12. Never assume that you are being seen and recognized.

Remember, drivers don’t have to mean you harm when they run you off the road. They most always are very grieved when it happens. They just don’t recognize you until it’s too late. You have to alert their minds of your presence in an non alarming way or stay out of their way at safe distance. This is the art of defensive riding.

May all of you be able to use many more rear tires, Pegleg.

"Despite the safety industry’s ‘Speed Kills’ campaigns, the real safety hazard is not speed, it is incompetence. In my book that’s a self-solving problem. British statesman Edmund Burke once said something to the effect that, "A government that seeks to protect man from the results of his folly will succeed only in creating a nation of fools.’ I think we’re currently paying the price for those kinds of misguided policies.

It seems that Americans not only have a constitutional right to drive, but also the right to drive badly and blame their vehicle, the road, the weather, the wildlife and so on for the wreck. I don’t buy those specious "cost to society’ arguments that the safety industry dredges up to support their draconian proposals.

Frankly, from here it looks like the gene pool could use a good scrubbing. Not that I am in favor of human suffering, but ignorance and incompetence really should not be institutionalized (then again, maybe that’s how politicians ensure the survival of their species).

Ah, but that’s not all. Has it occurred to you that neither the people who make the law, nor those who enforce the law, nor those who adjudicate the proceedings are subject to the same laws?….

Part two of this scam is that you end up not only enhancing the revenue of the state or local government - an arbitrary and capricious means of collecting additional highway taxes - but you’ll also end up paying higher insurance premiums since you’ve just become a ‘bad’ driver.

My proposal is to return the responsibility for highway safety to the people who are controlling the vehicles. For instance, we should abolish all speed limits and replace them with a law that says in effect, if you have an accident or cause an accident, you will be held responsible.

Drive as fast as you like, but keep your vehicle under control or learn to love public transportation. Maybe that would also help get the insurance industry out of government.

In fact, I’ll go one step further: let’s forbid driver’s side seat belts and airbags. Since auto drivers have so many distractions these days, let’s give them something to help focus on doing a good job of driving. I suggest an eight-inch, razor-sharp stainless steel spike in the center of the steering wheel to help them focus their attention on the road.

They are welcome to continue reading the newspaper, sipping latte, applying makeup, talking and talking about nothing on the cell phone, etc. as long as they remember that the spike is ever present and, need I say, unforgiving.

As drivers become less incompetent, the highways will become a safer place for motorcycles. In the meantime, the police could get back to chasing real criminals instead of serving as armed insurance agents and tax collectors."

Bugs – Just Plain Bugs

The other day Lucky and I were out at the clubhouse sipping an ice cold Barley pop when the subject of BUGS came up. It started because I had just picked a green inchworm (it was calibrated in Millimeters) out of my cup, or maybe it was all the ‘Skeeters that were lunching on us. In any case, we started discussing - BUGS.

Actually, the bugs we discussed were those most familiar to motorcyclists, namely anything that flies and some that drop from trees. I know, I know, some of the dirt riders are able to contact a sizeable number of ground dwellers, but not the "Road" guys! They stick to the Aerodynamic versions.

Lucky mentioned the time he caught a big old June bug (It was in late July) right on the end of his nose! What fantastic aim! He almost went down at 60 MPH and the guy he was riding with said it looked like an alien had "Slimed" him. All that multicolored matter seemed to dry before he was able to stop, and I guess it wasn’t a pretty sight. Then again, I’ve always said the Luckster needed a little color.

My dentist commented on a strange coating he found on a front tooth, and wondered if I had been eating popcorn earlier. I told him it was caused by the big smile I had on my face while riding my new RoadStar over to the appointment with him. He didn’t get it! Most civilians wouldn’t get it. I feel sorry for them.

I told Lucky about the time I crossed into Florida one spring, only to be greeted by a cloud of "Love Bugs". Those of you who have experienced Love Bugs swarms will sympathize with me. They are constructed out of two part Epoxy that mixes when they hit your bike. Cure time is two seconds, faster if it’s above 90 degrees. Water won’t touch the mess! A gas station guy said the only thing that will cut the goop is a can of Coke, but all I had was a Pepsi and all that did was attract the Gnats. I did discover that Gnats are a bit saltier than Love Bugs, but the Love Bugs have a crunchier shell. I’m sure glad those Florida Palmetto bugs don’t fly!

I find that a very useful skill for street riders is to be able to talk to your pillion partner with your mouth closed, or at least through closed teeth. Talking through clenched teeth looks macho besides. You can tell by the way he talks that Clint Eastwood is a biker with a lot of summer riding experience.

A few years ago my two boys and I were trail riding at Leota, just North of the old Canoe Camp. My bike was a KX500 that I had lowered to accommodate my stumpy underpinnings. The beast was almost unridable in low gear, due to the enormous power it had. It sure was fun to roost my following kin when crossing a mud puddle, but this only slowed them down for a bit until the mud dried and fell off their bodies.

My mistake that day was to wear an open neck shirt, into which flew a very angry Yellow Jacket which stung me three times before I could convert him back to basic elements. Naturally I used my left hand to assist him in driving his point home, my right still on the throttle. Both boys said they had never seen anyone do a one handed jump over three of the deepest Whoop-Dee-Do’s on the trail. I declined to reveal my technique, and neither boy was able to complete that same jump, a fact for which they still hold me in awe. I told the boys I had gotten the red marks on my chest the day before, at home. They understood - I think.

Another aspect Lucky and I discussed was the "Physics" of a bug strike. My physics professor at Wayne State would have been really "Bugged" with this question: Why do only the big ones clear the windshield at eye level while on their Kamikaze mission ? Maybe we just don’t feel the little guys hitting us, or possibly the big , hard shelled critters have evolved a fast steering fin that only emerges when a single headlight is pointed at them! This brought up a question that had been troubling Lucky : Why did the Japanese Kamikaze pilots wear helmets? Hmmm..

We both decided that getting smacked in the hands and face with hard shelled, juicy bugs is part of the ambiance of cycling. Be assured that no matter how well you cover up, "They" will find an opening - leathers, full face helmet, rainsuit, a space suit! It doesn’t matter. Learn to enjoy it.

This coming winter I will guarantee that while dreaming of all those wonderful rides you had last summer, you will "Hear" the sounds, "See" those beautiful sights, "Feel" the throb of the bike, and I suggest you also - "Taste" - those summer evening rides.

Rubber side down, feet on the pegs, mouth closed (or teeth clenched). Enjoy it all.

Buck – Huron Valley Night Hawks

It’s a Sexual Thing!

I remember exactly where I was, at our clubhouse, when he described her in detail, and I new right there that I would have to meet her. His description excited my mind like nothing this poor old body has felt in years.

All you Macho guys remember the nervous thrill you experienced with meeting your first girl friend, or your first bike or car. That was the feeling I now had, in spite of the fact that I am a "Senior Citizen". At my age, how could this be?

It was about a month later that I traveled to Hillsdale, Michigan in hopes of meeting her.

A mutual friend contrived to have us meet at his place, and she was every bit as beautiful as I had dreamed. Bright, brilliant, colorful! I was smitten. But how was I going to explain this to my dear wife of so many years? I have never hidden anything from her, and I could not hide this, so that evening I confessed all.

She understood! She really did! In fact she encouraged it. And so my old aged romance began.

We met whenever I could afford the time, and she was always available, so I knew my affection was mutually shared. I showered her with bright shiny presents, and tender loving care. Anything she needed I provided with no hesitation, although she never demanded a thing.

Our relation has since developed into a deep and true love, with no end in sight. We can hardly wait for Springtime when we can again ride together.

Well, I think she is due for her Winter oil change and that last coat of wax. Spring seems a long time away, but we both have our memories of our long, Summer rides together to think about during the long, cold winter.

We both know it’s purely - a Sexual Thing!

Buck
Huron Valley Night Hawks M/C