Accident Scene Management Courses
Over 80,000 motorcyclists are injured every year.
Often, other riders are the first folks on the scene or there when an accident occurs. As such, we are the "first responders" in a motorcycle accident. But, do you know what to do in an accident scenario?
Accident Scene Management Courses
We mentioned previously that we were planning on an Accident Scene Management Course for our Members. Interested folks can sign-up at a Chapter Meeting or contact our Safety Officer - Carlos - directly, either after a Chapter Meeting or through the email link below.
Information
Interested Members can again contact Carlos to let him know of your interest and to sign up. When we have enough interested folks, we can then arrange a date and time to schedule the Course. For more information on this important program, visit Road Guardians.
Lighting
"I didn't see them!"
How often have those words been uttered after a motorcycle-car incident? How often have you been riding down the road at night and not seen something in the road, or have something "pop" up on you from the sides?
One of the most important things you can easily do yourself is upgrade your lights. The image above shows a general comparison between stock lighting (on the right) and LED lighting (on the left).
In the past, this upgrade could get quite costly, especially for touring bikes with auxiliary or passing lights. Replacing all three front lights could cost you over $800...in the past. With recent advancements and mass production (due to increased demand), this upgrade is now a LOT more reasonable and you can easily pick up all three for under $150. And the majority of these setups are a plug-and-play installation.
I can attest to the effectiveness of these. Coming back from a trip to Austin, and riding at night, Kris and I went thru some iffy roads, including hitting a pothole - a LARGE pothole - that "snuck" up me because I couldn't see it with the stock lights. It was at that point that I decided to upgrade our lights, no matter the cost. And we've never been disappointed. As a matter of fact, the first thing we have done on all of the bikes in our garage is to buy LED headlights and passing lamps (if needed).
The difference is literally night and day, and the LEDs punch through the dark as well as providing excellent visibility during the day and the tricky sunrise/sunset situations.
- James
Temperature Safety Tips
Clothing/Layering
- Check the forecast. Sounds silly, but knowing what’s ahead as far as weather is concerned will help you dress appropriately.
- Dress in layers, especially when the mornings are cool (or downright COLD) and the afternoons warm up. We’ve seen 40 degree temperature variations over a normal ride!
- Pack your rain gear. While rain gear is designed to protect you from rain, it can also act as another layer of protection and warmth.
- Keep your hands and feet warm and dry!
Tires
- Every 10 degrees in temperature change results in about a 1 pound change in your tire’s pressure. When it cools down, you will lose pressure; when it heats up, you will actually gain pressure. Even checking your pressure one afternoon and coming out the next morning can result in a 3-5 lb loss.
- Also, your tires lose pressure over time. Every 30 days, you can expect to see, in average temperatures, a loss of about 1-2 lbs in your tires.
- Underinflated tires result in poor handling as well as excessive damage to the tires themselves.
- Overinflated tires result in hard rides and decreases the tire’s ability to withstand road impacts.
Batteries
- The ideal temperature for your batteries operation is 80 degrees F.
- Cold weather affects the chemical reactions in your battery causing a “sluggish” performance. That’s why we look for batteries with a high Cold Cranking Amp (CCA) output.
- You also lose about 0.5-1.0% of the batteries overall charge every day they sit “idle” (not being used). If you have advanced electronics like alarms or accessories, they will drain even faster. If you have a trickle charger, put it on and keep it on if you ride your bike less than once per week.