Would you like lane-splitting to be legal in Arizona (or your state)?

angrybob at motorcyclebloggers.com posed this question to his readers, and asked others to do the same.

Lane splitting is currently only legal in California. Do not confuse this with lane sharing, which is two motorcycles riding side by side in the same lane. Lane splitting involves riding on the striped line between lanes, and between the cars that are involved in the congestion. Lane sharing is legal in a lot of states, but not lane splitting.

Advocates of lane splitting in California cite several reasons, including the fact that a lot of motorcycles are air cooled, and subject to over heating in the stop and go traffic sometimes involved with big city commerce. One I have not heard of actually happened to me when I was stationed in California back in the early seventies. I frequently was riding in rush hour traffic in San Francisco, and even then resorted to lane splitting to minimize my need to stop, then go, then stop.

One day, though, my parents had come from Montana to visit me, and we went into San Francisco to do the routine tourist things. Since Mom and Dad were going to Lodi to see an uncle after the visit, and I had to report back to my ship, I rode my motorcycle while they followed me in their car. We ran into the stop and go, and, because Mom and Dad were following, I was forced to stop and go with the traffic. After about 4 miles of this, my clutch cable snapped. Luckily, I was carrying a cable fixer, and the down time was short, but we said our good byes for the night and I continued to my ship, lane splitting the rest of the way.

So, here is the poll, and I would really be interested in your comments for or against, as well as any personal experiences with splitting the lanes with your motorcycle.

The Panama City News Herald wrote a good story on this rally yesterday. There was no negativity in the story at all, a welcome relief from some of the other rallies I cover. This story discusses things like how this rally is expected to “pump more than $30 million in sales into the local economy primarily in lodging, restaurants and retail sales”, and how it has grown so much that a sixth venue was added this year at Frank Brown Park on the north side of Back Beach Road. Also noted is the fact that local charities benefit from the motorcyclists who attend.

Rap Peavy, VP of Thunder Beach Productions, Inc., was quoted “We’ve promoted this as the Southeast’s most friendly and free rally”, and from the writeup and what I already know about Panama City, he is right.

But it was not quite as bad as we imagined. The MRI did show that pressure buildup was indeed occurring, but the doctor only wanted to increase his medication levels to treat the swelling, not surgery as we feared. Jack will have some additional testing, but for now it appears that we caught the problem in time to avoid more serious consequences.

Jack has severe internal brain trauma, and it is obvious from the MRI films I saw, but the films also showed evidence of a lot of healing that has already taken place. So again our hopes are elevated.

If Jack ever rides his motorcycle again, and he says he will, it will be with a helmet (by his choice, not our politicians). He has also asked me to tell his story as we go along to help others who have the freedom to choose to at least make an informed decision on helmet usage. He will not say that the helmet would have prevented his problems, but he feels it may have.

In related news, I talked with the people at Social Security about his SSI. It has been temporarily suspended while they determine if he is still disabled. (Somehow they can do this without even coming to see him, but I am not quite sure how) They have said that the process takes about 120 days, and until then, no payments. Now me and the wife have vowed that we would see this through no matter what, but I don’t mind telling you that the $600 a month we just lost, while a small portion of the expenses of caring for Jack, was a much appreciated aid, and we will miss it sorely. But we will deal with it, and watch Jack as he grows stronger. If anyone wants to help us help Jack, we also will very much appreciate that.

I will keep everyone up to date using this blog as important news springs. Until then, Ride safe, and consider Jack’s suggestion on motorcycles and helmets.

Gives a whole new meaning to “in the wind”, doesn’t it?

Maybe, if I had a lawn mower that looked as much like a motorcycle, I would not have started hiring my lawn work out. The front end comes from a dirt bike, the tank is from a Sportster, and it has a 42″ deck. This original model took Olsen “50 hours of building time and 300 hours of thinking time”, but he has more in store, and the time required will come down.

And, if you want to get your hands on them, it may come soon. Olsen says “I’ve put these together to see if other people are interested in them. If there’s a market for them, I’ll start making them when I retire next year.”

We were getting ready to lose this rally. But this community thrives on it. It’s a real moneymaker.

My initial thoughts were “Wow, a town politician that actually admits that the biker community can offer more than they take! Someone realizes the economic benefit of being the host to a motorcycle rally.” But some things did not quite add up.

If this was the third annual Hawgs of Texas motorcycle rally, that means that it held its first in 2005, about the same time that Mayor Tommy took office. The article says that Tommy had been associated with the Dawgs on Hawgs rally for nine years, until a private investor bought the rally rights in 2004. The Dawgs on Hawgs rally continued through 2006, and was only canceled this year because the US Army Corps of Engineers revoked their permit. Could one politician use his influence to drown out the competition?

Was there competition in the first place? The article stated that the mayor had worked with Dawgs on Hawgs for nine years. Then why was this years’ seventh annual rally the one that was canceled? Was there a Hawgs of Texas before the Dawgs on Hawgs, which might explain the difference of two years on the annual for both events?

Questions only, but I would really like answers. Anyone reading this that can enlighten me?

Anyway, glad the rally was saved; I will definitely keep my eye on it.

This tragedy could have been the subject of this post, but I have already discussed defensive riding and motorcycle fatalities in previous posts. While This does not mean I will not go into these subjects more, after my long absense, I more felt like discussing something a little more upbeat.

So why did I start this post the way I did? Well, in the article, it mentioned that the biker was riding a “Big Dawg Chopper customized bike”. I was searching for more interesting information about Big Dawg Motorcycles when I came across a Big Dawg commercial on youtube. While I never had an experience quite like the biker in this commercial, I can always dream!

By the way, I guess I should explain my extended absense. Last week has been extremely hectic. It started with my brother-in-law Jack having another seizure, and the resulting doctor visits from that. To top that off, over last weekend we celebrated Jack’s birthday, with two sisters, an uncle, and some friends of his from Charleston coming to our house. And finally, my server crashed, and most of my blog files were lost, taking about two days to recover from. No excuses, but still a lot to be interfering with my free time.

All the stocks I own through that IRA send me their annual report, but the one I really look forward to receiving is the one from Harley Davidson. This report is filled with the reasons I ride anyway, pictures of some great looking bikes, some beautiful riding scenes, and news about my favorite motorcycle.

Harley Davidson does an excellent job in their annual report of entertaining the reader, while still giving the data stock holders should have. On the page where a lifetime HOG membership couple from Sweden state “It’s a big world but Harley Davidson brings us all together, a bar chart shows how HD international sales grew 18.6% in 2006. And where a Harley Davidson dealer says “We don’t just deliver bikes, we deliver experiences” is another bar chart showing sales in the United States increasing 5.9% for the same period. You also find that 48% of the motorcycles over 650 cc that were registered in 2006 in North America were Harleys.

This information can be found on the Harley Davidson website as well as other places, but having it delivered to your door is great! You don’t have to be a huge stock holder to get it, one share is all it takes. If you are interested, One Share would be glad to help you get that one share, or you can do it like I did, and buy a little more, either in your IRA or other investment portfolios.

Friday, I read an article “Free Time: What Draws Women To Motorcycle Riding?“, which explored some of the reasons for the increased presence of women in the motorcycle riding community. This article concluded that it was all about freedom and control… really the same as why anyone that has taken up riding loves to ride.

When I first started riding in the early 70s, I very rarely saw women in the control seat of a motorcycle. Most enjoyed just packing. Yes, during a lot of the rallies some of the women riders showed up, but they were still a novelty. But that does not mean that they weren’t there riding just the same. Motor Maids, laying claim as the “First Motorcycling Organization for Women in North America”, was founded with over 50 members in 1940, and received their AMA charter in 1941. Women on Wheels has been going strong since 1981, and the Spokes-Women MC since 1989.

Women also have their own rallies, too. Femmoto, this year held in Las Vegas between October 5th and 7th, states on their home page:

Femmoto began in 2001 as a women only track day, but has quickly evolved into much more. Today Femmoto is an organization that looks to fill the void for women motorcycle riders who are looking not only to improve their riding skills with on-track instruction, but who need information, contacts, and specialty services/products.

Also, as previously posted, there is the Women’s Sportbike Rally, held in Western NC, Eastern TN. I am sure there will be more events to cater with the growing interest of women, no longer content with packing behind their ol’ man, getting behind the wheel and feeling the wind in their faces.

Darcy L. Corbin has been charged with unlawful possession of essential motor vehicle parts and destroying the vehicle identification number. He is out of jail after posting bond. I am not sure what kind of crime “unlawful possession of essential motor vehicle parts and destroying the vehicle identification number” equates to as far as punishment, but after 27 years I guess the statute of limitations prevents any higher charges.

Many people who have ridden motorcycle for any length of time have experienced motorcycle theft, unfortunately. I had two of my motorcycles stolen back in the mid to late seventies. The first, a 1976 Harley Davidson Superglide, was chained to a Navy buddies BMW motorcycle while he and I were out doing a shakedown cruise on the ship we served on. When we got back, his BMW was there, as well as the chain, which had been torched. My motorcycle, however, was nowhere to be found. I used the insurance money from that loss to buy a 1978 Low Rider, which I had after being discharged from the Navy and moving to Colorado. This motorcycle was chained (poorly, I admit, since I only chained the front wheel to the frame). I had it parked on our frunt porch for the winter. Someone came by in broad daylight, with my wife and daughter watching TV less than 10 feet away, and picked the motorcycle off the porch with a manual forklift.

To my knowledge, my superglide was never recovered. However, five years after my Low Rider was stolen, after I had moved here to North Carolina, I got a call from Colorado saying they had found the motor to my Low Rider in a raid. The guy who owned the shop my motor was found in was charged with receiving stolen property (not just my motor, but a lot of other motorcycle parts turned out to be from stolen motorcycles).

So, how can we prevent getting our motorcycles stolen? It seemed like I had taken the necessary precautions, yet still lost two bikes. The 1980 Tour Glide that I bought right after my Low Rider was stolen is still in my possession, but I have been even more careful with it. I now keep it in my garage, and keep the garage doors locked. If I am away from home, and no garage or shed is available, I will typically camp outdoors, with my motorcycle right next to me and the wife. I avoid parking on side streets, instead staying on well travelled streets and roads when I am attending rallies and want to walk around a bit. In short, I get a little impulsive in protecting my motorcycle at all times.

The only advice I can give is to make sure you keep good locking mechanisms for your motorcycle with you at all times, and try to chain to something that is relatively immovable. Keep your motorcycle out of sight when you can (in a garage for example), and check on it often when you are out and about.

Apparently, this decision, a close one that had to have the Mayor do the tie breaker, is based on the recommendations of the police chief:

Police Chief Gary Francque suggested Moline change how it handles the motorcycle ride this year because of concerns about traffic and public safety. At observation points along the ride last year, police officers noticed the number of riders has increased and the delay at closed intersections is “becoming extensive,” Chief Francque said.

“Extensive” is later clarified to be “20 to 40 minutes”. The good citizens of Moline were getting too impatient to wait, according to the police chief.

The purpose of the parade, according to the Bi-State Motorcycle Awareness Council, is to “join together the states of Iowa and Illinois in promoting motorcycle awareness among motorists”. From their website:

Proclamations are received from Governors, Senators and Mayors of the bi-state area, proclaiming May as Motorcycle Awareness Month. By doing this, the Council is able to attract media attention that reminds the public that another riding season has started and that they should be alert to the presence of motorcycles on the streets and highways. These proclamations are presented at the annual Motorcycle Awareness Proclamation Ride, which is held every year on the first Saturday in May.

The comments to the article referenced are split almost exactly in half, for and against the decision of Moline. Unfortunately, those who are agreeing with the decision are typically doing it in a stereotypical way. Reading through the pro comments, I see references to “jelly bellied, middle aged easy rider wannabes”, “hoard of loud motorcycles”, and comments like “If you don’t like it motorcyclists….then do your dumb parade somewhere else”, and “Grow up and drive on four wheels like the rest of us!”. The posts against the decision seem a bit more tame, and at least don’t resort to stereotyping cagers, they again point out the reasons for the parade and why it is a bad decision not to provide the parade style routing…rightly, in my opinion, stating that the delay will expand dramatically if the parade has to be broken up and staggered due to traffic lights.

The delay caused in Moline will not just be in Moline, though. Since Moline will successfully break the parade into several smaller groups, the time to traverse the remainder of the route will also be increased. Fortunately, this will only affect the ending point in East Moline.

As some of the comments pointed out, this event is well publicized, and should take none of the residents by surprise, while other parades that result in the same delay are not publicized nearly as well. It was also equated to waiting for a train that has stopped at a railroad crossing, again with no warning.

The decision made by the elected body of Moline is unfortunate to say the least. It heightens the belief that bikers are just second class citizens, not worthy of the cities help in promoting a good cause. This decision will most likely result in unnecessary “accidents” causing needless injury in an effort to promote awareness and avoid that injury. I hope the decision does not come back to bite the aldermen and mayor, but it most likely will.

One final note on this. The Bi-State Motorcycle Awareness Council also uses this event to raise money for the Childrens Therapy Center of the Quad Cities, through donations and sales of commemorative items to the participants. So this is not “all about the motorcyclists”, but for the entire community. Surely the community should take this into account, rather than continuing to stereotyp the bikers who give.