Into all lives a little rain must fall. When you look at the things that have made my life there are three events that I consider to be the most catastrophic events I’ve had to live through. The first was…
The unique motorcycle
What are the options a rider has when dealing with other traffic? What are the particular movements, or directions a motorcycle can accomplish in its environment? How best can we utilize these changes in direction to assist our risk management…
February 1, 1986
This is the story of a life changing event. As a young Marine and father it is a very personal tale. The story is true to the best of my recollection, but some of it is filled in with the…
A story about my father
The things I remember about a particular man. The soft quiet demeanor of the unassuming man I called father. There is a quiet eloquence to any mans conduct who is so sure of himself. The sure analysis that needs not…
Riding in the wet
When the snow begins to melt, or the summer day turns nasty the motorcyclist gets to experience the wet. The nature of rain, from nasty tropical deluges, to prolonged dripping mist, is that they all are wet. Nothing can ruin…
Pulling a trailer with a motorcycle
Motorcycles by design are unable to carry copious amounts of luggage or cargo. Sidecars increase loading capacity and distribution of weight, but there is nothing better than a well manufactured trailer to alternatively load a motorcycle. The main problem with…
T-CLOCK
Riders who consider the enormity of risk reduction will often start considering the options available to them, and the principle method of reducing risk is through preparedness. The methods of preparing for an encounter are basically through preparing our body…
SIPDE What?
Why would a rider SIPDE? The Gold Wing riders who have taken the Motorcycle Rider Course from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation learn about an observation skill called SIPDE. SIPDE is a technique that develops the requisite parts of the observation…
Even in the cold
The thermometer plummets towards the zero line, and the snow-plow just covered over the fresh shoveled drive. Again. It is definitely winter in the north. Or, maybe you live in a kinder, gentler, warmer place where riding a motorcycle in…
Naming the hazards
There are several types of hazards to be found on the roadway that can interfere with the operation of a motorcycle. The hazards can be classified as the road itself, other road users, pedestrians, and animals. Awareness of the specific…
Group riding is there another way?
When the subject of group riding is brought up in polite company depending on the company I either dive for cover and hide, or watch in amusement when people argue the same point punctuating their hypothesis’s with volume. Most people…
Group Riding Article “B”
When a person first starts riding in groups with other individuals they find themselves bombarded with new terms, and wholly new techniques of riding. Where as, there are certain dynamics of how the group operates in the environment of traffic…
Group Riding Article “A”
Every time a group of Gold Wing riders get together for a dinner ride, poker run, or just to ride they use the techniques of group-riding. Group riding is a description of a particular riding activity that allows us to…
Cornering
If you ask most motorcyclists how they negotiate a turn you will get a variety of answers. Some motorcyclists will answer they lean in to the turn. A few hardy souls will talk of hanging off the low side shifting…
Braking
Motorcycles are inherently unstable. At speed they can wobble, shimmy, and generally make the riders life difficult. At no time is a motorcycle more unstable then when its braking. Tire technology gives the rider some of the best tire traction…