Motorcycle Racing and Riding

Ordinary motorcycle brake lights can be difficult to see: especially when they are also functioning as running lights, and it is bright out, and one is trying to pay attention to other vehicles. I suspect that many people rely solely on other visual cues to determine that a motorcyclist is slowing down.

I learned to appreciate flashing brake lights while doing group rides in Arkansas. The intentions of motorcyclists with flashing brake lights were unambiguous. On the other hand, they always say, “I didn’t see him. He came out of nowhere.”, and there is nothing that a small flashing light will do to change that. Feel free to completely ignore that claim from folks that sell the little flashing lights.

Let’s get that first question out of the way: are they legal? Yes. It’s legal to apply your brakes, let up, and then apply them again. That would turn your brake lights on-and-off, and these products turn your brake lights on-and-off. Also, these don’t annoy people; sometimes headlight modulators do.

I have experience with two products, one of which is the Kisan TailBlazer 20W-D plug in bulb.

Pros:

• Relatively inexpensive.
• Just replace the existing brake light bulb with this unit. All of the electronics are in the base, and it just works.

Cons:

• Except when it doesn’t. In my case— a V-Star 650 Classic— the bulb was mounted vertically. The base of the light holds the electronics; that’s the part that twists in. The new bulb has two prongs, and it plugs into the top of the base. There is a little “bowl” on top of the electronics (see image), and the water would collect there. For sure, the lens (the red plastic piece) didn’t have cracks in it. I believe the condensation within the lens was bad enough of a problem though. Most motorcycles mount the bulbs horizontally, and facing backwards. I assume that this system would be more reliable in that case. I kept my original tail light bulb just in case this thing stopped working, and it did.  That original bulb came in handy during this little adventure I tell ya’.
• This simple system doesn’t work for all motorcycles. Kisan does have other brake light flashing products for that case. They also have head light modulators, tire pressure monitors, turn signal cancelling systems, and more.

Image linked-from, and to kisantech.com

Laurel C. Allen, from Road Racer X’s Senior Editor, shared this awesome Italian Police Bike Formation Demonstration Video with us via facebook.

Ernesto Fontana posted the following comment about the video on its boingboing.net page:

Hello Mr Pescovitz,

Thanks for posting those beautiful sequences of sync moto-riding. Only, I would like to be pedantic and point out that at 0:11 you can see some officials looking solemnly on, and the third from the left I believe is Giovanni Leone, at the time presidente della Repubblica. If correct, this would date the video between 1971 and 1978, Mr Leone’s period of office.

I dare say the Corazzieri guards (tall fellows with ornate uniforms, you can see one in the background at 0:11) confirm the presence of a president, and at 0:57 Mr Leone appears again right in the middle of the image, a focus of attention. Not as much as the riders anyway…

Best regards,
Ernesto Fontana (not anonymous-just too lazy to register right now)

Originally published 2009-10-12, edited 2009-12-26, content by Joe Salas and Paul Danger Kile.

Supermoto is a form of racing that combines on-road, and off-road, within the same track. The racers typically ride dirt bikes with road-racing parts added. What if one were to take an SV650 bike to a Supermoto race? It’s too big, right?

Dan Sewell races for CODE4Racing, is sponsored by Twin Works Factory, and teaches for Z2TrackDays. Here is his Web page. Below are images of Dan racing an SV650 in Supermoto. When does anyone do that? This may be the first time!

The photographer, Joe Salas, gave us permission to use the  images here.  Joe photographs track days, and races, and makes the photos available at 4theriders.com.

I first read about this in Fred Rau’s RoadBike articles (August and September 2005).  Unfortunately I cannot find the articles online.   Here is a summary of the important points:

Humans respond to frequencies between 20Hz and 20,000 Hz.  Deer respond to frequencies between 1,000Hz and 8,000Hz.  If a person with good hearing can’t hear it, then the deer can’t hear it either.

Please be vigilant.  Don’t trust a piece of plastic.  Don’t even trust the powered units: they also emit frequencies that are above the range that deer can hear.

Fred Rau does a great job describing the Texas A&M research in the August 2005 RoadBike.  Here is a summary of those findings.

Here is Roy Truelsen’s response to a Rider magazine’s January 2001 “Hornet Deer Alert” article by Clement Salvadori.

We received the following Press Release from the American Motorcyclist Association. This is an extremely important issue.

PICKERINGTON, Ohio— President Obama’s administration and federal lawmakers are making it clear that they are serious about reducing distracted driving on the nation’s roads, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) reports.

In October alone, Obama signed an executive order banning federal workers from text-messaging on cell phones while driving government vehicles, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told federal lawmakers at hearings that he will work to “raise the awareness (of the dangers of distracted driving) and sharpen the consequences,” and U.S. House and Senate committees held hearings on the issue.

“One motorcyclist killed on our highways is one too many, so it’s encouraging to see that decision-makers at the federal level are taking the dangers of distracted driving seriously,” said Ed Moreland, AMA vice president for government relations. “The AMA has adopted a position statement that endorses enhanced penalties for those who injure or kill others while operating a motor vehicle when distracted or inattentive operation is involved. But the goal must be to prevent the crashes from occurring in the first place.”
To read the AMA’s position statement on distracted and inattentive driving, please go to AmericanMotorcyclist.com/legisltn/positions/distracted.asp.

LaHood hosted a distracted-driving summit involving transportation and other experts from around the nation Sept. 30-Oct. 1 to gain insights into how to battle the problem. The AMA was an invited guest to the summit and strongly urged that motorcyclists be considered in all future discussions about the impacts of distracted driving.

The AMA also attended hearings held by federal lawmakers on the issue.

The U.S. House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure held a hearing on Oct. 29, “Addressing the Problem of Distracted Driving.” At the hearing, LaHood said education and awareness campaigns are essential for getting people to stop texting or engaging in other distracting activities while driving.

“We are still researching the effectiveness of combining high-visibility (law) enforcement with outreach campaigns in the distracted-driving context,” LaHood said. “But we are hopeful that such efforts may prove effective in the same way that we’ve been able to use them to reduce drunk driving and increase seatbelt use.”

He also said that while cell-phone texting gets a lot of attention, there are many distractions for drivers.
“I think any distraction is a problem,” he testified. “I think eating a hamburger, putting your makeup on, shaving, texting, talking on a cell phone, these are all distractions. But the epidemic is really with people texting. But all of these other things are distractions too.”

LaHood also mentioned Greg Zaffke II, who is taking steps to educate Americans about distracted driving after his mother, Anita Zaffke, was killed in May on her motorcycle. She was stopped at a stoplight in Lake Zurich, Ill., when a woman driver allegedly painting her fingernails while driving crashed into the back of Anita, killing her.

“Now he has an organization called the Black Nail Brigade where he paints the fingernails on one hand and wears a T-shirt called the Black Nail Brigade and travels all over the country trying to persuade people not to text, not to paint your nails, not to shave, not to put on makeup, not to eat a McDonalds hamburger,” LaHood said.

To view an archived video of the House subcommittee hearing, please go to AmericanMotorcyclist.com/news/story.asp?id=1482.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation also held a hearing on Oct. 28, “Combating Distracted Driving: Managing Behavioral and Technological Risks.” To view an archived video of the hearing, please go to AmericanMotorcyclist.com/news/story.asp?id=1480.

Riders can contact their U.S. senators and representatives to thank them for having these hearings on combating distracted driving and urge them to include the motorcycle community in the ongoing discussions on legislation and development of technologies. To find contact information for elected officials, go to AmericanMotorcyclist.com > Rights > Issues & Legislation.

About the American Motorcyclist Association
Since 1924, the AMA has protected the future of motorcycling and promoted the motorcycle lifestyle. AMA members come from all walks of life, and they navigate many different routes on their journey to the same destination: freedom on two wheels. As the world’s largest motorcycling organization, the AMA advocates for motorcyclists’ interests in the halls of local, state and federal government, the committees of international governing organizations, and the court of public opinion. Through member clubs, promoters and partners, the AMA sanctions more motorsports competition and motorcycle recreational events than any other organization in the world. AMA members receive money-saving discounts from dozens of well-known suppliers of motorcycle services, gear and apparel, bike rental, transport, hotel stays and more. Through its Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, the AMA preserves the heritage of motorcycling for future generations.

This “spring training” advice from the MSF is valid all-year.

IRVINE, Calif., May 5, 2009 – As spring fever sets in, millions of motorcyclists are taking to highways and back roads across the United States. In recognition of May Motorcycle Awareness Month, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) reminds all motorcyclists to follow these five critical safety messages:

1. Get Trained and Licensed – Take an MSF RiderCourse and get licensed by the Department of Motor Vehicles. Visit www.msf-usa.org or call (800) 446-9227.
2. Wear Protective Gear – Wear proper protective riding gear, most importantly a helmet made to Department of Transportation standards.
3. Ride Unimpaired – Ride unimpaired, never drinking or using other drugs before getting on a motorcycle.
4. Ride Within Your Limits – Stay within your personal skill limits, never riding faster or farther than your abilities can handle.
5. Be a Lifelong Learner – Be lifelong learners, regularly returning for refresher riding courses.

“This is a great time of year, especially for motorcyclists, but they have to be mindful that riding is serious fun,” said MSF President Tim Buche. “It’s all about riders taking personal responsibility for risk management. Following these five guidelines should be a no-brainer for anyone who wants to enjoy a lifetime of motorcycle riding.”

The MSF offers a variety of tools to enhance the safety of motorcyclists and prospective motorcyclists, including hands-on training, DVDs, online videos, books, and other publications.

About MSF
Since 1973, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation has set internationally recognized standards that promote the safety of motorcyclists with rider education courses, operator licensing tests, and public information programs. The MSF works with the federal government, state agencies, the military, and others to offer training for all skill levels so riders can enjoy a lifetime of safe, responsible motorcycling.

The MSF is a not-for-profit organization sponsored by BMW, BRP, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, Piaggio, Suzuki, Triumph, Victory and Yamaha.  For RiderCourseSM locations, call 800.446.9227 or visit www.msf-usa.org.

AMA Public Service Announcement— Think. Ride. Recreate Responsibly Off-Road:

Death by Cell Phone: If You Care, We Can Make a Difference Video: