Gaza - Necessity is the Mother of Invention or Motorcycling in Gaza - I came across an article recently, it was reporting on motorcycling in Gaza. I went about asking permission to print it, because that’s what’s required in their Terms and Conditions page. I waited and waited and came to the conclusion that they might be very busy people. In the end, I gave up and decided to write my own. Of course the article in France 24, was definitely the one I liked the best. It tells a tale of survival in Gaza and the birth of motorcycling in the war torn strip of land … [Read more...]
Excuse Me – Motorcycles are NOT Dangerous
United States - This past weekend I was at an outdoor event with one of my sons. The motorcycles were out in full force, as riding season had just begun for the majority of riders here in the Northland. As we both turned to admire a pack of bikes going by, I noticed another boy about my son's age standing with his father also looking on attentively with wide eyes. I'm sure many of us did when we were kids. What happened next didn’t surprise me but after nearly 33 years of riding, it still bothers me as much as when I first heard it myself. The father said, (in part I … [Read more...]
The Art of Dialogue and Motorcycling
Norway - In June 2008, over 100 motorcycling specialists met in the mountain town of Lillehammer, Norway to thrash out solutions to improve the “safety” of motorcyclists. The workshop was organised by the International Transport Forum/OECD with the objective of “bringing together the different stakeholders involved in motorcycling safety in order to identify the real problems of motorcycling safety (vs. the perceived problems), discuss practical solutions to these problems and propose a set of measures to improve the safety of motorcyclists”. The extraordinary … [Read more...]
CE Markings aka Caveat Emptor – Let the Buyer Beware
Global – Riders recognise that personal protective equipment may help to reduce injuries and death. However, there is some confusion with regards to the standards for protective clothing. The European Standards for protective clothing set minimum levels for various characteristics that should ensure that all clothing which claims to conform to the standards will provide a reasonable level of protection. Clothing, gloves and boots which are subjected to testing and carry an independent and recognisable mark of reliability are a less “risky” purchase than unmarked … [Read more...]
Crossing the Centerline – Or Not
USA - Today, the numbers have changed, at least in the western states. Now, the majority of crashes are out in the country, and motorcyclists are more often at fault. Typically, a motorcyclist either does something dumb, or can’t control the motorcycle, and crashes into something. One scary scenario is with the motorcyclist going wide in a right-hand curve and colliding with an oncoming vehicle. An example of this occurred on the Olym pic Peninsula northwest of Seattle, where a novice rider was out with some friends on a group ride. According to newspaper reports, “…the … [Read more...]
Helmets & Hearing Loss in Motorcyclists
Australia - An alarming number of long term motorcyclists suffer from hearing loss. If you know any motorcyclist who has been riding more than 20 years the chances are they don’t hear as well as they ought to. The culprit is the helmet. Helmets average around 93.5dB(A) at 100Km/hr. As speeds rise helmet noise can increase to 115dB or more. That’s like standing next to a Jumbo Jet engine! Cars interiors aren’t noisy so why are helmets? The average car interior is 85dB(A) at 100Km/hr and many cars would be less than this! Many experts agree that prolonged exposure to … [Read more...]
Shake Rattle And Roll
UK - Warning Systems For Motorcycles In that brief moment of panic before a crash, Oh Shit! is the cry of many a rider and it refers to those 2 seconds before a crash. This is the point in time where even the most experienced rider freezes – because they have never been confronted with that situation before. One of the solutions on the table to reduce crashes is speed warning systems for motorcycles [i]. But the most important element about warning systems is the time factor. Findings from the Hurt report (1981) [ii] tell us that the typical motorcycle accident … [Read more...]
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