Ride Smart by Alan Mayes 

This is the first in a regular series of articles meant to enhance the eXperience of riding and owning your Super-X, as well as any other motorcycle you own and ride.  The information and opinions in these articles will be more general in nature; that is, not usually Excelsior-Henderson specific.

The subjects I plan to address include legislation issues that directly or indirectly affect us and our riding, safety concerns and general day-to-day motorcycling.  The sources for my information will include the AMA (American Motorcyclist Association), MRF (Motorcycle Riders’ Foundation), MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation), American Motorcycle Network, and my own warped opinion, among others.

Briefly, here is my background.  I’ve been riding 36 years and have owned several dozen motorcycles.  My Deadwood Special is the first cruiser I’ve owned.  Most others have been sport-tourers or standards.  I was a motorcycle dealer for a couple of years, selling Ducati, Triumph, Moto Guzzi and Laverda.  I’m a member of the AMA and MRF and am a certified MSF RiderCoach.  I’ve logged thousands upon thousands of miles.  I only like two kinds of  motorcycles: old and new.

Have you ever considered what you will do if your Super-X breaks down out in the middle of nowhere?  I had that very experience in April 2001 when the transmission on my Super-X locked-up.  Ironically, I had recently joined AMA MoTow and had received my membership packet only three days previous.  That was fortunate, but in my usual vein of luck, I had failed to take my cell phone with me on the ride.  However, a passing motorist came to my aid and not only allowed me to use his cell phone to call MoTow, but also helped me drag my dead Deadwood off to the road shoulder.

There are several motorcycle-specific towing services available (ain’t this a great country?).  They vary in annual cost and types of service.  Where they are alike is in their requirement that their local contracted tow providers have motorcycle-specific towing equipment.  We’ve all heard the horror stories, and sometimes seen the results, of a bumbling tow truck driver wrapping a chain around a motorcycle and dangling it off the back of his hook.  I recently saw a 1999 Super-X that had experienced that very thing in theft recovery…not pretty.

The leading providers of emergency motorcycle towing are AMA MoTow (800-AMA-JOIN, www.ama-cycle.org), Motorcycle Touring Services (800-999-7064, www.mtstowing.com) and Easyriders Bros Club (800-547-2767, www.brosclub.org).   They have several different plans, based on the client’s needs.  MoTow even offers a plan that includes your car and pickup or van for a total cost that is less than AAA.  I suggest you check these plans out and maybe run a search on Google for others.  It’s cheap insurance.

Legislation is a strange thing when it comes to motorcycles and riders.  Possibly no other specific type of legislation has so many people who know nothing about what is being regulated making laws that don’t affect them personally.  If not for such watchdog organizations as the AMA, MRF and ABATE, much of the proposed legislation would pass with little or no dissent.  Most motorcycle legislation takes one of two forms; it is either designed to protect us from ourselves, or to make us invisible to John Q. Public.  In addition to helmet laws, were you aware that in various forms over the years there have also been bills introduced to regulate motorcyclists’ clothing, add air bags to motorcycles and even require seat belts!?  There has also been a movement to commonize motorcycle laws worldwide.  What’s good for Indonesia is good for Nebraska, right?  Laws have a tendency to spread like wildfire, too.  In many cases, laws will be enacted in the more “liberal” states on the two coasts, then start to spread toward the heartland.  Just because something isn’t happening in your state yet, doesn’t mean it isn’t being considered by some legislator.  The AMA and MRF constantly police legislatures on the national and state levels, as well as overseas, and publish reports of what our elected officials are up to.  Here is a sampling of some of the more recent activity. 

A British traffic consultant recently told the British Institution of Civil Engineers that making intersections more dangerous might actually improve road safety.  The thinking is that if the intersections are known to be more hazardous, people will be more careful.  My guess, this guy doesn’t ride.  He may not even drive. 

Based partly on its history of run-ins with motorcyclists, the Rockford, Tennessee, police department has been disbanded.  The incidents included a police officer allegedly intentionally swerving into the path of an oncoming motorcyclist, resulting in his death.

The Michigan House of Representatives has approved a bill to allow motorcyclists over the age of 21 to choose to ride without a helmet.  Minnesota now has a law including an “affirmative defense” for motorcyclists entering an intersection after having been stuck at an unchanging “trip-light” for an unreasonable period of time.

There are lots more.  I’ll talk about them in a subsequent article.

Ride safe, everyone.