roads

Lane Filtering awareness on Motorcycle Awareness Month

by Mercy Owusu from https://www.abc4.com Expect to see motorcycles lane filtering, it’s legal under certain circumstances Lane Filtering is NOT the same as Lane Splitting. Legal for roads with speed limit NOT LEGAL on Freeways. UTAH – As the weather continues to get warmer, Utahans can expect to see more motorcycles on the road — and more motorcycles means more lane filtering. The Department of Public Safety wants to remind drivers they can expect to see motorcycles lane filtering, as well as remind motorcyclists of the conditions under which lane filtering is legal. What is Lane filtering? Lane filtering is when motorcyclists move between two lanes to the front of traffic that is stopped at an intersection. Motorcycle lane filtering was made legal under certain circumstances in Utah in May of 2019. The decision came after the Utah legislature’s passage of HB 149 during the 2019 legislative session. Officials say the law for lane filtering was designed to prevent or reduce rear-end collisions between approaching vehicles and motorcycles stopped in traffic. They added, unlike lane “splitting,” lane “filtering” is intended to provide a “safety pocket” for motorcycles when encountering stopped traffic. Since motorcycle riding is seasonal in Utah, some drivers may be surprised when they see motorcyclists who are lane filtering. Officials emphasized that lane filtering between stopped vehicles on roadways with at least two lanes in the same direction and speeds of 45 mph and lower is legal in Utah. Having a motorcycle pass closely to your stopped vehicle can be startling. However, officials say if you’re aware that lane filtering is legal and know to expect it, you can maintain an awareness of your surroundings and reduce the element of surprise. Motorcycles can lane filter in Utah when the following conditions are met, according to officials: The individual […]

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Oregon considering motorcycle ‘lane filtering’ bill

by Chris McGinness from https://www.ktvb.com Motorcycle ‘lane filtering’ bill has strong support in Oregon It’s not like California. Think of motorcycles passing at parking lot speeds. Supporters tout rider safety. When you’re driving on a crowded freeway how would you feel about sharing the road with motorcycles moving from lane to lane? Sound scary and dangerous? Riders say it could actually be safer than what’s allowed now. “Lane filtering,” as proposed in Oregon Senate Bill 574 (summary here), would allow motorcyclists to move back and forth between very slow moving traffic on multi-lane Oregon highways. Similar legislation has been discussed since 2015. This time around, there are clearer definitions for when the practice would be legal. Still, the perception many drivers have about lane filtering is of the occasional reckless rider zipping though traffic. We asked a few motorists about it as they gassed up at Radio Cab in Northwest Portland. “It scares me a little bit,” a man named Ravi said. “If there’s’ something in the road and I have to get out the way really quickly, I would hate to accidentally have to merge into his driving lane.” “Well, I think that’s an incredibly bad idea but if you want to take that risk,” said a woman named Kate. The lane filtering proposed in Oregon takes many of the concerns into consideration. “Traffic has to be either stopped or moving less than 10 miles an hour. The motorcyclist cannot exceed the speed of traffic by more than 10 miles an hour,” said longtime motorcyclist Patrick Leyshock of Northeast Portland. Advocates, of which there are many of both sides of the political spectrum, point to three benefits to permitting lane filtering: reduced congestion, reduced emissions and enhanced rider safety. This last point seems counterintuitive unless you’ve ever ridden a

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E-bikes that look like motorcycles take another hit in Canada

by Maryse Zeidler from https://www.cbc.ca Appellant’s lawyer says his client relied on Motorino XMr for affordable transportation The British Columbia Court of Appeal has upheld a B.C. Supreme Court ruling that e-bikes designed to look and function more like mopeds or scooters do not meet the province’s definition of a motor-assisted cycle and therefore require a driver’s licence, registration and insurance. The case was brought forward by Ali Ghadban, who was issued a ticket in Surrey, B.C., in 2018 for riding his Motorino XMr without a driver’s licence and insurance. He said he wasn’t able to obtain them from the provincial insurer, ICBC. Two of the three Appeal Court justices assigned to the case agreed with the B.C. Supreme Court judge’s decision from May 2020 that found although the Motorino XMr is outfitted with pedals, limited power and a maximum speed of 32 km/h, it doesn’t qualify as a motor-assisted cycle because it’s not designed to be operated primarily by human power. At the heart of the issue are the XMr’s small pedals, which Court of Appeal Justice Harvey M. Groberman agreed would do little to propel the nearly 115-kilogram bike. Groberman said the XMr is designed to almost exclusively operate as a low-powered electric motorcycle, or as “a very heavy, impractical bicycle.” Although the XMr meets many of the technical requirements of a motor-assisted cycle as defined in B.C.’s Motor Vehicle Act, Groberman wrote, it doesn’t do so in practice. “If a piece of legislation defines ‘cat’ as ‘a small four-legged furry mammal that purrs,’ we would not expect that definition to include a dog fitted with a loudspeaker that plays a purring sound,” he said. Affordable, environmentally friendly Lawyer Dan Griffiths, who represented Ghadban in the case, said his client is a man of modest financial means who

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RFR rides into the New Year

Got my first 65 miles of 2021 in, I always try to ride on New Years Day start my year off right, while it said 35 degrees at my 6:40 am departure, that was not the temperature on the backroads I took this morning. Not as cold as the 29/30 degrees of 2018, but still got mild frostbite in my fingers & that’s was with the last Christmas HD gloves and Gator Skin inserts. The Roadglide blocked those 2018 temps, time for some heated gloves I guess? And another Roadglide, keeping the Dyna, we bonded laying there in the mud a couple days ago. Happy New Year! RFR

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End of the World Run

Dodging Asteroids, JFK Jr., C19 & Route 666 Photos and text by Koz Mraz Armageddon and apocalyptic end times are all the rage! Between conspiracy theories, the November 2nd asteroid, Nov 3rd elections and the pandemic it’s definitely time to take an “End of the World” motorcycle ride. I suggest avoiding toxic zombies in metropolitan areas and, the petrified people of Covid suburbs. Get Out! as fast as you can to high country. I picked up my Harley-Davidson Road Glide at Sedona EagleRider and headed to Meteor Crater, the Petrified Forest and Rt. 666, the Devil’s Highway all the way to Mexico in my EOTW ride. Most people don’t realize that Arizona has some serious mountains with Humphreys Peak topping out at 12,633 feet! Flagstaff also has the perfect underground hideaway from the impending cataclysm. Click Here to read this Travel Photo Feature at Bikernet Join the Cantina – Subscribe Today https://www.bikernet.com/pages/custom/subscription.aspx

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Harley-Davidson to hold virtual annual meeting, acting CEO says More Roads plan is working

by Margaret Naczek from https://www.bizjournals.com Amid the instability of the COVID-19 pandemic, Harley-Davidson Inc.’s acting president and CEO Jochen Zeitz reflected back on the advancements made in the More Roads to Harley-Davidson strategy in 2019. 2020 already was a pivotal year in the company’s strategic plan to grow more riders and expand dealership reach, but the year became a lot more crucial as the Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG) looks to also overcome the difficulties during a pandemic. With concerns over public health and travel restrictions, Harley-Davidson organized its 2020 annual shareholders meeting to be conducted virtually via a live audio webcast on May 21, 2020. The annual meeting will elect nine directors to the board, approve the compensation of the company’s executive officers, approve amendments to the company’s restated articles of incorporation, approve the company’s 2020 incentive stock plan and ratify the selection of Ernst & Young LLP as Harley-Davidson’s independent registered public accounting firm. “As we embark on our next chapter and seek new leadership, we are steadfast in our belief that we have both much to be proud of and much to look forward to,” Zeitz said in his letter to shareholders. On Feb. 28, Harley-Davidson announced former CEO Matt Levatich had stepped down and Zeitz would assume the role of acting president and CEO. The company is currently engaged in a search for new CEO. In his letter to shareholders, Zeitz shared some of the company’s accomplishments in 2019. While U.S. motorcycle sales continue to decline over consecutive quarters, Zeitz noted that in 2019 the rate of decline significantly tempered. “After four years of accelerating declines, such improvement was supported by our More Roads actions, notably in how we’re Amplifying our Brand and delivering on our New Products catalysts for growth,” Zeitz said in the letter. Recommended Some

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Electric scooters can help cities move beyond cars v pedestrians

by Alex Hern from https://www.theguardian.com The government is showing signs of legalising electric scooters on roads, but new laws should be about safety, not horsepower If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that being hit by a scooter hurts less than being hit by a bike. That may sound like a strangely negative place to start, but it’s sort of fundamental to why I’m glad the government is finally showing signs of legalising the use of electronic scooters on public roads across the UK. The current state of the law is a mess. Its broad strokes are reasonable enough: powered vehicles require an MOT and registration to use on public roads, while unpowered vehicles do not. Pavements are for foot traffic only. Access requirements complicate matters, but only a little: wheelchairs, both manual and powered – legally, “class three invalid carriages” – can go on pavements, while some – class four – can go on roads as well. Then, in the 1980s, the law was modernised to support the first generation of electric bikes. Fitted with simple motors that aided hill climbs, it felt silly to ban them as electric vehicles, and so a new category – the “electrically assisted pedal cycle” – was invented, and the laws amended further in 2015 to remove weight limits, allow for four wheels and increase the maximum power of the motor. Which means, as the law stands, you can ride a four-wheeled vehicle of potentially unlimited weight, largely powered by a motor up to 15.5mph, on public roads without training, licensing or registration. But not an electronic scooter. Nor, for that matter, a 5kg, 10mph “hoverboard”, unlikely to hurt anyone save its rider. Looking at the laws from the ground up, the distinguishing characteristic should be safety, not how a

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Riding in the Rain on Motorcycle: What To Remember?

It’s all about Zen, Treachery and Survival By Isabella Katee When the rain comes, most of the motorcyclists store their bikes in the garage, and close the riding chapter until the sun shines in the following spring! Such abstinence indeed keeps them free from risks associated with motorcycle riding in the rain. But unfortunately, they cannot understand that by doing this, they are depriving themselves of this motorbiking experiences and bragging rights! They can never feel how thrilling, spine-tingling a motorcycle ride can be in the rain! So, move onto the roads in the rain, but never forget the risks associated with it. What to do then? We shall discuss how should you ride and what should you do while riding a motorcycle in the rain, to get the most out of it and still stay risk-free, which is impossible. CLICK HERE TO READ THE FEATURE ARTICLE IN THE CANTINA

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We the Riders: One Movement for Everyone

Limitless. Global. Unified. WTR is a community for ALL riders. The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) today announced its branding re-release for the We, The Riders (WTR) campaign. Both on and off the roads, all riders are equal, and there is strength in their beautiful diversity; this is the core vision of the rebranded We, The Riders campaign that is being launched today through the release of their promotional video. WTR stands ready to deliver an unmatched community experience and aims to unify the global population of motorcycling enthusiasts, providing them with a central social media hub. Anyone can be passionate about motorcycling, anyone can learn to ride, and anyone can be a rider. Diversity is one of the fundamental, underpinning features of riding, and this historic movement will bring an unprecedented sense of closeness and community into the motorcycling world. “Motorcycling is a global sport, pastime and passion, and it deserves an authentic, global movement that brings everyone together. Across all levels of performance, from all nations and across all differences, motorcycling has the capacity to unify people, and that is exactly what We, The Riders, is going to facilitate.” explained Jorge Viegas, FIM President. The aim of the WTR campaign is to create a global movement for a safer, more sustainable, more exciting and more unified riding experience, free from discrimination and full of diversity. The movement was founded on four pillars, all given equal weight: ● Safety: education drives change, and the WTR movement will provide both online education and downloadable guides, as well as develop the reach of influential safety Ambassadors who are to be tasked with promoting rider safety across all aspects of motorcycling. ● Sustainability: diffusing news and information on eco-friendly motorcycling research, reporting on all concrete FIM actions for sustainability, and showcasing members’

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Paris clamps down on electric scooters as law of the jungle rules

More than 1,000 tickets have been issued and about 600 scooters impounded, authorities said, and a new surveillance force has been set up. PARIS: If you’re spending time in Paris this summer and decide to check out one of the 20,000 electric scooters buzzing along its boulevards, you might want to be careful how you ride and where you end up parking. Over the past year the city has become awash with the zippy two-wheelers, with 12 start-ups offering the chance to download an app and dash across the Seine for not much more than the cost of a metro ticket. But the scooters’ popularity, and the relative lack of rules around their use, has prompted City Hall to impose overdue restrictions, with fines for driving them on the pavement or parking them in doorways, crosswalks and other busy places. After two deaths and scores of injuries, residents have become increasingly vocal against the scooters, which are expected to number up to 40,000 by the end of this year. From July 1, a spot fine of 35 euros ($40) will be levied on bad parking, while those caught on the sidewalk will be hit with a 135-euro penalty. A speed limit of 20 km/hr has been imposed across the capital. Even before the legislation kicks in, police have been stepping up their efforts. More than 1,000 tickets have been issued and about 600 scooters impounded, authorities said, and a new surveillance force has been set up. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has described the scooters as “anarchic”, while transport minister Elisabeth Borne told Le Parisien the city was experiencing “the law of the jungle”. To regulate the number of scooters, City Hall has introduced a fee of 50 euros per scooter for the first 499 units, rising to 65 euros for

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