safety

NCOM Biker Newsbytes for August 2021

General Posts / By

Legislative Motorcycle News from Around the World The Highway Bill passes but…, Feds investigate auto-pilot car accidents, anti-profiling in California, lane-filtering, Sturgis Motorcycle Rally turnout, bad-driving and road-rage post-lockdown, fuel prices at a high, International Motorcycle Show, news you should use. Click Here to Read the NCOM News on Bikernet.com Join the Cantina for more – Subscribe Today. https://www.bikernet.com/pages/custom/subscription.aspx

NCOM Biker Newsbytes for August 2021 Read More »

NHTSA Report on Tesla Crashes

General Posts / By

MRF Flash Alert – Tesla Crashes The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wrote, in a document released Monday, that it has identified 11 crashes since 2018 in which a Tesla vehicle using the company’s driver assistance system, struck one or more vehicles involved in an emergency response situation. Four of those crashes occurred in 2021. NHTSA now plans on studying the Advanced Driver Assistance System, otherwise known as “autopilot,” in the nearly 765,000 Tesla vehicles produced between 2014 and 2021. For several years, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF), in cooperation with our state motorcyclist rights partners, have warned of the need for increased oversight of this new technology. Allowing vehicles to be deployed on our nation’s roadways, that cannot adequately detect and respond to all roadway users, is dangerous. Regulators and auto manufacturers should work together to ensure tragic crashes, like the ones found in this report, never happen again. To read the brief report from NHTSA on the Tesla crashes click here. About MRF: http://mrf.org

NHTSA Report on Tesla Crashes Read More »

Aprilia Tuono V4 Review

General Posts / By

by Geoff Hill from https://www.mirror.co.uk Big bikes don’t come with big scares any more Back in the day, powerful bikes were thrilling and terrifying, but this naked Italian beauty has all the thrills and none of the terror thanks to a brain that works faster than the rider’s. Well, Geoff’s, although that’s not saying much. I started doing bike tests in 1846, before bikes were even invented, so I just sat on a fence making bike noises, then hauled out a quill pen and a sheet of parchment and sent in my review to Velocipede Monthly on a passing donkey. When bikes finally came along, I remember being simultaneously thrilled and terrified by some superbikes, such as the Kawasaki ZX-10R. You got the feeling that at any moment it would fling you over the hedge, leaving you draped over a baffled cow called Gertrude, although it did get less frisky when Kawasaki fitted a steering damper to later models. However, I realised at the launch a while back on the Suzuki Hayabusa that I wasn’t a bit scared. There are several possible explanations for this. Either I’ve taken on board the advice I read from a psychiatrist recently that fear and excitement are just two sides of the same coin in your brain, so when you feel afraid, pretend it’s excitement. I tried it on my first time back flying after lockdown, and it worked. Another alternative is that I have become an astonishingly skilled rider, but since that’s highly unlikely, I suspect the answer is that bikes today such as this one are fitted with so many safety features that you’d need to be a complete idiot to end up draped over Gertrude. I’m talking about cornering ABS, cornering traction control, anti-wheelie control, launch control, adaptive cruise control and

Aprilia Tuono V4 Review Read More »

MRF 2021 HOF Inductee Announcement

General Posts / By

MRF 2021 HOF Inductee Announcement The Motorcycle Riders Foundation announces the 2021 Freedom Fighter Hall of Fame Inductees. The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) is pleased to release the names of the 2021 class of Inductees to the Motorcycle Riders Foundation Freedom Fighters Hall of Fame (MRF HOF). These will be presented at the Annual Meeting of the Minds conference September 23-26, in Atlanta, Georgia. This year’s MRF HOF Class of 2021 – Freedom Fighter Inductees are: Butch Brown Deb Butitta Jim Dahling Carol Downs Past Motorcycle Riders Foundation Hall of Fame inductees are: Keith “Bandit” Ball, Mark Buckner, Wayne Curtin, Michael “Balls” Farabaugh, “Still” Ray Fitzgerald, Richard Gray, Bob Illingworth, Nathan “Buck” Kittredge, Ed Netterberg, Sherman Packard, Todd Vandermyde, Paul Vestal, Penny Walker, Ed Youngblood, Vince Consiglio, Fredric Harrell, Rodney Roberts, Simon Milward, JoAnne Packard, Karen Bolin, Lee Richardson, Jerry “JT” Thomas, and Teresa Hepker, Dick “Slider” Gilmore, Charles Umbenhauer, Wanda Hummel-Shultz, “Biker” Jim Rhoades, Lee Ryan, Marc Falsetti, Gary Klinker, Charlie Williams, Dave Dwyer, “Radio” Bob Letourneau, “Farmer” John Eggers and Michael “Boz” Kerr. Congratulations to all from the Motorcycle Riders Foundation Board of Directors. Visit http://mrf.org/ About Motorcycle Riders Foundation The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) provides leadership at the federal level for states’ motorcyclists’ rights organizations as well as motorcycle clubs and individual riders. The MRF is chiefly concerned with issues at the national and international levels that impact the freedom and safety of American street motorcyclists. The MRF is committed to being a national advocate for the advancement of motorcycling and its associated lifestyle and works in conjunction with its partners to help educate elected officials and policymakers in Washington and beyond.

MRF 2021 HOF Inductee Announcement Read More »

Piaggio Develops Industry-First Safety Sensor With 4D Imaging Radar

General Posts / By

by Cristina Mircea from https://www.autoevolution.com Piaggio’s robotics subsidiary in Boston announced the first-of-a-kind sensor in the industry, including 4D imaging radar technology. The new sensor is supposed to increase safety in motorcycle and scooter riding. Piaggio Fast Forward (PFF) is based in Boston and is owned by the Italian motor vehicle manufacturer. It is a robotics company that develops smart mobility solutions and has a few popular machines on the market, such as the “gita” hands-free following robot that can carry 40 lb of gear for up to four hours on a single charge. With the help of PFF and Vayyar Imaging, a 4D imaging radar company, a new sensor technology has been developed and it will have several applications. The new hardware-software modules will be used in both consumer and business robots, as well as in motorcycles and scooters. Piaggio claims its sensor technology is the industry’s first-ever 4D imaging radar-based motorcycle safety platform. It plans to use it for its motorcycles’ Advanced Rider Assistance Systems (ARAS), enabling a bunch of safety functions such as blind-spot detection, forward collision warning, or lane change assist, thus protecting riders. According to the Italian manufacturer, the sensor incorporates complex, single-chip 4D imaging radar technology, comes with ultra-wide-field-of-view, and supports a range of more than 328 ft (100 meters). It provides mapping and object detection and control, regardless of the lighting or weather conditions. PFF designed the sensor specifically for motorcycles and robotics, addressing their specific challenges. It is capable of tracking multiple targets and makes sure there are no dead zones that can lead to collisions of any kind. Piaggio specifies that the new technology will be implemented in PFF’s robots starting at the end of this year. As far as using the module for its own motorcycles, the company says it

Piaggio Develops Industry-First Safety Sensor With 4D Imaging Radar Read More »

Fact or Fiction – Helmet Use

General Posts / By

from Motorcycle Riders Foundation at http://mrf.org/ On a nearly annual basis the media in this country is inspired to report stories about motorcycle fatalities on our nation’s roadways. Invariably, these stories paint motorcycle rider deaths as a product of irresponsible riders who live in states that have some level of helmet choice. Frequently they report statistics that prove their narrative but fail to paint a full and complete picture. The lens with which these stories are reported often takes the naïve view that crashes can be made “safer” if only bikers somehow followed government helmet mandates. The only true solution to motorcycle safety and reducing fatalities are proactive measures, which prevent a collision from occurring at all, rather than reactive steps that may or may not offer some level of injury mitigation only after a crash has already taken place. Rider education, which prepares motorcyclists to interact with other roadway users by learning and practicing the skills necessary for hazard avoidance and developing a strategy to deal with real world traffic, is the primary component of a comprehensive motorcycle safety plan. Additionally, educating all motor vehicle operators to be alert and free of impairment as they share the road with others is critical in deterring crashes caused by inattention. When coming across these stories keep in mind some facts that are omitted from their reports. Fact: Over the last decade motorcycle related deaths have varied between years but for the most part remain flat. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data from 2019 shows 5,014 deaths, a decrease from the 2008 5,307 deaths NTSHA recorded. In that same time period registered motorcycles increased from 7.7 million in 2008 to 8.7 million ten years later. In other words, there are a million more bikes on the road and there were

Fact or Fiction – Helmet Use Read More »

Safety Is The First Rule When Riding ORV’s In Wyoming

General Posts / By

from https://kgab.com Off Road Recreational Vehicle’s are a great way to explore Wyoming, but being safe is something you need to take seriously. An ORV is described by WyoParks.wyo.gov as off-road motorcycles, ATVs and 4-wheel drive vehicles primarily used off-road. https://wyoparks.wyo.gov/index.php/orv-trails The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (click here) started keeping track of the number of deaths involving ATV’s in 1982. A report was released a couple years ago that gave the total number of deaths in each state, Washington DC and Puerto Rico due to ATV’s with 3, 4 or more wheels. The report spanned from 1982 to 2017 and Wyoming came in near the bottom of the list at #47 with 71 lives were lost. Texas was at the top of the list with 831 lives lost. In Wyoming, thousands of ORV’s are purchased every year and on a daily basis you can see them on trailers, in trucks or riding around trails & roads. Safety measures are put in place to keep the deaths, injuries and accidents down. Wyo Parks has a great list of safety tips, available on their website Wyoparks.wyo.gov (Click Here), that would be a great idea to become familiar with and teach your kids the proper ways of ORV riding. Wyoming has over 640 miles of trails available all over the state available for use by anyone. Of course you need to be familiar with the trail usage rules put in place to ensure safety for you and others using the trails. The Wyoming State ORV Program (Click Here) has worked along side other state and federal organizations to identify roads, trails and open areas that are suitable for riding your ORV. If you’re heading out on an ORV trip make sure you have a map, stay on the designated trails, be prepared

Safety Is The First Rule When Riding ORV’s In Wyoming Read More »

Best motorcycle cleaner for 2021: Top 10 products

General Posts / By

by Kyle Hyatt from https://www.cnet.com Cleaning your motorcycle can be a pain, but this stuff makes it a lot easier. Motorcycle cleaner notes The visual benefits of keeping a clean bike are pretty obvious, I mean, more shiny is more better, right? But there are some performance and safety benefits, too. For example, if your bike is filthy, it can be hard to see if you’ve suddenly sprung a leak of some vital fluid (usually oil). Some road crud can be corrosive over time to the exposed steel and aluminum parts of your motorcycle, not to mention the fasteners that hold things onto your bike. You thought changing out that clutch was going to be easy, didn’t you? It would have been if you hadn’t left a bunch of road salt all over the bike for months. Now it’s broken-bolt city, population: you. The performance benefits are more subtle but no less real. This is especially true when it comes to chain maintenance. Just think, if your motorcycle has to fight the friction of a dry, dirty or corroded chain, then that’s power lost. If you’re on a 200-horsepower sport bike, that’s not a big deal, but if you’re on a 20-horsepower motorcycle like the Royal Enfield Meteor 350 I recently reviewed, you might just notice. Keep your bike clean with a well-stocked motorcycle care kit, and make your life easy. Best general motorcycle cleaner overall S100 Total Cycle Cleaner $15 Best general motorcycle cleaner overall runner-up Muc-Off Nanotechnology Motorcycle Cleaner $16 Best motorcycle quick detailer S100 Detail & Wax spray $15 Best waterless motorcycle wash Muc-Off High-Performance No Rinse Bike Cleaning Spray $18 Best motorcycle chain cleaner and lube Maxima Clean Up and Chain Wax $28 Best motorcycle chain cleaning brush Simple Solutions The Grunge Brush $14 Best motorcycle

Best motorcycle cleaner for 2021: Top 10 products Read More »

Traveling but can’t bring your motorcycle? Here are a few solutions

General Posts / By

from https://www.traveldailynews.com One of the primary reasons why people travel is to get away from their day-to-day hard-knock lives and relax on an island away from all the noise. Although leaving the noisy city to a remote location brings a high level of calmness and serenity, many people still like to be very active while on vacation. One major group of people in this category are bikers. Whether they are in Cancun or Fiji Islands, bikers love to have their motorcycles with them and don’t like to go too long without riding. If you are in this category of vacationers, then not being able to travel with your motorcycle must be such a bummer. The good news is that there are many solutions that bikers can try to ensure they can ride when they travel. Ranging from shipping your motorcycle to your location to renting a different motorcycle, these tips will surely help you do what you love, even in a different location. So, here are a few solutions that will keep you active when you cannot take your motorcycle along on trips. 1. Renting a motorcycle Renting service has been the most thought-after solution when going on traveling. Since you can’t travel with your motorcycle in tow, being able to rent it at your destination should be the next solution in mind. You might be worried about whether or not you will find a motorcycle rental service in your destination country, especially if you are going to a remote island. You should note that some brands allow tourists to rent a motorcycle from any part of the globe, and they can see the available countries in this URL or BRANDED website. This way, you can be sure a motorcycle will be waiting for you when you arrive. Also, ensure

Traveling but can’t bring your motorcycle? Here are a few solutions Read More »

House Passes Highway Bill – Biker Priorities Included

General Posts / By

Thursday morning the full House of Representatives passed H.R. 3684 the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act or the INVEST in America Act. This bill is more commonly referred to as the highway bill. The bill is over 1,500 pages, spends $715 billion and includes five beneficial provisions for motorcyclists. The final vote on passage was 221 for and 201 against. Two Republicans voted in favor and no Democrats opposed. The Senate has begun work on their version of the highway bill and the two chambers will eventually need to work out the differences before an agreed upon bill is sent to the President for his signature. Traditionally, a highway bill has a five-year lifespan before Congress must fund and reauthorize programs again. Typically, highway bills occur in years ending in 0’s and 5’s. The last highway bill expired in 2020 but was given a one-year extension as Congress was unable to reach a compromise. Congress now faces a September 30th deadline to pass a new highway bill and reauthorize crucial transportation and safety related programs. Below is a brief recap of the five motorcyclist related items that the House of Representatives approved and included in this major piece of legislation: Profiling: The bill includes an update to current federal law on the issue of motorcycle only check points. The bill passed today includes language that prohibits state and local governments from using funds from the Department of Transportation to “profile and stop motorcycle operators or motorcycle passengers using as a factor the clothing or mode of transportation of such operators or passengers.” Traffic Stop Data Collection: An amendment to the bill by Congressman Tim Walberg (MI-R) and Congressman Michael Burgess (TX-R) added the term “mode of transportation” to a newly created

House Passes Highway Bill – Biker Priorities Included Read More »

Scroll to Top