Motorcycle awareness month

BabyRider · Post by **BabyRider** » Fri May 20, 2005 12:33 pm

I should have posted this a few weeks ago!

May is "Motorcycle Awareness" month. ABATE is out in force, having runs and fundraisers and raffles to ban helmet laws and make "cagers" more aware of the bikers on the road. I am REALLY excited. The first big run of the year!!

So, while you're out enjoying the new warm weather, please be especially aware of all the bikes on the road! We are very hard to see!!

LOUD PIPES SAVE LIVES!!!

nvalleyvee · Post by **nvalleyvee** » Fri May 20, 2005 12:39 pm

BabyRider wrote: I should have posted this a few weeks ago!

May is "Motorcycle Awareness" month. ABATE is out in force, having runs and fundraisers and raffles to ban helmet laws and make "cagers" more aware of the bikers on the road. The club is sponsoring a couple rides, we have a huge run scheduled for tomorrow morning. It's a combination Motorcycle awareness/Salute to America's veterans run. We will probably be about 150 bike pack. I am REALLY excited. The first big run of the year!!

So, while you're out enjoying the new warm weather, please be especially aware of all the bikes on the road! We are very hard to see!!

LOUD PIPES SAVE LIVES!!!

Yes - please, please be aware of the motorcycles. I've had 4 friends killed and one cousin brain damaged on them. And BR - you be careful too.

BabyRider · Post by **BabyRider** » Fri May 20, 2005 12:46 pm

Thanks, nvalley. We are always VERY careful, no craziness allowed. When you're riding with a club, it's side-by-side and the road captain sets the ground rules to get us from point A to point B. Hand signals, when to change lanes, blocking intersections; it's all planned out beforehand. This particular run is being escorted by police from the 5 cities we are riding through. (God bless the cops) and we are so many that we will be easy to see and hear coming.

Thanks for the concern! :yh_peace

minks · Post by **minks** » Fri May 20, 2005 1:35 pm

BabyRider wrote: Thanks, nvalley. We are always VERY careful, no craziness allowed. When you're riding with a club, it's side-by-side and the road captain sets the ground rules to get us from point A to point B. Hand signals, when to change lanes, blocking intersections; it's all planned out beforehand. This particular run is being escorted by police from the 5 cities we are riding through. (God bless the cops) and we are so many that we will be easy to see and hear coming.

Thanks for the concern! :yh_peace

There is nothing quite as impressive as a group of bikers... no matter who they are. Oldies on touring bikes, or young ones on crotch rockets, but a group of em for a cause is an even better sight.

BR go safely, and enjoy yourself. Can't wait for the weather to warm up here and the side kick to get his bike going.

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Sat May 21, 2005 10:12 am

posted by minks

There is nothing quite as impressive as a group of bikers... no matter who they are. Oldies on touring bikes, or young ones on crotch rockets, but a group of em for a cause is an even better sight.

BR go safely, and enjoy yourself. Can't wait for the weather to warm up here and the side kick to get his bike going.

There is nothing more annoying than being stuck behind the edinburgh (dunedin) Harley owners group on a day out crawling down winding highland roads. Don't know about the states but here they tend to be mainly acoountants and solicitors having a mid life crisis. Anyone else with half a brian avoids chrome like the plague-we get rain here-lots of rain. The more startling ones are the ones that insist on wearing kilts-as motor bike garb it is completely inappropriate not to mention distracting to oncoming traffic.

Joking aside here the emphasis is more on safety

May is "Motorcycle Awareness" month. ABATE is out in force, having runs and fundraisers and raffles to ban helmet laws and make "cagers" more aware of the bikers on the road. The club is sponsoring a couple rides, we have a huge run scheduled for tomorrow morning. It's a combination Motorcycle awareness/Salute to America's veterans run. We will probably be about 150 bike pack. I am REALLY excited. The first big run of the year!!

Can't believe you want to ban compulsory wearing of helmets-once is all it takes if you come off. Maybe its because we have the NHS peple object to apying for treatment for stupid idiots that don't take simple precautions.

BabyRider · Post by **BabyRider** » Mon May 23, 2005 12:36 pm

GMC, the HOGS, (Harley Owners Group) can be rather annoying. Most of them in the states are also accountants and used-car salesmen with a weekend warrior attitude. I have no patience for HOGS. But that's another story.

As for the helmet laws, I believe bikers should be able to choose whether or not they wear a helmet. Just like I believe you should have a choice whether or not to wear a seatbelt in your car. The only person you endanger is yourself. That should be a choice. There are occassions when I would like to be free of the helmet. Others where I would definitely wear it. It just depends on the situation.

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Tue May 24, 2005 7:14 am

posted by babyrider

As for the helmet laws, I believe bikers should be able to choose whether or not they wear a helmet. Just like I believe you should have a choice whether or not to wear a seatbelt in your car. The only person you endanger is yourself. That should be a choice. There are occassions when I would like to be free of the helmet. Others where I would definitely wear it. It just depends on the situation.

Maybe it's because our NHS is paid by for all of us-treating people injured in car accidents with injuries caused by their own stupidity is annoying.

Incidentally in the UK if you are in a car accident and receive injuries because you were not wearing a seatbelt any insurance claim would be greatly reduced or even rejected-contributory stupidity. What I suggest you do is run full tilt at a wall and see if you can stop yourself with just your arms out as protection. Then repeat the exercise on a push bike.

I won't go a push bike without a helmet. I persuaded my nephew to wear a bike helmet by the simple expedient of telling him to head butt a concrete wall-if he could do it and convince me it didn't hurt then he could leave it off. He declined and now wears a helmet, he also has a ccracked one as a souvenir from mountain biking-personally I think it's a lot more deangerous cycling in traffic.

Must admit I feel rather strongly about it. I won't let anyone travel in my car especially in the back seat behind me without a seat belt. Nor would i sit in in the front of someone elses car if the back seat passenger refused to wear a seat belt. A twelve stone body coming through the back seat if you hit something is not funny at all. Even a minor shunt is painful. Once is all it takes

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Tue May 24, 2005 7:18 am

BR i love you...but i have scraped a lot of grey matter off the pavement from bikers with no helmets.

Peg · Post by **Peg** » Tue May 24, 2005 7:24 am

ABATE is a fantastic group. They have a lot of poker runs around here to raise money for sick children, etc.

BabyRider · Post by **BabyRider** » Tue May 24, 2005 1:19 pm

Grey and LC, I totally understand your concerns and views. It's not a subject where I try to change people's minds. I do believe it should be a choice, and you guys don't. Understandable from your points of view.

Peg, there's not too many people who have even heard of ABATE. I'm glad you've had good experiences with them!

( Just FYI for everyone else: ABATE does a lot more than just try to get helmet laws banned.)

valerie · Post by **valerie** » Tue May 24, 2005 8:59 pm

The way I've heard the whole helmet thing is that people don't want to

pay biker's medical bills. So, I've always felt, if you can prove you can

cover your own, then go ahead on.

Problem with that comes with enforcement, not enough cops out there

to have to stop all the bikers NOT wearing a helmet to see if they're

covered!