Road Rider Blog

Vale Jeremy Bowdler

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 21:42:00 GMT

The untimely death of the editor of Two Wheels has shocked us all

When veteran motorcycle scribe Bob Guntrip introduced me to the gangling,

intense and above all tall young man he’d brought to our regular midday get-together, I had no idea what a major role my unexpected lunch companion would play in motorcycle publishing in this country.

In those days, Jeremy Bowdler was working on a variety of magazines for Mason Steward Publishing, one of them being Playboy, in direct contradiction of his surname. But I suspect that even then, it was the motorcycle magazine that Bob put together that interested him most. It was an odd little buyers’ guide, and like many other bike mags it was eventually absorbed by Two Wheels, but I think it was Jeremy’s introduction to the industry that was to occupy him for the rest of his all too short life: motorcycle publishing.

We met again at various motorcycle functions, and Jeremy came to the first of the now somewhat legendary Readies Rallies with the wonderful woman who was to become his wife, Jan. They attended subsequent Readies’ as well; notably, Jeremy dressed as Gainsborough’s Blue Boy for the one held at Providence Portal in the Snowy Mountains.

Out of respect for his legacy I’ll leave the photos in the files…

For many years Jeremy and I carried on the habit of lunching together, and it wasn’t really until Two Wheels’ move to News Magazines that we let that slide. I always valued Jeremy’s clear-sighted and utterly unsentimental approach to the industry.
He contributed an enormous amount to motorcycling in this country, especially with his continuing concern about rider safety.
Jeremy leaves a large gap in the ranks of motorcycle scribes in Australia.

My thoughts, and the thoughts of all of us here, are now with Jan and her and Jeremy’s two daughters. We wish them the courage and fortitude that we know they will need to see them through this dark time. Fortunately we know that they are surrounded by good friends who will do all they can to help. We are ready to do the same, in any way we can.

Jeremy is of course not the only motorcycle journalist we have lost recently, but he is the one whom I, for one, would least have expected to pass on. He was – or seemed, certainly – always hale and healthy and never seemed to lack energy.

Jeremy, I am not a praying man – indeed, I am not religious at all - so it would be hypocritical of me to say that I’m praying for you, or that I hope to see you somewhere over on the other side. But I will certainly remember you.

Rest in peace, JB.

Peter “The Bear” Thoeming

Wake up, motorcycle industry!

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 22:05:00 GMT

There’s a job to be done out there, and only you can do it.

I saw on the cover of the Sydney Daily Telegraph this morning...

That they’d done another one of those “which commuting mode is quicker” stories. They featured a bicycle, a car, train, bus, even a ferry. Spot the one or two that are missing.

This was the last straw for me. Where was the motorcycle, or at least the scooter? I don’t blame the Telly. I blame the motorcycle industry.

What are you blokes doing?

Wake up, Jeff!

Every motoring and transport journalist, every urban affairs writer on every newspaper, every news magazine, every TV station as well as every external affairs person at every State government authority concerned with transport should have the number of a motorcycle industry representative on speed dial. Every one of these people should have a contact in the industry on their e-mail list.

Then, just to make sure, every time something happens that’s relevant, every one of those people should be contacted with the views of the motorcycle industry. Take a lesson from the various state-based Bicycle Institutes, if they’re still called that. Get the industry some recognition out there. Get in the face of everyone who writes about transport. Make sure that we’re constantly seen as part of the answer, not part of the problem.

Does that sound as if it would be expensive? Quite apart from the value for money question, look at it this way: most of the motorcycle importers belong to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries. I don’t know how much it costs them, but I suspect it’s not an especially good deal. What do they get? Representation on government committees that listen, nod their heads and then do what they want to do anyway. Sales figures. I suppose they’re useful.

But it would cost considerably less, I’ll bet, to employ a PR agency or, even better, a dedicated PR person who’s a rider and who understands what the interests of the industry are, and why. Brief him or her properly and turn him loose.

It’s not as if the papers won’t listen. When I wrote the City of Sydney’s motorcycle and scooter plan, In was interviewed by the Sydney Morning Herald. I told them that I thought it would make sense to eliminate tolls for bikes and scooters.

That comment made it through to the final story, and was reported quite even-handedly. The reported didn’t sneer at the “bikies” wanting something for nothing; he treated th ide as an interesting thought that should be out there.

And that’s just me, slipping a comment into an interview about something quite different. What could a properly trained PR person do?

I’m sick of this. The motorcycle industry makes its living from selling motorcycles, accessories and whatever. It can find money for racing (although not much these days) but it can’t find the money to work towards a sustainable future for motorcycling as a whole in public forums.

This is not a job for a rider-based volunteer organisation. This is a job for the industry. It’s time you gave some serious thought to becoming involved, because otherwise we will find that motorcycling is condemned to a slow decline and eventual death – and nobody will care, because nobody knows just how much motorcycling can contribute to a city, just to take one example.

Clover Moore and the City of Sydney have done a lot for motorcycling. More than the industry’s done, as far as I can see. I’d be delighted to be proved wrong, but I doubt I will be. Come on, people, get your act together.

Maybe next time the Telly or anyone does one of those commuting contests, we’ll see a bike and a scooter in it – I know something, and that is that one or the other will win!

Peter “The Bear” Thoeming

Lighten up!

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 22:01:00 GMT

A couple of things went wrong today.

Well, actually, more than a couple. It was a thorough bastard of a day.

I came home angry, which is not a good way to be at any time – but possibly worst at the end of a long work day when you’re rolling in to home and the company of your family.

So just in case you had a bad day too, and you’re feeling angry, I found a few cute little sayings about motorcycling to cheer you up and get you thinking positively again. They worked for me; hope they work for you.

Midnight bugs taste best.
Saddlebags can never hold everything you want, but they CAN hold everything you need.
Home is where your bike sits still long enough to leave a few drops of oil on the ground.
The only good view of a thunderstorm is in your rearview mirror.
Bikes don't leak oil, they mark their territory.
Never mistake horsepower for staying power.
If you don't ride in the rain - you don't ride.
A bike on the road is worth two in the shed.
Young riders pick a destination and go. . . Old riders pick a direction and go.
A good mechanic will let you watch without charging you for it.
Sometimes the fastest way to get there is to stop for the night.
Winter is Nature's way of telling you to polish your bike.
Well-trained reflexes are quicker than luck.
The best alarm clock is sunshine on chrome.
A friend is someone who'll get out of bed at 2 am to drive his pickup to the middle of nowhere.
Never be ashamed to unlearn an old habit
Maintenance is as much art as it is science.
If you ride like there's no tomorrow - there won't be.
Gray-haired riders don't get that way from pure luck
No matter what marque you ride, it's all the same wind.
Only a Biker knows why a dog sticks his head out of a car window.

Did any of that cheer you up? The one that worked best for me was the one about the best alarm clock being sunshine on chrome.

See you on the road.

The Bear

Riders are smarter – here’s proof

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 23:28:00 GMT

Every now and then some snippet from the interwebs really hits a nerve with our readers,

and I suddenly get a stack of e-mail referring me to some news that’s pretty much always interesting.

Not like this one, though. This isn’t just interesting – it’s revolutionary… but it’s also something that we’ve all known all along.
The item is an article by Todd Halterman on an American motorcycle insurance site. It’s called “This Is Your Brain on a Motorcycle”. Here it is in full; I couldn’t bring myself to abbreviate it.

Riding a motorcycle every day might actually keep your brain functioning at peak condition, or so says a study conducted by the University of Tokyo. The study demonstrated that riders between the age of 40 and 50 were shown to improve their levels of cognitive functioning, compared to a control group, after riding their motorcycles daily to their workplace for a mere two months.

Scientists believe that the extra concentration needed to successfully operate a motorcycle can contribute to higher general levels of brain function, and it’s that increase in activity that’s surely a contributing factor to the appeal of the motorcycles as transportation. It’s the way a ride on a bike turns the simplest journey into a challenge to the senses that sets the motorcyclist apart from the everyday commuter. While the typical car-owning motorist is just transporting him or herself from point A to point B, the motorcyclist is actually transported into an entirely different state of consciousness .

Riding a motorcycle is all about entrance into an exclusive club where the journey actually is the destination.

Dr Ryuta Kawashima, author of Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain, reported the outcome of his study of “The relationship between motorcycle riding and the human mind.”

Kawashima’s experiments involved current riders who currently rode motorcycles on a regular basis (the average age of the riders was 45) and ex-riders who once rode regularly but had not taken a ride for 10 years or more. Kawashima asked the participants to ride on courses in different conditions while he recorded their brain activities. The eight courses included a series of curves, poor road conditions, steep hills, hair-pin turns and a variety of other challenges.

What did he find? After an analysis of the data, Kawashima found that the current riders and ex-riders used their brain in radically different ways. When the current riders rode motorcycles, specific segments of their brains (the right hemisphere of the prefrontal lobe) was activated and riders demonstrated a higher level of concentration.

His next experiment was a test of how making a habit of riding a motorcycle affects the brain.

Trial subjects were otherwise healthy people who had not ridden for 10 years or more. Over the course of a couple of months, those riders used a motorcycle for their daily commute and in other everyday situations while Dr Kawashima and his team studied how their brains and mental health changed.

The upshot was that the use of motorcycles in everyday life improved cognitive faculties, particularly those that relate to memory and spatial reasoning capacity. An added benefit? Participants revealed on questionnaires they filled out at the end of the study that their stress levels had been reduced and their mental state changed for the better.

So why motorcycles? Shouldn’t driving a car should have the same effect as riding a motorcycle?

“There were many studies done on driving cars in the past,” Kawashima said. “A car is a comfortable machine which does not activate our brains. It only happens when going across a railway crossing or when a person jumps in front of us. By using motorcycles more in our life, we can have positive effects on our brains and minds”.

Yamaha participated in a second joint research project on the subject of the relationship between motorcycle riding and brain stimulation with Kawashima Laboratory at the Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer at Tohoku University.

The project began in September 2009 and ran until December 2010, and the focus of the research was on measurement and analysis of the cause and effect relationship involved in the operation of various types of vehicles and brain stimulation. The study measured changes in such stimulation over time by means of data gathered from a long-term mass survey.

The reason for Yamaha Motor’s participation in this project is pretty obvious and not a little self-serving, but further research into the relationship between motorcycle riding and brain stimulation as it relates to the “Smart Aging Society” will certainly provide some interesting results.

The second research project was divided into two time periods throughout 2009 and 2010 compared differences in the conditions of brain stimulation as they related to the type of vehicle and driving conditions. A second set of tests measuring the changes in brain stimulation over time involved a larger subject group.

Yamaha Motors provided vehicles for the research and made its test tracks and courses available for the study. What the study revealed is that what you’re thinking about while you’re riding – and your experience on the bike - changes the physical structure of your brain.

Author Sharon Begley concurs with Kawashima’s findings. In her tome, Train Your Mind – Change Your Brain, Begley found much the same outcomes.

“The brain devotes more cortical real estate to functions that its owner uses more frequently and shrinks the space devoted to activities rarely performed,” Begley wrote. “That’s why the brains of violinists devote more space to the region that controls the digits of the fingering hand.”

And you may also get some mental and physical benefits from just thinking about going for a ride on your machine.

A 1996 experiment at Harvard Medical School by neuroscientist Alvaro Pascual-Leone had volunteers practice a simple five finger exercise on the piano over five days for a couple of hours each day. Pascual-Leone found that the brain space devoted to these finger movements grew and pushed aside areas less used. A separate group of volunteers were asked to simply think about doing the piano exercises during that week as well, and they dedicated the same amount of “practice time.”

Pascual-Leone was somewhat taken aback to discover that the region of the brain which controls piano playing finger movement expanded in the same way for volunteers who merely imagined playing the piano.

Along with the obvious benefits of riding motorcycles; like saving money (motorcycle insurance is relatively inexpensive), motorcycles take the edge off the grind of the daily commute, and that appears to make your brain a better place to be…

Thanks again to all the people who sent me links or copies of this, and thanks to Tod for writing it!

Peter “The Bear” Thoeming

Boogying with Uncle Sam

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:20:00 GMT

I have not seen so much meat...

Since a grateful reader organised a tour of the Riverstone abattoirs for me.

At Fogo de Chao in Minneapolis, feral waiters with huge iron skewers roam the restaurant, eagerly looking for any opportunity to top up the mound of perfectly cooked steaming animal parts on your plate.

Outside it was cold, but in there it was hot, and getting hotter.

Welcome to America. It might look from the economic statistics as if the US economy is on the skids, but somewhere like Fogo de Chao or, for that matter, at the Victory Motorcycles factory in Spirit Lake, Iowa you definitely wouldn’t think so.

The Americans have not lost a bit of the fierce, aggressive drive that has pushed them to where they are – still the leaders of the Free (and just about all the rest of the) World. At the headquarters of Polaris, Victory’s parent company, we were treated to a review of the outstanding performance Polaris has chalked up all over the world. Then we met the Victory development team, a seriously impressive and above all young group of people who are working on stuff that they unfortunately hid while we were there – but I’m betting it will be amazing.

All in all, let me just say: keep an eye on Victory (and the rest of Polaris) and keep an eye on Australian Road Rider and CruiserClassic+Trike, where a few stories about this trip will be appearing.

I’ll try to put together a quick blog about my ride of the Judge, Victory’s new lighter, slimmer fun machine, out in the Californian mountains. I never realised that Palm Springs, Heaven’s Waiting Room, could be so much fun.

Meanwhile, what’s this on the skewer? Really? I didn’t even know you could eat that part of the animal… just give me a few slices…

PT

Fluorescence – another look

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:25:00 GMT

Interesting note here

From regular reader and pollie stirrer Peter Hawker

-about the way the French government is making reflective patches on bike clothing mandatory – but only on bigger bikes (which are less often involved in accidents – go figure).

Peter’s mid-range bike was written off after a collision with a P plate driver at night in wet conditions. The driver identified the motorcycle on approach but moved into Peter’s lane anyway when he was less than 10 metres away.
“I was fully geared up in armoured ride gear and only had a dull headache after being back slammed onto the road after the collision,” writes Peter. “The P plater was charged and my safety gear enabled me to continue as if nothing had happened, though I had to ride the buses until insurance was sorted.”
Here’s Peter’s take on the French decision.
I am concerned about what the French pollies have done, especially when it does not encompass all riders of both motorised and manually powered scooters, bicycles and motorcycles, or perhaps even pedestrians for that matter.

All my synthetic ride gear has a lot of silver iridescent piping around many of the seams and is even highly visible inside a room during the day when sunlight strikes it. Some of my jackets even have hidden interwoven iridescent patches that become visible at night when lights shine upon it. My soft luggage also has iridescent patches on it.

I often notice people riding on scooters in particular but also motorcycles with their fluoro vest, but no actual personal protective ride gear and in fact they’re often in shorts and t-shirt with thongs on. Why they wear the brain box is beyond me with nothing inside to protect. Oh that’s right, the law requires it.

I am all for personal choice if people want the false feeling of safety in a fluoro vest, lost among all these people wearing fluoro/dayglo clothing and/or vests on a daily basis. Council worker, courier, truck driver, police officer, ambulance, fireman, traffic controller, construction worker, cleaner, postal officer, first aider, road construction worker, event volunteer… and it seems that the list continues to grow almost monthly.

The risk in this is the desensitisation of the general public from taking notice of fluoro clothed people as it becomes a general clothing article, instead of a safety awareness tool.

As for police calling for mandatory fluoro personal protective gear… It really amuses me when you rarely ever see a motorcycle police officers riding with a protective jacket on, let alone a fluoro vest (NSW). Usually they’re in short sleeve uniform shirts in summer, seemingly bullet proof. Just another bunch of squids in my eyes.

Fluoro may be fine for some, but rider position is paramount in defensive riding skills and I also notice how the fluoro wearers often place themselves in blind spots.

My old bike was mostly white and rose coloured and my current larger bike is black. Both being 95 models have the headlight hard wired and yet I immediately noticed how my larger bike is given much more respect over my multi coloured mid-size bike, even though it is pearl black.

Peter Hawker

So wear fluoro all you like, but whatever you do: don’t depend on it!

The Bear

Now can you see me?

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 03:16:00 GMT

You want fluoro? You can have your fluoro.

Here’s a rundown of the state of the new French law requiring all (but not really all, see below) motorcyclists to wear fluoro orange or yellow, from a French blogger on MOTOrbiker.org.

“Recently a lot of foreign publications have been writing about the upcoming law in France, making it mandatory for motorcycle riders to wear hi-visibility (Hi-Viz) vests...
“Last year, the government announced that it was going to make the wearing of Hi-Viz vests mandatory. This meant we would have had to put a yellow or orange (the only colors permitted) vest over our leathers. Maybe nice in the winter, but in the summer, for those that wear meshed vests, or vests with air inlets, it would just mean that we would get boiling hot.
“After several protest rides, paralyzing parts of France, the government regained a bit of their senses, and 2 weeks ago announced the new law (R431-1-1 and R431-2-2). It's not good, but better than what they were going to do in the first place.
“Reflective Material Starting 2013 (so next year), it will be mandatory to have Hi-Viz, reflective, material on your vest. The total size of the reflective material has to be 150 cm2. It does not have to be one piece; it can be several pieces, as long as the sum of the pieces is 150 cm2. So if you wear one or two Hi-Viz armbands, you're fine.
“Already, by law, motorcycle helmets in France need to have reflective stickers on the back. These stickers are not part of the 150 cm2 sum.
“Who Has To Wear This? Motorcycles and scooters with more than 125 cc, or more than 15 kW/h power. Also trikes will require to wear them. This means that mopeds (the ones that have a lot of accidents) do NOT have to wear them. Also 125cc vehicles are exempt. Strange but true.
“When You Have To Wear Them? At all times, day, night, summer and winter.
“Do Foreigners Need Them? Yes.
“Pillions Pillion MUST wear the same reflective material.
“Fines If after January 1st, 2013 you get caught riding your motorcycle without the above reflective material, or if it's smaller than 150cm2, you will get fined €68, and 2 points will be deducted from your license.
“So now we see the real reason the government is installing this new law.... money.”

I suppose it’s reassuring that there are other nations where knee-jerk reactions are preferred to effective safety legislation, where patchwork (pun intended) solutions replace thought-out policies and where punishing the victim is considered appropriate.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if fluoro actually worked? I’ve never seen any credible (peer-reviewed) research that so much as suggested it.
Beware, if the safetycrats can do it in France they can do it here.
Peter “The Bear” Thoeming

Counted out again

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:46:00 GMT

The Census, it seems, doesn’t want to know about us

Were you annoyed by the exclusion of motorcycles from the Census? You weren’t alone. Here’s a typical letter from a reader. I got lots of these!

Hi Bear,

If we ever needed evidence that people who prefer 2 wheels to 4 don’t count, the govt. made it very clear in the census. They told us the census details were needed to improve infrastructure……blah blah blah.

Then I get to Q.54 “How many registered motor vehicles owned or used by residents of this dwelling were garaged or parked at or near this dwelling on Census Night?” Then the note “Exclude motorbike and motor scooters.”

I think to myself they must ask for that separately on the next page – WRONG!

Just makes you realise that just like now they don’t want to consider us in the future – other than of course to rip us off whenever possible.

Steve Evans

Mornington

One possibility you haven’t considered, Steve, is that since motorcycles and scooters take up so little room, they don’t even need to be factored into future transport planning… no? No, I don’t believe that either.

This question came up at the last census, too, and I chased down a response from the people who put the questions together. If anything, clearing this up made it worse.

“Nobody asked,” was the response. Nobody asked about bike and scooter ownership. And the people who did ask about vehicles, only wanted to know – specifically – about cars. Couldn’t be bothered with bikes.

“Well, I’m asking!” I said. But it seems that I’m just not important enough to get my own question into the census. I’m not (thank heavens, really) a government department or a planning authority or anything useful like that. I’m just a taxpayer trying to do the right thing.

So there you have it. Until someone who has the clout cares enough to ask for bikes to be included, they will miss out in the Australian census.

At least they did ask us if we went to work by bike.

This whole thing is symptomatic of the car-focus of Australian transport planners, of course. How can we get them to take bikes and scooters, which could do so much good, seriously as part of the transport mix?

Well, I guess it’s the old story – write to your parliamentary representative, both State and Federal, and copy the letter or e-mail to the respective transport and roads ministers. It’s up to us – nobody else is going to do this for us.

Peter “The Bear” Thoeming

And say hello to the Easter Bunny when you see him…

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:47:00 GMT

A report from the Victorian Auditor-General has backed the technology, which brought in about $211 million revenue for the government in 2009-2010

Road safety cameras – speed and red light -- improve road safety and revenue is not the primary purpose of the program, according to a report released by the Victorian Auditor-General (VAG).

In the 90-page report, the VAG identified a number of so-called road safety camera misconceptions which included:
•   The purpose of the road safety camera program is to raise revenue;
•   Low-level speeding is safe;
•   Road safety cameras don’t reduce road trauma;
•   Road safety cameras are sited to maximise revenue;
•   Speed cameras should not be placed on freeways because freeways are safe; and
•   The cameras are faulty, as shown by the fines withdrawn from the Road Safety Act 1986.
The VAG then countered these so-called misconceptions with its own 'evidence'.
"This report, tabled in Parliament today, found Victoria's speed and red-light cameras are focused on road safety, not raising revenue," stated Victorian Deputy Premier and Police Minister Peter Ryan. "Auditor-General Des Pearson has independently validated the state's road safety camera program and quashed the common misconception these cameras are revenue raisers."
However, the report does admit that ““Any program that aims to deter dangerous and risky behaviour through the use of fines will generate revenue,” fine so far, “but this is demonstrably not the primary purpose of the road safety camera program. In fact, more revenue could be raised through tightening operational policies that provide for some leniency to speeding drivers and therefore reduce the number of infringements issued.” Really? This would be the leniency that currently allows a margin of error of 3km/h, a speed differential so small that you can’t see it on your speedo dial, would it?
According to Mr Ryan, the report "underscored the fairness" of Victoria Police’s approach to issuing infringements from the road safety camera program.
The VAG concluded that the ongoing use of road safety cameras as an enforcement tool remains appropriate. The report continued: “The supporting technology used and the way the camera system operates provides a high degree of confidence that infringements are issued only where there is clear evidence of speeding or red-light running.

And that’s it? That’s a road safety program? Fine everyone who speeds and everything will be all right? Don’t make me laugh. And don’t believe these people, either.
Peter “The Bear” Thoeming

Counted out again

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:48:00 GMT

The Census, it seems, doesn’t want to know about us

Were you annoyed by the exclusion of motorcycles from the Census?

You weren’t alone.

Here’s a typical letter from a reader. I got lots of these!

Hi Bear,
If we ever needed evidence that people who prefer 2 wheels to 4 don’t count, the govt. made it very clear in the census. They told us the census details were needed to improve infrastructure……blah blah blah.
Then I get to Q.54 “How many registered motor vehicles owned or used by residents of this dwelling were garaged or parked at or near this dwelling on Census Night?” Then the note “Exclude motorbike and motor scooters.”
I think to myself they must ask for that separately on the next page – WRONG!
Just makes you realise that just like now they don’t want to consider us in the future – other than of course to rip us off whenever possible.
Steve Evans
Mornington
One possibility you haven’t considered, Steve, is that since motorcycles and scooters take up so little room, they don’t even need to be factored into future transport planning… no? No, I don’t believe that either.
This question came up at the last census, too, and I chased down a response from the people who put the questions together. If anything, clearing this up made it worse.
“Nobody asked,” was the response. Nobody asked about bike and scooter ownership. And the people who did ask about vehicles, only wanted to know – specifically – about cars. Couldn’t be bothered with bikes.
“Well, I’m asking!” I said. But it seems that I’m just not important enough to get my own question into the census. I’m not (thank heavens, really) a government department or a planning authority or anything useful like that. I’m just a taxpayer trying to do the right thing.
So there you have it. Until someone who has the clout cares enough to ask for bikes to be included, they will miss out in the Australian census.
At least they did ask us if we went to work by bike.
This whole thing is symptomatic of the car-focus of Australian transport planners, of course. How can we get them to take bikes and scooters, which could do so much good, seriously as part of the transport mix?
Well, I guess it’s the old story – write to your parliamentary representative, both State and Federal, and copy the letter or e-mail to the respective transport and roads ministers. It’s up to us – nobody else is going to do this for us.
Peter “The Bear” Thoeming

Does this sound familiar?

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:49:00 GMT

Insurance company Budget Direct has done some research on attitudes towards bicycles and by bicyclists. It makes interesting reading (I’ve edited it a little), and in many cases you can substitute “motorcycle” for “bicycle”...

“There is no doubt that Cadel Evans winning the Tour De France will increase the number of cyclists on our roads. The following results prove that better education needs to start now!
“Disturbing results prove an ‘at your own risk’ mentality exists in the motoring community as 44% of drivers believe that while cyclists have a right to use our roads, their safety is their own responsibility, ignoring that all road users have a responsibility for each others’ safety. “Furthermore, only 19% admit that motorists need to change their views about cyclists on our roads says car insurance provider Budget Direct.
“On the contrary, 32% of cyclists say that motorists need to change their views in regards to safety and learn to be patient, while 26% state that governments promote cycling because it eases traffic congestion, so all road users need to be aware of road safety.
“Spokesperson for Budget Direct Richelle Ward said the alarming results uncover a negative driver mentality that needs to be addressed now or we risk unnecessary accidents.
“Unnecessary swerving, abuse, and lack of consideration due to driving too close, or disregarding road rules are immature and dangerous behaviours conducted by both motorists and cyclists. Both need to show more respect and stop putting lives in danger,” Ms Ward said.
“The results also found that, 59% of motorists felt that a lack of allowance for bikes on our roads is the most difficult issue facing cyclists, a further 34% say that motorists’ own awareness in regards to cyclist’s safety - including not keeping a safe distance and not being aware of bike-related road rules - is what makes cyclists vulnerable.
“Cyclists, on the other hand, agree lack of allowance for bikes is a problem (39%), although a whopping 51% are concerned about motorists’ awareness in relation to cyclists, predominantly due to a need for motorists to keep a safe distance (35%), and motorists’ poor understanding of road rules making sharing the road difficult for cyclists (16%).”
All interesting stuff, I’m sure you’ll agree. But isn’t it funny that nobody ever made this kind of fuss when an Australian won a motorcycle world championship...
Peter “The Bear” Thoeming

They never will be missed

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 03:43:00 GMT

In Gilbert & Sullivan’s Mikado, Lord High Executioner Ko-Ko has “a little list” of people who would never be missed if they were to disappear. I imagine you have one too; I certainly do.

You might be surprised, though, that the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) was not on mine, alongside all the people who are there including Sydney taxi drivers and smokers who ash their cigarettes out of the windows of moving cars.
Why was the RTA not there? It was certainly one organisation that deserved it, but I always thought that it would be pointless to include it. I thought the RTA was bulletproof.
So did the RTA, obviously.
Parliamentarians from both sides of the fence have been battling them for decades, but few ever got anywhere. Even when the organisation was “punished” for things like ridiculous overestimates of the traffic that would use proposed tunnels, it sure looked like all that happened was that a scapegoat or two was driven out (and then given a nice job somewhere else in government). The RTA itself went on.
The management of the RTA has been implacably hostile to motorcyclists and motorcycling. One chief executive was on the record as saying that, should motorcycles be invented now the RTA would never allow them on the roads. Arrogance? In spades.
When I tried, in the early stages of my work for Sydney City Council, to get some sense out of them about bike parking, they responded with wonderful circular arguments which led nowhere except to the maintenance of the status quo – no parking. We beat them in the end, but it was a hard slog (Thank you, Clover Moore). Intransigence? Tell me about it.
So it was very tempting indeed to join the other Munchkins dancing around the corpse and singing “Ding dong, the witch is dead” when the new O’Farrell government did a Ko-Ko on the RTA. It is clearly going to be emasculated and kept under control by being merged with Maritime Services and then put under a new super ministry.
But as always there are caveats.
One of the advantages of having powerful bodies like the RTA is that they can give ministers truly independent advice; that’s valuable. It’s just a shame that they couldn’t let go of their own limited agendas, and hubris overtook them.
Likewise, the RTA did do some good. I consulted for them for a while (talk about sleeping with the enemy!) and found them to be not a single organisation at all, but a series of more or less independent fiefdoms, each with its own agenda. The fiefdom looking after motorcycle safety did a good job, in my opinion – at least until its work came to the attention of someone higher up the food chain who couldn’t resist meddling.
Let’s hope that the good they did goes on; I suspect it will, because this government seems to have its head screwed on properly in its attitude to bikes.
So please excuse me. I’ve got to find some red shoes and practice that chorus: “Ding dong, the wicked witch is dead...”
Peter “The Bear” Thoeming

Problems with ethanol

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 00:21:00 GMT

Problems with ethanol

How about a fuel tank that rusts out?

Every now and then I’m accused of being alarmist over the increasing use of ethanol-laced fuel. Well, I’m not alone. Try this story from the New York Times, by TUDOR VAN HAMPTON. The emphasis (sentences in bold) is mine.

IT was not such an extraordinary wish, really. All Sam Hokin wanted to do was fill his motorcycle with gasoline.

The problem was, he wanted just gasoline in the tank, not a blend spiked with ethanol. Though ethanol proponents say that vehicles like Mr.
Hokin’s BMW K75, a 1991 model, will tolerate the brew known as gasohol pumped at most filling stations, he insists on finding alcohol-free fuel.
Mr. Hokin, a physics teacher and Web site developer, is not alone.

Many owners of boats, snowmobiles and garden tractors, and users of yard tools like string trimmers and chainsaws, say they would prefer buying gasoline that contains no ethanol. Online forums and car-club newsletters teem with complaints of poor performance and breakdowns attributed to gasohol.

Restorers of vintage cars point to problems caused by the decay of older rubber components like seals, gaskets and flexible fuel lines, which can deteriorate when exposed to ethanol-blend fuels. Some replacement parts are available in modern materials that resist alcohol damage, but not all are.

“It’s really a problem, and unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about it,” said Keith Flickinger, curator of the Nicola Bulgari collection in Allentown, Pa. “Not a lot of people are making high-tech stuff for the antique cars.”

There is no simple remedy for this situation, either. If anything, the pressure to develop the market for renewable fuels is making 100 percent gasoline more of a challenge to find.

Some 70 percent of the gasoline sold in the United States contains ethanol, according to the American Coalition for Ethanol, most of it at a concentration of 10 percent, known as E10.

The shift toward alcohol-dosed gas began after the oil shocks of the 1970s and accelerated in the 1990s with a federal mandate that fuels contain a minimum level of oxygen, a measure intended to reduce carbon monoxide emissions. Alcohol blends helped to meet that requirement, and as a side benefit raised the gasoline’s octane rating — a potential performance advantage.

In January, the Environmental Protection Agency approved gasoline-ethanol blends up to 15 percent ethanol, called E15, in cars, light trucks and sport utilities built after 2000.

The E15 waiver raised a decades-old cap of 10 percent on ethanol blends for general use. Even at that higher federal limit, the ability of fuel producers to meet Congressional mandates calling for much higher volumes of renewable fuels is not assured. The 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act requires producers to increase renewable fuel production eightfold — to 36 billion gallons by 2022, from 4 billion in 2006 — with 21 billion gallons coming from advanced biofuels like cellulosic ethanol.

“The 10 percent fuel blend was essentially a wall,” said Chris Thorne, a spokesman for Growth Energy, an ethanol industry group. In 2009, Growth Energy filed a petition with the E.P.A. to raise the ethanol blend cap to 15 percent for all vehicles, regardless of vintage.
In reviewing the petition, the E.P.A. collected vehicle test data and sifted through more than 78,000 public comments.
Ethanol supporters argued that the E.P.A. should approve E15 across the board. “There is a mountain of data behind this,” Mr. Thorne said. “We think E15 should perform in all vehicles.”

Still, many consumers would rather not have any alcohol in their gasoline. Their reasons include reductions in fuel economy — a gallon of ethanol contains about one-third less energy than a gallon of gasoline — and alcohol’s affinity for moisture, which can cause a multitude of engine problems.

The frustration of searching for alcohol-free gas for his BMW motorcycle led Mr. Hokin, who lives in Madison, Wis., to an increasingly popular solution: he started a Web site, pure-gas.org.
But in his quest to help other hobbyists around the country find 100 percent gas, Mr. Hokin encountered something he did not expect — a barrage of political debates on his site.

“What I didn’t want it to become is an anti-ethanol gathering place,” Mr. Hokin said. “The reason I made the site is so I could go tour on my motorcycle and get pure gas.”

It could be some time before regulatory hurdles, lawsuits and technical matters are resolved and E15 arrives at filling stations. But heated discussions on Mr. Hokin’s Web site provide an indication of how emotional the ethanol issue can be.
Even auto racing series have taken a stand. IndyCar, organizer of the championship for Indianapolis 500 cars, and the American Le Mans Series for endurance racing were early adopters of ethanol blends, approving the use of concentrations up to 100 percent ethanol.
Since the beginning of the 2011 season, Nascar’s top three national racing series have been using a Sunoco blend of E15 rated at 104 octane. Nascar has reported a small horsepower improvement — less than 1 percent — and a slight reduction in fuel economy.
The race-sanctioning group acknowledges that the switch in fuels was driven by factors other than on-track performance.
“Any replacement to the percentage of carbon fuels is going to help lessen the dependence on foreign oil,” said John Darby, managing director of competition at Nascar. “We could let the debates go on forever or try to be more proactive. We wanted to be ahead of the game, to do something.”

The decision made by the E.P.A. in January expanded an earlier waiver, announced in October, that covered vehicles 2007 and newer. The broadened ruling covers vehicles back to 2001, reflecting the E.P.A.’s stance that E15 fuel would not harm the emissions equipment on those vehicles, but it declined to allow the higher gasohol blend for vehicles from the 2000 model year and earlier. The agency also is not allowing E15 for heavy-duty vehicles, motorcycles, snowmobiles, boats and lawnmowers of any model year.

“In our judgment, 2001 and newer cars have more ethanol-tolerant fuel systems, evaporative emissions controls, internal engine components and catalysts,” an E.P.A. spokeswoman, Cathy Milbourn, wrote in an e-mail.

Running higher ethanol blends is especially a problem for catalytic converters, which are susceptible to premature failure resulting from higher exhaust temperatures. Ethanol’s higher oxygen content, compared with gasoline, tends to raise combustion temperatures. That can increase the formation of smog-forming gases, mainly nitrogen oxides, which catalysts are designed to clean up.

Vehicles made before 2001 “may have been designed for only limited exposure to E10 and consequently may have the potential for increased materials degradation with the use of E15,” said the E.P.A. in its original waiver decision last fall.

When used in lawnmowers, leafblowers and other equipment not designed to run on gasohol, the extra heat and added emissions are a safety issue, according to groups opposing the E15 waiver.

“All of us are O.K. with ethanol, all of us are O.K. with designing new products,” said Kris Kiser, spokesman for the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute. “We don’t want anybody hurt. That’s our beef.”

The power equipment group, along with automakers and boatbuilders, is challenging the waiver in a lawsuit filed Dec. 20 in federal appellate court.
The E.P.A. is writing a pump-labeling rule to warn drivers against putting E15 in vehicles not covered under the waiver. Regulators expect to issue a final rule in the spring, Ms. Milbourn said.

In addition to emission controls, fuel systems are at risk with increased ethanol levels in cars not designed to withstand the corrosive effects of alcohol-based fuels. Especially in older vehicles using carburetors and flexible fuel lines, ethanol poses particular challenges to those hoping to keep vintage cars on the road.

As E10 has worked its way into the nation’s fuel supply, old-car restorers have taken to rebuilding carburetors, whenever possible, with larger jets to let more gasoline into the engine.

With standard jets, the usual problem is drivability, Larry Claypool, a mechanic and restorer in Frankfort, Ill., said. “The cars have hesitation or surging — symptoms of running lean.”

That is not a problem on later models. "In the newer cars that have electronic fuel injection and oxygen sensors, a sensor reads the exhaust and tells the computer to change the mixture,” said Rod Dahlgren, a classic car collector and restorer in Napa, Calif. “A carburetor can’t do that.”
Changing to larger carburetor jets is one way that racing teams are achieving higher horsepower figures with E15, Mr. Darby, the Nascar official, said. “The auto manufacturers — to meet their fuel-economy standards — with their onboard fuel injectors will lean out the mixture,” Mr. Darby said. “As it relates to a racing engine that is mechanically tuned, the teams will richen the fuel that the engine sees a little bit.”
Condensation in the gas tank is another problem in older cars, especially ones that are driven infrequently. In cars with vented gas caps, moisture can readily enter the fuel tank and contaminate the supply.

Because ethanol, like vodka and other grain alcohols, mixes with water, it can separate from gasoline in the tank, causing the engine to stall, or worse, increase corrosion.

“I just got off the phone with a guy in Texas who is looking for a new gas tank for his ’58 Cadillac,” Mr. Dahlgren said. “The car is sitting in the garage, and all of a sudden, it starts to leak. It’s not a good scenario.”

In an effort to combat corrosion and fuel degradation, some restorers will fill up with 100 percent gasoline before storing cars for long stretches.
Mr. Flickinger, the Bulgari curator, goes a step further, occasionally filling the collection’s cars with 115-octane racing fuel. Though it may not be legal for cars driven on public roads, it keeps the engines clean and improves performance.

“Everything comes to life,” he said. “It’s like giving it something good to eat.”

Mr. Dahlgren, the California collector, is concerned about owners who prefer to drive, rather than just display, their vintage machines.
“More and more cars have been relegated to the garage because we don’t want to damage them with the fuels out there,” he said. “It’s really a shame, especially when you consider how few of them are left. We’re trying to preserve history.”

Doing well by doing good?

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 03:16:00 GMT

Here’s an interesting piece from the internet news service Slate.

“Red-light cameras aren't just municipal moneymakers, according to a new study. They also save lives, reports the Washington Post. The presence of red-light cameras at intersections in 14 cities reduced fatalities by 13 percent over a five-year period, the study found.
“In Washington, D.C., the cameras lowered deaths by 26 percent. "We're hopeful this will stop some of the backlash against cameras," said Adrian Lund, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety that carried out the study by examining police reports. "Much of the attention to victims of the camera has been paid to people who received tickets. Hopefully, this will return the focus to the people who have been killed or injured by red-light running."
“The police reports showed that 64 percent of the people who died in red-light running accidents were not the people driving the cars, but other drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. One downside to the cameras: They increase the number of (usually less serious) rear-end collisions as drivers screech to a halt to avoid an incriminating snapshot.”
That last one might look like a bit of a worry for motorcyclists, of course – but it seems that we don’t have to worry. The only people killed so far seem to be “the people driving the cars… [and] other drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists”.
Motorcyclists must be too smart for them… just as well, really, because the “usually less serious” rear-enders are usually very serious for us!
Can’t wait for a report that assures us that speed cameras… sorry, “safety cameras” are saving lives too.

Peter “The Bear” Thoeming

That’s what motorcycling is about

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 03:13:00 GMT

You often read about the reasons why various people ride their bikes.

There are many good ones, and I reckon they are all correct – for those particular riders, and for many others as well.
But it’s rare that you see one of the reasons presented as beautifully and thoughtfully as it is in this clip. Thank you, Peter Hawker, for sending it to me. And please note that it was made by… no, I won’t spoil it for you. Play it through to the end, and I suspect you will be truly surprised.
I’ll be surprised if you watch it to the end with dry eyes.
All the best, and happy riding.
The Bear

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ15mbuE_pw&feature=player_embedded