Studio711.com – Ben Martens

Last weekend, Tyla and I went on the annual Tulip Ride. This was my fifth ride with the group. The only one I’ve missed was in 2011 because we were on our 1 year anniversary trip. The first ride in 2007 was maybe 20-30 people and it has gotten bigger every year. This year the peak count was 162 bikes! The ride started in Redmond with about half the group starting there. We rode up 405 to Tulalip Casino in Marysville to meet up with the second half of the group. A police escort helped get us through all the stop lights up there by blocking of all the intersections and we made our way up to the tulip fields.

The organizer always calls the specific field where we stop and asks them to reserve space for us. He had planned on at least an acre of solid ground for us to park on, but when we got there they had room for maybe 50 bikes if we packed them tight. Tyla and I saw the mess and decided to just keep riding since there weren’t many tulips left and I was getting tired of riding in a pack.

We rode on and had our picnic lunch under the Deception Pass bridge, rode down Whidbey Island and caught the ferry back home.

The weather wasn’t sunny but it cooperated and we only got misted on from time to time. Photos are posted in the photo gallery. Some of them are a little blurry since it was dark and it was hard to take pictures on a moving bike! But it should give you a little idea of the ruckus we caused with all those bikes. Do you ride in the Seattle area? Join us next year! Watch tulipride.org for details.

One of the gizmos that I added last week was a little extra handlebar space to mount gadgets. I decided to try hooking on a camera mount to see how it worked with our little video camera. I like the height of it because it can be above the windshield if I have the windshield down or completely below the windshield when I raise the windshield.

I gave it a quick trial run but the video was extremely bumpy to the point that it was unusable. I uploaded it to YouTube so you can check it out, but it will probably give you a headache.

There’s a potential that adding some padding in to the mount at strategic locations could decrease a lot of the bumpiness. And if that doesn’t work, I could still mount our little point and shoot camera up there and take some stills every once in a while.

Along with the air deflectors and radiator guard, I picked up a handlebar mount and helmet locks from ProjektD. As with the previous install, these were quick and easy.

The handlebar mount is an extension to the handlebar that gives you a place to mount your GPS, cell phone, camera, etc. You can see it in the picture sticking out towards the center from the right handlebar. The install for this one requires you to remove the bolt holding the right handlebar on and replace it with a longer one. Monkeying with the handlebars always makes me a little nervous, but I used the torque wrench and applied some non-permanent locktite so I should be all set.

The helmet locks easily installed under the luggage rack in the rear. Usually when Tyla and I stop somewhere, her helmet can fit in one of the bags but then I end up carrying my helmet around. This should be much more convenient.

All in all I’m very happy with my ProjektD accessories. It’s nice having things that are made specifically for your bike because the installation instructions can be very specific and everything fits. Now I need to stay off their website for a while or I’ll find more things that I want to order!

The motorcycle has seen more action now that it means a faster trip to work. I take the interstate a lot and motorcycles get to use the carpool lane. That can shave 10-15 minutes off my 25-30 minute commute. When the temps are down around 40, even a quick blast on the interstate will eat through my winter riding gloves and freeze my fingers.

I finally caved and purchased some air deflectors from ProjektD. They’re a French company that makes aftermarket parts specifically for Concours14 bikes. Just the air deflectors ended up being $45 in international shipping so I decided to pile a few more goodies into the box. There were a few other items but I haven’t installed them yet so I’ll just mention the radiator guard. The front tire can kick up rocks and damage the radiator so this shield take the brunt of the assault. I opted for the black powder coated version with the Concours14 logo cut into the bottom.

Both accessories were quick to install. The radiator guard looks good and the air deflectors function quite well. I was worried that they wouldn’t be tall enough since I have risers installed in my handlebars. The air just skims the top of my gloves. I could attempt to bend the deflector brackets a little or cut a different piece of plexiglass, but I think it will work as is.

I didn’t get to spend much time with my motorcycle this summer. Tim and Chelsea were kind enough to store it in their garage for me while we were between houses. With all the work looking for a house, I didn’t have much free time to ride. So this was the least mileage I’ve done since I bought my first motorcycle. Obviously these are estimates, but I’ve put together a list of how many miles I’ve ridden on my motorcycles each year.

When I had my first motorcycle, I rode almost exactly 2500 every year. In 2009 I got my new motorcycle and put a ton of miles on it. Now that I can get my motorcycle out of the garage without moving two cars, I’m able to ride it a lot more often. Hopefully 2012 will be a good year for riding!

One of the best laws I learned about when I got the motorcycle was that motorcycles are always allowed in HOV lanes (also known as carpool lanes and diamond lanes.) Now that 405 is the fastest route to work, I’m on the motorcycle a lot more because it’s so much faster than sitting in traffic.

But why are motorcycles allowed in HOV lanes? Because Uncle Sam says so. US federal law states that HOV lanes "must allow motorcycles and bicycles to use the HOV facility, unless either or both create a safety hazard." On a side note, I expect that in most places, bicycles aren’t allowed because they are a safety hazard.

I’ve spoken to some drivers who are annoyed by this, but frankly, having motorcycles in the HOV lane is probably a lot safer for everyone. How many rear end accidents do you see when traffic is backed up? Now imagine that you just rear ended a motorcycle instead of an SUV. Yuck.

Buzzing past in the HOV lane on a motorcycle makes me smile, but I’m also on high alert for anyone deciding to whip out into my lane especially when the rates of speed are very different. I generally try not to leave a big gap between myself and the car in front of me, ride on the right side of the lane so I’m more visible to people looking for an opening, and I pay extra extra attention after an on-ramp as people make their way over to the HOV lane.

The day before my birthday, I headed out on one of my favorite local rides. It’s called the Three Pass Blast because you head through three very different mountain passes: Snoqualmie, Blewett and Stevens. I’ve done this before (and incorrectly counted it as four passes) and it’s a beautiful ride. I did it clockwise this time, and since I set out to do as little on two lane roads as possible, it changed the route a bit for me. I headed down 203 to Fall City and headed up past Snoqualmie Falls to North Bend. I hopped on I-90 for a few miles and then got off at exit 47 to catch NF-56. It’s a fantastic little twisty road that I’ve videoed before. When I’m king of the world, I will block off this road and stage a motorcycle race. After that I pounded the pavement on I-90 through Snoqualmie Pass before hopping off to catch US-97 north through Blewett pass. The dry, arid land is a stark contrast to Snoqualmie Pass. The heat was also starting to build so I didn’t waste any time getting to Leavenworth. I stopped for a quick lunch and then finished up with a beautiful ride through Stevens Pass.

It was a gorgeous day for a ride, and I was having so much fun that I didn’t stop to take any pictures. Sorry! You’ll have to take my word for it. I timed the traffic well and had fairly clear sailing until about 10 miles west of the Stevens Pass summit. It wasn’t anything too bad though and the 240 miles flew by.

A few friends are thinking about getting their motorcycle licenses so there have been quite a few chats about safety floating around the lunch table. I decided to do some research and figure out just what the statistics tell us about riding a motorcycle.

It’s difficult to collect unbiased statistics and get recent figures, but the key fact seems to be that motorcycles have a fatality rate 35 times greater per mile travelled than passenger cars. If that seems excessively dangerous to you, consider the motorcycle fatality rate is only about twice that of the bicycle rate. Any time you’re on the street without a big metal cage around you, you’re more vulnerable.

What causes most of the accidents? Unsurprisingly to most motorcycle riders, three fourths of accidents involve a car. Of those accidents, two thirds are because the other driver violated the right of way of the motorcycle. Failure of car drivers to recognize motorcycles is one of the most common dangers I face. (That’s why I installed the air horn on my bike!) Intersections are the most likely location for accidents.

So which types of riders are most likely to have accidents and what can you do to improve your odds?

• Riders between 16 and 24 are over-represented in the statistics and ages 30 to 50 are under represented and female riders are significantly over represented.
• Craftsmen, laborers, and students comprise most of the accident-involved motorcycle riders. Professionals, sales workers, and craftsmen are under represented and laborers, students and unemployed are over- represented in the accidents.
• Motorcycle riders with previous recent traffic citations and accidents are over represented in the accident data.
• The motorcycle riders involved in accidents are essentially without training; 92% were self-taught or learned from family or friends.
• More than half of the accident-involved motorcycle riders had less than 5 months experience on the accident motorcycle, although the total street riding experience was almost 3 years. Motorcycle riders with dirt bike experience are significantly under represented in the accident data
• Almost half of the fatal accidents show alcohol involvement.
• Motorcycles equipped with fairings and windshields are under represented in accidents
• Motorcycle riders in these accidents were significantly without motorcycle license, without any license, or with license revoked
• Seventy-three percent of the accident-involved motorcycle riders used no eye protection
• Sixty percent of the motorcyclists were not wearing safety helmets at the time of the accident
• Less than 10% of the motorcycle riders involved in these accidents had insurance of any kind to provide medical care or replace property

Which of those have causal relationships to accidents is unclear, but it is clear that you can do a few very important things to dramatically reduce your odds of getting in an accident:

1. Take a training course from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation.
2. Take it slow and easy as you put the first few thousand miles under your belt and always ride within your limits now matter how long you’ve been on the road.
3. Don’t drink and drive. This is a no-brainer at any time, but even more so on the motorcycle. When I got my license, I decided that if I rode my motorcycle somewhere, I’d never have even one drink.
4. Wear a helmet.

These all seem completely obvious, but if you start dong the math, you’ll see that a vast majority of the accident pie is made up of people who didn’t follow some or all of these four guidelines. Riding a motorcycle is inherently dangerous and it will never be a completely safe activity, but for your own sake, and for the sake of those who love you, use your head while you’re out enjoying yourself!

If you want to read more, check out the Harry Hurt investigation report from 2006. Much of the information in this post comes from that report. Don’t forget to read other sources though since we all know how statistics can be manipulated!