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This is awesome:
I saw you, hug your purse closer to you in the grocery store line.
But, you didn't see me, put an extra $10 in the collection plate last
Sunday.
I saw you, pull your child closer as we walked by on the sidewalk.
But, you didn't see me, playing Santa at the local mall.
I saw you, change your mind about going into the restaurant.
But, you didn't see me, attending a meeting to raise more money for the
hurricane relief.
I saw you, roll up your window & shake your head when I drove by. But,
you didn't see me, driving behind you when you flicked your cigarette
butt out the car window.
I saw you, frown at me when I smiled at your children.
But, you didn't see me, when I took time off from work to run toys to
the homeless.
I saw you, stare at my long hair. But, you didn't see me, and my
friends cut ten inches off for Locks of Love.
I saw you, roll your eyes at our leather coats and gloves.
But, you didn't see me, and my brothers donate our old coats and gloves
to those that had none.
I saw you, look in fright at my tattoos.
But, you didn't see me, cry as my children where born and have their
name written over and in my heart.
I saw you, change lanes while rushing off to go somewhere.
But, you didn't see me, going home to be with my family.
I saw you, complain about how loud and noisy our bikes can be.
But, you didn't see me, when you were changing the CD and drifted into
my lane.
I saw you, yelling at your kids in the car.
But, you didn't see me, pat my child's hands, knowing he was safe
behind me.
I saw you, reading the newspaper or map as you drove down the road.
But, you didn't see me, squeeze my wife's leg when she told me to take
the next turn.
I saw you, race down the road in the rain.
But, you didn't see me, get soaked to the skin so my son could have the
car to go on his date.
I saw you, run the yellow light just to save a few minutes of time.
But, you didn't see me, trying to turn right.
I saw you, cut me off because you needed to be in the lane I was in.
But, you didn't see me, leave the road.
I saw you, waiting impatiently for my friends to pass.
But, you didn't see me. I wasn't there.
I saw you, go home to your family. But, you didn't see me.
Because, I died that day you cut me off.
I was just a biker. A person with friends and a family.
But, you didn't see me.
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Safety Pre-Ride Checklist
Click Here
===================
Ernie found this graphic on
motorcycle crashes... where did the impact come from? Interestingly, over 90% of the accidents occur
from between 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock (77% 11 o'clock to 1 o'clock).
(straight ahead is 12 o'clock.) and only 3.4% from directly behind.
===================
Safety is something we will NOT
compromise as a group or as individual riders. In that light, we will:
* Obey traffic laws
*Have a motorcycle endorsement on our
license
*Obey the posted speed limit
*When group riding we will remember
that each of us is to "ride our own ride."
*When group riding, we will not
designate others to "block" for us in order to gain access to a roadway
- this is not only illegal, it is dangerous. NOTE- there will be
occassions where there will be "escorted" rides - these rides are
coordinated with/and use police officers to "block" - this becomes a
legal practice, but extreme caution is to be used.
===================
Safety should be a top
priority of all members of Riders On The EDGE. To that end, we have
teamed up with American Motorcycle Training School in Humble, TX.
AMTS
is offering huge discounts to our members. They offer the "Basic
(beginners) Riding Course" - which is 2 days on their bikes - and the
"Experienced Riders Course" - which is one day on your bike.
Certificates from either course will get you discounts on insurance
rates with most carriers.
To see the discount pricing,
click here to go to the "Members Only" page.
 Occasionally,
you may come across a suicidal squirrel. What
should you do?
Answer: Grant him his wish... take him out!
How? Let off the accelerator, pull in the
clutch and do NOT brake. Then, run over the road hazard just as you are
trained in to do in the ERC. The alternative? Trying to avoid the
critter could cause you to loose control while braking and/or swerving
and your reactions/actions could affect other MC and cage traffic on
the same roadway.
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Motorcycle Safety Foundation Material
Motorcycling is primarily a solo activity, but for
many, riding as a group -- whether with friends on a Sunday morning
ride or with an organized motorcycle rally -- is the epitome of the
motorcycling experience. Here are some tips to help ensure a fun and
safe group ride:
Arrive prepared. Arrive on time with a full gas tank.
Hold a riders’ meeting. Discuss things like the route, rest
and fuel stops, and hand signals (see diagrams on next page). Assign a
lead and sweep (tail) rider. Both should be experienced riders who are
well-versed in group riding procedures. The leader should assess
everyone’s riding skills and the group’s riding style.
Keep the group to a manageable size,
ideally five to seven riders. If necessary, break the group into
smaller sub-groups, each with a lead and sweep rider.
Ride prepared. At least one rider in each group
should pack a cell phone, first-aid kit, and full tool kit, so the
group is prepared for any problem that they might encounter.
Ride in formation. The
staggered riding formation (see diagram below) allows a proper space
cushion between motorcycles so that each rider has enough time and
space to maneuver and to react to hazards. The leader rides in the left
third of the lane, while the next rider stays at least one second
behind in the right third of the lane; the rest of the group follows
the same pattern. A single-file formation is preferred on a curvy road,
under conditions of poor visibility or poor road surfaces,
entering/leaving highways, or other situations where an increased space
cushion or maneuvering room is needed.
Avoid side-by-side formations,
as they reduce the space cushion. If you suddenly needed to swerve to
avoid a hazard, you would not have room to do so. You don’t want
handlebars to get entangled.
Periodically check the riders following in your rear
view mirror. If you see a
rider falling behind, slow down so they may catch up. If all the riders
in the group use this technique, the group should be able to maintain a
fairly steady speed without pressure to ride too fast to catch up.
If you’re separated from the group,
don’t panic. Your group should have a pre-planned procedure in place to
regroup. Don’t break the law or ride beyond your skills to catch up.
For mechanical or medical problems,
use a cell phone to call for assistance as the situation warrants.
MSF’s Guide to Group Riding: Hand Signals
www.msf-usa.org 4/05
SEE
THE ENTIRE MSF DOCUMENT IN ADOBE READER FORMAT |
