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I completed reading David Hough’s recently updated and expanded Proficient Motorcycling. This is the 2nd edition of what is considered to be the “#1 book in motorcycle safety!” It’s close to 300 pages so it is not a short read like David Hough’s Street Strategies which I reviewed last April. This book included a free bonus CD with 144 pages from Motorcycle Consumer News which I did not take out of the sleeve… yet. Considering the 300 page text and the 144 bonus pages on CD you get a lot for your money with this purchase and although it took some time to arrive from Amazon.com it was worth the wait.

I’m a sick individual who worries too much and is obsessed. Obsessed with motorcycle books! I have probably read too many of them and I can’t stop myself! When it comes to riding safety books, after a certain amount of books the idea is going to be that either one new idea is worth reading the whole book or that reading similar information over and over will embed the knowledge through repetition. Don’t under estimate any one good idea or the power of repetition, it can mean the difference between a close call and the final call!

It might be because I have read a number of motorcycle safety books that getting through this fairly large book was difficult for me. It reminded me of my childhood. I was born a poor sick child with asthma (sort like Steve Martin in The Jerk who was born a poor black child). And yes quite a few people think I am a jerk too, but I digress. As a child I had to take the most horrible tasting medicine in liquid form called Quibron when I came down with an asthma attack. The stuff was the worst tasting medicine ever! I hated it! But I had to take it in order to live because breathing is paramont to survival. Forcing myself to digest the 276 pages of motorcycle wisdom contained in this text was like bad medicine: neccesary for survival! Get the book, digest the book, survive! Simple formula, just click here for more information on the book at my Amazon store.

Proficient Motorcycling - The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well has all the information you need so if you have to choose one motorcycle safety book of the ones I have read so far, this would be the one I would recommend. However if you are not a big reader the shorter Street Strategies covers most of the hazzards you need to know about in more of a Reader’s Digest style. It is much easier to swallow! I have complained that many books, such as Street Strategies, are too simple. Proficient Motorcycling is not. In this book David Hough goes into very scientific detail about the effects of rake, trail, center of mass, gravity, traction, contact patch and everything that affects motorcycle cornering. In fact he got so far into some of the scientific detail in the chapter on cornering that he lost me… so I applaud him for that! If you want the detailed information about steering a two wheeler, this book has it!

What I came across in this book that I have not found in other books is a twelve page section on group riding. I have been simultaneously reading a crime drama that has me sitting on the edge of my seat and commands my full attention. I’m glued to that book, but this book as I mentioned has been a challenge to complete… except for these twelve pages. This website is geared towards the group riding experience and I have been personally involved with group riding for the past several years. My feelings about safety in group riding is currently in a state of question and these twelve pages were important in validating my feelings about how group riding can be done safely and some of the pitfalls that come with group riding. As David points out in one of many of his colorful imaginary scenerios a bad Road Captain can change a day trip into a chaotic mess. Additionally the group riding experience sometimes attracts an idiot or two that can cause problems for good Road Captains and other riders. There were several issues in this section that I found important and will continue to dwell over during the winter months. I guess that’s a good thing if a book gives you something you can dwell on for awhile after you have reached the final page.

So there you have it! This book has the knowledge you need to survive the mean streets on a motorcycle and you should make yourself read it. It might be next winter but I promise to follow up with a book review on the sequal More Proficient Motorcycling - Mastering the Ride.

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Motorcycling is risky and the proficient motorcyclist knows that most of what matters on the road is what’s going on in the brain. If the saying “only the strong survive” is true, then the strongest biker will be the one with the most intelligence and knowledge! It will not be the motorcyclist with the most years or miles under his belt! It will be the rider with the most skill. In this case skill being the ability to use one’s knowledge effectively. 

A person’s physical strength, speed and size might matter on the football field… but not on a motorcycle! Riding ability can be instinctual but it can also be aquired. How? Most will probably tell you that experience is the best way to aquire skills. They will claim that years of experience results in skillfullness. Is that true? Does a more experienced rider have more skills than a less experienced rider if both are of equal inteligence? If you define experience strictly as time in the saddle then I would say ”no”! However if you define experience as any activity leading to increased knowledge and ability then I would say “yes”.

There is a lot to learn when it comes to riding a motorcycle safely on the roadways. There are weather, traffic and road hazzards waiting to trip you up. Small mistakes on the road can cost an arm and a leg! I would rather not have to ride a million miles and experience each and every road hazard in order to gain knowledge of them! A friend might teach a new motorcyclist the fundamentals of how to operate a motorcycle and then say “the only way to learn more is through experience.” This could be good or bad advice depending on the above mentioned definitions of “experience”. I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to wait until I have racked up a million miles before I consider myself a skilled rider. I choose to speed up the process and gain experience and knowledge through additional opportunities.

Look for opportunities to increase your knowledge of motorcycling. Fill your head with information during the cold winter months (if not all year round). Get yourself some good books to read and possibly some training DVD’s you can watch at home. Sign up for training classes at the beginning of the ride season. Then go out and practice. Take some trips and get that much sought after experience. Learn all you can, practice and become a strong rider! Remember the saying: “Only the strong survive!”. I’m sure you want to survive so get strong damn it! Also remember: “Knowledge is power!”

You can click the above banner advertisement to shop for Ride Like A Pro products at my online store: www.RoadCaptainUSA.com

You can also find out if there is a Ride Like A Pro course being taught in your area by clicking this link: www.ridelikeapro.com/locations

You can find a good selection of motorcycle related books at my Amazon store: Click here to see the books I read and recommend and here for other books.

You can go through our previous blog posts that focus on rider skills: www.roadcaptainusa.com/category/motorcycle-rider-skills/

You can visit other blogs that emphasize skills, safety and knowledge such as: http://intrepidcommuter.blogspot.com/

Tags: Deep Biker Thoughts, Rider Skills // 7 Comments »

I sell a series of electronic accessories at www.Shop.RoadCaptainUSA.com that allow you to hook up electronic devices directly to your fused battery tender pigtail. This system works off the SAE-2 plug connector system utilized by battery tenders made by Deltran. Deltran manufactures many branded battery tenders for major companys such as Harley-Davidson. Utilizing the battery tender pigtail you may already have in place eliminates the need to install addtional wiring harnesses creating a birdnest on your battery. If you do not already have a SAE-2 pigtail installed, I sell those too. I also sell the Battery Tender brand battery tender which includes a free pigtail.

It’s cold out again and you are should be thinking about the use of heated gear. Our Heated Gear Adapter connects coaxial cables such as those used on most brands of heated gear to an SAE-2 connector. This simple cable allows you to plug in coaxial heated motorcycle riding gear to your battery tender pigtail. If you buy heated gear, such as a pair of gloves, it will come with a fused battery harness similar to a battery tender quick connect (it just has a different plug on the end). If you’re like me, you don’t want more than one harness on your battery. It will start to look like a birds nest if you keep adding connectors! That’s where this handy little SAE-2 coaxial adapter comes in handy. It is available at www.Shop.RoadCaptainUSA.com for $9.95 plus S&H.

You may want to run both heated gloves and a GPS unit off your battery tender pigtail and you can’t make up your mind which one is more important. I have the solution! Run both using this SAE-2 Splitter Extension in conjunction with the Heated Garmet Adapter and the 12 Volt Power Port!  The Splitter Extension is available for $12.95 plus shipping and handling at www.Shop.RoadCaptainUSA.com

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The January 2012 issue of East Coast Biker Online is available. Diana has her year in review on pages 22 and 23. I have my product review of Sportsman Eyewear on page 38. Both articles have recently been published here at Road Captain USA. Click here to check it out.

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As with most years, 2011 was filled with some joys & celebrations and some disappointments. My plan to ride, ride, and ride some more fell way short of fruition.  I started the year by outfitting my bike for travel by mounting a set of saddlebags and getting some additional tailbag luggage.  This tripled my storage space, and made it really convenient when I did have the opportunity to travel. 

I rode to Deep Creek Lake in Garrett County, MD, and I led small groups from First State HOG Chapter on overnighters to Virginia Beach for the Bridge-Tunnel Ride, Williamsport MD, Gettysburg Bike Week, and Tilghman Island.  But my plans to visit Maggie Valley and Pigeon Forge and to ride Skyline Drive did not pan out.  I hope my luggage set-up gets used way more in 2012!

Jay and I took a vacation to Jamaica over Spring Break, so that ate up what would have been a good week of riding as well as a huge chunk of our travel budget!  I’m not complaining…relaxing by the pool, sailing the ocean, and climbing Dunn’s River Falls were well worth it!

There were many other factors that contributed to my abbreviated riding activity – work, family obligations, work, weather, chapter obligations, work, and catching up on sleep to name a few…  I had planned to increase my typical riding by 50% this past year, but in actuality it decreased by about that amount.  Sad (and embarrassing) as it is to say, I only put 5K miles on my Harley in 2011.

Don’t get me wrong, the year was not a total loss.  I had the opportunity to visit Barber’s Vintage Motorsports Museum in Alabama – an amazing sight that every motorcyclist should see at some point! 

I traveled to Canton, Ohio, for my regional HOG rally committee training, and visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame while I was there! 

I finally got to visit Fallingwater – the Frank Lloyd Wright house built overhanging a waterfall in southwestern PA!  (I’ve wanted to see it for like 30 years!)

The best part of 2011 has to be the recognition by my fellow chapter members for all of the hard work and efforts I put in to helping make First State HOG a successful enterprise.  As the photographer, newsletter editor, merchandise officer, volunteer coordinator, and a road captain (and those are just my official titles), I spend a lot of time and effort working for the good of the chapter.  I was recognized for these efforts by being voted by the membership as HOG of the Year!  I am truly honored.

Looking forward to 2012 – I am on a mission to make up for lost time last year.  I am a member of the Maryland/Delaware state HOG Rally committee for this year’s rally which is to be held in Deep Creek Lake in June.  I’ll be taking as many trips back & forth to that destination as possible as we explore roads and businesses in the area to set up a hugely successful rally for you to enjoy. 

Jay and I have plans to attend two other state HOG rallies as well – the Pennsylvania Rally in State College, and the New Hampshire/Vermont Rally on the Kancamangus Highway.  Each of these trips will be at least 3-4 full days of riding - woo hoo!  Spring Break week is wide open for motoring here, there, and anywhere.  Who knows, maybe I will even get to Skyline Drive & Maggie Valley!

I am looking forward to my 5th wedding anniversary and a year with the sun on my face and the wind in my hair! Whatever happened (or didn’t happen) last year is now in the rear view mirror and my sights are set on riding more in 2012! 

Tags: Mrs Road Captain // 2 Comments »

It’s already the last night of the year and time for my inner reflections here on Road Captain USA! 2011 was busy and went by fast! I was hoping 2011 would be the year I could shake off the disturbing feelings left from the motorcycle accident that happened in 2009. It was not. In fact I witnessed another fatal motorcycle accident while driving to a doctor’s appointment. Not as disturbing as losing a dear friend but still disturbing to see a dead rider in the middle of an intersection and a motorcycle in flames in the middle of the road.

So we did not shake off the blues and ride to our hearts content as we were hoping to do. Instead we worked our butts off and didn’t ride nearly as much as we had wanted to. There were a lot of car road trips as well as a fair amount of weekend motorcycle trips… but nothing epic to write about. It was my last year as Director of First State Chapter and I put a lot of work into making sure it was a quality year for the chapter. We had a record number of overnight trips with Diana organising and leading more than half of them. My career seems to have turned up a notch and I worked harder at work than ever before. Between my responsibilities at work and my making HOG a volunteer job I was working all the time and have lost touch with fun. ”Ride and Have Fun” was my mantra but now it doesn’t seem so easy to live it. I know how to make things fun for other people, but have never been good at having fun. Work, work, work! I made motorcycling into work! I don’t even like to ride anymore! I know, heresy! I have been on break from riding and hoping that backing off from the HOG chapter and starting fresh in the spring will be a good strategy. No cold weather riding this year; I haven’t done any riding since September. The tactic is to miss it so much that come spring I’ll be in love again with the open road.

There is a lot going on in my head regarding group riding and my involvement with HOG but I still can’t organise those thoughts. Don’t get me wrong, I am still involved with HOG! In 2011 I helped John Hardison with a proposal for the 2012 Maryland Delaware rally proposal and the proposal was voted in. Diana and I are both serving on the 2012 rally committee. The rally is in 6 months and that will be our focus from now through mid June. In July and August we will attend two HOG rallies as participants. That should be fun!

We bought a 4×4 truck today! Our hope is this purchase opens up a new chapter in motorcycling for us called: Trailering! I know there are hard core riders who frown on trailering. Many of you proudly wear your “I rode to Daytona” and similar patches and turn your noses up at traler queens. I’m sure you can argue that riding to the destination IS the experience. Everyone is different! I’m not a biker! I’m a recreational rider and a Harley enthusiast. I don’t like to get up early and I don’t like to ride after dusk. I don’t want to travel the highways on my motorcycle with Diana knowing the fatality that can result from the smallest obstacle, misjudgement or cager at highway speeds. I do love traveling on my schedule, hitting the backroads and riding all day in the mountains with my wife (and sometimes friends). So trailering is appealing. The 4×4 pick up truck also opens up other passtimes like camping and boating which could enhance or even replace riding. I know, heresy!

In 2012 I will continue to work hard but I’m hoping to play hard too! I hope you can join us at the 2012 Maryland Delaware State Rally in Deep Creek Lake on June 14, 15, 16 and 17th at The Wisp Resort in McHenry, Maryland. Make your reservations now as the resort is filling up quick and we have special rates. Click here to go to the Wisp Resort website. There are only about 160 rooms available at the resort, so hurry!

Tags: Deep Biker Thoughts // 11 Comments »