Road Captain USA.com

I just finished reading Ultimate Street Strategies - Riding Hard, Smart and Safe. This is the second book I have received from the Motorcycle Riders Club of America Library. The author, Pat Hahn, has put together an excellent book “For Advanced Motorcyclists”.

I expected this book to rehash common sense advice and the same old wisdom found in the MSF Basic Rider Course and countless magazine articles. I was wrong! This book opened my mind to countless safety factors. The end result is I will be a more confident rider this spring. I am now armed with a wealth of information and statistacal data about motorcycle crashes. What causes them, where they occur, and who they happen to. It was well worth $24.95 for this hard cover glossy 160 page book.

[Read more →]

Tags: Books & Movies by Jay Green
5 Comments »

When my sweetie first suggested that we take a 3-day trip to Pennsylvania’s Little Grand Canyon last summer, I winced at the idea of trying to pack for the trip.  He traded in his Sporty for a Dyna LowRider and began outfitting the bike for travel.  The detachable saddlebags were installed, and then the Baja TBag he bought on eBay arrived.  At this point I was wondering how in the world we could fit 3 days worth of clothing and gear for both of us in a space the size of my toaster oven!!  Not to mention the fact that we would be traveling into the mountains in the fall where the temperatures could vary drastically over the course of the day, so we’d need to dress in several layers.  I was very excited about the trip, so I stepped up to the challenge.  I may not be an expert at these things, but here are some suggestions that I’ve discovered along the way as well as a few tips from my fellow (more experienced) travelers.

[Read more →]

Tags: Mrs Road Captain by Diana Green
17 Comments »

If you buy a Harley Davidson Dyna model and plan to use saddlebags you will have to “relocate” your turn signals. This also applies if you plan to use a detachable backrest. I wanted both, so this was an immediate modification that I performed on my brand new Harley Davidson Lowrider. I saved a few hundred bucks on labor by doing it myself but I hated every minute of it. I’m not a mechanic and I already blew up my first bike by installing the battery backwards!

First you have to ask yourself: why does the factory put the signals where they are if you have to move them to make the bike somewhat functional? Well, they do look awesome in their original position and that must sell bikes. Also the original license plate holder is a cheap piece of crap. Also, they must be making good money selling these relocation kits, not to mention the labor to install them. They aint no dummies at the factory!

[Read more →]

Tags: Technical Stuff by Jay Green
5 Comments »

Tags: Product Reviews, Technical Stuff by Jay Green
5 Comments »

I’m currently reading Ultimate Street Strategies which is the 2nd book I received from The Riders Club of America Library. It got me thinking about safe riding. Apparently less than half of the motorcycle crashes involve another vehicle. That means we are a bigger threat to ourselves than we think. Pat Hahn, the author of Ultimate Street Strategies, says the difference between the riders that crash and the riders that don’t is how seriously they take their riding.

Dan Bateman over at Musings of an Intrepid Commuter wrote in his post on March 19, 2008…

“Despite all the flap about motorcycles being so dangerous and that all the drivers are out to get us, it’s evident that other drivers really cause very few of the fatalities. It’s really not our fate to be taken out by a fast moving Buick with a cell phone impaired driver. Riders are doing it to themselves.”

“The vast majority of fatalities had one of these involved:
Un-endoresed
Un-trained
Un-der the influence”

You owe it to yourself to take the MSF training available, be properly endorsed on your license, practice your skills and wear the proper protective motorcycle gear. Please don’t drink and ride. Know how to stop or swerve in an emergency. Practice doing it. Take riding seriously. Dedicate yourself to riding safely.
 

Tags: Books & Movies by Jay Green
8 Comments »

Below is a picture of one of the only nice fitted button-down shirts I can find from Harley Davidson.  I searched high and low for a shirt like this, and it only took me two years to find something acceptable.  Unfortunately I had to get a large size so it would come close to fitting my chest, so now the waist is not exactly as tailored as I would like it to be.  Thank god it is not pink!  My biggest problem with this shirt is the “boob pockets.”  What woman in her right mind (unless she is flat as a board and needs all the help she can get) wants to wear a shirt with a pocket right in the middle of her boob, with a flap and button no less!!!  What exactly are we supposed to put in those pockets anyway?

A man can go into a Harley Davidson dealership and find clothes for nearly every occasion-from work clothes to a dress shirt and tie.  Women on the other hand don’t have it so easy.  There are two types of clothing available to us–biker whore and functional but fashionless riding gear.  D

[Read more →]

Tags: Mrs Road Captain by Diana Green
9 Comments »

When I first started riding Harleys I purchased a DOT approved half helmet. Although the DOT helmet didn’t look as cool as the novelty skull buckets, it afforded the protection I wanted and some of the Harley biker style I was looking for.

I soon became annoyed with the eyewear situation. My prescription glasses didn’t protect me from the wind and my eyes would tear up. Goggles were a pain, especially carrying two pair. I carried a dark pair for daytime and a clear pair for nighttime. For awhile I switched from goggles to some very cool riding sunglasses from Flying Pig Eyewear. They worked great, until they broke. One day they just fell apart. I still had to carry both dark and clear glasses for day and night riding.

I finally opted to purchase a ¾ helmet with a shield. I bought a black DOT approved Harley Davidson Jet II. I can wear any pair of eyeglasses with this helmet. The shield protects my face from the sting of road debris, rain drops and kamikaze bugs. The helmet feels and looks like a well made product with plenty of cushion to protect my skull. I believe these helmets are made by HJC. I highly recommend the helmet even though it makes my head look a little bulbous. I look like the Martian in Bugs Bunny cartoons who had a little body and a huge helmet. The helmet also comes in silver. I wish I bought the silver one because the black gets very hot under the sun.

I like the helmet so much I bought a silver one for my wife Diana. She is much happier now that she can wear any sun glasses she feels like wearing instead of wearing a pair of riding glasses all day. She also appreciates not getting whacked in the face by large bugs when we are zipping through country back roads.

You can visit your local Harley Davidson Dealer to buy this helmet or you can go to eBay or eBay Motors and search under Jet II Harley Davidson Helmet for both new and used helmets.

You can visit Ride Gear for great deals on similar HJC helmets in a wider variety of colors.

Tags: Product Reviews by Jay Green
8 Comments »

I took my bike off the motorcycle jack today so I could ride to the March HOG meeting. It feels awesome to be on two wheels again! Nothing else like it. I wanted to skip the meeting and keep riding, but I didn’t. Went to the meeting and had a great time with my fellow First State HOG members.

I can’t wait to ride again. I’m thinking maybe I’ll ride to work tomorrow.  So I go to check the weather and it doesn’t look good.

According to Road Runner magazine the best tool for checking the weather in the United States is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s website: www.noaa.gov

Tags: News & Announcements by Jay Green
5 Comments »

The following 5 factors are the key elements to a trip: 

1. Destination
2. Dates
3. How many days
4. Where to stay
5. Ride Route

The destination is usually already figured out to some degree. If not, you either decide where you as the organizer want to go or turn to your club for suggestions on where they want to go. There are lots of good materials available to come up with good ideas for trips. You can visit www.byways.org if you don’t have a clue. You can read Road Runner, American Rider and Hog Tales magazines for a host of ideas.

  Click here to buy this book

If you have a completely open slate than you have more things to figure out. As a ride organizer the less things you have to decide the easier the task. For example the dates of the trip are the most important element and I like someone else to determine the dates. When I organized the trip to The Little Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania the dates were picked by someone else as a Friday thru Sunday trip. I just had to fill in the rest of the blanks.

The length of the trip will have an impact on how many club members will participate. I imagine the less days on the trip the more people will be able to fit the trip into their personal schedule. I have not yet scheduled or organized a one nighter, so I don’t know for sure that my theory is in turn a fact. I’m thinking that if you want to take an advanced trip and you are trying to avoid having less experienced riders come or you just want to keep the group small, then a longer trip might be the answer. You should get a hard core commited group of serious riders for a 4 or 5 day trip as opposed to a 3 day weekend trip. [Read more →]

Tags: Trips & Places To Go by Jay Green
6 Comments »

I wrote the below article in September of last year after returning from my first HOG overnight trip. It was a life changing experience for me. It was my introduction to “touring” by motorcycle. The story is a little long.

I don’t think I knew exactly what I was getting into when I joined the First State Chapter of The Harley Owners Group six months ago, but I have to say it has been a very satisfying and rewarding experience so far. The hospitality, camaraderie and brotherhood that I experienced during my first HOG trip was unexpected and refreshing. Our three-day trip to the Little Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania was so extraordinary to me that it was like a surreal experience. We are taking another three-day trip very soon and I can’t wait to take in the scenery, travel the American byways and bond with my HOG brothers and sisters once again.

[Read more →]

Tags: Trips & Places To Go by Jay Green
10 Comments »