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I currently do not have a communication device on my motorcycle but believe that bike to bike communication is way under valued. It is my belief that in the near future bike to bike communication using compact wireless helmet mounted bluetooth technology will become the norm and we will wonder how he got along without it. Something as simple as pulling over because you got some dust in your eye could be easily communicated to your buddy or group. Instead we usually tough it out and do the best we can until the irritation goes away, unless of course you ride by yourself. In that case you do whatever you please whenever you please.

I once went on an ice cream ride with my HOG Chapter where a member from another chapter joined us. He rode without putting any eyewear on. This is illegal and dangerous. I couldn’t tell if this was the way he liked to ride or not. I kept telling myself that it was not my problem, that if he wanted to pull over and put his eyewear on, then it was up to him. There were plenty of opportunities for him to do so but because he was new to the group he didn’t speak up. If I had a CB I could have called up to the lead Road Captain on his Ultra Classic and notified him of the situation to get his oppinion. After we got to the ice cream stop it became known that it was a mistake and he should have let us know he needed to pull over. If we could all communicate I think the experience of riding with a friend or a group of friends would be a hundred times safer and ten times more fun.

Here is a post on Motorcycle Philosophy about the impact of having to take a rest stop while riding with people who don’t take rest stops. Click here to check it out and think how different it would be if these riders could communicate.

Even though I think newer technologies will become the norm, the CB Radio will be more common for quite awhile among cruisers since most touring bikes are already outfitted with them. The sportbike crowd might adapt to FRS Radio and new technologies sooner because they are all on a level playing field. For those of us in the Harley crowd, many of our friends are already outfitted with CB on their Ultra Classics. My wife has done alot of research on the Internet and has only found one handlebar mounted CB Radio specifically for motorcycle use. It is the J&M model and can be ordered as a complete system from www.CycleAccessoryStore.com in North Carolina. Diana ordered a $600 J&M CB Radio system from them for my 2008 Christmas present but; I stupidly exchanged it for two Chatterbox FRS units. The Chatterbox system was half the price of the J&M and was supposed to be voice activiated. I thought that the hands free VOX system would be better than PTT (Push to Talk). Although the FRS radios wouldn’t allow us to communicate with our friends on CB I thought it was more important that Diana and I be able to communicate. The Chatterbox units we received didn’t work well at all and I returned them directly to Chatterbox for a full refund under warranty assuming this is not the way they are supposed to function (defective). I didn’t believe that replacements would work much better. I was tempted to buy the bluetooth Scala Rider system from www.CycleAccesoryStore.com (they have great customer service). At the moment this system is limited to communication between two bikes only. It is the most compact lightweight unit I have seen. It is a little egg shaped device you clip on your helmet. “Look Ma, No wires!”

It is winter time again and I find myself surfing the Net for an affordable compact CB capable of being rigged up to a motorcycle. The J&M is considered the top of the line but it is expensive, unattractive and might not be compatable with my split view mirrors. I came across the Midland 75-822 which appears to be the second most most compact CB radio on the market. It is a complete 40 channel CB radio system in a small handheld unit. It will accept a variety of accessory headsets. The Cobra 75 WX ST is smaller but I do not know if you can attach an accesory headset to it.

The Midland 75-822 can be used as a portable (like a walkie talkie) or changes to a mobile unit. It has a belt clip, two battery attachments, a detachable antenna and the mobile attachment. The normal battery attachment holds 6 standard AA batteries. The rechargeable battery attachment holds 8 NiCad rechargeable AA batteries and comes with a plug to charge them up. It also comes with a short flexable detachable walkie talkie size antenna. The mobile attachment has connections for a base mount antenna and cigarette lighter plug. The idea is you can us this CB as a mobile unit in your car, jeep or truck and then take it with you as a portable outside the vehicle. Imagine using it to go on a camping trip. You can use it in the vehicle and then stay in touch with other users and listen to NOAA weather reports from your tent. You can use my 12 Volt Power Port to connect the cigarette lighter plug to your battery tender quick connect on a motorcycle. That means you just gotta figure out how to mount the base antenna and where to keep the radio. You might just want to clip it on your belt. It would be really cool if the little antenna worked well and you didn’t need the base antenna… but I doubt it. We’ll find out when it gets a little warmer. You can find this radio on eBay and Amazon.com for less than $90.

A company called www.HiTechWireless.com sells a motorcycle headset that is compatable with the Midland 75-822. It is called RiderComm and is made by RocketScience. You need to order it with the S1 connector. It is currently on sale for $89.95 and includes the headset with boom microphone, weatherproof PTT button and connecting cables. They told me the only customer complaint they hear is the length of the cables isn’t as long as some people would like and there are no extensions available. I bought the unit from HiTech Wireless and it arrived the next day via Federal Express. I was impressed considering there was no shipping or handling charge.

I bought the Midland CB with a Cobra 300 watt magnetic base antenna from Amazon for $101.72 with Free Super Saver Shipping and received the merchandise in about three days. Click here for more details on the Midland 75-822 CB radio at my Amazon store.

Now I am off to surf the Net for a magnetic tank bag to stash the radio in. “Hang Loose!”

Tags: Deep Biker Thoughts, Road Captain Stuff, Technical Stuff by Jay Green
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This blog is in part meant to be a referance site for Road Captains all over the world. The how to and when to information on leading and sweeping group motorcycle rides is limited. Here are just a few nuggets from our Head Road Captain, Lem McMaster. These are pretty basic but important. I gleamed these from our monthly Road Captain meeting earlier this evening and was inspired to share them with you. Please drop in your own nuggets by leaving some comments.

The First Rest Stop: when you start a ride in the morning everyone is full of breakfast coffee and the first rest break should be set within the first hour or 80 miles. Let everyone use the restroom and adjust their gear. Sometimes you wear too much or not enough gear and you need to strip off or add some layers. Once this first stop is out of the way you can really roll.

Park Far Away from the Rest Area: when parking for a comfort stop don’t park at the front door to the gas station or convenience store. Park far enough away so you can walk a little bit and get the blood flowing through your body.

Be The Last: as the RC you should be the last to get gas, eat a snack, smoke a cigarette and so forth so that by the time you are done you know the pack riders have had enough time to do their thing and are ready to roll when you are.

Ride Your Own Ride: everyone must heed this advice. I am probably the worst about this. I worry about specific riders in the group and try to watch them in my mirrors. What I should be doing is focussing on riding my ride. There is nothing you can do for these people. They have to ride their motorcycles and you have to ride yours. If everyone is focussed on riding their own ride then everything will work.

You Are Always On Time: whatever time you get there is the right time. If you get there early, well you are still on time. If you get there late, well you are still on time. As long as you get there safe you are on time.

Tags: Road Captain Stuff by Jay Green
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As a brand new rider, I was always cautious not to outride my abilities.  I was also careful to keep that same philosophy in mind when I upgraded to a big-twin Harley.  With the Super Glide’s lower center of gravity and greater stability it was easy to forget that I had only been riding for 3 years, not 3 decades.  My confidence grew quickly, and with it my skills developed as well.  I put 10,000 miles on my new bike the first year, and fellow First State HOG chapter members told me often that I was an accomplished rider.  It was even suggested that I enter our Road Captain training program.

My initial response was that I didn’t feel ready yet – I did not have a wide enough range of riding experiences.  I had only ridden on an Interstate once, had ridden in significant rain only once, hadn’t crossed any major bridges, had never gone on an overnight trip on my own bike, and hadn’t really seen any truly challenging twisties.  So I set myself some goals for the summer, and as it happened I accomplished nearly all of them in a single week that I put over 1500 miles on my bike.  It was like a whirlwind of opportunity and accomplishments.  I decided I was ready, but all of that just went to my head.

In mid-August school was about to begin and teachers came in for a week of training and preparation.  I rode my Harley to work every day.  We got out of a meeting a few minutes early and had 90 minutes for lunch one day.  I decided to take my bike for a nice ride around a few of the local back roads then pick up a quick sandwich at Wawa. 

Not being incredibly familiar with the roads, I missed my turn.  So I rode down to the next side street and make a quick u-turn…a little too quick!  My front tire slid off the side of the pavement and dropped into the grass, my handlebars jackknifed, and I just let her go down.  I knew that I was no match for an 800-pound Harley!  Luckily, a young man came driving down the road just then.  He helped me get the bike upright, then dashed back off in his car just as quickly as he had appeared.

“When you get overconfident, that’s when something snaps up and bites you.”

- Neil Armstrong

Then the bike wouldn’t start.  Ouch, I really did it this time.  Not only did I get overconfident and stop paying as close attention as I should, but now I am stranded in the middle of nowhere with no tools, a completely misaligned footpeg, a loose mirror that wouldn’t stay put, and a bike that won’t start!  (I was lucky nothing was actually broken.)  I honestly don’t know what I did, but somehow taking the key out and playing with the clock/odometer display cleared out the error code and I was able to start the motor.

So much for my ride.  So much for my lunch.  I rode quietly back to school with my tail between my legs, bruised ego, and beating myself up for being so careless.  I had always been so careful to ride within my capabilities and to keep a strong mental focus while riding.  Geez, I am an idiot!

As it happened, it was that very evening that our new Head Road Captain called to officially invite me to join the training program.  Then he said something that made me wonder if he was wise beyond even his own awareness.  He said, “You are a good rider, but don’t get ahead of yourself.  Overconfidence will cause anyone, no matter how experienced, to make mistakes.”

“Trust me, I know,” I replied…

Tags: Mrs Road Captain, Rider Skills, Road Captain Stuff by Diana Green
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This week on Tuesday’s Tip: The benefits of coming to a complete stop at Stop signs.

This is specifically a tip for Road Captains leading medium to large groups. I am not instructing you to come to a complete stop at each and every stop sign, I am merely pointing out some of the advantages of doing so.

Coming to a complete stop and waiting for everyone to catch up and put their feet down is a good Road Captain habit. If you roll through intersections the tail end of the pack may have to run stop signs in an unsafe manner or stop and then exceed a safe speed in order to catch up with the pack. The tail may always be playing catch up like a slinky. By stopping and waiting for everyone to come to a complete rest you keep everyone together and can check to make sure you have the whole group. It also puts everyone at ease; no one will feel rushed. I think the best benefit is that everyone expects the bike in front of them to stop. When you have a group where most of the riders roll through the stop signs you have a dangerous situation because eventually someone is going to come to a complete stop and the guy behind him isn’t going to expect it. You may have a collision or a close call.

Tags: Road Captain Stuff, Tuesday's Tips by Jay Green
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Last week on Tuesday’s Tip we talked about the safety hazzards of approaching an off ramp on the highway. This week we follow up with the dreaded on ramp hazzard.

Lane selection is a key element in safe motorcycling; especially on the highway. The middle lane offers the most escape options but often times you are going to find yourself on a two lane expressway. When traveling the two lane expressway you have to choose between the hammer lane and the merge lane. In the hammer lane some jerk is going to come up on you like there is no tomorrow. Technically the left lane is for passing only and you shouldn’t be cruising in it. It feels uncomfortable for some people to travel in this lane. In the slow lane, or the merge lane, you have people getting on and off the highway. One of our most experienced Road Captains calls this the “Dummy Lane” due to the hazzard of merging traffic. You have to decide for yourself which is the worse of two evils.

It’s quite obvious a vehicle could come charging down the on ramp and merge at the least opportune time. I hope you are all checking the on ramp as you pass to make sure no one is coming. Better yet I hope you aren’t in the right hand lane when passing the on ramp (assuming the on ramps are on the right).

When leading a large group lane selection becomes even more important as multiple lives are at stake. The larger the group, the longer it takes to clear the off and on ramps. No one may be coming down the on ramp as the lead riders in the group are passing, but by the time the end of your pack is passing… a car may have entered the ramp. The left lane may be the better place to be if there are only two lanes. If you are leading a group in the slow lane and you see a car merging you have four options:

1. Slow down so the car enters in front of you.
2. Speed up so the whole pack can clear the car before it merges.
3. Change lanes to avoid the car.
4. If options one through three are not available, then pray that your group is versatile enough to create space for the car to slide in.

I have seen some nice folks in cars ride up the shoulder of the road rather than break up the pack. I have also pulled out of formation to shift to the left lane and then pulled back into the pack after clearing a car trying to merge. It is times like these when communication devices like CB radio really help out in managing a group ride.

Dan, aka Irondad, brought up the overpass issue last week. Due to going under an overpass or some other obstruction such as tree’s you will not have a clear view of the on ramp. In these cases I often times change over to the middle or hammer lane knowing that there is an on ramp that I can not see. After passing the on ramp and checking to see if the right lane is clear I return to the right lane if that is where I was. I have done this riding with two bikes and riding with twenty bikes. It’s the safe thing to do. You don’t know what could be coming down that on ramp.

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Tags: Road Captain Stuff, Tuesday's Tips by Jay Green
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Being a Road Captain takes time and dedication and the only reward is the appreciation of those that you take out on a ride and the self gratification that comes from sharing what you enjoy with others. That’s it, it’s that simple. Anyone who signs up for this position for the perceived prestige of the title should stay home. I will go so far as to say, anyone who takes an officer position within a riding organization merely for the ego trip should get the heck outa town. These are volunteer positions and the reward is that warm fuzzy feeling you get from helping others. A Road Captain patch should not become some sort of achievement badge that says you are a better rider then the next guy. It should also be understood that this should not become an authority issue. This perception of prestige, authority and achievement attracts the wrong applicants for the job. What you end up with is a bunch of dudes (and maybe some chicks) who show up for the Road Captain meetings but never do anything. If you have a huge group photo of your Road Captain crew and no rides on the calendar then you have to wonder “why did these people sign up for the position?” If they are not putting rides up and are burnt out, why do they still consider themselves an RC? The only answer I can come up with is the prestige, authority and achievement.

If you want to be a Road Captain then plan to learn as much about motorcycles, riding motorcycles and motorcycle safety as you can. Plan on staying up late studying maps and comparing different routes. Plan on getting up early to lead rides, particpate in other peoples rides, and riding sweep for your peers. Plan on putting yourself in harms way occasionally to protect the group. Plan on getting a ticket once in awhile for running a traffic light and getting caught on camera. Plan on spending alot of money on gas, tolls, maintenance, hotels, motels and endless trip expenses. Plan on getting dirty looks from your neighbors because you spend too much time riding to mow your lawn. Plan on pre-riding your local and out of state trips several times until they meet your high standards. Plan on listening to everyone gripe about going too fast, too slow, not stopping to go to the bathroom enough, stopping too often and about the weather when it isn’t cooperating. Plan on managing an accident scene, but hope you never have to. Plan on hearing “Thank you” once inawhile, but don’t expect it. Most of all, plan on feeling really good about yourself that you gave up your time to plan and execute a ride that others enjoyed. Not alot of people are cut out for this position, so if you are doing it well… hold your head up high!

You ask me “how do I know if I’m doing it well?”. If you are practicing all the safety precautions recommended by the MSF and your riders are having fun and the same riders keep coming back for your rides… then you’re doing a good job! If you realize you are not perfect and strive to always learn more and stay humble, then you are the right man (or women) for the job. If you constantly challenge yourself to do better and can balance being an authority figure with being accomodating then this is the right position for you. I hope it goes without saying that a Road Captain doesn’t have to be absolutely the best rider in the group but that he or she should definitely command a high skill level and ride smart. In fact I would put more weight on the “ride smart” part. It’s my oppinion that a smart rider is the best rider, not the one who can make the tightest u-turn. The best rider is the one who can read the road, the one who understands cause an effect, the one who can anticipate what will happen and use this knowledge to keep the group safe. 

If you are a Road Captain and you are thinking that maybe you shouldn’t be, then I hope this article helped you make a decision. If you are thinking about becoming a Road Captain, I hope this article enlightened you that this is not a road to glory but a truley gratifying experience. I tip my hat to all the good Road Captains out there; keep up the good work! Thank you for giving up your time so that others can enjoy the thrill of riding their motorcycles to places they otherwise would not have ventured out to. Remember what this is all about: Having Fun Safely!

Be honest with yourself and ask yourself: “Why do I want to be a Road Captain?” and make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons.

Tags: Road Captain Stuff by Jay Green
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