Drop in Motorcycle Fatalities Has Safety Experts Perplexed
There has been a sharp decrease in motorcycle fatalities and nobody can say why. After 12 years of sharp increases, the fatality rate plummeted.
After a year of heavy enforcement efforts for licensing and insurance, a dramatic plummet in the economy, lack of financing credit for motorcycles, and sharp decrease in four-wheeler travel, it makes it difficult to pinpoint exactly which factor was the most effective.
When an 18 year old can’t finance a Hayabusa, a 50 year old has had his fill of American Chopper, the inattentive four-wheeler decides he can’t afford to rocket the Family Truckster to the beach and run over anything that gets in the way, the drunken fool that’s acquired a motorcycle with no license gets his bike impounded, and some seriously money-hungry state troopers all come together in the same year, fatalities drop for bikers. It’s no wonder for anyone, but picking the exact method to push for the next year is tough. No matter what a safety expert says, someone can point to the multiple factors.
It sucks to be pessimistic, but I don’t think this years blip amounts to much. Every factor mentioned is short-term. Sooner or later every factor will go back to previous levels. The long term solution is motorcycle training and experience for the rider and attentive driving from the car driver.
Trip the Motorcycle Ranch Bike Show
Hocking Hills Motorcycle Ranch had a motorcycle show today. My family went down to check it out. There were about 15 motorcycles there and a band that I was really glad to hear quit. This was our first time to the “ranch”. The ranch had some ragged motorcycles you could rent, a shop that didn’t amount to much more than a Harley gift shop, and a patio with 2 picnic tables. That’s all there is to the motorcycle ranch itself, but the rest of the strip mall/flea market there was interesting.
The Hocking Hills is one of the few wonders in Ohio, so when you add fall foliage tourists, it turns into a traffic jam. I’ve been there so many times that the traffic jam just isn’t worth it to me in the fall. The wonder of the hills is the caves, you can see foliage all over the state. The Hocking Hills Market sets just north of the traffic jam’s start, making it a good place to stop.
The Hocking Hills Market appears to be just another tourist trap. I always passed it up thinking that I’ve seen enough trinkets from the area, so no need to stop. I was wrong. There is a flea market there that has all of the junk from Wal-Mart for cheap without the greeter and building. The shops all were reasonably priced and full of quality stuff. The best part was the Diner D’Argento’s great food. The waitress was polite and the hamburgers were great. They even got my order right, which is an oddity all in itself.
I will be stopping at the diner every trip to the hills from now on.
The Can Am Spyder and the BMW R1200 C caught my eye.
The Can Am Spyder
BMW R1200 C Cruiser
Motorcycle Trip to Maryland
An old Army buddy that I served with in the 1/6th Infantry in Illesheim, Germany, John Fogarty, asked me to come visit him in Darlington, Maryland. I had not seen in him in about 18 years, so I decided that was long enough. A long motorcycle ride seemed like a good idea too. Here is the story of the ride in pictures.
A few days before departure, I noticed the clutch had came loose from it’s clamp and the exhaust burnt a hole in it. Honda Aeros are about the most popular bike sold now, but you have to special order something like a clutch cable. Aggravating to say the least. Luckily, one arrived in time for replacement.
On the PA Turnpike, I came across a group of Grabber Orange Mustangs. Apparently, these things have entire clubs according to their color. Nice cars, but it’s the first time I’ve seen a car club dedicated to color coordination.
Contrary to weather reports, it rained and rained heavily most of the trip. I stopped at this rest stop on the turnpike during one of the drier spells of the trip. At least it was warm rain.
Here’s my old buddy John. His choice of camo pattern has changed from our Army days. The flash from the camera sent off a hell of a glare from the shirt blinding him here.
Here’s John and Birgit in front of their new home that they built.
Here’s a picture of John’s house that he built. Awesome place. It has a bar and a rec room loaded with guitars. It’s like they knew I was going to visit when they built it. 
Visited an old flour mill near Port Deposit, Maryland. Amazing how little flour comes from all of the huge machinery.
Flour dribbles out in the final process.
Nearby dam on the Susquehanna.
Then we headed back to the Fogarty Homestead. Time to blow something up and start a fire or something.
Click on the photo below to view a video demonstration of how to light a fire. Highly improper, yet effective. Caution foul language, not suited for minors. No lectures accepted either.
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Sunday there was a bike meet at the famous Union Hotel in Port Deposit, Maryland.
John and his friend Brian drinking beer near Brian’s old Shovelhead Harley.
Brian, Woodstock, Me, Fogarty. Yes, Woodstock is what he goes by.
Then we ran into a few folks at the water falls who had a guitar they acquired as collateral for a cell phone. This guy’s name was Jeff, from Reading, PA.
John played a tune on this California model Fender acoustic. Didn’t sound bad, but still glad it was a free concert. Cool waterfalls in the background.
Then, Brian got ahold of the guitar. Brian’s pretty good and has a band. The interesting story here is the blond long-haired guy. He actually owns the guitar. He gave us a long story about all that he owned in this world was that guitar and that he was going to try to make it by playing the guitar. He gave us a business card with his phone number. He also requested that if we get ahold of the number on the card, that dude stole his cell phone and he’d really like it back. Brian taught him a quick song since the entrepeneur didn’t know any. Woodstock gave him some great advice, “It’s only up from here because you’re sure at the bottom!” Then we left him to ponder those words of wisdom.
Then Woodstock got into some sort of confusion on the seating arrangements at the bar.
Then the person under this picnic table got knocked out in drunken quarrel. Time for us to go at this juncture.
So – we went and seen some sights in beautiful Havre De Grace, Maryland. Here’s some pictures of the lighthouse and boats on the bay.
The next day, I headed back out on the bike. Not long into the trip, more rain. I was tired of rain and didn’t feel like digging the camera out. Fun trip overall though. I had a great visit!
Thanks again John, Birgit, and Jessie if you’re reading this!
Honda CB200T
I noticed this Honda CB200T. I would guess it from the mid 1970′s. What a great little commuter bike.
From what I read, Honda did not produce many of these and they only produced them for a few years. This makes parts very difficult to find. I wish that Honda would start producing some models that would bring some of their heritage out like Triumph did with the Bonneville.
2006 Honda Aero 750 Valve Adjustment Tutorial
2006 Honda Aero 750 Valve Adjustment Tutorial
Aero 750 Valve Adjustment Intro
This tutorial is created to help others with their valve adjustment. I would first suggest that you do not do this. Shadow 750 valve adjustment just sucks. Plain and simple, this job sucks unless really enjoy working on motorcycles. I do not like working on them, however, there’s nothing much better than riding them. I don’t enjoy paying a mechanic the rates that they are asking for either. That leaves me with a wrench in my hand, a shop manual, and a head full of hopeful dreams that this will work out ok.
Please do not try this from my reference alone. Get the Honda shop manual for the Aero 750. I simply posting this as a supplement to fill in some of the vague instructions that are there.
The recommended intervals for the valve adjustment are crazy. I think it’s every 4,000 miles, I will check and fix this post when I find out. I paid for the first one at 600 miles and vowed to never pay that type of robbery again. Imagine buying a car and they tell you to come in and spend well over $400 on maintenance after 600 miles!
You will not get the full appreciation of how badly designed the Honda Shadow 750 is until you actually do this job. It is quite possibly the most difficult engine I have ever worked on. It took me over 2 hours to figure out how to slide the valve covers out of the motorcycle! The Aero 750 is an enjoyable bike to ride, but the maintenance is ridiculous.
I can’t help but being sarcastic throughout this, but I will try to be informative.
As a forewarning, keep track of every single bolt carefully. Most are special one-off bolts that you must order through Honda. Lose or break one and you’re going to be waiting a long time for the bolt to arrive.
First Motorcycle Ride of 2009
First off, my apoligies for the photo. I used the junk camera for obvious reasons. It’s enough to get the point across though. It was cold.
It hit over 50 degrees today in Ohio, so I hit the road on the Honda Shadow. It felt good to get it out for a few reasons including:
- I don’t winterize them, so I have to keep them running occasionally.
- It was just enough of a break in the cold to let me know that there is hope, and we can all ride again soon.
- Winter riding is a challenge, which makes it more fun.
My gear allows for a comfortable ride at about 50 degress for about an hour without warming up in Ohio. It’s all a matter of how much you want to spend that dictates your riding tolerances. I don’t want to spend much, so 50 it is. A pair of winter boots, riding jacket with a liner, full face shield helmet, neck warmer, winter boots, coveralls, and leather Thinsulate gloves will get a rider to the 50 degree mark.
I live in Central Ohio where the winters are unpredictable. Winterizing a motorcycle surely means missing riding days. I put a few ounces of Sea Foam fuel stabilizer in them, check the antifreeze level, and that’s about it. A quick check of the tire’s air pressure and I’m off and riding at the first break of weather. If I go more than a month of not starting one, I’ll do as much as the weather allows to warm them up. Many riders will tell you that this is foolhardy, but I’ve done it for many years without a problem. Usually, these are the same guys that will argue about what type of oil to use. I like to ride instead of squabble over details, so I take the so-called risks.
I took about an hour ride on state routes. There is still ice on the secondary roads and streets. The state routes were bad enough with all of winter’s slime and gravel on them. It makes for a challenge I wouldn’t recommend to the inexperienced. If you haven’t had a motorcycle slide around at least a little bit, wait until there are a few good rains to wash the grit away.
The first ride is a little sacred to me. Kind of like a miniature New Year where I seem to be the only one celebrating. It’s a time to figure out what if anything is wrong with the motorcycle so you can make repairs before good weather. It’s a time to get the thrill of riding on the inherent danger of sliding on the winter slime. It’s a chance to forget about the problems that the Winter of 2009 has brought to me, at least for an hour.
One last note… As much as I rib Harley Riders for dressing like a pirate to go 3 miles to the bar, the only bikes I seen out today were Harley-Davidsons. Maybe it’s a new start for them too.
Wan – The Crazy Beer Drinking Honda Ruckus Man
I don’t know how I missed this, but a year ago a Korean man named Wan undertook an amazing adventure. It’s an adventure that only could come from a foreigner with a big dream to cross America on a Honda Ruckus. A Ruckus is a tiny 50cc heavy duty scooter. It’s basically a trail bike.
Now anybody could do this, there’s nothing original about taking off across the country. It’s been done so many times in so many different ways that it’s difficult to come up with your own spin on the trip. Wan’s story is different. He saved his meager earnings working at a restaurant to fund the trip and he was watching every penny. He did not have a choice, if he wanted to do this trip, it was of the utmost importance to be thrifty. He also had to overcome language barriers, culture shock, and scooter inexperience. Many times this left him depending on the charity of total strangers and relying on his people skills to pull things off.
He logged this trip on totalruckus.com and the members there just took off with his story. They communicate with him, assist with him, and most importantly, they party with him. Wan turns out to be a beer hound of sorts and when combined with is very likable personality and sense for adventure, the United States becomes his never-ending home away from home. This vagabond rarely wants for anything. With the help of the Internet, most of his needs are met and exceeded wherever he goes.
Due to the slow speed of the scooter and his thrift in finding accommodations, he is constantly being scrutinized by law enforcement. The end of every meeting with them results in a photo with the officers and no fines or punishment. Most of the time, they assist him with information he needs for better local accommodations. He even makes friends with Texas law enforcement, which I know from experience, is very difficult to do.
This is a rare must-read forum. I could see a movie being made about this guy at some point. I can get a little boring at time with the usual forum-style language from other members, but it’s well worth the time. It’s the first time I’ve ever felt the need to review a forum of all things.
Here’s the link, – http://totalruckus.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php – enjoy!
Ohio State Route 555 – The Triple Nickel
Ohio State Route 555, otherwise known as The Triple Nickel, is one of those fable rides that surprises just about every rider on the first trip. Truth be told, the catchy name of the road lends more to the hype than the actual ride, but it’s a great starting point for any ride in Southern Ohio. There are so many great roads, like Ohio State Route 78 connected to it, that you can make The Triple Nickel part of any ride in the area.
I started my ride today from Newark, Ohio and headed down Ohio S.R. 668 to Ohio S.R. 22. From 22 I caught 555 in South Zanesville. Bad drivers are everywhere in South Zanesville! For the first few miles of the 555 I had a V-10 Dodge Truck tailing me. It doesn’t take long on the 555 to lose any pickup truck though. After a few miles south of the city, the biggest danger turns into the 555 itself. It’s a little confusing just south of town too, so you have to take it easy to get through what little bit of traffic you’re going to see on this road.
Being October, there’s a chill in the air and the leaves are turning. For the few straightaways when you can look, the Southern Ohio countryside view is incredible. Hard to believe you just left Zanesville at that point!
Today I took the Honda 750 Shadow. After my footpegs hit the pavement a few times, I started wishing I would have taken the wife’s Suzuki V-Strom, but on a day like today, I just wanted to lean back on a cruiser and enjoy the ride. I seen a few V-Strom’s with huge smiles on their face though!
The 555 is notorious for being in bad repair. A few times I dived into curves, seen the gravel and had to grit my teeth and try to navigate through it. It kind of reminds you of the first ride on a roller coaster when you decide that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea. You just have to ride through it the best you can. If you can get through the first bad decision, you won’t let it happen the rest of the ride. You can go through curves of the 555, or any road, to slow as many times as you like, take one to fast and you’re done.
The challenging part of a road like the 555 is that you don’t get a rythym going like normal twisting roads. You keep running into so many various types of curves like increasing/decreasing radius, blind, loose gravel, banked and unbanked, banked but the banking fades out, to just barely a curve at all. You even have parts where the road looks like it goes straight, only to find out that’s another road and you have to follow a sharp turn to stay on the Triple Nickel.
Keep an eye out for other bikes in trouble. There are a few spots where a motorcycle could dive off the road and over a cliff, with nobody ever noticing there was a downed biker. Be ready to hug the right edge of the road. A few times cages swung curves wide.
Just north of Marietta, Ohio, I started getting lost just following any road heading north and/or east. I didn’t even pay any attention to the names of all of them. I stopped a few times to check the cell phone GPS and take a break. Eventually, I made it back home just as it was getting to cold to ride. As the sun set on a cold October evening, it’s a little sad to think of a great summer with plenty of great riding weather fading away. Kind of like heading into a gravel covered curve you really wish you could slow down a little more for.
Our Honda Shadow Aero 750, Suzuki GS500, and a v-Strom 650.
I have a 2006 Honda Shadow Aero 750 and my wife has a 2007 Suzuki 650 V-Strom. These provide most of my entertainment. I’ve always enjoyed motorcycles and probably always will. What other form of recreation doubles as cheap transportation? I don’t like to stay put long, so the motorcycle provides a great excuse to get out and enjoy the outdoors. I’ve had some great adventures on the motorcycles and met some great folks too. I’ll try to get some of the stories on the site for those who are interested, at least the ones I care to tell on the Internet.
Pictured above 2005 Suzuki GS500(rear) and the 2006 Honda VT750CA Aero(foreground).
The 2006 Honda Shadow Aero
The Dealer
Honda is a good bike, but they have bad dealers out there. Most notobably are the dealers that also sell cars. They want to sell bikes like they do cars and it’s just a serious hassle. They want to haggle financing and prices and they do not understand the product they’re selling.
- I received no manual or tool kit.
- Rude and disrespectful sales staff
- Scratches on bike that they would not remove, had to do that without their help.
- Just a very odd experience with them.
- Very little information given. For example, I bought a Honda Club membership because they failed to tell me that it was free for the first year.
- Suspension was not adjusted correctly. Shocks were set at different numbers from the dealer
The Motorcycle
The overall motorcycle has been a nice motorcycle. Here the problems so far though.
- Valve Adjustments – scheduled maintenance every 4,000 miles on them. I would not have bought this bike if I knew this.
- Slightly Bent Handlebars – bent from factory
- Handlebars To Low – Initially I liked the look, but they are so low many people will have their knees into them on tight turns
- Handles Funny At Slow Speed – There is a wobble at about 5 mph. Nothing serious, just enough to make it a nuisance
- Parts – They’re getting easier to find, but still not as plentiful as motorcycles that have fewer models sold. The only parts I could get for a while where the overprices genuine Honda parts
- Low weight rating and uncomfortable seating for passenger
Now the good parts of the bike -
- Great fuel mileage – about 50 mpg average
- Bike feels bigger than it is.
- Smooth ride
- Decent acceleration
- Good looks. Folks comment on it, then notice it’s not a Harley and complain. I love that.
- Easy to change oil
- Decent shop manual available (although it’s expensive)
- Reliable, no breakdowns as of 12,000 miles
- It will do 120 mph, though it takes a while to get there.
- Just has a nice feel to it for me. 5’10″ with 30″ inseam.
- Reminds me in size of the older Harleys.
Everybody has reasons for liking their favorite bikes. So, there’s why I like this bike. The pros outweigh the cons for me.
The Suzuki DL650 V-Strom
Suzuki V-Strom
The V-Strom was a replacement for the GS500. Tami quickly mastered her skills and wanted a bike that was a little taller and more capable. The DL650 will do anything well. Great bike to say the least. It has a 650cc V-Twin with the latest electronics and fuel injection. It sounds like a robot starting up. The only competing bikes like the BMW dual sports, Triumph Tiger, Buell Ulysses, etc., all have outrageous price tags. You can buy 2-3 of these for the price of the competitors and the perfomance and quality gains are only slight if any on the the comparable models.
The V-Strom’s good points -
- Handles very well in every condition and terrain.
- Nice seating position.
- Fast!
- Handles heavy loads (two-up riding) effortlessly.
- Many accessories available.
- VERY large following with numerous forums, blogs, etc. on the Internet.
The V-Strom’s bad points -
- Marginal quality on some parts like windshield, grips, foot pegs, etc.
- It’s a kit bike. You need to add numerous parts to get the DL650 up to it’s potential. Guards that should be on the bike are add-ons.
- Very tall – short folks need not apply.
- Jerky acceleration – this is smoothing out with further break in though.
The 2005 Suzuki GS500
We bought this bike for my wife to learn on . She is tall, so the lightweight entry-level cruisers were just to small. A salesman brought this bike out and it fit her well and the price was great. These bikes are not the most popular because compared to other sport bikes, they are are a little slow. A slow sport bike is still fast enough though. I’ve had this bike at well over 100 and there was no problem. It’s only “slow” area is in the low rpm range where it seems to have very little torque. The Suzuki 500 parallel twin is made to be at high rpm for power.
We bought this bike at Mid-Ohio Honda-Suzuki and the sales staff was really good. They continued to treat us well for the service too. Much better folks than the Honda dealer in Heath, Ohio. If you live in the Newark or Heath Ohio area, it’s worth the trip to Mount Vernon for better service.
The Suzuki GS500 bad points are -
- Low power at low RPM. This makes it a little difficult for a beginner to learn. It stalls very easily on takeoff due to the low power output
- The seat is a sport bike seat. I want to have this seat repadded
- Typical sport bike positon for the legs. It can get cramped on a long run.
- Very few aftermarket add-ons available, we have found luggage that will work if you have no passenger
- Runs very poorly when the engine is cold. May be a problem with this bike that just needs the attention from a good mechanic.
The Suziki GS500 good points are -
- Very high fuel mileage, I’ve got 65 mpg when I run it easy.
- Good enough for beginners, yet big enough to satisfy any rider
- Very nice handling and lightweight
- Handlebar position is slight more upright than most sport bikes
- This bike is a big fun for a low price
