We are giving away two pairs of tickets to the Toby Keith Concert to be held on August 14, 2010 at USANA Amphitheter. This is part of the America Ride Tour and in part sponsored by Harley Davidson. Some of the money raised will go to The Ronald McDonald House of Utah.
Hi – I am a novice female motorcyclist. I have been riding a motorcycle for just shy of a year. George asked me to write about my perspective as a novice female motorcycle rider.I agreed.However, writing on the female perspective quickly turned into writing of my feelings and experiences over the last year, my first year as a rider.
Motorcycles, to me, are a symbol of freedom and rebellion. The draw and appeal of riding a motorcycle had been simmering inside of me for a while. Not only the motorcycles themselves, the whole culture surrounding them.
My riding history begins on June 27, 2009. I finally took the plunge, this was the day of my first riding class. Not wanting to go alone my mom and I had signed up together. The class was a weekend class, which meant two full days of learning how to ride.I was so excited.I couldn’t believe that within hours of starting my lesson I was riding a motorcycle, and two days later I was on the road on my own. It was everything I had dreamt it would be. There is an indescribable sense of freedom, the window blowing past me, landscape flying by. I took a couple short rides with my dad and my brother, and of course just rode around town. Before I knew it winter was here and I was tucking my motorcycle away for the winter.
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The snow started to disappear and my dad suggested we go on a couple group rides this year. In fact he said there was a ride coming up in late March. I admit I was nervous. Were my skills up to the test? At the end of last year I was still slowing down to go around corners, I had to remind myself to look past the turn to where I wanted to go. Most of all after a couple months of not riding was I still able to ride after so little time as a rider?Was riding a motorcycle like riding a bike, would it all come back to me?
A classic procrastinator I put off getting the motorcycle out of hibernation until the day of the first ride. The morning of the ride (March 27, 2010) I woke up early, nervous. I wasn’t sure I was ready to put my novice skills on display for a group of seasoned riders. I insisted on going to a parking lot and practicing my turning, emergency braking etc. After a few minutes I realized I hadn’t forgotten how to ride. My confidence was high and I was ready to go riding!
So away we went to register for the first ride of the year. It was Grizzbee’s Ride for Special Kids. As we went up to register I asked for two forms, one for me and one for my dad. I was told that we only needed one form; passengers didn’t need a separate form. With a sense of pride I informed them I was a rider, riding my own motorcycle. Somewhat taken aback the organizers handed me two registration forms. Was it really that rare, a female riding her own motorcycle? I looked around, there were other females there, I couldn’t possibly be the only female riding her own motorcycle! When it came time to start the ride I looked around, all the females had saddled up as passengers.
I rode out towards the rear of the group. I was giddy and a little intimidated, but ready to ride. The group, about a hundred riders, was escorted out of the city and onto the freeway by police, lights and sirens going. It was the perfect start to my first group ride. I settled into the pace of the ride. The air was crisp, the scenery beautiful. Before I knew it the ride was over, I had a great time.
I realized, whether a novice or a seasoned rider, riding a bullet bike or a Harley, we were all there for the ride, to enjoy ourselves and have fun.
My second ride of the year was The Fallen Patriot Ride. After my successful first ride I was ready to go. When we arrived at the starting point we pulled in behind several other motorcycles. I realized there were a lot more riders than at the first ride, for some reason this triggered my nerves. Once again I was wondering if my skills were good enough to be riding in a group.
Waiting for the ride to start I stood by my motorcycle.I had parked behind two motorcycles being ridden by two couples. While the men talked the two women turned around and we started talking. They asked if I was riding my own motorcycle. I told them I was.They stated they had always wanted to learn to ride, but up until recently women riding motorcycles was unheard of.As we continued to talk I learned the two had been riding as passengers for over twenty years. I also learned that the fears they had were the same I had when I started riding. For instance, how can we learn to ride when we don’t even know how to start a motorcycle? I talked about my learning experiences and the class I had taken. By the time the ride was starting to pull out the women told me I had given them the little push they needed and they were going to learn to ride. They told me to have a good ride and they hoped to see me at the end. Their husbands, having listened to our conversation, also told me to have a good ride and to enjoy it.
Just as suddenly as my nerves had appeared they were gone.Talking about my experience had calmed my nerves. The ride went through downtown Salt Lake. There was a lot of stop and go, a lot of turning, speeding up and slowing down. I looked at it as an opportunity to test my skills, and I have to say I did awesome! Towards the end of the ride the group got split up at a light, suddenly I was leading the second group of riders.Thankfully I had looked at the map prior to the ride and knew where we were going.I successfully lead the group until we joined up with the first group of riders.Admittedly I only lead the group for about ten minutes, but I did it and I felt awesome!
As the group pulled into the ending point of the ride I was sad that the experience was ending.A barbecue followed and I ran into the women I had met before the ride. They told me they had seen me along the ride and that I had done well, they couldn’t even tell I had been riding for such a short time. Wow! As I rode home I simply enjoyed the ride. Since then I haven’t suffered any nerves.
I still slow down around corners and every once in a while have to remind myself to look past the turn and to where I want to go. Ultimately I am happy when I ride and enjoy the experience.If I go slow around the corners, you are more than welcome to pass me.
If you are new to Utah or even a long-time resident you might not be aware of all of the fantastic motorcycle routes in Utah. MotorcycleRoads.com is a great website that lists rides across the United States. To say that the site simply lists motorcycle rides is to minimally describe the beautiful sky as simply blue.
The Utah page of MotorcycleRoads lists 15 rides throughout Utah from the North to the South. Click on a route and a detailed page opens up and rates the ride providing pictures and a detailed map on exactly where the ride is. There is something here to strike everyone's fancy.
So get out there over this holiday weekend and ride some of these gorgeous routes. Remember to be safe and watch out for other drivers who are dealing with cars over-packed with kids and talking on their cell phones.
Utah Bike Law is a law firm and its lawyers are dedicated to representing injured motorcycle riders and their families.If you or a loved one were involved in a motorcycle crash in Utah we invite you to call for a free confidential consultation.There is no obligation and you are not charged any fees whatsoever unless we recover money for you. Utah Bike Law and its attorneys are licensed to practice law only in the State of Utah and maintain offices in Salt Lake City, Utah. No attorney client relationship is established by simply visiting this website.
I thought this was hilarious and wanted to reprint this article from North American Defense Against Squirrels where you can find many more anti-squirrel propoganda:
I never dreamed that slowly cruising on my motorcycle through a residential neighborhood could be so incredibly dangerous! Little did I suspect. I was on Brice Street - a very nice neighborhood with perfect lawns and slow traffic. As I passed an oncoming car, a brown furry missile shot out from under it and tumbled to a stop immediately in front of me.
It was a squirrel and must have been trying to run across the road when it encountered the car. I really was not going very fast, but there was no time to brake or avoid it -- it was that close! . I hate to run over animals, and I really hate it on a motorcycle; but a squirrel should pose no danger to me.
I barely had time to brace for the impact. Animal lovers, never fear. Squirrels, I discovered, can take care of themselves!
Inches before impact, the squirrel flipped to his feet. He was standing on his hind legs and facing my oncoming Valkyrie with steadfast resolve in his beady little eyes. His mouth opened; and at the last possible second, he screamed and leapt! I am pretty sure the scream was squirrel for, "Bonzai!" or maybe, "Die you gravy-sucking, heathen scum!" The leap was nothing short of spectacular. He shot straight up, flew over my windshield, and impacted me squarely in the chest. Instantly, he set upon me. If I did not know better, I would have sworn he brought 20 of his little buddies along for the attack. Snarling, hissing, and tearing at my clothes, he was a frenzy of activity. As I was dressed only in a light T-shirt, summer riding gloves, and jeans, this was a bit of a cause for concern. This furry little tornado was doing some damage!
Picture a large man on a huge black and chrome cruiser, dressed in jeans, a T-shirt, and leather gloves, puttering at maybe 25 mph down a quiet residential street, and in the fight of his life with a squirrel.
And losing...
I grabbed for him with my left hand. After a few misses, I finally managed to snag his tail. With all my strength, I flung the evil rodent off to the left of the bike, almost running into the right curb as I recoiled from the throw. That should have done it. The matter should have ended right there.
It really should have. The squirrel could have sailed into one of the pristinely kept yards and gone on about his business, and I could have headed home. No one would have been the wiser. But this was no ordinary squirrel. This was not even an ordinary angry squirrel. This was an EVIL MUTANT ATTACK SQUIRREL OF DEATH!
Somehow he caught my gloved finger with one of his little hands; and, with the force of the throw, swung around and with a resounding thump and an amazing impact, he landed squarely on my BACK and resumed his rather antisocial and extremely distracting activities. He also managed to take my left glove with him! The situation was not improved. Not improved at all. His attacks were continuing, and now I could not reach him. I was startled, to say the least. The combination of the force of the throw, only having one hand (the throttle hand) on the handlebars, and my jerking back unfortunately put a healthy twist through my right hand and into the throttle. A healthy twist on the throttle of! a Valkyrie can only have one result.
Torque.
This is what the Valkyrie is made for; and she is very, very good at it. The engine roared, and the front wheel left the pavement. The squirrel screamed in anger. The Valkyrie screamed in ecstasy. I screamed in - well, I just plain screamed.
Now picture a large man on a huge black and chrome cruiser, dressed in jeans, a slightly squirrel-torn t-shirt, wearing only one leather glove, and roaring at maybe 50 mph and rapidly accelerating down a quiet residential street on one wheel, with a demonic squirrel of death on his back.
The man and the squirrel are both screaming bloody murder.
With the sudden acceleration, I was forced to put my other hand back on the handlebars and try to get control of the bike.
This was leaving the mutant squirrel to his own devices; but I really did not want to crash into somebody's tree, house, or parked car. Also, I had not yet figured out how to release the throttle. My brain was just simply overloaded. I did manage to mash the back brake, but it had little effect against the massive power of the big cruiser.
About this time, the squirrel decided that I was not paying sufficient attention to this very serious battle (maybe he was an evil mutant NAZI attack squirrel of death); and he came around my neck and got INSIDE my full-face helmet with me. As the faceplate closed part way, he began hissing in my face. I am quite sure my screaming changed intensity. It had little effect on the squirrel, however. The RPMs on the Dragon maxed out (since I was not bothering with shifting at the moment); so her front end started to drop.
Now, picture a large man on a huge black and chrome cruiser, dressed in jeans, a very raggedly torn T-shirt, wearing only one leather glove, roaring at probably 80 mph, still on one wheel, with a large puffy squirrel's tail sticking out of the mostly closed full-face helmet. By now, the screams are probably getting a little hoarse.
Finally, I got the upper hand. I managed to grab his tail again, pulled him out of my helmet, and slung him to the left as hard as I could. This time it worked - sort of.
Spectacularly sort of ...so to speak.
Picture a new scene. You are a cop. You and your partner have pulled off on a quiet residential street and parked with your windows down to do some paperwork. Suddenly, a large man on a huge black and chrome cruiser, dressed in jeans, a torn T-shirt flapping in the breeze, and wearing only one leather glove, moving at probably 80 mph on one wheel, and screaming bloody murder roars by, and with all his strength throw! was a live squirrel grenade directly into your police car.
I heard screams.
They weren't mine.
I managed to get the big motorcycle under control and dropped the front wheel to the ground. I then used maximum braking and skidded to a stop in a cloud of tire smoke at the stop sign of a busy cross street. I would have returned to 'fess up (and to get my glove back). I really would have. Really. Except for two things.
First, the cops did not seem interested or the slightest bit concerned about me at the moment. When I looked back, the doors on both sides of the patrol car were flung wide open. The cop from the passenger side was on his back, doing a crab walk into somebody's front yard, quickly moving away from the car. The cop who had been in the driver's seat was standing in the street, aiming a riot shotgun at his own police car.
So, the cops were not interested in me. They often insist to "let the professionals handle it" anyway.
That was one thing. The other?
Well, I could clearly see shredded and flying pieces of foam and upholstery from the back seat. But I could also swear I saw the squirrel in the back window, shaking his little fist at me. That is one dangerous squirrel. And now he has a patrol car. A somewhat shredded patrol car, but it was all his.
I took a deep breath, turned on my turn-signal, made a gentle right turn off of Brice Street, and sedately left the neighborhood. I decided it was best to just buy myself a new pair of gloves. And awhole lot of Band-Aids.
Women Riders Now is a great website that is dedicated to women motorcycle riders. You can sign up for their great newsletter that is of high quality and timely every month. For example this month's newsletter reminds all of us that May 7, 2010 has been designated International Female Ride Day and encourages all motorcycle groups and dealers to recognize women motorcycle riders.
The website and the newsletter discuss everything about motorcycles and women including how to be safe on a motorcycle to women motorcycle fashion. The newsletter this month talks about Harley Davidson's new motorcycle leather jacket line-up for women naming it "New Spring 2010 Riding Apparel - Harley Davidson Goes Bold and Bright." The site also offers helpful motorcycle tips. Using new Glad ForceFlex garbage bags for keeping all of your clothes dry in a saddlebag for example.
The site also has a great link to what they call the WRN Mall that has all kinds of links to motorcycle gear specifically designed (and targeted) toward women. A lot of my female motorcycle friends tell me that female clothes are different than men's - the cut is different and men's clothes just do not work for women and they have a tough time finding female riding gear. If that's true this might be the place for you to find all that you need.
The site is much more than just this however. It is a true motorcycle destination for all female riders. The site includes great reviews on motorcycles, tips on riding right, profiles of women riders and much much more all tailored to and from a female perspective.
Social networking is a great way for you to check out Women Riders Now and you can find them at Women Riders Now on facebook.
Utah Bike Law is a law firm and its lawyers represent motorcycle riders and their families across Utah including the counties and cities of Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber, American Fork, Beaver, Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Delta, Draper, Duchesne, Fillmore, Heber, Kamas, Kanab, Kaysville, Layton, Lehi, Logan, Moab, Murray, Nephi, Ogden, Orem, Park City, Price, Provo, Richfield, Riverton, Roy, Salt Lake City, Sandy, South Jordan, St. George, Tooele, Vernal, West Jordan, and West Valley City. Utah Bike Law and its attorneys are licensed to practice law only in the State of Utah and maintain offices in Salt Lake City, Utah. No attorney client relationship is established by simply visiting this website.
I got one of these maps a few years ago and it was good then. However, this new and improved version is promised to be even better. This is more than a map of the Southwest of the United States. It is designed with motorcyclists in mind. It is going to be one of those maps that lives in your bag for a very long time.
Thirty-four classic rides through the Southwest's quintessential scenes. Includes a map for each and color photos, as well as plenty of details on mileage, road conditions and terrain, services, motorcycle-friendly establishments, interesting sites, and side trips. You can get the map at the Utah Travel Industry Website for $18.95.
Open Road Journey is a great motorcycle website where you can research motorcycle rides across America and around the world. You can search by state and under Utah they have some of the best and least known rides in the state.
One of my local favorite rides is what they call "Twisty Fun" which takes you on a beautiful ride west of I-15 on highway 92 through the Wasatch National Forest. The ride has gorgeous scenery, lots of pull-offs and the condition of the road is fantastic - or at least it was last year!
Another ride they call "Moab to Grand Junction - The Back Way" is a good ride and very populated with motorcycle riders in the summer months. Make sure you pack a lot of cool drinks in the summer - you can fry your a** off in the summer in this area.
Lava Hot Springs, although I have never been there, is reported to be one of the most fun spots in Idaho. Rafting the Snake River is reported to be great. I can attest that the route from Ogden Utah to Preston Idaho is good road and pretty scenery.
There are other trips including Highway 12 in southern Utah that goes through the Manti-La Sal National Forest and the Four Corners area of Utah that need to be seen to be believed.
The best part about this website is that you can add your own trips and share your adventures with others. Add a few of your own. I think I will add a few of my trips this year - plan on heading West into Nevada this year - see the desert.
Utah Bike Law is a law firm and its lawyers represent motorcycle riders and their families across Utah including the counties and cities of Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber, American Fork, Beaver, Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Delta, Draper, Duchesne, Fillmore, Heber, Kamas, Kanab, Kaysville, Layton, Lehi, Logan, Moab, Murray, Nephi, Ogden, Orem, Park City, Price, Provo, Richfield, Riverton, Roy, Salt Lake City, Sandy, South Jordan, St. George, Tooele, Vernal, West Jordan, and West Valley City.
I am a Garmin addict - at least in my truck. I am thinking about going to Sturgis this summer and I think I will have to buy a Garmin Zumo for my motorcycle - but which one is the question.
A recent review of the Garmin Zumo 660 with a price tag of $799 appeared on About.com where the author took it on a 570 mile ride in Italy. His final appraisal was positive giving the gizmo a 3.5 stars out of 5. The Garmin home page for the 660 will give you the full details.
To be honest the $799 price tag kind of staggered me so I looked at another model - the Zumo 220 - but it is still listed at $599. One of the best reviews I found on this model is at GPS News.org.
Bottom line - I think I will just use my truck Garmin and wire it into my bike.
Utah Bike Law represent motorcycle riders and their families across Utah including the counties and cities of Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber, American Fork, Beaver, Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Delta, Draper, Duchesne, Fillmore, Heber, Kamas, Kanab, Kaysville, Layton, Lehi, Logan, Moab, Murray, Nephi, Ogden, Orem, Park City, Price, Provo, Richfield, Riverton, Roy, Salt Lake City, Sandy, South Jordan, St. George, Tooele, Vernal, West Jordan, and West Valley City.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that in 2000, 631 motorcyclists were saved by wearing their helmet.
The German inventor Gottlieb Daimler is generally credited with building the first practical motorcycle in 1885.
Up to eight motorbikes can fit in the same parking space occupied by one car.
Motorcycles and scooters are, on average, about twice as fuel efficient as cars.
The first rider to ever go over 300mph was Don Vesco in 1975, on a 1496cc Yamaha-engined streamliner.
Kawasaki also makes spaceships.
The fastest motorcycle s the Dodge Tomahawk, a prototype with an unusual design, featuring the 500 hp (373 kW) 8.3 L V10 engine from the Dodge Viper.
MV Agusta is currently producing the F4 1078 RR 312. 312kph being the recorded top speed at the Salt Flats in Utah in 2007.The RR312 reached a recorded top speed of 195, but since speeds are averaged, it’s recorded top speed is 194mph, or metric, 312kph.
When Valentino Rossi was five, his dad Graziano built him a go-cart to discourage him from getting into bikes
Harley-Davidson built push-bikes between 1917 and 1923. The first Harley Davidson motorcycle built in 1903 used a tomato can for a carburetor.
Utah Bike Law represent motorcycle riders and their families across Utah including the counties and cities of Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber, American Fork, Beaver, Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Delta, Draper, Duchesne, Fillmore, Heber, Kamas, Kanab, Kaysville, Layton, Lehi, Logan, Moab, Murray, Nephi, Ogden, Orem, Park City, Price, Provo, Richfield, Riverton, Roy, Salt Lake City, Sandy, South Jordan, St. George, Tooele, Vernal, West Jordan, and West Valley City.
Mission Motors is an electric motorcycle manufacturer based in San Francisco and recently set a world speed record for a battery-powered motorcycle at just over 150 miles per hour - 150.059 to be exact! For official reports this is the average speed over a two seperate mile long trials but the motorcycle actually hit a high speed of 161 miles per hour. This speed record was set at teh famous Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.
The Patriot Guard is an ad hoc group of mostly motorcycle riders that formed to guard the funerals of American service personnel who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. At noon today they are going to escort a replica of the Vietnam Memorial into Ogden where it will be on display at the 'Gathering of the Guard' at the Weber County Fairgrounds.
Larry "Kooter" Knudson, a member of the Utah Chapter of the Patriot Guard, said all members of the guard, and anyone else who wants to, can meet the truck carrying the wall at the Morgan County Fairgrounds at 11 a.m. Wednesday in Morgan. The memorial will be on display for the entire four days of the event.
The Gathering of the Guard is a 4-day event that honors the people who go about doing the business of defending our liberties and way of life - service personnel from past and present. If the weather holds, and it looks like it will, there will probably be close to a thousand motorcycles at the Gathering this year.
Neat Motorcycle Stuff
