Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/840940
WheelsOfGrace.com Volume 9 Issue 2 19 Tips for riding your motorcycle Comfortably and Safely this summer Most of us have a plan when we climb on our cruisers. Maybe it's a refreshing ride to work. Maybe there is an exci ng event or smiling face wai ng at the end of several days of riding. It might just be a relaxing evening pu through the country. The plan usually involves pleasure, or at least a mely arrival at our des na on. There is nothing in the plan that involves crashing. An unvented jacket can move considerable air through it if you lower the zipper and open the cuffs to let air up your sleeve. You will be cooler and less dehydrated in a jacket that flows air than with no jacket at all on a hot day. I never planned to bounce off the hood of a car that morning back in high school when the car came down the wrong side of the street. A crash was the furthest thing from my mind just before I hit the sand on a local mountain road. Nothing in my plans called for a tumble down the interstate that rainy day on the New York State Throughway just nanoseconds a er the bike inexplicably started tank- slapping. My schedule did not include a crash the morning I discovered that the freeway connec ng ramp was covered with coolant. Si ng there with my engine off, wai ng for the Ohio flagman to clear us through at the well-marked road construc on site, I had not an inkling of flying through the air and into the guard rail un l I heard the howling res of the car barreling down behind us. If you woke up one morning and flipped on the TV, and the guy reading the morning news announced that you would crash today, you'd be prepared, wouldn't you? You'd get the best helmet and the most protec ve riding gear you could find, I'll wager. I never once planned on crashing. But that didn't mean that I hadn't prepared for it. Not one of those crashes—or any of the others I didn't plan on during my more than 30 years of riding— found me without a jacket, long pants, solid footwear, gloves, and a helmet. In most cases, my protec ve apparel was even be er than that. Have you ever met anyone who did plan to crash today? I haven't yet. I have met a lot who didn't plan to crash, but found themselves doing it anyway. Many had their surprise compounded by nasty abrasions, horrific bruises, ground-off fingers, even head injuries. All because they didn't "plan" to crash that day. Said one, "If I knew I was going down on that ride, there is no way I'd have worn shorts." He was apparently planning to crash a different day. We think one of the most important parts of a boot is its sole. Traction can become very important when you try to support your bike on an oily or sandy surface. No one expects it or sees it coming in me to change their minds about what they'll wear. The excuses sound awfully hollow a erwards: "It was too much trouble to get my jacket By Art Friedman, Law Tigers blog 951.265.8420 Facebook.com/UnrestrictedAutoTrends