The Trap

The Chef and Co-Owner of the best restaurant in Shediac, New Brunswick and I decided this morning would be a good day to blow some of the cobwebs out of our bikes. We left his fine establishment and headed north along the coast. Riding through these curvy seaside roads, you can tell that the locals take pride in their properties. Not because there are pile of beautifully landscaped yards, which there are many, but these people embrace their Acadian heritage and create a theme that looks like they like to enjoy themselves. Who wouldn't, living a few yards from soft sandy beaches.

Crossing over wooden decked, single lane bridges and seeing the whitecaps crash and spray against the shore, kept us riding until our fingers were numb. We stopped in Bouctouche for a couple of pictures and to warm up.

On the return leg of the 150+ km loop, we took a smaller road in through the village of Saint Thomas. This road was simply awesome for around 30 kms. The left side of the road simple dropped off in to the Atlantic Ocean, separated by only a few yards of surf breaking boulders. These small Capes in South Eastern New Brunswick are incredible rides and I never get tired of them.

Here’s a new site for all of you motorcycle enthusiasts. I’ve even been known to contribute a time or two, but don’t let that stop you from visiting.

Motorcycle-Journal.com evolved from the former Suzuki-Bikes.com and through a strong and respectful membership, the forum maintained a large number of regulars. With some of these long timers moving on to different makes, people joining while researching bikes and perhaps deciding on something besides Suzuki, and members’ friends joining on a recommendation, the forum definitely leaned more toward an all bike forum.

Responding to this, the owners and administration decided to renovate the clubhouse, build on some rooms for our friends and change the sign on the building to make our friends feel more at home. They’ve even added a homepage with insightful articles for you to leave comments.

So if you’ve ever owned a bike, ever thought you might want to own one, or enjoy fun intelligent forum interaction, check out http://www.motorcycle-journal.com/ .

I’ve had several heated on-line debates on the issue of helmet laws in certain states throughout the US. The most common argument against the law requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets are they should be free to choose. Most, also go on to say that they choose to wear a helmet but don’t want the government telling them they have to. I say that the freedom of choice argument is fine, but the choice one makes needs to come from a list of alternatives, and when it comes to motor vehicles, there is the issue of public safety and collateral damage that needs to be addressed.

Have you ever driven down the road in your cage (motorcyclists lingo for car / truck/ mini-van etc.) And had a stone fly up from the road and hit your windshield due to a vehicle in front of you or one that has passed by in the opposite lane? I’m sure most of you have. I say the danger of this happening while riding a motorcycle, causing you to lose control has serious implications with regard to PUBLIC safety. Imagine getting struck in the forehead by a small stone at upwards of 100 miles per hour or more as you have to account for the speed of the rock as well as the speed of the bike. It is very probable that this would cause you to lose control and the possibilities of causing a multiple vehicle accident are greatly increased. That being said, the “choice” the rider makes by not wearing a helmet directly affects the safety of others.

You need to also look at the consequences of a single vehicle motorcycle accident. Orphaned children, widowed wives or husbands, undue stress and commitment (financial or otherwise) by family members to care for a seriously injured rider, unnecessary insurance premium increases are all factors that can be easily influenced by the choice to ride without a helmet. Not to mention the trauma inflicted on emergency services personnel and others involved in an accident, no matter whos at fault.

I cannot get over how strongly people fell about their right to choose to wear a helmet or not simply due to the fear of government dictating their lives. You certainly have the freedom of choice. Here are some choices we all need to ponder. Choose your battles; join the NRA and protect the right to bear arms, organize a peaceful protest and protect your right to assembly, fight for you right to party. Whatever you choose, choose wisely. Back to the helmet issue, I say you have the right to choose and the alternatives are wear a helmet or don’t ride. Your choice.

Cruiser Nation

The motorcycle industry has seen huge growth in the last couple of years thanks to television bike building shows, the price of fuel and the aging demographic. But is this growth, primarily in the Cruiser market, a product of hype or functionality? I, personally, fell in to “the trap” and bought my first motorcycle in the summer of 2004. Because the shows on television and “the Harley allure”, I, too, chose a cruiser, a Suzuki Marauder 800. Did I make the right choice? I’m not sure. Do I regret it? Not on your life! Read the rest of this entry »