Hi All
We have had so many Biker deaths and accidents this year and the excuse has been ‘I didn’t see you” doesn’t do it for me any longer. We need the motoring public to be more aware of us on the roads.
Just a few thoughts and ideas to consider. Just wanted to share. And if you can add to this please do so! And let me know by email madhatter@highwaydragonsmc.co.za please.
Please have a safe riding weekend wherever you may go
Stay Upright and Lean Into the Bends
Les
To introduce Biker Awareness to the motoring public.
TTTHINK BIKE /BIKER AWARENESS ORGANISATIONS SHOULD BE CONTACTED :
Organise a MASS RIDE for Bike Awareness from A to B, a few during the year. (1 every 6 months). All wearing reflective jackets!
Orderly Mass Ride with Metro in attendance. Perhaps getting the Minister of Transport in the Province involved. Handing over a Petition to the Mayor etc. Contact Media. Do it right! The first time and very right the 2nd time!
b) Contact BIKERS LAW regarding free legal aid/ attorneys etc., all around the
country. Their Slogan: “You take our bike – we take your house!” And I do believe it works too.
Those that have lost bikes and over run their medical could have got it all back and then some. Nominal fee is something like R20 a month which is nothing. Maybe 2 beers a month – worth it?
Contact: Meet up with the Tow Truck Associations / Taxi Associations – have a meeting with these guys – come to some conclusion regarding these terrible accidents due to poor driving abilities etc. But let’s do thi
Contact: RTI & Metro: Re: Road Works, clearing up after accidents; Diesel spillages, armcor barriers, Road Markings etc. Approach Minister of Transport too. (And if you don’t know what I’m talking about here – please contact me on madhatter@highwaydragonsmc.co.za)
Licenses: Age groups – from 16 to 18 400cc – 600cc or something like that.
Licenses should be issued depending on your skills.
Suggestion – Learners 125 to 250cc 18 years and upwards. Advance riding get’s you a 650 to 1000cc license with an age restriction or a strict competency test, and the next level would be a 1300/1400cc and so on. They have already implemented something similar tothis in the UK and it’s very successful.
Dealers (Controversial)
Licenses and ID’s should be presented when buying a bike for CASH. Make it compulsory! Also the new bike owner has to fit the criteria as above e) Otherwise they, the new owner or the Dealer, can’t register the bike!
Rider Training: Most of you have been biking for a great many years and you say ‘ What do I need further training for? Well in ‘those’ days the bike you rode wasn’t as fast, lucky if you got to 250, didn’t have all the bells n whistles it has today, was heavier, wasn’t as easy to maneouver!
Now most of you have all the new technology, fly by wire is almost a thing of the past and you can forget doing repairs on the side of the road!
If you’re doing 250+ and you had to stop – could you? Advance training could assist you in saving your life in a split secondif necessary.
We all know that swinging a leg over the saddle is easy, we don’t actually do any ‘training’ on the road, like emergency stops, braking, swerving, lifting up the bike in a bend, looking for the escape route and many more skills. Getting there ‘first’ isn’t a skill!
…..things change over the years but us bikers seem to be set on sticking to the old ways with our old bike attitude on our newer steeds.
Of course we can learn something new, old dogs can learn new tricks!
Set the example or standard to the youngsters – they’ll look up to you only until you fall, let’s not meet the tar by accident.
Promote the right riding gear
Wear the right riding gear ATGATT! (All The Gear All The Time) Shorts, Slops and T-shirt just doesn’t do it, especially after a fall and the medical team have to dig out all the mess from open, raw wounds, use a hard brush to get the gravel out from under the skin with NO anesthetic!
Buying a bike 130K + And R500 helmet! (Or someone’s spare) Does that sound right? Surely a good effective helmet should be on that equipment list?
Helmets only have a life span of 1 drop oraccident or 5 years whichever comes first!
Finally: It should be compulsoryfor a biker to wear a reflective jacket! The motorist has taken away our advantage on the road to be ‘seen’ by switching on their head lights during the day! Headlights on during the day was for funerals, not common use as we see today.
i) Club colours can still be worn / sewn to the reflective jacket.
ii) What cost your life as opposed to a reflective jacket? Is your skin worth maybe R50, R300? Life is not cheap.
iii) As a car guard you can make money while waiting for your club mates – goes towards beer or fuel!
ADDITIONAL Added 11th March.
All potential Motorists (and most people want to drive) should learn to ride a scooter or motorbike for at least 1 year as part of their license for a motor car. I find motorcyclists are more observant motorists and have quicker reflexes when on the road.
Approach Schools: Our Cradle of prospective bikers for tomorrow ! Also potential motorists! Education is the key! Show and Tell ! 30 minutes of hard core bikers, their bonies and pics and video of some nasty impacts! They dig stuff like that. If they watch gory movies on TV they can surely see it for real in the Show n Tell. Move into the crowd let them ask you questions, answer them honestly and stick to the subject. Bike Awareness and Safety!
(If they ask how fast you ride tell them and then add…. but if you have an accident at that speed….and the rest of the answer if up to you)
At all times – behave! No swearing, fighting, rudeness. Tall order but in order to be taken seriously it’s got to be done.
Reply to the above Demitri Friend
I agree, this is a good start. This must be orchestrated on a national level.
The various PC’s have an alliance, so this can be run through the PC’s with National Traffic input.
I agree about bring this situation to the attention of the motorists but it must also be brought home to the biking public at large.
Ride it like you stole it and other similar slogans should be removed from our vocabulary, drinking and driving is an issue. If you caught and you’re over the limit tuff, you do the time no legal wrangling to get you free.
The dealers should be educated at large, all they are worried about is sales figures.
Simon Fourie and Phil Joffe of Bike SA should be brought on board with their journalistic skills.
Clubs should arrange briefing seminars where they are briefed by organisers of this initiative.
OK this sounds like political jargon, but plan and set a white paper and apply in here in KZN. The other provinces see how effective we are and they will follow, your sentiments are shared by many.
