Everyone that has spent any time in the service or in other organizations, for that matter, where certifications are attained and maintained, has heard this phrase.  It is espoused by the visiting inspection team or advisory team and it sends chills up and down your spine.  Contrary to what it says, it is not what it means.  It means that they (the Inspection party) are there to evaluate and see that you are performing all aspects of your job correctly.  In Naval Aviation they are the Naval Air Training and Operational Procedures Standardization (NATOPS) team.  In the Air Force it is the Inspector General (IG); in the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) it is the Training and Assistance Review (TAR) accomplished by the State's Rider Coach Trainer (RCT). 
In the GWRRA Rider Education Levels Program we also have to attain certain qualifications (e.g., a Riding Course for Levels II-IV) and then maintain those qualifications through refresher activities.  GWRRA is different in one big respect.  Once a Level is achieved you never lose that achievement.  In the service, if you don't re-qualify they take away your birthday.  See how much better the Levels Program is!  The military is very strict because when you are flying an aircraft or firing a howitzer or playing with a grenade, people can get hurt, bad.  But shouldn't GWRRA be the same?  After all, if you aren't 100% up to speed on your riding skills don't you run the risk of serious consequences?  The answer, of course, is absolutely you do!  This is why you are expected to periodically recertify at what ever level you are.  Your Rider Educators ENCOURAGE you to do this.  They won't and can't take away your birthday.  Only you can do that to yourself and/or your Co-Rider if you don't maintain and stay on top of the skills needed to operate your motorcycle.  So make a pact with yourself to keep your skill set as current as possible.  That way you will never meet the guy in the Black Hat.  So how can we do that?  Ask your Chapter Educator to help you keep track of expiration dates on courses and seminars.  The Chapter Educator has access to a database to track that information.  When you discover that a certification is nearing expiration, ask your Chapter Educator to see if there is a course already scheduled where you can re-accomplish and hone those skills.  If nothing is available, ask your Chapter Educator to request a course and see when one can be scheduled in your area.  Then get all your friends to take it with you.  The courses are fun and you will learn things and be safer when you ride.  After all, isn't that what we are all about – "Friends for Fun Safety and Knowledge"!

Some things you hear:

Front brake – I never use the front brake because it will throw you over the handlebars!

Rear brake – I never use the rear brake because it will cause the bike to skid!

Grab – Grab the front brake to get maximum braking!

Fingers – Two fingers are better than four – I can get a better feel when I'm stopping!

The statements above fall into the same category as wearing a fist of garlic around your neck to ward off Vampires.  Well, that may work because it will ward off everything alive or otherwise.

Let's take a closer look at braking systems and the act of braking. 

Conventional Braking Systems:  Conventional braking on a motorcycle is normally separate.  The average motorcycle has a braking system for the front wheel and a separate one for the rear wheel.  This means that you have to be careful about how much and when you apply pressure to each system.

Integrated Braking Systems:  A braking system is considered integrated if some application of the front brake occurs when the rear brake is applied. 

Linked Braking Systems:  A braking system is considered linked if application of either brake causes some application of the other.  Our Gold Wings fall within this category.

Anti-Lock Braking Systems (ABS):  Systems that are labeled ABS (some Gold Wings do have ABS as a factory installed option) have sensors located on each wheel which detect wheel lock-up or lack of rotation after the brakes are applied.  If the wheel stops rotating the sensor will signal the ABS system which in turn will release pressure to that brake to keep the wheel turning.  These systems do prevent wheel lock-up which can lead to a skid but also may cause you to stop in a longer distance.

In 1981 the most comprehensive study of motorcycle crashes and their causal factors ever accomplished was completed by Dr. Harry Hurt and his staff in Southern California.  (Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures, Volume 1: Technical Report, Hurt, H.H., Ouellet, J.V. and Thom, D.R., Traffic Safety Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles,
California 90007, Contract No. DOT HS-5-01160, January 1981 (Final Report)) This study was the basis for the rider training offered through the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF).  Dr. Hurt’s study identified over fifty findings about motorcycle crashes.  Many crashes were often caused by inexperienced riders or riders lacking skill in particular areas, specifically:

·    The rider's inability to stop quickly.
·    The rider's inability to execute curves

In many cases the riders were not seen by the other entity, usually a car.  It was determined that wearing brightly colored clothing and light colored helmets would help the riders be seen by other vehicles and being aware of the risks associated with riding a motorcycle would help the riders recognize other hazards earlier.  The wearing of proper protective gear would reduce the severity of the crash.  But let’s go back to the first point; the inability to stop quickly.  How many of you practice quick stop techniques or emergency braking routinely?  If you take a refresher course every two to three years you would get it there at a minimum but that is not nearly enough.  Every couple of weeks or once a month would be a better frequency.  This will help you learn how to brake and stop Ole Bessie better and more effectively.  So what about braking?  It’s all about physics and the dynamics of the ride.  When the motorcycle is at rest the same braking capability is available on both wheels.  Weight is evenly distributed.  If you applied the front brake quickly and with force you would lock the front wheel which would normally cause a skid.  However, when we are riding and apply the brakes we experience for the sake of explanation lets say a transfer of weight from the rear to the front.  Actually weight doesn’t move but it acts as if it does.  As you apply the brakes the front forks compress causing the front end to dive.  The front wheel is trying to slow down causing this momentum shift.  As the forks compress the weight of the bike and rider are pushing against the resistance applied by the brakes.  This allows the rider to apply the front brake harder because with the extra push the wheel is resisting the stopping effort.  The braking potential of the front wheel becomes greater allowing for even more brake pressure.  We say that the braking potential of the front wheel is 70% compared to the braking potential of the rear wheel at 30%.  This is because of this weight shift (increased braking potential) being realized by the front wheel.  This means something else also.  As the weight or braking potential transfers more braking capability to the front, the rear wheel now becomes lighter or has less braking potential, hence the 30%.  Less brake pressure on the rear wheel is now required to keep the rear wheel from skidding.  Both brakes should obviously always be used in combination.  Our bikes do this in part for us with the distribution of braking power to both wheels though our LBS; but, the rear brake still emphasizes the back wheel braking capability while the front brakes still emphasize the binders up front.  This means that to achieve maximum braking and avoid hitting that bus or cow in the road ahead you need to apply both the front and rear brakes simultaneously utilizing a rapid progressive squeeze of the front brake level while modulating (easing) the rear brake pedal.  If you don’t do this and only use the rear brake you will stop three times longer.  If you only use the front your will stop two times longer, but using both you won’t meet the cow in the road in a bad way. 

Both Brakes  _____________________

Front Brake only_____________________________

Rear brake only______________________________________________________

This event is found on nearly every calendar.  What does it mean to us?
·    Days are getting shorter.
·    Nights are getting longer.
·    Going to work, we now gaze into a rising sun and leaving work the sun is starting to get lower in the sky.
·    It won't be too long before we will come and go in the dark.
·    The grass doesn't grow as fast but the falling leaves cover it up.
·    Other than the weather does it mean much?

In farm country it does.  It means that we will be busier with harvesting and getting ready for winter, fixing and storing and preparing for next year.  That equates to less riding time and more work time.  Ok, you say, seasons come and go.  But it means something to us as motorcyclists. 
·    It signals the end of riding season as the snow approaches.  Of course we all wish for the glorious "Indian Summer" weather to continue.
·    It means our riding opportunities will become less frequent.
·    It means that we are entering a time that is especially dangerous!

When we can't or don't have the opportunity to ride as often as we would like or normally do, our skills tend to atrophy.  It's true of other things too.  When you visit friends that you haven't seen for a while and pick up that deck of dusty cards doesn't it take longer to remember all the rules?   Anything that you don't do as frequently will take longer to reach the same level of proficiency.  Riding is no different.  When our riding skills are rusty, the risk of the ride increases.  We need to remember to be extra careful and take our time until we once again become more aware, fluid and comfortable.  This is not too much different as that first ride of the spring except that maybe we still remember where we left the keys.

What is "Risky Business"?  It's a catchy title for sure.  In fact Tom Cruise the heartthrob of many young and not so young made a movie with that exact tile when he was a lot younger.  In the movie he took some chances without fully thinking about what consequences they might evoke.  Every time something went wrong he made another risky decision and just got himself in deeper and deeper.  Of course he being Ton Cruise everything worked out all right.  Will it do the same for you?

Motorcycle riding, like most other things in life, involves a great deal of decision making!  Some of those decisions are very simple and some are very complex.  The decision you make could be one in a string of many little ones with little impact or it could be one step in a very detailed and complicated scenario.  For example, a simple decision might be:  Should I pack the Frogg Toggs or wear the Kilimanjaro.  In this simple scenario you'll be protected from the elements either way; a zero sum gain.  What about this scenario:  You are travelling down a busy four lane highway as you approach an intersection.  There is a car next to you to the right and an island to the left.  You look ahead and see a pickup truck with a tall load of pallets in the bed waiting to make a left turn across the lanes on your side of the highway.   Since there is a car to your immediate right you dismiss the thought that the pickup may turn in front of you.  Just as you decided all was right with the world and life is sweet, the &$@* pickup pulls out right in front of you.  Now you are in crash avoidance mode.  You jump on the binders and start to slow.  The pickup guns it and makes his turn; Phew; but wait, one of those poorly loaded pallets comes loose and lands in the lane in front of you.  All of a sudden the sleepy day environment you were in is bringing life at you full speed.  Are you ready to swerve? 

Motorcycle riding is risky business all right.  Can you make the right decision when the time comes?  Can you accept the scenario as it develops and separate the hazards thereby reducing the risk and hopefully making the ride safer?  We all hope we can do that.  How can we hedge our bet though, or reduce the risk that life will deal us a hand of Aces and Eights rather than a Straight Flush Ace high?  The answer is really an easy one, at least for a GWRRA member.  Take advantage of the rider education opportunities