2WheeledTN

I'm planning a trip to California this year and been doing a little reading on lane splitting.
I can't wait!!

I swipped this off Motorcycle Online.



Lane Splitting: Tear Along Dotted LineThink passing cars between is reckless and inconsiderate? We beg to disagree. But there are some things to know before you start. By Art Friedman.

I had called USC's Accident Research Department to talk to Dave Thom about helmets, but Harry Hurt answered the phone. Hurt, the lead author of the famous "Hurt Report" about the causes of motorcycle accidents, is arguably the most knowledgeable expert in the area of motorcycle safety and always fascinating to talk to.
Today, however, the news wasn't pleasant. Hurt had been rear-ended and had required surgery on his neck. His brand new truck suffered major damage too. "The stupid part," said Hurt, "was that if I'd been on a motorcycle, I wouldn't have had the accident. I would have split lanes and never gotten hit."
Everyone recognizes that lane-splitting is a way for motorcyclists to save time, which may be why car-bound motorists sometimes resent it. In its defense, lane-splitting also reduces congestion and actually helps everyone get there sooner. In effect, it creates an extra lane. That "motorcycle-only lane" can, as Hurt points out, get you away from the antics of cars, which tend to be most violent at the back of the line. I was originally a reluctant lane-splitter myself, but after diving between lanes to escape screeching cars coming up behind me three times in a single ride, I decided that perhaps there was a cosmic message in there somewhere. That was 25 years ago, and I have been lane-splitting, mostly on a non-emergency basis, almost every day since.
The knee-jerk reaction to lane-splitting for most people is that it's dangerous. In fact, Hurt and his fellow researchers discovered that, if anything, it's actually slightly safer than staying in the lane in heavy, crawling traffic. Hurt theorizes that this is because motorcyclists have an easier time steering around threats than stopping frequently. Evans Brafield, Motorcycle Cruiser's Associate Editor and an instructor for the California Motorcycle Safety Program California Motorcycle Safety Program, reckons that the ability the see ahead and get early warning of what traffic is doing is part of the advantage. Certainly, you put virtually all the threats ahead of you and needn't watch your mirrors much.
At Motorcycle Cruiser and our sister magazines, Motorcyclist magazine and Sport Rider magazine, lane-splitting is a way of life. Here in Southern California, rational lane-splitting is tolerated by law enforcement, and the CHP actually testified against a bill that would have banned it several years ago. In a quarter-century of SoCal commuting, I reckon I have reduced the time I have spent in traffic by months, and I can't recall a single close call while doing it. In fact, I haven't ticked more than half a dozen mirrors in that time. In the last few years, the growing availability of carpool lanes has reduced the need to lane-split on freeways, but increased congestion on surface streets has made it more useful there.
The dangers involved in lane splitting are the close proximity of other vehicles, the limited space for maneuvering and the fact that few drivers anticipate your presence. My standard visibility ploys--headlight on high beam during the day and a day-glow orange Shoei helmet--serve me well lane-splitting as in other traffic situations, but the key to painless lane-splitting is understanding the dynamics of the cars around you and knowing what to expect. For example, though you may feel more squeezed when passing between two vehicles side by side, you are more likely to get bunted when overtaking a car that has an open space next to it, especially if the lane on the other side of you is moving significantly faster. If the driver tries to jump to that space, he may forget to check for you. Whether lane-splitting or not, use caution when riding through the blind spot of a driver when you are between him and a place he is likely to want to put his car.

What a great weekend! My brother and two nephews came to Fairview for a visit, they went to the Science Center on Saturday, whatched the playoffs that night and took some rides on the little XR50 on Sunday. It was Jakes first time to ride a motorcycle solo so it was quit a thrill for both of us. Oh and we capped it off with the Predaters game Sunday night.
Oh, and Brandi fixed chicken and dumplins for us too, one of my favorites.

This is Virgil " the wonder dog" and he's for lane splitting.





San Francisco DJ Incites Cars To Crash Motorcyclists

I got this from bikes in the fast lane

Some stupid and ignorant radio DJ with a room temperature IQ has incited cars drivers to open their doors when motorcycles are splitting lanes in San Francisco. He could not see why motorcycles should be able to move through traffic while he was stuck in his car. How stupid can you be. Inciting people to crash, even kill people, is illegal in most parts of the world. Hey Arnold... after your last motorcycle mishap {link}, you want to get involved in this ??? If you too want your say, contact the radio station and let your opinion count: http://www.live105.com/interact/contact/default.htmBusiness Line(415) 402-6700Request Line(415) 478-LIVEToll free(800) 696-1053Sprint PCS#105

Here's a cool site for some Gamma info and links to all things Suzuki.
For all you Suzuki gays, I mean guys.
http://www.suzukicycles.org/RG-series/RG250-Gamma.shtml

This is 1984 Suzuki RG250 Gamma, the 250 GP bike of that era.
I pick it up from my storage building today, took it by the car wash to get the dust off and headed to the house to try to figure out what it was going tp take to get it running.
It had been sitting about 18 months and I thought a carb rebuild and general tuneup would probably do the trick, it was running when I parked it. Since the above mentioned task are over my mechanical ability I thought I would try to start it. Put the key in, and the dash lights lite up, hum got juice, turned the gas on, chocked it, kicked it one time and it FIRED UP. All my riding gear is laying in the garage from a ride on Sunday so I grabed my boots, jacket and hat and went for a spin. Some would poopoo a little 250, but let me tell you this little scooter is wicked fast, from 6000 to 10000 RPM's you best be hanging on and have a real good idea of where you're heading.
That's it for now.