The Bull Pen, June 2011

Welcome back to the Bull Pen.

It has been said that only a biker knows why a dog sticks its head out the window of a moving vehicle.  While I may not have hair for the wind to blow thru I have been a lifelong enthusiast of spending quality time via two wheels.  It's hard to believe but my passion for riding started almost 30 years ago.  Over those 30 years, I have enjoyed countless hours exploring many of the roads less traveled. 

You would think that the longer you do something the better your skills develop, but is that really true?  I do believe I am a much better rider than when I started but being involved in a few serious accidents one thought continued to haunt me.  That thought was "Could I have done something more to avoid these accidents".   The conclusion I came to was yes.

The way I look at it, many of us learn to ride and continue to repeat our first year of riding over & over.  Sure you pick up a few skills over the years, but do you really approach riding as a lifelong opportunity to learn & improve?  I can tell you from years in the saddle that many of us don't.  So let's fast forward a bit, I wanted to learn & improve my riding skills and shared my thoughts with other Rescue Rider leaders and found that I wasn't the only one who felt this way. 

Ok, what did I get myself into?  I now not only have to find a way to learn, but need to also make sure this solution includes 19 other Rescue Rider leaders.  Solution, Woodstock Harley Advanced Riding School.  The great folks at Woodstock Harley helped the Rescue Riders host two, five-day advanced riding classes and what an amazing experience it was. 

Let me ask you, what would you do if you were riding on gravel at 40 mph and locked up your rear tire?  Would you apply the front brake?  Feather the back brake?  NOPE.  Do that and you will end up like one of our most excellent Rescue Rider leaders, Dan Nolan pictured here.  Dan is a great sport and I can tell you that as a result of his newly learned skills he can easily lock a brake at 40 mph and now actually have fun doing it & walk away without a scratch. 

Ooh, so I don't leave you hanging, the correct thing to do if you ever lock your rear tire is to keep it locked and steer the bike to counteract any movement to the left or right.  Inquiring minds want to know right?  Learning to ride or more correctly, ride better was something that was long overdue for me and the other students.  One of our participants, Dan DeBoey said that if you were to ask him when he started riding before taking the class he would have said 1964.  After completing the class his answer was Wednesday night which was the day our class began. 

So where am I going with this?  As bikers, we all face increased dangers while riding.  In Illinois for example, motorcycles make up about 4% of registered vehicles but represent about 14% of Illinois traffic fatalities.  As a parent & husband, I don't want to be included in the 14% number & I hope you feel the same way.  One of the best ways to survive on our full-contact roads these days is to learn to ride with & high level of skill.  One added bonus for completing many of these courses is a discount on your motorcycle insurance.  Saving a few bucks is never a bad thing. I hope you join me in committing to lifelong learning & look into some of the many wonderful riding classes in your area.     

Well, that's it for this month.  When I am not sharing my wisdom with you via my Saddle Tramp editorials or volunteering for the Rescue Rider program, I run an insurance agency West of Chicago.  I enjoy working with fellow bikers helping you protect what matters most.  If I can help you with your insurance please drop me a note at deanakey@allstate.com or give me a call at 877-232-9899.  I would love to hear from you.  Until next month, enjoy the ride.