50 ways to stay alive

Danni Stockley of the Ontario Chrome Divas sent me this list from the guys at Lone Wolf Clubhouse
There is some very sound and sage advice in this list....

1. Assume you're invisible.
To a lot of drivers, you are. Never make a move based on the assumption that another driver sees you, even if you've made eye contact. Bikes don't register to the four-wheel mind.

2. Be considerate.
The consequences of strafing the jerk du jour or cutting him off, start out bad and get worse. Pretend it was your grandma and smile.

3. Dress for the crash, not the pool or the pub.
Sure, McDonald's is a 5-minute trip, but nobody plans to eat pavement. Modern mesh gear means 100-degree heat and is no excuse for a T-shirt and board shorts.

4. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
Assume that car across the intersection will turn across your bow when the light goes green, with or without a turn signal.

5. Leave your ego at home.
The only people who really care if you were faster on the freeway will be the officer and the judge.

6. Pay attention.
Yes, there is a half-naked girl on the billboard. That shock does feels squishy. Meanwhile, you could be drifting toward Big Trouble. Focus.

7. Mirrors only show you part of the picture.
Never change direction without turning your head to make sure the coast really is clear.

8. Be patient.
Always take another second or three before you pull out to pass, ride away from a curb or into freeway traffic from an on-ramp. It's what you don't see that gets you. That extra look could save your butt.

9. Watch your closing speed.
Passing cars at twice their speed or changing lanes to shoot past a row of stopped cars is just asking for trouble.

10. Beware the verge and the merge.
A lot of nasty surprises end up on the sides of the road: empty McDonald's bags, nails, TV antennas, ladders, you name it. Watch for troublesome debris on both sides of the road.

11. Left-turning cars remain a leading killer of motorcyclists.
Don't assume someone will wait for you to dart through the intersection. They're trying to beat the light, too.

12. Beware of cars running traffic lights.
The first few seconds after a signal light changes are the most perilous. Look both ways before barging into an intersection.

13. Check your mirrors.
Do it every time you change lanes, slow down or stop. Be ready to move if another vehicle is about to occupy the space you'd planned to use.

14. Mind the gap.
Remember Drivers Ed? One seconds worth of distance per 10 mph is the old rule of thumb. Better still, scan the next 12 seconds ahead for potential trouble.

15 Beware of boy racers.
They're quick and their drivers tend to be aggressive. Don't assume you've beaten one away from a light or outpaced it in traffic and change lanes without looking. You could end up as a civic hood ornament.

16. Excessive entrance speed hurts.
Its the leading cause of single-bike accidents on twisty roads and racetracks. In Slow, Out Fast is the old adage, and it still works. Dialing up corner speed is safer than scrubbing it off.

17. Don't trust that deer whistle.
Ungulates and other feral beasts prowl at dawn and dusk, so heed those big yellow signs. If you're riding in a target-rich environment, slow down and watch the shoulders.

18. Learn to use both brakes.
The front does most of your stopping, but a little rear brake on corner entry can calm a nervous chassis.

19. Keep the front brake covered always.
Save a single second of reaction time at 60 mph and you can stop 88 feet shorter. Think about that.

20. Look where you want to go.
Use the miracle of target fixation to your advantage. The motorcycle goes where you look, so focus on the solution instead of the problem.

21. Keep your eyes moving.
Traffic is always shifting, so keep scanning for potential trouble. Don't lock your eyes on any one thing for too long unless you're actually dealing with trouble.

22. Think before you act.
Careful whipping around that mica going 7 kph in a 30-kph zone or you could end up with your head in the drivers side door when he turns into the driveway right in front of you.

23. Raise your gaze.
Its too late to do anything about the 20 feet immediately in front of your fender, so scan the road far enough ahead to see trouble and change trajectory.

24. Get your mind right in the driveway.
Most accidents happen during the first 15 minutes of a ride, below 40 mph, near an intersection or driveway. Yes, that could be your driveway.

25. Come to a full stop at that next stop sign.
Put a foot down. Look again. Anything less forces a snap decision with no time to spot potential trouble.

26. Never dive into a gap in stalled traffic.
Cars may have stopped for a reason, and you may not be able to see why until its too late to do anything about it.

27 Don't saddle up more than you can handle.
If you weigh 95 pounds, avoid that 795-pound cruiser. If you're 5-foot-5, forget those towering adventure-tourers.

28. Watch for car doors opening in traffic.
And smacking a car that's swerving around some goofballs open door is just as painful.

29. Don't get in an intersection rut.
Watch for a two-way stop after a string of four-way intersections. If you expect cross-traffic to stop, there could be a painful surprise when it doesn't.

30. Stay in your comfort zone when you're with a group.
Riding over your head is a good way to end up in the ditch. Any bunch worth riding with will have a rendezvous point where you'll be able to link up again.

31. Give your eyes some time to adjust.
A minute or two of low light heading from a well-lighted garage onto dark streets is a good thing. Otherwise, you're essentially flying blind for the first mile or so

32. Master the slow U-turn.
Practice. Park your butt on the outside edge of the seat and lean the bike into the turn, using your body as a counterweight as you pivot around the rear wheel.

33. Who put a stop sign at the top of this hill?
Don't panic. Use the rear brake to keep from rolling back down. Use Mr. Throttle and Mr. Clutch normally and smoothly to pull away.

34. If it looks slippery, assume it is.
A patch of suspicious pavement could be just about anything. Butter Flavor Crisco? Gravel? Mobil 1? Or maybe its nothing. Better to slow down for nothing than go on your head.

35. Bang! A blowout! Now what?
No sudden moves. The motorcycle isn't happy, so be prepared to apply a little calming muscle to maintain course Ease back the throttle, brake gingerly with the good wheel and pull over very smoothly to the shoulder. Big sigh.

36. Drops on the face shield?
Its raining. Lightly misted pavement can be slipperier than when its been rinsed by a downpour, and you never know how much grip there is. Apply maximum-level concentration, caution and smoothness.

37. Emotions in check?
To paraphrase Mr. Ice Cube, chickity-check yourself before you wreck yourself. Emotions are as powerful as any drug, so take inventory every time you saddle up. If you're mad, sad, exhausted or anxious, stay put.

38. Wear good gear.
Wear stuff that fits you and the weather If you're too hot or too cold or fighting with a jacket that binds across the shoulders, you're dangerous. Its that simple.

39. Leave the iPod at home.
You wont hear that cement truck in time with Spinal Tap cranked to 11, but they might like your headphones in intensive care.

40. Learn to swerve.
Be able to do two tight turns in quick succession. Flick left around the bag of briquettes, then right back to your original trajectory. The bike will follow your eyes, so look at the way around, not the briquettes. Now practice till its a reflex.

41. Be smooth at low speeds.
Take some angst out, especially of slow-speed maneuvers, with a bit of rear brake. It adds a welcome bit of stability by minimizing unwelcome weight transfer and potentially bothersome drive line lash.

42. Flashing is good for you.
Turn signals get your attention by flashing, right? So a few easy taps on the pedal or lever before stopping makes your brake light more eye-catching to trailing traffic.

43. Intersections are scary, so hedge your bets.
Put another vehicle between your bike and the possibility of someone running the stop sign/red light on your right and you cut your chances of getting nailed in half.

44. Tune your peripheral vision.
Pick a point near the center of that wall over there. Now scan as far as you can by moving your attention, not your gaze. The more you can see without turning your head, the sooner you can react to trouble.

45. All alone at a light that wont turn green?
Put as much motorcycle as possible directly above the sensor wire usually buried in the pavement beneath you and located by a round or square pattern behind the limit line. If the light still wont change, try putting your kickstand down, right on the wire. You should be on your way in seconds.

46. Every-thing is harder to see after dark.
Even You. Adjust your headlights, Carry a clear face shield and have your game all the way on after dark, especially during commuter hours.

47. Don't troll next to or right behind Mr. Peterbilt.
If one of those 18 retreads blows up which they do with some regularity it de-treads, and that can be ugly. Unless you like dodging huge chunks of flying rubber, keep your distance.

48. Take the panic out of panic stops.
Develop an intimate relationship with your front brake. Seek out some safe, open pavement. Starting slowly, find that fine line between maximum braking and a locked wheel, and then do it again, and again.

49. Make your tires right.
None of this stuff matters unless your skins are right. Don't take em for granted Make sure pressure is spot-on every time you ride. Check for cuts, nails and other junk they might have picked up, as well as general wear.

50. Take a deep breath.
Count to 10. Smile at the idiot. Forgetting some clowns 80-mph indiscretion beats running the risk of ruining your life, or ending it.

Heed these words and your potential for survival just went up - exponentially!

Belt Drive Betty
National Vice President
Alliance for Injured Motorcyclists of Canada

In the aftermath of an accident...

Death is but one aspect of a motorcycle accident.

What happens when you survive the crash?






No matter what caused the accident, no matter where it happens...an accident alters your life.
You now have new limitations, a healing period. You have to learn how to cope, how to get around...

Imagine yourself in the situation that two young fathers from Southern Alberta find themselves in.

One is coming to grips with the fact that he will never walk again and the other with the fact that he'll need a prosthetic to walk.

Both are still in hospital - one is from Medicine Hat and one is from High River.

The Alliance for Injured Motorcyclists of Canada was founded in 1996 as the National governing body for the Association for Injured Motorcyclists which was founded in 1983.

The primary purpose of AIM and AIM-Can is to provide emotional, practical and financial supports to riders and their families in the event of a motorcycle accident.

We are actively looking to form chapters right across Canada in an effort to better support and serve our brothers and sisters during their time of need.

If you would like more information on forming a chapter and providing those practical supports to a fellow rider during their time of need please contact Cliff Hammond National President of AIM-Can at (shotgunn00@hotmail.com)

You can make a difference. And remember - "There but for the grace of God go I"

It could be you that needs the support after an accident...

PLEASE - Ride like everyone around you is blind and can't see you, make sure your motorcycle is in good repair, stay hydrated and please use your head for something besides carrying your helmet.

Belt Drive Betty
National Vice President
Alliance for Injured Motorcyclists of Canada

An Injured Rider needs our Support

The Alliance for Injured Motorcyclists of Canada was founded to help fellow riders and their families in the event of a motorcycle accident.

We have been notified of a special fundraiser taking place in High River AB at the Rio Vista Golf Curse for a single Dad, 34 years old, who lost a leg and is having some cognitive challenges at the moment.

It is hoped that as swelling goes down, his memory among other things will improve.

He has a long road to recovery and the group that is assisting him can use your help.

If you can help at all, even just by passing along the poster and spreading the word...every little bit helps.

Thanks....


If you are riding today, PLEASE - ride like everyone around you is blind and can't see you.


Belt Drive Betty
National Vice President
Alliance for Injured Motorcyclists of Canada

More deaths in our community

The news feeds are filled yet again with the news of more deaths in the motorcycle community here in Canada.

I came across a Canadian Blog called Driving Education for the Masses

I hope you will take note of the statistics in the top right hand corner of their homepage - they are startling...

There have been 42 motorists killed so far this year but there have been 94 Riders killed.

People - WE need to do something about this trend.

The major factors involved in these crashes - not necessarily in order of importance:

1: Speed of rider
2: Inexperience
3: Inattention of motorist/rider
4: Road Conditions
5: Alcohol - both motorists and riders
6: Stunting/racing - both motorists and riders
7: Wildlife

I want to turn our collective focus as a community to becoming a PRO Safety Community.
I would love to see each rider and motorist become more attentive and focused, pro active!

Whether we drive our motor vehicles or are riding our motorcycles, we can all do a better job of focusing on the task at hand DRIVING/RIDING

How can WE as a community turn the tides of death and destruction?
We need to be PRO SAFETY. Remember energy flows to where attention goes.
Each and everyone of us needs to focus on conducting ourselves in a safe manner.

In my opinion we need to wear good gear, ride with awareness, ensure our motorcycles are well maintained, stay hydrated and get advanced rider training. We need to keep our collective minds on safety.

I believe that when our number is up it is up, our creator will take us when it is our time,
BUT I also believe that we bring to us challenges and problems we don't need because of our thinking.

We can become a safer community - we won't be able to get rid of all of the risks in our lives - wildlife is one risk we have little control over - but we can mitigate it - reduce the risk, by being aware: Scan - Interpret -Predict - Decide and Execute

We can't prevent the action of others but we can anticipate them - expect people to pull out in front of you and you can prepare your escape rout - you can slow down, you can slalom around them.

WE need to take the BIGGEST majority of the responsibility for our own safety. Why?
Your mother, father, brothers, sisters, friends, wives, husbands, children - they will all miss you when you are gone - they will have to adapt to the new you and your new reality if you are injured...they will have to death with the grief of loosing you.

Your actions, your decisions affect them - the people you love - the people who love you.

Yes you are entitled to your choices to wear or not wear a DOT helmet, to wear or not wear top quality gear. You are entitled to think you do not need advanced rider training or driver training...but - what about the people who love you?

If you are riding today, please, take a walk around that Iron Steed, stay hydrates, ride like everyone around you is blind and can not see you and use respect with that right hand.

Belt Drive Betty

What a mixed bag in the news today, sorting out what's important...

There's a ton of information on our web site and I don't know how many of you go through all of the tabs but I thought today I would give you a sample of what I read and put in the news feeds every day.

In British Columbia:

The RCMP caught a lucky break in catching a motorcycle thief - A deer side lined the thief for them!!!

In Alberta:

Red Deer residents Henry Meinema and his wife Valerie were involved in an accident with their Bike & Side Car. Henry died as a result and Valerie is in Foothills hospital fighting for her life.

In Manitoba:

A man is dead after a collision between a northbound motorcycle and an eastbound pick-up truck at the intersection of Highway 205 and 216 south of Grunthal, Manitoba. (Scroll down to read the article)

In Ontario:

Two dudes who decided to flip the OPP the bird while racing their motorcycles had them seized and have been charged with dangerous driving.

There were serious motorcycle crashes in both Brampton & Waterloo

In Quebec:

A woman is in hospital with life threatening injuries after an accident in Bristol (scroll down to read the article)

In New Brunswick:

Grande Falls police are investigating the cause of a bike & side car accident that left a man in serious condition

In International Business News:

Big Dog was awarded the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Export Achievement Certificate

We hand select the main news feed articles to ensure that we do not end up with stories from other communities like mountain bikers that really have no bearing on the motorcycle community.

But did you know, that if you are a member of Belt Drive Betty dot Com, you can also submit news to our site? You can. Pretty much every page now has a" submit your..."link. And once you have saved the article you can share it to:Facebook, MySpace, Yahoo, Google - there's quite a list of social networks available for sharing. So - you can have the benefit of typing the article once, and get the exposure to our membership and your social network/s...it's a time saver that I am sure learning to appreciate.

Don't get me wrong, the mainstream news is important, however the community driven news is more relevant and important to most of us here.

I want to know about your events and their successes and challenges regardless of the province you are from because there may be valuable lessons to be learned.

I want to know about the community volunteer or business who went above and beyond as it will inspire me and others.

I want to know about the great businesses that serve this community so that when I plan a holiday or road trip I can include them in my list of places to go and people to see.

I want to know your favorite local day ride so that when I come your way I can ride like a local.

So, if you are active with other social networks and you want to save some time and promote your group, your community, your events in a broader way, why not submit and article to Belt Drive Betty dot Com and share it - accomplish more in less time so you have more time for riding!

You will note that we are changing the way the news appears in the various categories - Although we loved the blocked look, some provinces have so much news that it was difficult to display it all and allow it to be search able the way we wanted it so we are slowly changing the display on all pages. The change means no more scrolling down to read an article! Yah!

If you are a fortunate soul who is riding today, PLEASE - take a walk around that iron steed, stay hydrated, ride like everyone around you is blind and can not see you and use respect with that throttle hand.

Belt Drive Betty

The BDB Club - not what you might think

How many of you who read this blog know and understand what the BDB Club is?

Many think it stands for the Belt Drive Betty Club - if that's what you think, you'd be wrong.

The BDB Club (Bikers Discount Buying Club) - for riders its is a savings club - a way to discover rider friendly/rider owned businesses you might not other wise give a second thought to.

For rider owned & friendly businesses the BDB Club/Assoc (Bikers Doing Business Club/Association) is a way to market, network and promote their businesses.

When I first started the newspaper, the Busted Knuckle Chronicles, I discovered a certain lacking in the ability to market and promote businesses that are run/owned by riders - there was no forum, no way for them to reach out to us, their consumer, other than through their local newspapers and radio stations.

A rider might miss out on the opportunity to find that little out of the way bed and breakfast or great pub, campground or shop that a fellow rider owns.

On the day to day scene, we all need accountants, electronics, and other goods and services that do not involve our riding lives, but impact our daily lives.

Doing business with others of like mind generally makes for a much more pleasurable transaction. Sharing a passion takes the commercial transaction to a new level and often you discover valuable information on the local riding scene of the town you are in and often, you become friends with that business owner.

Examine your own experiences over this riding season...
Look at your day to day life...

In my riding life, I prefer to stay at a rider owned hotel/motel like the Dunvegan Inn & Suites where the staff of the Hotel truly get what being rider friendly means. The owners both ride and are very active in their local community, I however did not know that until I approached them to become involve with the BDB Club and Mighty Peace Tourism's Motorcycle Initiative.

I prefer to eat at an establishment like McCool's in Crossfield or the SirDar Grill & Pub in SirDar BC...both rider owned.

In my business life, I use a printer who rides, a web mistress who rides and an accountant who used to ride.

In my day to day life, I buy my consumer goods at businesses who are either rider owned or have employees who ride. Example: There are three post offices on my side of town here in Grande Prairie. I almost always go the one that is farthest away, up by the WalMart - why? because the one gal there rides and we always have a great "visit" while she is taking care of my shipping needs.

We are gearing up to produce the 2010 Rider Friendly phone book, for your desk or saddlebags, for your GPS Unit or your mobile phone... the 2010 Phone book is going to be available in 4 formats this year...

The BDB Club helps riders get the best bang for their buck, helps event coordinators find vendors for their events and helps businesses get the exposure to the riding community they need.

It helps the local and the tourist...

For information on joining the BDB Club for Business, drop me a line (bdbetty@gmail.com) and I can send you the information. It's affordable and effective!

To join the BDB Club for Riders, sign up for free membership on www.beltdrivebetty.com
Under the Business Link you will find the Rider Friendly Directory & Your personal download able savings card. The card is currently good at over 150 locations and growing!

I want to welcome our newest BDB Club Business partners:

The Bellvue Inn - Crowsnest Pass AB
The Dominion Hotel - Carstairs AB
Paradise RV - Grande Prairie, Red Deer & Leduc

I look forward to growing this network and having the rider community and its businesses flourish...building a strong sense of community - together!
If you are riding today, please take a walk around that Iron Steed of yours, stay hydrated, ride like everyone around you is blind and can't see you and use respect with that right hand.

Belt Drive Betty

A great weekend...

This weekend turned out to be everything I could have hoped for!

38 bikes with 50 riders/passengers were greeted by the Mayor, the CFO and a town counselor from the Town of Thorbsy at the Kountry Kitchen Bakery!

The town of Thorsby has declared itself, at a recent counsel meeting, as "Rider Friendly"!
Two of the 16 riders from the Insane Customs crew asked permission to do a burn out on main street and the Mayor promptly gave it!

Bruce and Betty from the Kountry Kitchen Bakery and their volunteers did a bang up job of breakfast and free coffee was supplied to all who attended.

Ron from the Alberta Indian Riders (from Calgary) played the bag pipes for our memorial service where we honored those we have lost this season, Kathleen Purser, Ray Seeley, Ronnie, Duane Lowrie and so many more. It seemed everyone was riding in memory of someone they have loved and miss in our community. We had a short procession after the memorial up and down main street and the town's counselor did the blocking for us!

Doug Singer from Grande Prairie made it out for the ride. His was one of three Indian Motorcycles that were on the ride.

The weather was amazing, the ride was soul soothing and the hospitality was fabulous.
The Town of Thorsby pulled out all of the stops and has some big plans for next year for us.

The V-Twin Family Diner Show 'n' Shine was a great time as well. Kim & Paul did an awesome job. The Show 'n' Shine was a fundraiser for Diabetes Research and although we do not know the total raised, the 50/50 draw of $168 was won by Chris, one of the riders in our group!
A couple from Leduc won the tickets to Kissmania and stayed for the concert.

I want to thank all of our sponsors...The Walking Eagle in Rocky Mountain House, Handlebar Hideout in Sylvan Lake, Rose's Front Room in Blackfalds, Time Machine in Edmonton and Insane Customs in Edmonton. The ride prizes we handed out were deeply appreciated by the riders!

The whole day was just fabulous and you will be able to read all about it in next Thursday's Busted Knuckle Chronicles. This week's paper has some very interesting articles in it.
Watch for your newsletter and the link to the newspaper in your email this coming Thursday morning.

If you do not subscribe to the Busted Knuckle Chronicles, perhaps a kind friend will pass it along to you or you could sign up for a one year subscription and become part of our information network!

In other news, Bruce Arnold, Author and Publisher, LdrLongDistanceRider.com, has written a very poignant letter to Ray LaHood for the up coming Distract Driving Summit in the US.
I feel his letter hits the mark here in Canada as well. (scroll down on the page to read the article)

In Great Britian, Hampshire Constabulary Chief Constable Alex Marshall told The Portsmouth News that “mature people riding motorcycles are having accidents and that is something we will be focusing on.” This English policeman has denounced motorcycles for killing the Baby Boom generation. David Booth, the writer of the article has some interesting thoughts on the subject!
(Again, scroll down a bit to read the article)

Since these two articles both deal with deaths on motorcycles, I thought I would ask you this question toady:

What do you feel is the largest contributing cause to motorcycle accidents here in Canada?

A: Distracted or inattentive motorists
B: Alcohol consumed by the motorcyclist
C: Lack of rider training & safety skills
D: Lack of appropriate gear
E: Poorly maintained vehicles/motorcycles

And my second question:

What do you feel about the penalties being handed out to distracted/inattentive/impaired motorists who are involved in an accident causing death of a rider here in Canada?

As always, I am interested in your view point and look forward to your feedback.

I hope that each and every one of you who is riding today will take a walk around that iron steed, stay hydrated, ride like everyone around you is blind and can't see you and that you will use respect with that throttle hand...

Belt Drive Betty