July 2011 Newsletter: Women in Motion Wrapup and More!

By Steve Johnson

Road Guardians – Program Director

Steve@roadguardians.org

This is the time of year most of us have been waiting all year for: prime riding season.  Looking at the pictures people have been sharing online, it seems everyone is out enjoying the summer weather.  Things have been busy around Road Guardians as well; we held our first annual Car and Motorcycle Show with our neighbor Martin’s Automotive on July 12.  A great time was had by all who attended and our thanks go out to all our volunteers who made it happen.

Then July 14th to the 17th was our Women In Motion Ride and 17^th Annual Tommy Thompson Reunion Ride.  After seventeen years of this raising money for Accident Scene Management’s training programs, this year was the first time in the ride’s history that the training was put in to action.  We experienced some challenges.  A few bikes went down and one rider was transported to the hospital to be checked out. Everyone is fine despite some minor injuries and damaged bikes. The following article was run by the local media of how our Road Guardians put their ASMI training in to action!

http://www.wiscnews.com/portagedailyregister/news/article_32c83580-af63-11e0-9f81-001cc4c002e0.html

 I am so proud of everyone from our group and their response to this situation!

On Saturday, former Governor Tommy Thompson joined us riding for the day.  In the morning, we visited Wild Cat Mountain and encountered some rain.  We enjoyed a great lunch provided by Al Muth Harley Davidson in Black River Falls, WI.  As temperatures climbed in the afternoon, Tommy invited to stop by his home on his ranch.  Then back to the hotel where he hosted an outstanding evening party complete with pig roast.  Our final night’s party was covered by the local media. 

http://www.wiscnews.com/juneaucountystartimes/news/local/collection_ce87e2bc-b257-11e0-ad7d-001cc4c002e0.html

Saturday July 23rd brought the Born To Ride movie world premiere screening event at the Marcus Theater.  Following the showing of the movie, Mike Anthony Jones, the movie’s writer/producer hosted a reception to benefit Road Guardians at our compound in Big Bend.   A cast party featuring many of the movie’s stars including Branscombe Richmond, Keith Ball and Dave Zien will be held at our Compound on Sunday, September 4^th during the Milwaukee Rally as part of our joint fundraiser with ABATE of Wisconsin Share the Road Program.  Watch our website and Facebook page for the latest details.

July 2011 Newsletter: Tomahawk Fall Ride Speedway Event

Via e-mail from our friend Dave M.,

Photo courtesy of traveltomahawk.com

Hey all you hard riding, fast talking, leather toting riders,
The Fall ride is only a couple months off. Preacher has made all of the arrangements for a great place to camp, eat, drink and enjoy the camaraderie of this annual Harley event, Featuring a ride to Support our friend Dave Zien Camping is available for only $30.00 for the WEEKEND ($50.00 per couple)

Sep 14-18 Sat Rally/Ride (WI) 14-18th Tomahawk Fall Ride for Vets and Rally at the Tomahawk Speedway. Camping, music, food, full bar, vendors. for more info go to www.tomahawkfallrideforvets.com and reserve your spot today.

Ride/Fund-raiser (WI) Free Riders Press "Ride for Vets" and "Don't Tread on Zien" fundraiser line-up at the Tomahawk Speedway 9:00am, leaves 11am for a ride in Northern Wisconsin. for more info www.tomahawkfallrideforvets.com or 715-344-6164

Dean free Bonfires, Bands nightly, Vendor mall, Saturday features "Ride for Vets" and "Don't tread on Zien" Mark your calendars and make your reservations today!

Dave Zien and I stayed at the speedway last year and we had a terrific time. Keep the bugs off your teeth and your hair in the Wind.

July 2011 Newsletter: Motorcycle HID Xenon Lighting

Motorcycles, Headlights, & Safety

Motorcycles are often perceived as being extraordinarily dangerous, and this perception is only heightened by continuous media and societal portrayals of motorcyclists as reckless and carefree.  While this is certainly a generalization that’s based in assumptions about the types of people that ride motorcycles, and is unfairly attributed solely to bike riders, safety is still something that should be at the forefront of all cyclists’ minds.  Without walls and seat belts offering extra protection, a motorcycle’s headlights are among the most crucial safety features a bike’s equipped with.  So having just the right headlights can help keep the biker safer, and help others take notice of you on the road.

Most motorcycles are equipped with stock halogen headlights, but a more recent technology can really help boost the safety of bikes.  HIDs, or High Intensity Discharge headlights, can be over 3x as bright as conventional halogens.  Whether your bike is a single or dual-beam vehicle, to many other drivers on the road, they lights are so close together they still look like a single headlight.  This can confuse car, truck, and SUV drivers, making them think that perhaps the vehicle approaching in the other lane is just a car with one dead headlight.  If drivers are able to better make out that the vehicle is a bike, they’re more likely to provide a greater amount of cushion space between their car and your motorcycle.  With increased brightness, it’s much easier to tell.

For this reason as well, it’s also important for motorcycles to have a long-lasting headlight setup.  If you’re driving a single beam unit, a dead headlight means you’re driving blind, and you’re invisible to others at night.  HID headlights can last up to ten times as long as stock halogens, and this improved longevity means you won’t have to worry about replacing your bike’s headlight when there’s no place around to pick up a replacement motorcycle bulb.

HID light is also easier on the eyes, as it appears more like natural light than halogen beams do.  Unstrained eyes are critical for driving safety, and should be taken seriously.  The one downside of an HID headlight array is that improperly installed HIDs can blind other drivers.  Their intense beams are strong and can be hard to look at when directed straight at a driver’s face.  HIDs always need to be properly set so that they face more downward that conventional headlights, and when installed correctly they aren’t a hazard.

A bike’s supposed to provide its driver with a feeling of fleeting danger, but it’s not supposed to actually be dangerous.  Just like a roller coaster, the thrill comes from the experience, not the actual risk, and the right headlights can reduce that risk.

For our readers, Motorcycle HID Xenon lights are being discounted by 35%!

July 2011 Newsletter: Member Benefits

Did you know that RG membership not only supports our mission to reduce injuries and fatalities to motorcyclists but we aim to give back! With over 1200 member discounts and a member's only website we thank you for caring about your fellow biker. 

To become a member go to: www.roadguardians.org/members.php. Get money off on training and events as well!