MEET YOUR SAFETY OFFICER - KEN SCHULZ

ON THIS PAGE WE WILL KEEP YOU UPDATED

WITH SAFETY TIPS, UPCOMING CHAPTER CLASSES,

MOTORCYCLE OHIO LINKS AND OTHER RELATED INFO

1) ASSUME DRIVERS CAN’T SEE YOU - Ride assuming that you and your motorcycle are totally invisible to other motorists.  That means you must never assume that drivers can see you.

2) MAINTAIN SAFE SPACING - Leave plenty of space in front, back and to the sides from all other vehicles.  Be an “island”.  Stay away from traffic as much as possible.  This gives you more visibility and more time to “read and react” to situations

3) ANTICIPATE TROUBLE - Anticipate trouble situations and know what to do when you see them.  Analyze what the vehicles are doing around you and try to predict the outcome.  Then make sure you’re ready to avoid a bad traffic situation.

4) BEWARE OF ONCOMING LEFT TURNERS - This is the leading cause of death of motorcycle riders.  You must be aware of oncoming motorists turning left in front of you at intersections.  If you only remember one tip here, let it be this one.  Slow down before you enter an intersection.  Have an escape route planned.  Stay visible.  Don’t travel too close to cars in front of you.  Position your bike so it can be seen by the left turner.  Eye contact is not enough!

5) RIDE YOUR OWN RIDE - While riding with a group, don’t try to keep up with your friends who may be more experienced.  Know your personal limits.  Ride your own ride.

6) WATCH OUT FOR CURVES - Beware of taking curves that you can’t see around.  A parked car, or a patch of sand or gravel may be awaiting you. Always remember “Slow, Look, Lean and Roll”.  Slow down, Look (turn your head in the direction of the curve) Lean (lean or push your handlebar in the direction of the curve) and Roll (roll on the throttle) after exiting the curve

7) DON’T GIVE IN TO ROAD RAGE - Do not give in to road rage and try to “get even” with another rider, or motorist.  If you follow these tips, most likely you won’t fall victim to road rage.  It’s better to calm down, slow down and collect your thoughts first.  Then continue on and enjoy the ride.  That’s  what we’re all out there for in the first place!

8) DON’T ALLOW TAILGATING - If someone is tailgating you, either speed up to open more space or pull over and let them pass.  Life is too short.  Remember that a bike can stop faster than a car, so you don’t want a car or truck on your tail when you find yourself trying to brake to avoid an accident.  Also, don’t tailgate the vehicle in front of you.  Oncoming drivers can’t see you.

9) DON’T BE BLINDED BY SUNGLARE -Beware of riding your motorcycle into the sun at sunset.  All it takes is turning into a corner and finding the sun either directly in your face, or passing straight through your windshield - Not Good!  Some helmets have shields to block the sun.  Face shields help somewhat, but sometimes you just find yourself blinded by the sun glare.  Slow down, pull over and wait for the sun to set further into the horizon. 

10) AVOID RIDING BACK COUNTRY ROADS AT NIGHT - Especially here in our area, deer are all over the place.  They become much more active at dusk and during the night time hours.   Besides the deer, there are numerous other  creatures that you can happen upon down that dark country road like  opossums and raccoons.  Not so bad if you’re in your car or truck,  but not too cool on your bike.  They say the electronic deer whistle works good, so you may want to look into one.                          

10 WAYS TO BE SAFE ON A MOTORCYCLE

2009 Motorcycle Ohio Rider Class Updates             by Ken Schulz

Interested in taking either the Basic Rider Course (BRC), or the Experienced Rider Course (ERC) in 2009?  Now is the time to mark your calendar for February 2nd as a reminder.  This will be the day that you can register through the Motorcycle Ohio web page for one of these classes.  Go to www.motorcycle.ohio.gov to do this.  Or, you can call Tri-C to register for one of their classes over the phone.  The number is 216-987-3075.

BRC classes are scheduled to begin as early as late March or early April.  (You may have to dress warm for these dates!)  Typically at Tri-C, West the BRC classroom portion of the course will be held on Wednesday nights from 6-10PM, with the range portion held the following Saturday and Sunday from 7:30 - 1:30, or from 2:00 - 8:00PM - your choice.

ERC dates for Tri-C West are scheduled for March 28th, May 16th, and June 27th.  These dates are all Saturdays and class times run from 2-8:00PM.  As far as I know, the cost will remain $25, but this could change at any time.  Remember, the ERC is for licensed motorcycle riders only and you use your own bike for the exercises on the range.  For the BRC, the state of Ohio provides all students with a motorcycle to use during range exercises.  These bikes are typically 250 cc or less. 

In the meantime, check out the Motorcycle Safety Foundation website at msf-usa.org.  There are some interesting videos that you can view online and a whole library of safety tips that can be a great source of information for you to ponder while we wait for spring to come around!     

HERE ARE LINKS IN "PDF" FORMAT TO MOTORCYCLE OHIO COURSE DETAILS: