Spruce Up Your Skills and Meet With Locals

Executive Report by John Reblin

Well, we hit the 4^th of July and the weather for riding has been great! Although the weather has been great for those favorite outside activities, we do need some rain. Out driving around, I see that in some spots the corn is knee high, but in others it is a little spotty. The lawn is turning that crispy brown color and we keep the garden going by watering. We definitely need some moisture.

I finally got my bike back from some needed repairs after dropping it off by my favorite shop for an oil change and a check over. I look my bike over when going out for a ride, doing the TCLOCK procedure. Well ok, most of the time I do that. I also pay attention when riding it that everything seems to be working right, repair what doesn’t, and if it is something I don’t think I can handle, take it to my guy and let him deal with it. My schedule is pretty full and by the time I get the time I am usually pushing off something else to get things done or am tired. So, once a year or so I get some experienced eyes looking my bike over.

Taking my bike to a person that is trained and diligent when he works on a customer’s bike is important. Whether it is my work van, the little flower’s car, or the bike, if it is needed to operate safely or if it has the possibility of stranding one of us, it gets repaired. I also like having that second set of eyes looking over my bike to look for things I might have missed and for keeping it in good operating condition.

After a fast start to motorcycle fatalities this year over last year, they have settled down a bit. We have been staying close to last year’s totals which is good, but we are still getting a lot of those error type crashes. It could be because of maybe a little bit more alcohol than you really need to have in your system when operating your bike. Or it might have been riding over your skill level, a little too fast, or struggling in the curves.

We also seem to have had a lot of contact with deer this year. The population of these 4-legged pain in the transportation system is getting a bit out of hand, especially when they head out to find some food and, in that process, get in our way. When out riding you need to ride a little slower especially at night, be ready to hit the brakes hard, and not swerve around them, losing control.

So, that takes me to pushing a rider education course. The BRC2, Ultimate Bike Bonding or Advance Rider course will challenge you and help you most when you need the skills to shine. The trained instructors will work hard to improve your riding skills and make you a better rider. When you complete these courses, you can be a confident rider, so why don’t people sign up more for these? I don’t think it is the cost. I think many riders will spend a lot at the dealership for some clothing or chrome goodie, probably more than the cost of a course. Even going out for the Friday fish fry with friends can cost more if you have a few beverages. I think people that stay away do so because they are worried that the other people at these classes will judge or make fun of them if making an error. I have taken 3 or 4 classes and I have never heard a discouraging word from a trainer. They are there to help you and that’s what they want to accomplish with the time they spend with you. I have heard of instructors staying late to work with a student, so they understand and successfully complete a difficult or even to the instructor, an easy task. Taking one of these courses helps you expect the unexpected and survive.

The other thing I am trying to share here is getting everyone interested and involved at the county level when these crashes occur. The first is to participate in the County Deer Advisory Council held in every county in Wisconsin. They are looking for input on reducing and managing the deer herd. They set the hunting limits and also want to maintain a healthy number of deer, and not overpopulate the state. One issue they are running into is the lack of hunting land available. I know the people that own the land are not always willing to open up their land to strangers. But maybe if people would talk to the owner, they may be able to get on some land and use it, especially if they reward the owner with a little cash and leave the property like it was.

The other thing is to attend your county Highway Safety Meeting held quarterly. Here they discuss what is going on in the county as far as road conditions and repairs, and also to discuss crashes in the county, what happened, and what they can do to lessen these from continuing. Your input as a rider will come in handy in these discussions. And they really appreciate and crave this input. It could be discussions about loose gravel or the need to cut back brush or tall grass in order to see the stop sign. You will hear about when they will be doing the pea gravel and tar thing on the roads, so you will be able to share and avoid this area. But you also can give some input on rolling and brooming off the excess so you can get onto these roads faster. They have some good solid discussions on what is happening on the roads at the county level.

Doing some of these things will make the riding season safer for all. Now get out and ride and remember,

Ride Your Own Ride,

John