Thank you for waving at me as you tried to crush me with your car.....

One of the things that I love about my job at FX Caprara Harley-Davidson® is that we are an advocate for motorcycle safety & riding aware. That's why I jumped at the chance to participate in the Fort Drum Motorcycle Safety Day, representing the dealership.

At the safety day I spoke about motorcycle insurance, motorcycle tires, and the Harley Owners Group. They had other professionals speaking about riding safely as well - blind spots around tractor-trailer rigs, most common accidents, motorcycling myths, etc. 

Ironically, as I left Fort Drum to return to FX Caprara Harley, I put all those safety tips to the test. And sometimes the people who need to hear about motorcycle safety are the drivers (aka Cagers) behind the wheel!!

I was riding along on a 2-lane interstate and a construction zone had the left/fast lane closed off. So I'm in the right/slow lane and there's a silver sedan coming up on an on-ramp. With plenty of room, I was going to allow this car to get in front of me - but this guy had other plans.

The car started slowing down and I took that to mean that I was to go ahead and pass - so I did. And now I'm in front of the car, expecting to see him get behind me, and I'm watching my rear-view mirror to make sure that is what he's going to do.... but I don't see him.

And now the on-ramp/merge lane is coming to an end.... Where is this guy?? I look to my right and he's right next to me, smiling and waving..... and coming right towards me in his car!! I have no choice but to slow down and let this driver get in front of me - again!! 

What made it worse, I'm wearing my waterproof gauntlet gloves and cannot give the proper finger.... so I just raise my left arm and my voice to yell at him. His reply: lifting his arm out his window to wave at me.... Wow, really??

Then the interstate opens back up to two lanes, and I immediately speed up to 65, move over to the left/passing lane, and pass this guy. As I'm riding past this driver, of course I'm looking at him - as if I'll magically be able to figure out his motive for trying to kill me. And he waves at me.... again!!!

I'm not sure why this driver thought smiling and waving at me as he

tried to crush me with his car was ok. Was he mesmerized by a woman riding a Harley-Davidson Dyna Super Glide? Did he think/expect me to just move out of his way? Did he want a closer look at my bike without getting out of his car? Was he playing a joke - albeit a bad one? Did he realize what he was doing??

Whatever the case with this driver, I'm here to tell you as a rider, this is the stuff our nightmares are made out of and in real life it's not ok.  It is never ok for a driver to use his/her car to drive into a motorcycle and rider!! Please, for the love of all that is holy, watch out for those of us who ride!!! Thank you in advance!

Here's to living a life Cage Free

This is my second favorite time of year at FXCHD (my first being the riding

Cage Free? You mean like Free Range Chickens??

season of course!) and it’s not because of the Christmas lights or the holiday parties. It does have something to do with the whole gift giving scene. But mainly because this time of year we get a lot of ‘non-bikers’ buying gifts for their family and friends who are Harley Enthusiasts; and that gives me a chance to show the general public a little slice of the biker lifestyle.

For instance, a few days ago we had an older couple who wanted to buy a H-D GiftCard for their grandson – now in the Air Force stationed in North Carolina. I was showing them the choices they had for the gift card holder, and one of the choices exclaimed, “Here’s to living a life Cage Free.” So the grand-mother looks at me sort of puzzled, “You mean like Free Range Chickens?” After I laughed for a bit I explained what that meant, and I’ll explain for you too:

• Cage Free: Bikes refer to cars & trucks as ‘cages’ – since you’re pretty much in one, a roll bar cage. You’ve got air bags, a big windshield, and sound proofing which all make for a nice, quiet ride, but also removes you to from the environment. When you’re riding along in a car, you’re more insulated than a rider is on their

  

  Not this kind of cage either....

  motorcycle. Cage Free means you’re out on your motorcycle.
• ‘Cage-er’: What we call a person driving a car/truck.
• Brain Bucket: Helmet
• MSF: Motorcycle Safety Foundation – an organization that helps to educate motorcycle riders.
• OEM: Original (Factory) Equipment Parts – stock parts on your motorcycle.
• Scoot/Scooter: A term that includes any motorcycle.
• Skid Lid: Usually referring to a non-DOT helmet – one that just has a shell and little padding on the inside.
• Tar Snake: The shiny material used to patch cracks in the asphalt. They have less traction than regular asphalt, especially in light rain or on hot days (the material has a lower melting point and will get soft or even melt).

Those are some of the most common terms you’ll hear if you’re around bikers long enough. For a more concise list, check out this list of websites: Google Search: Results for "Common Biker Terms"

Until next time, Keep the Chrome Side Up & the Rubber Side Down!!

"You - in the mini-van - how long you in for??"