5 Tips for Riding in the Rain

I've always been that type of person that I'll do what I have to do to get the job done.... eventually. Procrastination is definitely in my 'wheel house,' but only when I dread what it is I have to do. And riding my motorcycle in the rain is one of those dreaded things. 

That being said, if you're the type of those 'fair weather' riders, I feel that you are missing out. The sights, the smells, that feeling of riding through a storm and coming out on the otherside... it's something that separates so-called bikers from actual, no-sh*t Bikers.

To better equip you to ride in liquid sunshine, here are some tips for you:

1. Wear proper gear - At the bare minimum you're gonna need a rain suit made for motorcycle riders (click here)!! One that has heat shields to protect the plastic from melting onto your hot exhaust. Bonus: Waterproof = Windproof. Even if it's not raining, but you're cold, you can wear your rain suit to block the wind.
2. Go smooth on the controls - Riding in the rain is not the time to dump the clutch unless you wanna end up on your a**. Take your time, slow and smooth starts and stops, and choose an arcing line through the turn rather than a sharp one. Also, increase your following distance and lower your speed.
3. Pay attention to the pavement - Don't ride down the center of the lane, where the oil build up from cars & trucks is. And those lovely "tar snakes," you'll want to try to avoid those as well, but sometimes it's next to impossible. If that's the case, ride through them straight up & down (not leaning), and don't speed up or hit the brakes.
4. Improve your vision - Sunglasses may be cool at night, but while riding in the rain definitely not. Use day-to-night or clear goggles if your helmet doesn't have a shield. If your helmet does have a shield you can treat it with RainX to help deflect those pesky rain drops. Another factor is that your goggles or shield can fog up. For that you can use anti-fog coating like CatCrap.
5. Motorcycle maintenance - When it comes to riding in any kind of weather, proper maintenance plays a big part. But even more so when those blue skies turn grey and the rain starts coming down. Having good tread on your tires is extremely important since there's less traction on wet pavement. Also a tire that is under- or over-inflated will play havoc with your ride, so check your tire pressure. And surprisingly, a final drive belt that's too tight or loose can affect the power to the rear wheel, which you don't need in rainy weather for sure. When was the last time your bike had the proper service? Call FXCHD® Service to get it scheduled (315-583-6177).

With these tips you'll find it an absolutely joy to ride in the rain.... Oh, who am I kidding? Maybe 'joy' isn't the right word, but at least it won't be such a chore. And hopefully your bike won't stay parked when the weather calls for the wet stuff.

You can bet your sweet App on that!!

Here's what happened last week in our Service Department at FX Caprara Harley-Davidson:

As you might already know, I also take pictures of damaged bikes for warranty claims. Within the last year or so, that's expanded to taking pictures of wrecked bikes for the insurance claim.

What I recently found out is that quite a few insurance companies no longer have an insurance adjuster come out to the shop to do the estimate. You just download their app - bing, bang, boom and you're done! And now, one company I just got off the phone with, is doing claims completely through their app on my (or your) smart phone. 

"Isn't that better?" I hear you ask, "That means I don't have to wait on the adjuster, right? So I'll get my money faster." Well, the answer is yes and no.

Yes - it's better if all you care about is getting some money for your accident. Notice I didn't say "enough money" to fix your motorcycle. 

This is the point is when my answer is No - it's not better because there are things that'll get missed (and I get the feeling this is why insurance companies have embraced this practice).

The particular company our customer has told him for us to download their app to my smart phone. I punched in the claim number I had, only to learn that the app allows just three - 3!!! - pictures of the damaged area. But this bike has more than three damaged areas....

So I called the insurance company through their national 1-800 number and, after going through the automated system, got a real live person on the phone. 

"Jake" was quite pleasant to speak with - so that was a plus, but the only one. As it turns out I can only submit photos through their app - I have no way to email them to a claims representative. 

Jake even seemed a little dismayed to hear that the owner had brought their bike into the dealership. "Oh, the owner could have done that [on the app] - he didn't have to take his bike to you."

Alarm bells going off!! This insurance company has done away with claims adjusters in favor of inexperienced representatives who are writing estimates based on pictures taken by the owner (whose primary job isn't as a automotive or motorcycle technician). To say something is going to get missed is an understatement.

Getting something done faster and easier is not always going to be best for you, the customer. Insurance companies are hoping you'll accept the check for a substandard, below cost estimate and just shut-up about it. Consumers need to wake up!!

You've got no excuse!! (Part V of Getting Real Serious Now)

This is the last time I'm going to bug you about your insurance.... for this year.... maybe! Only because it really is that important and, if you screw this up, you only have yourself to blame.

In Part I we talked briefly on motorcycle insurance and how it differs from auto insurance. Then in Part II we covered how insurance companies want to save YOU money (in the short term). In Part III we talked about what motorcycle insurance you're required to carry (and how it does nothing to protect the rider). And in Part IV I showed you the type of coverage you should strongly consider having added to your policy and why. 

(And once again I'll just remind everyone that I'm not an insurance agent or broker, nor am I an attorney of any type. I'm just someone who has seen a few things while working at FX Caprara Harley-Davidson.)

This time around let's discuss another type of insurance that might be beneficial: supplemental insurance.

At FX Caprara Harley-Davidson® we recently had an

insurance rep come through and I signed up big time. In addition to my dental & vision plans, I'm also covered for accident, disability, life & cancer.

Anyone who has ridden a motorcycle for any length of time knows that it is not a matter of IF you'll go down, but WHEN. And that was the major determining factor for me to get those policies.

Having that additional coverage will help me out with lost wages and missed bill payments. Here's a great article on how you can determine if you need supplemental insurance.

Now that you know almost all there is to know about how to best protect yourself while riding your motorcycle - beyond your riding gear and skill set - you have no excuse to be under-insured should the worst happen.

Have Fun & Ride Safe!

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!

Please smile, breathe, and look twice - make that three times - before you go

Once again Mother Nature is smiling upon us living in Northern New York. But no matter where in the Northern Hemisphere you live - it is the time of year when Motorcyclists begin their yearly migration from the garage to the asphalt. Please - if you're behind the wheel of a car or truck - take a

moment to look for us!

I love that Kingsford Spring Grilling Ad:

1st Neighbor: Hal? Where have you been??

Hal: I was inside.... for so long.... There was nothing.... No yard, no grill.... Just white - and (with a shiver) COLD....

1st Neighbor: It was winter buddy - just winter.  

 2nd Neighbor (yelling): Somebody get this man a burger!!!

Just to be clear, it's not only motorcyclists that are taking advantage of the longer days and warmer weather. Walkers/Joggers/Runners are out on the roadways, as are those that are riding bicycles (too much physical effort for me!!). Of course the biggest difference between those people and motorcycle enthusiasts riding their motorcycles is SPEED. Obviously the later can go as fast or faster than the cars and trucks we share the road with, but don't take up quite as much space - making us harder to see.

Yes, motorcycles are noticeably smaller than cars and trucks we share the road with (thanks Captain Obvious!). Add to that the fact our human brains, when looking to cross a road with traffic, perceives only the absence of a car/truck and not the presence of a motorcycle. Did you get that?? That means a typical driver only sees the space between cars - not a motorcyclist in that same space - in areas of high traffic!


And the number of distracted drivers has increased according to a recent article by Kelley Blue Book. According to their study, a shocking number of 61% of drivers continue to multi-task while behind the wheel!! Even though all 50 states (and Washington D.C.) have laws that make it illegal to use mobile phones, the majority of drivers don't care.

Why do these distracted drivers think it's ok to multi-task while driving?? I blame the increased safety features - anti-lock brakes, front and side curtain air bags, lane departure and blind spot warnings to name just a few. They've sort of taken the 'being aware' out of the driving, giving the driver a false sense of security. Eventually there will be Self Driving Cars - but we're not there yet people!!!

Of course there are plenty of people that blame the motorcyclist(s). We show off by doing wheelies and other reckless stuff. Last year we heard about the Texas driver who intentionally hit a biker (see the video). He stated [when he heard he'd swerved and hit the biker], "I don't care."  In the video it is apparent the motorcyclist is passing illegally - crossing over a double-yellow line. But that does not warrant the driver deliberately crashing into the biker.

So, back to the main point of this blog: there are more people out & about thanks to the warmer weather, and we all need to watch out for each other - as human beings!! ALL OF US!!! Motorcycle enthusiasts and cagers alike: take a moment, or two, or even three and be a "looker." Know what's going on around you, be mindful of the traffic laws, and share the road responsibly. This motorcycle enthusiast thanks you!!

How planning ahead can keep you out of trouble (most of the time)

     On October 20^th, Harley-Davidson Motor Company (NYSE: HOG) announced that they will be cut 250 jobs and puttingmore money into marketing and product development. This is due to the decrease in new bike sales during the third quarter – down 1.4% worldwide. In the meantime, last week Yamaha unveiled their motorcycle-riding humanoid robot at the Tokyo Motor

Show. “What’s going on here?” you might be asking. I call it planning ahead.

Yamaha's Motobot

     Yes – you read that correctly: there has been a robot invented just to ride motorcycles. Why can’t I get that job?? (Oh ya, that’s why!) Researchers will be able to download information that will help develop advanced rider safety and rider-support systems. The Motobot will have full control over the throttle, braking system, clutch & transmission, as well as steering of an unmodified motorcycle. Still in development, Motobot’s end goal is to take a bike down the track at 124mph.

     Much has been advanced in the name of motorcycle safety thanks to forward thinking companies like Harley-Davidson and Yamaha. Gone are the days of drum rear brakes, no front brake at all, no turn signals (unless you count the rider physically indicating which way they’re turning), turning the fuel on, opening the choke and having to kick-start the motor. Now we have ABS braking systems, electronic fuel injection, electric start and real turn signal indicators. But that didn’t just happen – engineers had a plan and brought it to fruition.

     After all, that’s what we bikers do while riding: Plan Ahead. We plan which roads we’ll take, our vacation time, when to get our bikes serviced, plan ‘pit stops’ on the road, and on and on. Of course there’s no way to plan for everything. Not to mention, you don’t want to over plan either – then the experience just feels to “regimented.” There’s a cardinal rule that was taught to me when I first started riding: while on a motorcycle road trip, never make hotel reservations. The reason being is because you don’t know how the day riding is going to pan out. So it’s best to simply ride the planned route and when you feel like stopping, then find a hotel room where you are. This past summer  I did not follow the cardinal rule, and I paid for it!! I’d planned to do about 8 hours riding – but those 8 hours didn’t include the Massachusetts traffic jams I got stuck in. I ended up with a terrible migraine and HAD to stop – so I paid for the hotel room I wasn’t in (a deal I found online that required prepayment) and the hotel room I did stay in.

     Long story short, it’s still a good idea to keep the “5 P’s” in mind. A military acronym which stands for:

Prior

Planning

Prevents

Poor

Performance

Just be sure to leave yourself a little wiggle room for adjustments!!