We all know that some Middle Eastern countries have some strange laws, a lot of which are pretty restrictive to women, but this one takes it to a new extreme. The entire reasoning behind the law is that women who ride on the back of motorcycles need to hold onto a man’s waist. Well, duh! That’s half of the reason we want to bring the women along in the first place. The other half doesn’t happen on the motorcycle. Well, unless your woman is particularly flexible and adventurous, anyhow.

Here are some of the other heinous crimes your wife or girlfriend would get in trouble for on the Gaza strip, as long as Hamas is running the show:

• Smoking water pipes. I know, most of our women don’t do it anyway, but if she ever wanted to, she can’t. At least not in public.

• Dancing. Strictly forbidden. As if men are going to get turned on by seeing the shapeless forms of completely hidden and veiled women who could just as easily be 80 as 18. Well, OK, maybe they have us on this one. Our imaginations would fill in the missing details if the hips are shaking.

• Swimming. This is allowed, but only if your lady is covered from head to toe, and is wearing a burka. Man, talk about buzz kill. So, if you’d rather see her in a bikini, stay stateside.

I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about riding in the Gaza strip region anyway. The truth is it’s kind of a shame that they have so many repressive rules. It’s a beautiful country, with great dessert and mountain roads perfect for riding (if you’re careful of the potholes). Maybe someday, the women over there will be free like the women over here are. We can hope so. For now, though, the men in the Gaza Strip can save on their motorcycle insurance, since there won’t be any front and back riding, at least not with a female.

Photo via chefranden

Don’t be surprised if American motorcyclists aren’t too quick about jumping on board with this whole electric motorcycle idea. There’s just something about a throaty V-Twin rumbling under you that most of us aren’t going to want to give up. Somehow it’s hard to picture the average American biker getting suited up in his leathers and hopping on board a plug in motorcycle.

Don’t get us wrong, we’re all in favor of improving gas mileage and creating energy solutions for a greener planet. Just because you love motorcycles doesn’t mean you want to see the planet trashed. Hell, being on the open road with the great outdoors on either side of you is half of the fun of any long motorcycle trip. But motorcyclists already ride fuel efficient machines, especially when compared to cars and trucks.

The average motorcycle gets somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 miles per gallon of gasoline. That’s compared to less than twenty for the average car. Even still, government regulations are likely to get stricter and stricter regarding emissions and gas mileage as the cleaner electric technology becomes more readily available and affordable.

So, if electric motorcycles are an inevitable part of the future for those who like motorcycles, here are a couple of suggestions (other than appealing to the cheaper costs of fuel and motorcycle insurance) to those who manufacture them to help those of us who like “real” motorcycles get used to the idea:

• Rumble packs. Most of the electric motorcycles are being made in Japan. How about having the good folks at Honda and Kawasaki get together with the people who make those rumble packs for the kids’ video games. A bigger version could be inserted underneath and on the sides of the seat cushion to at least make it feel like you’re on a real bike.

• Equip the exhaust with a state of the art sound synthesizer with a recording of a Harley exhaust. Or, if the electric motorcycles don’t have an exhaust, put a fake one in. At least the bike will look and sound real.

Of course, if they’re bound and determined to make the electric motorcycles look like silent versions of the scooter, we’re sure they’ll have a market. It just won’t be bikers.

Photo via Mike Weston

Whether you’re a hard core motorcycle enthusiast or relatively new to riding, you really need to make it a point to get a Harley at some point in your life. The entire biker culture revolves around it. But did you ever wonder how the company that creates the world’s best motorcycles got its start?

Around the turn of the last century, there was a ton of experimentation going on with the internal combustion engine. The whole thing was a fairly new concept, and innovative designers and builders were eager to put the new contraption to work. Within the span of a couple of decades, the world went from horseback and steam to being driver by gasoline.

These inventions eventually developed into cars, trucks, motor boats and, of course, motor cycles. And amongst the first American made motor bikes was a design put together by William Harley and Arthur Davison. Originally, the design was a simple bicycle with a small 116cc engine and four inch flywheels. It worked, but it couldn’t conquer the hills of Wisconsin. Believe it or not, the first HOG had to be pedaled to make it over the hills.

Of course, we know the story didn’t end there. The partners continued working on and perfecting their machines until the first true Harleys rolled out. By 1904, the bikes competed in a race for the first time (at least on record) and finished fourth.

By 1906, Harley was rolling out motorcycles that the general public could buy. Of course, they only made about 50 of them that year. Who wouldn’t love to have one of those collectable beauties?

Competition was fierce in the 1910s, with over 150 motorcycle manufacturers in the US alone. A habit of winning races put Harley and competitor Indian at the head of the pack, but it was World War I that really cemented Harley’s leadership in the industry when the US Army, who had already seen what Harleys could do in the Pancho Villa expedition of 1916-17. And the rest is, as they say, history.

Photo via Rennett Stowe

Now, we’re not saying anything is wrong with public transportation. Both rail systems and busses have their place, and they provide economical means of travel for many Americans. Not quite as many as some might like, but enough to be worthwhile and viable.

What we do question is whether it makes any sense to add fees for motorcycle riders and apply that money to public transportation like trains and buses. Yet that’s exactly what is being done in Oregon. The program is directly linked to finds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and it uses part of the fees from Oregon Motorcycle license plate charges to fund inter-city rail travel.

Again, there’s nothing wrong with the government funding some of these kinds of programs. But, if the money is coming from motorcycle permits and licenses, doesn’t it make sense that the money should be invested in programs aimed at motorcyclists?

We suppose the general idea behind these programs is to get more people using mass transit, which uses less fuel overall than cars. But, motorcycles are also a low fuel option. While it’s true that nobody is going to carpool to work on a Harley, it’s also true that if we all rode motorcycles, we would use less gas.

That’s not to say everyone needs a motorcycle, either. Let everyone drive or ride what they want to. But, if you’re going to raise funds for your mass transit systems, doesn’t it make sense to garner the fees from those who benefit from the programs, like perhaps those who ride the trains and buses?

Photo via ReneS

Recently, the Washington State Highway Patrol had to chase some crazy idiot all through town after catching him popping wheelies at over 100 miles per hour. While most of us know that acting that way on the open road is a funeral just waiting to happen, there are a few among us that act like they were dropped on their heads too many times.

Of course, we’re the only ones who can change the perception of motorcyclists. Most motor cycle riders today are not out causing trouble, starting fights in bars, or displaying random acts of bravado and stupidity on the highway. The few bikers who are out to cause trouble even admit that they are a minority by calling themselves the 1%ers.

The best thing we can do for the motorcycling community is police ourselves. When you catch somebody acting stupid, don’t be afraid to call him on it. Of course, there’s no guarantee everyone will listen to you, but who knows? If one person listens, you might have just saved a life. And make sure your motorcycle insurance is current. We need to follow the same rules everyone else does.

All of this is not to say there isn’t a time and place for stunt riding. Taking chances and being a bit of a daredevil are time honored pieces of the motorcycle tradition. From Evel Kneival to X games-style motocross stunt riders, there’s plenty of room for those who like to take their chances to do so. But public roads and highways, the ones we share with other motorists, just aren’t the place.

Ultimately, the only one any of us can control is ourselves. So, when you’re out on the road, make sure that you’re not one of the ones that give bikers a bad name. Respect others on the road, and most of them will respect you. And while you’re out there, make sure to keep a sharp eye out, especially at intersections. No matter how much it’s drilled into people’s heads, some people just don’t look twice, so it’s up to us to keep our eyes on everything going on around us.

Photo via Mihai Bojin

We’ll sidestep some of that discussion for now. The question of helmets is really a question of personal freedom versus public safety, and not an issue that’s going to be solved right here on this blog.

There is something worth considering, though. Some new research suggests that wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle can actually lead to noise-induced hearing loss.

Two researchers in the UK, Dr. Michael Carley, from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Bath and Dr. Nigel Holt from the Department of Psychology at Bath Spa University are currently studying the effects of how noise is transmitted through a helmet.

The research thus far suggests a few things. Among the preliminary findings:

• The noise inside a motorcycle helmet going 70 mph is higher than the legal limits in most places for noise in the workplace.
• This noise doesn’t mainly come from the bike or the pipes. It comes simply from the flow of air over the helmet.
• Ear plugs don’t seem to help too much. The noise is actually transferred into the rider’s inner ear from their bones.
• Some of the damage may come from low level vibrations, complicated by the presence of the helmet.

It will be interesting to see, as time goes on, what results come of the research. No one is suggesting for one moment that it’s safer for a motorcycle rider to go without a helmet, of course. However, it’s hopeful that the research will identify a little bit about how this noise occurs and how it’s transmitted. Once that happens, the results can be put to use in the design of newer model helmets and hopefully reduce some of the risk of hearing loss.

Photo via Fimb

One of the other issues that often plagues the motorcycle community is the issue of noise. Everywhere you look, there is someone raising a storm about bike noise. Most recently, some residents of Maine have been complaining about the noise generated by motorcycles and how they say that it’s impacting their quality of life.

In Maine, Democratic Senator Nancy Sullivan of Biddeford proposed a bill, which is supposed to be for the purpose of reducing “Noise Caused by Motorcycles to Improve Public Health.” This bill was passed and signed into law by Governor John Baldacci in April. The bill requires every motorcyclist in the state of Maine, an estimated 50,000 bikers, to have their bikers inspected by 2012 for noise.

At best, this is annoying. At worst, it’s a dangerous step. It singles out bikers, for example. Anyone who has a neighbor that likes to mow their lawn on a Sunday afternoon when you’re trying to nap knows that the 20 seconds it takes for a bike to pass by is nothing.

What’s especially interesting is the idea that this will somehow improve public health. There is very little data to suggest that the noise from motorcycles damages anyone’s health. There is some evidence that riding a loud motorcycle might damage the hearing of the rider, but here again we’re looking at a situation where lawmakers are trying to protect bikers from themselves.

Whether or not this kind of legislation spreads to other states isn’t certain. What is certain is that this law is inconsistent, at best, in that it doesn’t focus on noise of all types but just those of a minority of the population.

Photo via aka Kath

A recent decision by the Ohio Supreme Court has made it OK for police officers to pull you over on your motorcycle or in your passenger vehicle and give you a speeding ticket whether or not they have technological proof that you were exceeding the speed limit.

Now, at first blush, this doesn’t seem like such a big deal. After all, before the invention of the radar gun, police were able to issue citations based entirely on their perception of whether you were speeding or not. On the surface, many motorists probably won’t object to the decision based on this alone.

However, this decision is, for many people, a step backwards. The technology exists today to independently verify exactly how fast you’re traveling. If the technology exists, why would it be necessary for police to simply estimate your speed, unless they were trying to meet some sort of quota?

Of course, there are situations in which visually estimating a vehicle’s speed can and should be put into place. For example, if a vehicle is driving through a downtown area that has a speed limit of 25 and they’re cruising along at a dangerous, breakneck pace, it’s a problem.

But someone who’s on the Interstate doing 75 or 80 is much less of a threat than someone doing twice the speed limit through town. In the vast majority of cases, it’s important to let the technology do its job.

Unless someone is visibly driving in a dangerous fashion and thereby putting herself, her passengers and others in vehicles nearby at risk, her speed should be checked and verified with technology.

What implications this decision winds up having remains to be seen. Whether states will begin to create laws allowing police to visually guess at speed or not, chances are pretty good this isn’t the last we’ve heard of this issue.

Photo via woodleywonderworks

Here is some advice provided to Galesburg Radio 14 WGIL from the Illinois State Police District 7 offices:

• While the state of Illinois doesn’t force you to wear a helmet, the fact of the matter is that wearing a helmet and other protective gear will help prevent injuries. Use approved safety gear, clothing and boots.
• Consider wearing bring clothes during the day and reflective clothes at night so that you can be seen by other vehicles on the road.
• Watch out for animals and other road hazards. You’d be surprised just how many stray cats there are even on city streets.
• Leave a margin for error. Drive at 80 percent of your ability and leave room for the unexpected to happen.
• If you’re riding with another biker, don’t follow directly behind. Stagger your positioning to let yourself take evasive action if necessary.
• Look beyond just the front tire.  Know what’s up the road between 10 and 15 seconds ahead, including things like potholes, obstacles, vehicles and other hazards.
• Watch out for grease, oil and other hazardous fluids that will collect in the middle of the lane. Ride in the normal wheel tracks if possible.
• Keep in mind that you can stop much more quickly than the cars or trucks behind you. If you need to brake to avoid a hazard, watch for a safe escape route to avoid vehicles coming up from behind.
• It’s basic, but check left, then front, then right, then left before entering an intersection. Look with a clockwise pattern. The vast majority of accidents involving you running into other vehicles usually have to do with a vehicle turning left in front of you.
• Don’t drink and drive. You need your wits about you when you’re on a bike.

Photo via The National Guard

Local Group Gives Food

Take, for example, the Imperial Valley chapter of the Top hatters Motorcycle Club. This group recently held a bi-annual food run in Niland and Calipatria. These leather-clad bikers took time to offer a hand up to those less fortunate, and to give back to their local community.

The club began its compassionate ride when some of the members of the club heard about local families whose children are having to skip supper because there just isn’t enough food. One thing led to another, and now the group makes the runs a regular activity to help folks in their area.

In addition to the May run in Niland and Calipatria, the Top Hatters also have a food run during the month of November. That run is designed to help those in need in the areas of Westmorland and Seeley. One of the group’s members is a psychologist in the local schools, and brought the need to the attention of the Top Hatters.

Motorcycle Charity A Common Thing

This is just one example of the many biker groups across the country that have held events to help out those in the community. Motorcycle enthusiasts all around the country have been giving back for years, and almost every local chapter of a motorcycle club is likely to be involved in some form of community activity or another.

Bike clubs sure have come a long way since the 1970s, when all you’d ever hear about was the Hell’s Angels, or that biker gang with the leader wearing a Nazi helmet that gave Clint Eastwood so much trouble in the Orangutan movies.

Photo via timparkinson