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PICKERINGTON, OH – June 2, 2015 – (Motor Sports Newswire) – A new study by the University of California Berkeley shows that motorcyclists who split lanes in heavy traffic are significantly less likely to be struck from behind by other motorists and are less likely to suffer head or torso injuries, the American Motorcyclist Association reports. Researchers, led by Dr. Thomas Rice of the Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC), reviewed nearly 6,000 motorcycle-involved traffic collisions between June 2012 and August 2013, including 997 in which the riders were splitting lanes at the time of the crash. Click here to download the report. “Perhaps one of the most dangerous situations for any motorcyclist is being caught in congested traffic, where stop-and-go vehicles, distracted and inattentive vehicle operators, and environmental conditions increase the risk of physical contact with another vehicle or hazard,” said Wayne Allard, AMA vice president for government relations. “Reducing a motorcyclist’s exposure to vehicles that are frequently accelerating and decelerating on congested roadways can be one way to reduce rear-end collisions for those most vulnerable in traffic.” Among the U.C. Berkeley findings: Lane-splitting is safe if done in traffic moving at 50 mph or less, and if motorcyclists do not exceed the speed of other vehicles by more than 15 mph; 69 percent of lane-splitting motorcyclists were exceeding the traffic speed by 15 mph or less; speed differentials up to 15 mph were not associated with changes in the frequency of injury; Compared to riders who were not splitting lanes, lane-splitting motorcyclists were markedly less likely to suffer head injury (9 percent vs. 17 percent), torso injury (19 percent vs. 29 percent) or fatal injury (1.2 percent vs. 3 percent); Lane-splitting riders were significantly less likely to be rear-ended than non-lane-splitting riders (2.6 percent vs. 4.6 percent); Lane-splitting motorcyclists were more likely to be wearing a full-face helmet than other motorcyclists (81 percent vs. 67 percent); Compared to other motorcyclists, lane-splitting riders were more often riding on weekdays and during commuting hours, were using better helmets and were traveling at slower speeds; Lane-splitting riders were less likely to have been using alcohol. “These new findings bolster our position that responsible lane-splitting is a safe and effective riding technique that can be beneficial for riders and motorists alike,” Allard said. “Lane splitting eases traffic congestion by taking motorcyclists out of the line of cars and trucks. And the practice increases safety by allowing motorcycle riders to avoid the risk of rear-end collisions in stopped or slow-moving traffic.” Motorcycle lane splitting is a common practice in many countries throughout the world – particularly in the highly urbanized areas of Europe and Asia. Long recognized as a way to alleviate traffic congestion and reduce the risk of crashes, the practice nevertheless remains largely prohibited in the United States, with California currently being the exception. The UC-Berekley study is the latest to examine crash data related to lane splitting and follows a similar report issued in October 2014 (click here). “We want to remind motorists that permitting lane splitting is not the same as requiring it,” Allard said. “Where it is allowed, lane splitting is an issue of choice, and formalizing the practice will give riders and law enforcement alike clear guidelines for its responsible practice.” The AMA formally endorses responsible lane splitting and will continue to assist groups and individuals working to bring legal lane splitting and/or filtering to their states. More information about the AMA’s position on lane splitting can be found here: www.americanmotorcyclist.com/Rights/PositionStatements/LaneSplitting.aspx. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT LANE SPLITTING? 👍Create an account and chime in!

I actually keep insurance/registration etc under the seat of the bike in a plastic bag. That way it's always around should you need it.

how about Seth Enslow's Harley? http://motorbike-search-engine.co.uk/2010-motorcycles/DSC02608.JPG

Snow. Being in a tent while it's snowing...sucks. Several years ago I was in the Sierras in October. It's a fantastic time of year to be there. Awesome fall colors, especially the aspens. And NO BUGS. But it can be a crapshoot regarding the weather, and at times will get down below 20 degrees. At this point I was still an avid tent camper. I was the last one in my regular group of camping buddies, including my brother. Temps had been as low as 18 degrees. I was with my girlfriend (now my wife), and two dogs in our large family-sized tent. We had a catalytic heater, but the tent was too big and too cold for the heater to work effectively. So I constructed another "tent" inside the big one using old tent poles and emergency blankets. It was just big enough to cover the air mattress, and the heater was able to keep up. At any time after sunset, you could look in there and find the dogs (and the girlfriend) snuggled up in relative warmth. They looked at me like I was crazy, but I had a point to prove. I had spent the prior 3 days ragging on my brother and his buddies. They all had nice travel trailers, I was the only tent-camper in our group, and when they said I was crazy, I dove deep into trash talking. I called them all "&%$#@!", laughed at their rigs all stacked up next to each other in the little trailer park at Lundy while I was in a beautiful site surrounded by trees and nature about 50 yards away. And these folks were worried about bears, even though they were mostly cops (and armed), sitting in their trailers sipping hot chocolate while my girlfriend, dogs and me were "roughing it"...no firepower, no electricity, our provisions away from the tent but not really secured from the big critters. This is how I had always done it since childhood, and I was goofing on all of them for crossing over to the dark side. Some time around 9pm it started snowing. My dogs were now also looking at me like I was crazy, and wouldn't come out from the tent-inside-a-tent. Yun (my girlfriend) began asking "what-if's". I tried to keep everyone calm by showing them how easy it was to simply stand up and knock the snow off the tent from the inside. See? Piece of cake, we'll be fine. Well, the snow started coming down heavy. I reassured her that we would be fine, we weren't going to be crushed, it was all good. Until I realized I needed to knock the snow off every 15-20 minutes to keep the tent from collapsing...and the snow that slid off was piling up on the sides. And I wouldn't be able to sleep because of this 15-minute drill. It dawned on me that my pride had gotten the better of me, and that I had no options. I told Yun to grab the dogs and all the dry bedding and head for the truck. She noted astutely that there wasn't enough room for all of us to sleep there. I knew this, but kept my mouth shut. My earlier trash talk was about to come full circle. We drove out of our spot and into the trailer park, and I went and knocked on my brother's door asking for some floor space to sleep. I tried to block out the comments. "Who's the &%$#@! now?" The next morning, we went back to our campsite to find the tent collapsed and buried along with the rest of our stuff. Ugh. And there was more snow in the forecast. I was lucky. There had been a cancellation for one of the large, permanent trailers at the resort and we slid right into artificial comfort. Our site was a wreck. We went back after the snow finally stopped to dig everything out. While driving around to waste time waiting for others to arrive, my brother had spotted a teeny little travel trailer for sale in Mono City. It was really small and old, but in good shape. And it had a shower. I bought it on the spot, and we still have it. The dogs and the wife are much happier, but I feel like I've lost something. Other than when out on a bike adventure, this was the last time I tent camped. I've also crossed over to the dark side...but it's warm and dry here.