Motorcycle Safety Politics

Two People Dead in Nanaimo Motorcycle Crash

BY SARAH PETRESCU, TIMESCOLONIST.COM     OCTOBER 3, 2010

A Nanaimo couple is dead after their motorcycle veered off the road in a confrontation with another driver yesterday. Nanaimo RCMP were called to the crash on Nanaimo Parkway between Jinglepot Road and College Drive exits, around 3:30pm, Saturday. According to Const. Kate Mooney, the fatal incident occured as follows:

A 17-year-old Victoria boy was driving the stretch of highway in a truck going southbound. He went to switch from the right to left lane. When he saw a motorcycle in his blind spot he refrained from switching lanes and corrected his course. The 51-year-old driver of the black 2006 Harley Davidson motorcycle pulled up beside the young man and was looking at him. The motorcyclist, with a 40-year-old female passenger on the back, had accelerated and was not paying attention to the road - according to Mooney. As the road curved to the right, the motorcycle continued straight and crashed to the left of the road. Both passengers on the motorcycle were taken to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital with life-threatening injuries. The man died at the hospital and the woman later died at Victoria General Hospital. Both were parents to children from previous relationships.

Mooney pointed out the deceased pair were wearing beanie motorcycle helmets at the time of the crash. She reminded the public to wear full-coverage motorcycle helmets for safety, but could not confirm whether the beanie helmets in this incident were DOT-approved or not. DOT is a safety standard by the American Department of Transport. Canada does not have a helmet safety standard certification. "It's illegal to not wear a helmet in Canada," she said. "The beanie helmets are not illegal but they clearly only cover part of the head with minimal padding and no face guard."

© The Victoria Times Colonist

Motorcycle Safety Still Taking Back Seat in BC

BY CRAIG MCINNES, THE VANCOUVER SUN     OCTOBER 4, 2010

Another motorcycle crash this weekend, another two deaths where beanie style helmets may have been a factor and still no action from the province. While BC has plowed ahead with stiffer penalties for drivers who drink or speed, as far as I can see there has been no movement to enact regulations promised last spring to finally enact an enforcible standard for motorcycle helmets. Amendments to the BC Motor Vehicle Act were passed at the same time as the well publicized changes to the penalties for drinking and speeding. But they depended on regulations which still have not been enacted.

The story on the fatal accident this weekend from the Victoria TImes Colonist refers to DOT regulations, which are just one of several standards that could be enacted. BC's regulations haven't been updated for more than 20 years and are not enforcible, which is why we are one of the only jurisdictions that I know of that require helmets but that do not specify what standard they must meet.

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Comments on these articles are as follows:

"I find it interesting that a helmet (approved or not) would make any difference to saving a motorcyclist at highway speed, or even less, for that matter. But with the great damage that would occur to the body, a helmet of any type would make no difference. People in cars still perish at highway speeds. A helmet isn't going to help. Drive smart."

 "Why do so many people think it's their job to tell another adult what they should or shouldn't do? This is a tragedy that cost two people their lives. A full-face helmet may not have saved either of them. Let people make their own decisions for themselves."

"Your helmet tirade seems to be more directed at the implied social status of the biker. You don't like his lifestyle choice so you want to regulate him out of it. If you hit a tree with your chest the helmet makes no difference. Punctured lungs and ruptured internal organs are the cause of death. This story is fishy, and I wouldn't be surprised if the kid driving didn't [cause the accident]. We will never know."

"I have an idea! Let's just put us all in a bubble, that way nobody moves, enjoys life or gets hurt. It will be perfect! All we need is a few hundred more laws to get us from the cradle to the grave safely, yet in a strangely obese fashion. After all, exercising is moving and therefore dangerous..."

Someone else mentioned that the Officer giving the report must have been trying to perpetuate anti-beanie news because she didn't know if the helmets were DOT approved. Guaranteed that if they were approved, the riders removed their DOT approval stickers (which is illegal to do). Sorry, but all of these people are more occupied with how they look than protecting their own lives, or looking out for the lives of others-- so much so that they are willing to blame a fatal accident on a bystanding motorist who got stared down by some motorcyclist who didn't realize that physics mean a bike will never win a game of chicken against a truck.

I have no respect for motorcyclists who defy motorcycle safety or safety laws in the name of looking cool. I live in a part of town where chopper riders with straight pipes ride through residential areas doing 50 over the limit. I've seen two high-speed police chases involving noise complaints and riders in my area in the last month. I saw at least one rider this summer riding the dotted line on the highway and weaving in and out of traffic, and SHARING A LANE, and driving down the shoulder for a few clicks to get past traffic jams (which are all illegal in BC).

I realize that a lot of drivers aren't looking for motorcyclists, but it is more so that a lot of riders have given the rest of us a bad reputation for driving like asshats than people not approving of our lifestyle choices. It's one thing to ride a bike in a carpool lane- but completely another to ignore all safety regulations and standards put forth to protect everyone on the road. A 51 year old geriatric on a Harley is about as scary as an old lady on rollerskates. A beanie helmet and a leather vest aren't going to dress it up any.

Wear a proper helmet- there are open-face helmets that offer adequate protection to the neck, face and head. There are even superbadass ones, like this one:

Image used courtesy of Santiago Chopper

Santiago Chopper Skull Helmet, $149.99

K (N)

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TuDiabetes & Honda News

Hello all

So, shortly (we hope) we will have affiliate pages up on TuDiabetes and the Diabetes Hands Network. We're looking to join forces with these sites. I am a member of the community, which is an incredible support and information tool for diabetics who don't know other diabetics (or not many), which is common. TuDiabetes is also in affiliation with the Canadian Diabetes Association. Over time, we hope to be able to both learn and address information and questions regarding managing diabetes on the road, when you're largely unable to prepare your own food.

This is a limiting disease that needs constant attention and strict timing, but we're determined to prove that it can be managed even in most extreme environments. Although The Long Way... team is not travelling around the world on dual-purpose bikes, the road across Canada can take you a long way from civilization and medical care. The hope is that we can minimize the concern about that if we are able to fund the support vehicle to come with us.

 In other news, we've been hearing whispers about a possible 400CC Honda CBR.This will be some major competition for Kawasaki, but also broadens our options. The last time a 400CC Honda motorcycle was available to buy or sell in Canada was 1989. But a lot of the starter riders who bought the 125 are upgrading and not buying Honda products because of the insurance penalty. They can comfortably upgrade to a 250CC street bike with Kawasaki without having to consider moving from a street bike to a cruiser (Honda has a 250CC Rebel-- which, for the record, has the most comfortable riding seat I've ever put my ass on).

The major difference (and concern) between a 400CC Kawasaki and a 400CC Honda CBR is that the Kawasaki sits their rider a little more upright (in a sport-touring position) as possibly opposed to the CBR, which has you leaning over quite a bit. That stance on a long-distance ride is pretty backbreaking. Though, Honda puts some serious competition into the mix, because they have great prices, great package deals, and exceptional customer service- not to knock Kawasaki. We've never dealt business with them.

Anyhow, no word back yet from Big Earth, but no rush. We're still just launching this idea off the ground, and realistically, there is no guarantee the ride won't be an additional year away. But this is our goal, and we're ambitious. Ride safe and enjoy the last days of summer!

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New Bikes

So, John is currently on a Honda CBR 125. It's an appropriate ride for a guy his size in the city, and he's managed to make it efficient for 2-4 hour highway rides. He has been planning to upgrade. The bike is officially paid off next month, but now it's time to move up to something a little bigger, that is more practical for highway travel.

Image used courtesy of Honda Motorsports

The 2009 Honda CBR 125R. $3,599 *MSRP.

Comes in Metallic Black and Flat Red,
Metallic Black and Pewter,

White and Metallic Black,
and White and Motocross Blue and Red.

The rub, for anyone who doesn't know about motorcycle laws in Canada, is that if you move above 400cc, you're going to pay a huge insurance premium for it. I'm 5'11", so the idea of getting a 125cc bike was just never realistic. So, after trying out several bikes for size, I'd decided that the Kawasaki Ninja (Ninjette) 250RR was the best size for price value. However, a motorcycle manufacturer in Canada finally had the brains to bring in a 400cc bike: yep- Kawasaki. The price difference is about 50% more, but you get the power for it, and it's dual headlight setup is a lot nicer to look at.


Welcome to the Kawasaki Ninja 400R.

Image used courtesy of Canadian Kawasaki Motors Inc.

It comes in Metallic Spark and Flat Black or Kawasaki Green and Flat Black. It will be going for $7,499 *MSRP at the top of 2011. And yes: it has a trunk. This is way more realistic for a long-distance ride, and a lot more realistic for someone my height- I easily hold up a 125, and a 250. I can hold up a 650 with little effort, and despite the price tag, I've comfortably held up a liter bike. The 400 looks like the bike for me. I don't see the point in starting off with a 250 as a starter bike, only to have to upgrade to a 400 a year later and have to suck up the $5000 price tag on the 250. My only concern with diving right into the 400 is that Kawasaki loves to market the 250 as its starter bike- which is part of what makes advertising it so lucrative. Then again, the 400 hits the market just months before our trip. So? We shall see what kind of funding we can get, or how good a deal I can swing with the dealer. ;)

Some people get really stuck in the sport bike vs cruiser debate. I do really like the Honda line of baby cruisers (the CMX250C Rebel is a seriously comfortable ride), and if you wanted to do an in-between bike and go with a sport touring, the DN-01 and the Goldwing are both viable options- but they're horribly expensive, and not worth the price tag if you want to ride separate bikes. I'm looking for something I can use as a commuter bike, too. And while both sport bikes and cruisers have their own brand of badass, I just prefer sport bikes. If I had the money, though, I think I'd be investing in a Rebel. I don't think I will ever want to exceed 400CC, nobody really needs the extra power if they're keeping their rides street legal, and I really hate noisy bikes.

I live on a corner that has constant bike traffic, and nothing is more irritating. A lot of people, unfortunately, have their pipes straightened aftermarket, to make their bikes obscenely loud. There's some claim that noisy pipes save lives. Personally, I think that noisy bikes just cause unnecessary deafness and need to be taken off of the road. True, drivers are particularly blind when it comes to bikes, but a lot of those bikers put themselves in blindspots, ride the line and sometimes the shoulder- they ride where they shouldn't. I've seen that way more than I've seen incompetent car drivers interact with bikes, and I've nearly been flattened on the road 'more than once. All I can say is that those bikes don't come that way, there is a noise restriction on bikes, and these people are all breaking the law. I hate it as much as you do. Anyway--

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'Ta for now!

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Shopping For Sponsors

"I know just which buttons to press and how to press them. 

One has to be in the right mood, though it's not difficult to get there.

Standing back and admiring the view,

looking at those curves gets my heart pumping.

It actually takes a bit of mental preparation, because I know that when I start,

I probably won't be done for at least an hour.

Of course the right protection is necessary,

so it takes a moment to slip it on, which only builds the anticipation.

After some, umm, preliminaries,

a gentle thumbing of the button elicits a bit of a high pitched sound as a surge of air is inhaled,

but quickly replaced by a low purr.

My grip tightens and the piston pumps faster and faster, building to a crescendo...

I kick the shifter down, let go of the clutch and I'm off!"
-J.S. Boyes

Image used courtesy of Google Maps

Hey everyone and welcome to the official Long Way Across blog! Right now, we're just in kick-off mode. We're trying to get in contact with Big Earth, and the Long Way Crew (Russ Malkin, Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman and Claudio Von Planta).

We've just pulled out our maps, and are writing down possible sponsors and affiliates to contact. We know that our starting off point is the prelim ride from Tofino to Nanaimo. We'll be starting off our prelim trip from the Schooner in Tofino, after a good breakfast, back over to Nanaimo, where we will take a night to rest, and trim down our supplies.

We are hoping to raise money for donation to The Canadian Diabetes Association and Unicef. Kassi is a type 1 diabetic and has been dealing with inadequate treatment and funding for many years. We're hoping that this trip will help raise awareness for how it is to live with type 1 diabetes. She does not yet ride her own motorcycle, but has ridden on the back of John's a lot in the last two years. Our show begins with her and Todd learning how to ride. They're both getting onto Kawasaki Ninja 250Rs. Now, we need to post a disclaimer; we aren't officially affiliated with either Unicef or CDA yet, though we are working towards doing so. We will be getting boxes/cans in which to collect donations to put towards both charities, that will be sent for deposit to those charities. We are also hoping to be able to host a page on TuDiabetes, the world's premiere diabetes social network.


John is currently on a Honda CBR 125, which is a nice starter bike, but he is hoping to upgrade before the trip. He's put just under 27,000km on his bike since 2008, and currently needs a new back tire in a bad way. He's currently sporting standard IRC tires for the 125 but is looking to upgrade to Pirelli tires.


So right now we're mapping (thanks to Google Maps and Google Earth) and searching for assisted funding. We still need:


-At least 2 Kawasaki Ninja 250RRs
-3 lipstick cams (helmet)
-At least 1 handheld camera w/ shotgun mic
-Two sets of all-weather riding leathers
-Three sets of sport saddlebags
-60 days of Lantus and Humalog insulin
-An emergency supply of Glucerna and Powerbar meal replacements
-A bike-friendly GPS system (an iPhone would be perfect- to tap right into our Google Maps)
-3 bike radios
-1 single man tent and 1 two-person tent
-3 Camelbaks
-3 mummy sleeping bags
-Fuel (3 bikes and 1 support vehicle)
-Accommodation (RV sites are fine)
-Food
-1 Full-Face Helmet
-3 portable first-aid kits and 1 full first-aid kit for support vehicle


This list will likely grow a great deal before we kick off. But at the moment, these are huge priority. Stay with us, drop us a line, send us your pics and ask us your questions! Until next time...

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