Get the good gear

In many countries in Europe it is now obligatory to carry a fluorescent vest and a First Aid kit in (or on) your vehicle at all times. And yes, that includes bikes.
I can think of quite a few bikes that lack even the minimal storage space these things require, so I guess there will be a good market for bum bags or small tank bags for a while. Remember, you are required to carry these things even if you’re just going down to the corner for a packet of something healthy (whoo, I nearly wrote ‘cigarettes’).

Let’s hope the idea doesn’t catch on here, because I can see it snowballing quite rapidly. After all, a fluorescent vest may make you more than usually visible (although if car drivers can’t see entire motorcycles I fail to believe that they’ll see an orange vest) and a First Aid kit may allow you to apply a band-aid in case someone get a paper cut, but what about serious problems?
The obvious thing is to make everyone carry a defibrillator (save a lot of lives with that) and a satellite phone (mobile coverage is patchy, and you might have to call the Flying Doctor in a hurry). But why stop there? How about a fire extinguisher – in fact, a selection of fire extinguishers for different kinds of fire – and a packet of different-coloured flares to alert the authorities? Not to mention a cut lunch (you might get hungry) and an umbrella (you never know when it will rain).
I’m sure you can think of more precautionary equipment.
Best of all, motorcycles won’t be able to carry all this stuff so there will not even be any need to ban them. Win-win all round, really. Just not for us. A bit like ‘front identifiers’.

Summer’s spell

Rain, glorious rain – I can’t say I enjoy getting wet but I’m not about to complain. It’s great that for once the dams are filling faster than they’re emptying, at least over here on the East Coast.

We’re still having plenty of sunny and therefore hot days. I just love it when I pull up at a servo, bathed in sweat under my safety gear, and find the car driver at the next pump looking at me enviously as he steps from his air conditioned cocoon.
“Must be great to be out on a bike, mate. Terrific weather for it!”

What do I do? Tell him the truth – that I’m boiling and the sweat running into my eyes feels like diluted hydrochloric acid – or play along? Being careful to not let him see the sweat pouring down into my collar, I nod.

“Yes mate. But it’s great motorcycling weather any time!”
Then I duck into the air conditioned servo and pretend to be fascinated by the dreary magazines that servos sell, just to cool down for a little longer.
Am I avoiding lengthy explanations about bikes and weather, or am I simply a congenital liar? You shall be the judge…

I don’t usually run readers’ letters here, but this one from John Rowe just cried out for it.
“Bear,” he writes, “am having a home clearance (yes, the wife is going as well – true!) and have RR magazines Vol 20, 25, 27-33 and 36-45 to give away.

“They can be collected from Frenchs Forest Sydney or posted at cost. If anyone is interested they can contact me on 0414 187 728 otherwise they will be recycled.”

So give John a call if you’re missing those copies, or know someone who is!

Summer’s spell

Rain, glorious rain – I can’t say I enjoy getting wet but I’m not about to complain. It’s great that for once the dams are filling faster than they’re emptying, at least over here on the East Coast.

We’re still having plenty of sunny and therefore hot days. I just love it when I pull up at a servo, bathed in sweat under my safety gear, and find the car driver at the next pump looking at me enviously as he steps from his air conditioned cocoon.

“Must be great to be out on a bike, mate. Terrific weather for it!”

What do I do? Tell him the truth – that I’m boiling and the sweat running into my eyes feels like diluted hydrochloric acid – or play along? Being careful to not let him see the sweat pouring down into my collar, I nod.

“Yes mate. But it’s great motorcycling weather any time!”

Then I duck into the air conditioned servo and pretend to be fascinated by the dreary magazines that servos sell, just to cool down for a little longer.
Am I avoiding lengthy explanations about bikes and weather, or am I simply a congenital liar? You shall be the judge…

I don’t usually run readers’ letters here, but this one from John Rowe just cried out for it.
“Bear,” he writes, “am having a home clearance (yes, the wife is going as well – true!) and have RR magazines Vol 20, 25, 27-33 and 36-45 to give away.

“They can be collected from Frenchs Forest Sydney or posted at cost. If anyone is interested they can contact me on 0414 187 728 otherwise they will be recycled.”

So give John a call if you’re missing those copies, or know someone who is!