Bone to be Wild

Just a little holiday cheer from Department 56. Happy hauntings, y'all wild thangs!

This thing is COOL!

Is it a motorcycle? Sure handles like one.

What's great about the Quadro 4 is it rides like a two-wheel motorcycle but has the advantage of four-wheel traction. It was developed by an Italian company called Quadro Tecnologie s.r.l.

Using an "internationally patented Hydraulic Tilting System" it moves all wheels independently of each other over hills and curbs, allowing the rider to lean as on a normal bike.

Quadro’s new vehicles will be displayed publicly at the EICMA Milan Fair this November (2010).

Editorial note: Although I liked the look of the layout I chose when I started this blog, it has one major disadvantage when it comes to video: The center portion is too narrow and cuts off the rightmost edge of YouTube videos. I tried shrinking the dimensions, but it hasn't really worked. So I include a link for your viewing pleasure.

http://www.motorcycledaily.com/2010/09/quadro-4d-rides-like-two-wheels-but-has-traction-like-four/

First Six Months on a Motorcycle

I mourn the passing of summer, because it means the coming of six months of wintry weather, darkness, cold, ice and snow. And a season of no more riding.

But it also means I've made it past the first six months of riding my own motorcycle.

Most people believe the first six months is when you're most likely to crash. And although I had a number of mishaps and drops, I went through that six months without crashing into anyone else. Thanks be to the God of the Road.

Just because we're past the first six months, however, don't think I'm out of the danger zone.

According to the Motorcycle Accident Factors Study conducted by the Traffic Safety Center of the University of Southern California, riders with two to three years of riding time actually have a higher risk of accidents than the beginner. So the lesson is: Don't get cocky.

Here are some statistics based on that study. In the chart below, a 1.0 represents an average risk; below 1.0 means a lower than average risk. (Thanks to "Proficient Motorcycling"by David L. Hough for the info and charts.)

Also note the likelihood of an accident depending on how you got your training:

I bought my Honda Shadow with 3,524 miles on her at the end of March, and started riding in April. As of my last ride, Sunday afternoon, she has 8,321 miles on her odometer. Accounting for about 175 miles Ironman put on her before I got my license (driving it home when I bought it, driving it to parking lots to let me practice) this means I've put about 4,622 miles on her this season.

Not bad for a beginner, if I do say so myself.

It was a steep learning curve, with lots of bruises and scary moments, but now I feel like a real rider. And do you remember those white gloves I bought in June? The ones everybody said would get dirty?

well ... just look at them NOW!

So what's the next milestone?

New riders are not allowed to take passengers for one year. Because of the short season in Michigan, the state says two years. That would be AFTER next fall.

Not that I'm worried about it. My bike has a solo seat.

Driving Me Batty

I love bats.

The first thing I remember noticing while riding on motorcycles was the bats. I never saw them while driving my car. But there they were the whole time, swooping overhead in amazing numbers at dusk.

Bats get a bad rap. Especially this time of year, in the Halloween season, when they're associated with vampires, monsters and other horrible things. But let's get something straight: These are our only flying mammals -- their babies drink mom's milk and cling to her for support when they are small.

The reason they come swooping around at dusk is they're scooping up mouthfuls of mosquitoes, ash borers and other pesky bugs. In fact, a bat eats far more mosquitoes the celebrated purple martin -- up to 4,000 a night.

According to a paper by Dr. Robert Corrigan, reprinted by the Texas Mosquito Control Association, "With the exception of only a very few species of bats found in the Southwest that feed on nectar, pollen and fruit, the 40 different bat species of the United States feed exclusively on insects. ... Bats are biologically useful mammals, and are a very important and unique part of our wildlife. People should protect and even encourage bat populations outside and away from our buildings."

Here are a few other facts to learn about our flying friends.

Horror Myth No. 1: "They have rabies!"
Well, they can carry rabies, but so can dogs and cats, and we don't generally avoid them.

According to Bat Conservation International, "Bat rabies accounts for approximately one human death per year in the United States. Thus, some people consider bats to be dangerous. Nevertheless, dogs, which often are considered 'man's best friend,' attack and kill more humans annually than die from bat rabies in a decade. Statistically speaking, pets, playground equipment, and sports are far more dangerous than bats. Clearly, bats do not rank very high among mortality threats to humans. Nevertheless, prudence and simple precautions can save lives."

In fact, bats are in greater danger from natural and manmade threats than we are from them. An Oct. 1 article from Capital News Service says wind turbines, habitat destruction and a fungal infection from Europe called "white nose syndrome" are threatening our bats. Michigan officials say the fungus hasn't yet reached our state, but they are devising a response plan in case it does appear here.

Horror Myth No. 2: Bats suck your blood.
True, vampire bats do live on blood. But they don't live around here, and they don't attack humans. They range from Mexico into South America, where they feed on livestock and birds. Their saliva contains a substance called -- and I'm not making this up -- draculin, an anticoagulant to keep the blood flowing. That has been used in heart attack and stroke patients, to keep their blood from clotting and blocking arteries.

Horror Myth No. 3: Bats are ugly.
I admit the vampire variety are kind of creepy looking ...

... but fruit bats are downright adorable.

Brown bats, native to Michigan, are quite tiny.
(The Associated Press)

Jeremy Antrim of the Organization for Bat
Conservation talks to youngsters while an
Egyptian fruit bat hangs from his shirt.
(Oakland Press file photo)

You can learn a lot about bats at the Bat Zone of Cranbrook Institute of Science in Bloomfield Hills.

If you love bats as I do, consider building or buying a bat house to hang at your own home and invite them to be your neighbors. Instructions for building a bat house and how to set it up effectively to keep your new neighbors happy are available on eHow.com.

They like to stay in barns, and I live near a few of those. So when I ride my bike home in the evening, I see a dozen of them swooping overhead in the waning light, their wings fluttering as they dart and zig-zag from juicy bug to juicy bug.

They look so free, it just makes me smile.

Riders Howl for Kids at Halloween

Kaz Mamon does this every year ...

Howling Harley Riders offers Halloween celebration for special needs children

The Howling Harley Riders is hosting the Mamon Ride for Special Needs Children and Halloween party at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 30, at Mesquite Creek, 7228 N. Main St., Clarkston, Mich., near Interstate 75.

A free lunch of hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, pizza, fruit, soft drinks and Halloween cookies and treats will be served to special-needs children. Parents pay $5 to eat, and extra siblings pay $3 for the meal.

There will be face painting and other activities, and attendees are encouraged to wear costumes. To culminate the event, the Rumble of Thunder will cross over I-75 with 100 or so motorcycle riders clad in costumes.

Adults are asked to register their children at KMamonIII@yahoo.com or call 248-793-3505 and leave the child’s name, age, and phone number. For more info, call or visit www.MamonRide.com.

***************

Here is a video of last year's event at Mesquite Creek. Check out Brandon's Bike! (Yes, it has a motor.)

A Fall Ride

It's gotten harder to ride to work, with the sun setting earlier and the cooler weather becoming an issue. So I didn't ride all last week after that glorious Indian summerlike weekend.

This Saturday on the other hand, it was warm and sunny and too beautiful to ignore. But we had obligations that day, so planned a ride for Sunday.

In the morning, we changed the oil in our bikes (I admit it -- I really just helped with that), I topped off my radiator fluid, checked the air in my tires -- which I don't do often enough -- then went out for a short afternoon ride in the autumn breeze.

It was only about 61, but sunny, so I wasn't sure how to dress. I'd started out with silk longies under my leather pants and a turtleneck because I'm usually on the cool side, but after working on the bike a while I was starting to sweat. So I took off the long underwear and put on my leather jacket, tucking its quilted liner into my saddlebag.

Fleece hood $14.99 at
HotLeathers.com.

At first, I was plenty warm. But once we got into shady wooded areas, it felt much cooler. I always carry at least one scarf, and at times when it's really cool I'll wrap it around my nose and mouth. This can get tricky; if I don't wrap it just right it slips, which is a problem when I'm driving my bike in traffic.

We made a stop at a Red Wing shoe store, where Ironman looked at boots and I scoped out the Carhartt clothes for sale. I spotted a hat with a mask made of "antimicrobial" wick-dry material. I tried it, as well as on a lighter-weight helmet liner-mask combo. This, I thought, would avoid the slippage problem, as it is stretchy and snug. It would sure keep the neck and ears warmer. But I found that my glasses tend to steam up as I exhale unless there's a cool breeze on them.

Then there's the problem of my constantly runny nose. How do you wipe it when it's covered in stretch fabric? And what to do when the fabric gets damp? Yech.

I thought about buying one, but decided to wait. I can get by with my hoodie and scarf for now. It wasn't cold enough for one on Sunday anyhow. Then Ironman reminded me that he has a similar one at home. He also bought one with a respirator in it, hoping it would prevent the throat irritation he gets from riding in very cold air.

Eventually, he just stopped riding when it was cold.

After the store, we rode our bikes into the falling leaves at Island Lake Rec Area and enjoyed a slow ride through the state park. Man, it's hard to keep it down to 25 mph on a motorcycle. I kept having to slow myself down. But it was beautiful -- blue sky, bright golden leaves and just a touch of nip in the air.

Then Ironman pulled into a parking spot near the lake and dropped his bike. Seems he didn't notice a bit of fallen branch that slipped his turned front wheel out from under him. I felt helpless and suddenly related to how he must've felt seeing me drop mine so many times during the summer.

Knock on wood, it's been a while since I dropped my bike.

The fall damaged his rear bag bar -- and his pride -- but thank goodness, he was OK.

As a friend of ours always says, "If you don't want it scratched, leave it in the showroom."

Tucker Rocky Polar Mask, $13.95
at Motorcycle Superstore.

Zan Headgear Coolmax Balaclava with Neoprene Mask
$22.99 at Motorcycle Superstore

 

Ride for Injured Retiree

Oakland County Sheriff's Deputy Keith Palmer had served the Sheriff's Office for 28 years.

Last week, with some buddies from his unit, he celebrated his last day of work before retirement and headed home on his motorcycle. I know you're wondering, but no, he wasn't drinking.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a car crashed into him, crushing his leg.

Now a bunch of motorcyclists want to devote a ride to help him out with medical bills and the like.

Palmer was heading northwest on Dixie Highway around 12:30 p.m. Oct. 8 when he stopped at a traffic light at Grange Hall Road. A young woman in her 20s, driving a car northbound, drifted into Palmer’s lane and bam! She apparently fell asleep at the wheel, says Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard.

The collision caused so much damage to Palmer's leg that part of it had to be amputated below the knee. He is still hospitalized.

Lake Orion Police dispatcher Krista Miri-Lester told The Oakland Press that she and a group of friends from work and the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office decided to devote a motorcycle ride from Grand Blanc on Saturday in Deputy Palmer's honor.

All motorcyclists are invited to take part in the ride, which will start at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 16, in the parking lot of Halsey United Methodist Church, 10006 Halsey Road in Grand Blanc. Riders will leave from the church, go through the parking lot of Genesys Hospital, where Palmer is being treated, and then to Leo’s Coney Island, 281 S. Broadway St. in Lake Orion, for lunch.

Donations can be made at the restaurant, where nonriders may join the group for lunch noon to 2 p.m. Contributions also may be sent by check or money order for the Deputy Palmer Fund to the Lakes Community Credit Union, 350 N. Park Blvd.

Riders will leave from Halsey United Methodist Church.

On TV: Café Racer

Oh, how I wish I had this channel on my TV. From a posting at the American Motorcyclist Association website:

New TV series, "Café Racer,"
shines spotlight on unique culture

Some of the coolest motorcycles in history are hitting the screen when Discovery HD Theater launches its new series, "Café Racer," beginning Wednesday, Oct. 13, at 9 p.m. Eastern time.

This 13-part series, airing every Wednesday, explores the history, development and worldwide culture surrounding the café racer, a motorcycle directly responsible for today’s superbikes.

Check out the promotional video here.

"Café Racer" visits visionary motorcycle builders in the United States and England as they search for the perfect combination of style and speed. Chronicling some of today’s top motorcycle builders through the search and build process, "Café Racer" rides with pro Superbike racers Ben and Eric Bostrom as they test ride these unique machines.

Recorded in vivid high definition, "Café Racer" also takes viewers on a full-throttle ride to Mods and Rockers rallies and to London’s legendary Ace Café. Celebrity café racers, including musician Billy Joel and actor Jason Lee, share their passion for fast, stripped-down motorcycles.

Viewers can catch behind-the-scenes footage and learn how-to customizing tips at CafeRacerTV.com. The website is open at 9 a.m. Oct. 13.

The CAFE RACER TV crew hard at work documenting the cafe racer culture.

A cafe racer build from the ground up.

What Would Gemma Do?

Congratulations to Kurt Sutter and the cast and crew of "Sons of Anarchy" on being renewed for a fourth season on FX. "SOA" has become the best-rated original series ever on FX Network, with nearly 5 million viewers each week.

After my previous lukewarm review of "Sons of Anarchy," I have to say I've been enjoying this third season better than the previous ones. It's no mystery why.

Family. Relationships. Stuff chicks relate to. It's in our hormonal makeup.

Guys like fighting and competition more because they're filled with more testosterone than we are. We have some of it, too. If we didn't, we'd never have sex -- testosterone is to blame for fightin' and, uh ... that other stuff.

I don't know because it's not my field of study, but I think some chicks have a lot more of it than others, and I'm guessing those who ride motorcycles probably have a little more than those who don't.

Never been that much of a thrill-seeker myself -- I don't even like rollercoasters, and high-action movies make me yawn. But I do like good storytelling. And for me the best stories are the ones that show how people interact on an emotional level.

That's why I've been digging the Sons this season, with Gemma going back home to take care of her aging father, Jax working out his relationship with Doctor Tara, even ol' Piney willing to fight to the death to protect a good woman like Honey, who's dispensing meds to good people at discount prices.

Best of all, Clay and Gemma confirming their deep and passionate middle-aged love for one another. To quote Television Without Pity, "... awwwww! They're clinging to each other, and oh, it's very sweet, and kudos to this show for making an established couple so smokin' hot."

My sentiments exactly.

And by the way, Gemma shows up as No. 9 on TWP's list of the decade's most bad-ass women on TV. (I also give a hearty endorsement for No. 4, Kara Thrace, aka Starbuck, on "Battlestar Galactica".)

This might be a great time to mention that Katey Sagal, who plays Gemma, is also Mrs. Kurt Sutter, which means her boss has the unenviable task of writing and watching her love scenes with Ron Perlman; and also that she plays another bad-ass woman, Turanga Leela, on "Futurama."
 

Anyway, I was tempted when I ran across this T-shirt, even though I constantly mumble the mantra "I don't need another T-shirt," and STILL had to clean a dozen of 'em out of my drawer to make room for the ones I bought this summer anyway ...

You can get yours at  FX Network's SOA merch site.

Bet Gemma would if it came with a plunging neckline and cute pair of boots.

Hot Time in the Old Town

Why didn't somebody TELL me this thing was a bike event?

Lori says she's going to the Chili Cookoff in Plymouth, so I say if I make it down there maybe we can meet up. Then Barb at the Road Shop says they're going, too. "It's big," she says, still not mentioning the bike show part. So I look it up on the Great Lakes Chili site, and what do I see but pics of the streets of my former hometown packed with bikes.

OK ... Change of plans. We'll be there!

We won't be joining the ride from MotorCity Harley-Davidson in Farmington Hills, or the one from Dick Scott Indian in Canton (Dick Scott sells Indians?), but if you hurry, you might still be able to make it. MotorCity Harley Davidson (248) 473-7433  or  Dick Scott's Classic Motorcycles (734) 398-5454.

So here's what I found out:
“The 15^th Annual Great Lakes Regional Chili Cook-off” and Motorcycle Bike Show will take place on  Sunday October 10, 2010. 

The Chili Cook-off will feature a traditional Red Chili, a Green Chili and a Salsa competition.  This portion of the cook-off is recognized by the International Chili Society (ICS) and will follow all ICS rules. The winners in each category will advance to the 2011 World Championship Chili cook-off next fall. A fee is charged to participants wanting to try their best to create a winning pot-of-chili!  Top winners receive trophies and $prizes. Peoples Choice Chili samples will be available at noon, competition samples at 1:30 & 3:00 for a $1 donation per sample. New this year is a "Battle Of The Businesses" contest. Local businesses will compete with their very best chili in hopes in winning a first prize trophy!

 

The GLR Chili Bike Show is a ride-in show with 17 different bike categories including Harley and non-Harley classes. There is a $10 fee to enter a bike and all first-place winners will receive a trophy with one lucky rider winning a Best of Show award. The "Chili" Bike Show takes place noon-4 p.m on Main Street at Kellogg Park.

 A “Chili Ride” will begin at MotorCity Harley Davidson in Farmington Hills and end up at the Chili Cook-off. A fee of $10 per rider will get participants V.I.P. parking at the event on Ann Arbor Trail. A second. ride is planned to begin at Dick Scott Indian Detroit Dealership on Michigan Ave. in Canton, open to all bikes.

The Restaurant Chili Challenge will be taking place from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Penniman Ave. & in Kellogg Park. A dozen restaurants will be vying for the prize of “Best Chili in Plymouth” award. You be the judge of the best chili served by area restaurants. Bowls of chili will be a $4 donation or you can sample them for $1 donation per 2 oz sample.

 Other Activities:

• Live Entertainment noon-5 p.m.
  
• Dance Teams perform
• Children’s activity area
• Hottest Dog in the Coolest City costume contest  judging at 2 p.m. in the park.
• A Motorcycle Skill Slow Speed Exhibition @ 1 and 3 p.m. on Main Street 

 Charities that have benefited from this event include: Make a Wish Foundation, The Rainbow Connection, Plymouth Salvation Army, Bridgepoint, Michigan Youth Soccer Association and Habitat for Humanity.
 

*****

The weather is supposed to be stupendous, and what could be better than a bike rally fueled by a chili?

Chili Cook Off Photos by JILL Andra Young Photography

How Likely am I to Crash into a Deer?

It's autumn, and the deer are in rut. No, not IN A rut ... that's me.

We're talking about their annual mating dance and the craziness that goes with it, which makes it all the more likely you'll run into a deer on the road.

I did it once, while riding two-up with my husband, and it's not something I want to repeat. Some riders don't live to tell the tale.

Michigan is listed as third in the risk for deer collisions in the nation, up 21 percent in the last five months, according to recent data from State Farm Insurance. Here is a chart that shows how likely we are to have a deer collision in different states.

Click to enlarge the image

These collisions are more frequent during the deer migration and mating season in October, November and December. The combination of growing deer populations and the displacement of deer habitat caused by urban sprawl are producing increasingly hazardous conditions for motorists and deer.

Here are some tips to avoid crashing into a deer:

• Be aware of posted deer crossing signs. These are placed in active deer crossing areas.
• Remember that deer are most active between 6 and 9 p.m.
• Use high-beam headlamps as much as possible at night to illuminate the areas from which deer will enter roadways. But be courteous and don't blind other motorists: If you can see someone else's headlights, turn yours down.
• Keep in mind that deer travel in herds – if you see one, it's likely others are nearby and may dart into the road.
• Do not rely on car-mounted deer whistles. There's little evidence that they work. Though one of my friends swears loud pipes scare them away.
• If a deer collision seems inevitable, trying to swerve out of the way could cause you to lose control of your vehicle, placing you in the path of an oncoming vehicle or sending you off the road. Remember, trees don't break easily, but you do.

The Hall of Fame Museum

The American Motorcyclists Association Hall of Fame Museum is 1,500 square feet on two floors housing 100 motorcycles, many of them on loan to the museum. Current exhibits include "Dirt-Track! All-American Racing" and "30-Year Ride, Honda's Ohio-Made Motorcycles." Our favorites were the antique bikes -- the kind that look like bicycles with an engine welded on -- and the cutaway motors with tags showing what's what. Here's just some of what we saw on our visit. To make the images larger, click on them.

•Leroy Winters modified this two-stroke Harley-Davidson dirt bike to win the Jack Pine Enduro in Michigan. He expanded the sportster tank as you can see from the weld marks, and added a sprung seat.

•American Cal Rayborn rode this 1970 Harley-Davidson XR750 to a stunning upset in the TransAtlantic Match Races in Great Britain. Rayborn won three races and finished second in the other three. His bike features a leather pad on the tank to rest his chest and foot controls mounted on the rear swingarm to save weight.

•Earl Bowlby drove a 1967 BSA to champion status in hill climbing. After making some modifications, he rode it "straight to the 1976 Nationals in Muskegon, Mich., where he set a record on his new machine," according to an info plaque next to his bike.

"I looked at the pieces flying off those bikes when they tumbled down the hill," he said, "and I thought to myself that I would never do anything like that to my bike. And wouldn't you know it, two years later I was right out there with them."

•Harden Scot usually rode Husquvarna motorcycles. But he built this off-road racer from the ground up to compete in the 2005 Dakar Rally desert race. Riding as team manager, he finished 17th out of 250 riders.

 

He has a rollchart mounted on the handlebars to aid navigation, electronic enduro computers and four gas tanks -- two fore, and two aft. You can see the volume measurements marked on this tank, just in front of the knee.

•This 1980 high-fuel economy trial bike built around a stock Yamaha 185cc motor by Jerry Greer and Chuck Guy is fully enclosed in a fiberglass aerodynamic shell and equipped with a padded gas tank the rider lies upon. This motorcyle traveled from California to new York on fewer than 15 gallons of gas, averaging 196.5 mph on the eight-day trip.

I took some tight closeups inside the contraption to show how the handlebars were shortened and bent downward at right angles.

Here are some real antiques.

A Velocette ...

Here's an ACE ...

 




The Henderson in-line 4, with original engineering drawing. It was a gentleman's luxury motorcycle, and the last of its kind, in 1930.

 

The famed Indian, which far outran Harley-Davidson until World War II, when the company focused exclusively on military production and lost its civilian market. Harley later bought the name, but then ... what's in a name? Note in picture 2 the leaf spring and offset suspension design on the front fork.

The 1914 Harley-Davidson pocket valve factory racer sold for $1,500 new -- more than three times the price of a car at the time.

1926 Harley-Davidson peashooter (note the knuckle-buster gear shift lever). This Model BA was designed for the European market.

This one's ... uh ... European?

And now for the ladies ...

• Debbie Evans rode a Yamaha TY175 in the USA FIM Trials World Round, the only woman to compete in the A Class, and finished 18th. She also rode this bike in the 1977 and 1978 U.S. National Trials and was a sensation at Supercross events.

 • Bessie Stringfield in the 1940s completed eight solo cross-country tours as a U.S. Army motorcycle dispatch rider, breaking down barriers for women riders and African-Americans at the same time. In the 1950s, as the "Motorcycle Queen of Miami," she founded the Iron Horse Motorcycle Club.



• And finally, my personal heroes (below), sisters Adeline and Augusta Van Buren, who rode coast to coast on Indian Power Plus motorcycles in 1915, when there weren't even roads all the way across the country yet.