Motorcycle Laws when Traveling

Motorcycle Laws when Traveling It is important to know what laws are in effect when you travel outside your normal riding area. Today's tip is when traveling outside your normal area, make sure you research the laws that are in effect for the places you will be visiting. It’s not just the helmet laws, although those are good to know. You can check them out at www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/laws/helmetuse/mapmotorcyclehelmets But you should also look at concealed carry, knife, and rider requirement laws. There are some states that have some different laws than you are used to and even if you are not from that state, you are required to follow those laws when riding in that state. For example, in Illinois, you are required to wear eye protection unless you have a windshield. Do you have neon lights? If so, you can run […]

Karla Weinbrenner July 24, 2024

Law and Politics

NHTSA Investigates Tesla Again…

NHTSA Investigates Tesla Again... In a letter made public this week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is seeking answers from Tesla on the company's "Autopilot" system. The letter sent on July 26th states, "Recently, NHTSA became aware that Tesla has introduced an Autopilot configuration that, when enabled, allows drivers using Autopilot to operate their vehicles for extended periods without Autopilot prompting the driver to apply torque to the steering wheel." As the letter notes, the ramifications of this feature are worrisome. "Relaxation of controls designed to ensure that the driver remains engaged in the dynamic driving task could lead to greater driver inattention and failure of the driver to properly supervise Autopilot." It is unclear whether Tesla responded by the August 25th deadline noted in the correspondence. However, this action by NHTSA comes on the heels of several other investigations […]

Karla Weinbrenner July 24, 2024

Law and Politics

Motorcycle Rights

The first Sunday in May, in my State is the “Freedom Ride” a ride to the State Capital to show the law makers that Motorcyclist are watching and we have a voice in Government. You may or may not know that there are organizations that are watching what happens at the Local, State, and Federal level that does or could affect you as a motorcyclist. If you want have a voice in that you are welcome to join those organizations. Today I will give you a quick overview of those organizations so you know who is working for you. At the local and state level there are usually: The COC (Coalition of Clubs or Confederation of Clubs or Council of Clubs). As the name says that organization is made up mostly of the Motorcycle clubs in the state or area. […]

blythe May 2, 2022

Law and Politics

Know the Laws

Today’s tip from our Road Captain: Check ahead and know the laws! When traveling outside your normal area make sure you research the laws that are in effect for the places you will be - and not just the helmet laws although those are good to know. This material has been prepared for general information purposes only. It is not guaranteed to be current and should be independently verified. Do not rely on it when considering how a law may apply to your circumstances. July 2024 State Required to wear helmet Motorcycle-type vehicles not covered Alabama all riders all are covered Alaska 17 and youngerFootnote1 all are covered Arizona 17 and younger moped, defined by the state as having an engine displacement of 50 cc or less, brake horsepower of 1.5 or less, and a maximum speed of 25 mph […]

blythe May 2, 2021

Law and Politics

Law and Politics Why Motorcyclist are Concerned About Blender Pumps and E15

There has been movement in some states against blender pumps or at least ensure that if a station uses blender pumps that dispense E15 it still will have a dedicated pump for E10 or lower percentages of Ethanol. You may wonder why. So lets begin with explaining what a blender pump is. A Blender pump is a gas pump that dispenses multiple grades of fuel using the same hose and nozzle for all the options. The issue is that the hose and nozzle can hold up to 4 gallons of fuel between uses. So if someone fills up with 89 octane fuel and then you pull up to use the pump even if you select 91 octane you may get up to 4 gallons of 89 octane before you get the 91 octane. Even thought this is kind of a […]

blythe March 30, 2021