State Wants Bikers To Ride Loud For Safety's Sake
State highway safety officials are asking bikers to dress brightly, paint their motorcycles in brighter colors and add more lights to the machines.
It's not a stylish move for a community that puts a lot of stock in style, but it might make riders more visible and cut a rising number of accidents.
"It's not cool but it's better for me," said Jeff Ward, a biker from Tallahassee. "I feel better about my safety."
"Ride Proud, Ride Loud" is the name of a campaign announced today at a news conference in Tallahassee by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
Harley-Davidson revs up for museum's opening
More than 140 motorcycles are on display at the sparkling new Harley-Davidson Museum, including some of the earliest factory models and bikes that belonged to Elvis Presley and daredevil Evil Knievel.
But the museum, which will open to the public on July 12, is much more than an archival collection of motorcycles produced by the iconic Milwaukee manufacturer.
A variety of interactive exhibits offer a glimpse into the inner workings of a Harley-Davidson engine and allow visitors to custom-make their own motorcycles.
The museum also features a large collection of well-preserved Harley-Davidson artifacts, from advertising posters to board meeting minutes from the company's early days.
"It's unprecedented for a company to have saved so much stuff," said Jim Fricke, the museum's curatorial director.
Debate Continues Eight Years After Motorcycle Helmet Law Repealed
When Rob Cornelius started riding motorcycles at age 16, Florida law didn't allow him - or any other biker - to rev the throttle without a helmet on his head.
That changed on July 1, 2000, when Florida repealed a 33-year-old law and exempted anyone 21 or older with $10,000 in personal injury insurance from wearing a helmet. At that point, Cornelius, a Lakeland resident, was free to ride without headgear.
He tried it a few times on short treks around town, but he just didn't feel secure. And so Cornelius, who rides nearly every day, quickly reverted to automatic helmet use.
On the eighth anniversary of the change in Florida's helmet law, motorcyclists in Polk County have widely divergent opinions about the need to wear head protection.
Some, noting that even the most careful rider is vulnerable to the errors of drivers, say it's foolish to ride without a helmet. Others, emphasizing the connection between motorcycles and freedom, adamantly refuse to wear helmets.
Not your father's Hell's Angels...
Traditionally conjuring up images of lawless, leather-clad horsemen rumbling their Harley-Davidsons on the fringes of society, the Hells Angels apparently has softened around the edges. A new, local chapter would rather sell you officially licensed merchandise than start any trouble.
Riding for more than half a century on its outlaw image, the infamous Hells Angels motorcycle club has arrived in Florida, and an ad featuring the club's winged-skull logo has appeared in this newspaper calling for new members.
"We just wanted to let people know we're here; it's no big deal," said Paul Stevens, who is organizing the Florida chapter.
Stevens stressed members no longer are the stereotypical bikers terrorizing the paved landscape.
"We are a political club; we are not a drug club. We're not interested in the Hollywood persona," Stevens said. "The time of the biker being a biker is long gone. We no longer have the drunk, drugged-up, crazy biker. It's a totally different world."
Bikers rush to dodge new law requiring safety classes
Ann Skinner came up with a great way of saving money: Drive her 28-mile daily commute on a scooter that gets 70 miles per gallon.
She saved even more money by passing her motorcycle tests on Friday, just days before a new law takes effect requiring new motorcyclists to take a safety class that costs $200 to $300.
"I'm happy to save $200," said Skinner, a graphic artist who lives in St. Petersburg. "That was the whole idea, to save money."
The law, which takes effect Tuesday, is meant to keep new motorcyclists alive by putting them in classes tailor-made to teach them how to safely maneuver on roads filled with other drivers who often aren't looking for them. Many motorcyclists say these classes can be great — even some who showed up at the Pinellas Park driver's license office Friday in hopes of avoiding them.
Freshen-up motorcycle skills, save gas
With gas prices approaching four bucks a gallon, and the weather warming up, people are looking at motorcycles.
There are few things to consider when thinking about commuting and running errands on a motorcycle.
"Well you certainly will get better fuel economy on a motorcycle than you would with most automobiles." However, Dave Jenneke with the Madison Area Technical College (MATC) says it's a good idea to freshen-up your riding skills before hitting the road.
Grimsby man's name to grace cop memorial, 80 years after death
In the 80 years since 26-year-old traffic officer Leigh Metcalfe died in a motorcycle crash, relatives have tried to keep his memory alive.
With his parents and siblings gone, the job of remembering the fallen Grimsby officer fell to his scores of nieces and nephews, though few had ever met him.
Now, after decades of relying on family stories, old photos and dusty scrapbooks, Metcalfe's surviving family is getting a permanent tribute to their long lost but never forgotten ancestor.
Tomorrow, Metcalfe's name will be etched into the granite wall of the Ontario Police Memorial at Queen's Park.
Heavyweight Harley-Davidson Failing to Keep Up with Surging Scooters
With Memorial Day behind us, the summer driving season is officially underway. You probably heard that AAA estimated a decrease in motor traffic over the holiday weekend for the first time since 2002. But even if gas prices, which climbed another four cents while you were reading the last sentence, are finally beginning to impact leisure travel, millions of Americans who cannot cut back on driving to and from work are being forced to either absorb the high prices or find more creative ways of cutting consumption.
Some people have tried cutting out driving altogether, but most are turning to more fuel-efficient vehicles, including new hybrid models, decade-old Geo Metros and, increasingly, motor scooters with triple-digit MPGs. But heavyweight motorcycles, which still get two to three times the gas mileage of a typical sedan, aren’t enjoying the same sales bump, so one would expect there to be less interest in the heavyweights on the web. Au contraire!
