Oregon Volcanoes Rally

Many of today’s technology-driven, electrification, and social media-obsessed adults don’t relate as much as I do to the joy of the wind in your face on a petrol-propelled motorcycle.

Their loss in my opinion.

But, for those who get it, they know that Harley-Davidson enthusiasts like to get together, get to know each other and do a lot of riding.

For those of us who live in Oregon, we clearly know that we have some of the best riding in all of the U.S., which means this year we get to share this gem of a state at a National H.O.G.® motorcycle rally.

I’m talking about the Oregon Volcanoes H.O.G. Touring Rally happening September 11-15th. For those unfamiliar with Oregon, it’s a perfect time of year for riding, with mild temperatures, little chance of rain, and the foliage season begins. Adding to that, the Pacific Northwest is increasingly known for its craft beer, coffee shops, vibrant music and food scenes which is reason by itself to visit the state.

The last time there was a National H.O.G. Rally — that was started out hosted in Oregon — was back in 2017 for the Lewis and Clark; The Expedition Returns. That ride basically followed in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark’s 1805 expedition in search of the Northwest Passage, from Seaside, Oregon to St. Charles, Missouri. If you want a little sample of that adventure, I detailed the adventure HERE.  If you’re looking for even more information about Lewis and Clark, visit the National Geographic site dedicated to their journey HERE.

50 Rides, One Nation

It’s been my experience after attending a few National H.O.G. events, they are a class act.  The local dealers often host evening events and the route information and swag are of high quality.  In addition, the H.O.G. planners (Bill Davis • Rally Coordinator) make it very simple to participate and have a great experience!

At present, the Oregon Volcanoes Touring Rally has 190+ H.O.G. Members and guests registered.  Keep in mind, this isn’t a “group ride” where a couple hundred bikes depart simultaneously every day with a ride captain.  Riders are free to forge their own departure times and routes (with solid guidance on scenic location stops and daily endpoint events) while riding at your own pace.

The ‘Volcanoes’ rally will start on the eastside of Portland, OR with a ride along the Columbia River Highway to the scenic Multnomah Falls viewpoint. Traveling a little farther and it’s a picturesque view of Mount Hood, the first of eight volcanos on this ride. The tour will then head north to an active stratovolcano, Mount St. Helens in Washington State, at a viewpoint which is also one of the stops for the 10 Rides for ‘21 H.O.G. challenge.

Mount St. Helens Loop

You might recall that the 10 Rides for ’21 is an annual H.O.G. member challenge featuring 10 great destinations throughout the country, along with a recommended scenic route for each. At this rally, riders will also have the option of picking up one of the 50 Rides, 1 Nation H.O.G. challenge on the Columbia River Highway at the Vista House in Corbett, OR. That’s two H.O.G. challenge stops completed, in less than 100 miles into your rally! The tour will loop back around to the westside of Portland for the first night on the road with a hosted event at Paradise Harley-Davidson.

On day-2, the tour will pass through the Opal Creek Wilderness and have spectacular views of Mount Jefferson, Three Sisters and Mount Bachelor to the eastern side of the mountains ending in Bend, OR for a hosted party and meal.

On day-3, the tour takes the route west towards the coast and the cool breezes of the Pacific Ocean and the coastal community of Coos Bay. The tour will ride by Newbury and Mount Mazama Volcanos.

On day-4, the tour will ride by the Mount McLoughlin volcano and will visit Klamath Falls before ending the rally with a hosted meal, party and closing ceremony in Medford, OR.

There will be a total of five hosted stops planned at Harley-Davidson dealerships along the tour route. Check out the H.O.G. website if you’ve yet to register and want to join the tour HERE.

It should be a great Oregon tour, with a side trip into Washington and a riding route that provides twists and turns and follows many of the region’s noteworthy volcanos.

Photos courtesy H.O.G. and Harley-Davidson

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Glacier National Park Redux

Montana Border on Highway 200

Last month I posted about plans to ride through Glacier National Park.

I started making plans a couple of months prior to the ride looking for the slowest, curving roads with mountains and throwback motel stopping points to minimize pandemic exposure.

The reopening of Montana’s tourism amenities and services started in early June, which meant they were open a couple months prior to our arrival, with the exception of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation which was closed “until further notice.”  Canada also blocked all non-essential travel into the country so any mini-tour loop into BC or Alberta was off limits this trip.

It turns out that 2020 was a record-breaking year for the fact that there were NO forest fires during the days we visited the park to disrupt the spectacular views. There has been a fire in Glacier National Park almost every year of its existence with the exception of 1964 as the only year with no fires on record. Fires are a naturally recurring part of the forest lifecycle, but seeing Glacier with pristine clear air was an exceptional gift this time.

We traveled northeast crabwise across Washington state and spent a night in Sandpoint, on the northern tip of Idaho. It’s located on the magnificent 43-mile-long Lake Pend Oreille, surrounded by the Selkirk and Cabinet mountains. The next morning we traveled east on Highway 200 alongside the lake, then alongside the Clark Fork River.  We made a breakfast stop at a terrific family owned bakery in Clark Fork, called The Pantry.

Once we crossed over into Montana, we took a short detour to the remote end of Sanders County and traveled over the new $13.5 millon Heron Bridge.  It replaced a 95-year-old, one-lane bridge connecting Montana Highway 200 to the community of Heron. The original bridge had the ribbon cut on Nov. 23, 1952, but was originally fabricated in California and was already 32 years old when first installed across the river.  It had been deemed insufficient for growing traffic across the Pend Oreille River near Metaline Falls, Washington when it was moved and re-constructed at Heron.

“Sun Road” Glacier NP

After the bridge tour we rode north on Highway 56, Bull Lake Road, which is about 36 miles long and dead ends at Highway 2 just west of Libby. The landscape in the area is very diverse from low elevation timber and lakes to the outstanding peaks in the Cabinet Mountains and Scotchman Peak area.  We rode along the Kootenay River on Highway 2 to Kalispell then north on Highway 93.  We overnighted in Whitefish, MT a gateway to Glacier and a nice resort town. With a mixed array of shops, coffee houses and restaurants it reminded me of Jackson, WY charm.  There are plenty of places to enjoy a Going-to-the-Sun IPA with a great view of the mountains.

Glacier National Park, MT

The Blackfeet Indian Reservation closure created an impediment to traveling the Going-to-the-Sun road through the park and then looping back on Highway 2.

The road/gate entrance to the park was closed at St Mary. An optional route from Glacier north across the Canadian border to visit the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park was a barrier as well since the Canadian border was closed.

At any rate, we began at West Glacier for a slow out-and-back ride on the 50-mile-long road.  There were incredible views of glacial-carved valleys, jagged peaks and pristine wilderness. A benefit of the pandemic was those famous red busses which departed from Lake McDonald Lodge were shut down and not running on the roads this year.

The Going-to-the-Sun Road was the National Park Service’s first to cross the trans-continental divide. It’s a landscape impossible to adequately describe in words or capture in photos when riding into that ‘big sky’ that Montana is famous for.

The west tunnel–a 197-foot long tunnel features two arched openings that let you look out to Heaven’s Peak and the Upper McDonald Creek valley while behind the handlebars. The Alpine section–is a six percent climb between the Loop and 6,646-foot high Logan Pass. There’s a section of the road called The Weeping Wall. A waterfall cascades 100 feet down, over the rocks and onto part of the road and down the other side of a 4500 foot cliff drop-off.

The Posse

The views! The curves! It’s like a real life painting.

For all its scenic wonders, the “Sun Road” is not without a few negatives: overall, the roads were in good shape and well-maintained, but there were a couple of rehabilitation projects and construction delays can be a major buzz-kill with all the crowds. The speed limit is slow-to-stop with much of the ride quality depending on the crowds and RVs.

The end of our round trip ride took us back into touristy West Glacier, town. Afterward we headed back to a Whitefish pub (via a motel shuttle) to try out a flight of their whiskeys and celebrate the completion of a beautiful ride.

Glacier is a place to be savored and a place to come back to again and again. It was great to get a break from the relentless protest, COVID-19 media drum beat and to reconnect with the land by motorcycle.

Photos taken by the author. 

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Harley-Davidson MIA With Coronavirus Response Ads

Is Harley-Davidson committed to lending a hand?

It’s not obvious that Harley-Davidson execs realized their normal marketing plans will no longer cut it as COVID-19 overtakes nearly every facet of American life!

I’m not talking about an empty kumbaya ‘Let’s Ride’ sentiment.  Clearly, the typical messaging in the motorcycle marketplace isn’t going to work the same way as prior to the WW coronavirus pandemic.

Stating the obvious, one would think that Harley-Davidson would play into the motor company’s more than 116-year history and remind consumers how the company has responded during world wars and during previous disasters in America.  While buying or servicing your motorcycle may not be top-of-mind at the moment, offering up some type of payment relief program to consumers affected by this disaster would not only provide some peace of mind to customers, it would reaffirm that the motor company is really focusing on the consumer health situation vs. self-serving attention in suspending U.S. production to disinfect manufacturing equipment and pulling financial guidance for wall street.

Digital Advert — ‘Breathe’ by Droga5

The last significant digital advert (‘Breathe‘ — February 10, 2020), by Droga5, was a message of the outdoors and the experience of riding in a world that is humdrum.

In case you missed it, the world is no longer humdrum…  Droga5 should waive client fees for ‘pivoting’ H-D creative and media to be more reflective of the current situation.

Where is Harley-Davidson marketing?  Not only to pivot the current creative, but how about immediately trying to get a little bit of free publicity via “specially curated images” for video conference backdrops. Spitballing here… It’s important to be reassuring right now and not try to say to people ‘Rush into your Harley dealership for a sales event.‘

Where is the Harley-Davidson Foundation, the philanthropic organization of Harley-Davidson Inc.?  Where is Harley-Davidson Credit?  How about offering a program giving new motorcycle buyers very low-to-zero percent financing and the option to delay their first payment for 90 days?  Where is Harley-Davidson Service?  Maybe provide free service or reduced costs for people who only have a motorcycle for transportation?  And lastly, where is the “We’re With You Every Step” inspirational statement from the United Steelworkers and International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers’?

The COVID-19 pandemic is producing economic and social disruptions not seen before, and major industries have already felt the impact. People aren’t buying as much stuff. People are getting laid off. Despite government reassurances, the anxiety of closed businesses and lost employment and wages weigh heavy on people.

But, lets bring it back to the local situation in the northwest.

As of this morning, March 30th, the Coronavirus situation is:
Oregon: 13 deaths, 548 cases — Oregon numbers
Washington: 195 deaths, 4,896 cases — Washington numbers
United States: 2,600 deaths, 143,532 cases — U.S. numbers

While not essential for health, sustenance, shelter, and hygiene—it’s time for Harley-Davidson to step up and find a way to exist, operate, and communicate in ways that offer one of some combination of help, hope, and entertainment.

To Be Fair:  It is important to note that Harley-Davidson, it’s dealership network and the Harley-Davidson Foundation have made significant charitable contributions over the years.  From donating motorcycles to the Haitian Earthquake to funding Red Cross for the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and to natural disasters in the U.S. like hurricane Florence.

Photos courtesy of Harley-Davidson

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Harley-Davidson And The Decline Of Aquatic Habitats

A motorcycle braking system’s primary function is to adequately dissipate heat in order to increase the fade resistance and stop the vehicle.

The Italian company, Brembo, and their brake systems dominate the legendary circuits of the MotoGP and Superbike World Championships.

Solid Block of Aluminum

Brembo has recently introduced a new braking system for the Harley-Davidson flagship models as well as the new LiveWire with distinctive elements of performance, lightness and style.

It all starts with a solid block of aluminum, a material with extraordinary properties that not only have eye-catching surface finishings, but is able to combine low weight and stiffness.

The new radial monoblock caliper with 4 pistons (30 mm) boasts a unique design and the result takes full advantage of the material characteristics.

Motorcyclists know that caliper changes, even for an object of this small size may seem insignificant, but calipers are unsprung weights: even a few hundred grams more increase the braking distances, reduce the acceleration and make changing direction less stable/smooth.

New Radial Monoblock Caliper

Brembo manufactures braking components to ensure constancy of performance and that lever response is immediate with adjustable deceleration in any riding condition. Clearly, Brembo leveraged their 40-years of MotoGP success, to help improve the Harley-Davidson braking systems.

Another distinguishing feature of Harley-Davidson or Brembo’s OE braking system is the use of color.  Call it Italian creativity, but it is appreciated for its high quality standard, attention to detail and the importance of the braking systems’ aesthetics.

But, more to the point of aquatic habitats.

The Pacific Northwest is well known for its beer distilleries, marijuana shops, and hipster-forward culture (and lots of beards). It’s an attraction for foodies, coffee bean experts, hikers and features a diverse landscape of twisty back roads just outside the metro areas for wind in the face relief.

Salmon and the Pacific Northwest go hand in hand, but did you know that every time you grab and engage the brake lever, minute amounts of copper from brake dust is chemically degrading aquatic habitats, often in the form of toxic stormwater runoff which contributes to the killing of coho salmon?  It’s true.  Multiple studies demonstrate that stormwater runoff is unusually lethal to adult coho that return to spawn each year in watersheds.  The Washington State University study is HERE and the Ecological Society of America study is HERE.

To be fair, urbanization along with polluted runoff from automobile (268+ million in the U.S.) brake dust poses a greater challenge to fish species conservation, but motorcycle braking contributes to toxic stormwater runoff and recurrent coho die-offs.

Brembo Colors

I should’ve produced a truck load of “Save a Salmon, Don’t Brake” t-shirts hoping to get wealthy, but didn’t.

Are you looking for a way to get involved?  It’s expensive and not very practical for Harley-Davidson, but upgrading to carbon ceramic brakes don’t produce the same amount of toxic dust.

Motorcyclists can plant trees along the network of streams and rivers.  Or build rain gardens (vegetated basins or depressions which capture and absorb runoff) at their homes or neighborhoods to intercept stormwater that would otherwise flow onto city streets then to the rivers with polluted runoff — the main culprit for the decline of urban salmon populations.

Photos courtesy of Brembo and Harley-Davidson

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Oregon Motorcycle Legislative Update

As you know, I’m a motorcyclist licensed in the State of Oregon.  I’ve written many blog posts that represent motorcyclists and advocate for the passage of laws that improve motorcycle safety and result in motorcycle awareness and driver accountability.

My perspective comes from years of riding motorcycles and having first hand knowledge of friends who have been injured when drivers don’t see motorcycles and the dramatic consequences.

Speaking of motorcycle accidents, the following are examples of common motorcycle accident causes:

• A car makes a left-hand turn in front of a motorcycle, usually because the driver is not looking for, or does not otherwise see, the oncoming motorcycle.

• A vehicle pulls out of, or into, a side street or driveway, also usually because the driver does not look for, or otherwise see, the motorcycle.

• A car rear ends a motorcycle because the driver is inattentive or distracted, usually by a mobile electronic device.

• And the all-to-common motorcycle accidents involve only the motorcyclist!  There have been a number of motorcycles that inexplicably missed a curve on a clear, dry road and left the roadway.  Many suffered injuries or death after striking a tree, roadside sign, utility pole or boulder.  Be it age related (yes, I said that!), pushing the limit of the riders skills or the capability of the motorcycle, driving impaired — both by drugs and alcohol — or by fatigue and exposure — riders need to constantly tweak riding habits to stay sharp.

In tracking the U.S. states information, searching and following-up on the Oregon data of various motorcycle accidents in the news, it seems that negligent drivers are often not being cited for any violation when they cause a motorcycle accident. Moreover, careless drivers are typically only being cited for routine traffic violations, and reckless drivers are being cited only for careless driving.  I’ve also read about simple cell-phone tickets being cited when drivers cause severe accidents.  If you try and track motorcycle accident cases, they are usually not referred to the District Attorney’s office unless there is a fatality or a drunk driver involved. Careless and even are facing very little to no criminal repercussions for their conduct and instead being given a traffic violation or no traffic violation at all.

That’s all about to change!

Back in 2017, Oregon began to address this issue by passing HB 2598, which expanded Oregon’s Vehicular Assault Statute, ORS 811.060, to protect motorcyclists and their passengers from reckless drivers, making it a Class A Misdemeanor for a reckless driver to injure a motorcyclist or passenger. That same year, Oregon passed SB 493, which made it a Class A Misdemeanor for a criminally negligent driver to seriously injure a vulnerable user.

However, under the current statute, motorcyclists, moped operators, and their passengers are not, even though they are equally susceptible to being directly struck and seriously injured by a careless, or criminally negligent, driver as the other road users.

But, effective January 1, 2020 is Senate Bill 810.  Signed into law back in June, the Bill modifies the definition of “vulnerable user of a public way” to include persons operating or riding on moped or motorcycle.  The law (801.608, “Vulnerable user of a public way”) enhances penalties for motorists who kill or injure motorcyclists, as well as other vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, highway workers or bicyclists.

Oregon has taken an important step to protect riders and their passengers. Oregon now joins the State of Washington along with several other states by treating motorcycles and mopeds the same as other vulnerable road users by significantly enhancing the penalties against careless and criminally negligent drivers.

Thank you Governor Brown!

UPDATED:  November 1, 2019 — Removed the 1st – 4th priority scheme under motorcycle accident causes paragraph (see comment below) as it was misleading.  Added a reference HERE to the NHTSA Highway Crash Data for 2018.

Photos courtesy of ODOT and GHSA

Oregon Crash Statistics & Reports    |    Invest in yourself and Stay Sharp HERE!

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Burning Through The Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest…bounded on one side by the pacific ocean and the other side is the mountainous Rocky’s.

It’s perfect for finding a two-lane crowd-free by-way and rolling past acres of lush forest.  Those acres can turn into meandering hours of riding the countryside on a motorcycle.   In fact, the Pacific Northwest HOG rally will be hosted in the picture-esq Northwest (Portland) in a couple of weeks where we will deliver the aesthetic vision of why we ride!

Welcoming the 1000’s of riders to the adventure will be hot and dry weather.  Not only will they encounter the best weather temps, but they will also have to deal with wildfires.  Yes, the west could be described as being on fire!

Wildfires In Oregon and Washington State

The fires across the region have forced evacuation, burned down structures and created breathing issues for some.  Twenty minutes outside the Portland metro area the air is thick with particulate and smoke permeates the sky for miles across the region.  In Washington state over a 1000 people have been evacuated in Chelan county.  The Warm Springs fire (Countyline 2 fire) in Oregon has exploded into the largest fire at 36K acres.  U.S. 26 is closed at Oregon 126.

According to NatGeo, on average more than 100K wildfires clear 4-5 million acres each year in the U.S.  In 2014, some 1.2 million acres burned in Oregon and Washington and sadly this year it’s looking like a repeat.

Wildfires In Canada, BC

In scanning the reports I got to thinking about the last time I’ve taken a motorcycle trip during the summer that wasn’t marred with a wildfire.  Of course it depends on how many miles I’ve traveled, but in a typical week long ride during the summer I realized that it’s been a fair number of years where I didn’t pass near or through a burning wildfire during a ride.  I’ve had multiple trips to Sturgis.  Through Yellowstone Park, through Glacier National Park – both with fires on multiple trips.  There was U.S. Route 550 or the “million dollar highway” that had a San Jan National Forest fire.  There was Beartooth Highway (U.S. Hwy 212) and a lingering wildfire.  I’ve taken a couple extended trips up north to British Columbia Canada and the land of lumberjacks was on fire both times.  In most all cases we were not close enough to see flames, but dark smoke and particles filled the sky for many miles as we navigated across the country.

In Washington and Oregon there are now 31 major wildfires currently burning.  See the map.  In Canada BC, there are even more.

In addition to the economic woes that these fires cause it does makes one wonder whether motorcyclists should even consider traveling the west during the height of the summer fire season.

But, life is for living and I’m not talking about the thrill of a car ride snaking through the marquee Going-to-the-Sun-Road in Glacier.  It’s about feeling small in a very big world and how that is a great thing on a motorcycle.  So, I’ll continue to plan motorcycle trips to ride the west – wildfires and all!  Sure some of my photos will be filled with smoke obscuring the mountain views but, just know that I’ll have a big smile underneath that slightly wetted down dew rag covering my face!

Photos courtesy of the Oregonian and NWCC.

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Pacific Northwest HOG Rally A Major Success

The World’s Fair came to Spokane in 1974.  Forty years later the first tri-state Pacific Northwest HOG rally came to town and is now in the books!

Several of us rode up and took part in the event along with over 1600 other attendees plus a mix of locals and volunteers.

Lone Wolf Harley-Davidson hosted the PNW HOG Rally at its 11-acre complex. The rally had good music, food, refreshments and local vendors from the biking community.  At one point there were over a 1,000 motorcycles parked on the grass in front of Lone Wolf H-D to enjoy the festivities.

Lake Coeur d’Alene

A few shout-outs from this blogger:

• Thanks to Lone Wolf Harley-Davidson for being a great host.
•  Kudos to J.T. Hasley (H.O.G. Events Manager) and Bob Klein (Harley-Davidson) for supporting.
• Terrific job on the printed maps and rides that made it safe and fun.
•  As a company sponsored riding club how can I not thank Harley-Davidson and Harley Owners Group for bringing it all together.
•  Lastly, a sincere thanks to the many volunteers who made us all feel welcome and put in some long hot days to make the event a success.

Closing Dinner Celebration

A job well done!

A few of us stopped in at Cruisers on the state line where many roads lead there and one that goes right through the joint.  I’m not sure if my hearing will recover from either the band or the deafening loud pipes as folks motored through.

Photos taken by author.

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Washington State Moves Motorcycling Issues Forward

I’m talking about Senate Bill 5141 which was signed by Gov. Inslee and took effect on June 14th.

It states that if a motorcyclist approaches an intersection, including a left turn intersection, controlled by a triggered traffic control signal using a vehicle detection device, and that signal is inoperative due to the size of the motorcycle, the motorcyclist must come to a complete stop. If the signal fails to operate after one cycle, the motorcyclist may proceed through the intersection or turn left after exercising due care.

The Washington legislation provided a legal way for motorcyclists to get through a red light and according to the American Motorcyclist Association, 14 other states have passed similar legislation.

In Oregon, motorcycle detection issues remain a problem at traffic lights in both rural and urban areas.  If you’re like me you’ve experienced the frustration and/or jockeyed around so that the auto behind can trigger the light.  And when motorcyclists encounter devices that fail to notice their presence, most riders will proceed through the red light after taking “due caution.”

I’m wondering when the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Oregon Governor’s Advisory Committee on Motorcycle Safety will take up the issue?

Many cagers and law makers believe that motorcyclists are at fault in triggering traffic lights so, in the spirit of reporting both sides… the Oregon Motorcycle Manual and the TEAM Oregon Motorcycle Safety Program offer advice on how to position a motorcycle correctly at traffic stops so signaling devices will hopefully register it.

Photo courtesy of the internet.

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Real Time Signs By ODOT

Real Time Signs Being Tested

Drum roll…. it’s coming this summer.  Oregon motorcycle riders will be bossed around by technology.

I’m talking about how the state has money to burn on solar arrays, sensors, LED signs, and computers at the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT).

You’ve likely noticed the construction of those seven full-color, LED, 30-foot wide traveler information signs on OR 217, four in the southbound lanes and three in the northbound lanes.  In addition, there will be five smaller signs on roads leading to OR 217, including OR 99W, Barnes Road and Kruse Way.  The system will  include subterranean sensors, moisture tracking all communicating via advanced computer algorithms that we’re told will fix the congestion-plagued OR 217.

Real Time Signs – WDOT

What?  Congestion on Oregon 217 with all the light rail, WES and bike paths, how is that possible?

If you’re like me… texting, day dreaming, adjusting the navigation system, eating a bran muffin and chugging down an extra hot vanilla latte while shaving during the work commute… we missed all the lane expansions during the last 30+ years on Oregon 217!   Of course there was no expansion and all the transit geeks in Portland (who hate all things automobile) celebrate weekly that it’s still only 4 lanes.  To be fair, there have been small widening of the shoulders on three sections of OR 217.  Of course there have been several signage changes and who can forget that rutted out mess last year that was re-paved?!

Variable Message Signs

But, what ever happened to the studies for widening 217 or how about that Newberg-Dundee Bypass?   ODOT’s stated goal is to improve transportation operations by first addressing management techniques prior to building additional capacity to a highway.

But I’ve strayed off topic.

There are approximately 200 crashes a year along OR 217, which equates to a crash occurring four out of every five weekdays.  So, ODOT is following the likes of Seattle (clearly they are traffic leaders to emulate!) by powering up strategically placed signs displaying variable speeds and real-time traffic reports based on the weather and road conditions.

When ODOT flips the power switch on that $6.5 million artificial traffic-intelligence project, motorcyclists will no longer have to endure recurring bottlenecks, high crash rates, and unreliable travel times.  We won’t witness panic braking during peak travel times and can ignore those short weaving areas that create erratic changes to traffic speeds due to interchange spacing.  The new flash advisories will tell us if it’s raining (duh!), if a crash has occurred if it’s being cleared and which lane will glide you along with faster commute times to your destination.  At least that’s ODOT’s hope.

Color me skeptical about this “intelligent” system.

UPDATE: July 11, 2014 — ODOT turned-on the first of the RealTime travel signs yesterday on OR 217.  An email message went out highlighting the accomplishment and evangelizing that National studies show that advisory speed signs have reduced overall crashes by 20 percent, reduced rear-end collisions by 30 percent and reduced secondary crashes by 40 percent.

Full Disclosure:  I’ve been disappointed in ODOT for 4+ years now about a proposal to use the Variable Message Signs (VMS) to help make the driving public more aware of motorcycles.  It’s been rejected multiple times.  The absurd viewpoint, especially given the 12 new signs on OR 217 going off /on multiple times a day has ‘artificially’ influenced this writer.

Photos courtesy of WDOT and CalTran.

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The Pacific Northwest Rally

Each week motorcycle rally’s seem to rise as the temperatures and if you attend one the smiles are contagious!

I wanted to bring your attention to the first ever tri-state H.O.G. rally which occurs July 24-27th in Spokane Valley, Washington.

No doubt you’ve seen on TV documentaries, rumor or cameo showcases in the media where a rally is deemed a magical place.  It’s hard not to notice the spectacle of all things chrome and leather symbolizing the culture of Harley-Davidson.  Motorcycle rally’s are an American icon and you can’t mistake the looks, the sound and the feel of a H.O.G rally!

Some of you will undoubtedly try and tell me that there is no new blood coming to the H.O.G. rally’s.  That they’ve become nothing more than the equivalent of a state fair.  Conventional, cliche, and common.  And then I always seem to get an email or two reciting the Sturgis Rally statistic… the average age of a Sturgis attendee is about 52 and the only young people there are usually brought in as staff.  So, take your eyes off of the bartender from Raleigh trying to earn college tuition for the year with the pronounced cleavage and take notice of all the AARP people behind her.

My advice is if you don’t have fun at rallies then, give up!  Don’t go because whining is so 1999.

Like many of you, however, I enjoy motorcycle rallies.  It’s that simple.  The people, the energy, the passion, the spirit, the vendors and, of course, the motorcycles. It’s a great opportunity to have real conversations with other enthusiasts.  And, I’m a sucker for information, for your story.  I want to hear everybody’s story.

It’s tough to narrow down a list of things that I like about a motorcycle rally, but after the most important—wind in the face journey—here are a few:

People Watching—The cast of characters you see at motorcycle rallies are unlike people you’ll see at any other type of event, bar none. And the funny thing about it is this – they’re not just hardcore bikers.  I’ve seen kids to grandparents, from plumbers and bus drivers to attorneys and Wall Street traders. From long hair and long beards to clean cut and clean shaven. From party-crazed to people that could be your next door neighbors.

What’s New—Rally’s are the place to find some of the newest bike products and gear. This is where manufacturers and distributors launch new merchandise, show off their stuff and try to start a buzz with their best customers.  In addition you’re likely to get wind of a special place to take your bike for a “once-in-a-lifetime” journey, whether it’s a major ride or a side trip. And you’ll know it’s worth experiencing the ride for yourself because the people at rallies live for this stuff.

Showcase—Motorcycle rally’s are the ultimate place to showoff your bike. This is why many of us spend every free hour riding, cleaning, fine tuning or just staring at our motorcycle. Whether you ride the newest model or decades-old legend, rallies are where like-minded folks can talk about their rides and showoff the latest accessories.

Downtime Fun On The Road—Concerts featuring rock and country bands that I care about. Regional food and refreshments from the best local hangouts. Bike shows and parades. Biker gear and apparel from national and independent brands.

Passion—Riders who show up at a motorcycle rally are passionate about their bikes.  It’s easy to sit down and talk for hours, sharing stories about the sights you’ve seen, the terrain you’ve covered, and the roads you’ve traveled.

What’s your favorite part of a motorcycle rally?

See you in Spokane Valley!

Photo courtesy of H.O.G.

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