http://www.the-wildwest.com/WorldTour/tour.htm

Conclusion #1 - People are going to drive in a manner that makes them comfortable.

This comfort zone does not take into account speed limits, other traffic, or current road conditions. These people drive according to how it “feels” to them. They head down the road, and if it feels like a 60mph road to them, that’s what they will do, regardless of the 35mph speed limit.

Taken one step further, these drivers will become angry with anyone who prevents them from staying in their comfort zone. This may be the person in front of them who is doing the speed limit, or the person who is being extra cautious at the intersection and doesn’t pull away fast enough. This may be the root cause of some incidents of road rage, and may certainly account for any number of “one finger salutes” that are flashed on any given day.

It never dawns on them, even when they passed you several miles back, and you are now beside them at the traffic signal, that their excessive speed did not accomplish anything, or get them to their destination any faster.

They were NOT speeding because they were in a hurry to get somewhere. They were speeding because it felt “right” to them. Plain and simple. This is not to say that ALL drivers are this way, but I think a large number of drivers may fall into this category.

Conclusion #2 - Increasing the penalties for certain infractions of the law will not serve as a deterrent or have any effect on the behaviour it is designed to alter. People do not get into their cars in the morning and say to themselves, “Boy, I better drive more carefully now that the fine have gone up.” The penalty has absolutely NO effect on changing people’s driving habits.

Making the fine for hitting a motorcycle $50,000 would not make any difference, nor would it lower the number of crashes. Nobody thinks of the consequences when they get into their vehicles. All they know is that they are going somewhere and they are exercising their God given right to drive. The possibiliity that they may break the law never even enters into their heads.

Those government bodies that pass laws for increased penalties are merely trying to show their constituents that they are doing SOMETHING to try to make things better. Their heart may be in the right place, but it will be to no avail. Mandatory aggressive driving courses have a much better chance of altering a driver’s behaviour.

Conclusion #3 - Drivers are just as likely to NOT see a motorcyle as they are to NOT see a car. I don’t believe that the size of the vehicle, the sound of the vehicle, or having additional lighting will make any difference. A driver actually has to look in your direction in order for 2 of these factors to come into play. You could be driving the Space Shuttle down the road, and these same people will pull out in front of you. They just aren’t paying attention.

In the days before most vehicles had their headlight on full time, a car with it’s headlights on stuck our like a sore thumb, and the visibility factor for them was increased. Nowadays, darn near every car on the road is equipped with daytime driving lights. Any vehicle with it’s lights on is more likely to blend into the background along with all the other vehicles with their lights on. I have my headlights on high, and I turn on my dual 55w halogen driving lights and people still pull in front of me.

We as riders are ultimately responsible for our own safety. There is no substitute for good situational awareness. All the safety devices in the world are not going to keep us safe.

It is what it is, and you have to ride like everyone else on the road is a moron, because they frequently are.

That’s my story, it is based on my own observations and anecdotal evidence, and I am sticking to it.

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

The Treasure
By CrazyDave

There it lay
covered in hay
dirty rusted and bent

to his friends it looked
like trash
but to him it was heaven sent

he paid the man fifty bucks
and not a penny more

hauled it off in a rented truck
and went about the work to restore

hours turned into days and then weeks
as he scoured for parts hard to find

every other aspect of his life was just a blur
as the bike occupied his mind

matching paint looking at pics
of bikes from a time gone by

he never really thought he would get it right
but he was sure going to give it a try

set backs seemed to be the norm
and redos were a common thing

but he never really seemed to get all
that mad but a familar song he’d sing

it was a tune his dad once taught him
so many years ago

and it got him through the times in his life
when fate had struck him a blow

A month turned into two then three , four
and finally a year

just a few small details and the completion
was finally near

He primed the bike turned on the gas
and kicked it’s ancient mill to life

stood back and admired his work along
with his daughter and wife

He rode it to town and stored it in the barn
looked at it and smiled kinda sad

Wiped it down with a terry cloth and with a tear in his
eye, said this is for you dad

That very bike was his fathers he rode it the day he
died

He sat on the bike , thought of his dad and finally broke
down and cried

If you are contemplating getting a tankless water heater, here are the things you need to consider:

1. The temperature of the cold water that comes from the street will govern how powerful a unit you need to buy. In Florida, the cold water is most likely in the 75 degree range, while in Wisconsin, it may get down to the 50’s or lower. The unit needs to have enough power to bring the water up to the temperature you desire.

2. The flow switch will require a certain GPM rate in order to activate the heating elements. This means you can’t have a slow trickle of hot water coming from the tap. Most units seem to need between .2 and .5 GPM in order to trip the flow switch. Typically, you will be turning the hot water tap on full anyway, so this will probably not be an issue. However, there is a caveat. Most showers have a mixing valve, and when you want to make the water temperature colder, it actually adds cold water AND reduces the amount of hot water that is used. In your attempts to get the most comfortable temperature, you may end up reducing the hot water flow too much. This will cause the GPM rate to fall below the threshold, and turn off the heater. The next thing you know, you are taking a cold shower!

3. You will need to decide if you want a whole house unit, or a point of use unit. Using the point of use units is more involved and requires additional expense and installation, but provides redundancy in the event that one of them fails. If you have 2 bathrooms in your home, and the whole house unit fails, you will have no hot water anywhere. If you use point of use units, and one of them fails, you can still take a shower in the other bathroom. With a sink, it is not too tricky to put a small unit under the sink somewhere. When it comes to the bathroom, the location of the unit becomes more difficult, and may require additional plumbing that you hadn’t planned on. 

After doing some internet research, I chose a unit from SETS in Miami Florida, and picked the whole house unit, which cost roughly $750 USD. I had an electrician run the 220v lines (two required), and I did the plumbing myself, since I am pretty handy with solder and a torch. The unit looks similar to this one, and mounts flat on the wall.

After the intial tweaking, I got the system to work fairly well and was pretty satisfied with the way it performed. Then, about 2 years later,  I had a problem.

I noticed some drips coming from the bottom of the case, and the temperature of the hot water began to be inconsistent. I opened the case up and found that the internal copper pipes had sprung a leak. Here is where things get really ugly.

I called SETS to arrange to have it fixed since it was still under warranty. Over the period of 5 days or so, I made repeated calls to them, trying to find a technician who could authorize me to get the unit fixed. The guy who answered the phone kept telling me they were busy, and that he had been giving them the messages for me. Finally, I got hold of a tech, and after I described what was wrong, he told me I needed a new unit, which I already knew!! Needless to say, my frustration level was maxed out by now.

The problem was that they don’t make house calls, and their warranty policy is that I uninstall the unit, I pack it up and pay for the shipping to them, I pay for the shipping to have the unit sent back to me, I reinstall the unit when I receive it, and I live without hot water during the entire process, which is already 5 days long! Needless to say, this did not sit well with me, and I decided to skip the whole tankless water heater thing and go back to a conventional heater. I went to Lowes, bought one, and put it in.

The theory of a tankless water heater is a wonderful one, and it does save on electricity. When it works correctly, it is great. However, I cannot in good faith recommend SETS based on my experience with them. I suggest that anyone who is considering getting a tankless water heater do their homework and make sure they know exactly what the manufacturer’s warranty consists of before they buy it.

If I were to do it again, I would go with point of use heaters so that I have hot water in the event of a failure of one of the units. 

Christopher’s Ride:

           I have been wanting to do something for people who are suffering from a debilitating disease such as cancer, leukemia, diabetes, etc. Our biker community currently has so many organized rides for charities that setting up another charity ride I felt would be just one more ride to raise money for a specific group. While it’s important to fund these organizations, my concern has been that the individual element is sometimes lost. I am always thankful for donations to the Leukemia Society since their work benefits me. But I wanted to hit upon the personal needs of patients such as myself - to lend emotional support to someone who is fighting a courageous battle. I wanted a ride that was personal, that was done for one individual who is close to the biker’s heart. I still remember how much it meant to me when a friend told me he took a ride for me with pegs down.

I know first hand just what it means to fight a disease while having family and friends who are there thinking of you and supporting you emotionally. Since 1999 I have been in a tough battle with a debilitating bone marrow disease called Myeloid Metaplasia. I know what a HUGE difference in maintaining your will to fight on when friends and family support you emotionally.

With this in mind I kicked an idea around for a very long time and felt “it is time” to launch this idea, this year.

The Inaugural 2008 Christopher’s Ride

On Sunday, July 20th 2008 the National “Christopher’s Ride ” will take place. Unlike other rides motorcyclists participate in, the benefactor in the Christopher’s Ride will be the person the BIKER selects. It can be a family member, friend, co-worker or anyone you know and want to select who is battling a debilitating disease. You can ride 10 miles or 500 miles. It is up to you, the Biker. It can be performed solo or in a group. Other members in your ride party can select individuals close to them to ride for as well.

 If you do not have anyone close to you that is suffering from a debilitating disease then consider riding for a child who is in a hospital pediatrics unit in your home town. Maybe buy a teddy bear, strap it onto your pillion and take it on the ride with you and then later present it to the child explaining just where that bear rode to with you.

If you want to make a donation to a charity after your ride, select the charity that you want to support and send them a check with a note. If you want this to be a non monetary ride, then ride for them for the sole purpose of providing emotional support only. Consider taking a picture during or after your ride and send it to them with a note letting them know this ride was for them. Explain to them why you took that ride for them and where you went.

There are very few guidelines in regards to Christopher’s Ride. We ask that:

1.)   Your ride is in support of an individual and not part of a group charity ride event.

2.)    You please do not drink and ride and that you also ride safely.

3.)    Please put your rear pegs down for the person you are riding for (if you are riding solo).

  The whole purpose and intent of the Christopher’s Ride is to share your freedom and love of biking with someone who is fighting a horrible disease. It is a way to give an individual a moment of freedom that we all experience whenever we ride. It is also a way to provide one person in your life who is battling a debilitating disease with the knowledge that on this day, you were thinking of them and took them along with you for a ride.

Fire up your bikes and Take a Christopher’s Ride on July 20^th 2008.

Thank you for your support,

Christopher Throgmartin

Flanga’s Ride Report