Some dogs like motorcycles even better than trucks. You just have to find some that are comfortable in saddlebags.Teach riding skills for Harley. Out-jumping Evel. Roethlisberger needed more than just a helmet. Driver dies to save rider. Hollister happens despite official cancellation. Arnold Schwarzenegger finally gets his learner's permit. Bad week for road rage. Riders assaulted by spike trips, oil slicks and clothes lines. Helmet-law debate heats gets fresh fuel. The gear you'll need for that wild last ride. The motorcycling history of Los Angeles, and why it's more than sun, sand and speedways. Harley's museum is expected to be a hot spot, and by more than just Harley folks.
Cellphone-Impaired Drivers May Be Worse than Drunks
Most motorcyclists who ride in traffic can confirm this. The final version of a University of Utah study says that whether it's handheld or hands-free, a cellphone makes a driver ill-equipped to handle a car (or, presumably, a motorcycle). Cellphone users actually are more dangerous than legally drunk drivers in some situations. We certainly spend more time dodging cellphone users than those who might be drunk. Drunk cellphone users are a special treat.
AZcentral
Consumer Affairs
General Health Channel
The Roanoke Times, VA
Harley-Davidson Is Looking for Instructors for It's Rider's Edge Rider Courses
Many Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealers are trying to find folks who want to help welcome riders to motorcycling the right way by becoming Instructors in Harley's Rider's Edge motorcycle training program. We hear that women are particularly sought-after. Since the courses are run evenings and weekends, it can be a great second job. You need to talk to your local Harley dealer and apply there. You can find dealer info at Harley's dealer locator.
Rider's Edge
Rider's Edge
Eclipsing Evel
Motorcycle jumps have gotten a lot longer. Trigger Gumm plans to jump more than the length of a football field at the 21st Annual Ride for Life. Guinness officials will be on hand.
San Jose Mercury News
KTEN TV, TX
Men's Journal Video
Joplin Independent, MO
Motorcycle Jumpers
Professor Harry Hurt on Ben Roethlisberger's Crash
The comments by the lead author of the famous Hurt Report in response to a newspaper editorial (it's the second letter down) might surprise you.
Pasadena Star News, CA
As the Motorcycle Helmet Debate Rages
There is a lot of controversy and not a little misinformation being bandied about since Ben Roethlisberger's face-first encounter with a left-turning driver. A Pennsylvania study could shed some light on the effects of helmet laws. Work in Michigan confirms their value.
Sunbury Daily Item, PA
Asheville Citizen-Times, NC
San Jose Mercury News, CA
Evansville Courier & Press, KY
Pensacola News Journal, FL
Burlington Free Press, VT
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA
Pocono Record, PA
Kansas City InfoZine, MO
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA
Pensacola News Journal, FL
Which States Require Helmets?
If you are traveling this summer, this chart might be handy. It shows the conditions you must meet to staisfy helmet laws across the country.
Governors Highway Safety Association
Three Charged with Anti-Biker Booby Trap
Two men and a woman are charged with stringing a clothes line across a road, injuring two motorcyclists, one of whom was in a coma. The three are charged with assault with a deadly weapon.
NBC11 TV, CA
San Francisco Chronicle, CA
KSBW TV, CA
While Another Pays $50,000 for a Similar "Prank"
He says he expected the rider to break the rope like a finish-line tape.
San Mateo Daily Journal, CA
This One Could Get Five Years for Failing to Report his Oil Spill
His car's damaged oil pan left a large puddle of oil on the road, and he didn't notify anyone. A woman crashed her husband's bike and died after encountering the slick. He pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter.
WPVI TV, PA
WNEP TV, PA
Two Riders Say the Border Patrol Booby-Trapped Them
They say they hit spike strips and both had blow-outs, nearly crashing. The Border Patrol apparently admitted the strips were theirs, but the agency seems to be ducking the issue two months after the incident. The incident raises questions about Border Patrol practices.
Tucson Citizen, AZ
The Arizona Republic
KVOA TV, AZ
Hollister Rally Happens Anyway
The Hollister, California city council canceled the annual 4th of July rally, but that didn't keep 5000 or so riders from showing up. The city, which runs a deficit, was concerned about the cost of providing public-safety resources. The event still lives under a cloud from the 1947 riots, which inspired the movie "The Wild One." One local has proposed a statue to celebrate the rally, and many locals opine that the city needs to just deal with it.
Hollister Free Lance, CA
Motoring, South Africa
San Francisco Chronicle, CA
Hollister Free Lance, CA
KSBW TV, CA
Scotsman, UK
Myrtle Beach Sun News, SC
Hollister Free Lance, CA
Los Angeles Times, CA
Hollister Free Lance, CA
Hollister Free Lance, CA
When You Need Help, Will Someone Know Where You Are?
We see several of these incidents every year. A motorcyclist crashes, then lies unseen beside the road for hours or days before anyone discovers him or her. In most cases no one even knows that he's crashed. In this case, he called for help on his cell. Unfortunately, he didn't know his location, and the cell system couldn't determine where the Illinois cornfield he was lying in was either. He died before anyone found him some hours later. Letting someone know where you're going might save your life, but consider getting a cellphone that can indicate your location — and activating that feature if your phone has it.
Belleville News-Democrat, IL
Chicago Sun-Times, IL
Chicago Tribune, IL
WQAD TV, IL
Chicago Tribune, IL
Rockford Register Star. IL
Just the Thing for that Final Ride: Motorcycle Cremation Urns
Shaped like cruiser gas tanks, these cremation urns offer a chance to make that final journey in suitable style.
Up & Coming Magazine
Perfect Memorials
Motorcycle Memorials
Cops Collide
These two Colorado officers seemed to be re-enacting the crash they responded to when the motor cop and the police cruiser collided.
Durango Herald, CO
Road Rage Gone Wrong
It's bad enough when you collide with a car. It's natural to get angry. But when you pull a gun and shoot the driver, your day is likely to get much worse.
Seattle Post Intelligencer, WA
Seattle Times, WA
How Los Angeles Became the U.S. Capital of Motorcycling
Part of it is the climate, but it's also where the Japanese companies first landed.
Los Angeles Times, CA
Harley's Museum Has an Unusual Ground-Breaking
The museum's ground-breaking ceremony was conducted by dirttracking champion Scott Parker, and he didn't use a shovel.
Global Giants
Akron Beacon Journal, OH
The Governator Gets his Motorcycle Permit
Half a year after his sidecar crash brought to light the fact that he didn't have a license to ride a two-wheeled motorcycle (which he frequently did anyway), California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger finally got his ticket to ride (legally). Could Ben Roethlisberger be next?
Helena Independent Record, MT
The Orange County Register, CA
The Moderate Voice
San Francisco Chronicle, CA
Motoring, South Africa
Motorcycle Wreck of the Week: Driver Dies to Avoid Hitting Motorcyclist
The truck ran off the road apparently to avoid hitting a motorcyclist and died in the resulting crash. The motorcyclist, a kid, was apparently at fault.
Hinton Parklander, Alberta
Edmonton Sun, Alberta
For more breaking motorcycle news, visit the home page of www.MotorcycleCruiser.com.
If you have questions or comments about the stories referred to here or know of an article or event that you think we should include, email Motorcycle Cruiser's web editor at Art.Friedman@primedia.com or at ArtoftheMotorcycle@hotmail.com.