Wednesday, September 15, 2010
10,000 miles
At the 10,000 mile mark the final drive on the shaft drive was acting up. I changed the oil in the rear end and found metal chunks and a metallic glitter in the oil. I removed the final drive and took it apart to inspect and clean the inside. The pinion bearing cage broke and fell into the oil cavity at some point and began to be ground to dust. The rollers were just flopping around between the races. Since a new gear and pinion set is just under $1500 and still needs a machine shop to install, I went to AJ Cycle Salvage and got a complete final drive unit for $300 plus tax and shipping. I cleaned it up and out and inspected the gear teeth for damage. When I was happy, I installed it on the bike. I went for an easy ride of about 15 miles and everything ran smoothly. I'll run it a little farther next time and work my way up until I'm comfortable enough to ride the 40 miles to work. But I'm happy to have my bike back!
Monday, June 04, 2007
Back in the saddle again!
I have a new bike to cruise on!
A 2005 Kawasaki Concours 997cc in the stock Pearl Luster Beige. It is a sport touring style instead of the full dressed touring style, but I like it a lot. The riding position is a bit more forward and the bike could use a set of handlebar risers for long rides, but it handles well on the road. I have already taken a few rides and have over 1300 of my own miles on the bike.
I bought the bike with only 358 mile on it. (361 after the test ride) Why such low milage? Well, the story went something like this: A woman bought the bike to ride with her boyfriend who was an avid rider. However, she was not very tall and the bike was too big for her to ride easily. It is also a lot of bike at 1000cc so the bike never really fit her. Then I guess the boyfriend didn't fit her anymore either and she was left with a basically new bike in the garage. It sat there until recently when she decided to sell it and I stumbled across the ad. Lucky me!
Since I got the bike I have put over a thousand miles on it, but we have had one of the rainiest seasons ever! I would have a lot more miles if the rain would back off. It teases me each day by having a nice morning. The forcast predicts some high percentage of rain posible for the afternoon ride home so I don't ride to work. Then the Sun is out all day and long enough for me to get home. Then it pours so I can't take an evening ride. Grrrr! Well, to quote the movie The Crow "It can't rain all the time."
A 2005 Kawasaki Concours 997cc in the stock Pearl Luster Beige. It is a sport touring style instead of the full dressed touring style, but I like it a lot. The riding position is a bit more forward and the bike could use a set of handlebar risers for long rides, but it handles well on the road. I have already taken a few rides and have over 1300 of my own miles on the bike.
I bought the bike with only 358 mile on it. (361 after the test ride) Why such low milage? Well, the story went something like this: A woman bought the bike to ride with her boyfriend who was an avid rider. However, she was not very tall and the bike was too big for her to ride easily. It is also a lot of bike at 1000cc so the bike never really fit her. Then I guess the boyfriend didn't fit her anymore either and she was left with a basically new bike in the garage. It sat there until recently when she decided to sell it and I stumbled across the ad. Lucky me!
Since I got the bike I have put over a thousand miles on it, but we have had one of the rainiest seasons ever! I would have a lot more miles if the rain would back off. It teases me each day by having a nice morning. The forcast predicts some high percentage of rain posible for the afternoon ride home so I don't ride to work. Then the Sun is out all day and long enough for me to get home. Then it pours so I can't take an evening ride. Grrrr! Well, to quote the movie The Crow "It can't rain all the time."
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Ziged When I Should Have Zened
On Monday Sept. 4th the Zen Cruiser went down. I had been looking forward to a ride to West Virginia with my father at the end of Sept. He and I had just finished a great day trip together the previous day. I decided to give my bike a bit of a tune up. I checked the fluids, and changed the spark plugs. I had just checked the tire pressure a few days prior, so I wasn't worried about that. My wife had stayed with her sister in the Lehigh Valley. It was her birthday and they had a "Girls Night Out." I had just spoken to her before I left.
The bike started right up and sounded great. I took off for my test loop, a couple of back roads with some nice twisting turns. I headed up 611 and the acceleration was not much better then normal but the power band seemed a little smoother. I turned onto 314 and headed down behind the Adventis Corp. The road here is basically straight and flat when you compare it to the rest of 314. Right after the fence for Adventis ends, the road drops off to the left. The crest of the hill is fairly sharp and you are already turning when you cross it. This time, however, the moment I crossed the crest of the hill the rear end went out to the right as far as it could go. I was standing up now counter steering and looking down the road. In my peripheral vision I saw a telephone pole and I knew I didn't want to hit that. The 800 lbs of bike wouldn't budge from the track it was on. I couldn't bring the rear end back in line and as I crossed the edge of the road into the gravel I knew I was going to crash. Almost at the same instant the thought of crashing came across my mind I was tossed from the bike. I tucked my arms in and my left shoulder struck the pavement and I heard and felt bones breaking. I rolled over my shoulder and back and came up to my feet. The instant I was standing the pain hit me hard and I dropped to one knee unable to breath. For a moment I tried to remain calm and get my breath back. All those years of sports as a kid had taught me to do that.
I needed help and I needed it quickly. Directly in front of me was a house and a car was in the driveway. I stumbled down a 10-foot embankment into the front yard and got to the door sitting on the porch. I tried to slam the screen door but it didn't make enough noise so I used my helmet against the door. No one answered. I looked up for a moment and saw a man coming across the street with a phone to his ear. I was able to get the word "Help" out loud enough for him to hear and he responded, "I'm getting help now." as he came over to me. Another woman stopped and helped phone my wife to let her know what had happened. The police and the ambulance showed up and asked the same questions a dozen times over of who was I and what happened. Now I assume they were more checking my awareness then the information. At the time I was getting annoyed. They strapped me up and put me on a backboard to transport me, since I had hurt my back as well in the fall. That was the LONGEST and most painful ride I have ever been on.
After three days and two nights in the hospital, I finally came home. Muldoons was the towing company that cleared the bike. They charged me $250 for pickup, cleanup, and storage. It would have been more, but the couldn't deliver the bike the day we asked them to so they gave us the extra day for free. What a deal! (Not!) Anyway, all bitterness aside, once I had the bike at home and took a good look it seems that the rear tire went flat at some point before the crest of the turn. When I crossed over the crest leaning into the turn, the bike went out. Both tire beads are still in tacked and there are no sidewall gouges from hitting objects.
After seeing the scene and the bike, it seems that the rear end hit the cable that holds up the telephone pole. That threw the bike into a spin that ejected me from the bike and back into the road. The bike then spun around taking out a curve sign and hit the telephone pole directly in front of the seat on the air cleaner and gas tank facing the opposite direction that I was traveling.
For me, I have a broken clavicle and some broken ribs in front and in the back. The hospital thought I had a small puncture in my lung, but it healed quickly if I did and they were not worried. I get a month or two of watching way too much TV before I can return to work. My helmet has a bunch of scratches on it, but my padded jacket is in perfect shape. The helmet and the jacket protected me from much more serious injuries that I would have had if I had not been wearing them. Always wear protective gear!
Some pictures of the bike:
The bike started right up and sounded great. I took off for my test loop, a couple of back roads with some nice twisting turns. I headed up 611 and the acceleration was not much better then normal but the power band seemed a little smoother. I turned onto 314 and headed down behind the Adventis Corp. The road here is basically straight and flat when you compare it to the rest of 314. Right after the fence for Adventis ends, the road drops off to the left. The crest of the hill is fairly sharp and you are already turning when you cross it. This time, however, the moment I crossed the crest of the hill the rear end went out to the right as far as it could go. I was standing up now counter steering and looking down the road. In my peripheral vision I saw a telephone pole and I knew I didn't want to hit that. The 800 lbs of bike wouldn't budge from the track it was on. I couldn't bring the rear end back in line and as I crossed the edge of the road into the gravel I knew I was going to crash. Almost at the same instant the thought of crashing came across my mind I was tossed from the bike. I tucked my arms in and my left shoulder struck the pavement and I heard and felt bones breaking. I rolled over my shoulder and back and came up to my feet. The instant I was standing the pain hit me hard and I dropped to one knee unable to breath. For a moment I tried to remain calm and get my breath back. All those years of sports as a kid had taught me to do that.
I needed help and I needed it quickly. Directly in front of me was a house and a car was in the driveway. I stumbled down a 10-foot embankment into the front yard and got to the door sitting on the porch. I tried to slam the screen door but it didn't make enough noise so I used my helmet against the door. No one answered. I looked up for a moment and saw a man coming across the street with a phone to his ear. I was able to get the word "Help" out loud enough for him to hear and he responded, "I'm getting help now." as he came over to me. Another woman stopped and helped phone my wife to let her know what had happened. The police and the ambulance showed up and asked the same questions a dozen times over of who was I and what happened. Now I assume they were more checking my awareness then the information. At the time I was getting annoyed. They strapped me up and put me on a backboard to transport me, since I had hurt my back as well in the fall. That was the LONGEST and most painful ride I have ever been on.
After three days and two nights in the hospital, I finally came home. Muldoons was the towing company that cleared the bike. They charged me $250 for pickup, cleanup, and storage. It would have been more, but the couldn't deliver the bike the day we asked them to so they gave us the extra day for free. What a deal! (Not!) Anyway, all bitterness aside, once I had the bike at home and took a good look it seems that the rear tire went flat at some point before the crest of the turn. When I crossed over the crest leaning into the turn, the bike went out. Both tire beads are still in tacked and there are no sidewall gouges from hitting objects.
After seeing the scene and the bike, it seems that the rear end hit the cable that holds up the telephone pole. That threw the bike into a spin that ejected me from the bike and back into the road. The bike then spun around taking out a curve sign and hit the telephone pole directly in front of the seat on the air cleaner and gas tank facing the opposite direction that I was traveling.
For me, I have a broken clavicle and some broken ribs in front and in the back. The hospital thought I had a small puncture in my lung, but it healed quickly if I did and they were not worried. I get a month or two of watching way too much TV before I can return to work. My helmet has a bunch of scratches on it, but my padded jacket is in perfect shape. The helmet and the jacket protected me from much more serious injuries that I would have had if I had not been wearing them. Always wear protective gear!
Some pictures of the bike:
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Final Essay
Included photos have been removed.
English 101C
May 16, 2006
Dr. M. Logan
Should motorcycle helmets be a legal requirement for all riders in all states?
Although opinions on the use of motorcycle helmets vary, those opinions are usually quite strong, and my opinion is no exception. My father, who raced motorcycles for as long as I can remember, bought me a 60cc Yamaha for trail riding when I was seven years old. He taught me the proper way to ride and how to be safe while riding. A helmet was always part of the standard equipment I wore. It became second nature for me to wear a helmet. As an adult I have owned several street bikes and a helmet is still part of my standard riding equipment. Recently the state of Pennsylvania repealed its helmet law. On any given day a large number of riders can be seen cruising down the highway without helmets. Whenever I see these people I can't help but wonder what they were thinking when they made the decision not to wear a helmet. How can anyone believe that they will never be in an accident? As justification, I have heard things like, "If I am in an accident, I don't want to survive." I just can’t comprehend that kind of logic. Once you’ve narrowed down the issues, two clear sides emerge: individual freedom of choice verses legislation of personal safety. It seems that this brings us back to the original question of legislating helmet requirements. Can, or should, the government force individuals to be protected to any specific degree, or is our personal right to make choices more important than our health and lives?
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a government organization that promotes and mandates all types of highway safety laws, maintains that, "motorcycle helmets provide the best protection from head injury for motorcyclists involved in traffic crashes" and "the passage of helmet use laws governing all motorcycle riders is the most effective method of increasing helmet use.” They argue that, "An unhelmeted motorcyclist is 40 percent more likely to suffer a fatal head injury and 15 percent more likely to suffer a nonfatal injury than a helmeted motorcyclist" and, NHTSA estimates, the likelihood of crash fatality with a helmet is reduced by 37 percent (NHTSA). While the site is maintained by a government agency, the data and studies listed seem biased toward mandating helmet use through legislation.
One independent study by Jonathan P. Goldstein, Ph.D., of the Department of Economics at Bowdoin College claims helmets are not the answer to reducing injury and fatalities. Instead, he outlines a program of education and stricter enforcement of alcohol and traffic laws. He rejected the claim that, “helmets have no effect on neck injuries” in favor of the claim that, “past a critical impact speed, they exacerbate neck injuries" but he does concede that helmets do reduce head injury (Goldstein). This study, and others like it, often used in the "helmets hurt" argument, tries to suggest that helmets do more harm than good, or to suggest that since a helmet increases the likelihood of neck injury, mandating helmet use is not saving lives.
The Helmet Law Defense League is a private organization fighting for the right to choose to wear a helmet by using the law against itself. "How can a motorcyclist comply, with certainty, with the helmet law?" they ask. If the law cannot clearly define what a helmet is and what requirements the helmet must meet to comply with the law, then the law is vague and cannot be enforced (Helmet). A second stand they take is a little more complex and uses the state and federal laws to contradict one another. In order to define what an acceptable helmet is some states have made lists of "approved" helmets. The argument against these lists is that the helmet law statutes require that someone maintain a list of "approved" helmets or adopt some existing standard or comply with the Federal Regulations, usually FMVSS 218. A "Federal Law requires that all states be uniform in the regulations (definition) they adopt." A court decision with similar impact stated, "states may enforce no standards which are not identical to federal standards." Since no federal agency, including NHTSA, maintain a list of approved helmets, the state laws that rely on such lists are unconstitutional (No List). Many other arguments, too numerous to mention, are made in the efforts to abolish helmet laws.
Although the Department of Transportation has set forth guidelines for helmet manufacture, they do not inspect, certify, or approve helmets in any way. One private organization does set standards and requires manufacturers to submit a number of helmets of each style for testing before they approve the design (Snell). The Snell Memorial Foundation, founded in 1957, is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the effectiveness of all types of helmets. The Snell standards are also the standards that some states elect to adopt as "approved" helmets.
The side of freedom of choice and the side of legislated safety are at odds. In the legal war of helmet laws there are many arguments for both sides and many more examples and studies provided by both sides. In this study I have gotten a glimpse of just how complex this issue is. While I remain firmly rooted in my opinion that wearing a helmet is safer then not wearing one, I understand those that argue the idea that it should be a choice, freely made by the rider, to wear a helmet, and yet, it still seems to me that the logic from both sides is somewhat flawed. The study by Dr. Goldstein of Bowdoin College argues that helmets don’t reduce the risk of injury they merely make the tradeoff of head injury for neck injury (Goldstein). Opponents of helmet laws use exactly that type of logic to argue the effectiveness of helmets. The proponents argue with statistics and projections about the number of lives that could have been saved by helmet use. The NHTSA, in 2002, claimed that 3,244 motorcyclists died in highway accidents. They further claimed that helmets have saved the lives of 13,744 motorcyclists from 1984 to 2002 (NHTSA). Given the nature of any accident, determining the “what might have happened if . . .” type of scenario is extremely difficult, if not impossible. One of my concerns is, in this age of law suits for financial gain, will the families of riders that refuse to use a helmet tie up our courts with suits against the state or car makers because the road or a vehicle was harder then their loved one’s head? In my personal opinion, freedom of choice is only a right when it is coupled with the acceptance of responsibility for those choices. Let the helmet laws be repealed, but establish laws that define responsibility in the event of an accident to protect innocent people from the choices of others.
Works Cited
Goldstein – “The Effect of Motorcycle Helmet Use on the Probability of Fatality and the
Severity of Head And Neck Injuries” United States Freedom Fighters. 1986.
Helmet – “What Is A Safety Helmet; Protective Headgear; A Crash Helmet??”
United States Freedom Fighters. July, 1997
NHTSA – “Motorcycle Helmet Use Laws” National Highway and Traffic Safety
Administration. April 2004.
No List – “No List? No Law! The Theory Explained” United States Freedom Fighters.
July, 1997.
Snell – “Snell Helmet Testing Programs” Snell Memorial Foundation
English 101C
May 16, 2006
Dr. M. Logan
Should motorcycle helmets be a legal requirement for all riders in all states?
Although opinions on the use of motorcycle helmets vary, those opinions are usually quite strong, and my opinion is no exception. My father, who raced motorcycles for as long as I can remember, bought me a 60cc Yamaha for trail riding when I was seven years old. He taught me the proper way to ride and how to be safe while riding. A helmet was always part of the standard equipment I wore. It became second nature for me to wear a helmet. As an adult I have owned several street bikes and a helmet is still part of my standard riding equipment. Recently the state of Pennsylvania repealed its helmet law. On any given day a large number of riders can be seen cruising down the highway without helmets. Whenever I see these people I can't help but wonder what they were thinking when they made the decision not to wear a helmet. How can anyone believe that they will never be in an accident? As justification, I have heard things like, "If I am in an accident, I don't want to survive." I just can’t comprehend that kind of logic. Once you’ve narrowed down the issues, two clear sides emerge: individual freedom of choice verses legislation of personal safety. It seems that this brings us back to the original question of legislating helmet requirements. Can, or should, the government force individuals to be protected to any specific degree, or is our personal right to make choices more important than our health and lives?
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a government organization that promotes and mandates all types of highway safety laws, maintains that, "motorcycle helmets provide the best protection from head injury for motorcyclists involved in traffic crashes" and "the passage of helmet use laws governing all motorcycle riders is the most effective method of increasing helmet use.” They argue that, "An unhelmeted motorcyclist is 40 percent more likely to suffer a fatal head injury and 15 percent more likely to suffer a nonfatal injury than a helmeted motorcyclist" and, NHTSA estimates, the likelihood of crash fatality with a helmet is reduced by 37 percent (NHTSA). While the site is maintained by a government agency, the data and studies listed seem biased toward mandating helmet use through legislation.
One independent study by Jonathan P. Goldstein, Ph.D., of the Department of Economics at Bowdoin College claims helmets are not the answer to reducing injury and fatalities. Instead, he outlines a program of education and stricter enforcement of alcohol and traffic laws. He rejected the claim that, “helmets have no effect on neck injuries” in favor of the claim that, “past a critical impact speed, they exacerbate neck injuries" but he does concede that helmets do reduce head injury (Goldstein). This study, and others like it, often used in the "helmets hurt" argument, tries to suggest that helmets do more harm than good, or to suggest that since a helmet increases the likelihood of neck injury, mandating helmet use is not saving lives.
The Helmet Law Defense League is a private organization fighting for the right to choose to wear a helmet by using the law against itself. "How can a motorcyclist comply, with certainty, with the helmet law?" they ask. If the law cannot clearly define what a helmet is and what requirements the helmet must meet to comply with the law, then the law is vague and cannot be enforced (Helmet). A second stand they take is a little more complex and uses the state and federal laws to contradict one another. In order to define what an acceptable helmet is some states have made lists of "approved" helmets. The argument against these lists is that the helmet law statutes require that someone maintain a list of "approved" helmets or adopt some existing standard or comply with the Federal Regulations, usually FMVSS 218. A "Federal Law requires that all states be uniform in the regulations (definition) they adopt." A court decision with similar impact stated, "states may enforce no standards which are not identical to federal standards." Since no federal agency, including NHTSA, maintain a list of approved helmets, the state laws that rely on such lists are unconstitutional (No List). Many other arguments, too numerous to mention, are made in the efforts to abolish helmet laws.
Although the Department of Transportation has set forth guidelines for helmet manufacture, they do not inspect, certify, or approve helmets in any way. One private organization does set standards and requires manufacturers to submit a number of helmets of each style for testing before they approve the design (Snell). The Snell Memorial Foundation, founded in 1957, is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the effectiveness of all types of helmets. The Snell standards are also the standards that some states elect to adopt as "approved" helmets.
The side of freedom of choice and the side of legislated safety are at odds. In the legal war of helmet laws there are many arguments for both sides and many more examples and studies provided by both sides. In this study I have gotten a glimpse of just how complex this issue is. While I remain firmly rooted in my opinion that wearing a helmet is safer then not wearing one, I understand those that argue the idea that it should be a choice, freely made by the rider, to wear a helmet, and yet, it still seems to me that the logic from both sides is somewhat flawed. The study by Dr. Goldstein of Bowdoin College argues that helmets don’t reduce the risk of injury they merely make the tradeoff of head injury for neck injury (Goldstein). Opponents of helmet laws use exactly that type of logic to argue the effectiveness of helmets. The proponents argue with statistics and projections about the number of lives that could have been saved by helmet use. The NHTSA, in 2002, claimed that 3,244 motorcyclists died in highway accidents. They further claimed that helmets have saved the lives of 13,744 motorcyclists from 1984 to 2002 (NHTSA). Given the nature of any accident, determining the “what might have happened if . . .” type of scenario is extremely difficult, if not impossible. One of my concerns is, in this age of law suits for financial gain, will the families of riders that refuse to use a helmet tie up our courts with suits against the state or car makers because the road or a vehicle was harder then their loved one’s head? In my personal opinion, freedom of choice is only a right when it is coupled with the acceptance of responsibility for those choices. Let the helmet laws be repealed, but establish laws that define responsibility in the event of an accident to protect innocent people from the choices of others.
Works Cited
Goldstein – “The Effect of Motorcycle Helmet Use on the Probability of Fatality and the
Severity of Head And Neck Injuries” United States Freedom Fighters. 1986.
Helmet – “What Is A Safety Helmet; Protective Headgear; A Crash Helmet??”
United States Freedom Fighters. July, 1997
NHTSA – “Motorcycle Helmet Use Laws” National Highway and Traffic Safety
Administration. April 2004.
No List – “No List? No Law! The Theory Explained” United States Freedom Fighters.
July, 1997.
Snell – “Snell Helmet Testing Programs” Snell Memorial Foundation
Monday, July 10, 2006
Zen Cruiser Rides Again
Finally after several months of repairs and waiting for parts my bike is fixed and on the road again. Long ordeals with radiator fans and relays held up my rinding season. It looks as if the only thing I might still need is a new battery. I need to stop and get this one tested. I ended up hard-wiring my radiator fan to an unused toggle switch because it won't turn on by itself when it should. So now the rides to and from work should be more plesent.
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