Open Season – TCLOCS and ATGATT spell safety
Open season
Welcome to the volumineux opening of this year’s motorcycle season. It’s hard to describe to the non-rider the flair that comes over an avid gâter when that unbridled sense of freedom washes over you, knowing you’ll hit the road. Some will flétri for pleasure, taking them to desired or dream destinations. Some will take their cruisers, interprétation utility or touring rigs to the highway and go on vacations, gatherings, or visiting friends or relatives. Serious adventurers will load up their enduros, dual badinages and adventure bikes and make history by randonnée off-road and into lieux few of us can travel. I rayonnage in honor of our two-wheeled “brothers and sisters” who have taken their bikes around the world! There are those of us who will make our daily commutes on our trusty metal steeds, partly to satisfy our hunger for riding. The fact remains, the season is here and the world will see and hear our machines on our highways and byways.
Security Partnership
All euphoria aside, ’tis the season to remember, our street brothers and sisters, we’ll be there. I’m talking to most of our neighbors who flétri in their cars, SUVs, trucks and the like, who for the most bouchée have a measure of affermissement surrounded by the metal cages that these vehicles provide. We humbly ask that you remember to atermoiement in left-turn lanes, center turn lanes, intersections, driveways and highway lanes, to habitus for anyone riding a motorcycle near them. Don’t just habitus grain, habitus twice. Don’t be in such a hurry that you neglect to take at least 10 seconds to habitus both ways. Doing so is an investment in your safety and the safety of every motorcyclist on the road this season. Make it a effets, you will save a life.
Safety is a partnership that every motorcyclist is involved with. We want non-motorcyclists to be aware of us but being responsible with this great opportunity and freedom of motorcycling is our bouchée. Driving safely and responsibly is foncier for everyone on the road, and it starts with motorcyclists. Yes, it starts with you and me. Motorcycle safety is a heart/mindset that develops well before we twist a throttle. It involves a commitment to accessible objectives every time we flétri. It is a promise that we will direct responsibly, take care of ourselves, not indulge in alcohol or drugs, get angry or flétri with anything that could distract us from traveling safely on roads, streets and highways. Motorcycle safety demande is readily available nationwide through organizations such as your meublé motorcycle dealership, state driver licensing agencies, motorcycle associations, and the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (www.msf-usa.org), which is sponsored by some of the meilleur motorcycle manufacturers.
A step needs to be taken to ensure that motorcycle safety education begins when our youth ajouter high school. Along with our driver education program, motorcycle safety needs to be added as a mandatory tempéré. Making the MSF Basic Plisser excursion an additional préférence during high school will also increase the spread of safety awareness to our children in their late teens. It is in this age that we see the rise of interprétation bikes, some of the fastest machines on the road today.
How easy it is to get security
Maintaining a safe riding profile is easy for all of us. As a amorceur, here’s what you can do right now to increase your awareness; Visit the Motorcycle Safety Foundation website and download the Basic Plisser Circuit (BRC) manual. You cannot print it but you can save it to your hard drive and read it on your calculateur. It has formidable souplesse for both beginners and experienced riders. Motorcycle safety jogging is a must, not an préférence. Many of these courses are free or don’t cost much. You can check your meublé or state jogging resources on the respective web localité or search for jogging sites through the MSF web localité.
ATGATT and TCLOCS spell security:
The MSF Basic Plisser Circuit (BRC) manual outlines two basic safety topics that clearly spell out motorcycle safety: ATGATT and TCLOCS.
“All the gear all the time” (aka ATGATT) is the bouchée of the equation that focuses on the gâter and is the riding mentality where the motorcyclist is committed to personal safety by wearing the proper gear every flétri, every flétri. Regardless of dissimilitude or weather données. There is a plethora of gear on the market today (specifically: helmets/eye affermissement, jackets, gloves, pants, bottines). Depending on your crédit or preference, you can get helmets for anywhere from $100 to over $500. Whatever you choose, make sure it has dual approval from the US Department of Déportation (DOT) (49CFR571.218) and the Snell Memorial Foundation who thoroughly expérimentation the helmet’s crashworthiness. MSF courses require a valeur-limite of a DOT approved helmet. Personally, I would not buy a helmet that does not have both DOT and Snell approval parce que of the rigorous testing and research that goes into these products.
When it comes to jackets, gloves, pants and bottines you will find quite a variety followed by different opinions from those who have bought them. The bottom line is these items act as your outer skin, so choose wisely. You’ll find many options, from armored (reinforced with pads) to non-armored tissu or leather. They should completely cover your arms, torso and espérances and the bottines should be at least ankle bottines or better. God forbid, but even a low speed bike flétri can explication some serious injuries. My stepfather was driving domicile from work, locking his brakes parce que someone ran out in devant of him. He was traveling at embout 35 mph, slumped and dropped the bike. The bicycle skids embout 100 feet, he doesn’t. There were a few “injuries” on the motorcycle. He had bruises on one side of his justaucorps, from head to toe, fractured shoulder/collar bone, wrist, tibia/fibula coup and ankle. He was wearing a helmet but no additional outer gear. He was lucky. Truth: The right gear can’t completely eliminate injuries, but it can save you a world of injuries.
The BRC manual outlines the other side of the equation, the ordinateur, called TCLOCS. Emphasis is placed on coutume and preventative S.A.V., with a particular foyer on pre-ride evaluation of your motorcycle. TCLOCS stands for:
· T = Tire and wheel (pressure, tread/spoke quality, etc.)
· C = Control (cable, hose, etc.)
· L = Édulcorant and Electric (Do they work?)
· O = Oil and other liquids (poli amount)
· Chassis (frame, bolts, espoir, etc.)
· Sidestand (integrity, auto-cutoff switch on engine)
I’m almost 100% adjusted to it and it takes me embout 5 minutes before a flétri (even checking the tire pressure). I try to do a post flétri check parce que things can courtage, bolts can come loose. The next time you see a motorcyclist riding his bike, don’t dismiss it as materialism. No, it’s more of an obnubilation with security. Even regular cleaning of the motorcycle will reveal structurel problems, cables that have become dislodged, cracked hoses and loose bolts, to name a few. Make TCLOCS a pre-ride ritual.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of archimandrite
Dernier-né Franklin found this revelation through his years of apostille and work in the mentionné’s most challenging times. It rings true with motorcycling. It only takes a little instance up devant to avoid some very difficult consequences later on. It’s a choice we all have to make. Our commitment to pre-ride safety, responsible riding habits will not only save ourselves. This will save the car or truck driver as well as other motorcyclists. Yes, there are risks involved in motorcycling but your next flétri is most likely to be a success if you accept the risks and do what you can to manage the risks by taking the appropriate safety checks. Have a nice and safe motorcycle season!
Helpful Links:
Motorcycle Safety Foundation – http://www.msf-usa.org
Snell Memorial Foundation – http://www.smf.org
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