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Riding back from Ludlow on Thursday up the A49, approaching Wem, there was a bloke changing a car tyre on a fast blind bend. He was wearing a Hi-Viz vest, and as a result I saw him clearly and was alerted to the potential hazard.
And it made me realise something VERY important: something that I've always known but have never been able to voice coherently.
If every motorcyclist were forced to wear a Hi-Viz jacket, I wouldn't have paid that poor sod as much attention, and nor would the heavy wagons using that route. A flash of Hi-Viz over the hedgerow wouldn't have said 'warning', but would have said motorcyclist, and I might not have been alerted to the danger he was in, or that he represented to me as an obstacle.
The message of 'Hands off our personal freedom' is a good vote winner among motorcyclists, preaching to the converted, but it will cut no ice with a safety lobby who is determined to protect us from ourselves. They couldn't give a toss about us except as accident statistics and would legislate us off the road for their personal convenience if they could, so we need to point out the perils that compulsion would represent to others.
The message we need to get to the debate is that compulsory Hi-Viz jackets on motorcycles compromises the safety of EVERY pedestrian or stranded motorist - in fact it undermines the advantage of Hi-Viz jackets for anyone who is outside their vehicle on the road network (and is increasingly required to wear a hi-viz jacket in EU countries to alert others to the danger they present), because:
"A HI-VIZ JACKET NEEDS TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH A STATIONARY OR SLOW MOVING OBJECT, FOR IT TO FULFIL IT'S DUAL PRIMARY OBJECTIVES OF PROTECTING THE WEARER AND ALERTING OTHER ROAD USERS TO THEIR PRESENCE."
and
"AS SOON AS HI-VIZ IS ASSOCIATED WITH MOTORCYCLES TRAVELLING AT THE LEGAL SPEED LIMIT, ANYTHING THAT IS STATIONARY OR SLOW MOVING IS NO LONGER PROTECTED BY THEIR CONSPICUITY AID"
Simple messages that play to the legislators. The downside of taking that course of action will be that cars and motorcycles will need to carry hi-viz jackets for drivers, riders and passengers to wear when they are stationery, but that is an idea that has some merit, and having been at the side of the road with a dead bike in the dark I personally wouldn't object to: such a jacket could be very lightweight because it wouldn't need to be robust enough to stand-up to 70mph winds, so could fit in a tiny compression bag.
It's also worth mentioning that hi-viz jackets flap about, adversely affect fuel economy and can actually represent a threat to the motorcyclist.
More positive, pro-active and constructive that a dozen or more bloody stupid piecemeal go-slows on the motorway network wearing "Hand Off Bikes" t-shirts, which will say nothing to anyone unless MAG has got something spectacular up their sleeve that will glue them all together in the mind of the public.
And it made me realise something VERY important: something that I've always known but have never been able to voice coherently.
If every motorcyclist were forced to wear a Hi-Viz jacket, I wouldn't have paid that poor sod as much attention, and nor would the heavy wagons using that route. A flash of Hi-Viz over the hedgerow wouldn't have said 'warning', but would have said motorcyclist, and I might not have been alerted to the danger he was in, or that he represented to me as an obstacle.
The message of 'Hands off our personal freedom' is a good vote winner among motorcyclists, preaching to the converted, but it will cut no ice with a safety lobby who is determined to protect us from ourselves. They couldn't give a toss about us except as accident statistics and would legislate us off the road for their personal convenience if they could, so we need to point out the perils that compulsion would represent to others.
The message we need to get to the debate is that compulsory Hi-Viz jackets on motorcycles compromises the safety of EVERY pedestrian or stranded motorist - in fact it undermines the advantage of Hi-Viz jackets for anyone who is outside their vehicle on the road network (and is increasingly required to wear a hi-viz jacket in EU countries to alert others to the danger they present), because:
"A HI-VIZ JACKET NEEDS TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH A STATIONARY OR SLOW MOVING OBJECT, FOR IT TO FULFIL IT'S DUAL PRIMARY OBJECTIVES OF PROTECTING THE WEARER AND ALERTING OTHER ROAD USERS TO THEIR PRESENCE."
and
"AS SOON AS HI-VIZ IS ASSOCIATED WITH MOTORCYCLES TRAVELLING AT THE LEGAL SPEED LIMIT, ANYTHING THAT IS STATIONARY OR SLOW MOVING IS NO LONGER PROTECTED BY THEIR CONSPICUITY AID"
Simple messages that play to the legislators. The downside of taking that course of action will be that cars and motorcycles will need to carry hi-viz jackets for drivers, riders and passengers to wear when they are stationery, but that is an idea that has some merit, and having been at the side of the road with a dead bike in the dark I personally wouldn't object to: such a jacket could be very lightweight because it wouldn't need to be robust enough to stand-up to 70mph winds, so could fit in a tiny compression bag.
It's also worth mentioning that hi-viz jackets flap about, adversely affect fuel economy and can actually represent a threat to the motorcyclist.
More positive, pro-active and constructive that a dozen or more bloody stupid piecemeal go-slows on the motorway network wearing "Hand Off Bikes" t-shirts, which will say nothing to anyone unless MAG has got something spectacular up their sleeve that will glue them all together in the mind of the public.
At last: we've only been suggesting that Harley do an FLD for half a dozen years (sixteen if you include previous magazines), and Harley have finally brought out a Dyna Road King, albeit known as the Switchback (well, we assume it's the switchback). Modern 17 and 18-inch tyre fitments beneath full mudguards, the new 103 motor, FL forks and nacelle, footboards and a QD screen and new QD slantbags.Basically, it's a 4-speed FL lookalike and, subject to a roadtest, is at the top of my personal wishlist: practical, flexible and hopefully comes with a choice of other wheels, 'cos I could live without the 5-spokes.
All of a sudden, the lack of a standard Road King isn't such a great loss.
Just hope they price it with the other Dynas: no prices yet.
Early 2012 model news coming in points to an upgrade to Harley's Softail family for 2012 with a new 103-inch - TC103B - engine across the board, as will a couple of the Dyna models.
The Softail range will comprise the 'yet-to-make-an-impact' Blackline, ever popular Fat Boy and Fat Boy Low - which we'll take as being a Fat Boy Special in the UK - the evergreen Heritage Softail Classic and the recently reintroduced Softail Deluxe. As previously mentioned, the Cross Bones and Rocker C have not been carried over.
On the Dyna front, both the Wide Glide and Fat Bob get a TC103 engine while the Street Bob and Super Glide Custom stick with the TC96 for the time being. The BIG news, though is a new model: the Switchback.
Well, we assume it's a Dyna because it is listed with the Fat Bob and Wide Glide but that could be a red herring: there's no model designation offered so it could be a new Softail. One thing is for certain, which is that it will be a convertible, and the FXR/FXD range has a history of convertibles.
The Sportster range looks like it will be short of an 883, with the 883R not showing for 2012 unless there's a form that hasn't been filed yet, but otherwise continues as 2011 - colour notwitstanding.
There will also be an Anniversary V-Rod - in the form of a Night Rod Special Anniversary Edition, to celebrate 10 years of the watercooled motor - which will run alongside the Muscle and the regular Night Rod Special.
And in the Touring family, the Road Glide will be replaced by a Road Glide Custom, and we think it's about time that Harley reintroduced the Road Glide here - even if it's in limited numbers - because there's just a chance that its time has finally arrived: we're more willing to accept a bagger without a Batwing, and the Vision is just so much better than the Ultra in the long haul stakes, and we reckon that's because of the frame-mounted screen.
The 110-inch CVO models for 2012 will comprise the Softail Convertible, Road Glide Custom, Street Glide and Ultra Classic Electra Glide.
More as we get it!
The Softail range will comprise the 'yet-to-make-an-impact' Blackline, ever popular Fat Boy and Fat Boy Low - which we'll take as being a Fat Boy Special in the UK - the evergreen Heritage Softail Classic and the recently reintroduced Softail Deluxe. As previously mentioned, the Cross Bones and Rocker C have not been carried over.
On the Dyna front, both the Wide Glide and Fat Bob get a TC103 engine while the Street Bob and Super Glide Custom stick with the TC96 for the time being. The BIG news, though is a new model: the Switchback.
Well, we assume it's a Dyna because it is listed with the Fat Bob and Wide Glide but that could be a red herring: there's no model designation offered so it could be a new Softail. One thing is for certain, which is that it will be a convertible, and the FXR/FXD range has a history of convertibles.
The Sportster range looks like it will be short of an 883, with the 883R not showing for 2012 unless there's a form that hasn't been filed yet, but otherwise continues as 2011 - colour notwitstanding.
There will also be an Anniversary V-Rod - in the form of a Night Rod Special Anniversary Edition, to celebrate 10 years of the watercooled motor - which will run alongside the Muscle and the regular Night Rod Special.
And in the Touring family, the Road Glide will be replaced by a Road Glide Custom, and we think it's about time that Harley reintroduced the Road Glide here - even if it's in limited numbers - because there's just a chance that its time has finally arrived: we're more willing to accept a bagger without a Batwing, and the Vision is just so much better than the Ultra in the long haul stakes, and we reckon that's because of the frame-mounted screen.
The 110-inch CVO models for 2012 will comprise the Softail Convertible, Road Glide Custom, Street Glide and Ultra Classic Electra Glide.
More as we get it!
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