"Safety Third!"
Information regarding safe solo and group riding & other riding tips
Spyder Safety Day 2011
On Saturday, June 11, 2011, members of the Spyder Ryder of America - San Francisco Bay Area Chapter gathered at California Speed-Sports in Livermore, CA for the first annual Spyder Safety Day & BBQ. At the event, speakers talked to the group about the importance of wearing proper riding gear, the maintenance of their Spyder, and given tips on safe group riding.
Attendees were handed out a brochure which went over the topics discussed with the group, as well a pre-ride maintenance checklist.
For those who were not able to attend the event, you can download the Spyder Safety Day brochure here.
On Saturday, June 11, 2011, members of the Spyder Ryder of America - San Francisco Bay Area Chapter gathered at California Speed-Sports in Livermore, CA for the first annual Spyder Safety Day & BBQ. At the event, speakers talked to the group about the importance of wearing proper riding gear, the maintenance of their Spyder, and given tips on safe group riding.
Attendees were handed out a brochure which went over the topics discussed with the group, as well a pre-ride maintenance checklist.
For those who were not able to attend the event, you can download the Spyder Safety Day brochure here.
Summer Has Arrived!!
(Are you ready for it?)
Summer is here, but are you ready for the heat? Hot weather creates quite a challenge for motorcyclists. But before you head out, please prepare yourself. A summer morning may start out cool, and when it gets hot, many are tempted to strip off the riding gear and put themselves at risk.
Riding when the temperature is well in excess of 90 degrees can be dangerous to your health. Unless you take care to keep your body temperature under control even rides as short as an hour can result in heat-prostration or even sun-stroke.
First of all, when heading out for a summer's day ride, make sure you bring with you plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated. I highly recommend getting a water pack such as the CamelBak, which can be purchased as most sporting goods stores or through online retailers. Water, water, water... don't forget!!
Next, I highly recommend getting yourself a summer mesh jacket with a removable liner so that you are less tempted to ride without proper protection when the day starts heating up. FirstGear makes a great summer mesh jacket with removable liner called the Mesh-Tex jacket which can be purchased through online retailers or at your local CycleGear, or other motorcycle shop.
Hot Weather Motorcycle Jackets Comparison
FirstGear also offers matching Mesh-Tex pants which will attach to the jacket. These pants are great if you want to wear shorts underneath when you are off the Spyder as they have a full length side zipper to allow easy on and off. The pants also have a removable liner for those cooler mornings before the heat of the day.
Now that you have some nice breathable gear on and water to keep you hydrated, you still may be tempted to pull that gear off to cool off. But don't!! Beware, riding with exposed skin will lead quickly to dehydration and heat stroke!! I have personally experienced this myself on a hot 113 degree Bay Area day just less than two years ago where I nearly didn't make it home in my 45 minute trip between north Livermore and Pittsburg due to severe dehydration and heat stroke related to exposed skin.
Exposed skin while riding can actually prevent you from sweating, your body's way of keeping you cool. You make think you're cooling off when the winds hits your skin, however you will actually stop sweating which will cause you to over-heat and that will quickly lead to severe dehydration and heat stroke.
Signs of deyhdration include: less frequent urination (urine passed will be less in volume and darker in colour), fatigue, headache, dizziness and cramps.
Here are some tips of way to keep yourself cool while keeping yourself safe from dehydration, heat stroke, and not to mention possible road rash if you were involved in an accident while riding.
* Wear a light colored (white) light-weight cotton long-sleeved shirt soaked and lightly rung
out with water under a vented jacket
* Wear a cooling vest under a vented jacket. A cooling vest can be purchased through online retailers
as well as at CycleGear or other motorcycle gear shop
RideCool Vest HydroCool Vest TechNiche Cooling Vest
* Wear a lightly soaked bandana under your helmet
Polar Breeze Bandana RideCool Bandana Cooldannas
Many riders know that if you keep your neck cool, because the large veins that feed your brain are so close to the surface, you greatly diminish these health risks. There are two very popular devices that are simple and effective in this regard.
One is called a 'cool collar' and is made from a tube of bandana material that contains some water absorbing beads sewn into it. The beads increase in size about 50 TIMES over when they are dry. Thus, when dry, these collars store easily and take up very little room. But getting them wet is not as easy as it sounds. That is, you have to take a dry collar and submerge it in water for up to 1 hour before it has absorbed all the water it can. That hour is often not available to you when you need it.
The reason the collar works to cool you off is that it takes even longer for the beads to dry out than it did to get them wet. That is, water will evaporate from them over a several hour period. Any evaporation activity cools - but only marginally so from the wearer's point of view. That is, within half an hour of putting one of these collars around your neck, even if it had been in a freezer before you put it on, the collar will be very nearly at the temperature of the air around it.
Far better than these 'cool collars', I have found, is the original design of them (sometimes called 'Kool Kollars'). These are usually made of terry-cloth sewn together in such a way as to contain a pocket into which a zip-lock bag is placed. These are filled with ice! This type of collar REALLY cools your neck as the ice melts, AND they drip cool water. That dripping leaves the front and back of your shirt sopping wet over time which provides a huge source of evaporation - i.e., it helps to COOL!
At every pit stop you make you can refill the 'Kollar' with ice (just pour in a glass of ice water, ice and all). The bead filled collar cannot be rapidly cooled again once it has gotten warm. Thus, you usually find that people that use them have two - one of which is always sitting in an ice-chest.
Also, it is important when riding in hot weather, to stop more frequently and take shelter in a shaded area and consume water constantly. Also, wear sunblock for any other exposed skin such as your neck and face.
Other good information related to hot weather riding:
Heat Related First Aid Summer Motorcycle Riding Safety
Hot Weather Gear & Apparel
Have a great summer, enjoy the weather, stay cool, and stay safe!
Riding when the temperature is well in excess of 90 degrees can be dangerous to your health. Unless you take care to keep your body temperature under control even rides as short as an hour can result in heat-prostration or even sun-stroke.
First of all, when heading out for a summer's day ride, make sure you bring with you plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated. I highly recommend getting a water pack such as the CamelBak, which can be purchased as most sporting goods stores or through online retailers. Water, water, water... don't forget!!
Next, I highly recommend getting yourself a summer mesh jacket with a removable liner so that you are less tempted to ride without proper protection when the day starts heating up. FirstGear makes a great summer mesh jacket with removable liner called the Mesh-Tex jacket which can be purchased through online retailers or at your local CycleGear, or other motorcycle shop.
Hot Weather Motorcycle Jackets Comparison
FirstGear also offers matching Mesh-Tex pants which will attach to the jacket. These pants are great if you want to wear shorts underneath when you are off the Spyder as they have a full length side zipper to allow easy on and off. The pants also have a removable liner for those cooler mornings before the heat of the day.
Now that you have some nice breathable gear on and water to keep you hydrated, you still may be tempted to pull that gear off to cool off. But don't!! Beware, riding with exposed skin will lead quickly to dehydration and heat stroke!! I have personally experienced this myself on a hot 113 degree Bay Area day just less than two years ago where I nearly didn't make it home in my 45 minute trip between north Livermore and Pittsburg due to severe dehydration and heat stroke related to exposed skin.
Exposed skin while riding can actually prevent you from sweating, your body's way of keeping you cool. You make think you're cooling off when the winds hits your skin, however you will actually stop sweating which will cause you to over-heat and that will quickly lead to severe dehydration and heat stroke.
Signs of deyhdration include: less frequent urination (urine passed will be less in volume and darker in colour), fatigue, headache, dizziness and cramps.
Here are some tips of way to keep yourself cool while keeping yourself safe from dehydration, heat stroke, and not to mention possible road rash if you were involved in an accident while riding.
* Wear a light colored (white) light-weight cotton long-sleeved shirt soaked and lightly rung
out with water under a vented jacket
* Wear a cooling vest under a vented jacket. A cooling vest can be purchased through online retailers
as well as at CycleGear or other motorcycle gear shop
RideCool Vest HydroCool Vest TechNiche Cooling Vest
* Wear a lightly soaked bandana under your helmet
Polar Breeze Bandana RideCool Bandana Cooldannas
Many riders know that if you keep your neck cool, because the large veins that feed your brain are so close to the surface, you greatly diminish these health risks. There are two very popular devices that are simple and effective in this regard.
One is called a 'cool collar' and is made from a tube of bandana material that contains some water absorbing beads sewn into it. The beads increase in size about 50 TIMES over when they are dry. Thus, when dry, these collars store easily and take up very little room. But getting them wet is not as easy as it sounds. That is, you have to take a dry collar and submerge it in water for up to 1 hour before it has absorbed all the water it can. That hour is often not available to you when you need it.
The reason the collar works to cool you off is that it takes even longer for the beads to dry out than it did to get them wet. That is, water will evaporate from them over a several hour period. Any evaporation activity cools - but only marginally so from the wearer's point of view. That is, within half an hour of putting one of these collars around your neck, even if it had been in a freezer before you put it on, the collar will be very nearly at the temperature of the air around it.
Far better than these 'cool collars', I have found, is the original design of them (sometimes called 'Kool Kollars'). These are usually made of terry-cloth sewn together in such a way as to contain a pocket into which a zip-lock bag is placed. These are filled with ice! This type of collar REALLY cools your neck as the ice melts, AND they drip cool water. That dripping leaves the front and back of your shirt sopping wet over time which provides a huge source of evaporation - i.e., it helps to COOL!
At every pit stop you make you can refill the 'Kollar' with ice (just pour in a glass of ice water, ice and all). The bead filled collar cannot be rapidly cooled again once it has gotten warm. Thus, you usually find that people that use them have two - one of which is always sitting in an ice-chest.
Also, it is important when riding in hot weather, to stop more frequently and take shelter in a shaded area and consume water constantly. Also, wear sunblock for any other exposed skin such as your neck and face.
Other good information related to hot weather riding:
Heat Related First Aid Summer Motorcycle Riding Safety
Hot Weather Gear & Apparel
Have a great summer, enjoy the weather, stay cool, and stay safe!