2009 HD Police Electra Glide

Brand-spanking NEW….just picked it up yesterday. 2009 Electra-glide. Boy does the 103 make a difference…wow. Thanks Schoch Harley-Davidson, Stroudsburg PA.

New 2009 Police Electra Glide (Hudson black/white)

Humor – A Man and His Harley

A man riding his Harley was riding along a California beach when
suddenly the sky clouded above his head and, in a booming voice, the
Lord said, ‘Because you have tried to be faithful to me in all ways, I
will grant you one wish.’

The biker pulled over and said, ‘Build a bridge to Hawaii so I can ride
over anytime I want.’

The Lord said, ‘Your request is materialistic, think of the enormous
challenges for that kind of undertaking; the supports required reaching
the bottom of the Pacific and the concrete and steel it would take! It
will nearly exhaust several natural resources. I can do it, but it is
hard for me to justify your desire for worldly things. Take a little
more time and think of something that could possibly help mankind.’

The biker thought about it for a long time.

Finally, he said, ‘Lord, I wish that I and all men could understand
women; I want to know how she feels inside, what she’s thinking when she
gives me the silent treatment, why she cries, what she means when she
says nothing’s wrong, why she snaps and complains when I try to help,
and how I can make a woman truly happy.’

The Lord replied, ‘You want two lanes or four on that bridge?

Phases of Perception – Response Time

Detection (Phase 1)

This phase begins when some object of concern (hazard) enter the driver’s field of view. It ends when the driver develops a conscious awareness that something is present. That object may be in the driver’s field of view for a period of time before it is detected. Once detected, the eyes will move to bring the object into focus.

Identification (Phase 2)

During this phase, information must be acquired about the hazard so that in the next phase the driver will be able to reach a decision as to what action to take. Identification does not need to be complete in detail. If the object is moving, estimates of speed and trajectory may be required. This phase is devidide into two groups:

1. Object is discernable – The mind understands what the eye has seen
2. Object is very discernable – The mind clearly understands the object and successfully identifies it for what it is

Decision (Phase 3)

The driver at this point must decide what action to take. Normally, the action decided upon is a reduction of speed or change in direction.

Response (Phase 4)

During this phase, commands are sent from the brain to the appropriate muscle groups to carry out the required actions.

The perception-reaction time typically ends when the driver begins an evasive action.

Research indicates that in a straightforward situation, perception-response time on average is 1.6 seconds. While it is possible to attain quicker times (.75 seconds or below) these instances are few. The reasonable range there would be between .75 and 1.6 seconds. 

It has been my personal experience investigating over 500 collisions, that 1.6 seconds is accurate and applies to most situations.

It is critical to undestand that perception/reaction requires cognitive activity which takes time. We will see in future lessons that this reaction time translates into reaction distance which is one factor of the total stopping distance considerations. The other factor being braking distance.

Pa Motorcycle Operator Manual

PA Motorcycle Operator Manual

PREFACE

Operating a motorcycle safely in traffic requires special skills and knowledge. This handbook will provide you with the information necessary to enable you to obtain a motorcycle license and to help you learn those special operating skills.

The purpose of this manual is to enable the reader to avoid crashes while safely operating a motorcycle. By reading this manual, you will learn strategies for collision avoidance. You will learn how you can improve your riding strategy by using a system known as SEE (search, evaluate, execute). You will learn what you can do to be seen by other motorists. In collisions with motorcyclists, drivers often say they never saw the motorcycle. 

When you ride a motorcycle, you should wear proper protective clothing and headgear, ride within your limits, obey the law, and “share the road” with other highway users. Riding a motorcycle can be safe and fun when you act as a responsible rider.

The Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety Program will teach you the basic skills necessary to operate a motorcycle. Take advantage of this learning opportunity, read the Motorcycle Operator Manual, and become an informed motorcyclist.

Remember that your life, and the lives of others, will depend on what you do while operating a motorcycle.

Keep this manual for future reference. There may be times when you will want to check on the recommended ways to handle a situation which you have encountered.

Motorcycle Safety Program

PENNDOT

Calculating Motorcycle Stopping Distance

While looking over my dashboard on wordpress, I found several search requests  for how to calculate motorcycle stopping distances.

Since one of my rules for this blog is not to get technical, I’ll avoid explaining the formula. Just enter the input values and view results. This is an excel spreadsheet download. You can download OPEN OFFICE free online and it will open the excel spreadsheet.

LINK:  Calculator

Keep in mind this calculator does not factor in perception reaction time! 

To add reaction distance:

Step 1. Convert MPH to FPS (1.466 is the conversion value)

IE 40 mph x 1.466 = 58.64 FPS

Step 2. Multiply 58.64 FPS with the desired time value (1.6 seconds is the average perception/reaction time)

58.64 x 1.6 = 93.82 Feet

Step 3. Add 93.82 Feet to the result (shortest possible non skid stop). Using a .7 coefficient of friction (dry well traveled road) the result was 76.19 feet.

76.19 + 93.82 = 170 feet (This is your TOTAL STOPPING DISTANCE)

Results are also displayed in metric.

Hope this helps.

Anti-lock Brake Systems

ABS technology provides emergency safety in low-traction conditions and conditions where traction changes quickly. It does not allow a rider to enter curves at higher speeds or to shorten safe following distances.

ABS brake application while the bike is in a lean can cause a slide-out or failure to maintain lane placement.

The ABS system on cars allows the driver to perform steering actions under heavy braking. This works because of the dual-track design inherent in cars. The motorcycle, a single-track vehicle, cannot change steering input under maximum braking.

The ABS equipped motorcycle will brake in a straight line. Some things to consider regarding AS systems on motorcycles:

• Braking must be hard to activate ABS. The ABS functions best under emergency applications.
• ABS will not help the rider who does not perform collision avoidance maneuvers or fails to use the brakes
• Even if only the rear brake is applied, it will prevent a lockup of the rear wheel and a possible slide-out but will still render only 30% to 40% braking capability