Finally! A Roadside assistance program for motorcycles that actually makes sense!

MotoRescue is part of North America’s largest towing service provider with over 20,000 units in service. This means riders are covered across Canada with coverage in the United States too. When your motorcycle breaks down, you need the confidence to know your motorcycle or scooter will be towed under guarded transport. We can give you that confidence.

Click here for more details: MotoRescue Emergency Roadside Assistance Program

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Ok, so not all drivers of automatic transmission cars are dummies but it can be argued that those who choose to drive a manual transmission are not so much “smarter” but certainly more attentive while behind the wheel.

The advent of the automatic transmission opened the door to a greater number of drivers on the road. It allowed people who didn’t have the skill or wherewithal, to drive cars with manual transmissions. A car with manually tranny connects the driver to the vehicle and they become one. The driver is now intimately connected to the vehicle and all that is going on with it. Automatic transmissions, allow drivers to become further complacent about the task of driving because it so much easier. Less attention to the road is required. Automatic transmissions have been readily available in North America since the 1950′s and are without a doubt easier to drive. Select “Drive” and go. Interestingly enough though, 80% of all European drivers opt for a manual transmission and their driving skills are considered to be higher than drivers in North America.

Several years ago, I took on the task of teaching (my then wife) how to drive my manual transmission BMW. Like all those who first learn the skills involved, she was pretty jerky at first had her fair share of stalling at various stops. “What’s that smell?” she asked at one point, to which I replied “My clutch! Now stop it!” but overall, she picked it up pretty quickly.

One day while returning from a wedding from the previous night, I found that I was far too hung-over to drive. I pulled off the highway and told her to take the wheel. Although, she was still learning and uncertain of her skills, it was a wiser choice than me continuing to drive in my hung-over, sleep deprived condition. As we came off the highway and came to a stop at a busy intersection, her panic kicked in not wanting to stall at the light, frustrate other drivers with her inexperience or further damage my clutch. “What do I do?” to which I replied, “Deal with it! You’re the driver…figure it out”.

What was interesting is that she admitted that she had to “think ahead” more and look further down the road to observe more of her surroundings. She had to anticipate and mentally process more information. Hmmm…did she just become a more attentive driver? Yes. Her situational awareness while driving improved drastically.

No longer could she just hit the brakes and slow down without further thought. Doing so would mean she would be in too high a gear for her much slower speed leaving the engine chugging and at the point of stalling when she tried to accelerate again. She also found that she could no longer be complacent when rolling away from a stop while on an incline. She checked her mirrors far more often to check if a car was behind her, for fear of rolling back into them.

Over time, her skills improved and she became smoother and more aware of what was going on around her. Now – many years later – she drives an AUDI with a manual transmission and she’s a better driver because of skills that she had to master.

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Each Spring, more and more people take up motorcycling and they do so for a wide range of reasons. As such, motorcycle training schools across the country quickly fill up with students who are new to riding or those who are returning after taking many years off.

Whether you are new to riding or someone who is taking up riding again, the question that is often asked is “Why take a course? Isn’t it just like riding a bike?”

The short answer is no…it’s not.

Riding a motorcycle comes with risk, just like driving a car does. However, making a mistake on a motorbike can have far greater consequences. The point to taking a safety course is to mitigate and reduce those risks. Instructors start you with the basics of where the controls are and how to use them and rapidly move you up to required skills like emergency braking, obstacle avoidance and proper vision techniques.

Even for those who have ridden before and are returning to riding, much has changed in the past decade and so have the bikes that are now available today. For those who have many years of riding dirt bikes, riding on public roads is a very different experience since trees don’t tend to simply jump out in front of you (only those who drive/ride drunk would disagree with that statement).

In general, people take up riding for many reasons ranging from a childhood fantasy to a mid-life crisis, peer-pressure from their friends or family, to wanting to save on gas, or simply wanting to indulge in the pure joy and sensation that riding provides and that they’ve heard about. Many of the joys of riding are foreign to new riders until they actually get out on their own bike and discover the thrills, adventures and excitement on their own.

I recently spent some time at a local motorcycle safety course and talked to some of the students and their instructors. The students shared the opinion that they wanted to learn the basics of motorcycle riding and one student went so far as to say that he took the course to “stay alive”, despite his many years of riding a dirt bike. He recently purchased a new BMW F800GS and wanted to go adventure riding but since that meant riding on public roads, he wanted to get a better understanding of what was involved in riding on them.

Another student was very new to riding and when asked how long he had been riding, he replied “Oh…about four hours”. I asked what motivated him to take up riding a motorcycle and this middle-aged student answered that many of his friends and family rode motorcycles and he figured he would take it up too. Although he had already purchased his cruiser, he wanted to take a safety course first before taking it out on the road. Wise choice.

The instructors already understand what’s involved in riding on public roads and are there to pass down their knowledge much like native cultures pass down knowledge from one generation to the next by showing them first hand. We all start out the same as newbies, without a clue what we are doing and it’s the instructors passion for riding and willingness to “pay it forward” that makes taking a course enjoyable. Just observing the instuctors running along side the students and taking extra time talking to those who required some extra tutelage, showed how much they cared about arming new riders with the basic knowledge and skills that they would need to head out on the open roads. One instructor stated that he chose to teach new riders because of the instructors who taught him. He had been riding for seven years and teaching for two and wanted to give something back.

Whatever your reasons are for taking up riding, please take the time to do it safely and take a safety course. It’s worth far more than it costs and should be considered a personal investment in you. Most riding schools offer not only a basic course for those who are new to riding but also advanced courses too. Some regions have graduated licensing and local schools, who are certified by their local governing body, offer weekend courses that focus on the skills required and actually administer the ministry tests that are required to graduate to the next level.

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Time and time again, I hear about kids touching motorcycles in a parking lot or worse, parents sitting their kids on bikes without at least getting permission first. A parked motorcycle isn’t some mall ride that shakes back and forth when you insert a couple of quarters and shouldn’t be treated as such. It’s also someones personal property and should be respected.

Ok…kids love motorcycles. I get that. To them they are big bicycles with engines, that go fast and make noise and have all those cool shiny bits. Of course…some of those shiny bits are very hot and can cause serious injuries to young hands and legs. Now I have no problem with a parent who wants to please their child and prop them up on my bike but please ask me first. Sometimes motorcycles can easily tip over depending on the turf or asphalt they are parked on and if I’ve just arrived, the exhaust can cause painful burns if touched.

Of course there is that respect of peoples propery to consider too. How would you feel if you came back to your convertable and some kid was sitting in it while daddy was taking their picture? Pissed? Violated? Of course! It’s an invasion and it’s disrespectful.

Parents…please…respect that a motorcycle is someone’s property and not a toy. Ask first and if the rider isn’t around to ask, please don’t allow your children to touch any parked motorcycle.

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