January 2008 Safety Tip
Wow! Here it is 2008 already. Where did the time go? Judy and I hope that everyone had a safe and enjoyable Holiday Season and wish you all the very best of everything for the New Year.
The winter season is a great time to spend checking out that bike from bottom to top and make sure everything is ready for the up and coming ride season.
A very close friend and mentor of mine just passed away but his memory will live on. He was a race car driver and small plane pilot who taught me to treat my bike like an airplane. Prior to every ride he would do a complete safety check and repeat the same check every evening on an extended ride. Let’s face it, you don’t want to spend that great weekend broke down someplace along the road 50 miles from everything.
The T-clock makes a great check off list and only takes a few minutes. I’ve witnessed many potential hazards found during a brief inspection (three nails in a rear tire and the rear caliper ready to fall off on another bike).
Check those switches that you don’t normally use, emergency flashers for instance. I used mine once in a parade and found that I couldn’t turn them off. A little contact cleaner does wonders.
Get those bikes ready and let’s plan for a fantastic 2008 riding season. I’m anxious to see what new surprises this year will bring.
The most important part of any ride is to arrive to your destination safely.
Don Coons, GWTA Oregon State Safety Director
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