Jacksonville Defenders Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club

Honda is way out in front in technology it may seem.  They tested their “motorcycle to car” communication system on a test track in Germany during the CAR 2 CAR Consortium. 

This system, now get this, generates warnings to riders and drivers of other approaching vehicles.  How useful could this be when used to detect vehicles approaching intersections and being on a collision course?  The system apparently generates warnings to riders and drivers of other vehicles by “continuous exchange of positioning data from GPS sources.”

The Honda life-saving system facilitates communication with vehicles from 8 other manufacturers.  However, the exact manufactuers names were not published.

For some reason, people perceive motorcycles to be traveling slower than wat they really are if they see them at all.  This system is designed to reduce the perception problem by giving a warning of impending collisions so evasive action can be initiated.  

According to an article at http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2008/10/22/190441.html 

“V2V communication rapidly relays information in a simple and concise manner, which supports motorists’ and bikers’ recognition processes. Information including position, direction and vehicle dynamics coordinates is exchanged between vehicles. Motorcycle riders can safely receive warnings about vehicles near them on a Head-up Indicator Display, and can receive information through an in-helmet audio system, neither requiring them to take their eyes off the road. Drivers can view information on the status of cars and motorcycles in their vicinity and receive warnings on, for example, their navigation system display.

Honda Advanced HMI

The effectiveness of a Vehicle-to-Vehicle and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure communication system largely depends on the HMI concept - the interface between the rider and his machine. Based on extensive research, Honda has developed for the Car 2 Car demonstration a simple, logical and intuitive HMI for faster and easier recognition. Both a visual and an audible warning are provided in safety critical situations. The visual HMI is located on the upper edge of the motorcycle dashboard, as close as possible to the line of vision, enabling the rider to spot the information and warnings easily without actually having to take his eyes off the road. The intensity, colour and the position of the lights provide intuitive information on the seriousness and the location of the danger ahead. To augment the riders’ recognition and further specify the hazard ahead, an acoustic warning by means of spoken text is given in the helmet, which is connected by means of Bluetooth® communication link with the on-board system. This advanced HMI contributes to enhanced motorcycle safety.”

Wow! now that is some cool stuff!

Part of this post is courtesy of http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2008/10/22/190441.html

Is it cool to wear earplugs when you are riding?  I guess you can be “Cool” even when you are deaf.  I have been riding for years and every time I go on a long ride, I feel like I am deaf.  Lately, my left ear has been hurting while I have been riding.  This leads me to believe that I have or had some sort of ear infection or something.  Since I have some degree of high frequency hearing loss as it is; I have been doing a little research about hearing loss and protection.

You may think that wearing a full face helmet protects your ears.  From personal experience, my ears were ringing just as much when I wore my expensive Shoei full face helmet as they did when wearing my quarter helmet.  The noise from which you are trying to protect your ears is not exhaust or engine noise.  Your exhaust really only affects those who ride behind you.  Studies have shown that a full face helmet only reduces the noise about 3db.  While that is something, many who ride cruiser style motorcycles don’t wear a full face helmet let alone any helmet at all.

Much is being said nationwide about the rising number of motorcycle rider deaths.  In many states, it has become mandatory that a person take a Motorcycle Safety Course prior to being issued a motorcycle endorsement or license. 

In California, there have been many deaths among soldiers returning from Iraq & Afghanistan who buy motorcycles.  There is no clear cut answer as to why the deaths are occurring but one death especially among our brave soldiers who survive a year or more in a combat zone is one too many. 

A new law in Florida requires that all those who would like to obtain a motorcycle endorsement pass a rider safety course.  This law does not affect those who already have their motorcycle endorsement but even the most seasoned rider can learn something by going through a saftey course. 

THE RISKS: Nationwide, motorcycle accident deaths more than doubled between 1997 and 2007.  Why is that?  Is it because of the increase in fuel prices; causing more people to buy fuel efficient motorcycles?  Could it be that more young riders are buying sport bikes and do not realize that the power of such motorcycles is to be respected?  Is it DUI? 

This writer, being a rider, holds the opinion that the majority of crashes involving motorcycles and other motor vehicles is due to the other drivers not seeing motorcycles.  People just do not look for motorcycles for some reason.  With more of them out on the road than ever, we need to educate people to look for motorcycles and also to make them understand how they operate differently than cars. 

Ride Hard, Ride Safe!

Source: Jacksonville.com 10-23-08

Before or after a U-Turn?

Well as this is my first attempt at a ride breakdown and report I will give it the ole” navy try.  This was a great ride with beautiful weather and great BBQ. 

Muster was at 0730 and most all of the gang was there early.  Yes, I said early.  It was a momentous occasion and a sign of the day to come.  After a nice leisurely breakfast at the usual Burger King we debated over the chill in the air and most wrapped up and headed north.  It was a very nice ride with the morning sun cresting the Florida intercoastals’ wetlands just before you reach Georgia. Nice to be alive! 

We arrived in Kingsland just as the event was sending out riders. We waited our turn and were able to spend some time visiting with the Georgia brothers prior to heading out. By the way, I’m working a 3 and a jack at this point so it isn’t looking good.  So out we go. 

Where is the swamp?

First let me say I am not the biggest GPS fan in the world and Brenda isn’t the best map reader.  However, between her and hammer lets just say that it was “interesting at each turn in the road.  If I am not mistaken, I’m sure I heard the term “u-turn directed at hammer more that once.  With Brenda holding the map in my face as I drove, Heat had his signal blinking one way , hammer’s the other way and the rest of us just following it was a sight to behold as we all made our ” practice u-turns for better driving” as Hammer put it. So the “practice” continued till the last stop and we’re all better drivers for it. Thanks Hammer. 

Maps? We don't need no stinking maps!

Hammer/Weeble and Kabar up front, Bull and Heat, myself/DragonLady and Mick, with Hotrod and Pipes playing TG.  As we rode along and settled in for a stretched Heat commenced the game known to us as “Dodge Heats Debris”.  You see, prior to this leg we had spoken together at some length about Ka-bar’s unsecured items leaving his person during a past ride and how important it is to ensure you and your bike are ready to roll.  Well, not Heat. Picture this… Heat’s port side saddlebag flops open and those of us in the back begin the game, as items ceremoniously depart his saddlebag and fly at or past us. Begin the chaos…lol! as we began to break ranks to head back to try to find all his items.    It was funny to say the least. We did manage to find all the items and continue on.  This is good for at least a few months of poking fun at Heat so enjoy. 

Are you talking to me?

If you we unable to attend this weekend you know you were missed and there is a spot reserved for you at all times.  God bless everyone and be safe this week!

HTML messages are a great way of sending great content.  Our newsletter is generally sent out in HTML format along with a plain text message.  Some of our members do not have computers at home and can only view email on their work computers. 

With HTML, you can view graphical messages that have functionality such as links to other web sites or Forum posts.   There is a down side to sending HTML messages.  Sometimes they will not look the same when it reaches your computer compared to what it looked like when it was created and sent.  Accepting HTML messages opens you up to viruses, reporting cookies and bad stuff. 

However, any HTML email that comes from us, especially the newsletter will have been formatted using Aweber’s system.  You do not have to worry about viruses or cookies etc. because the email will have originated with our chapter. 

This is the very reason that you should not open up any email from anyone whom you do not recognize!  You know in what format our newsletter is published and what is contained in the subject line or “from” area so you will recognize it is from us.  If an email seems suspicious and you do not recognize it, do not open it, delete it.  The other option you have is to read your email in a n “offline” status.  With a word of caution though, if you merely open a malicious email, you can get a virus that not even your virus protection can detect.

I say all this because you need to be aware of these things since we rely heavily on email correspondence.  We will never send a malicious code or cookie with any mailing we initiate to you.  The newsletter is a way to keep in touch with the weeks happenings if you were not able to attend an event, ride, or meeting etc.  It is however, very tedious work trying to compile stories or important subject matter to pass along. 

With plain text, you get what you get… Plain text, no functionality.

We want all of our members to be able to read our weekly newsletter so in addition to HTML format, it is sent out in plain text format as well.  (Sometimes)  Most messages are sent in only HTML format and they are converted by the system you are using to view the message at that time and it may appear as gobbledy gook!

Doing it this way however, results in a very ugly message that is not very functional at all.  If two separate message are created, you will receive the message that is properly formatted for your system. 

The only problem is…  It is more time consuming to create two separate messages to send if only a couple of our members can only view plain text messages.  So please post a comment here and let us know if you need to continue to have the messages sent out in both formats or if you need it sent out in just plain text.  We understand that there are restrictions on using employers computers and what you can receive is limited but we need to know so our efforts are not going to waste.     

Respond by clicking on the comments link above this post.  Thanks in advance!

I took the liberty of passing along this email from Snake. I hope he does not mind that I posted it in its entirety.

I am on the way back from an outstanding opening in Kansas. The Oz Chapter opened with 26 patched members and 5 associate members. The ceremonies took place in a church (yes a church) in Johnson County Kansas. The members work at several different L.E.O. agencies in the area.

We were graced with the presence of a few DMC members who took time out to make this trip. Chubbs from National, Train from Golden Isles, Catdaddy from Lee and Tracker from Tampa. I want to thank each of them for taking time out and assisting me with this opening.

We were treated like a bunch of rock stars from the time we touched the ground in Kansas City. We had members of the OZ chapter waiting for us at the airport and escorted us to the hotel. We were then taken to Hog Dawg’s residence where associates (Wildcat and Blonde Bomber) had prepared a Mexican feast for us. We sat outside in the back yard and froze our ass off as we sat by the fire and under a heater since it was in the mid to low 50’s. The adult beverages assisted up in keeping warm and it felt like we were at a family reunion. We Sat down with the Executive Board of the OZ chapter and talked business. We made it home around 2:30am (Florida time) and tried to get a few hours sleep. We were told that OZ had an 11 hour day planned for us on Saturday.

On Saturday we had the opening at 10 am and patched in the 26 members and associates. Buddha and Taz did an excellent job in putting this together. Each member had a special experience as they were called up one by one. I was extremely impressed with each member as they spoke about current job assignments and experiences. It is very apparent that this will be a fast growing chapter with a 95+ percentage of law enforcement officers.

The OZ chapter took there first ride as patched members as we followed in our maroon Chevy . They took us to a place called “Legends” which has hundreds of stores, restaurants and the Kansas City Speedway. (and yes we did take the Suburban down to the track and parked it in the pits

YEA!!) We had a great lunch with the guys and proceeded to Gail’s HD for the 911 ride. The OZ chapter was a hit with the crowd and handed out flyers about the DMC (great idea). The flyer explained the chapter and how to contact them if interested. We took several photo’s and met with Wide Open Magazine who is going to complete an article on the DMC.

We then met with the chapter for some “Kansas BBQ” that had been set up for us in a private room. Some of the associates rode with up in the “Burban” since the weather had turned to crap and rained all afternoon.

The chapter members never stopped riding or removed the colors as they pushed forward through the rain. I don’t think that we could have pried a vest off any of them.

I want to thank the entire OZ chapter for being a class act and a great addition to the DMC. These are the kind of people that we strive to have as our brothers. They are currently trying to make plans to attend the National DMC party in Lakeland on February 28th 2009.

We want to thank Buddha for getting Taz involved in the club (inside

joke)

See ya at the next opening in Knoxville on October 11th

We will send out pictures very soon.

Please send this out to your members

Snake

National Vice President

Defenders LE/MC

“Live Life Play Hard”

Hammer & Weeble Crusin

It would appear that the weather scared all but the heartiest of riders away from attending the Gator Joe’s ride this weekend.  I know, I know, some of you had other things to do.  All the same those who showed had a pretty good time.  As it ended up, only Hammer, Ace, and Voodoo made the trip, with their ladies, of course!  I suppose we should recognize Pipes, who at least made it to the breakfast table (go figure!).

Ace & Tweety

Being that we were such a small group, and that Ace and Tweety had time restrictions, we decided to forego the really awesome ride we had planned for the day in lieu of a shorter trip to the sleepy town of Micanopy.  The ride down was PERFECT,… well, for most of us. 

Voodoo & Dragon Lady

Voodoo seemed to be having problems with shifting sand, a condition he blamed largely on Ace.  The temperature was just right and the route, to at least some,was new and scenic.  Once there, we all had a great time rummaging through the antiques, well almost,… Ace was just a little out of his element.  It was somewhat surreal to peruse articles of our childhood, as well as those that some of us still employ at home today, and have them characterized as “antiques.”

Chickys

As we transitioned to the south side of town, the skies let loose with a colossal rainstorm.  Here we met the town’s self-appointed resident weatherman, who was kind enough to give us insight as to the windows of opportunity for travelers of the two-wheeled persuasion to exit town and gave us a peek at his computer screen.  Undaunted, we continued our browsing until the storm impeded our progress to the next cache of antiquities, whereupon we hung out on the storefront’s vestibule.  Once the rain slowed, we made our way to one of only two diners in town.  Most enjoyed an ice cream or shake, while Tweety and I sampled the blueberry coffee.  As we socialized on the porch of the diner, our neighborhood weatherman happened by and pointed out that we had missed our chance to get out of town and that another barrage of rain was headed our way.

The Crew

Deciding that we did not want to become permanent residents of Sleepy Hollow, we donned our raingear and headed north.  A light rain was falling as we left town.  Even so, visibility was good and the temperature was comfortable.  We didn’t even get out of town before we had to make an unscheduled stop, as Dragon-Lady had forgotten to latch the saddlebag.  Traveling north out of Keystone Heights, we could see breaks in the clouds, and as we crossed SR-16 the rain, for the most part had stopped.  One by one, we peeled off from the group,… well, trio,… as we passed closest to home.

All that said,… we are left with a really great ride, yet unridden.  Looking into the future, we are booked up with things to do until August 16th, which coincidentally is the date for our General meeting.  So,… we are rescheduling the Gator Joe’s ride for that date!  Mark it on your calendar, postpone any illnesses or road trips, tell the wife you’ll clean house on Monday and the Girl Scouts you can’t go camping that weekend, and join us for a day of brotherhood and camaraderie!  Hope to see you all there!

The Florida Highway Patrol is reminding everyone about this enforcement campaign that began this week — 
The Florida Highway Patrol is planning a statewide special multi-agency enforcement operation June 23-29 called “Move Over Florida!” which is designed to create a safer working environment for our troopers, police officers, deputies, and other emergency workers.

The Florida Highway Patrol has asked each Sheriff and Police Chief in the state to participate in this important program, as we work together, dedicating all possible resources to make a real impact. This operation will be similar to the annual Click It or Ticket campaign, but will concentrate on Move Over Law violators.

We continue to have too many “close calls” out on the highway with those motorists who either are not aware of the law or are not paying attention as they pass by emergency workers parked on the side of the roadway with emergency lights flashing.

On multiple lane roadways, motorists are required to move over to the adjacent lane when it is safe to do so before passing beside the emergency vehicle.  If it is not safe to move over to an adjacent lane, you must slow down to at least 20 mph below the posted speed limit.

On two-lane roadways, motorists are required to slow down to at least 20 mph below the posted speed limit.

A violation of the Move Over law is considered a moving violation. The fine is $96.50 plus court costs (which in Duval County is $121.50) plus 3-points assessed on the driver’s record.

Please watch out for all emergency vehicles stopped on the side of the road at all times. 

What do you do to prepare for the “Big Ride?”

Whether it is a day trip or a coast to coast trek. What do you do to prepare for the long haul? There are some things that are essential to bring with you and some things are not:

• Rain Gear
• Jacket
• Chaps
• Extra clothes (socks) if you get wet
• Monkey Butt Kit ???
• GPS
• Tire Pressure Gauge
• First Aid kit

These are just some of the things that come to mind quickly.  Some things can be left at home such as the Chaps because it depends on where you live.  Here in Florida it is not always necessary to bring the Chaps

Now not all rides require you to bring all of these items.  I am just jump starting your thought process. 

Post a reply and let me know what essentials you bring on your rides and what type of ride you are talking about.  

Dennis Hopper & Peter Fonda?  Nah, just Bill & Bil (Big Bill & Little Bill).  A couple of my Bro’s from work decided to take the entire month off and ride out to the west coast on their bikes.

http://gatorfuz.blogspot.com

Big Bill rides a Ultra Classic and lil Bill rides a Road King.  They originally were going to drive out to Cali then north and return to the east along a northern route and then back south of the Mason Dixon.  Instead, they decided to ride out to the Republic of California and then make their way back home.  Stopping at all the usual casino towns.  Bill you are a whale!  

They have been gone since May 13th making stops in Biloxi and wherever Lil Bill could get a comp room at a casino!!!  Bill you are a whale!  That rocks!  Along the route they were able to stay with family at most stops.  I have been following their progress online and they have been blogging and posting pictures of their trip.  It looks like they are having a great time and all I can say is I wish I was there.  One day I will be able to do it and see this beautiful country and famous landmarks along the way.

Go here to check out their progress:

http://gatorfuz.blogspot.com

Hey guys, Ride Safe and always look out for the other drivers out there!  Those are the ones who make motorcycling so dangerous.