June 2010

Please contact webmaster@roadguardians.org with comments.

In this issue:

1. A word from the Director: Vicki Sanfelipo

2. Partner News: Critical Medical Information

3. All Over The Map: John Garley: Route Planning Resources

4. Women In Motion/Tommy Thompson Reunion Ride 2010

5. Member Spotlight: Jennifer Knourek/Biker Information Guide

In the next issue:
1. A word from the Director by Vicki Sanfelipo
2. Website features by Andrea Lyman
3. Featured Biker-Owned Business
4. Safety Corner by Chris Hawver
5. The Educated Biker by Trauma Mama
6. Wacky Pic of the Month!

A word from the Director
by Vicki Sanfelipo

At the time this newsletter comes out I’ll be in Laconia, NH promoting Road Guardians at the Allstate Garage on Weirs Beach . If you are planning to attend that Rally be sure to stop by and say Hi to me. While you are there, shake the hand of Discovery Channel bike builder Dave Perewitz. Together Dave and I are taking the message of what motorcycle safety means to bikers. The Allstate Garage will be an oasis for bikers with free water, music and lounge chairs. They will even have a misting station if it’s hot out! From what I understand, there is plenty of mist in Laconia in June so we’ll just hope that is needed. I will be doing two ½ hour segments each day hosted by an emcee. The first 30 minutes will be focused on Road Guardians – a program of Resources, Rewards and Recognition for Bikers and the second 30 minutes will be focused on females and riding. From fingernail polish to bungees I will try to explain womanspeak to the men in the audience.

Road Guardians continue to partner with businesses and safety minded individuals in order to reduce injuries and fatalities to motorcyclists. Are you a life long learner? How can you encourage those around you to be the best that they can be? Have you taken time to explore our many resources? Have you shared this valuable resource with others? www.roadguardians.org has the most comprehensive list of safety resources on the web. I encourage you to show your support. Recommend a resource, recommend events, recommend a safety partner. We all benefit from each other’s education. If you see a certified Road Guardian, thank them for their commitment.

Partner News
Critical Medical Information

New feature being added!

With MyCMI+™ you can easily organize and display: emergency medical information, emergency contact information, medical history, lab results, and much more for yourself and five family members. No more multiple files, papers and places to search for your family's vital records. You can also store medical images and legal documents essential for your medical treatment.

This useful and comprehensive service is discounted for Road Guardian members. To access your discount, log in to the secure member's area and click on RG Discounts.

We are making this available to anyone who is interested at the regular price of $12.95 through the Accident Scene Management website.

We hope to launch the program by July 1st, 2010! Announcement to follow via our page on
Road Guardians

Promote Your Page Too

Top

All Over the Map
Route Planning Resources
by John Garley

Inch deep and a mile wide, or a mile deep but only an inch wide. This seems to describe on-line resources for deriving motorcycle road information. Most state web-sites offer maps that are often segmented by region or county. My state (Minnesota) posts county maps www.dot.state.mn.us/maps/cadd/html/counties.html, which I appreciate because paved and unpaved roads are differentiated. Unfortunately you have to know the name of the county (or counties) you are riding through because there is no overall state-county map on the site. On-line maps from other states indicate “county roads” and “town roads”, but good luck determining and therefore avoiding dirt roads. Obviously sites from state transportation departments do not point-out great motorcycle roads; rather they indicate all the roads. In other words these are a mile wide (listing every road) but are only an inch deep in identifying the best for motorcycling.

Two of the sites dedicated to cycle routes www.motorcycleroads.us and www.motorcycleroads.com offer a great deal of information based on rider input. On a personal note, I prefer www.motorcycleroads.us because it uses a color-code for roads that are scenic (green), sweeping curves (blue), twisties (red) and unpaved (brown). Generally these are relatively short roads and are not connected into a full-day or week-long route. Look at each site, particularly in a region that you are familiar with. If you are anything like me (and I know I am), you may know about great motorcycle roads that are missing because they have yet to be listed by riders. As mentioned above, they are dependent on the discretion of each rider’s determination of road character/color-code and are only as comprehensive as rider submissions. If these sites contained all of the best cycle roads, they would be mile deep (only great motorcycle roads), but only an inch wide because they do not connect to each other if you are trying to layout a complete route.

Another source of road information can be found by searching “Scenic” or “By Way” along with the name of the state. These sites are not focused on motorcycling, and are often sponsored or influenced by tourism interests. Nonetheless, if paved, I have found any road designated “Scenic” and/or “By Way” worthwhile.

If only there were a way for Road Guardians to share their experience and knowledge of roads to help other RGs who want to travel to Arkansas, Vermont, West Virginia, Oregon, or who knows, even Minnesota.

Top

Women In Motion/Tommy Thompson Reunion Ride 2010

Great news!!!! 10th annual River Road Fundraiser and 16th annual Tommy Thompson's Reunion Ride will be hosted by the Women In Motion Roadguards. Registration is now open!!! This 3 day 4 night event will pamper you with an escorted ride that starts in Madison, WI and ends in Phillips, WI 575 miles later. Have a wonderful time, make new friends and support a fundraiser that benefits bikers! July 21-25, 2010.

This ride is Accident Scene Management's largest annual fundraiser. ASMI teaches the Bystander Assistance course "A Crash Course for the Motorcyclist". If you are unable to attend the event but would still like to help, click here. You will find other ways in which you can help ASMI. Your support helps keep ASMI growing for the benefit of all riders.

Be sure to register soon! Room blocks are released July 1st and shirts are must be ordered by July 1st. Learn more and register at www.accidentscene.org/events.htm#wim

 

Top

Featured Member: Jennifer Knourek/Biker Information Guide

We all have our own personal reasons for pursuing our passions and motorcycling is definitely a passion of mine not just a hobby. So much so that I have also made it my businesses.

I was introduced to “the sport” of motorcycling back in 1997 when my boyfriend put me on the back of his 1997 Heritage Springer Softail. I had been riding horses since before I could walk and am an accomplished rider and trainer but never thought my seat and sense of balance would carry over into motorcycling or that it would offer a similar experience. I was a novice motorcyclist, so when it was decided for me that a 250 Nighthawk would be a good bike for me to start on, I made the commitment and started my journey. After a few awkward moments of coordination with the shifting, I was hooked. I rode every day after work and despite the horror of my father who thought his “lady girl” was going to turn into some “biker bitch” I tackled this new experience like a child hungry for more. Not too many miles down the road and my boyfriend trusted me to ride his Springer… the next month I had one of my own. And a new “Biker Chick” was born.

I still ride the same bike, although now with a custom paint job and all of the fringe I could find and I’m still hungry for more. I’ll ride anything I can get my hands but like the horses I’ve ridden no two are the same. Sport touring, touring, cruisers, motocross, Ducati’s, street bikes, all have a different center of gravity and provide a unique ride which you either enjoy or you don’t. I don’t know when the magic happened, probably on a country road one day when the sun and the wind and the freedom all came together and made me feel complete, but it is official! This is more than a sport to me, but it’s serious and it can be dangerous, so I continue to learn.

In 2008, my dear friend Shawn and I were traveling in Arizona and happened to find ourselves in the local HD dealership (no really we did…). We discovered a great little publication called Arizona Biker Information Guide which provided local information and places to ride, safety tips, skills training, articles, a list of events which were coming up and more. I had never seen anything like it in our area, so when we read that the opportunity to open the business in our area was available; we called Kimmy Chapman (the National Publisher) that day and made an appointment to talk about the opportunity. That was in February of 2008 and the 105th was that August, by July we had the franchise for Wisconsin, Illinois and Tennessee and in 16 days our first issue of Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin Biker Information Guide was on the streets for local riders to enjoy. I will always focus on sharing information with others both personally and through the magazine. And after taking the ASMI basic and Advanced classes and updating my CPR certification to become a Certified Road Guardian I have plans to not only take the Advanced Riding Skills Class at Woodstock Harley-Davidson this year but I am also looking into taking the Civilian Training Course by Motorcycle Training School, an organization which trains the motorcycle police officers in Illinois and Michigan. Bill O’Connell, the schools director warned me that it was going to be a challenge, he wasn’t going to go easy on me and I would probably drop my bike but it will make me a better rider. Bring it on!

We don’t know what we don’t know and our time on earth is short and valuable. So new skills and new information for me is priceless making the most out of the time I have left.
Live, Love, Laugh and Ride ….. Jennifer
www.bikerinformationguide.com/

Top

Link to us!

Simply copy the code below the banner and paste it into your HTML document.

Thank you! Different sizes available upon request to webmaster@roadguardians.org.

Top