Broad Rider

This post has absolutely nothing to do with motorcycle safety, motorcycle riding, motorcycle ethics or anything like that. Mostly, it’s just a rant. From a microscopic point-of-view, it’s about the biking community; from a macroscopic point-of-view, it’s about any self-righteous jerk who’s just interested in positioning themselves as incredibly RIGHT while situating those from a [...]

I should probably be saving my top 10 for the year’s end, but I think it’s far more appropriate to talk about scary at this time of year. Here, in reverse order of asininity, are my two top-10 lists. Scary list of things I’ve seen from vehicle drivers that endanger the lives of motorcyclists: 10. [...]

The residents of Canada’s west coast have a bit of a reputation for being, shall we say, overly relaxed. There’s even an unofficial time-zone (“West-Coast time”) that explains why stores close at 4:00pm on Thursday nights in December, and why urgent phone calls are returned three days later. But like everything, that’s only half the [...]

Back when I got my licence to ride, it was one fee, one test, and one licence. And, not to brag but … I signed up to take a course anyway. While I had it easy, I’m all for a more complicated system. I, for one, celebrated the proactive ICBC changes here in BC. I [...]

If you have committed to whipping down the windy country roads without the protective encasing of a metal cage (e.g. a car), then you really owe it to yourself to understand the nature of any beasts that may cross your path of travel. No one really plans to hit them. And inevitably someone does. You [...]

Somebody once suggested that riders really concerned about safety should invest more than $5 in the famous novelty helmet. In today’s column, I’d like to set the record straight: The famous novelty helmet actually costs closer to $40. Helmets have been legally required in Canada since the 1960s. Once upon a time, our neighbour to [...]

Can you really judge a book by its cover? As an author, I’m inclined to say yes. (My book has a great cover.) Can you really judge a rider by his passenger? As a rider, I’m inclined to say yes. Let’s look at the typical pairing, where the man is the rider and the woman [...]

Today I will bravely expose my view in answer to the question: Do loud pipes really save lives? In a word: No. (Fear not, I’ll say more.) But before I launch headfirst into this one, know that my very own stepmother rode a bike with screaming pipes. I loved her then and I love her [...]