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Kevin Varner, aka "VMan1300" with the Hayabusa.org group passed away this morning. He had been battling cancer for over a year. If you met Kevin, you already know he was one of the greatest, most fun-loving upbeat guys you could ask for. He always coordinated the Busa Bash photoshoots with us, and always made it a pleasure when I know it took a lot of work on his end. Nothing but tears right now...not much else to say.
Photos from the past 6 years are available in Our Store here.
Skipped the update last week, not much to talk about or show ya...the weekend-before-last being a miserable washout. Last weekend was great though, and the bikes and cars were out taking advantage of it.
TDOT is still working to improve conditions on the Dragon for motorcyclists. They've built a couple of earthen berms at dangerous run-off areas, and spent some time clearing back trees and fallen timber. I assume there is still more to do though, so give those guys some room, maybe a wave or thanks wouldn't be out of the question as well.
There's a big rain system moving through at the moment, but it should clear out by the weekend and be decent.
I want to talk for a moment about a new motorcycle program offered by NCHP we participated in. It's for motorcyclists in North Carolina and soon other states, possibly all states. It's called BikeSafe and basically it is a training program pairing police motorcycle officers with no more than 2 citizens per officer. The day consists of a classroom briefing, then a "short" 30 minute ride around the city to allow the officer to assess your skills and offer advice during the second, longer classroom session. Then there is a "long" ride for about an hour and a half around the city and out into the country roads where you apply some of the techniques learned in class. The whole thing is kept very suggestive, they're not there to tell anyone how to ride, or write anyone tickets, they are just trying to connect with riders in a more positive environment and bring the accident rate down without necessitating so much enforcement.
This is a program that has been very successful in the UK, and several assessors from other states were on-hand while we were there to carry the training back to their states (Illinois and Florida I believe) to begin the program there. Plus, the NHTSA is considering making it a national program available in all states.
Now here's the kicker: It is currently free! All you need is a bike, your endorsement, proof of insurance, and proper riding attire. If you live in NC and ride a bike, you'd be crazy not to take this class. These guys can ride like you would NOT believe, and I guarantee you will learn something no matter how long you've been riding.
If you don't live in NC, keep an eye out for BikeSafe to come to your state, and let your representatives know that you want to see this program available to you.
