Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/830403
MAY 31-JUNE 6, 2017 UCW 23 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM 4624 BRAGG BLVD. TO BENEFIT NC State Veterans Nursing Home (behind VA Hospital) JUNE 9-10 • SPRING FLING WEEKEND at Legends Pub. Enjoy a weekend of motorcycles, food and fun. Proceeds benefit the N.C. State Veterans Nursing Home. Call (910) 867-2364 for information. JUNE 10 • AMERICAN LEGION RIDERS POST 382 BIKE NIGHT at American Legion Post 382, 305 Legion Dr., Sanford. 3 p.m. Bike games, vendors, food, music, 50/50 raffle. Benefits veterans and veteran's programs. Call Dean Burgess at (919) 770-4201 for information. JUNE 10 • 2017 MINNIE LEE BROWN VANDIVER SCHOLARSHIP RIDE & FEST at Fort Bragg Harley-Davidson. Registration 11 a.m.-noon. Kickstands Up at 12:15 p.m. $10/single. $15/ double. Presented by Fall-in. This Scholarship Ride & F.I.R.M. Festival will reward two scholarships, with the awardees coming from E.E. Smith and Cape Fear High Schools. Visit www.fall-in-mc.wixsite.com/fall-in- mc or call (910) 578-0233 for details. JUNE 17 • FAYETTEVILLE AREA SOCIETY FOR HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SCHOLARSHIP FUND MOTORCYCLE RIDE at Sherwood Presbyterian Church, 4959 NC Hwy 87 S. $10/rider, $5/ pass and a back to school donation. Call Audwin Lindsay at (910) 396- 3983. 10% OFF COSMETIC OR BENT RIM REPAIRS WHY REPLACE WHEN WE CAN REPAIR? WWW.RIMGUARDXTREME.COM • 5409 RAEFORD RD, FAYETTEVILLE, NC 28304 • (910) 229-2097 On June 29, 1956, President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, making medians part of the American highway landscape. The bill created a 41,000-mile "National System of Interstate and Defense Highways" that would, according to Eisenhower, eliminate unsafe roads, inef- ficient routes, traffic jams and all the other things that got in the way of "speedy, safe trans- continental travel." Today, you only have to drive a few miles to know that Fayetteville is taking road medians to a new level. These medians are still under construction, which means these areas are dangerous to every- one — particularly motorcyclists. Road construction demands orange cones, barrels, debris and drivers making sudden stops. I was on Bragg Boulevard the other day and within seconds, a cone was out into the lane. A police car was there attending an accident, because someone rear-ended the car in front of them while making a left-hand turn. Combine all of this with large machines kicking up asphalt, and you've got a recipe for a motorcycle danger zone. As good motorcyclists, we have to pay attention to our surroundings. We know we have a limited time to react when an event happens. As rid- ers, we have one goal in order to stay safe: maintain the space around us. In order get that space, we must be ready to be able to stop and stop suddenly. It is important to note that many modern motorcycles have Anti-lock Brake System. Based on information from wheel speed sen- sors, the ABS unit adjusts the pres- sure of the brake fluid in order to keep traction and avoid fall downs (e.g. maintain deceleration). On bikes without ABS, riders must use their skills to provide balance between the front and back brakes. How long does it take to stop? Reaction times depend on two major factors: the bike and the rider. It takes an alert, experienced rider a little less than a second to process the situation. To be a little more pre- cise, it takes about 0.7 seconds with good brakes, good tires, a smooth surface and a dry road to maximize your braking distance. This is assum- ing that the motorcyclist has their hands over the front brake and the foot in the ready position to press down on the rear brake. For a less experienced motorcyclist, it can take from 1.0 to 1.5 seconds to react — if they react at all. Let's say it takes 1.25 seconds before you react to danger. Going 40 mph, it can take 74 feet just to react. At 40 mph, under good conditions, it can take another 2.15 seconds to go from 40 mph to a stop. That is a trav- eling distance of 62 feet to stop. This is a total of 136 feet for a total of 3.75 seconds to come to a stop. In normal traffic, we are taught to stay at least two seconds behind the vehicle in front of you. This means you have a 1.75 second gap, and you will hit whatever it is that you are trying to avoid. If you can't avoid crashing, what do you do? Some suggest standing up and leaping in hopes hope you can fly over the obstacle. Others say to lay the bike down and slide towards the obstacle. Either way, you still have to contend with speed, force and the impact of the ground, and then possibly the obstacle. Somewhere, your body will have to absorb the impact. The best thing to do is to avoid this situation all together, but if you are going to crash, you still have time lay on the brakes and let technology continue to slow you down. It is better to hit at something 5 mph than 25 mph. If you have been reading my articles for any time, you know I am a big believer in riding with the proper riding gear: DOT full face helmet, eye protection, motorcycle jacket, motorcycle pants, boots and gloves. If you do hit, you will thank me for the reminder. Stay safe and keep the rub- ber down. If there is a topic that you would like to discuss you can contact me at motorcycle- 4fun@aol.com. RIDE SAFE! Stopping to Stop by JIM JONES JIM JONES, MOTORCYCLE ENTHUSIAST. COMMENTS? Edi- tor@upandcomingweekly.com. 910.484.6200 Road construction creates a motorcycle danger zone.