The program surveys major safety issues, from risk awareness and the right attitude to practical dos and don’ts, including hand-feet coordination, selecting PPE, defensive riding, maneuvering, and emergency planning.

Motorcycle Safety Awareness will help show riders how to conduct pre-trip inspections, ride in different weather and road conditions, and observe basic road rules. It devotes a particular section on the S.E.E. method and cites the traits of a defensive rider.

The program is now available in DVD format and will also be released as an e-learning course. Call 800-368-0796, visit www.coastal.com or email sales@coastal.com to get a FREE 7-day DVD preview of this program.

A DuPont company, Coastal Training Technologies® is one of the world’s leading publishers of safety, industrial skills, employee development, and healthcare training programs. Since 1984, more than 200,000 training professionals have relied on Coastal’s award-winning products to enrich the lives of more than 50 million employees worldwide.

For more information, call (800) 861-2221, fax (757) 498-3657, email sales@coastal.com, or visit www.coastal.com.

Forbes commented, “While motorcycling is fun recreation and affordable transportation, it is important to remain focused on safety. The Motorcycle Safety Caucus encourages motorcyclists to get trained and licensed, obey traffic laws, avoid mixing riding with alcohol and wear proper, motorcycle-specific safety gear, but it doesn’t stop with riders. The Caucus serves to also remind other motorists that motorcyclists use the roads as well, and to remember to look for motorcycles particularly when turning or changing lanes.”

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Summary: Harley-Davidson is recalling certain model year 2009 and 2010 Touring family motorcycles, including CVO Touring and Trike Products manufactured from June 6, 2008 through November 19, 2009. The front fuel tank mounts may distort in reaction to severe frame damage from a frontal collision. This condition may cause a fuel leak at the weld of the front bracket to the tunnel.

Consequences: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire, which could lead to injury or death of the rider.

Remedy: Dealers will install a left and right brace, which is intended to reduce front mount distortion during certain crash conditions. This repair will be performed free of charge. Owners may contact Harley-Davidson at 414-343-4056 or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236

The Motor Enforcement, Accident Reduction effort, referred to as Project M.E.A.R., will include officers from Virginia State Police along with the Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach police departments. The Portsmouth Sheriff’s Office also is participating.

Throughout the year, law-enforcement agencies work together on projects to increase enforcement on roads, track down people wanted on warrants and to identify criminal activity in undercover operations.

Original story can be found here…

I counted about 8 on I-64 between Greenbrier Parkway and Indian River Road today at lunch, so watch yourself out there.

Agents at the Port of Baltimore were alerted by Fairfax County police investigating an auto theft ring who said a shipping container bound for Bolivia might contain stolen motorcycles.

The agents used a database to find a container still in the seaport that matched the description offered by the police in Virginia.

Federal agents pulled the container from the ship, opened it and found four salvage cars or sport utility vehicles. Salvage vehicles are vehicles usually purchased at auction for their parts value.

Inside the salvage cars were boxes containing disassembled motorcycles — a 2009 Harley-Davidson Night Train and a 2007 Kawasaki ZX660J.

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The Milwaukee-based bike maker, which has been hit by a steep decline in sales during the recession, also said on Thursday that it would put a growing emphasis on markets outside the US. It aims to boost foreign sales from 31 per cent of the total this year to at least 40 per cent by 2014, appointing 100-150 new dealers outside the US.

Keith Wandell, who took over as chief executive in May, said that “growth is the single most critical need for Harley-Davidson right now”. The company announced an 84 per cent plunge in third-quarter earnings and a 21 per cent drop in revenues.

While the Harley brand is recognized worldwide, Mr Wandell said that “we have great conviction that there is much more we can do to tap into the power of that brand and extend it further”.

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The company with a global reputation is riding off because of the economy.

Work hasn’t stopped inside the Milwaulkee Iron warehouse, but Randy Simpson won’t be welding here much longer.

“I don’t want to sit here and wait for the next phone call,” owner Randy Simpson said. “I want to get out and enjoy myself a little bit while I still can.”

Simpson has made a living building custom choppers. But low demand has put him on the chopping block.

“It’s a pure economic decision. I’m tired of putting money into the company to keep it open.”

Simpson is shutting down and selling the business.

Conditions may not be good for Simpson to run Milwaukee Iron right now, but he says several people have shown an interest in taking over, so he feels like his business will carry on.

“Someone could come in here and take a $300,000 a year company and turn it into a $5 million dollar a year company.”

Whether that happens depends on who makes a bid when the company get auctioned off August 27th.

Then there was a second deadly motorcycle accident on the same day, which shut down part of Interstate 81. State Police say a motorcycle rider was merging on I-81 from I-77 in Wytheville, when it ran off the road and crashed.

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