I was reading an article in a British motorcycle magazine recently where the subject had come up about whether Hi-Vis jackets, helmets, etc. actually help you get noticed or do they help you get noticed to the point of making you a target. When I usually see someone riding with Hi-Vis gear on I think "Good for them!". I personally haven't gotten to that point yet where I'll don the Hi-Vis orange/yellow colored vest just to add a little visibility. Just a little to vain I suppose but I don't think I'm alone. Could it be though that I'm actually doing myself a favor by not dressing up in "Dayglow"?

One of the first things we learn (or should learn) as motorcyclists is to avoid target fixation. Target fixation occurs when you are looking at obstacle you are trying to avoid. Watching that obstacle instead of looking where you want to go will most likely carry you and your bike right into the very thing you want to avoid. Personally I have experienced this phenomenon coming around a corner and seeing a rider in the guard rail. This caused me to "park" my self and my bike next to him in (under) said guard rail.

This target fixation issue not only affect us as riders but it would only seem logical that this affects drivers of other vehicles as well. If so, then is it possible that a driver of a car could end up fixating on the fluorescent green helmet of the rider that they are close to striking and end up more likely to do so because of said helmet? In the story I was reading there were testimonials from riders who had ridden for decades nearly or completely accident free. In recent years however they had been struck by a vehicle(s) and this occurred after they had started wearing Hi-Vis type apparel.

As we are approaching 2012 we are also approaching the two year anniversary of the Nashvilleriders.com website's existence. We officially launched on January 16 of 2010 but work began back in November of 2009. since that time there have been some minor updates here and there with layout and design as well as a changeover from one forum system to another. Now as we get ready to go into our third year of operation there are some changes we intend to implement by the end of the year.

First up will (or may) be some design changes to the overall look and feel of the site. I feel that some things could be tweaked or changed altogether that could improve navigation and ease of use of the Nashvilleriders.com website. Of course we will be looking for opinions  as we do this and will create a demo area for users to test. I want to make sure any changes that I feel are useful aren't simply painful for everyone else :)

One change that we've already implemented is some social feed links where you can easily go to our Facebook, Twitter, and RSS feeds from the icons just under the search box at the top right of the window. You can also share us on Digg if you have an account there. I think many of you know I'm not a huge fan of social media but it does help spread the word and let those of you who do use these services to keep up with what's happening here.

Recently The guys from Motus stopped here in (near) Nashville to show off their new prototype motorcycles as part of their V4 Sport Tour across the country. I was there to see the bikes and talk with Lee Conn, President of Motus, and we posted the interview with Lee a few days ago. A few of our regular forums posters were there as well and they got to see and sit on the bikes and also got to listen to Lee talk about the bikes. Now there are a lot details about the bike on the Motus website and there are ride reviews popping up already in print and on the web. There were some other details that we learned that evening about the bikes that I haven't seen mentioned elsewhere so I wanted to share with our readers some of the things I found interesting about the bike and what I think makes them special.

First thing that caught my attention is the engine. The 1600cc V4 is certainly the party piece on the MST which not only delivers quite a bit of power and torque but is quite a good looking engine as well. In fact I'd say it would be criminal to have wrapped it in plastic and hide the head covers from the world. This is obvious in any photos that you see of the bike. What is not so obvious is the way the engine and transmission are connected on the V4 power-plant.

Noise induced hearing loss occurs when we are exposed to sounds that are too loud or loud sounds that last a long time. Sensitive structures in our inner ear called hair cells become damaged, causing noise-induced hearing loss. These hair cells are small sensory cells that convert sound energy into electrical signals which then travels to the brain. Once damaged, our hair cells cannot grow back.

When out riding it doesn’t take much speed to create enough wind noise to damage one’s hearing. The noises can range from high-pitched whistling to deep continuous booming. This happens with full face helmets as well as “skid lid” helmets that just cover the top of one’s head. Some full face helmets are a bit quieter than others, but, even the best are still going to cause some hearing damage over time unless you take steps to prevent it. Enter the earplug.. or should that be insert the ear plug.