Feature Story
1st Feature
THE ITALIAN JOB
Story and Photos by Neale Bayly
Parked against the faded, pastel backdrop of the twelfth century Sicilian Cathedral, the blood-red Moto Guzzi Griso basked in the radiant glow from the gently setting sun. Fast-walking monks, drably dressed old men with olive skin, and a young Italian goddess in a mini skirt and stockings eating ice cream, all extras for the Griso’s starring role in the Italian drama playing out in the piazza.
As the sun slid deeper behind the ancient buildings, the square filled with golden light, laughter, chatter and the sound of small scooters. Somewhere in the distance a church bell called the faithful to prayer. Kicked back under a tree with a bottle of cold water, I watched with interest as lines of people came up to admire and discuss the bike that I was taking around Sicily.
 As a bold move that was started before the Piaggio takeover, the Moto Guzzi Griso is blessed with a style that seems uniquely Italian, while also being extremely modern. A “Techno Cruiser,” the famous 90-degree cylinders still thrust out from beneath the sculptured gas tank in the way they have for nearly 40 years. Framed out with elegantly styled covers that are responsible for so much of the Griso’s look, the bike has an aggressive posture in repose. This muscular stance continues, as the low seat swoops upward to a narrowing passenger perch atop a sleek rear tailpiece. This particular piece of modern art sports a similar mesh grille to the covers over the rocker boxes, and ties the Griso’s visuals together perfectly.
2nd Feature
MOTORCYCLE Q AND A
Observations by Mark Rustigian
I was in the garage last night, beating a battery tray into submission using a small, two-pound sledge hammer. The battery tray had to be altered (mutilated?) in order to drop the placement of the battery by about one inch. And the battery tray, due to extensive work hardening, was not cooperating. Why was I hammering on a perfectly fine stock battery tray? Good question. Let me try to explain.
About ten years ago, I purchased a copy of Lindsay Brooke’s book Triumph Racing Motorcycles in America. I found the topic to be fascinating. I read the book again and again. At one point, I even considered eating the book, thinking that this might help me better comprehend the subject matter.
For me, the main takeaway point of the book was that, despite AMA racing rules that stacked the deck in Harley’s favor, Triumph came to America and kicked some Goliath ass by winning the Daytona 200 in 1962, 1966 and 1967. The bikes back then were based on 500 cc T100s. I vowed to one-day pay homage to those bikes by building my own Triumph café racer.
For more on this story, pick up a current issue of FREE 2 WHEEL at your local dealer, or use the handy order form page found on our web site.
Ask the Sergeant:
I was recently involved in a minor collision, in which a car changed lanes and hit me while we were, fortunately, driving slowly and in traffic. I didn’t fall down, get hurt, or hit anything else and the damage was limited to a few paint transfers, a broken mirror, and some soiled shorts. I was even able to ride the old Wing home.
My wife and friends are telling me that I was a fool for leaving without a police report but I am confident that the information I obtained from the other party is good.
My question is what responsibilities do the police have to come out and take a report? Do all crashes need a report? Is there a law that says a police report must be taken if the damage exceeds $500?
Ryan Leitner, Palos Verdes
First, let me say that I am glad to hear that your accident was so minor and that you were not hurt. That is the most important thing. Every day, we respond to traffic collisions of all levels of severity but by far the most prevalent are the “non-injury” collisions.
As accident investigators in California, we subscribe to the “Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System” as our guidelines for writing reports, and preparing cases for prosecution.
The very basic principle of ‘SWITRS’ is that an accident is defined as “any unintended event occurring on a highway involving vehicles in transit that results in injury or damage.” The term highway refers to a place of whatever nature, publicly maintained and open to public use primarily for vehicular travel. This definition limits what actions are truly “traffic accidents” and what are otherwise “incidents.” A driver hitting a parked car in the grocery store parking lot is, by definition, not an accident since it did not occur on publicly maintained property. If the action is intentional, there is not a collision; there is a crime of vandalism or maybe assault if the other driver was in the car, but no collision.
Once a collision has occurred, California law spells out what is required of the people involved. It states that, if you are involved in a collision, you must provide to the other involved party, or parties, personal identification, vehicle identification, and proof of insurance. These requirements must be met without regard for the severity of the accident. Failure to comply with these requirements is a violation of law under “hit and run” regulations defined in California Vehicle Code (CVC) Section 20001a (Hit and Run with In-jury/a Felony) and CVC 20002a (Hit and Run Property with Damage Only/a Misdemeanor).
The DMV has its own reporting requirements that must also be satisfied when a person is involved in a collision. This is where people often get confused by the requirement for a police report if the collision causes damage exceeding $500. The DMV uses this rule to verify the existence of insurance by having each of the involved parties complete an “accident report” with it, using a DMV reporting form designated SR-1. This form has an area that your insurance company will fill out to verify that you had a policy in effect that met the state’s standards at the time of the collision. Failure to complete a report, or not having valid insurance, can result in your license being suspended.
Having said all of that, let me now answer your question. Police have the responsibility to take accident reports when there will be criminal prosecution, such as when there is a DUI collision or a negligent homicide/vehicular manslaughter, or when there is injury as a result of the collision. Beyond that, each agency has its own policy that describes how its officers will respond to reported accidents. Most agencies will take reports involving government vehicles, or when collisions involve areas or actions that could have contributed to the collision that may result in some government liability (there’s that word again!).
Most agencies do not take reports on “non-injury” collisions because California law does not require agencies to take these reports and the DMV only wants to capture statistical data, so simply reporting calls for service will satisfy them.
Sometimes a “non-injury” collision is just not so simple and it can be in your best interest to have a report taken, not because it will affect your driving record (because as stated above, we don’t report “non-injury” collisions to the DMV), but because it can save you being listed as at fault with your insurance company and getting that much loved bump in premiums. If you are at fault in a collision, take your lumps and move on, but if you are not at fault and the other party is denying fault, look for a witness who can back your story. If one is located, get their information and call the local police to respond.
I once went to what looked like a simple rear-end collision at which one party was claiming that he was hit from behind by the other party. Needless to say, the other party denied having caused the collision and stated that the car ahead of him had backed into him. Based on that scenario, the party in the rear would likely have been found at fault. I found a witness who told me that he was stopped just behind and alongside the party in the front while they were waiting at a traffic light. He watched as the driver was occupying his time flipping through a folder on the passenger seat. The light changed and the traffic ahead of the first car pulled away while he continued looking through his papers. The driver then realized he was missing the light, and put his car in reverse, and backed into the innocent party behind him. When confronted with the witness statement, the driver in front admitted his error and told me he knew he could likely get his insurance to believe he was the victim as long as he maintained his story. He was playing the odds and it backfired.
Should you ever find yourself in an accident, remember a few things. First, none of the parties intended to have the accident happen. If they did, such incidents wouldn’t be called accidents. If you’re involved in an accident, keep your cool. I can’t believe how many collisions I have been to that came out as fights when dispatched. Or try looking at it another way. Consider the fact that half of the drivers on the road are morons. One or more of those morons are likely to find you some day, so be pre-pared and don’t launch into a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.
Second, if possible get yourself out of the roadway. Just last month on television we saw the multiple collisions that happened on the Hollywood Freeway near Universal City, when car after car, and even a police officer on his motorcycle, ran into a car that had been left in the traffic lanes. The video was terrible but it is a reminder to all that you need to get to a place of safety as soon as possible.
Lastly, take good notes. Write down the information from the other party’s driver's license, get the license plate number, and get the insurance information, including the insurance company and the policy number. Make sure you have the names and phone numbers of witnesses. And once you have this information, call your own insurance company and fill them in so they can help you to complete that DMV SR-1 report.
Ride safe, keep smiling, and take care of yourselves and each other out there.
For more on this story, pick up a current issue of FREE 2 WHEEL at your local dealer, or use the handy order form page found on our web site.
|
Scuttle Putt:
Miller Brewing Company and the American Motorcyclist Association are creating Keep Your Balance, a new program to promote safe motorcycle riding practices and responsible alcohol consumption. The program, endorsed by the National Fraternal Order of Police, launched September 13 at the Tomahawk Fall Ride in Wisconsin and will roll out at additional motorcycle events across the country.
"Our goal with Keep Your Balance is to provide motorcycle enthusiasts and local retailers with information about how to reduce irresponsible motorcycle riding, due to over-consumption of alcohol, unsafe riding practices or insufficient training," said Diane Wagner, alcohol responsibility manager at Miller Brewing Company. Tomahawk is in Miller's home state and, with more than 40,000 motorcycle enthusiasts in attendance, both Miller and the AMA recognize it is a key opportunity to share safe riding tips and remind riders about responsible drinking."
Project Motorcycle :
BAR HOPPING'S BEST
Story and Photos by Reid Libby
It is a fragmented world that we live in, and the sport of motorcycling is not immune. Due to the distinctly different choices of two-wheeled activities available to today’s rider, it is not uncommon to find two or three diverse types of bikes in the average enthusiast’s garage.
Of  course, this can be taken to the extreme and it would seem that Ron Hatton has done just that. He is the owner of what has to be the top machine in that narrowest of motorcycling niches, the bar hopper.
In order to be a successful bar hopper, a machine must convey its owner from home to his favorite watering hole and back, collecting as many looks of slack-jawed wonderment as possible along the way. And this is no small feat considering the jaded reactions of your typical “been there, done that” sort of crowd that hangs out these days. If you want to do something easy, go set a land speed record at Bonneville. Keeping a crowd wowed, well, that’s another story entirely.
Fortunately for Ron Hatton, maintaining the interest level in his rides has never been a problem.
 “I’ve never had the proper engine in anything I ride,” Hatton told Free 2 Wheel.
Having reported on his side-by-side twin Triumph and tandem-engine BSA in the past, we believe him. His latest beast, or at least the most important part of it, hails from the sunny Mediterranean. A quick look in passing might give the observer the idea that Hatton’s machine is a very burly American V-twin. But on closer inspection, the only thing that this engine has in common with HD iron is the V configuration. Take a look at the right side of the machine and its broad-shoulder stance and plethora of mechanized wizardry lay to rest any notion that this bike has ever been anywhere near Wisconsin.
For more on this story, pick up a current issue of FREE 2 WHEEL at your local dealer, or use the handy order form page found on our web site.
TOURING DOWN UNDER
Story and Photos by Fred Nemiroff
Wind. And more wind. And even more wind. That’s one of the memories I came back with from my tour of New Zealand.
For the first three days of my two-wheeled tour I suffered through a front that had come in from the west, bringing with it winter-like temperatures, heavy rains and high winds. The winds gusted to 60 miles per hour and threatened to blow my magnetic tank bag clear off the Suzuki SV650 I had rented. It forced me to ride with  one hand, holding the tank bag down with the other. One of my fellow tour riders, English Derek, thought I was showing off my riding prowess by riding with one hand in the strong wind, until he pulled alongside me and saw what I was doing.
But wind or not, I remember that trip as one of the best vacations I have ever had.
New Zealand is located under down under, south of Australia. It’s a country that’s just over 900 miles long from tip to tip of its two main islands. Land mass is approximately 104,000 square miles or, roughly about the size of the state of Colorado. There are just over  four million people total in the entire country and, with three quarters of the population living on the more temperate North Island, the scenic South Island is an unpopulated rider’s dream come true.
Being in the Southern Hemisphere, New Zealand’s seasons are the opposite of ours in the U.S. Summer occurs in December, January and February, which means that right about now is the time to be heading to the land of the Kiwi. As our days shorten, and our temperatures start to cool, things are starting to heat up in New Zealand. Plan your escape now.
For more on this story, pick up a current issue of FREE 2 WHEEL at your local dealer, or use the handy order form page found on our web site.
|
