Oil Drippings: News and Opinion

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com

Most riders know the saying that goes “There are those who have gone down, and those who will go down.” That includes pretty much all riders. Motojournalist Wes Siler recently crashed and he makes a good case for wearing something more substantial than jeans when riding in a column posted at HellForLeather.com.

He also posted some gruesome pictures of his road rash and other  injuries to support his case in suggesting that jeans are never sufficient protection while riding. After seeing  the pics, I’m now wondering if Kevlar-lined jeans are enough.

—

Am I the only one who wants to throw a wrench through the screen whenever a BMW car commercial comes on TV? The ads end with the tag, “We only make one thing – The Ultimate Driving Machine.”

Hello, BMW? Don’t you make motorcycles are well? Or I have spent thousands of dollars over the years on figments of my imagination. The ads are so thoroughly disingenuous as to be offensive to riders.

—

A 39-year-old mother of one from southern Yorkshire in England has claimed the title of world’s fastest woman (on a motorcycle) by riding a borrowed bike a wicked 243.5 miles per hour. “The Sun” news has the story of Jo Stevenson here. A Suzuki Hayabusa is her daily ride.

—

Matt Kulman of Mustang Seats in Terryville, who was so helpful in getting a Mustang motorcycle from Al Simmons’ collection into my hands for the recent Torrington Thunder Bike Nite, received a promotion this week to Product Manager. Congrats, Matt!

—

Harley-Davidson of Danbury is having its Fall Biker Bash from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, with food, music, a bike show and poker run. Max BMW in Brookfield, meanwhile, is having a clearance sales of parts and gear on Saturday, with a cookout that starts at 11 a.m.