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Bisno, Samberg & Mulvaney, LLP
21700 Oxnard Street, Suite 430
Woodland Hills, California 91367-3665
Tel: (818) 657-0300 - Fax: (818) 657-0313
www.bisnosam.com
Firm E-Mail Address: thefirm@bisnosam.com

The Bisno, Samberg & Mulvaney Motorcycle Center
Committed to Adventure and Safety
by John Samberg

Mission Statement

Since my first ride on a neighbor's Vespa scooter at age 11, I have been enthralled with motorcycles. All shapes and sizes of motorcycles. My experiences on two wheels have spanned four decades now, and have ranged from the thrill of the Austrian Alps to the agony of a near fatal head-on collision. The Bisno, Samberg & Mulvaney Motorcycle Center affords me an opportunity to share my love of the sport with like minded people, as well as providing a forum for the exchange of information that may be of benefit to fellow riders. My personal goal for each and every ride is to have an adventure, and to ride as competently and safely as I can.

Table of Contents

Why We Ride
What We Ride
Where We Ride
How We Ride
Proper Training
Safety Equipment
Vehicle Maintenance
First Aid Training And Emergency Preparedness
What To Do After An Accident
Your Questions And Comments Are Invited

Why We Ride

People ride for a variety of reasons, most predominantly a sense of freedom and independence, and perhaps a way to escape the mundane and more and more crowded world that we find ourselves living in. A motorcycle can get you from point A to point B faster and in a more exciting manner than the average car.

Performance is another reason that people ride motorcycles. For under $10,000.00 you can purchase a new motorcycle that will out perform all but the most expensive, exotic sports cars. There are few thrills that compare to the rush of an open class road bike accelerating at full throttle.

By contrast, in some parts of the world, people ride motorcycles, scooters, and mopeds simply for economic reasons. Gasoline is extremely expensive, two-wheeled motorized vehicles are relatively inexpensive, and people simply don't have the money to have any sort of motorized conveyance other than a motorcycle, moped or scooter. But regardless of why you ride, as a fellow rider you share the adventure and the risk with the rest of us.

According to current literature, the largest growing segment percentage wise of motorcycle sales are to new or reentry male riders who have reached middle age, and women riders. As a result of this growth in motorcycling in the United States, particularly among new and reentry riders, is that there has been a rise in motorcycle accidents, including major injury and death cases. Unfortunately, many of these accidents are single vehicle accidents that could have been avoided by better training or more rider restraint.

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What We Ride

Currently there is a broader and deeper choice of motorcycles available to the American consumer than any time in history. From scooters to mopeds to microbikes to full bore sportbikes, whatever your penchant for two wheels, its readily available.

Also, the market has become very specialized. In fact there is even a special type of standard motorcycle on the market called naked bikes, a moniker that started in Europe. Cruiser bikes, sport bikes, sport cruisers, tourers, sport tourers, you name it, there is a niche product on the market.

In my experience, this wide variety of motorcycling has in many ways tended to bring us together as a community. There is of course the hard core loyalist element of motorcycling, but by and large riders of different brands and types of motorcycles are friendly and helpful to each other out on the road.

For example, I predominantly ride sport and sport touring motorcycles. I have owned everything from a Honda VF1000F Interceptor to a Kawasaki ZX-11 to a classic Honda CB750K to a rare Moto Guzzi 1100 Sport to a Harley-Davidson Dyna Super Glide. I've also had several dirt bikes, mostly Hondas and Yamahas, and have never had a negative experience based on over zealous brand loyalty.

From what I can tell, although this diversity is uncommon and most people tend to be loyal to a particular brand or type of motorcycle, I have found that generally when you acknowledge another rider on the road (generally by a wave of the hand), the other rider will wave back. Even police motorcycle officers generally wave back, which just goes to show the strength of the common thread of motorcycling.

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Where We Ride

One of the things that I love about living in Southern California is the opportunity to ride all year round. Also, California is blessed with some of the most beautiful roads in the world. I have ridden in Europe, and the roads in California are a match, and then some, for any of the others I have been on.

Some of the most beautiful riding in Southern California up on the Angeles Crest Highway (State Highway 2). Also, Highway 33 north of Ojai is also a dream, as is Lake of the Woods road heading west out of Frazier Park.

As you go north, California is laced with secondary roads that take you back in time; back before the freeways sliced through the mountains, and the roads hugged the contours of the terrain. Spend a day riding Highway 25 to Hollister, or Highway 49 through the Gold Country, or chasing the Klamath River along Highway 96, and you'll know why riders come from all over the world to ride in California.

Off road riding is also great fun, and is one of the best ways to develop your riding skills. For example, in northern Los Angeles County near Gorman there is an excellent off-road motorcycle park. There is also an off-road motorcycle park where the 15 and 215 freeways cross in San Bernardino County. Recently however more and more public lands are either being closed or restricted to off-road riding reducing the availability of those resources now and in the future. I encourage all riders to join the American Motorcycle Association (1-800-AMA-JOIN) and to support its lobbying efforts to keep public lands open for motorcycling.

Regardless of where you ride, whether street or dirt, canyons or boulevards, motorcycling is a wonderful way to get from here to there.

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How We Ride

Riding a motorcycle properly is difficult and takes years to master. Even the most careful and skilled riders are vulnerable to the occasional unavoidable accident where somebody runs a red light, or as happened to me, suddenly crosses the center line directly into your path. Therefore, in my opinion, availing yourself of frequent and qualified instruction is essential to enjoyable and safe riding.

I can tell you from both the literature that I have read and unfortunately from personal experience with friends and acquaintances that there is absolutely no substitute for proper training and years of experience. I can report story after story about riders (mostly men) who got into street riding with little understanding of what they were getting into in terms of the incredible speed and power of even the most mundane motorcycle, and then crashed when that power got away from them.

Any 500cc street motorcycle is capable of out accelerating ninety-five percent (95%) of the automobiles out on the road. Modern 600cc sport bikes are capable of 150 plus mile-an-hour speeds. These machines are sometimes touted as "entry level" motorcycles, and sometimes this leads to disaster. Please ride within your limits and skill level.

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Proper Training

It is amazing how many motorcycle riders not only have never had formal training but don't even have a motorcycle operators license. In my view, this is an invitation to disaster, and I encourage riders to take proper training courses. Having a friend or a relative teach you how to ride in a parking lot is not proper motorcycle training.

Contact the Motorcycle Safety Foundation for a referral to a local beginning rider course. Intermediate and advanced rider courses are also available, and I encourage riders to take these courses frequently. I have taken both the entry level and the experienced rider Motorcycle Safety Foundation courses and have found them to be extremely valuable.

Learning to ride in the dirt is also great training for the street. Riding in soft sandy terrain not only teaches you invaluable skills in terms of throttle and brake control, but puts you somewhat at ease with slipping, sliding and (in my case anyway) falling. I learned how to ride in the dirt, and as a teenager spent many happy days at a now out of business motorcycle park called Indian Dunes off Highway 126 at Interstate 5. Indian Dunes is out of business now, but the hills in that area still have approved and maintained off highway roads and trails. What I learned as a kid in the dirt has been invaluable to me as a street rider.

Other fantastic training resources are the high performance riding schools. Recently, I had the opportunity to take both the Level One and Two classes offered by Keith Code's California Superbike School. I took these classes at the Streets of Willow Springs Racetrack at Rosamond, California. The California Superbike School is one of several high performance motorcycle training schools now operating in the United States and I highly recommend that riders of every level take one or more of these classes.

The opportunity to operate a high performance street motorcycle on a closed course under the supervision of talented teachers/riders is an invaluable experience that will only enhance your safety on the street.

One of the most important lessons that I learned in the California Superbike School was the incredible lean angles which modern motorcycles are capable of. This translates directly into a huge margin of safety on the street if you find yourself in a position where you must immediately change direction. Knowing just how fast you can maneuver, and how far your bike can lean gives you a tremendous safety edge when you need it.

Statistically I have read that most single vehicle motorcycle accidents could have been avoided. These accidents resulted directly from rider error rather than equipment failure or other circumstances. Most single vehicle motorcycle accidents that do not involve alcohol involve excess speed for the circumstances. Generally this means crashing in a turn.

For example, I spend a lot of time up on Angeles Crest Highway enjoying the scenery and the beautiful windy roads. Most of the single vehicle accidents up on the Crest involve excess speeds going into a corner. I had the unfortunate recent experience of being among a group of riders where one of the riders went down in a corner. In hindsight, this rider went down simply because he carried too much speed into a corner for his level of skill. His bike could have easily handled the turn, unfortunately, he couldn't. The lessons here: slow down on the street, ride within your limits, and get formal instruction.

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Safety Equipment

I am alive today because on a Summer day in 1986 I was fortunate enough to be wearing proper riding gear when I was hit head-on by an inattentive driver. My equipment saved my life, and all I can say to you is wear proper safety equipment at all times.

Proper clothing is essential. There is an old saying "you don't dress for the ride, you dress for the crash", and I know from personal experience that this is absolutely true. You don't plan on crashing. That's why it's called "an accident". For example, the temptation on a hot day is to skip the leather jacket, boots, riding gloves and full-faced helmet. I cringe when I see street riders in shorts and thongs on a hot day. These poor souls will not feel, or look, so cool covered with road rash.

Currently, there is a broad variety of motorcycle clothing available beyond the traditional leather jacket. Modern fabrics and materials have made safe weather proof gear available that is light and comfortable and also provides a tremendous level of protection.

Also, one of the things I hate to see on the road is people riding without gloves. Do you remember when you were a kid and fell off your bicycle, how bad it hurt your poor little hands when you hit the ground? That was at under five miles an hour. Can you imagine what falling off a motorcycle at highway speed will do to your hands? It's beyond me why people ride without gloves, but it's a free country. People do it, but I think it's unwise.

I know that safety helmets are a controversial subject, and that there are people that will argue all day long that you're as safe or safer without a helmet as you are with a helmet. I disagree. In my opinion anything less than a DOT and Snell approved full face helmet is a compromise of personal safety. The best argument I can offer in support of this view is by asking two rhetorical questions. 1. If you knew that you were about to get hit in the head with a sledge hammer moving at 60 MPH, wouldn't you want to be wearing a safety helmet? 2. If you knew that you were about to be hit in the face by a cinder block moving at 60 MPH, wouldn't you want to be wearing a full face safety helmet? End of argument. If you have a brain, you should treat it right, wear a quality full face helmet.

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Vehicle Maintenance

In my experience I have found that there is no substitute for regular maintenance of your motorcycle by a qualified mechanic. You should know how to check and fill your bike's oil level, check tire pressure and lube a chain. But unless you are a qualified mechanic and really know what you are doing, I strongly recommend that all other service, even periodic oil changes, be done by a qualified mechanic. These professionals are trained to not only do the job at hand, but also look out for problems in the making that you and I might not notice.

Before you ride, check fluid levels and tire pressures. Also, check your horn and make sure that it works. You don't want to find out that your horn doesn't work when you have your thumb on the button and you need to warn somebody of your presence. Check your lights before you ride - does your high beam work, does your low beam work? If you ride an older motorcycle, make sure you turn your headlight on (it is impossible to turn a headlight off on a new motorcycle sold in America). Do your taillights work, do your turn signals work? It takes less than thirty seconds to check all of these things and it should be done before you begin your ride.

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First Aid Training and Emergency Preparedness

In my opinion if you are going to ride motorcycles you owe it to yourself and the people you ride with to have proper first aid training, carry a basic first aid kit and carry a cell phone. I recommend that you take the American Red Cross Basic First Aid classes as well as basic CPR.

As I mentioned earlier in this article, I had the unfortunate recent experience with being with a group riders where one rider went down in a corner resulting in several broken bones and a totaled motorcycle.

As I was stopping my bike to go over to the downed rider I was going over in my head my basic first aid training. In addition to being an avid motorcyclist, I am also a scuba diver (NAUI Dive Master) and have taken extensive first aid and CPR training. In this particular example the rider had simple fractures (no displaced fractures, no compound fractures, no bleeding, etc.), and had not lost consciousness.

According to what I had learned the best thing to do under those circumstances (as long as the rider was not in immediate danger of being struck by passing vehicles) was to instruct the injured person to simply lay still, not move and wait for emergency medical personnel to arrive. Also, the basic rule as I understand it is unless absolutely necessary, do not remove an injured rider's helmet. Wait for qualified professionals to do that. This rider was very fortunate and received prompt and excellent care and will make a full recovery.

So please take the time to get first aid and CPR training, buy and ride with a first aid kit, and get and ride with a cell phone.

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What To Do After An Accident

Obviously the first and foremost concern for any injured person and their family is to obtain the best medical care and treatment available. Going to a lawyer is something you think about secondarily. In cases involving serious injury or wrongful death, if the victim or the family has any doubt as to whether a lawyer can help it is imperative that you contact a qualified attorney who will investigate all the circumstance of the accident.

After an accident, the injured person and their family may be contacted by insurance representatives or other investigators. In my opinion it is extremely important that you have competent legal advice before talking to anybody.

Also, as I mentioned earlier single vehicle motorcycle accidents are common. In some cases the only "fault" is that of the rider. However there are some circumstances in which a single vehicle accident involves the fault of some other person or entity, and the injured rider or the family needs the assistance of a qualified lawyer to investigate whether this is the case. For example, there may have been a dangerous road condition, or a dangerous lighting condition, that caused the accident. There could have been an equipment failure on the motorcycle, or one of its components could have been faulty, leading to the accident. A qualified attorney can assist the injured rider or the family to make these determinations.

As well as being the experienced trial attorney I am also a licensed private investigator with 25 years of experience. I have found that this combination of skills together with my many years of riding experience has been invaluable to me in my work as an attorney for severely injured people or the families of those killed in traffic collisions.

For more information, please visit our Motorcycle Accident section.

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Your Questions and Comments Are Invited

I encourage questions and comments. I can be reached by telephone at (818) 657-0300 or by e-mail at jsamberg@bisnosam.com.

In my view it doesn't matter what you ride, it only matters that you ride. Whether you're on a sport bike, a cruiser, or your neighbor's old Vespa, as motorcyclists we all share the thrill of getting down the road on two wheels. However, as with all the great adventures of life, motorcycling has a certain element of risk. You can minimize that risk by proper training and equipment maintenance, but you cannot eliminate all the risk.

Should you or someone you love suffer grievous injury or death in a motorcycle accident, I strongly encourage you to seek out the assistance of qualified counsel. If you have any questions, it would be my honor to hear from you. Please ride safely.

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