Yo and Salutations, All Squids, Road kill, Iron butts, and Road Rockets have one thing in common. We like devoting some part of our lives to motorcycles of various types. Some like hanging back to cruise and profile, others aren't happy unless they are trying to set some sort of international speed record. These camps can be as opposed as our political parties but all share a passion that comes on two wheels. Our sport, hobby, pastime (how ever you want to can it) comes complete with it's own unique requirements. These requirements are quite different from hopping in the car to go catch a movie. Using a car is a no brainer about all you really worry about is, will there be parking when you get there. For the motorcyclist, it is more like a expedition. First comes the protective gear, (If you are one of those nimrods who think flip-flops, shorts, t-shirt, sunglasses or some combination of the above constitute protective gear ignore this article) and you thought that bikers weren't fashion conscious. Helmet, jacket, gloves, sturdy shoes amongst other riding apparel is the first exercise. Next weather is a issue.

No one I know enjoys sitting in traffic, surrounded by nice dry and warm people in the pouring rain while you are looking more and more like toilet paper in a stuffed up toilet. (Don't you just love that puddle that forms right around your crotch?) Then there are road conditions, now if you have a "car" track mind, road conditions would equate to traffic. To a motorcyclist it means the condition of the roadway. Little things like oil, (Especially the kind that collects at toll gates) sand, leaves, tractor-trailer tire carcasses as well as uneven pavement are all items that require serious attention. Common road interruptions like railroad crossings and metal bridge grating require a change in vehicle operation. Fuel gauges on motorcycles that do have them are notoriously inaccurate and fuel management skills have to be developed. Lastly motorcycles have no spare tire so if you get a flat, well……. You're flat out of luck. Oh yeah, I forgot about parking. You think the guy with the brand new corvette has worries? You would have to leave your convertible top down, keys in the ignition to make a car as easy to steal as a bike. So motorcyclists tend to park either where they can always see their bike or shackle it to some large immoveable object, (preferably a police car) now you have to tote around a chain or 20 lbs of some other type of locking device. It is interesting that so much of the bad boy image of bikers came from that chain worn across the shoulder. People always assume it was used to inflict injury to others, while in actuality it was used to keep some really bad person from stealing the bike. Yes grandma, most motorcycles have no trunk. Well most of you reading these pages are thinking "No **it Sherlock, so what's the point?" The point is that we all know we have special requirements and in this and future articles we will explore and test products and techniques that cater to those special requirements.

Today I want to clue you into a piece of required equipment. No, we'll get into the helmet discussion later. This item should be considered a mandatory addition to your gear. What is it? It is commonly referred to as a Cellular Telephone. No motorcyclist should ever travel without one. It may provide no other function than letting your date know you'll be late, or in the worst cases it can save your life. Circumstances from any one of the items mentioned above could require that you need to contact someone. In an emergency it is a matter of life and death. In part two of this article I'll cut through the hype in the television ads and give a brief intro to how the different classes of phones work. In companion product test we'll see if there are any phones on the market that can withstand the rigors a motorcyclist may put it through and rate the services typically provided by operators as to there usefulness. That's all for this installment. If you have comments or additions, or just want to sound off, please visit our user forum and interact to your hearts content. Pete "The Hack" Nevai