Last weekend I had the chance to attend the Salon Moto Légende (Legend Motorcycle Show) at the Bois de Vincennes in Paris. As you can imagine, the show is especially dedicated to classic motorcycles. Ducati’s, Beemers, Mobylette’s, Honda’s, Kawas, Yams, Harleys, you name it! From the big names to the most exotic cult brands. Really cool!

It was fun to attend a show like this one where the stars are not necessarily the big brands but the small exotic, rare or just antique well preserved bikes.

Once in the showroom, you dive into the past from the early days of motorcycles to the 80’s. There were also a few current examples, though. I definitely got to see in front of me some amazing machines, most of them, in good or very good shape. All kind of motorcycling paraphernalia could also be found. As a bonus, you could feel the French motorcycle culture flowing all around. Thumbs up for this show!

I went there with my daughter and together we took loads of pictures. We had a lot of fun. Pictures will be soon posted in my motorcycle picture collection at Flickr.

The guest of honor was the Honda CB 750* due to its 40th anniversary.

*The CB “Seven Fifty” was presented to the World at the Tokyo Motor Show in October 1968. It is a bike that is qualified by many as “the single most significant motorcycle ever produced”. It is in fact, a bike that transformed the industry. Check the picture below to see what the CB 750 looked like.

Honda CB750

Once I start uploading the pictures, I will post updates in this blog.

Enjoy the ride!

Pro Italia is raffling a new 2009 Ducati M696 to benefit the International Rett Syndrome Foundation. Tickets are $25 each (or buy 5 chances for $100) and limited to 500 total. Tickets are available in our online store or in our Los Angeles showroom.

Tickets are available now until October 24th. The winner will be announced on the 26th of October at the annual Love Ride in Pomona. The first prize winner will win a 2009 Ducati Monster 696 (MSRP $8,995) and the second prize winnerwill receive an America leather jacket from Vanson (a $550.00 value).

http://www.proitalia.com

Vtwincam which is the only virtual motorcycle tour site will be filming in the southwest setting off on a 8000 mile journey to film the best that the west has to offer to motorcyclists.  The result will be a series of videos which willbe featured on www.vtwincam.com.

Most motorcyclers are weekend warriors with limited time each year to visit and explore new roads.  Vtwincam’s virtual tours will show exactly what the roads have to offer for any given area.  The Vtwincam team has gone over every inch of maps to narrow down the best twisties and scenic riding that the US has to offer.

Check the progress of the southwest journey, look for ride suggestions, and watch for videos which will soon be online at www.vtwincam.com.

Technorati Tags: motorcycle rides, motorcycles, motor bikes

I realize I am probably dating myself just a little… but web map services like G-Maps or Mapquest simply blow me away. Whoever figured out how to map any block on the planet in 5 seconds has got to be rich… if not they should be.

If you never utilized this terrific service, go to maps.google.com right now. It doesn’t matter where you are going… the shortest most up to date driving instructions and maps are moments away.

Google Maps has been my favorite for a few years already. The technology in the geo-mapping arena has advanced amazingly yielding incredible immediate maps of most of the earth and directions to just about any point on planet Earth.

What follows are cursory reviews of G-Maps, MapQuest And Rand McNally, reading them should curtail your learning curve when you arrive at the websites.

I switched to G-Maps after using MapQuest for almost 8 years (more about Mapquest below). What changed my allegiance after all those years, was studying the instructions at G-Maps. You know, when all else fails read the instruction?

If Google keeps going like they have they will rule the world in no time. Google has first-rate point-to-point mapping worldwide but their true power comes in their satellite mapping.

To try and cover all of G-Maps in this review would fail, so let’s look at the vital features of the site and you can learn the rest when you get there.

All of G-Maps is based on actual earth satellite imagery. You can quickly locate Physical maps, Political maps, Road maps and Topographic maps anywhere on the planet.

You can see people wandering around Trafalgar Square in London or read the home plate logo at Coors field in Denver. In most parts of the world, you can also get point to point driving instructions.

Another unique tool of G-Maps is that it lets you to adjust the route it has laid out for you, simply by dragging the route marking to a different spot. We often know alternate routes, learned by experience that we want to use. All other services won’t let you change the path… with G-Maps it’s easy and immediate.

Rand McNally has been making road atlases for a long time. Word has it that Fred Flintstone used their atlas. They still favor the printed map or atlas and publish lots of them. Next time you stop at a gas station check by the register, it’s a safe bet you’ll find Rand McNally maps for sale. Now, having said that, they have outstanding e-maps and directions. I find them very useful for comparing routes with Google or Map Quest as a double check kind of thing.

MapQuest has been around since the good old days of the internet… 1996… so by e-standards, it’s very old if not ancient. AOL purchased it in 2000 and remains in charge.

I could not count how many times Map Quest has provided me with accurate driving instructions. They have outstanding US and European coverage but are definitely weaker on the rest of the world. If you use them in the States, they are quite specific and usually reliable. The map accuracy drops off a tad in high growth cities, mapping always lags hyper growth .

The last chief feature on MapQuest, is that it will search for the cheapest gas or diesel no matter where you are in the US. It’s a great way to keep an eye on your fuel budget and it only takes 30 seconds.

Between the three of these websites, you should be able to find your way around anywhere on the planet.

Before starting with my post let me tell you how I see things…

For me, there are two kinds of motorcycle riders: the ones that have had (or will have an accident) and the ones that don’t ride. It’s like bicycling or skiing, one time or another you will go down. Sad but true…

Now, not every motorcycle accident should have serious consequences and it is my intent with this post to provide some guidance to minimize the risks and, with some luck, to help you become one of the very few motorcyclists that actually ride and don’t have accidents.

Back to my post…

A few tips to prevent motorcycle accidents

First, here are some basic things you can do to prevent motorcycle accidents and increase your safety level.

• Be responsible not only for yourself, but also for all the other motorists and drivers out there as well. Respect and follow the rules of the road.
• Make sure your motorcycle is in good working conditions
• Never forget to wear proper attire. Bare minimum: helmet, eyewear, gloves, and riding jacket.
• Never ride past the speed limit and avoid riding in adverse weather.
• Make sure that all your safety and signalization controls are within easy reach and operable in both day and night.
• Don’t drink and ride. Although drinking and driving warnings are heavily promoted to car drivers, it’s no less important to motorcycle riders. Each year, the number of motorcycle accidents gives us a new statistic to evaluate, and it almost always includes accidents that involve alcohol consumption.
• Look out for bad drivers. Car drivers aren’t always as observant on the road as they should be and as a result, their careless driving skills contribute to the current quality (and quantity) of motorcycle accident statistics that we already have. That’s why it’s so important, as a motorcycle rider, that you not only ride on the offensive, but on the defensive as well.
• Stay alert.  Beware of road hazards and traffic jams.

For a complete rundown on motorcycle safety and accident prevention check this page at the Motorcycle Safety Foundation site.

Motorcycle accidents and your skill level

The more experienced you are at motorcycle riding, the less likely it is that you’ll have an accident. Experience really is the best teacher and from this experience, you’ll understand why complying with the rules of the road is so crucial to safety. But that doesn’t mean experienced drivers are off the hook. Even the most experienced motorcycle rider can have an accident and it doesn’t seem to matter how many riding years are behind him.

New motorcycle riders who aren’t too confident in their skills should stick to paths that aren’t heavily used by major traffic. That includes busy streets and highways - two sources of heavy and dangerous traffic to the motorcycling “newbie.”

Preventing motorcycle accidents by making good choices

The only things that seem to really protect riders are things like good equipment and good choices.

For example, a good choice would be to use signal lights as a way to communicate with others on the road and indicate that you’re trying to get around them or that you’re within a close proximity. In this situation, another good choice would be to ensure these signal lights are in tip-top condition as well. Signal lights aren’t available on older bikes so riders of older models should use hand signals to communicate with other travelers.

Other good choices involve making the decision to correctly assess distances between you and other drivers — especially at night. It’s reasonable to expect that two visible headlights belong to a car, van, or truck, but what if there’s only one light visible? A single, shining headlight could belong to another motorcycle, but it could also belong to a bigger vehicle with only one working light! Maintaining a good distance between you and any vehicle regardless of what kind it is or how many working lights it has will help prevent what could be a tragic event.

It’s not that all accidents are avoidable, but then again, a good majority of them can be prevented just by following the advice herein, obeying laws, and use good ol’ common sense. By doing your part as a responsible motorcycle rider, you’ll increase your chances of keeping the roads safe for everyone and enjoy motorcycle riding for many years.

Do you have other tips or comments that can help our readers to prevent motorcycle accidents? Share them in this post.

Have a good and safe ride!

Technorati Tags: motorcycle accidents, motorcycle safety, motorcycles, motorbikes