The Adventures of FriarJohn on Two (and Sometimes Four) Wheels

The Week from Hell

Last week started out great. It started in beautiful Nelson, British Columbia at the tail end of the Kootenay RAT (Riders Association of Triumph) Raid (rally). Met a lot of cool people and rode a lot of great rides. But something was nagging at me. A bump I’ve had on my back, between my left shoulder blade and my spine, for about 10 years was growing slightly and starting to hurt a bit.

The gist of the rest of this story is this: get your health problems sorted out before any big road trip. There’s not much more here about motorcycling.

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This happened less than a mile from my house. There is PLENTY of visibility in both directions from that intersection. Via NBCMontana.com (emphasis mine):

EAST HELENA (AP) – The driver of a motorcycle was killed when a pickup truck pulled out from a side road onto U-S Highway 12 and hit the motorcycle. The victim was identified as 56-year-old Dennis Lucas of Shelbyville, Kentucky. The female passenger was 52-year-old Barbara Lucas. She was taken to St. Peter’s Hospital with several broken bones. The collision happened late yesterday morning, just outside East Helena at the Intersection of U-S 12 and Lake Helena Drive.

Montana Highway Patrol officer Shawn Fowler says the woman driving the pickup told officers she didn’t see the motorcycle. It was westbound on Highway 12 when the woman pulled out from Lake Helena Drive to turn east. Fowler says the pickup driver likely will be cited for failing to yield to traffic. The death raises the state highway fatality toll to 130, compared with 112 at this time a year ago.”

How about manslaughter? How about negligent homicide? Here is that intersection on Google maps, now that they hit it with Street View:

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This is pretty messed up.

“If you own a custom bike made before 2006, you don’t have to get rid of it. Also, it’s perfectly legal to build yourself a custom bike, as long as you do it from a pre-approved do-it-yourself kit. The real drawback is that you’re allowed to own only one custom bike in your lifetime.”

EPA: Control of Emissions from Highway Motorcycles; Final Rule (PDF)

ABATE’s page on the subject