What is this?

I love my video games...

but this guy takes the cake. The only saving point is that no one got killed. With any luck he will be one of those that never sets his ass on a bike again.

As for motive, Savino told troopers this was his own video game adventure.

They can't be serious...

Has anyone seen the new BMW commercial? I say new because it's the first time I've seen it. I gave up on satellite and cable a long time ago.

I can't find a copy of it online, but if I do I'll post a link here. The commercial starts with showing people doing their best to save money on gas. A couple of guys on bicycle, a guy on a bus, and a guy gearing up for his scooter. Suddenly, their dark and dreary looking days are interrupted by a gleaming white car. As the car passes by each person, you can see them looking longingly at it. The car is soon shown to be a BMW and it's obvious that they are boasting it's ability to look good and go distances on a tank of gas.

I'm thinking, cool, BMW is getting in on the green thing and finally have some fuel efficient cars. But can they really rival a scooter?

The commercial hits the end and I almost spit out my drink as I see the listing for the MPG. You ready for this?


28

Yup, 28 MPG. And that's on the highway! They didn't even list the city rating. I lost it. They seriously think this can be considered a fuel efficient car?! They seriously think that some guy on his scooter looks longingly at this gas gobbler?! I couldn't make out the scooter, but I can guarantee that it's gas mileage is much better then that. Hell, my cruiser gets almost double that! I laughed all the way to the computer and immediately had to blog about it.

Oh, and the web site. HA! Check it out...

BMW

Fogging fog

I left work early yesterday in order to make my club's Monday night meeting. I wanted to be there to hand out the items that some members ordered. When I came in to work earlier in the day, it was gorgeous and threatening to be a scorcher of a day. By the time 7pm rolled around a wall of fog had moved in.

The fog got so bad that we had to cut the meeting short. It was nuts! I went for a spin afterward, but it was so foggy that I was soaked in a matter of minutes. I will continue to say that we don't have fog, we have suspended rain.

By morning the fog was still there, thick as ever, but at least the roads were dry. I had full intentions of riding in. The moment I gear up and step outside...rain. Truly typical.

The weather isn't looking too bad for the rest of the week. I'm hoping for at least a couple of good days so I can get some riding in. The end of the season is fast approaching and I haven't been riding half as much as I should have.

Accident update

'We were really lucky,' says motorcycle crash victim
"I'm lucky that I'm alive today, seriously. I have a hard time not getting emotional talking about it," says Alain Belanger.

Belanger was injured on Saturday while travelling in a 10-motorcycle formation that was heading to CFB Gagetown to serve as a wedding escort.

Belanger, and the groom, Frank Bouchard, were in the fifth and sixth positions of the "staggered-packet" bike formation when a Ford station wagon drifted across the centre line on Lincoln Road near Oromocto, N.B., and plowed into the motorcycles.

Belanger and Bouchard were the worst injured in the crash that sent four of the motorcyclists to Fredericton's Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital.

Groom hit first

"I was sure my friend was dead — Frank there — because of the way it happened," Belanger told CBC News from the hospital. "It happened so fast but I saw his bike basically go to pieces and he was still on it — and the sound of the impact."

The driver of the car initially nicked the handlebars of one bike before colliding with the bikers in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth positions.

The motorcyclist in the 10th position also went down when an unrelated car that had fallen in between the ninth and 10th bikes suddenly braked to try to avoid the accident. The rider chose to lay her bike down and slide into the rear of the vehicle rather than risk a worse collision.

Belanger said when he was hit he didn't lose consciousness.

"I remember rolling into the ditch," he said. "I tried to get up and I was yelling for him [Bouchard] right away and I wanted to get to him but then I realized I couldn't go anywhere. My arm was broken and my leg was broken."

Belanger's leg was broken in four spots below the knee, with an open fracture that had turned his foot toward his knee.

The motorcyclists were all members of a Fredericton-area club known as the Passchendaele Unit, which is part of the Canadian Army Veteran Motorcycle Units association.
Motorcyclists began administering first aid

All of the riders, who were in their 30s and 40s, were either veterans or serving soldiers, Belanger said, and their first aid training kicked in.

The other motorcyclists began treating Bouchard and himself, Belanger said.

Belanger, Bouchard and another rider are still in the hospital in stable condition.

'I can't wait for next spring, so I can ride again'—Alain Belanger, crash victim

The injuries include broken legs, broken arms, broken noses, severed nerves, concussions, whiplash and road rash.

"We were really lucky," he said.

Belanger said he has served overseas four times, but has never broken a bone before.

And he says the crash won't stop him from riding.

"Something like that happens, you know, you've got to carry on, right," Belanger said. "You can't focus on that all the time. Can't wait; now I know I won't be riding this year, but I can't wait for next spring, so I can ride again."

Belanger said he had made a pact with another rider involved in the crash that they will both get back on their bikes and that when they do they will take that first ride together.

Police have not yet laid any charges in the accident and the investigation is continuing.

The driver of the car had a small child aboard. Neither was injured.

Police have said that inattentive driving due to driver distraction was likely a contributing factor in the crash.

Disgusting...

Four motorcyclists, including a bridegroom, who were headed to CFB Gagetown for a wedding were rushed to hospital on Saturday after a multi-vehicle collision.

A car drifted across the centre line on Lincoln Road near Oromocto, N.B., around 2:45 p.m. on Saturday and plowed into 10 members of a motorcycle club who were on their way to provide a wedding escort as a surprise for the bride, police said.

The groom was leading the group down the road toward the military base, where the wedding was to be held. He was struck, along with four other motorcyclists, as the car crossed the line. His injuries were among the most severe.

The driver of the car appeared to initially nick the handlebars of one of the bikes before driving into the first and second motorcyclists, said Graham Leslie, who was riding in the ninth position of the staggered-packet bike formation.

The car then appeared to lose control and spun around, striking a third and fourth motorcycle before having more minor collisions with the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth bikes in the formation, Leslie said.

"I couldn't believe this was happening in front of me," Leslie said. "To me, it seemed to be happening in slow motion."

Leslie said his more than 30 years of experience helped him avoid the collision.

The motorcyclist in the 10th position went down when an unrelated car that had fallen in between the ninth and 10th bikes suddenly braked to try to avoid the accident. The rider chose to lay her bike down and slide into the rear of the vehicle rather than risk a worse collision, Leslie said.

Groom worst injured

Four of the motorcyclists were rushed to Fredericton's Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital. Three were in serious condition, while one was treated and released.

The motorcyclists who were hit are lucky to be alive, Leslie said.

Broken legs, broken arms, broken noses, concussions and whiplash are among the injuries that the motorcyclists received in the accident, Leslie said.

The groom was the worst injured, Leslie said.

Inattentive driving due to driver distraction was likely a contributing factor in the accident, said RCMP Staff Sgt. Gary Cameron.

No charges have been laid yet and the investigation is continuing.

The driver of the car had a small child aboard. Neither was injured.

The motorcyclists are members of a Fredericton-area club known as the Passchendaele Unit, which is part of the Canadian Army Veteran Motorcycle Units association.

The injured riders, all males, are in their 30s and 40s.


(Taken from CBC news)

And we're back

A little IIS fiddling and the header is back on line.

Now to buy a surge protector...

Well ain't that a peach...

Japanese motorcycle manufacturers look to increase prices

Ooops

Looks like I won't have a banner image for a bit. My server died and I'm still rebuilding it. Gotta love thunder storms...