Liberty Loss - One More Little Piece with Vehicle Data Loggers

From the American Motorcyclist Association comes this warning.  Did you know that event data loggers (black boxes) will likely be on all new vehicles after Sept 1, 2014?   When a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is announced, it is often unlikely that it will be shot down, unless strong public reaction is expressed.

Data loggers allow police and manufacturers and probably insurers to see the data on how you were driving (speed, swerving, braking, location, etc.).  This information can be used to refuse insurance coverage, to prove you were speeding or recklessly driving, to show you were visiting your mistress, just like Bay Area FASTRAK devices have been used.

Protect your privacy from event data recorders

U.S. Reps. Mike Capuano (D-Mass.) and Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) will introduce the Black Box Privacy Protection Act soon and are currently seeking to add original cosponsors. The bill will protect motorcyclists’ rights by requiring dealers to prominently disclose to consumers if an event data recorder, known as a black box, is installed in their motorcycle, the data collection capabilities of such a device, and how such data may be used. The bill clarifies that the owner of the motorcycle owns the data and it may not be accessed without the permission of the owner. Furthermore, this bill requires that manufacturers provide consumers with the option of controlling the recording function in future automobiles or motorcycles that are equipped with black boxes. In other words, the ability to turn the black box on or off. Currently, no federal law exists that clarifies the rights of vehicle owners to ownership of the recorded data. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking requiring black boxes in all cars manufactured after Sept. 1, 2014. The NHTSA already has disclosure requirements, but the Black Box Privacy Protection Act would make the disclosure more prominent and give consumers even greater choice and privacy protections. The American Motorcyclist Association protects motorcyclists’ freedom to ride and we support this bipartisan bill. If you are worried that your insurer will use data from a black box to increase your rates or have the ability to record data that can be used against you in a civil or criminal proceeding, then you—the motorcyclist—should urge your representative to become an original cosponsor to the Black Box Privacy Protection Act. Just follow the "Take Action" option to send a pre-written email directly to your representative. See here:  AMA Alert on Black Box Privacy

Texas Ride: By the Heart

My companion article explains the numbers involved in my Texas trip.  But what was the real reason to go?  And how did my heart fair?

In January I realized the NRA would be having the Annual Meeting in Houston.  I also subconsciously realized that I needed some seat time on the back of Big Red, my 1995 R1100GS.  All of the work Jeanne and I had done for a year was mostly done, and a little play time was needed for balance.  So a plan was hatched and eventually executed.  

During my Chevron career, I had spent more nights in Houston than I can count.  I have had a love/hate relationship with the place.  It is at once frenetic and dynamic, especially the oil business side.  It can also be ugly and traffic packed and frustrating.  But it is never boring.  And the seafood is excellent.

It has been almost 5 years since I was there, so I wanted to see some friends and what had changed.  And the NRA's wonderful firearms and equipment show is worth seeing periodically.

I also wanted to see more of Texas.  I've been to College Station (A&M), San Antonio, Austin and Midland-Odessa for work.  But what did the rest of the place look like?  Now I have seen NW Texas (flat) and the Hill Country (lumpy) and the ranching middle near Dallas and the SW mountains of Big Bend Park.  I learned there are places to miss and places to see again.  Big Bend Park and the Hill Country are worth a repeat.  And I saw for myself the stark and wild lands along the Mexican border on the River Road.  I always thought a "fence" was a good idea.  Now I know how simplistic that idea really is and how big the challenge is faced by the Border Patrol.

I made new friends of like persuasion in the hotel.  I strolled with a target shooting friend from Livermore at the NRA show.  I had dinner with a Chevron friend.  I struck up instant conversations with many people during the week, each special and fulfilling.  And I scored some good swag.

I saw a lot of new country in TX, AZ, and NM.  I drove a lot of Interstate but enough of the best back roads too.  I recommend the McDonald Observatory near Fort Davis in Texas and the roads to it are high desert mountain splendor.

So, was the trip successful?  Yes, indeed!  Heart fulfilled.

Texas Ride: By the Numbers

I left Mariposa on April 26, bound for Houston, Texas.  My goal was exploration and camaraderie.  I used the NRA Annual Meeting and Show as my excuse to go.   I achieved both goals.  This article is a recounting of the trip, by the numbers.

Total days = 16.  Riding days = 10.  Total miles = 4662 BMW odo miles.  The GPS miles are different but I lost some tracks.  Gallons of gas consumed = 108.6.  Cheapest gas = $3.29.  Average mileage = 43.  Worst = 40 mph on fast headwind freeway.  Oil inserted in bike, 1/2 liter.  Oil sprayed on my left leg, 1/4 liter.  Max speed = 85 mph.  Max moving average speed = 65.5 mph = boogity, boogity!.

Totals riding hours = XX.  Fastest moving average day = 65 MPH.  Slowest day = 0 MPH of course.

Most expensive motel was the Days Inn Flagstaff at $169 plus $30 taxes.  Tip, in May check if the city you are passing through will be holding university graduation that weekend. 

Highest elevation of 8550 feet near Alpine, AZ.  Also lowest temperature at 40 F.  Highest temperature in Rio Grande canyon near Presidio, TX at 95 F.

Birds killed = 2.  Bugs dispatched = uncountable.  Rain days = zero!

Small towns seen = many, each unique.  Big cities bypassed = many, less unique.  Best instant detour was Sunday morning in Albuquerque, NM when I dived off I40 at the Historic Downtown sign.  The square block town center came complete with trees and gazebo and 100 singing parishioners of the Catholic Church next door.  Special moment!

Small towns in Texas with Dairy Queen, seems like every one.  Days with DQ Crispy Chicken Salad for lunch = 8.

Best hotel, Hampton Inn Westchase, Houston. Cheapest hotel, Buck Owens Best Western in Bakersfield; also best courtyard and pool.  Best hotel not stayed in: Hilton Americas in Houston next to the George R. Brown Convention center.  Do it if you can afford it - my uncle Chevron ain't paying no more.  Best motel not expected:  Leakey Inn cabins in Hill Country.  Miss Dallas, the new owner, is a delight and very motorcyclist oriented.

Best TX roads:  Highways 39, 335, 336, 337 near Leakey, TX, are called The Three sisters.  39 is a bonus along the Guadalupe River out of Kerrville.  All have real turns and twists.

Best discovery, Big Bend National Park.  It looks like Nevada at first, and then startles you with a unique mountain setting.  Second best was the McDonald observatory – see next article.

People attending the NRA Annual Meeting, over 70,000.  Zero arguments.  Best speaker at NRA convention, Glen Beck.  Best comedian Frank Caliendo (www.frankcaliendo.com )  Best Mr. Lover-of-life:  Ted Nugent.  Houses given away to veterans at Ted's event:  two.

Close calls of the safety kind - one.  A poorly thinking gentleman of about my age, riding a blue K1600 BMW managed to place himself between me and a Honda CRV that I had just about passed.  I didn't know he was there until he was 5 feet away beside me.  This was classic lane splitting, but considering we were at 75 MPH and the only three vehicles on an otherwise empty Mojave desert freeway, this close call pass was startling, foolish and unsafe.  I spent the next 25 miles composing the things I would like to say to him.  Amazingly, I got the chance at the Dairy Queen in Ludlow, CA.  His defensive response was that it was lane splitting and implied everyone did it.  You can all imagine my comebacks to that.  The man needs an Advanced Rider Course if anyone ever did.

New friends made from WY, MN, IL, FL, TX, OK.  You meet the nicest people at "redneck" get togethers and on motorcycles.  My wife can expect some visitors she has never met.

Best money spent was a deal on a new Vortex rifle scope with stunning optics.  Worst money spent was Chinese food in Flagstaff.

26th Beemer BASH: Once Again a Great Rally in Quincy

The Central California BMW Riders held their annual rally this past weekend.  FastKitty and I were there at the last minute, overcoming some illness to attend and help out.  Despite the economy there were about 330 riders and guests in attendance from many states.  The weather was again flawless, the beer was cold, the food was hot and fresh and the conversation flowed like fine wine. I was fortunate to spend some time with David Hough, a renowned writer of motorcycle how-to books on safety and proficiency.  Here's a few pictures:

GS Ride guys ready to head into the wilds of Sierra National Forest

David expounds on Sidecar dynamics

Our Gals are happy and hard working!

Lead Law: Victory! Lead law fix signed, sealed, delivered

In a victory for families who enjoy responsible motorized recreation, President Barack Obama has signed into law a bill to allow the sale of kids' off-highway vehicles (OHVs) to continue. On Aug. 12, Obama signed into law H.R. 2715, introduced by Reps. Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.) and G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.). The measure exempts kids' OHVs from the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008, known as the lead law.

The CPSIA, which went into effect on Feb. 10, 2009, banned the making, importing, distributing or selling of any product intended for children 12 and under, including kids' dirtbikes and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), that contained more than a specified amount of lead in any accessible part that might be ingested.

The new law is a victory that is the result of nearly three years of intensive efforts by the AMA and its partner organization, the All-Terrain Vehicle Association (ATVA), their members and millions of advocates of responsible OHV recreation. 

Be sure to see more at:  Obama_signs_lead_law-exemption_bill_for_kids_off-highway_vehicles

To see the law itself: Lead Law Fix    It is instructive to read this bill, HR 2715, as it clearly illustrates the complexity of laws these days.  The real fix is done in the first few pagers, but the full bill uses 29 pages to cover all the minutiae needed to cover all the complexity that legislators and lawyers create.

Dirt Road Fun and Games

I like dirt roads.  They are fun and challenging at the same time.  They mean that I am in remote country where the pedestrian tourist fears to venture.  And they have their own little foibles:

Rare wildlife owns the road on Oregon range land.

Where am I?

A mobile cloud of dust approaches!