I have been riding my first bike, a 650 Vstar since I bought it new in 2006. In April I bought my dream bike, a Honda Valkyrie. It is too big for me and I have been doing mods to make it fit me better so I can ride. The bike is so much different then my little 650. Its longer, taller and much heavier and much more powerful. My leg position is a lot different and the clutch is harder to squeeze. I know how to ride the 650 and I am quite comfortable and confident in any situation that comes up on it. So if I had progressed from 0-10 on the small bike, when I get on the bigger bike I drop instantly back to a 3 or 4. All the old familiar fears come back when I take the big one out. Heart jumps out of my chest frequently. The advantage is that I know how to ride a motorcycle, I just have to learn how to ride THIS motorcycle. Another advantage is that I really WANT to. I love this bike, but I also love my limbs so I have to be realistic and take it slow as I can.

What happened on Sunday was a rookie mistake and I know better. But my nervousness and lack of confidence on the bigger bike made me forget the rule. I missed the highway turn off so I had to turn around. I did not feel confident making a U turn because of the small highway I was on, my lack of skill on the new bike and the amount of traffic. So I made a left turn onto a gravel side road and would attempt the low speed turn there and go back up onto the highway. I made the turn and as I entered the gravel part and started the turn I was facing down a bit. I looked down, mistake one, was using my front brake, mistake two, and was not giving power to the rear wheel, mistake three. OF COURSE I WENT DOWN!! Sheesh.

Now I want to mention what I did right so I can at least come out of this with something. I attempted the turn in a place where I was not going to get hit by any cars or cause any problems. I was wearing full protective gear. I had rear crash bars installed to ensure that if I did go down I would not get pinned under the bike. I didn’t panic, actually I didn’t have time to panic but still.
I got up dusted myself off, made some pain faces, checked myself and my bike and got back on and rode to the rally. I didn’t have to pick the bike up myself, it was back on the stand thanks to my husband being behind me.

Oh one more mistake I should mention. I should have maybe milked the situation for a little more sympathy.

And something kind of cool happened as a result. I kind of feel like I got it out of the way and I actually feel better and more confident and relaxed now.

Take care everyone and ride safe.

Sienna

Here is a good example of proper gear. Click the image for more on this rider.

HELMET

                                                   Full Face Helmet   This helmet is going to provide you the most protection. It guards your mouth and front of your chin as well as your head. The first few I tried made me feel that my peripheral vision was compromised so I looked for one that was cut deeper into the helmet and did not give me that feeling of wearing blinkers. It also felt very heavy to me at first but I got used to that element very quickly and it was not a problem.  

 Modular Helmet  This will be my next purchase for a few reasons. As you can see in the photo, it looks like a full face when its closed, but the piece that goes across your chin flips up allowing you to eat or drink or most important to me, I can put it on after I have my sunglasses in place. This particular model also has a drop down sun visor on the inside that I find handy. If I wear my contact lenses this feature is great because I can just flip that visor down to keep the sun out of my eyes or lift it up when the light is low and I don’t have to wear sunglasses at all. 

  Three Quarter Helmet    

Skull Cap

How to Choose the Best Helmet for You

There is a lot more to think about in terms of expense then the motorcycle and insurance. I have a budget like most people but I try not to scrimp (is that a word?) and save on safety equipment. Of course I look for sales and discounts wherever possible, but I won’t buy inferior products. Helmets have a minimum safety standard in order to be legally sold in Canada and to my understanding this applies in most countries. It is not within the scope of this article to go into detail about the various standards and testing that goes into the safety standard ratings but if you are interested, there are some helpful links at the end of this article that you may find of interest. If you buy your brand name helmet from a reputable dealer and the helmet displays safety approval stickers then you can be reasonably confident you are purchasing a piece of equipment that adheres to current government regulations for safety.

Do not buy a used helmet for a few reasons. First of all…ewwww, it’s a personal item and I just feel better with something new. Most important however is that once a helmet is dropped, even on the floor in the store, it is considered unsafe. They also expire as materials can degrade over time and become less safe. The helmet can be dropped and not show any external damage so take that into consideration.

Next you must decide what type of helmet will suit you best. Don’t rush finding the right one, you will be wearing it a lot and if you are comfortable then you will enjoy the ride and that’s why we do this after all. As I outlined above, each helmet style has its advantages and disadvantages, so try to find the one most comfortable with the best safety features. This is so very personal I will not recommend one way or the other. All I can tell you is that I will feel best with the full face modular. It also makes the people that care about me feel better about me riding and that is a consideration. If you ride with the attitude of safety in your equipment and riding habits, it does tend to put the nervous bunch at ease somewhat.

The Fit

So now that you have tried some on and have a pretty good idea of the style you want and are assured they are safety rated you will find the hardest part (at least for me) is the fit. There is more to it then you might think.

It would be so much easier if we all had the same shaped head then we would just find the right size.. but we don’t. Not only do we have different sized heads, they also come in a lot of different shapes. Are you a Stewie a Charlie Brown, Conehead or Sponge Bob? There are egg shaped heads, narrow heads, round heads etc. Different manufacturers make different shaped helmets and you have to look at each one to find what works for you. (refer to the link at the bottom for more information) The inner padding might adjust slightly to your head but usually not enough to make the helmet comfortable for that reason alone. Riding for an hour with the helmet pushing relentlessly on one portion of your skull can drive you crazy, make you lose concentration and ..of course that’s exactly what you don’t want on a bike. Try on many helmets of different brands and models within the brand. When the helmet is on your head and properly fastened it should move with you and not rub when you move your head from side to side or up and down. It also should not be so tight you have a headache within minutes of pounding it down on your skull. I hold the chin straps and spread the helmet as I position it over my head to make it a bit easier. Walk around the store for at least a half hour. I know you look a bit silly but anyone that rides will understand. Try talking and opening and closing your mouth and clenching your teeth and see how it feels. Make sure the chin strap is wide enough and padded enough to fit comfortably. I know some people like the quick connectors but I have caught the skin on my neck a few times and I prefer the double ring type fasteners. Also the plastic and springs in the fast connect type can break and if you don’t have a replacement handy, the helmet is pretty much useless.

Most helmets are vented so check and see what type of vents there are and how easy they are to open and close while you are wearing the helmet and with a gloved hand. Also check that the visor can be easily flipped up and down with gloves on. Make sure your peripheral vision is acceptable. Some full face helmets made me feel like I had lost most of my peripheral vision and that makes me uncomfortable. I looked until I found one that was designed in such away that the visor wrapped around more and gave me much better vision to the sides.

The shop where I bought my helmet told me I could take it home and wear it as long as I didn’t use it on the bike so I could have a better idea of fit. And I felt better sitting in my house with it on then walking around the store. Turns out I kept both so far and didn’t need to return them so ask your store if this is an option.

My helmet also has a removable liner that can be washed…yayyyy. Nice feature.

If you are in a bike shop go and sit on a bike similar to your own and see how it feels. Sport bikes have a different rider position for instance then a cruiser and so the depth of the visor might make a difference to you. Of course you can’t test wind and noise factors without riding and most places won’t accept a return that has been in the wind. So make some notes, take your time and find something you like. It was suggested to me that a light color is more noticeable especially at night and therefore safer. Again that is personal preference. I have a reflective stripe on the bottom of my black helmet that shows black and doesn’t interfere with the look and that is adequate for me for now.

So go shopping already and get out on the road. J Good luck.

________________________________________________________________

For more information try the following links:

• NHTSA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration page on helmet compliance testing.

• Snell Memorial Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that, for over fifty years has been dedicated to research, education, testing and development of helmet safety standards. Since its founding in 1957, Snell has been a leader in helmet safety in the United States and around the world.
• SHARP (Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Program)
• webBikeworld

This article is about getting your dog’s attention and how to perfect the attention exercise under distraction.

In Part 2 of this series I covered how I prepared the dog, fit the collar and how I determined the correct intensity to use for that particular dog.  I also talked briefly on the theory behind the e-collar training method and I will go in to more detail on this as I progress.

I started teaching my dog to look at me when he was a pup.  If he would look at my face when I said “look” he got rewarded with a piece of hot dog or a toy.  This was in part, preparation for the heel with attention exercise that we would be doing later on at trial.  It is also a useful command to teach for times I want the dog focused only on me.  For instance when he is being examined by the vet or  when the lady in the parking lot just let her little barking dogs out off leash to become potential prey objects to my dog.  When I am in public I feel responsible for my dog’s behavior and there are times I need him to focus on me. 

In the beginning I trained for sport, either for CKC Obedience or later for Schutzhund. (I am not counting the endless hours I spent as a child teaching tricks to the family dog.)  Now I still enjoy sport but train mostly for myself and my dog or to help others manage and enjoy their own dogs.  The theory and methods I use are the same but my end goal is no longer a title or ribbon.  I try to train beyond the requirements of trial to use in real life.  With that attitude, when my dog is reliable in my eyes, he should be able to perform to high standards in any situation whether it is a CKC ring, a Schutzhund field or a busy downtown sidewalk.  The most important being real life where you often do not get a do-over.

Getting Attention

I want my dogs to think that there is nothing better, more fun, more rewarding or more exciting then being around me.  Fortunately its not that big of a stretch for most dogs to really want to be around the handler.  No wonder we love them so much!  I am really fun to do stuff with in the dog’s eyes, but it is because I work at it.  I am very consistent in my training which includes my mood.  One of the reasons I love training is because I can leave my problems and negativity somewhere else and hit the training field for an hour and just have fun with my dog. I always have toys, sometimes food, and a positive happy and playful attitude.  I mix the training and corrections with bouts of excited play and then long leisurely walks.  My dog knows his name and when I call his name it does not necessarily mean I want him to come to me.  It is more of a heads up thing.  When I say his name, he must look for me.  This might mean he lifts his head and stops sniffing that dead stump he found and looks in my direction waiting for a command.  It might mean, look I have your toy, or its time to go.  So when I say his name he must look to me for further instruction.  When I say “here” it means you must come to me immediately.  So with that in mind, my dog was wearing the e-collar, I had it set to the intensity we chose the day before and he was also wearing his training collar and long line.  I took him to the field where we train and play ball.  I had two hoses in my back pocket for toys as well as a tug on a rope that I can throw or play tug of war with.  I think that’s his favorite game. If I were to start playing with him I would no doubt have his full attention, but I want to be sure that no matter what he is doing he will turn his attention to me when he hears my name.

Preparing for the Exercise

To prepare for this exercise he had been wearing his collar for about 45 minutes, we had done some on- leash heeling with his regular training collar and reviewed some of the exercises he already knows and performs fairly well. I purposely took him to an area that I know would distract him.  There were cats in our barn and he is VERY interested in chasing those cats.  Smelling them and hearing them move around in the building is distracting.  I put him in a sit-stay position and moved about ten feet in front of him.  I could see him air scenting and was turning his head to the area the cats were. I hit the continuous stim and said his name almost simultaneously, he was more interested in the cats and it took about 3 seconds for him to turn his head and look at me. The second he looked at me I released the stim and waited for him to once again become distracted and did it again.  I did not correct him for looking away at this point.  I just waited till he stopped looking at me and returned his focus to the barn, then I pushed the continuous button and said his name, repeating the first time.  The fourth time he seemed to be wanting to look at the cat but was trying to focus his attention on me. His eyes stayed on me even though his ears were on the barn.  I made him look at me for about 20 seconds without looking away and released him verbally and immediately ran backwards while pulling the hose out of my back pocket and held it for him to take a bite.  This is a huge reward for him and he took the bite and we wrestled a bit before I put him in a sit stay and repeated the process.  

Success

It did not take long using the e-collar for him to figure out that he could turn it off if he responded very fast.  That is why the timing of saying his name and the stim is so important. Gradually I changed slightly in my timing but this was when he was getting consistant under increasing distraction.  In the very beginning I was hitting the stim and then saying his name perhaps a half second later.  Once he was wise to the ”game” I started to say his name slightly before the stim.  It is a very subtle difference and would probably be impossible to notice if you were watching.  The results were excellent.  I gradually increased the distraction and he eventually got to the point that he viewed a distraction as a cue to look at me!  I had to make sure he was properly rewarded at all times and it was well worth it.  

The next article is about perfecting the recall and heel position and heeling with attention.

[[[part one]]]    [[[part two]]]

You can find a selection of electronic collars at the SBR store.

I find it hard to look at these and not smile.  I feel so blessed to have dogs in my life.

He looks like he is having a ball just bein a dog and doin dog stuff.

And you know this one is a natural born comedian. 

Is that a snarl, a sneeze or an Elvis impression.

It’s good to have fun with the kids.

Guess what happened 2 seconds after this shot was taken.

Do you feed strays? Now that face makes up for what he must smell like.

Part one of this series explains how the e-collar works, the features, intensity levels and the need to prepare the dog before initial use.

 
My goal in training any dog is of course to teach the animal to understand and carry out my commands. But I also want to communicate my intentions in such a way that not only will the dog obey, but he will do it with enthusiasm and enjoy his work. I want to see a happy animal working beside me, not a nervous reluctant partner, always fearful of making a mistake or looking to escape being under my control.

Preparing the Dog

Turning On The Collar

The First Exercise

February 11 2010 Walk in the Woods

This image does not capture the magic of this place when the sun is coming up and there is a thick frost that sparkles everywhere.  It is such a peaceful way to start a day, walking with my dog, finding deer tracks and watching the sunrise.

Every single leaf and blade of grass is covered in thick frost this morning.

This is Zorro, my black German Shepherd playing in the snow with his favorite toy, the black kong.  2009

This is a fun picture of Zorro and I making Snowdogs in the wet spring snow.

 This article describes the e-collar and how it works and the theory behind the method.

I have been training dogs for a number of years in obedience, schutzhund, personal protection, tracking and agility.  As long as I am able I will likely continue to train.  I have always welcomed new ideas, theories, methods and equipment.  An open mind and the willingness to learn new things has helped me to advance my skills and further achieve my goals.

I bought my first e-collar about ten years ago and I still use it today. I own the Tritronics Sport 60. It is designed for medium to large breeds. I have been happy with the quality of this collar but I would have liked to have had the option to change the length of the prongs to use with some of the heavier coated dogs I have trained.  This was not a big problem, but it is a feature I would look for in a future purchase.  The Sport 60 has a paging button that allows you to send a soft tone that is usually only heard by the dog.  I have used this for a silent recall and it works fairly well.  It also has two larger color coded buttons used to deliver the electronic sensation (what I call the stim) to the dog.  One button is used for a short burst, so you would have to release the button and push it again if you want to resend.  The other button is continuous and delivers a stim as long as your finger is on the button.  The strength of correction this collar delivers is adjustable with six progressive choices of 1/2, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.  The collar is rechargeable and the remote unit takes a 9 volt battery.  The time it takes to discharge the collar varies depending on weather and how often you press the button and at what intensity.  I had no problems with using the collar all day on more then one dog and never ran out of power.  It does take several hours to recharge so I would put it on the charger overnight. 

I did experience ALL of the intensity levels on my bare skin, first on my arm and then on my neck.  This might sound unnecessary, but I wanted to have at least some understanding of what the dog is experiencing throughout the training.  Level 1/2 is so mild it is not so much a correction as an alert.  Level 5 hurt, but I can see how all levels are useful depending on how you fit the collar and the sensitivity of the dog.  The level I usually use is 2. 

How you fit the collar and how you condition the dog BEFORE using this training method is crucial.  The collar is not used as a correction for undesirable behavior but more of a communication tool that the dog learns HE can control.  You can achieve a lot with the proper use of this valuable tool, but in my opinion, you can also mess a dog up and cause a lot of problems if you do not use it correctly.  Take your time, do your homework and you should end up with a well trained reliable dog.

My next article covers how to fit the collar and how to condition the dog prior to starting your training.  It also covers the theory behind this training method and why it works so well. 

http://siennabrickroad.com/2010/02/training-with-an-electronic-collar-part-two/

You can find a selection of Electronic Training Collars at the SBR Dog Store.  I have not purchased a collar in a number of years and I see there are improvements in features and price since I bought my first one.  I will do a review of whats new soon. 

[Part Two]    [Part Three]

SBR MOTORCYCLE SHOP

where you will find the following items and much more including its own search engine for convenient shopping.

SBR MOTORCYCLE SHOP

where you will find the following items and much more including its own search engine for convenient shopping.