DH wears Joe Rocket gear, so this Christmas I want to pick up a new leather jacket for him. He loves his Joe Rocket textile jacket, but I feel safer when he’s in leather. He likes the Yamaha racing replica jackets, but he doesn’t like wearing the Yamaha blue. I picked out two that I like, now I just have to decide which one he would like.

There’s the Champion Superbike Jacket that I think is more his style.

Or I can get him the one I like, the Nitro Leather.

Which do you prefer? I really like the clean look of the Nitro, but I know DH will probably say it looks too much like something his dad would wear.

As much as I love you Valentino Rossi, I’ve got a new boy in my book. I loved the fact that Rossi joined up with Yamaha. That was like a dream come true to me, that is until I spotted Casey Stoner. This year I’ve watched Casey totally dominate MotoGP, and I absolutely love him.

If Casey wins his last race on November 4th he’ll have 11 wins under his belt this year. That’s a fantastic season. Rossi has won 11 races in a season on 3 separate occasions, but only one other ride I know of has also hit the 11 races in a season mark. That would be Giacomo Agostini. Casey Stoner could very well put himself up there with Rossi status in my book if he keeps up the great track record. The only downside? He rides a Ducati. Come on Casey make me happy and join up with Yamaha!

Until then I’ll keep boasting about how great you are while I drool over your photos. You truly are a hot rider in both definitions.

Oh, and I’m sorry Alli….Nicky Hayden’s falling behind girl!

Hubby and I are supposed to take a nice relaxing ride with his parents this morning to go see the beautiful leaves changing on top of the mountain.  That got me thinking about how careful we need to be about falling leaves on the roadways.  Just take a look at the Killboy highlights this week to see the evidence.   Fall brings in some beautiful scenery, but every year I also hear about Fall bringing in higher motorcycle accident rates.  Why is that?  Well there are few different things that happen around this time of the year that motorcyclists need to be aware of.

Leaves begin to change.  With the changing of the leaves come a new flux of people ready to see the beauty.  If you live in a very scenic area like I do, you’re definitely going to see more tourists.  Tourists are paying attention to the leaves, and most likely don’t have motorcycles on the brain.  Keep an eye out for them.  Remember more motorcycle accidents are caused by cars.  It’s the job of the motorcycle rider to be aware of not only him or herself but the cars around you, too.  Keep the following things in mind while riding this fall.

As I just mentioned, those beautiful leaves will begin to fall.  A lot of riders think falling leaves aren’t a problem unless they become wet.  Yes wet leaves are a very dangerous situation, but dry leaves can cause you to wreck, too.  When leaves are falling or on the roadways try to keep your speed down and stay aware.

More motorcycles are on the roads during the fall.  Maybe it’s because a lot of riders are trying to get as many rides in as possible before the cold season hits, or maybe it’s just that the weather is so nice.  Either way there are definitely more motorcycles seen on the roads during the fall.

Deer are more active during the fall season.  I always jokingly tell DH it’s because all the hunters are chasing the deer out of the woods, but in reality we see more deer on the roadways during the fall because they’re just more active this time of the year.  I’ve seen six deer on the roads this week alone!  Thankfully they were all either crossing in front of us, or we had time to slow down for them.  We came up on a deer last night that took off running back into the woods before we got close because the revving of the bike scared it, but this doesn’t always happen.  Keep an eye out and remember deer can jump out at you anytime, especially during dawn and dusk.

Road crews start prepping for the winter months.  Later in the fall in certain areas the road crews will start prepping for winter months.  Depending on the weather in your area, this could happen as early as October and even as late as early December.  Normally this involves filling cracks and pot holes to try to prevent them from worsening during ice.  Keep an eye out for this because the stuff used to fill these cracks and holes can be slippery if they use too much, especially during wet conditions or dew.  It’s especially dangerous when you come upon this stuff in a curve.

Speaking of road crews, a lot of states also begin road repair in the Fall.  This might involve adding gravel and/or oil to the roads to get ready for repaving the road or sections that are damaged.  I know around here road crews are especially bad about not putting up signs on roads that have loose gravel.

Depending on where you live, the sun may also be a factor.  Around here the sun gives us more problems in the Fall.  Early on fall mornings the sun is so bright it can blind you.  If you’re riding during a time of day when the sun could be in your eyes, consider buying a tinted visor or wearing sunglasses as well as your helmet.  Also keep an eye out for more weather conditions that change in the fall like more persistent morning fog.

Do you live in a college town?  We live nearby one, and during the fall I will try to avoid it at all costs while on the bike.  Why?  Fall means the college kids are back in school, and they’re not watching for bikes.  Traffic is always horrible here during the fall, and it seems to get better as the rest of the school year progresses.  We’ve had so many kids pull out in front of us this year that it’s just ridiculous.

There might be a few more reasons you can come up with for why you should keep an eye on your safety during not only the Fall, but all of the time.  Feel free to share your safety tips with us with a comment or two!