Talk about crafty! A new San Francisco-based startup is hand-making electric motorcycles projected to sell for around $5,000. Nathan Jauvtis, professional tinkerer and co-founder of Bolt, came up with the idea to build a clean, fully electric motorcycle that is easy to ride and accessible to enthusiasts. He started working on Bolt in his garage and has now started taking reservations from buyers.

What sets Bolt apart from other bikes? For starters, you will use a smartphone app to start it, and the bike can be tracked via GPS locator should it ever go missing. Parents will even be able to set limits on Bolt's speed to protect teen riders from the temptations of fast riding.

So what do you think? Is this the future of motorcycling? Weigh in by leaving a comment below, or join the conversation on Facebook. You can check out Bolt Motorbikes at www.boltmotorbikes.com.

If you or someone you care about has been injured in a motorcycle crash, get help. Call us today for a free consultation:

1-877-BIKER-LAW

Are you in the market for a new Victory motorcycle or Polaris powersport vehicle? Do you have a Costco membership? If so, you're in luck… Now you can pick out your new ride when you pick up bulk bagels and paper towels.

Costco itself isn't actually selling motorcycles; those sales are managed by dealers who participate in a partnership program with the wholesale chain (un-creatively named the Costco Auto Program).

The program isn't new, either. Victory and Polaris are joining Aprilia, BMW, Ducati, Honda, Husqvarna, Indian, Kawasaki, KTM, Moto Guzzi, MV Agusta, Spyder, Suzuki, Triumph, and Yamaha. As a matter of fact, a number of major car companies also participate in the Costco Auto Program, which Costco says sold about 350,000 vehicles last year.

What do you think? Would you buy a motorcycle, powersport vehicle, or even a car through Costco? Let us know: Comment here or join the conversation on Facebook.

Source: http://bit.ly/1vkJLM2

We've talked about a lot of powerful machines in our previous blog posts, from motocross to motorcycle ice racing to... lawn mowers?

Believe it or not, lawn mower racing is growing in popularity every year. Some people call it the "poor man's NASCAR", but most just call it fun. These racing machines aren't your average mowers, either: the blades are removed for safety, and everything from engine to body is customized for speed. Some racers will spend over $10,000 to get their machines ready; fortunately, as with NASCAR, many companies are willing to sponsor racers to help get them on the track.

Photographer Jennifer Boomer has been following lawn mower racers with her camera; you can see her photos here. Do you race? Tell us all about it in our comments section! 

July is Women's Motorcycle Month, a chance to celebrate women who ride.

Ashley Fiolek is not your typical motocross racer, and not because she's a woman. Ashley, a two-time women's motocross champion and two-time X Games gold medal winner, was born deaf. She doesn't let it slow her down.

Because she can't hear, Fiolek says that she had to learn to shift her bike by feel. She and her dad worked on it again and again, until feeling for the vibration of the bike became second nature, and she learned to fly. Shifting by feel is one thing, but not being able to hear other bikes on the track can make passing or moving laterally a huge challenge. To overcome it, Fiolek watches for shadows on the ground, and uses corners to check behind her to see if she can move. It seems like no obstacle is too difficult for Fiolek, who keeps racing, jumping, and winning.

While most motocross racers get a thrill from the noise on the track, Fiolek says that she feels at peace when she's racing. For her, racing is a chance to focus and be alone with her thoughts. “It calms me down,” she said in an ESPN interview. “It feels like you are flying.”

To watch the full ESPN interview on Vimeo, click here. 

Did you know according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

- Motorcycles comprise only 2% of registered vehicles, but account for 5% of traffic fatalities annually?

- The fatality rate per miles traveled for motorcyclists is 16 times that of car occupants?

So what is exactly being done to combat these numbers?

Well, beginning last year, BMW and Honda began a vehicle to vehicle (V2V) study at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) to test and determine how cars, trucks, buses and motorcycles interact and react to V2V technology.

^{Photo courtsey of motorcycle.com}

“Two tasks will be conducted in the Safety Pilot Model Deployment Geographic Area as a proof of concept for incorporating motorcycles into the connected vehicle environment. The two tasks are motorcycle communications feasibility testing and motorcycle-to-vehicle performance testing,” says a press release from Cohda Wireless, the cooperative intelligent transport systems hardware manufacturer supplying the V2V communications technology.

V2V communication would give all vehicles the ability to communicate with each other and increase the safety of all vehicles on the road.

“If a motorcycle can, via V2V communication, communicate with an approaching vehicle and ensure it doesn't turn left until the motorcycle has passed, that'll eliminate a huge cause of motorcycle accidents,” says an article from motorcycle.com. “And if V2V communication is constant (every minute of every day), the technology will [supersede] the responsibility of the car driver to be vigilant of motorcycles, effectively turning Motorcycle Safety Awareness from a month of observance to an unremitting affair.”

Click here to watch a video from BMW on V2V.

Click here to watch a video on the Honda ASV-3 that uses V2V communication.

For more information visit: motorcycle.com

^{Photo courtsey of http://destinationsafety.com/share-the-road-with-motorcycles/}

May is Motorcyle Awarness Month and although THE Motorcycle Lawyer encourages drivers to watch for motorcyclists every single day, he wants to honor this month by asking all drivers to observe these 5 tips: 

#5: The road is not a race track. You have nothing to prove, so don't try. If you hurt or kill a motorcyclist because you were trying to challenge them with your car, you'll probably never forgive yourself. Remember, even the slightest contact with a motorcycle can be fatal, so don't risk it.

#4: Back it up! Following too close is a bad idea no matter what's in front of you, but it's especially dangerous if you're tailgating a motorcycle. There's no such thing as a minor “fender bender” if you hit a motorcycle, so please back off.

#3: Don't crowd a motorcyclist. Sometimes, bikers need to move laterally within a lane to avoid debris; stuff that wouldn't affect a car can be a big problem on a motorcycle. Motorcyclists have the right to use the entire lane… let them!

#2: Look, then look again. Be extra careful this time of year if you live in a colder climate; you might not be used to seeing motorcycles on the road again. Taking the time to double check before moving could be a life-or-death decision. Check your blind spots. Signal. In other words, be a good driver.

#1: See the motorcyclist. A motorcycle doesn't ride itself, there's a person on that bike; someone who has a family and a job and a reason to be on the road. See them, and do your part to keep them safe. 

There are two-wheeled motorcycles, three-wheeled motorcycles and motorcycles with sidecars, but have you ever seen a one-wheeled motorcycle?

Well, you have now. This one-wheeled motorcycle prototype is called RYNO. It has been in construction for seven years by Chris Hoffman. RYNO is a single-wheeled, zero-emissions motorcycle that uses similar, but more advance technology as Segway.

Hoffman started developing RYNO after his daughter saw a one-wheeled motorcycle in a video game and asked if he could build one. And he did.

Even though RYNO is still a prototype, it may be available later this year. It will cost about $5,295 from a facility outside of Portland, Oregon. Hoffman and his team are in the process of gathering nationwide dealers who will allow potential customers to try out RYNO for themselves.

Click here to watch the RYNO in action.

For more information on storing your motorcycle for winter visit http://www.themotorcyclelawyer.com/257.html.

To read about the bicycle case click here.

To read past articles from The Motorcycle Lawyer click here.

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