LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
EDITORIAL AND PRODUCTION
RESPONSE I thoroughly enjoyed Jamie Elvidge’s article in the February issue (“The Long Ride”). It’s been a while since I’ve read anything of hers in Rider. She was a tremendous asset to Motorcycle Cruiser, and I think Rider should pursue her as a regular contributor. MICHAEL O’NEIL, Knoxville, TN Jamie was a Rider staffer in the ’80s. Over the years since, she has contributed to most of the major motorcycle magazines and websites and served as editor of Motorcycle Escape and Cycle World Travel & Adventure. We’re honored to publish her stories in Rider again, and you’ll find another one on page 28. –Ed. I enjoyed Moshe K. Levy’s article “You Meet the Healthiest People on a Honda” (March). However, he wrote about riding his motorcycle while experiencing Covid-induced “brain fog,” and he wound up in the opposite lane on a 600-lb motorcycle facing oncoming traffic. He was lucky to be alive to write that story. Your magazine promotes safety and publishes articles on how to be safe on a motorcycle. You should write a disclaimer that no person should ever get on a motorcycle when they are physically and/or mentally ill (he was both). It was not the time or bike to test his limitations. Maybe he should have started with a bicycle and waited until he was totally recovered before hitting the highway on a motorcycle. THOMAS HAYDEN, Essex, VT The Covid “brain fog” as it affected me was extremely unpredictable. There were spans of multiple days or even over a week where things were fine before a relapse suddenly occurred. It was during these fogfree times that my spirits lifted and I attempted to resume normal activities again. In fact, the whole point of sharing that particular episode on my R 1200 RT was the realization that I needed to get off of it and slow down until my skills recovered. That 6 / M AY 2 02 2 / R I D E R M AG A Z I N E .CO M
was when I parked the BMW and bought the Honda Trail 125. –MKL I read Steven Goode’s review of the Pakit Rak and Bag (Gear Lab, March). This looks like a great solution to the meager luggage capacity of the new Wing, but I don’t see how this can be legal. Most states prohibit obscuration of a vehicle license plate, and in the photos the license plate is not visible from the rear. Is this somehow not an issue? MATT WHITING, via email We have been producing and selling the Pakit Rak luggage system since the 2001 GL1800 Gold Wing was released. On first-gen GL1800s, the license plate was much more visible. On 2012-and-newer Wings, Honda lowered the license plate mount, making it more obscured but still visible from the side. Over the years we’ve discussed this issue with law enforcement officers around the country at various motorcycle rallies. All the officers that looked at our system on the Gold Wing gave the same answer: They would not pull someone over for the license plate visibility alone; it would be some other moving violation that would get the rider pulled over. However, they did say it could be written up as a violation, as the law states the plate must be readable. To date, we are aware of only one state (Florida) where customers expressed concerns because new requirements state that the plate must be visible from the rear. When a vehicle – motorcycle, car, or truck – pulls a trailer, the vehicle’s license plate is not visible from the rear. But it is visible when law enforcement pulls alongside the tow vehicle, as is the case with the Pakit Rak. Robert (Bob) Clouse, President Dixon Y Machine, LLC Home of Pakit Rak Email us at rider@ridermagazine.com.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Greg Drevenstedt ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Audrey Iorio CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Peter Jones, Eric Trow SR. ART DIRECTOR: Chad Cochran CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER: Kevin Wing DIGITAL SOLUTIONS MANAGER: Nici Lawson CONTRIBUTORS: Jamie Elvidge, Kingdom Creative, Arden Kysely, Molly Millroy, Drew Mohegomi, Clement Salvadori, John L. Stein, Dustin Wheelen, Scott A. Williams, Thad Wolff
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