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Motorcycle Safety & Driveability/Expert Profile

Pat Hahn

Available

Expertise

I can answer questions related to motorcycle safety: knowledge, skills, technical, or theoretical. I am especially familiar with the concepts of risk management, hazard awareness, crash avoidance, and traction management as they pertain to motorcycle riders. Please do not ask me to troubleshoot your mechanical/electrical problems ("Why won't my bike start?").

Experience in the area

I'm an MSF-Certified Instructor (12 years), author of the motorcycle safety books How to Ride a Motorcycle and Ride Hard, Ride Smart, co-author of Motorcycle Track Day Handbook, and Public Information Officer for the State of Minnesota: I coordinate public information and education for the Minnesota Motorcycle Safety Center, a project of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

Organizations

Motorcycle Safety Foundation, Minnesota Motorcycle Safety Center
Check out my website at www.motorcyclesafety.state.mn.us Of particular interest is "Safety Tips"

What do you like about this subject?

Ever since I first began riding about 16 years ago, I've wanted to give something back to the activity that's given me so much enjoyment. Combine that with my fear of dying, aversion to pain, and fascination with controlling my environment, and here I am.

What do you still hope to achieve/learn in this field?

I want riders, more than anything else, to take what they do SERIOUSLY.

Something interesting about this subject that others may not know:

There is no crash conceivable, except for the one-in-a-million "Act of God" type crashes (like the guy who died after a dog fell on him from an overhead railroad trestle) that couldn't have been prevented by the motorcyclist.

Something controversial or provocative about this subject

I would fight any type of mandatory helmet law on the principle of freedom of choice, but the typical anti-helmet-law organizations are cutting their own throats (and the rest of our throats) by trying to prove that helmets are dangerous. They're showing their elected representatives just how stupid they are by believing that helmets cause neck injuries (they don't--crashing does).

Average Ratings

Recent Reviews from Users

User	Date	K	C	T	P	Comments
jake	02/23/10	10	10	10	10	Thanks for your help. yeah it's adjustable .....
joel	02/13/10	10	10	10	10	Good author and a good educator. A .....
Jasmin	10/21/09	10	10	10	10	Thank you so much for your response .....
Charlie tieu	10/12/09	10	10	10	10	Thank you so much you have answer .....
Richard	09/23/09	10	10	10	10	OK, Thanks

Recent Answers from Pat Hahn

2010-03-06 aftermarket exhaust:

You should find an online Intruder discussion group and find out what experiences other people have had, certainly. But I can give you some general advice: Changing out the pipe changes the way the

2010-02-20 dirt bike:

I'll bet it gives you a rough ride, too, huh? ;-) It sounds like the rebound damping is set too high on the shocks, that is, IF that bike has adjustable shocks. The rebound adjustment is commonly

2010-02-10 Emergency Braking - lay 'er down:

Thanks for the kind words, Joel. In the sport bike community, this subject comes up from time to time, but in a different way. Instead of "laying 'er down" the discussion is "when to jump." Funny. I

2010-02-01 Drilled-out tail pipe:

Without knowing exactly what was done to the tailpipe (to what degree it was "drilled out") let me offer what I know in the way of advice: The manufacturer intended the stock engine to run with the

2009-10-30 New Rider - Bike Selection:

Ron, good on you for giving it so much thought. A conscientious rider can learn to ride on any bike, really. As a rule, it's best to advise new riders to start small--if you can get them before they've

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