By Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., The Biker Lawyer

As bikers, we live for the open road. There’s nothing like the feeling of two wheels beneath you, the sound of your engine, and the freedom that comes with riding—no matter the season. But as winter approaches and temperatures start dropping, many riders underestimate the dangers of cold-weather riding or overestimate their ability to “tough it out.”

Let me be blunt: riding your motorcycle in cold weather is serious business. Over the years as both a rider and a biker attorney representing injured motorcyclists throughout California and beyond, I’ve seen firsthand what happens when cold-weather riding goes wrong. Hypothermia, frostbite, delayed reaction time, numb hands—these aren’t just discomforts; they are genuine dangers that can kill you on the road.

In this article, I’m going to break down the real risks of cold-weather riding, explain why your body responds differently on a bike in low temperatures, and show you the best gear options to keep you warm, alert, and alive when the mercury drops.

The Dangers of Riding in Cold Weather

1. Hypothermia Can Happen Faster Than You Think

Most riders think of hypothermia as something that happens in snowstorms or freezing rain. Wrong. Hypothermia occurs anytime your body loses heat faster than it can replace it—and at highway speeds, this can happen in temperatures as high as 50°F.

Wind chill is the big killer here.
For example:

• At 50°F, riding at 60 mph, the wind chill feels like 43°F.

• At 40°F, the wind chill at the same speed drops into the low 30s or below.

Once your core body temperature drops, your ability to think clearly and physically react deteriorates rapidly. As a personal injury lawyer, I’ve represented riders who didn’t even realize they were hypothermic until after the crash.

2. Numb Hands and Feet = Delayed Reaction Time

Your extremities—fingers, toes, ears—lose heat first. If your hands go numb, even slightly, you immediately lose:

• Dexterity

• Grip strength

• Precision control

• Ability to brake quickly

• Ability to clutch or throttle smoothly

This is a recipe for disaster. A fraction of a second delay can be the difference between avoiding a collision and becoming another statistic.

3. Cold Tires Mean Less Traction

Rubber gets harder in cold temperatures, which means:

• Longer warm-up time

• Less stickiness

• Reduced cornering grip

• Increased risk of slips and skids

Cold pavement + cold tires = bad combination.

4. Fogging Visors = Reduced Visibility

Your warm breath inside your helmet hits the cold visor and fogs instantly.
Low visibility is one of the top winter riding hazards I see cited in motorcycle crash reports.

5. Black Ice – The Silent Killer

If you ride in areas where temperatures drop near or below freezing, black ice becomes a very real threat. You often won’t see it until it’s too late.

What You Should Wear: Essential Cold-Weather Riding Gear

The good news is that with the right gear, you can significantly reduce the risks and stay warm enough to ride safely and comfortably.

Below are your best options.

1. Base Layers – The Foundation of Warmth

Never underestimate the power of a good base layer. Your base layers should be:

• Moisture-wicking

• Tight-fitting

• Made of Merino wool or synthetic thermal fabric

Cotton is your enemy in the cold—it traps moisture and accelerates cooling.

Recommended pieces:

• Thermal long-sleeve top

• Thermal leggings

• Moisture-wicking socks

2. Mid-Layers – Insulation Against the Cold

Mid-layers keep heat close to your core.
Great choices include:

• Fleece jackets

• Puffer vests

• Heated vests (battery-powered or wired into your bike)

A good heated vest is one of the smartest investments you can make. It warms your core, which keeps blood flowing to your hands and feet.

3. Outer Shell – Windproof and Waterproof

Your outer layer is your armor against wind chill.

Must-have features:

• Windproof

• Waterproof

• Abrasion-resistant

• Breathable

Motorcycle-specific jackets and pants designed for winter riding are always best. Gore-Tex, Cordura, and other weatherproof materials are ideal.

4. Heated Gloves or Glove Liners

Frozen hands are dangerous. Heated gloves or electric glove liners keep your fingers warm and functional. Many plug directly into your bike’s electrical system (just make sure your stator can handle the load).

If you’re not using heated gloves, at least use:

• Thick insulated gloves

• Windproof covers

• Handguards (if your bike allows them)

5. Neck Gaiters, Balaclavas, and Wind Stoppers

Your neck and chin are exposed areas where heat can escape fast.
Use:

• A thermal balaclava

• A windproof gaiter

• Helmet skirts to keep cold air from blowing up into your helmet

6. Cold-Weather Helmets

Some helmets come with features specifically for winter, such as:

• Pinlock anti-fog inserts

• Breath guards

• Better ventilation control

• Double-pane visors (like heated snowmobile visors)

Fog-free visibility is essential in cold-weather riding.

7. Insulated or Heated Riding Boots

Feet get cold faster than almost any part of your body.
Consider:

• Waterproof insulated riding boots

• Heated insoles

• Wool riding socks

8. Motorcycle Add-Ons That Help Immensely

You can upgrade your bike to make it more winter-friendly:

• Heated grips

• Heated seats

• Windscreens

• Handguards

• Lower fairings

These upgrades can dramatically extend your cold-weather riding comfort.

Final Thoughts: Ride Smart or Don’t Ride

Cold-weather riding requires preparation, awareness, and respect for the elements. Riding without proper gear isn’t just uncomfortable—it’s dangerous. Your reaction time decreases, your body stiffens, and hypothermia can hit before you realize anything is wrong.

As “The Biker Lawyer,” I’ve represented countless injured riders. Many of those collisions could have been avoided with the right cold-weather attire and awareness of winter hazards. Riding is a passion—but staying alive and uninjured must always come first.

Gear up properly. Know your limits. Know your environment. And above all—ride safe.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a motorcycle accident, especially during cold-weather conditions, feel free to contact me. I am always here to help fellow riders.

— Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq.
The Biker Lawyer
https://bikerlawblog.com

The post Riding Your Motorcycle in Cold Weather: Hidden Dangers and Smart Gear Choices for Staying Warm and Alive first appeared on Biker and Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog.

The post Why California motorcycle accident victims should use biker lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez to handle their motorcycle accident case and not a normal injury lawyer first appeared on Biker and Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog.

I have waited almost a year to write this article. I am now 61 years old as of the writing of this article. Those of you who read my blog and who know me, know that I’ve been in motorcycle clubs for many years.

In August 2023, at the age of 60. after the Sturgis motorcycle rally, I finally decided to hang up my patch because I simply could not meet the commitments that the club required.

Yes, I was in a top-level club, no, I will not identify the club in this article. The club, as do all motorcycle clubs, requires a certain amount of commitment and time. When you are in a top-level motorcycle club, that commitment is much greater than in small family-type of clubs.

I have no hard feelings towards anybody in the club, it was not their fault that I simply did not have the time to meet the requirements of the club. One thing I can say about most motorcycle clubs is that once you leave, the brothers that you had in the club disappear from your life. That part of leaving the club sucks.

I have a couple of brothers that I have kept in contact with over the years from other clubs, but other than that, of the hundreds of guys that I have ridden with in motorcycle clubs over a 30 year period, I don’t see or hear from any of them, except when they need legal help.

When I go to events, I sometimes see people and of course we acknowledge each other, but that is about it. So much for brotherhood, right? That is just the way it is, unfortunately. Anyone who has been in a club and left the club knows exactly what I’m talking about.

I literally have no resentment; I simply grew out of it. I still say that being in a motorcycle club is a righteous thing. It’s better than sitting on your ass and watching TV or riding motorcycles by yourself.

When I hit the age of 60, I realized that I was the oldest guy in the chapter. My mind told me I was young but watching the 20-something-year-old guys wanting to run around and do different things made me realize that my time had passed. I said to myself, I have been there and done that, maybe it is time to hang it up.

I have ridden in clubs with guys who were 76 years old, but at least for me, I did not want to be that guy.

California motorcycle accident attorney Norman Gregory Fernandez at age 61

I no longer have to worry about riding or driving 80 miles plus to go to church, or being here or being there at the beck and call of a 20-something-year-old Sgt. at arms. I no longer have to worry about getting fined for getting stuck in traffic, being late, or other infractions. I no longer have to worry about mandatory club runs all the time and expending thousands of dollars on travel. I no longer have to worry about showing up somewhere on a work night, not knowing when I’m going to be home, etc. These are the commitments that some clubs require. As a busy attorney trying to run a law firm that has many clients who depend on me, I simply could not do it and it would not have been fair for me to expect that a top level club would make a special accommodation just for me.

Frankly, at least for me at this time, and only speaking for me, I realized that when you are in a top-level motorcycle club, you lose a lot of freedom, depending upon the club. I am actually free now from the burden of the requirements of being in a top-level club, and the time commitments in the evenings and weekends. It just became too much. It feels like a weight has been lifted. In my personal opinion, many clubs make it too difficult to remain as members. Being in a motorcycle club should not be a full time job, and they would keep members for much longer if they lightened up a bit and just enjoyed the ride. Anyway……….

My analysis of the whole motorcycle club scene is that it is not the same as it used to be. Back in the day, everybody wanted to join a motorcycle club. Nowadays, most new riders are on crotch rockets, and it’s very hard to recruit new members into a motorcycle club who are willing to prospect and do what it takes to become a member. Don’t get me wrong, many motorcycle clubs have lots of members, but these clubs used to be much bigger a few years back.

Now, at least for me, I am done with being in a motorcycle club, but I still represent many motorcycle club members. When a motorcycle club member needs help, they may call me at 800-816-1529. I am here for you.

Obviously, I am one of those attorneys who are real experts in dealing with motorcycle club members, especially when it comes to motorcycle accidents and personal injury Cases. I have ridden in motorcycle clubs for well over 30 years so of course I’m an expert.

My client list is like a Who’s Who of the California motorcycle club scene. I have a duty of confidentiality as an attorney to these clients so they will never be disclosed. They know who they are 🙂

I have represented members of many different motorcycle clubs. I will still continue to do so, obviously. In fact, business is booming, and I am taking the time I used to put into the club and putting it more into my law practice, However, I do need a vacation.

Will I ever join another motorcycle club? I will leave this open for now.

I will not join another motorcycle club if the commitment is too great. Being in a top-level motorcycle club was fantastic but there was way too much commitment required. If an opportunity presents itself to join a club that does not require the level of commitment that is untenable for me, I might consider it. I’m sure there is some motorcycle club out there that could make accommodations for me based upon what I do for a living and take that into account.

But at least for now, I am retired from the motorcycle club scene, except for representing motorcycle club members that ask for help.

To all the brothers I have ridden with over the years in motorcycle clubs, and to all of you, keep both wheels down and I will see you in Sturgis this year.

By California motorcycle accident attorney Norman Gregory Fernandez
https://thepersonalinjury.com

The post I have retired from the motorcycle club world; at least for now. first appeared on Biker and Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog.

When planning a motorcycle trip to California, there are several options to choose from. These options range from riding on the Pacific Coast Highway, to traveling through the mountains of the Sierra Nevada, to riding on the infamous Malibu Canyon Road. But how do you pick the best rides for your California adventure?

Yosemite National Park

There are many things to do in the Yosemite National Park area. You can take a scenic ride around the valley, enjoy hiking and biking, or try a mule ride. However, the best way to experience the park is by bike.

One of the most beautiful drives in the US is the Yosemite Park road. It’s a short drive from San Francisco and you can explore the park in one day. The park is a huge tourist destination with over 4.1 million visitors a year.

While you’re in the park, you can visit the famous Valley Visitor Center. Yosemite NP also offers several other visitor centers, including Tuolumne Meadows, Soda Springs, and Mariposa Grove. Each visitor center has maps and information about the park.

There are also bike rentals available. You can rent a tandem or two-seat trailer at the Yosemite Lodge Bike Stand. Also, the Yosemite Airways company has a scenic flight for riders.

If you plan to take a hike, you can check out Lower Yosemite Falls trail. This loop trail gains about 50 feet of elevation and provides gorgeous views of the final drop. Another hike you should consider is Columbia Rock, which has a fantastic sunrise.

Palo Alto to Soquel (Santa Cruz)

If you’re looking for a rad ride, check out the half moon bay to Santa Cruz route. This paved and dirt route stretches from Half Moon Bay to Santa Cruz and traverses a number of fun and fascinating inland roads. While not as snazzy as the Pacific Coast Highway, it provides some great perks. For instance, the town of Davenport is a great place to stop for a bite to eat or a brew.

The ride is not without its qualms. You have to make sure you’re wearing a helmet and there are some traffic issues to deal with. Nevertheless, the scenery is worth the hassle. Among the most scenic spots are Capitola Beach, Shark Fin Cove, and Point Reyes. A good surfing instructor will help you take advantage of the area’s waves.

As for the cheapest liboricles, you’ll have to stray off the main road a bit to make it to the best bets. There’s one that may be more than a mile away from downtown Santa Cruz, but it’s well worth the effort. Luckily, you can always head back down the highway once you hit Soquel.

The best part is, you’ll have the opportunity to “live like a local” and catch the sea breezes and sunsets without the high cost of a rental car. To get you started, you can hire a bike or buy one from the many options available.

Half Moon Bay to Santa Cruz

Located along the Pacific Coast Highway, Half Moon Bay is a perfect spot for a motorcycle ride. Getting to Half Moon Bay is easy by bus or taxi. The town’s Main Street offers a variety of stores, restaurants, and galleries.

Half Moon Bay is known for its incredible beach and surf. The city is also home to several breweries. It’s a small, but lovely town. A great place to explore is the Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Several of the area’s farms can be found along the route, making for an interesting day trip.

During the fall, a pumpkin-filled wonderland emerges in the town of Lemos. This Western-themed destination is home to a haunted house and hay maze, as well as a petting zoo. Guests can also visit the Elverhoj Museum of History and Art, which explores the Danish heritage.

While there, try sampling some local wine. Many of the vineyards in the area are family-owned and offer tasting rooms. Some of the favorites include Tobin James Cellars, Margarita Adventures, and Niner Wine Estates.

There’s also a farmers’ market to check out in Half Moon Bay. Several local vendors sell everything from granola to skincare products.

Pacific Coast Highway

The Pacific Coast Highway, also known as US Route 101, is one of the best motorcycle rides in the world. It offers amazing coastal views, historic sites, and quirky fishing and surfing villages.

Although it is only one of several routes through California, it is considered to be the king of the highways. Riders can enjoy spectacular views of the coastline as they travel through the state’s most iconic cities.

The road is mostly unspoiled and offers great views of the coastline. Many people ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. This is an easy route and you should expect to complete it in less than three days.

While the PCH is a fantastic roadway, it is also full of twists and turns. A number of short one lane sections are used for road repairs. You should also be prepared for a lot of stoplights. If you are a solo rider, you should not hesitate to jump the line and get out of the way of other motorists.

If you are looking for more excitement, you may want to try a loop route. The Ventura County Loop is a good option. There are numerous twists and turns and the route also passes through the ocean.

Malibu Canyon Road

Malibu Canyon Road is one of the most popular motorcycle routes in California. It offers outstanding views and deep etched canyons. In addition to that, it is easy to ride. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced rider, Malibu Canyon is the ideal route to take.

The route takes riders through the Malibu Creek State Park and the Paramount Ranch. From there, it leads to the spectacular beaches in Malibu. You will also have the opportunity to ride through Cold Canyon, King Gillette Ranch, and Reagan Ranch.

Aside from that, Malibu Canyon is home to the Waves of Flags display. Here, you will find over two thousand national flags, representing every country in the world. There is a rock store at the end of the trail, too.

If you want to avoid PCH and the traffic, you can ride on the Mulholland Highway. This route is a short one, and it’s perfect for beginners.

For more challenging rides, you can head up Decker Canyon. This route has plenty of turns and sharp curves. However, it can be quite dangerous. That’s why you should hold on tight to your bike.

Another good option is to head up Latigo Canyon. This road starts in Malibu and ends at Kanan Dume Road. Although it is not as long as the Malibu Canyon Road, it is full of twists and turns.

Sierra Way to CA-190

When planning a motorcycle trip to California, there are several routes to choose from. However, the most popular route is the Double Century. This is the original 200-mile route in Southern California. The ride is challenging and beautiful, taking cyclists through the deserts, mountains, and peaks of the state.

The route has many advantages, including its quaint towns, easy riding, and relatively light traffic. There are also bailout options for beginner riders.

It is a great choice for anyone who likes to climb and explore the lesser known parts of California. Riders can start in Santa Ynez or Ballard. They will travel through the back roads of Santa Ynez, Los Angeles, and Lompoc.

The double century route takes riders through the most scenic parts of Southern California. They will experience the beauty of the deserts, the peaks of the Sierras, and the coastline.

One of the best features of this ride is that it has no traffic lights. There are ten rest stops along the route. You can find a number of volunteers who will allow you to finish the course. In addition, the course is marked with a number of helpful signs.

Another great feature of the course is that it is one of the safest in the state. This is especially true for novice riders. Unlike some other California motorcycle rides, there are no speed bumps and there are no traffic lights to worry about.

Mountain Hamilton Loop

Mountain Hamilton Loop is a scenic bike loop that runs up and down Mount Hamilton in the greater Bay Area. This ride offers amazing views of the Pacific Coast and the Los Angeles area. The course features rolling hills, technical riding and plenty of bailout options.

Starting in Santa Clarita, the route takes cyclists through parts of Los Padres National Forest and through Santa Maria and Ventura County. Once through Los Padres, the route winds through a series of river canyons. Riders will then join the traditional Spring route on Foxen Canyon.

Those who enjoy a challenge will love the route. After the first 150 miles, riders will encounter the Sierra Road, the steepest climb in the country. A rest stop is located at the top of the mountain.

Another challenging road is the Lompoc-Casmalia Road. It is a section of the Vandenberg Grade. It starts at River Park Campground, and diverges from Highway 1.

There are three rest stops on this ride. Each location is open for a limited amount of time, so riders need to be able to reach the stops while they are open.

If you want to ride this ride, you’ll need a bike that’s rated for mountain biking. You can check with the ride organizers for more details.

California Biker Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez 

California Biker Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez

 

If you have been injured in a motorcycle accident anywhere in California call us now for a free consultation. Norman Gregory Fernandez is the original Biker Lawyer that Rides. We are expert motorcycle accident attorneys, 800-816-1529.

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The post Best Motorcycle Rides in California first appeared on Biker and Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog.

Depending on the climate where you live, you may be asking yourself, what kind of gear should you wear while riding a motorcycle? The truth is that you should be protected from the elements in a variety of ways, and your motorcycle gear is an important part of that. While riding a motorcycle is incredibly fun, the dangers that you face are much greater than they seem. Fortunately, science has developed various types of protective gear to help you stay safe and comfortable.

Motorcycle boots should protect your feet. Leather motorcycle gloves are a great choice because they provide 100% hand coverage. A pair of leather motorcycle boots should have good ankle support and durable materials. You can also check the fit of your footwear by twisting the toes or the heel. Lastly, be sure to wear pants that cover your upper body and keep your legs covered and dry. And do not forget to get a helmet.

If you ride a motorcycle, it is essential that you wear protective clothing. Choosing the right biker gloves can make all the difference in the world. A good pair of biker gloves will cover your entire hand and will help protect you from being hit by a car or a truck. The material should be durable and reinforced, and it should be made of a thick material that will last for many years.

You should also buy biker gloves. These gloves should provide full hand coverage and reinforced stitching. They should also have armor at the base of the palm. But do not worry, they will not interfere with the control of the bike. Just be sure to purchase a pair that does not interfere with your bike’s controls. This way, you can focus on riding your motorcycle safely.

When riding a motorcycle, you should always wear protective gear. Your helmet should be a light color to make you more visible to other motorists. You should also wear a helmet with reflective strips to ensure that you are visible to other drivers. As a rule of thumb, you should wear a leather jacket or pants for maximum safety. In the case of a crash, you should be wearing the proper protective gear for every type of weather.

Your motorcycle clothing should provide protection not only in the event of a collision but will also protect you from the cold and heat of the motorcycle. Your riding apparel should cover your arms and legs, be comfortable, and fit properly. It should fit loosely and snugly but should be durable enough to protect you. A jacket should also protect you from overheating and dehydration. While leather is a better option, synthetic materials are more affordable and will provide you with the same protection.

If God forbid you are in a motorcycle accident anywhere in California call the real Biker Lawyer who rides for free consultation on your motorcycle accident case at 800-816-1529 extension 0.

The post What kind of gear should you wear when riding a motorcycle? first appeared on Biker and Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog.

Well for those of you who know me, and those of you who do not, I have suffered most of my entire life with a bad left knee.

I remember the day I wanted to play pop Warner football when I was 13 years old for the Chatsworth Chiefs. My father told me, “Norm, if you play tackle football you will screw up your knees.” I told him in response, “dad, I will not screw up my knees.”

Boy was I wrong. After playing running back for 2 years of pop Warner football, and then 2 years of high school football, I tore two ligaments off the bone in my left knee during my second year in high school. That was not only the end of my high school football career dreams, but the beginning of a lifelong suffering with a serious bad left knee.

Back in those days, 1979-1980, they did not have the technology they have today. As a matter fact, had the injury I had back then, happened even today, it would be a career ending type of injury modernly. I remember the doctors told me I may never walk normally again. I remember in surgery, they gave me a spinal which numbs the bottom part of your body, and then I was given a sedative, I was not under general anesthesia. I woke up during the surgery and observed the surgeon with one of those hand drills about to go to town on my knee. I suffered extensively from this injury.

After 6 months in a cast after the surgery, in my 11^th grade year of high school, they cut the cast off. In those days there was no physical therapy, and I just winged it on my own.

The next year I managed to pass the US Air Force physical exam, and went to basic training rather than going to 12 grade in high school. In other words, I took the GED and skipped my last year of high school. On the first obstacle course in Air Force basic training, I jumped off a simulated cliff, and promptly tore my knee again.

I kept my injury in basic training hidden because I did not want to get kicked out of the Air Force and sent home. In fact, I should have never passed the Air Force physical to get into the military to begin with. The scars on my knee from my high school football injury were still pink and healing, and I had limited range of motion, but I managed to make it in and do my thing. In basic training my knee swelled up to the size of a basketball and I was in excruciating pain, but I kept it hidden. After basic training I went and saw an outside doctor who stuck a needle in my knee and drained it which was a big relief.

In the years after basic training, I managed to somehow just deal with the bad knee. I was in a combat communications squadron, and we were constantly in the field, but my knee held out.

Sometime around 1987-1988, I tore my knee doing a flying hook kick at my Tae Kwon Do studio. I ended up having a second knee surgery because of that. The doctor did the best he could, but he told me that eventually later on in life I would need a knee replacement.

Basically from the time I was 17 until now, I have suffered with the bad left knee which got so bad, that if I stood for longer than just a few minutes my knee would stiffen up and it would be hard to stand and walk, or even if I sat down for too long, it was hard to get my knee to bend to walk.

On a recent trip to Italy with my wife, the pain in my knee was so bad that I literally ended up in a wheelchair at the very end, I simply could not walk more than 20 or 30 yards at a time without having to sit and rest my knee. The pain was unbearable.

I knew it was time to get my knee replaced. I went to Sturgis this year in August 2021 knowing that I would have my knee replacement on September 3, 2021. I rode my ass off in Sturgis, but while at Sturgis I suffered with my bad knee.

I went in for my knee replacement surgery on September 3, 2021. The doctor told me that if my bones were good that they would use a titanium knee replacement system. As I sat there waiting to be called in to preop, I was thinking whether or not I should actually go through with this?

Before I had a chance to change my mind, they called me in. My wife was allowed to wait with me in preop until they came to wheel me into the operating room. When I got into the operating room there were a lot of people in there. They pumped me with drugs, and the next thing I knew I was waking up being told that it all went well, and that they gave me the Titanium knee.

I am not going to go into all the gory details when I was waking up, and the numbness from the spinal was wearing off, but I will just say this the pain was through the roof. One of the nurses was telling me that I would not feel pain for 24 hours. Hell, as soon the spinal started wearing off, I could feel the pain in the knee even while the rest of the legs were numb. They gave me pain medication.

I developed a situation where my pulse was around 135 and my blood pressure was high. I knew that was not normal and I told the nurses and my surgeon who came to see me that I was concerned. They ordered a CAT scan, and it turned out that I developed what is called a pulmonary embolism, or a blood clot that went into my lung. As I was laying there, I did not know how dangerous my condition was. If you Google it, it says that 25% of people with a pulmonary embolism in their lung die of sudden death syndrome. I do not know if the 25% figure is accurate but they immediately put me on blood thinners. As I laid in my hospital bed I had no clue how bad my condition was.

The nurses told me that I was on a dosage of blood thinners that was higher than they had ever seen anybody else have before. Frankly, the pain in my knee was so bad that I kind of ignored everything else that was going on. After a knee replacement, all everybody wants for the first couple weeks as painkillers.

I really feel bad for my wife who actually had to sit there and watch me go through what I did. If it was her in the same spot as me, it would have torn me up having to go home alone at night leaving her there in the hospital.

Suffices to say because of the pulmonary embolism, I spent 9 days in the hospital, and then went to a skilled nursing facility for an additional 2 1/2 weeks, not only for rehab, but because my house was under construction at the time and the doctors told us that I needed to be in a clean environment.

To top it off, at my postop appointment, it turned out that the surgical wound opened up because of the blood thinners, which I am supposed to take for the next 5 to 6 months to prevent another pulmonary embolism, so I have been basically been on my ass for going on 3 months now waiting for the wound to heal, and hoping to get off of the damm blood thinners.

The knee replacement has affected everything in my life including work. Luckily, I have a good staff, and even though I’m not supposed to be working for a while, I still jump in when I have to.

You may have read in my Sturgis article that I have a paint repair the needs to be done on my motorcycle, but unfortunately that will probably have to wait until I can ride again, so I can take the motorcycle to a shop. I may tow the motorcycle, we will see.

I can honestly say at this point right now that I never would have had the knee replacement had I known what was going to happen. Then again, my wife always reminds me how bad my knee was before the surgery, and she tells me that in a few months I will be happy with the results. Me being in the middle of it right now, I just want the damn thing to heal.

So, there you are, my knee replacement from hell. I have to thank my surgeon, because he was the one that discovered the pulmonary embolism and probably saved my life by ordering the CAT scan.

I thank all the medical professionals that have and are taking care of me right now. Modern medicine is something else. I was told by my surgeon that he only sees two patients a year that have the surgical wound open like what happened to me, so I guess I and one of the lucky two that has to deal with it.

As I write this article, I am very hopeful for a full in good recovery. Once the wound heals, I will be able to start physical therapy. I am looking forward to getting back in the motorcycle as soon as possible, getting back to my Wing Chun kung fu, and riding with the guys from my motorcycle club.

I know I have got a hard few months ahead but I will get through this. I have nothing better to do right now then to negotiate cases for my clients and get them great settlements when I can.

By California motorcycle accident attorney Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., November 27, 2021

The post The knee replacement from hell; taking me off the motorcycle for approximately 5 months or so, by Norman Gregory Fernandez, California Motorcycle Accident Attorney first appeared on Biker and Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog.

Biker Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez on his bike at Sturgis 2021

As you all know I missed the 2020 Sturgis motorcycle rally due to the fact that there was a coronavirus pandemic, and I was high risk. At the time of the 2020 Sturgis motorcycle rally there were no vaccines available.

This year with the Delta variant of the coronavirus, there were warnings before the rally to mask up even if you are vaccinated, to avoid large crowds, etc., but that was not going to stop me from going to Sturgis. I had not had a vacation in two years and being an attorney at law is one of the most stressful jobs on earth.

I not only needed a vacation for my sanity, but for my clients as well because they need an attorney with a clear head. I opted to go to the motorcycle rally Delta variant or not.

My wife Little Teri as you all know is in medical school, and is scheduled to graduate in October 2021. Unfortunately for her, her school transitioned back to in person classes as opposed to remote classes, and her clinical training requires her to be on site at hospitals. In other words, she was not going to be able to go with me this year to the Sturgis motorcycle rally, not even for a couple of days by airplane.

Little Teri and I have not been apart since we met. Basically, we had our first date, and she never left.

I told myself after the Sturgis 2013 motorcycle rally, that I would never go alone again. Unfortunately, since Little Teri could not go this year, and she would not let me bring a surrogate 🙂 I had to go alone this year without her.

I could have gone somewhere else, but let’s face it there is no Sturgis motorcycle rally anywhere else on earth.

Motorcycle Accident Attorney Norman Gregory Fernandez riding motorcycle in a montage of 4 pics at Sturgis 2021.

Teri is a cool head and encouraged me to go because she knew I needed the break from work, it was that bad for me. Not only that, but I have an upcoming total knee replacement surgery, so the vacation was imperative.

Frankly, as the time got closer to the rally, Little Teri became a little irritable, because she could not come with me, and she loves it there. I promised her that I would call all the time, that we would do video calls while I was there, plus I would do Facebook live. I will discuss all of this below.

Everybody who reads the Biker Law Blog knows that I go to the Sturgis motorcycle rally every year (except 2020), and that I take my motorhome, trailer my motorcycle, and stay at the Glencoe campground which is the best place to stay when you’re at Sturgis.

This year I started prepping at least two months in advance to get everything ready. Got the motorhome serviced, my motorcycle serviced, had a new rear tire put on my Indian Roadmaster, had the mono shock replaced on the Indian Roadmaster, etc.

I could not wait to go to the rally, but it did suck that little Teri could not come with me.

I have been to the Sturgis motorcycle rally so many times now that it is almost like going home. It is over 1300 miles away each way, and as I get older the drive kind of sucks especially when you’re by yourself. But once you arrive at Sturgis you cannot wait to get on the bike.

Biker Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez in the Black Hills

This year more than anything, I rode my ass off at Sturgis. I put over 2600 miles on my motorcycle at the Sturgis motorcycle rally, and my subsequent trip to Yellowstone National Park right after the rally.

Thank God for the Russell Day Long saddle that I had custom-made because without a good seat on the Indian, there is no way I could’ve put that many miles on the bike. You can see my story about the custom seat here.

Unfortunately, on my Russell Day Long saddle part of the ten coloring is rubbing off on one side of the seat. I will be contacting them very soon to get it repaired.

I put more miles on my bike at Sturgis this year than any other year that I can remember. One of the reasons being that I was by myself, and this is the first year that I did not get off the bike on the main drag and walk around like I normally do. I decided to protect myself from coronavirus, not to interact with the crowds on the sidewalk. I did ride my motorcycle up and down the main drag many times.

Also, when I went into stores at Sturgis, for the most part, I wore a mask. What was surprising to me, is that many people in South Dakota were wearing masks inside the stores, not just me.

I rode so many miles on certain days, that it was almost dangerous. Meaning, by the end of the day, I was so tired that it was not safe to ride anymore.

Biker Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez’s campsite at Glecncoe Campground, Sturgis 2021

On one particular day near sundown, I rode from Mount Rushmore through Custer State Park, through the Iron Mountain Highway, and took the back route to the Needles Highway, just before sundown. In normal circumstances this would be a super advanced ride. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the hardest this would be a 10 ride. We are talking first gear twisties.

Just before sundown going in that direction the sun is in your eyes and you literally have to take one hand off the handlebars to block the sun so you can see. I don’t care what kind of sunglasses you have the glare is so bad if you don’t block the sun, you will not be able to see the road in front of you.

During this ride, I had to do this quite a bit. Once sundown hit, I realized that I was the only one on the road. I did this ride on Friday and the last day of the rally was on Sunday, so usually it starts winding down on Friday as far as people on the road. But at this time and at this location, I owned the road.

Now I don’t know if any of you have ridden through a forest like what exists as you are heading up to the Needles Highway in the Black Mountains through the back route, by yourself, with no one on the road, just after sundown, but it is almost like a scene from a horror movie. I knew that if I ate it, no one would probably find me until the next day, there is no cell phone service in this area. Secondly, all the forest critters come out at night at this time, and they own the forest in the dark. It was downright eerie. I am not a man that is afraid, but I knew I was not in a very good position and needed to get through there and back to the main highway to Deadwood as soon as possible. You definitely do not want to get stuck in the Black Hills at night, because of deer, Moose, bighorn sheep, and other critters that roam around there, especially at night.

California Injury Attorney Norman Gregory Fernandez at Needles Point, Sturgis 2021

Long story short, I learned my lesson, and I will never do that ride again just before sundown. It was a great ride, but I was kind of anxious to get out of there before it got dark. That is not the kind of ride you want to rush.

One thing I do want to say about Glencoe campground, and the rally overall, is that it is simply not the same as it used to be. They claim that the crowds were much bigger than last year, I do not know, I was not there last year. I can definitely say that the crowd was not as big as it was in 2015, that the rally is steadily losing attendance, seems to be dying out sooner, and there are many more trikes, and older people that then there used to be.

Simply put, we bikers who attend rallies such as Sturgis, are getting older, we are dying out, and we are not being replaced by the newer generation. The demographic at Sturgis is older than it was when I first started going there, then again, I am older is well.

Do not get me wrong, this trend is occurring all over the nation at every motorcycle rally, not just Sturgis. Further, Sturgis is still the mother of all motorcycle rallies. It is definitely packed, just not like it used to be.

When I first started going to Glencoe there was all sorts of adult debauchery going on at night, now the debauchery lasts only one or two nights maybe three, and then it dies out. By Tuesday the main drag at the Glencoe campground is dead compared to what it used to be. The main rally is still off the charts, but the campground dies out.

This could be due to the fact that Glencoe does not have name band acts like it used to, or simply that everyone is getting older.

Biker Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez on his bike showing a little muscle at Sturgis 2021

Another factor is the rally is longer than it used to be. The rally used to be only one week, whereas now it is 10 days.

Obviously, I always recommend going to Sturgis. I have tried to get my friends to go with me every year to no avail, hopefully this year they will come.

Now with respect to Little Teri, I was able to do video calls with her, video calls while I was riding so she could actually be a part of it, and Facebook live videos.

I know she was bummed that she could not be there, but she is in a heavy-duty school, and she will be done soon. When I was in law school which took four years, all I cared about was getting through school, you kind of get used to sacrificing when you are at that level. Like I told Teri it’ll be over soon and next year you’ll be able to come with me.

I hope you enjoy this article and pictures that I posted with it.

God forbid if you’re in an accident anywhere in California give me a call at 800-816-1529, extension 0.

By California Personal Injury Attorney, Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq.

The post Sturgis motorcycle rally, 2021; a vacation without my wife :-) first appeared on Biker and Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog.

For the last four weeks, I have been going to motorcycle club events, and riding with my brothers all over Southern California. I pretty much started going out again approximately two weeks after my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

The first event I went to about four weeks ago, I wore my mask for most of the event. Now with the new CDC guidelines, I am no longer wearing the mask.

I am a long-time motorcycle rider and biker. There are many things in life that give people pleasure such as eating, sex, vacations, conversations, etc. For me apart from sex, the thing that gives me the most pleasure is getting on my motorcycle and riding.

Since last March 2020 due to pre-existing conditions and my age, I was hunkered down socially distancing, and not going anywhere. I personally know two guys in a motorcycle club who died, one of my wife’s high school friends died, and almost 600,000 Americans have died of coronavirus. No matter what your politics are, the coronavirus does not care.

Many guys in my club are much younger and lower risk for coronavirus then I am. They have been riding and going out all long as though nothing was wrong. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I was their age because I’m not. I do know this; my wife and I are alive. The precautions we took mean that we are okay and alive.

Both of us are fully vaccinated and in the last few weeks we have loosened up. All of our meals since last March 2020 were home cooked. We have now begun ordering food and picking up food. I have actually gained a few pounds from all the junk food that I was not eating for over a year.

Another big thing about being in quarantine since March 2020, I got out of shape big time. When you are younger and you sit around and do nothing, you can bounce back in a few weeks when you start working out again. When you are older it takes longer to bounce back, and you have to go at a slower pace when you start working out again. I have not begun working out again I will do so this Monday.

The reason I am telling you all about this is because after each ride that I did over the last four weeks I was completely spent afterwards. The average ride was approximately a hundred 160 miles round-trip which is not a long trip. Some are little bit more; some are little bit less. Plus, when I got to the events where motorcycle clubs are hanging out standing around there for a few hours in the sun takes it out of you as well.

Although my wife Little Teri is still in school, I have already made reservations and purchased a camping spot at the Sturgis motorcycle rally 2021. I am just now building up my endurance and getting my sea legs back on the bike. I am still a little leery about riding in the pack with my motorcycle club, opting to ride in the back until I get my sea legs back. Let me tell you, the club I ride with are hard chargers on the road, riding side-by-side, and inches apart from each other front to back. In Southern California traffic, when the hand single is given, we will split lanes in a single file line. We’re the only state in the union that allows this, and it is much hairier when you’re in a club pack.

Finally, yesterday, I started feeling really good being back on the motorcycle again. Don’t let anybody fool you, riding a motorcycle is not like riding a bicycle. It takes time to get back in the saddle again if you have not ridden in a while. I ride an Indian Roadmaster, which is a very big and heavy bike.

Even riding with a club brother to me was uncomfortable at first because I felt like I needed the lane to get used to being on the bike again. Yes, in California we ride side-by-side in one lane.

If you have been off the motorcycle for a while, I suggest riding on your own to get your sea legs back and become comfortable again before you join a pack. Most of you when you ride in a pack are in a staggered formation with civilians which is fine. But if you going to ride with a hard charging club you definitely want to become comfortable on the motorcycle again before you join the pack. Don’t let peer pressure take you beyond your comfort level.

I don’t want to speak precipitously, but it looks to me like the coronavirus pandemic is winding down here in the United States. There are still too many deaths and two cases per day, but it looks like it is winding down.

You would be an idiot not to get a coronavirus vaccine at this point. Over 30% of Americans have been vaccinated which amounts to over 100 million. The vaccine is obviously safe otherwise many many people would have either died or become sick from the vaccine. There are still dumb shit’s who will not get the vaccine. It is these people that will make the coronavirus continue to spread, and these people who will die when they simply could’ve got a shot to avoid it.

Who knows how long it will take for life to get back to normal both here and throughout the world? At least in my world things are slowly returning back to normal. On the work and my law firm is super busy. As a matter fact, we have never been this busy before. This is a good thing for most businesses, but for us the coronavirus pandemic has made things a bit more difficult because we are remote working.

All I can say is at this point is I cannot wait to ride my bike this summer and to be in Sturgis again and I thank God for those scientists who created the vaccine so that this could be possible. I hear that we may have to take a booster shot again within a year, and that is fine.

For you loyal readers of the Biker Law Blog, there will be more articles forthcoming because I am back in the saddle again.

For all you on the road riding your motorcycle be safe and God be with you as we enjoy being bikers.

By California Motorcycle Accident Attorney, Norman Gregory Fernandez, May 23, 2021

The post The Pfizer vaccine has brought life back to a new type of normal, riding again. first appeared on Biker and Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog.

Frankly, nine months after this coronavirus pandemic started, and being in the midst of a massive second wave of infections here in Southern California, it’s kind of hard for me to say happy new year.

At the present time over 350,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus pandemic, and here in Southern California lockdown orders are in effect. There is in two counties, Los Angeles and Orange county with populations of over 12 million people (more than 40 individual states) combined, less than 20 ICU beds available, and ambulance drivers have been instructed not to transport people to the hospital that cannot be revived in the field, or that they do not think will survive.

This is a disaster for our country. At no time during a war, or other natural disaster except for the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, has our nation faced such a catastrophe of dead and sick.

There are idiots running around in Los Angeles protesting basic mask wearing requirements, and acting like nothing is wrong.

It is hard for me to talk from a personal level about the fact that I have not had a vacation in over a year for the first time since I can remember. I have not stepped into a gym in approximately a year. I missed Sturgis last year, and my wife and I have not gone out to eat or had prepared food delivered since March 2020.

I have ridden less miles on my motorcycle in the last nine months then when I went on active duty in the United States Air Force.

My wife is in medical school so the pandemic has been both problematic and helpful to her in that she did not have to go to school since March of last year, they had class remotely, but she did have to suit up and provide medical care during clinicals at nursing homes where there was coronavirus. Right now they have stopped clinicals because of the second wave of the pandemic.

Luckily for me, my wife Little Teri is a good cook and a gracious wife. She has cooked meals for me since March, she makes coffee, and she is a great companion and a great wife. I would not want any other woman with me during this time, nor can I imagine being with anyone else.

Even though I am high risk for major complications if I do get coronavirus, my wife and I even though the present situation sucks, have it better than many people who have either gotten sick, have lost their jobs, have died or had family members who died, have no money, or have or will lose their homes or places of residence.

It really is hard to talk about motorcycle riding during the nightmare pandemic that we are going through. I did take a motorcycle ride about a month ago to get service done on my Indian Roadmaster, and it was a great ride believe me. I did wear and N 95 mask underneath my modular helmet and did not smoke cigars like I ordinarily would do while riding, but it was without a doubt most excellent.

As I write this so-called happy new year 2021 article, two vaccines have been approved for general use on emergency basis, and my wife and I are waiting as are millions of other Americans, to get vaccinated so that we can go on with life.

There are guys in my motorcycle club that are younger than me, and that run around with no masks on an act like everything is normal. I guess if I was young still and was not a high risk person, I would probably do the same thing, but that is not an option for me right now. I kind of envy the guys that don’t have to worry about what could happen if they get the coronavirus. I do tell some of my brothers that there are young people dying from the coronavirus as well, you never know how bad it could be. But then again, the vast majority the people that do get the coronavirus recover quite well. Then again, I have heard reports about young people who get the virus that have said it was the worst illness that they have ever had.

The way I see it, I can wait it out until we get the vaccination.

It is urgent for all of you to get the coronavirus vaccine as soon as you can. The only way that we will get to herd immunity and back to normal is to shut the coronavirus down. I am not sure if the coronavirus vaccine prevents the coronavirus from being transmitted, but it is supposed to prevent you from becoming seriously ill from the coronavirus.

My dream for my family and I as well as the world is returning back to a world of normal living.

I am planning on going to Sturgis in August, but since my wife is in school she will probably have to fly out there to meet me. The Sturgis trip is dependent upon both my wife and I getting the vaccination before the rally. We would probably still wear masks at the rally, but that is okay.

All in all it is not really a happy new year right now, probably the worst New Year’s I have experienced in my entire life. I’m quite positive that many of you if not all of you are going through a similar thing. My wife says that when she goes out it is downright dreary and weird seeing everybody wearing masks, but for now it is the new normal. I am sure that eventually we will return to normal.

May God be with all of you and my family and I and hopefully we will all survive this coronavirus pandemic and other calamities, and hopefully sometime this year we will return to somewhat normal.

By California Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq.

The post Happy New Year 2021 from the Biker Law Blog first appeared on Biker and Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog.

I do not have to tell you, you already know, 2020 has been for most of us the worst year we can possibly imagine. The Covid-19 pandemic started early in 2020, and many of us have been socially distancing, and isolating since approximately March 2020.

As for me, I have a couple of high-risk factors that they warn about with Covid-19, that make me especially vulnerable if I become infected with Covid-19. Tens of millions of Americans are also dealing with the same issue regarding high risk factors.

For whatever reason, which is something that is very disappointing to me personally, the nation seems divided as to how to handle the Covid-19 pandemic. The majority of Americans understand that this disease is much deadlier than ordinary flu and are taking precautions to protect themselves. There are many millions however that flat out are treating the Covid 19 pandemic like it is just a flu and a flat out are acting as everything is normal. There are guys in my motorcycle club that treat the Covid-19 pandemic this way.

I suppose it has to do with age, younger people do not seem to be adversely affected by Covid-19 then older people. Although younger people are dying as well.

As of the writing of this particular article we are approaching 350,000 dead in less than a year, and they are predicting many more dead by February.

The good news is that vaccines have now been developed, and it is said that by June 2021 there will be enough vaccines available for everyone that wants to get one. My wife Little Teri and I plan on getting the vaccine as soon as we can. The new vaccines are said to be approximately 94% defective in preventing serious illness from Covid-19.

I myself am 57 years old. I remember a time when all good Americans were vaccinated for all types of disease. When I went to elementary school, they actually gave us vaccines at the school using air guns. We were in the midst of the Cold War, and Americans at that time although divided by the Vietnam War, still came together when it came to certain things.

Scientists have almost eradicated many types of illnesses with vaccines such as polio, measles, whooping cough, etc. For some reason an anti-science movement has arisen in this country, that flat out do not want to take vaccines. These people that refuse to take vaccines are responsible for the resurgence of many diseases that were thought to have been eradicated with vaccines.

The same people who refuse to take vaccines, may also prevent us from eradicating the Covid-19 pandemic, or at least making it so that it is much less pervasive that it is now. If everybody were to take the vaccine, it is said that Covid-19 would be a minimal issue.

We are also being told that we will still have to wear masks for a time after the pandemic is over. I do not mind wearing a mask, it is better be to be alive that to be dead. Dying from Covid from what I have read is not a good way to go because you basically suffocate to death.

I do not have to go into all the sacrifices I have made this year. I am quite positive all of you have had the same experience. As a California personal injury attorney, luckily for me I have been busy this year with many cases to work and have not had to lay any staff off. Further, I have not had to reduce hours for my staff. We are all working remotely from our homes which in my case has caused me to work much harder than when I went to an office.

I miss taking a vacation, I miss going out to dinner, I miss being able to jump on my motorcycle whenever I want and not have to worry about getting Covid-19. My wife and I have literally not gone out to dinner since March 2020. We have been doing home-cooked meals, and substantially have had all of our food delivered from supermarkets. There was a time before the current second wave, where I started venturing out to go shopping and do different things.

With the second wave of infections right now, my wife and I are hunkered down waiting to be able to get vaccinated, doing the best we can.

I am luckier than most, I have a full gym at my house to work out with, but frankly lately the burnout from this pandemic has taken me away from working out. Instead, I am eating more than I should. I am lucky because many Americans are in food lines right now starving.

At this time, my 77-year-old father is hospitalized in Simi Valley with Covid-19, and other conditions and I am worried sick about him. I know many Americans have lost family members due to this insidious illness, and many Americans are suffering long-term effects related to Covid-19.

Whether you believe in God or not, I will believe for all of us and say, God please take this horrible Covid 19 pandemic away from mankind, allow us to return back to normal as soon as possible, and help those who are facing eviction, and have no food, and keep all of us safe from this horrible illness. Amen.

All of us go through hard times at one point or another, that is part of life. Just like you, the nightmare of Covid-19 was something I never expected to go through in my life. Luckily, my wife and I have been able to stave off this infection so far. We will do our best to keep staving it off until we get vaccinated.

It could very well be that just like in Asia, facemasks will become the norm throughout Western nations. In Asia they have been wearing facemasks since the swine flu and H1N1 emerged. The people in Asia realized that facemasks help you to not get infected.

I know it will suck if we have to continue to wear facemasks, but it is better than getting Covid-19. We will see how it goes.

So, my wife and I wish you and your family happy holidays 2020 as best as can be expected under the circumstances. I recommend that you heed the expert’s advice and not travel, and socially isolate. After Thanksgiving we had this huge second wave of Covid 19 illnesses and deaths, and if people ignore the pandemic, it will be worse after Christmas. Many people’s insistence on traveling to be with their families during Christmas, will end up making many more people ill and sick and potentially die because of other peoples choice and not following the expert’s advice.

Let us hope 2021 is a much better year.

By California Personal Injury Attorney, Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq.

The post Happy Holidays as much as possible during the Covid-19 pandemic, 2020, by Norman Gregory Fernandez first appeared on Biker and Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog.

I am 57 years old and have ridden motorcycles since I was less than 10 years old. This means I have been riding motorcycles for over 40 years. I have been riding Street motorcycles since I was 16 years old, or 41 years.

I remember as a kid getting a real bad flu in 1968, my whole family was sick. That was the Hong Kong flu, and it was pretty deadly for the time. We were sicker than dogs.

Nothing in my lifetime, or bad dreams could have prepared me for this Covid 19 pandemic. Jesus H Christ you have over 254,000 dead as I am writing this article, we are going into a lock down again, and this is some bad juju.

The good news is it appears that at least two vaccines will be coming out soon that are over 94% effective. From what I understand the vaccines are not effective unless you take two doses with the second dose being taken approximately one month after the first dose. They are talking about potentially starting to distribute the vaccines in December for high risk people, but realistically if at least 70% of Americans take the vaccine, we will not reach herd immunity until sometime in the spring or summer of 2021.

I know this pandemic has affected all of you, it sure the hell affected me and my wife. Hell, this was the first year I have not gone to Sturgis since 2012. I need a damn vacation now.

Now I am not going to get political on here I know a lot of you guys support Trump, I know a lot of you guys support Biden. That is another issue without going into politics that really pisses me off. We are all Americans, we for the most part we have good lives compared to other people in the world, we all love our country, and the 7 x 24-hour news cycle is dividing us into enemies. You all know full well that we could be in a pack of people riding our motorcycles having a great time some people are Republicans, some are Democrats, as long as nobody talks about it everybody gets along just fine. This is the subject matter for an article that I will write in future. I think our enemies are dividing us and we need to come together.

The reason I brought up a little bit about politics is because in one camp I believe for political reasons, there are some people that believe the coronavirus pandemic is false, or it is no worse than the flu. This camp goes against all credible scientific evidence. The other camp, which is mainstream, knows that the pandemic is deadly serious with a very large mortality rate compared to the flu.

I myself being a veteran of the United States Air Force, and having been through a lot of shit in my life, want to live a long and healthy life so I can continue riding my motorcycle, having sexual relations with my wife, traveling, and having a good time. If I die from coronavirus then I will miss out on all the good times coming up in the future.

Therefore, back in March 2020, when the experts told us to hunker down, that is exactly what I did. I hunkered down and only in the last month or so have started venturing out to do what I have to do. I even went and got a haircut.

A couple weeks ago I rode my motorcycle down to San Diego and have visited my brothers in my motorcycle club a couple of times, me being the only one wearing a mask.

I did wear a mask underneath my modular helmet while I was riding my motorcycle. A KN 95 mask. I usually smoke cigars when I am riding my motorcycle, but it was no problem wearing the mask while riding the motorcycle. It was no problem closing the modular helmet with the mask on and as a matter fact, it’s a probably a hell of a lot healthier wearing the mask even under normal conditions because of all the road dirt and debris here in Southern California.

2020 marked the longest time I have gone without riding a motorcycle since I was in basic training in the military. There are lots of guys including the guys in my club they just act like everything is normal, they do not wear masks, and they run around as though the coronavirus is not happening.

I think I am the second oldest guy in my club now, most of them are young veterans. If I were their age, I would probably act the same way I am not sure.

I am on a bunch of different motorcycle forums on the Internet. I now ride in Indian roadmaster, so I am on some Indian forums, and I am on other motorcycle forums as well. Many of us that are abiding by the doctor’s recommendations are going ape shit crazy waiting for the pandemic to end. Others are acting like everything is normal.

I can tell you this, this has been a lifetime experience and I cannot wait for it to end. I long for the days of going to Sturgis, going out to eat, without any worry about catching some deadly disease. Do you realize that I have not gone out to eat since March? I am sure there are others like me.

Anyway, I like you want this damn nightmare to end. I cannot wait to be back on my bike riding near and far.

For all of you riding your motorcycle right now, it is now winter. Make sure you have appropriate cold-weather riding gear, and gloves. If you are riding in wet conditions act as though your tires will slip out from under you. That will force you to be more careful and to go slower.

I am still here working. If God forbid you have a motorcycle accident, car accident, slip and fall trip and fall, call me at my office at 800-816-1529. We are remotely working here but we are working every day and getting some great settlements for our clients.

God be with all of you.

Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., November 22, 2020

The post Bizarre times we are living in my friends, by Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez first appeared on Biker and Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog.

** August 2023 Update – I have retired from the motorcycle club scene and am an independent motorcycle rider. I still represent many motorcycle club members in motorcycle accident cases and still ride near and far.

Many people, motorcycle riders, and non-motorcycle riders alike, have watched TV shows like the Sons of Anarchy, the Mayans, or the old Marlon Brando movies, or even the old Clint Eastwood movies with “The Black Widows,” and got a very bad impression of motorcycle clubs.

Admittedly, some members, a small minority, of some famous clubs have also been in the news, because they failed for one reason or another to conform to the laws of our society.

Many law enforcement officers consider some motorcycle clubs to be a gang, or outlaws, but as you know you cannot generalize every member of an organization just because of a few bad apples. I do not agree with a blanket generalization, however many states do have gang enhancement statutes that they will try to apply to members of some motorcycle clubs or organizations that are accused of committing crimes. If they can prove you did the crime in furtherance of a gang you will get hit with enhanced penalties. This is not the subject of this article, but it is something you should consider when joining certain motorcycle clubs. Bottom line, if you do not commit crimes you will be okay it is as simple as that.

The vast majority of clubs out there are family clubs.

I have been riding, and in motorcycle clubs for well over 20 years. In my own personal experience, the guys (and in some clubs gals) that make up the membership of the vast majority of motorcycle clubs, and motorcycle riding clubs, are some of the straight up most friendly, best, righteous, honest, and upstanding people I have ever met. Yes many have tattoos and dress a certain way, most wear cuts, which are vests that have club patches affixed to them. You cannot judge a book by it’s cover. I am not saying everyone is perfect, hell there are always a few assholes no matter where you hang out, but the vast majority are good people.

Just like in any group of people who get together, you will always have a minority of people who will do bad things. That does not mean you should blame the entire club or organization just for a few bad apples.

I personally would not tolerate hanging out with people committing crimes or not following the law because I have a career and a family that I want to go home to at night.

I have met guys in motorcycle clubs who are attorneys, law enforcement, dentists, doctors, optometrist, judges, military members, in every profession you can possibly imagine. The guys and gals in these clubs are representative of what you will find in society.

The difference between riding alone, and riding in a motorcycle club, is that when you are with the club, you get a chance to socialize with other like-minded people, you get to attend club events, and if you’re in the right club you will have people who will help you if you need help, you also have people that you can ride with, which is much more fun than riding alone, it’s kind of like an extended family, and in some cases becomes a family for many members who do not have family members.

There are many people out there who as they get older lose family members, lose touch with friends, or find it hard to meet new people to hang out with and ride with. A motorcycle club or a motorcycle riding club is a very good solution to meeting new people to hang out with, and socialize with.

There are different levels of motorcycle clubs all the way from riding clubs, to family clubs, up to 1%er clubs.

You may have heard a lot of bad things about 1%er clubs, but the reality is the term 1%er just means that the club does not follow the rules of the AMA. Back in the 40’s and 50’s the AMA held races called the Gypsy Motorcycle Tour. Some of the clubs did not like the AMA rules and decided to do their own thing. They were the 1% that did not follow the AMA, that is where the term came from. 1%er clubs usually require much more of a commitment than let’s say a family club.

Some riding clubs require a minimum level of commitment. You can buy a patch, and ride whenever you want to all you have to do is show up. There are other more traditional clubs that require you to earn your patch, attend weekly or bike weekly meetings and follow the club bylaws. Obviously a 1%er club requires a bigger commitment than that say a family type of motorcycle club.

The crap that you see on TV has given motorcycle clubs a bad name and reputation, and is mostly that just crap. If all motorcycle club members acted like the guys on the TV shows and in the movies, there would be no motorcycle clubs, everyone would be in prison.

In my opinion, being in a motorcycle club is very gratifying. It’s nice to know you have a bunch guys and gals that you can hang out with (or gals if you are a woman). Most clubs for men allow the wives and girlfriends of the men to hang out and be a part of the club so it is a family type of atmosphere. There are all gal clubs and mixed male and female clubs as well.

I recently had a brother in my club who passed away. The club chipped in for his memorial service which would have been difficult for the family to pay for on their own. This brother had a big turnout for his funeral, and we all met later on to celebrate his life and to have one heck of a good meal.

Many people in this country die alone with no family, or little family and just a few friends. It’s nice to know that when you’re in a motorcycle club, that there is an extended family there for you, and that will be there for you all the way to the end.

Obviously, you should do your research, if you want to join a motorcycle club. Some riding clubs and motorcycle clubs you can simply contact on the Internet and inquire as to how to become a member. Other more traditional clubs require you to ask a member in person how to join. Some riding clubs let you join right up. Some clubs require you to prospect for a short time so that you can have a chance to learn about the club, and the club can learn about you, to see if you becoming a member is a good fit for both.

Prospecting into a motorcycle club seems like a mythical and daunting task, but it’s not. It’s all about learning how to become a motorcycle club member. There are certain protocols that more traditional motorcycle clubs follow, and the prospecting period gives you a chance to learn the rules, the traditions, and the protocols of being in a motorcycle club. It is like a hazing and right of passage that all members go through if the club requires it.

Whatever you do, do not do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable as a prospect or member. If you meet with the motorcycle club and you don’t get the right feel, seek out another club. You should never do something when joining a motorcycle club, that you know you should not be doing, especially committing crimes.

I repeat, just because you are joining a motorcycle club, and putting a patch on, does not give you a license to commit crimes. On the contrary, every motorcycle club that I know will kick you out if you commit a crime while wearing a club patch. It’s the complete opposite of the bullshit you see on TV. Clubs do not like to look bad, especially in public.

No motorcycle club wants members of other motorcycle clubs to commit crimes either, because it gives all a bad name.

Even amongst Walmart employees there are always a few bad apples. Stay clear of the bad apples and you will have no problems. It really is about common sense. It is like picking a girlfriend. You will know whether it feels right or not. However, in most cases, the club will be there for you even if your wife, girlfriend, or husband if you are a female, leaves you.

Most traditional motorcycle clubs have anywhere from a three month to a six month or more prospecting Period. As a prospect you’ll be expected to attend as many events as possible, shake hands with as many people as possible and introduce yourself, be available to club members to do chores, and to clean up and be of service. It is a rite of passage that every traditional motorcycle club member has to go through, and frankly it’s not that hard. Just show up and do it.

Each club treats their prospects differently. I am not going to come on here and write an article impugning any motorcycle club whatsoever. I for one have prospected in multiple clubs for over a year total. Some clubs are harder on their prospects than others. Again, the prospecting period is for you and the club to feel each other out. Some riding clubs do not require prospecting.

With the modern-day Internet it is a lot easier now to do research on different clubs if you’re looking to join a club. If you contact a club through the Internet, you will be surprised to find that many of them will respond and invite you to an event. Then again, many of them will not respond, they expect you to approach a member and ask about membership.

Some clubs require you to hang around a bit before becoming a formal prospect. This again is a rite of passage and it is standard motorcycle club protocol for traditional clubs.

There are all types of motorcycle clubs out there, and there are clubs for everyone.

On TV you will see a fictional superhero criminal portrayal of motorcycle club members, but the reality in my own experience is the complete opposite. You will find a lot of guys with tattoos, who also have families, jobs, and the last thing they want to do is get into trouble, this is true for the vast majority of 1%er club members as well. Don’t believe everything you read.

So, for all of you that are looking for a club to join, I wish you well and I will see you on the road.

By California Biker Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., February 6, 2020

The post The joy of being in a motorcycle club; by California Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez first appeared on Biker and Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog.

Stock seat on 2017 Indian Roadmaster at the time of purchase.

My wife and I purchased a new Indian Roadmaster in approximately June 2017. You can see the stock seat on the motorcycle in this picture. (click on any of the pictures to see large size)

We rode for one year on the stock seat with no problems, plus the stock seat which is Indian Tan in color, was custom in of itself, and an integral part of the motorcycle look.

I have owned many motorcycles in the past, and on every one of them I purchased an aftermarket seat. I always chose Mustang for my seats. Mustang is a one size fits all solution as is Corbin, although they do take special requests for custom seats.

On my last motorcycle, which was a 2008 Electra Glide Ultra Custom, I purchased a premium seat for it from Harley-Davidson, and sold the stock seat. The premium seat was just fine for the years I had the motorcycle.

My wife and I were at the Sturgis motorcycle rally in August 2018, and put over thousand miles on the Indian roadmaster at that time. Let me tell you something, the seat on the Indian Roadmaster became a brick. Whatever support and padding the seat had in it was gone within a year. and It became so bad, that both of our asses were hurting after each ride at Sturgis. It literally became torture to ride on the stock seat for extended periods of time.

The outside of the Russell Cycle Products factory on the day we rode our motorcycle in.

I undertook looking for a new seat for the Indian Roadmaster.

I initially purchased a Mustang saddle for the Indian Roadmaster off the J P Cycles website, but the seat that I received was a different color brown than the Indian Tan color that is the color scheme on my motorcycle. Why would Mustang make a seat that does not match Indians color scheme? I immediately returned it.

My problem was not only that my tour pack back pad was Indian Tan, plus I have what is called Captain Inch heat shields for my motorcycle which are made out of leather, and they match the Indian Tan. I was not willing to replace all of that just for a new seat that was the wrong color. Plus, Indian Tan was the color I wanted not a dark brown it would take away the whole ambience of the bike.

No other motorcycle that I know of has the Indian Tan color on seats, that is exactly one of the reasons I love the Indian. The look sets it apart.

I talked to Mustang about their off color brown seat and they told me that usually their customers replace their stock black seats and the tour pack pad on the Indian all together to change from black to brown as a customization, and that their color was not intended to replace the Indian Tan color. What is bizarre is that they have Indian Tan for another model Indian, just not the Roadmaster. Anyway…….

A picture of the craftsman at Russell Cycle Products who made our custom seat at the factory.

They told me they could make a custom seat the same color as the Indian Tan, but they quoted me some exorbitant amount of money to do so. At the time of the writing of this article, which is a year and half later, they may have a matching seat now I’m not sure. Another thing to mention about a custom Mustang is that it was not a custom like the Russell Day Long, see below.

I looked at other options, and at the time there weren’t that many for the Indian. I looked at another manufacturer who sells one size fits all seats, but there were mixed reviews, and to keep my stock heating element that is built into the Indian seat, it would cost me just as much money to have a custom motorcycle seat made.

One thing I forgot to mention is that on the Indian Roadmaster, it does have a heated seat. Therefore, every aftermarket seat for this motorcycle is approximately $1000 plus or minus. They are expensive,unless you choose not to keep the heating. If you are going to pay 35k out the door for a motorcycle, why would you dump a feature like a heated seat?

After hours of research and one failed purchase that I returned, I chose to have a custom motorcycle seat made at Russell Cycle Products. Their seat is called the Russell Day Long.

One thing I should note about Russell Cycle Products, they can custom make a seat for you any way you want it, you can choose the type of covering material, the color, you can have custom stitching and embroidery, the sky and your imagination is the limit.

As for me, I wanted something that matched the stock seat as closely as possible.

What Russell does is they take your stock seat and make a custom seat from it utilizing you and your passenger’s measurements, your weight, and other criteria.

craftsmen inside factory making custom seats

You can either order their seat by mail, and send in pictures of you and your passenger on the motorcycle, with precise measurements along with your old seat for customization, or for lucky people like me who live in the same state, or in other close by states, you can ride in and have a custom seat made.

Hell you can also take a road trip just to get your custom seat made at Russell.

If you want to ride your motorcycle into their factory, you have to make an appointment with them first and pay a small deposit to ensure you will show up. I had to reschedule my appointment one time and they accommodated me.. They contact you to confirm before your appointment.

Because of the special nature of riding your motorcycle into the factory to have a seat made, they say they require an entire day.

I made my appointment which was months in advance. They were busy 🙂 I also conversed with them back and forth via email. They told me that if I wanted the Indian roadmaster with a diamond pattern like the stock seat has, that they would need two days to do the seat. (Turns out it only took one day) I told them no problem, we would take our motorhome from Southern California, put the bike in the trailer, and stay overnight in a local campground. Their factory is near Redding California which is a beautiful area.

View of new Russell Day Long Seat at factory without backrest on.

When the time came to go to the factory, we loaded up the motorcycle into our enclosed trailer, jumped in the motorhome and took off the night before. We ended up staying at a great campground just one freeway exit away from Russell’s factory.

We went to Russell’s in approximately December 2018 to get the seat made. I waited one year to write this review.

Russell Motorsports is in Northern California, whereas we live in Southern California. It is much colder in Northern California this time year, matter of fact some of the local mountains there had snow.

Many easterners will probably laugh at this part of the article but for a Southern California boy like me we are not used to snow, it is alien to us. Cold is alien to us 🙂

The morning of our appointment I was feeling a bit under the weather because we drove 12 plus hours in the motorhome, it was cold, and I was not feeling well , nonetheless, my wife and I took the bike out of the trailer and rode it to Russell Cycle Products for our appointment first thing in the morning.

When we got to the factory, everyone there was really cool. They opened a door on the side, and I rode the motorcycle in. They asked my wife and I what we weighed, and asked us to sit on the bike. They took pictures, and measurements. They also asked me to put my feet on the floorboards like I ride, and on the highway bars like I ride, and took measurements and pictures as well. It was a pretty quick process, they know their stuff.

Side view of custom Russell Day Long seat at factory

They told us the seat would be ready the next day, so we took a Lyft back to the campground. I am an attorney, so I ended up working in the motorhome, my wife worked remotely as well.

The guys at Russell, called me a few hours later and told me the seat pan was ready and asked me to come down to sit on it to see if I wanted to make any adjustments. My wife and I took a Lyft back to the factory from the campground.

When I first sat on the seat, it felt like the padding was pushing up into my nuts and it was very uncomfortable. Good thing they had me come in for a test sit.

The fabricator took the seat pan in the back and shaved the padding in that area. He brought it back and it felt okay.

Frankly, I was feeling under the weather, and I had never done a custom seat like this before. When they ask you to sit on the seat without a cover, with just the padding, it was really hard to tell what it was really going to feel like. Nonetheless, we accepted it, and took a Lyft back to the campground so they could work on the seat.

Surprisingly, the guys at Russell called a few hours later the same day, and told us that the seat was finished. It was supposed to take two days to manufacture, but they had the fabricator, and the gal who did the actual stitching of the motorcycle seat in the factory that day, and they took the time and effort to get the seat done in one day, which my wife and I really it appreciated.

We took a Lyft back to the factory again. (By the way the Lyft driver was an older guy, it was his first day driving for Lyft, and it was kind of funny that he kept on picking us up)

I was excited as we approach the factory to pick up my motorcycle..

View of new Russell Day Long Seat at factory right side

You will see many pictures of the seat here at the precise moment I picked up the motorcycle. Other pictures were taken a year later.

First off, before I go into the next section of the review, I want to say that I care about looks, and function on a motorcycle. I feel the same way about my cars, that is why I only drive Mercedes-Benz.

There are some guys that care more about function. There are some guys that care more about looks. I have seen guys with literal bricks as seats on motorcycle’s, and they probably cannot ride more than 10 miles without taking a break, but because it looks really good, they keep it on their motorcycle.

The Indian Roadmaster is a $35,000 motorcycle out the door, and I get nothing but rave reviews about it’s looks wherever I go from Harley-Davidson riders and everyone else. Even 2.5 years later everyone gives me a thumbs up when they see the Indian Roadmaster. They love the look.

The stock Indian Roadmaster seat looks like a work of art, but it turned into a brick to ride which is why got the custom seat. Who cares if it looks good if it causes you pain to ride? It does have the Indian logo pressed in to the leather.

View of Russell day long with my stock rider backrest at factory

When I first looked at the Russell Daylong seat when I went to pick it up, my very first impression was that it simply did not look as good as the stock Indian Roadmaster seat.

It obviously had a bigger area for my butt, it obviously had more padding, the lower back support was much more substantial, however the thread that they use wasn’t as thick as the Indian thread. This was only a first impression, I since have come to love the appearance.

Secondly, the sides of the seat on the stock Indian Roadmaster actually have a piece of leather that hangs down a bit above the side covers and are attached via side bolts on inside of the side covers if you want to remove the seat. I never really liked the fact that you would have to remove the back screw and side bolts to get the Indian seat off, but hereto for I had never had to take the seat off.

On the Russell Daylong seat, they do away with the side bolts, and the piece of leather that hangs down above the side covers. I am ambivalent to this because now all I need to do is remove the back screw to get the seat off, plus it is easier to get the side covers off, and it is easier to polish the side covers. However, a trade-off is that there is no leather hanging down to cover the top of the side cover. For me it really doesn’t matter. Some people might like the aesthetics of the stock Indian seat better with respect to this regard.

If you take a look at the top picture with the stock seat and the pictures below it of the Russell Day Long, you can see on the side of the seat on the rider part, where the stock seat has the leather that comes down and kind of covers the side panel, whereas the Russell does not.

Now my first impression sitting on the seat was that I had made a big mistake. Rather than sitting in the seat like I did on the stock Indian Roadmaster seat, on the Russell Daylong I felt like I was sitting on top of it.

Further, it raised me up a bit which I did not like, however, it also pushed me back a bit which I liked. I always felt too cramped forward on the stock Indian Roadmaster seat. With the new seat I have more leg room now. (Turns out now that I am used to the seat, I like  that it raised me up a bit as I will discuss below)

Close up of Russell Day Long Motorcycle Seat after break in

The seat felt kind of hard, but it was not uncomfortable. I was thinking to myself, well they just destroyed my stock Indian Roadmaster seat, and now I might have to go get another one 🙁

The way they custom design the Russell Day Long, it also makes it harder for you to take your legs and put them on the side of the motorcycle seat like on normal motorcycle seats.

The reason for this is they make a very big distinct place for your ass which is a bit raised on the sides. You can see by the picture how wide it is where your ass is. You actually have to put your legs forward a bit to get your legs on the ground. It actually makes you feel like a kid at first. If you look at the pictures of the Russell seat you will see the area in the front there you put your legs down. It took me a while to get used to this.

Frankly, at first, I was not too pleased. I felt I had made a big mistake. When I rode the motorcycle back to the campground, my initial ride on the new seat, which was just a few miles away, I was disappointed. Now that I look back at it, it was simply a total change from the stock seat, and I was not used to it.

Turns out it was like walking in a new pair of shoes. They are not comfortable until you break them in and get used to them.

Close up of back of Russell Day Long Saddle

The guys at Russell specifically told me that the seat would not be totally broken in for the first 1000 miles. They told me if after breaking in the seat, I wanted to make adjustments, I could do so free of charge for 18 months.

When we got back to the campground, I kept the motorcycle outside of the trailer, thinking that my wife and I would take a ride. It was actually getting to be dark and very cold. We decided not to stay the second night and to just go home.

I got on the bike again to ride it into the trailer, and I was seriously thinking that maybe this was not the seat for me. We packed up the motorhome and went home that night. For us, it was a long 24 hours of riding in the motorhome.

Later, after a few rides on the new seat, I quickly changed my opinion of the seat. Turns out, the Russell Daylong is a great seat for riding your motorcycle. Not only do I feel no fatigue on this seat, but it is downright pleasurable to take long multi-hundred mile rides a day on my motorcycle in all weather conditions with no problem.

Picture of Russell Day Long Saddle with Russell custom embroidered backrest

This seat gives a huge amount of lower back support which makes all the difference in the world when you are riding your motorcycle. Look at the pictures of the new seat on here. I could not imagine riding without the Russel Day Long seat now.

The issue of feet placement when putting your feet on the ground when the motorcycle is stopped, is not a problem now that I am used to it. I would rather have a great seat that is comfortable when riding, then have a trade-off of a seat that is easy to put your legs side to side when stopped but is not that comfortable to ride. You do not put your feet down when you are riding.

We took the bike to Sturgis, 2019, and did a lot of parading (stop and go for extended periods of time) with the new seat, I quickly got used to the new set up of putting my feet on the ground when the bike is stopped. We rode well over thousand miles in the week we were in Sturgis and Yellowstone in August 2019. Plus, we have ridden to many other places since.

Closeup of the custom embroidery gy Russell Motorsports on backrest

On the issue of the seat raising you up a bit, I am 5’11,” and probably around 6’1” with motorcycle boots on.  Prior to getting the Russell Daylong I could easily get both feet on the ground by placing my legs on the side of the seat. The new seat, the way it was designed for my weight (I paid for the heavy weight spring), pushed me up one to two inches.

At first, I did not like not being able to have both legs on the side of the seat, with both feet stretched on the ground like you can do when your bike is real low.

I can still get both feet on the ground, but the seat is higher. I am quite sure Russell can make the seat lower you, keep you the same height, etc., but they used my criteria when I went to the factory.

Now, I like the seat a bit higher because when riding I have more leg room from feet on the floorboard to my body. So, what I give up when stopped which is not much, I now have more comfort when riding with more legroom on the bike.

The seat is broken in now, and I love it. No more wincing in pain at the end of a long day’s ride. I have no fear taking very long rides now.

While at the Sturgis motorcycle Rally 2019, we were at some gas station at a remote stop, and some guy came up to me and asked me what kind of seat I had. I told him it was the Russell Day Long. He told me he thought that’s what it was, and showed me his seat which was from the company that I was looking at prior to choosing  the Russell Daylong.

A view of entire Russell Day Long with Custom Backrest by Russell

His seat did not have the stock heating because he did not pay for that option, which was available on his seat from that manufacturer, whereas I purchased the custom seat that retained the stock heating. His seat manufacturer (one size fits all design) offered keeping the heating which made it cost as much as the custom Russel Daylong.

Frankly, his seat did not look that good, I think the Russell Daylong looks better. I told him how I felt about my seat which at that point was a 10 out of 10 for rating. Hell we were in Sturgis riding hundreds of miles a day with no pain like the year before.

I should say that prior to leaving Russell Cycle Products for home, I picked out a custom embroidery design for my Rider back rest and left a deposit. It would take a week to do the custom Eagle embroidery, and we were planning on leaving the next day, however, we ended up leaving the same day as stated above.

I ended up shipping my stock rider backrest to them after I got home, they did the embroidery and new cover, and returned it promptly back to me.

Here are a couple pictures of the custom embroidery that they did on my rider back rest.

Back side view of Russell Day Long lighting effects image

When we got the seat, I ended up purchasing a seat cover from them as well, which we actually needed to use in Sturgis a few times because of the rain.

I have never used a seat cover on a motorcycle seat before, but the guys at Russell told me that any motorcycle seat has threading and stitches that create holes in the covering, and water will leak through the holes into the padding, which ends up destroying the inner padding, and decreasing the longevity of your seat.

I now use the seat cover while washing the motorcycle as well.

So, here is my final review of the Russell Daylong seat for the Indian Roadmaster. I give it a 10 out of 10. It cannot get any better.

Now that I am used to the look of the seat, but more importantly how comfortable it is while doing short and long rides, I could not imagine having to endure the pain of the brick which was the stock seat again.

I must mention my wife and how she likes the seat.  Many guys put their old ladies on a brick pad, hell I have seen guys make their old ladies ride on a friggen fender. If you want to take long rides with your women and hear nothing but bitching all day, then make her ride on the back of a bad seat. It you care about your woman and want her to be happy as well, get her a good seat to sit on.

My wife Little Teri absolutely loves the Russel Day Long saddle. As a back seat rider she says that she has no more fatigue or pain like she had on the stock seat. Further, she likes this seat better than the seat on my old Harley Davidson Electra Glide Ultra Custom. Russel customized the seat for her as well.

It was well worth the money and the trip to get a custom seat made by Russell Cycle Products if you are a motorcycle rider that rides.

If you do short bar hops and that is your thing, you may not need a seat like this. They do not call it a Russell Day Long for nothing.

I highly recommend getting one of the seats for any motorcycle.

My closing thoughts are that the guys and gals at Russell Cycle Products are geniuses when it comes to motorcycle seats. They have been making custom seats for many years and know exactly how to make a custom seat that fits your exact measurements and needs.

I have not been paid by Russell for this review, nor have I received any discounts or accommodations from them. This is just an honest review.

Here is a link to the Russel Cycle Products website: https://day-long.com/ , their phone number is: 800-432-9566

By California Motorcycle Accident Attorney, Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., January 2020

The post My review of the Russell Day Long, Custom Motorcycle Seat for Indian Roadmaster, by Biker Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez first appeared on Biker and Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog.

I would like to wish all of my readers, fans, and motorcycle accident clients both past, and present, a very happy new year.

We are now in the roaring 20s again, the last time this happened was 100 years ago, a full century.

Back in those days there was prohibition in the United States, which made the manufacture, sale and consumption of alcohol illegal. Prohibition was actually a constitutional amendment that right wing conservative Christians got passed through, luckily, it was repealed.

Just like the Taliban in Afghanistan, our founding fathers did not intend for religious zealots to run our country. They did not want our country to be like Europe was.

In essence Europe was controlled by religion for about 2000 years, and everyone knows the horrors that occurred out of that. Hell, the pilgrims left Europe to come to America so that they could practice their religion how they wanted. Our founding fathers wrote into our Constitution that there shall be a separation of church and state for a reason. This is the subject for a different article.

Getting back on topic, the Biker Law Blog has now been a publication for 14 years. Who would’ve thought when I started writing this publication that I would still be doing it 14 years later. There are literally thousands of articles on here. It seems like I have written about every topic related to motorcycles, except for all the new types of motorcycles coming out.

Although the number of articles I have been cranking out has diminished over the past few years, because I have covered most of what needs to be covered with respect to the legal aspects of motorcycle accidents, and the safety aspects of riding motorcycles, I will continue to write articles, and through Google searches, and blog searches, you can find my articles related to motorcycle riding easily throughout the blog. I suggest doing the search at the blog itself for types of articles I have written. The search box is on the upper part of the blog below the header you can’t miss it.

Many of you have told me that you enjoy the random picture section of the blog that you will see in the top right sidebar of every page on the blog. I have decided to create a separate page under videos that will show the random pictures in a larger format.

There is no way in hell I’m going to edit the pictures to make them fit a larger format. The software that runs the random pictures will automatically stretch the pictures to make them bigger which could diminish the quality of bit, but you should still be able to see the pictures okay.

This change will be coming the first week of January 2020.

A lot of people have asked me to put descriptions on the random pictures of the display on the Biker Law Blog. The problem is the way the software works, the description would actually cover part of the picture, and that is not acceptable to me. I have a photographic memory and can tell you pretty much about every picture in the random slideshow.

Over the past 20+ years I have taken thousands of pictures during my rides, and so forth. There is absolutely no way for me to display all of those pictures it would take gigabytes of memory and tremendously slow down your browser when you come to the blog.

The pictures not only show the past 20 years of my biker life, and motorcycle club life, but they show that I am a real motorcycle rider and biker. I started doing motorcycle accident cases, because I am a real biker. Many of my competitors will show pictures as well, but it is usually only of them with their pop-up marketing booths at events which I despise. My pictures show me and my friends riding our asses off. Who do you think has more credibility as a motorcycle accident lawyer?

Suffices to say, at least for now I will display the pictures that you currently see, and more will be added selectively as my wife and I continue to ride and have a good time both on our own, with other riders, and with my club brothers.

What is funny is that my wife told me when we first met, that she almost did not come to my house, because she saw all the beautiful woman in the random picture section of the Biker Law Blog. She thought I might be a player. I told her the truth, it is just the biker lifestyle, and hell, when a man is single he will take ladies on rides 🙂 luckily for me my at the time my future wife decided to come to my house after all, and let me sweep her off her feet. Little Teri makes up many of the pictures you will see in the random picture section.

I have had multiple physical injury issues that came up in 2019. I tore a distal bicep tendon and had to have surgery. On the first day of Sturgis, August 1, 2019, while working out with dumbbells outside of my motorhome before taking a ride, I injured my right shoulder. The pain never really went away, and in approximately November 2019 I injured my shoulder worse at the gym, and at my weekly kung fu session.

I am going for injections on my shoulder the first week of January, and physical therapy on the shoulder for six weeks after that. If that doesn’t work, I may need a new surgery on my shoulder.

The pain of a shoulder injury is unbearable especially for a guy like me that likes to be physical and likes to ride my motorcycle. A shoulder injury makes it very difficult to ride a motorcycle.

The doctors told me that if after six weeks of physical therapy the pain remains the same, he might have to perform surgery.

So, 2020 for me is all about resolving my shoulder injury, in May I am going to have a total knee replacement, and then all should be good.

From the time I was young I have been a very physical man. I played tackle football, pop Warner football, track, basketball, and baseball growing up. In high school I played football, was on the wrestling team, and threw the shot put on the track team. I went into the military, and I have trained in martial arts for approximately 52 years. I have gone to the gym and worked out since I was a teenager. I have used my body and abused it my whole life. Now, I need to make repairs, just like an old car, I am now 56 years old.

With the repairs that I am making, and a change in diet and exercise, I’m looking forward to a long and healthy life.

I am not even going to go into what’s in store for my law practice this year. We have many cases, and we intend to get good results for our clients as usual. This year we will grow our law practice, expand into workers compensation law, and grow our family law practice. So, we will not only be providing California statewide personal injury services, we will also provide services in several Southern California counties for work-related injuries, and family law in Los Angeles and Orange county only.

Heading into the new year, I have many things on my plate. In order to ride a motorcycle safely, you need to be in decent shape, and have your head in the game. As I go through my personal trials and tribulations, I will report to all of you on how it’s going.

In retrospect looking back over the past 20 years, a tremendous number of people I have known nationwide have died in motorcycle accidents, and of natural causes. Many people I know have stopped riding motorcycles due to advanced age, personal choice, or health reasons.

The motorcycle scene has definitely changed in the past 20 years. In the year 2000, there was a huge yuppie motorcycle craze going on and it seemed like everybody was buying motorcycles. I personally also saw women starting to ride motorcycles for the first time. I know there were women motorcycle riders before the year 2000, but in 2000 is when they started showing up in numbers.

There were motorcycle shows all over TV such as American chopper, Biker Build Off, Jesse James West Coast Choppers, etc. Now that is all gone.

Motorcycle sales have been down now for many years in the United States. Apparently, the millennials would rather play on their cell phone, then get out into the world and ride motorcycles. The traditional bikers as we know them, are dying out. Many as they age, are getting trikes.

After a few non-starts, I have finally found a great motorcycle club that I will stay with for the rest of my life if they allow me. It is a great club, and a great group of brothers.

I remember the Los Angeles times wanted to do an article about me and other biker lawyers back in the 2000’s, but they insisted that they be allowed to take a picture of me with my motorcycle club patch on. I refused because my motorcycle club had nothing to do with my motorcycle personal injury practice. The Los Angeles times punished me by only giving me a sentence or two in the article and featuring a bunch of idiots who did not ride, and one guy who just started riding.

There are so many things that I could write about that have happened in the past 20 years I could actually write a book about it.

Before I end this article I wanted mention that a brother of mine in my club named Captain passed away just before Christmas and it has hit everyone in our club hard. Go with god brother, I will see you again one day hopefully a long time from now.

Now on to the new year.

I pray that God will give my family and I and all of you a great new year.

So happy new year to you and your family, God be with you in the coming year, and I wish you all well.

By California Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez, January 1, 2020.

The post Happy new year, 2020, from the Biker Law Blog, by California Motorcycle Accident Attorney Norman Gregory Fernandez first appeared on Biker and Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog.

California Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez at the Sturgis motorcycle Rally 2019

This year was no different from the last eight years in that at the end of July, I traveled from Huntington Beach, California to the Sturgis motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota. My wife accompanied me; this was her third consecutive year.

I must admit it is something I look forward to every year. It is almost like a kid in a candy store. Now if you are not a biker, there is no way that you are going to understand what the Sturgis motorcycle rally experience is like, or the yearning that you have each year to go is, unless you have actually been to the rally.

I always tell my friends that they must go to Sturgis at least once in their lifetime. Most of my friends always tell me that they are going to go one day, or that they want to go one day, but none of them actually ever go. Where I live in Southern California, it is 1355 miles each way to Sturgis. Many people who go to Sturgis are closer than we are, or further away. I guess for the average Joe, it is difficult to go to Sturgis for a week, and then spend maybe another 5 to 6 days traveling. But believe you me, for those of us that go, it is well worth it.

I remember my first few years going to Sturgis, it was a lot different for me. I was not married so I had special friends accompanying me 🙂 and it was all new to me. Actually, I should clarify that, after two years I pretty much knew the main parts of the rally, but each year after that I have still learned new rides every time I went.

Biker Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez’s campsite at Glencoe, Sturgis 2019

We usually stay at the Glencoe campground. When I first started going to Glencoe in 2013, they had major bands playing the venue every night, the main drag had all sorts of debauchery and nudity happening at night, and it was packed. Every year except 2015, the 75^th anniversary, it seems like there are less and less people at the rally, and the people do not stay as long as they used to. Glencoe still has good bands playing the venue at night, but they are not major headliners like they used to be. There is another campground called the Buffalo Chip that charges much more money, and has all the major bands, that may be the main place to stay now, I do not know, I have not stayed there. Frankly, my wife and I are not in to standing for hours to watch the same bands that we have listened to for the past 30 years. We do not go to Sturgis for concerts.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that from my observations there are a heck of a lot more trikes than they used to be, the crowd at Sturgis is getting older, and it seems to me that the bikers are dying out more and more each year. Don’t get me wrong, there are still lots of young people that seem to be riding bobber type of motorcycles, however, the crowd is definitely much older and a little less and less each year.

The majority of motorcycles by far at Sturgis are baggers, and this year there were lots of Indian Motorcycles all over the place.

California Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez is wife Teri at Crazy Horse, Sturgis 2019

I hate to say that according to the official Sturgis news, the crowd size was down from last year. But I did not need to read the news to know this, I could tell the crowd size was down.

Make no mistake, the Sturgis motorcycle rally is still huge, the main drag is still packed with bikes, and there are motorcycles all over the place, just not as many as there was let’s say back in 2013, 2014, etc.

Part of the Sturgis motorcycle experience is being a part of a huge gathering of fellow motorcycle riders. There is no way to explain what it feels like to be with hundreds of thousands of other people who share the same love of motorcycle riding that you do. This is what keeps me going back to Sturgis every year. It’s almost like a drug addict getting a fix. You tell yourself during the year that you will do something else this year for vacation, but you find that Sturgis starts to call you to come back. You know that you must go, and then a couple of months before Sturgis you get really excited planning your trip to Sturgis.

Now with respect to the Glencoe campground where I have stayed each year except for 2015, it has been disappointing the last few years. As I stated before, they used to have major headliner bands, and the place was booming until the wee hours of the morning. They call the main drag tittie alley, or perverts’ row within the Glencoe campground, because when the lights go out lots of women cruise up and down the row either topless or fully nude, and a bunch of guys give them beads and take pictures.Guys on motorcycles do burnouts, spin their tires, and rev their engines.  You should see some of my early pictures from perverts’ row. For the most part, except for a few stragglers, perverts’ row is now dead compared to what it used to be. Now it’s not that I am a pervert or anything like that, but it’s sad to see that all the campers are all set up on the row with their beads like they were in years past, but there are empty spaces where before it used to be packed, and literally after Wednesday during rally we, there is really no action going on perverts row anymore except for a few stragglers.

Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez at Sturgis 2019

It’s almost sad to see the people waiting for girls to come by and very few go by compared to what it used to be before. Literally by Wednesday, the campground is already emptying out whereas before it started later in the week. What it signifies to me is that the rally is not what it used to be. At least I can say and remember what it used to be.

It is still a great rally to go to however compared to any other rally in the country.

Again, the rally still has hundreds of thousands of people, but it is definitely not as big as it used to be. The year 2020 will be the 80^th anniversary of Sturgis, and I can see now that many of the venues have raised their prices in anticipation of a big crowd for the 80^th anniversary. I made the mistake of waiting too long in 2015 to make my reservations for the 75^th anniversary and ended up having to stay in Deadwood in a campground that was dead because Glencoe and others were sold out, and because the action was down in Sturgis. You can read my article about 2015 here, it was way overcrowded, a sausage fest meaning, all dudes and very little females, and I’m quite positive 2020 may be the same.

One of the fun things about going to Sturgis is checking out all the babes even if you are married. Nobody including me wants to see a bunch of dudes all over the place. It seems like every dude and their friends went to Sturgis 2015 without their old ladies. Hopefully 20/20 will be different. As of the writing of this article, I have not made reservations yet for 2020, and I am not sure if I will go to 2020, I will discuss that below.

Biker Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez wife little Teri at campsite in Glencoe, Sturgis 2019

As I said earlier, every year I go to Sturgis since 2012, I have discovered new rides in and around the Black Hills, Spearfish, Rapid City, etc. This year I discovered a couple of more. My wife and I rode over 1000 miles on the motorcycle just at the rally. We took our motorhome and trailed the motorcycle to Sturgis like we do every year.

I will quickly talk about those guys who never go to Sturgis, the backseat quarterback guys on motorcycle forums and Internet discussion groups, knocking and degrading us because we take our motorhome’s and trailers to Sturgis rather than ride to Sturgis even though they never got off their ass to go to Sturgis themselves. I will admit when I was much younger, let’s say 20 years ago, I used to say the same thing, however I was a hard-core rider. Hell, when I was in my 30s, I rode a soft tail with no windscreen, from Chatsworth California to Durango Colorado and back again no problem. I talked the talk and walked the walk unlike the internet backseat quarterback guys I am talking about.

The problem with riding your motorcycles to rallies such as Sturgis, is that either you have to stay in a motel, or camp. On the way to Sturgis from where I live it is a 2 to 3 day trip each way, and sometimes there is severe weather on the road. When I was younger-no problem, I would simply find a Motel 6 when I needed to crash. But it used to be a hassle to find a motel, unpack the gear from the bike, reload the gear on the bike in the morning, etc., and there is no doubt it is still a hassle even for the younger, and other riders who decide to ride to the rallies.

Biker Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez and wife at Mount Rushmore, Sturgis 2019

I used to write like the backseat quarterbacks mentioned above about how I was not a trailer queen, and I used to knock guys who trailered their bikes as being “not real bikers,” etc. 20 years later, I realize that I was wrong. Now that I have a class A motorhome and an enclosed trailer to travel with, I have a whole new perspective.

In the past, I rode everywhere on my motorcycle no problem. Now that I am in my 50s, I actually get tired more quickly, and the aches and pains in my body from years of playing pop Warner in high school football and other sports, practicing martial arts, being in the military, and working out, are taking their toll.

Now that I have a motor home and a covered custom trailer, it is much more pleasurable and convenient to go to rallies in the motorhome with the trailer. Obviously, if I am going to a rally that does not require overnight travel, I will still ride, but it is much nicer for overnight trips to take the motorhome. All your stuff is in the motorhome, no need to pack and unpack, plus all your food is in the motorhome and you can eat while traveling rather than stopping.

California Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez and wife little Teri at Sturgis 2019

The reason I am bringing this up is that many people bring motorhomes or fifth wheels, or campers and trailer their motorcycles to Sturgis, and many ride to Sturgis. My Sturgis perspective is from that of someone who brings a motorhome and trailers their motorcycle. I stay at the campgrounds, and this is where the action is. I kind of feel sorry for the guys and gals who are staying in hotels, it must be a more somber and boring motorcycle rally experience.

Bottom line, I highly recommend going to the rally whether you ride or trailer.

The motorcycle industry reports that sales of motorcycles are down in the United States. Apparently, the millennials are too chicken to ride motorcycles. This may explain why there are not people coming up from the youth to replace the older motorcycle riders that are dying out, which would explain why motorcycle rallies around the nation have less crowds than they used to.

So, with respect to the Sturgis motorcycle Rally 2019, notwithstanding the fact that the campground was not as active, it emptied out sooner, the crowd size was not as big as past years, we had a fantastic time.

Motorcycle accident lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez wife little Teri at Glencoe campground, Sturgis 2019

In December 2018, I had a custom saddle made at Russell Day-Long for the Indian Roadmaster motorcycle, because last year after a few days the stock Indian saddle felt like a brick and we got real sore. (I will be writing a review on the Russell Day Long custom motorcycle saddle soon)

The new Russell Day-Long saddle made this year’s Sturgis motorcycle rally a much more pleasurable experience than last year. We put on over thousand miles on the motorcycle at Sturgis, and Yellowstone, and neither of us had a sore butt the entire time. It was fantastic.

If you are going to go to Sturgis, plan on riding many miles, not only make sure your motorcycle is serviced before the rally, your tires have proper tread, but also make sure you have a comfortable seat. In a motorcycle rally where you are riding, this can make the difference between having a great time and having a miserable time.

We rode to hell and high water. I am a sober motorcycle rider; I have been sober approximately 21 years. My wife quit drinking almost a year ago. We are not the type of couple that hangs out at bars. I actually feel sorry for the people that sit through the rally getting drunk at bars, but I am not here to judge, and that is the subject for a different article. Just do not drink and ride.

Biker Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez and wife little Teri on the main drag Sturgis 2019

The reason I mention sitting in bars and drinking is that some people ride to Sturgis and spend the whole rally hanging out all the bars. My wife Teri and I spend the entire rally on the motorcycle. We are hard-core riders. I was lucky to find a wife who enjoys riding is much as I do.

Will I go to the Sturgis motorcycle Rally 2020? At this point I do not know, and I have not made reservations yet. Look, I have been going to Sturgis for the past eight years straight. It not only costs a lot of money, but it is a two week plus commitment, and although I really love the rally, and the riding, a break may do us good so that if we decide to go back again it’ll be more fresher if you know what I’m trying to say.

At least for us, we have been talking about trying something new instead of going to Sturgis for 2020. Further, I see that Glencoe has raised their prices so that the cost will be at least $300 more just for the campground than it was last year, this includes camping and the required wristbands.

At this time, I am just not sure if I will go back for 2020, but usually what happens is somewhere around January, I started getting the in itch, I make my reservations online, and then I end up in Sturgis again 🙂

Biker Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez on the Needles Hwy., Sturgis 2019

Even as I type this review, I miss being at the Sturgis motorcycle rally. It’s kind of odd the way it works, pretty much when you’re at Sturgis and riding on the last day, you have ridden so much that you are utterly exhausted, you know it’s time to go home. As you are leaving the campground you know that when you pass through downtown Sturgis that it will still be packed, you can tell on the main road there are much less people and it is time to go.

This year we left on the final Saturday, and drove our motorhome and trailer set up to the Little Big Horn Battlefield in Montana, where we camped for the night, and then due to rain, decided simply to tour the battlefield in the motorhome and trailer, and then depart for Yellowstone which we do every year.

We camped at the Yellowstone Valley Inn as we do every year after Sturgis, but we discovered that it was under new ownership, and that they were charging hundred dollars a night which to be frank it is outrageous for an RV campsite, but we figured since it is in an ideal spot between Cody Wyoming and Yellowstone, we decided to eat the extra cost.

We rode the Yellowstone national forest the next day, but I made the mistake of thinking it was going to be a warm day and did not bring my cold-weather gear on the bike. That was a big mistake. When we left the campground, it was in the low 80s within 20 miles the temperature had gone down to the 60s and I was kind of suffering a bit being a Southern California boy used to warm weather. It actually got down into the 50s further into the park. My wife was smart enough to bring her cold-weather jacket, I had a sweatshirt hoodie, and later on put a rain jacket over that which worked pretty well. We put a lot of miles on the bike that day in Yellowstone, but we did not stop at most of attractions, since we go there every year, we opted to just ride rather than stop.

California Motorcycle Accident and Biker Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez with wife little Teri on their motorcycle main drag, Sturgis 2019

We did not get out of the park until it was getting dark, and I can assure you it was getting real cold. I usually don’t leave the park that late and it was a bit eerie knowing that there are wolves, bears, cougars, and other creatures in Yellowstone. Not only that, there are dear, Moose, and other creatures that like to run in front of motorcycles.

We got back to the motorhome at around 9:00 PM after a cold and bug filled motorcycle ride back to Yellowstone Valley Inn from Yellowstone national forest. I strapped to the motorcycle into the trailer, and we left the next morning for home.

I am attaching some of our pictures from the trip into this article. This year we took less pictures than we normally do, because we were on the bike more than we were stopped. Usually I go up and down the strip taking pictures of the custom motorcycles. This year we just walked up and down the main drag a few times and enjoyed it rather than stopping to take a ton of pictures.

Keep reading my Biker Law Blog to see if we decide to go for the Sturgis 2020 motorcycle rally.

By California Motorcycle Accident Lawyer, Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., October 6, 2019

The post My annual pilgrimage to the Sturgis motorcycle rally, 2019 first appeared on Biker and Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog.