Riders For Health

Riders for Health is an international social enterprise charging a not-for-profit fee to Ministries of Health, International and African NGO's, local community based organizations and religious groups. They manage and maintain vehicles for these health-focused partners in sub-Saharan Africa with an expertise in transport management that enables health workers to deliver vital health care to rural communities on a reliable and cost-effective basis.

The majority of the population of sub-Saharan Africa live in rural areas where the best roads are little more than dirt tracks. Cars and trucks are not affordable, public transport is infrequent and delivering health care on foot or by bicycle between sparse villages is an exhausting and ineffective task.

The millions of dollars that are invested in vaccines, drugs, bed-nets, condoms and trained health professionals every year would be wasted if they will fail to get to where they are needed in a timely manner.

Riders for Health manages motorcycles, ambulances and other four-wheel vehicles used in the delivery of health care in seven countries across Africa.
The core of the 'Riders' is the training and preventive maintenance of vehicles to ensure that the chain in health care delivery is never broken by failing vehicles, thereby increasing health worker productivity. It is also far cheaper to keep a vehicle running efficiently over time than to repair it when it breaks down completely.
The programmes provide training and employment opportunities to build local expertise. A network of highly skilled technicians regularly travels to service vehicles in the communities in which health workers serve. This means they don’t waste valuable time travelling to a garage when they could be with their patients. Motorcycle training and basic maintenance techniques are also taught to the health workers to ensure safety on the road.

Riders For health has been in existence for about 20 years, it certainly is one of the most benevolent uses of motorcycles anywhere. Some of the primary sponsors of this organization are Dainese, Yamaha, Ducati, MotoGP, and the subject of my blog post yesterday, Ewan McGregor.

Ready to roll

Plenty of  'G.S.' riding here

Part of the process includes motorcycle training

Making the delivery

The bikes give quick and inexpensive access to remote areas

Not Just Another Pretty Face

 There are lots of celebrity types that like to pose with or on motorcycles, and quite a few who actually ride on a regular basis. However, here's a celebrity who really would be in a class of his own, tallying over 20,000 miles, crossing 12 countries and 19 time zones, and doing it all in 115 days! A real bit of riding, that's for sure.
This actor has starred in quite a few movies before and since the journey, including 'Trainspotting', 'Star Wars: Episode 1 and 2', 'Black Hawk Down', 'Big Fish' and, most recently 'August: Osage County' with Meryl Streep. As well, the epic ride was the subject of a mini-series, titled 'The Long Way Round', which documented the adventure.
 Not too many people know this about Ewan McGregor, or his riding buddy Charley Boorman, who is also an actor. Kudos to them both for doing what most people only dream of doing.

The Long Way Round.... for sure!

Ulan Bator?

Promo for the t.v. series

Might be hot

Back in the U.S.S.R.

 BMW Adventure (R1150GS)

A celebration moment, since we can see that bottle of Champagne in the background!

Tron 'Light Cycle'

After looking at the 'Tomahawk' 'motorcycle' in yesterday's blog post, I couldn't help make the association to the 'Light Cycle', which was the special effects bike in the movie 'Tron' and  it's sequel 'Tron Legacy'. Of course, the Tomahawk never made real production and was considered a rolling sculpture, and the 'Light Cycle' was just some movie magic in the form of C.G.I.. So, what happens when the concept designer of the movie's 'Light Cycle' actually sits down with someone from Kodewa Performance Motorcycles and sculpts a real bike, to be produced by Lotus. You get the C-01 Lotus Motorcycle, as fast and sexy as the cars of the same name, and just as pricey at a purported $140,000.00.

Racing paint

The movie 'Tron' and it's special effects 'Light Cycle'

Rear mounted foot controls

The 'third jersey'

3 in a row

Tomahawk

Back in 2003, Dodge rolled out this strange beast, calling it the world's fastest motorcycle. Don't know if you can actually call the 'Tomahawk' a motorcycle, since it really has 4 wheels, two front and two back. They do work independently from each other though, so it does lean like a motorcycle, but I've never actually seen any proof that it can corner, since all the videos show it only running in a straight line. Powered by a 500 horsepower 8.3L V10 engine from a Dodge Viper, there's no doubt it has power. Acceleration is purportedly 0-100 kmh in 2.3 seconds, so I guess you'd better hang on! That's if you could have afforded what was claimed to be about a $550,000 price tag. A pretty expensive piece of 'rolling sculpture', as Dodge once described it themselves.

Bizarre looking, to say the least.

I don't think it ever became street legal.

It does look like this rider took it out on the town with some confidence, since he is certainly ignoring ATGATT!

Plenty of photo-op shots on the Internet, but not too many of it in action

Another posed shot.

Crazy Lids!

After posting the article on the "Love Of Lids" art exhibit in Australia, I found these custom helmets on-line. Not sure if I'd want to wear any of them, but they are pretty funny!

The Brain Bucket

This would almost be like me not wearing a helmet!! haha!

I hope it doesn't spin like a globe!

Interesting to look at but not necessarily to wear! Maybe cause some distraction for drivers too!

Canadian Gold!

Who gets up at 4:30 in the morning, when it's -25*C and snowing, and makes their way over to the local tavern to watch a hockey game? Canadians, that's who!

Damn right, when our Olympic Men's Hockey Team is going for gold and need a nation to cheer them to victory!

And indeed we did and they did, so way to go guys! Gold it was, so it was all worth the trials and tribulations of the wee hours and freezing temperatures. And the breakfast beer helped take the edge off too! haha!

Just warming up, on and off the ice!

Beer and/or coffee for breakfast!

Or Prosecco instead of beer (and yes, that says 5:45:55 a.m. on the clock in the background! haha!).

We score first!

Getting close to the end of the game

Celebrating gold!

For The Love Of Lids

Here's an interesting article about an event put on by Harley Davidson of Australia. As the poster declares, this event was  "a unique art exhibition in celebration of Harley-Davidson's love of customization and freedom" and featured "some of Australia's edgiest artists who have plied their skills on a unique canvas"...the motorcycle helmet.

How I came upon the article is interesting too, since I found out that Grant Price, who owns Gasoline Alley Harley Davidson in Red Deer, also owns a similarly named dealership in Brisbane Australia. 

Marys Newtown in Newtown, Australia

Nanami Cowdroy works on her piece

Mr Dragon Helmet Head 'Zen Shin'

Created by poster artist Ben Brown

Jeweller Sofia Fitzpatrick did this crazy cool, if somewhat impractical, helmet! 

Graphic Designer Lachlan Bruce

Illustrator Blair Sayers goes comic book style.

See God....Then Back Off!

The writer Hunter S. Thompson once said "The edge, there is no way to explain it because the only people who really know were it is are the ones who have gone over".
But, if there ever was a guy who was always riding on the edge, it might be late 1980's and early 1990's MotoGP rider Kevin Schwantz, adored by fans for pushing the limits in all his races. Though generally on less superior bikes than his rivals, Schwantz still managed to produce many wins with his "do or die" attitude, though not without quite a few crashes. He had an intense friendship and rivalry with fellow rider Wayne Rainey and the two battled it out on the track many, many times, even when they were on the same racing team! If you want to see a moment, check out the video of Schwantz (#34) and Rainey (#1) neck and neck at the end of the Hockenheim, with #34 fishtailing and on the verge of losing control to get the win!
When asked about his braking technique, Schwantz said "see God, then back off".
Schwantz had many injuries from his crashes and retired from racing not long after Rainey crashed his own bike in the '93 Italian Grand Prix and was paralyzed from the waist down.
He is a partial subject in the 2003 documentary "Faster", an inside look at the world of MotoGP.

Drag a peg

Feet up in the gravel

#34

Crashing at 200 mph is never a good thing