My Harley to the End

“You wont ask me for much

Just a little of my time

To fix your aching joints

And fill your tanks with wine

To polish those rough edges

Keeping them looking new

Tighten up your spokes

Maybe a new paint job too.

Replace all your plugs,

Wire all your circuits

Bring out those fantastic colors

Painted without smudges

Take off those old rusty nuts

Shine up all those screws and such.

Replace your worn down tires

Works out to be quite a few hours

Of mental meditation

Decisions, contemplations

And some aggravations.

But all in all, I love you so

You take me places people don’t go.

You spend your time just hanging out

Waiting to take me all about

I could not ask for a better friend,

Me and my Harley to the end.”

-Kimberley A. Manning

And below is my motorcycle until the end!

What to do in Case of an Automobile Accident…

These tips can also apply to motorcycle accidents, with the obvious exceptions.

At the Scene:

1- Compose Yourself - Accidents are never planned in advance. They are always unexpected.  Your initial reaction may be confusion and/or anger.  Before doing anything you must gain control of your emotions and assess the situation.

2- Help Those Who are Injured – Call an ambulance if necessary.  Do not try to move an injured person unless you are properly trained.

3- Take Precautions to Prevent Further Accidents – Do not move the vehicles unless it is unsafe to leave the vehicles where they are. To warn approaching vehicles use flares, flashlights or raise your hood.  Above all, do not do anything to incur any further injury to yourself or others!

4- Don’t be Mr. Nice Guy… Call the Police - Their report will serve as a valuable tool in determining liability.  Answer their questions but remember what you say may be used against you. Make no admissions to fault even if you think you caused the accident.  South Carolina is a comparative fault state. Find out where and when you can pick up a copy of the accident report.

5- If possible, Take some pictures of the Scene – Use a digital camera or cell phone to take some photographs, including the intersection, the damage to your vehicle and damage to the other vehicles.

Record Details:

Click here to access an accident form our firm created to assist you in recording details in the event of an accident. This form provides space to record names, addresses and information regarding the parties involved in the accident as well as witnesses. It also provides space to diagram the event.

The Next 24 Hours:

Notify Your Insurance Company – Notify your insurance carrier and make a report or have your lawyer make the report for you.  You must cooperate with your insurance company, however, you are under no obligation to give statements to the other insurance company. Remember, their primary concern is not your welfare.  It is to make money and pay as little as possible.

Seek Legal Advise - Most personal injury attorneys operate on a “no charge unless you recover” basis.  They do not charge for initial consultations.  A call to your attorney may prevent you from receiving an in adequate settlement or no settlement at all.

Should You Seek Medical Help?

If you have not received obvious injuries such as broken bones, cuts, etc., you may not feel the need to see a doctor.  However, it is important to remember that serious and expensive injuries do not always result in immediate pain.  Your personal injury attorney, in many cases, can refer you to medical professionals who will treat you and may defer payment until the time you receive your insurance settlement.

While an overwhelming majority of us fill up our cars with E10 and have no problems, this alternative fuel can have a very different effect on motorcycles. For starters, it can seriously damage and corrode steel, aluminum and rubber parts in the fuel system.

Known to loosen sludge in fuel tanks, ethanol can clog fuel lines and filters and block carburetor jets and fuel injectors. Also, for those of us who aren’t able to get out on our bikes as much as we would like to, ethanol is known to attract water. If your bike is left with ethanol blend gasoline in the tank for a long period of time, I have been told that adding a stabilizer is essential. Otherwise condensation, particularly an issue in high humidity climates, can cause the ethanol and water to separate, leading to serious engine trouble.

A variety of fuel conversion kits are available to convert your motorcycle to run on E85, but I am hesitant to make the switch myself. The American Motorcycle Association is not yet convinced, either, and has questioned the lack of research proving that an increase in ethanol will not harm motorcycle engines and parts. For the time being, I plan to be ethanol free!

As a personal injury, criminal and workers compensation lawyer practicing across the South Carolina area, I find myself frequently fueling up. Below is a map I started, which identifies gas stations in the Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester county areas that sell ethanol-free gas. Some of these stations may be limited on the type of ethanol-free fuel they offer.

There’s also a great post from the Post & Courier about Ethenol. Check it out here.

I plan to keep updating this map and welcome anyone to add to this list by posting a comment. To visit the map in your web browser, click here.