Motorcycle group lights up Bloomington

The Gold Wing Road Riders Association of Indiana, an organization named after the Honda Gold Wing motorcycle, began its Spring Wing Warm-up Wednesday at the Monroe County Fairgrounds. The event will continue until Saturday.

In an effort to promote motorcycle safety, the event’s theme is “Can you see me now?” and features neon colors.

The event will consist of seminars instructing people on bike safety and guided tours throughout the city of Bloomington in addition to showcasing motorcycles.

The event expects to draw more than 300 people and will allow a large sum of the people to camp at the fairgrounds, according to a press release.

“The GWWRA chooses different locations every year,” Director of Operations Mike Albright said. “We chose Bloomington this year because it’s a nice, central location, and we’ll be able to encourage those in the north to come down and those in the south to come up.”

Albright said the most spectacular event, which will be free to the public, will take place Saturday at the Ellettsville Community Park.

Between 9 and 10 p.m. that night, hundreds of bikes will take to the streets decked out in bright neon lights.

The GWWRA has more than 20 chapters in Indiana, and each one places a strong emphasis on motorcycle safety, said Mike Kadinger, director of rider education.

“We want people to learn to ride better,” he said.

The organization also provides classes for riders of all levels, and it has classes for three-wheeled bikes.

“We have advanced classes, but we also like to teach the simple things,” Kadinger said.

The simple things include proper lane riding, lighting issues and rearview mirror safety.
According to data from the Governors Highway Safety Association, motorcyclist fatalities were up 9 percent between 2011 and 2012 in 34 states, including Indiana.

Kadinger said eight of 10 accidents occur at intersections while another vehicle is making a turn.

“A lot of the issues come from other drivers,” he said. “People aren’t used to looking for small motorcycles.”