Crash Protection

LAST MONTH, I WAS contacted by one of the many expert consultancy groups that have cropped up over the past few years. These agencies act as middle-men between their clients, who require knowledge or advice on a specific topic, and a network of experts, who are supposedly able to supply it. The consultation is usually by group telephone conference, during which the client pays for an hour or less of your time, while milking you for a lifetime’s knowledge and experience.

I suppose the number of experts that have the word “motorcycle design” in their resume is limited. As a result, I have found myself in some curious discussions, including how to reduce the cost of seat foam, for which I have neither expertise nor the vaguest interest. But thank you for your enquiry, I’ll send you my invoice.

This last one differed from the usual manufacturing cost-cutting requests, though. It was from a group of New York prosecution lawyers representing a motorcycle rider who had lost a leg in