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Needs to be said... sell the DAMN motorcycle.

Entre Eyes

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I can really relate to all sides...

I broke my arm as a kid because I climbed roof tops and jumped from one to another because I was 007 of course.

As I got older the word consequences is very powerful scale tipper in my decision making. We have a lot to lose. So many people get killed on their VACATION.

Casinos have higher risks/odds games and lower ones....anything can happen but we make a conscious decision to sit or not.
 
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Andy Black

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Yeah, from the rational stand-point I completely agree with you.

I guess I just haven't matured enough yet...
Go spend time with your loved ones. Don’t just think about you not being able to hug them, also think about what would happen if you were taken from *them*. What effect would that have on them?

If you can’t picture it then maybe ask the policemen, firemen, doctors, or nurses how they feel about motorbikes and telling next of kin. I know a guy who left the police force because he could no longer knock on people’s doors to deliver bad news.

I remember turning up to a hospital to see a friend who’d had a big smash. I rode 200 miles to get there and came on the ward in my bike leathers with helmet under my arm. I could see the disapproval from the nursing staff, but just ignored it. I now have a better understanding of what they were thinking. They were thinking of my friend’s poor mum who was at his bedside, of my mum, and of their own kids.
 

StrikingViper69

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I'll have to play devils advocate here...

First of all I completely agree with the fact that riding a motorcycle is dangerous, and it can lead to VERY real consequences such as death or becoming disabled....

But so can snowboarding, parashute jumping, rafting, paragliding, MTB downhil and bmx racing and other extreme sports...

Should we stop engaging in these activities all-together?

The point is - sure the death and trauma are very real possibilities...

But ultimately that's why people engage in extreme sports isn't it?

We like to overcome adversity - some enjoy it less, some more, but there is something very thrilling about being an inch from a tragedy and still surviving.

The feeling of beating the fear of death for a second is MINDBLOWING.

I think that's the whole point.

The risk is very real... and I think that is the EXACT reason, why people like extreme sports.

And sure riding can be compared to cigaretes... maybe even cocaine - the dopamine rush from it is much more powerful, than the rush from smoking.

Maybe one day I'll look back at myself and think ''Woah, I was very, very wrong about this...''

But for now:

I think the main difference with motorcycle riding, is that the risk is disproportionately placed in other peoples hands.

With all those extreme sports, you can get injured, but you can also dial things back if its getting too hairy. You can train, plan and prepare. Going downhill too fast? Ease on the brakes.

With a motorbike, there is absolutely nothing you can do about someone else not paying attention and wiping you out.
 

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First of all I completely agree with the fact that riding a motorcycle is dangerous, and it can lead to VERY real consequences such as death or becoming disabled....

But so can snowboarding, parashute jumping, rafting, paragliding, MTB downhil and bmx racing and other extreme sports...

Should we stop engaging in these activities all-together?

The point is - sure the death and trauma are very real possibilities...

But ultimately that's why people engage in extreme sports isn't it?

We like to overcome adversity - some enjoy it less, some more, but there is something very thrilling about being an inch from a tragedy and still surviving.

As a person who has engaged in various extreme sports, I believe that many extreme sports are only as dangerous as you want them to be and actually "normal" sports like soccer, rugby, or boxing are more dangerous on average (at least injury-wise).

Some extreme sports do have on average a higher risk and some have a lower. It mostly comes down to what is called "objective hazards." Climbing is a good example of such a sport that you can actually compare to riding a motorcycle.

In climbing in general, objective hazards are things like rockfall, lightning strike, or an unexpected loose rock. Those are the things you can't really predict. They can happen to anyone, an expert or not, because it's usually about being in the wrong place at the wrong time (unlike subjective hazards that are human-caused incidents). This is pretty much what @SamRussell pointed out—each time you ride a motorcycle, you expose yourself to objective hazards, too (drunk drivers, people texting, people driving carelessly, etc.).

But there are various climbing activities you can engage in and the risk varies tremendously. Mountaineering, and particularly climbing in the highest mountains, comes with a very high risk of objective hazards. This is akin to riding a motorbike. No matter how good you are, how prepared you are, how defensive you are, the world's best alpinists still die each year. Meanwhile, bouldering, particularly indoors or even outdoors with normal precautions, is pretty much as safe as any other normal sport.

As an ex-climber (for the time being or forever, my interests in sports are often shifting), IMO, mountaineering is not worth it in the same way as riding a motorbike isn't.

Yes, you get a huge high, the sense of accomplishment has to be immense (note that I never engaged in proper mountaineering), but the decision to do so despite a huge number of objective hazards, the perspective of death and the pain you would cause your loved ones is just plain dumb and selfish. There are many other, much safer ways you can satisfy your need for adrenaline.

You might not understand it no matter how many people tell you about it. I don't wish it on anyone ever, but sometimes only a personal tragedy can change your mind, which is sad and shows how delusional we humans are in our need to deny the very real possibility of death. I guess that this sense of invincibility comes with youth and wanes as you age, take on more responsibility and suffer personal losses that make death a very real prospect.

Maybe one day I'll look back at myself and think ''Woah, I was very, very wrong about this...''

About a year and a half ago I was climbing what a guidebook said was an easy, well-bolted multi-pitch route. Because of the features and the height of the rock, it wasn't possible to see the entire route. But it was graded as very easy, so we decided to climb it. Somewhere in the middle of it I realized that I had either missed a bolt or that it had never been there in the first place.

With each move up, I was farther and farther away from the last piece of protection until it wouldn't matter anymore—a fall would be deadly either way, protection or not. And then I climbed onto a super sketchy, crumbly slab, with the rope pulling more and more taut, making it even harder to climb, knowing that a misstep meant certain death. I eventually found a tree that I used as an anchor and safely belayed my partner who was the second, but to this day when I think about it, I can't help but think how lucky I was.

If I had known about the risk, I wouldn't have climbed this route (which is what we did many times before, skipping routes we weren't sure about). But this section was invisible from the ground, and when I found myself in this risky situation, it was too late to retreat.

Maybe when you're reading it, you think to yourself: "what an awesome, badass story." And of course, in a way, it is, like any story with a real possibility of death. But at the same time, it's frightening and so damn stupid. A single misstep, which was very likely in this crumbly terrain, would mean that I would have been dead for a year and a half already, dying on an "easy" route, as confident in my abilities to climb it as a motorcycle rider in their abilities to avoid an accident. This wasn't my only climbing experience with a possibility of death or a very serious accident, and I was generally a very cautious and prepared climber with a low level of acceptable risk.

Each time you ride your motorcycle, you're putting yourself in a pretty similar situation. Living to tell the tale might sound cool, but one day you might not be so lucky.
 
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Yoda

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I've lost a friend to a bike accident (not his fault) and had a friend get permanently disfigured (not his fault).

I 100% believe a motorcycle can be fun in an isolated situation, but not on open roads.

Sell the bike.
 

Walter Hay

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When at 17 years of age I bought a motor bike my mother was frantic. I proved her right by having 9 accidents in the one year that I owned that Kamikaze machine. I still have a nasty scar on my leg.

Several were directly caused by car drivers, but most were a result of me always riding to the limit or beyond. In the worst, I overtook my bike as I slid along the bitumen, sitting up at over 80 km per hour. (about 50MPH). Even leather doesn't handle that sort of treatment very well.

Once the backside was out of my pants, my butt didn't handle it well either.

Later, a friend with whom I often rode doubted what I said when I told him that his footrests were touching the road on bends.

Sure enough, the footrests on both our bikes were severely worn down on the underside. Seeing that was quite an awakening, and the reason that I sold my bike soon after.

Walter
 

MattR82

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I'll have to play devils advocate here...

First of all I completely agree with the fact that riding a motorcycle is dangerous, and it can lead to VERY real consequences such as death or becoming disabled....

But so can snowboarding, parashute jumping, rafting, paragliding, MTB downhil and bmx racing and other extreme sports...

Should we stop engaging in these activities all-together?

The point is - sure the death and trauma are very real possibilities...

But ultimately that's why people engage in extreme sports isn't it?

We like to overcome adversity - some enjoy it less, some more, but there is something very thrilling about being an inch from a tragedy and still surviving.

The feeling of beating the fear of death for a second is MINDBLOWING.

I think that's the whole point.

The risk is very real... and I think that is the EXACT reason, why people like extreme sports.

And sure riding can be compared to cigaretes... maybe even cocaine - the dopamine rush from it is much more powerful, than the rush from smoking.

Maybe one day I'll look back at myself and think ''Woah, I was very, very wrong about this...''

But for now:
Riding a bike on a track day with no cars would be more of a comparison to what you are talking about though. No one is saying there's anything wrong with that.
 
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Kybalion

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Riding a bike on a track day with no cars would be more of a comparison to what you are talking about though. No one is saying there's anything wrong with that.
Yeah, you are right. Here is a quote from wikipedia: '' 75% of motorcycle accidents involved a collision with another vehicle, usually a car"

I don't think I'll try to defend my position, since the statistics are clearly making my arguments seem very irrational. And the anecdotal evidence from you guys makes me seem very irresponsible.

I am taking an ''L'' this time...

The consensus is clear - don't do motorcycles! (at least outside of track)
 

KnightByDay

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Man, this is some weird timing to come across this thread. @MJ DeMarco started this thread the same day I signed up for the basic rider course. Was looking at bikes and gear yesterday. I've wanted a bike my whole life, just swore I'd never get one while I lived in Florida because the traffic is deadly. Now that I'm moving to the mountains next month, was planning to get one. Not so sure now...
 

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One has a better survival rate but both still in the same category of increased fatalities.

Sure, but we're not talking about that. We're talking about survival rate ONCE you have an accident.

In an exotic, maybe it's 90%, on a bike, maybe 10%.

I crashed an exotic going 50mph (relatively slow) and survived.
Crash a motorcycle at 50mph and you're dead.

Sure, maybe more accidents happen in an exotic, but comparing fatalities once that accident happens is like comparing jumping out a second floor window versus a ten story window.

But so can snowboarding, parashute jumping, rafting, paragliding, MTB downhil and bmx racing and other extreme sports...

Except those sports don't involve a world full of idiots.

You error and it's your fault. I think most participants in those sports would be OK with taking responsibility for a crash they themselves instigated. Extreme sports is YOU against the challenge, not YOU against a road full of idiots. On a bike, I'm guessing most accidents are due to others on the road.

is that the risk is disproportionately placed in other peoples hands.

Absolutely, thank you.
 
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andrewsyc

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Sell it, too dangerous.

Sure you can get lambo/ferrari speed for $5-10k with a sport bike, doesn't end well if you crash :(
I knew people that like to take them up to 150mph+ with just sunglasses and a t-shirt, YIKES!

I used a scooter to hop all over the town I used to live in when I was a mobile phone repair man.

That said, you don't need a hot car or bike to have fun, lol :)

Photo Oct 13, 11 09 20 AM.jpgPhoto Oct 13, 11 09 10 AM.jpgPhoto Oct 13, 11 09 05 AM.jpg
 

tylerwilkinson

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Track days and full race leathers also exist, way safer than the street, but still not remotely risk free.

My brother raced for a few years (track, not on the streets), and wisely called it quits after a nasty crash caused him to time travel a day or so into the future. He was lucky that his only lasting damage is a neck that hates turning. My nephew will be happier with a dad.
 
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Veloman

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I've been riding bicycles on streets for 20 years, though not as much as I use to and more cautiously. I live in the city and ride a converted mtb with an electric motor which is awesome and typically ride 20-25mph. A few years ago I converted a motorcycle to electric which topped at 65mph. I lost interest after about a year or 4000 miles. I felt it was putting too much faith in drivers and I found myself on busier routes than I would ride on my ebicycle because it had the power and speed. So breathing in the exhaust also got annoying. Riding on the highway was awful, so loud and I hated having to 'gear up' especially in our hot climate. So I decided to get rid of it and stick to my ebicycle on mostly neighborhood streets with bike lanes/paths. I still feel at times that is not even worth the stress (which is a shame because it's such an economical, low impact, fun urban transport). I do also pedal my road bike about 3 times a week on select low traffic roads for fun/fitness. Once in a while I'll bomb a downhill at 50mph. Still risky but fairly rare that I do it.
 

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I'll have to play devils advocate here...

First of all I completely agree with the fact that riding a motorcycle is dangerous, and it can lead to VERY real consequences such as death or becoming disabled....

But so can snowboarding, parashute jumping, rafting, paragliding, MTB downhil and bmx racing and other extreme sports...

Should we stop engaging in these activities all-together?

The point is - sure the death and trauma are very real possibilities...

But ultimately that's why people engage in extreme sports isn't it?

We like to overcome adversity - some enjoy it less, some more, but there is something very thrilling about being an inch from a tragedy and still surviving.

The feeling of beating the fear of death for a second is MINDBLOWING.

I think that's the whole point.

The risk is very real... and I think that is the EXACT reason, why people like extreme sports.

And sure riding can be compared to cigaretes... maybe even cocaine - the dopamine rush from it is much more powerful, than the rush from smoking.

Maybe one day I'll look back at myself and think ''Woah, I was very, very wrong about this...''

But for now:
But riding a motorcycle isn’t an extreme sport, and out of most of those examples you listed they are basically solo sports.

You could be riding your bike going 30mph in a neighborhood and get in a fatal accident due to SOMEBODY ELSES negligence.
 

Entre Eyes

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Sell it, too dangerous.

Sure you can get lambo/ferrari speed for $5-10k with a sport bike, doesn't end well if you crash :(
I knew people that like to take them up to 150mph+ with just sunglasses and a t-shirt, YIKES!

I used a scooter to hop all over the town I used to live in when I was a mobile phone repair man.

That said, you don't need a hot car or bike to have fun, lol :)

View attachment 28037View attachment 28038View attachment 28039

A man who knows how to SELL!

Hold up is that a bull whip on her hip? Never judge a book by it's cover even a scooter!:hilarious:
 
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Bertram

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Our household land speed record is 171mph. It's.... not advisable.
That's almost as fast as my mother drove her exotic in her later years.

My mom was banned from driving in the State of Vermont because she admitted to the judge that, in all honesty, she'd probably never change her ways.
 
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Roli

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I loved getting a bend right and feeling my knee gently scraping the tarmac.
Man that's one thing I never did because I never had the right gear on. Will do a track day one of these days, it's better when there's no traffic coming the other way.

Oh, and I now know the worry I put my mum through when I was riding the bike for a decade.
Ditto

I rode bikes. I don’t identify as a biker. I identify as a dad, parent, husband, son, business owner...
Ditto... Though I still miss the CBR600, probably even more than the GSX...
 

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This thread could of well saved somebodies life... (maybe even my own)

I have been driving around helmet-less for the last 4 months on my scooter (Bali). It stops now. I feel embarrassed to even admit this...

About to go helmet shopping...
 
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MattR82

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This thread could of well saved somebodies life... (maybe even my own)

I have been driving around helmet-less for the last 4 months on my scooter (Bali). It stops now. I feel embarrassed to even admit this...

About to go helmet shopping...
Don't cheap out either, get european or aus/nz safety standard if you can. Still pretty cheap.

So many people in Bali wearing what amounts to a mickey mouse helmet thinking it's actually gonna do anything.
 

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A few years back, I bought my first motorbike. One of the best feelings was being on the open roads in the country. For me, it was a sense of being completely disconnected with the hustle & bustle of our busy lives. As I got more experience, I upgraded my bikes. Eventually settling with a 2015 BMW S1000RR - a lethal bike. I remember giggling like a little school girl with the first fist full of throttle!

Time went on and I had a close call. Car pulled out onto a dual lane main road (80km/hr) and gave me no choice but to lane change without looking as I had no time to stop. Lucky no one was next to me and I managed to have just missed the boot of the car!

Not long after that, I excessively broke the speed limit but a mere 140km/hr @ 1am on that exact same road. Passed a cop car and thought that was it, if I lost my license I would have lost my job and my family would struggle. Lucky for me, the cop didn't even try to turn around. I got home and remember thinking how badly that could have ended - for me, for my wife and my daughter. I sold that bike soon after.
 

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Contrarian

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There's a lot of nuance when it comes to bikes and risk.

I've been riding for 12 years. I didn't even get my car license until about four years ago. To this day I feel more comfortable riding than driving.

In that time, I've:
  • Commuted in and out of London in rush hour
  • Gone on countless fast rides and multi-day trips
  • Ridden in torrential rain, snow and ice (at one time I lived in the middle of nowhere and had my bike as my only transport, 12 months a year)
  • Done trackdays
  • Probably put in over 200,000 miles total
And in all those years I've come off my bike exactly three times.

Once, when I tried to do a U-turn on a hill and fell over at walking speed (the day after I picked up my first bike).

Once when I gave it a bit too much throttle on cold, new tyres on a wet road pulling out of a junction and caused a tankslapper (pure inexperience - about three months after I started riding).

And once trying to get my knee down in autumn with wet leaves all over the road (youthful stupidity and lack of judgement - exactly five months to the day after I got my license).

In the first two cases I was completely uninjured. The third accident was horrific, but I was extremely lucky considering the circumstances. I slid into a tree at ~65mph and broke my leg in eight places, dislocated my ankle and hip. I had an external fixator for six months, a cast for two months more after that, and it was 2-3 years before I could walk normally without pain and swelling again. Now I have arthritis and limited mobility in that ankle, which has a couple of consequences. I have to do regular physio and I can't run, jump or do anything else high impact (at least, not without paying for it in soreness later).

That crash was twelve years ago tomorrow, and I've never, ever come off a bike since. But I got back on the bike the day after the cast came off. And I wouldn't trade my biking experiences for a fully functioning ankle, even if I quit riding today. They've been such an integral part of life's joys.

The problem is not that bikes are dangerous in and of themselves, but that the consequences for error can be so catastrophic. The solution is not to make those errors that lead to crashes in the first place. On average (yes, I've researched it), you get 10 "oh shit" close calls for every crash you're likely to experience. If you get one of those moments, it's a big warning sign that you should avoid whatever situation caused it to happen. I've known people who've ridden for 30-40+ years and never had an accident.

Almost all crashes are avoidable, and that includes those caused by other people. You can't control what they do, but you can anticipate what they will or may do so as to put yourself in a position to avoid it.

The skill ceiling is much, much higher for bikes than for cars. Once you are skilled enough (and have excellent judgment), most of the risk differential disappears. In a study of UK police drivers & riders (widely considered the most skilled motorcyclists in the world), they discovered that being a police driver or rider is about equally risky. Riders are slightly more likely to be injured, but drivers are slightly more likely to crash.

If you want to have a safe biking career, treat it as seriously as you treat your actual career/business, and the study and practice which goes into it. It is also entirely possible to be both fast and safe (see: those police motorcyclists), and equally, slow and dangerous.

I also never - ever - get on a bike without full leathers, boots, gloves, back protector, helmet and soon I will add an airbag vest. But the plan is to never need any of them.

We regularly talk about how fallacious it is to claim that it's not worth starting a business because "95% of businesses fail!" There are blueprints for how not to become a statistic in every endeavour, including motorcycling.

(But speaking of statistics, horse riding is four times more dangerous than motorcycling.)

I've also never personally known anyone who died riding, or who's had an injury even close to as serious as mine. And I know and have known a lot of bikers, including racers.

Some caveats:

If I'd never ridden before, I probably wouldn't start now. Getting over that skill and judgment threshold is the most dangerous part. For that reason I would hesitate to recommend anyone take it up as a new hobby.

But then, I wouldn't take up skiing, snowboarding, mountaineering or any other extreme sports now either. Or even rugby. I don't like injuries or danger and would love to live for 1,000 years if I could. I simply don't feel that motorcycling is particularly dangerous for me, given my experience and judgment.

Do I ever think about quitting while I'm ahead? Sure. I have a whole lot more to lose now than when I was 21. But I stand by my point that motorcycling can be a fairly low-risk activity.
 
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MattR82

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When I was a kid and rode on the back of my Dad's bike with him in rural areas, I was always freaked out about animals jumping out in front of us lol.

Those were the moments I realised how much I hated giving away control. Only got on the back a few times with him. Even at a young age I knew he was a bit of a nutter though.
 

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My father was a biker. My uncles were too. I had a Kawasaki 750ltd with all the goodies when I was in highschool, had a few crotch rockets and a sweet CBR1000. As much as I would like to have one again, Scottsdale is no place for a motorcycle. The way people drive here I won't purchase anything smaller than my lifted Tahoe for myself as long as I live here.
 

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Let’s extend this advice to bicycles. You know, especially the ones who cycle like they are beyond the law

Whats wrong with bikes? As a Dutch guy I think bikes are the future, 0 emmisions good for extra fitness on the road and far cheaper!
Only problem is Holland is (currently) one of the few countrys that have dedicated bikelanes.

But getting back to the subject In the emergancy ward there was recently a guy that went motor riding without leather jacket.
He ended up being skinned alive after he skidded over the road. (after reading the other posts this guy was lucky!)
 
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v1vr

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I think about selling my street motorcycles every now and then and sticking with just my track motorcycle to eliminate a little more risk. I've been riding on the street less and less as I'm prioritizing other areas of my life. Doing a track weekend or two each month gives me my riding fix. Maybe one day I'll pull the trigger, but for now I'm keeping them. I have a blast every time I saddle up and hit the road.

However, I hear the following argument all the time and I think it is total BS.

"I'm not worried about my riding, it's all the other drivers out on the road that I'm worried about."

The people who say that usually fall into three categories:
1. They don't realize how much control they actually have and how their decisions can affect the outcome of a situation.
2. They are usually some of the worst riders I have come across, not just in riding skill but in the ability to make a judgement call or a decision.
3. They have never even sat on a motorcycle.

My experience is nothing compared to some of the people I know or people on this forum who have 10+ years and hundreds of thousands of miles under their belts. I have four seasons and 25,000 miles of riding experience across all my bikes in the Tri-state area. I specifically mentioned the Tri-state area, because that's where I always hear this argument brought up.

I've had quite a few close calls in my four years of riding. One or two of them were a little too close for comfort and really could have changed the course of my life if things didn't play out the way they did. Most of them just reduced my margin for error by an unnecessary amount. These close calls were usually because of speed, riding at the brink of my ability, taking a bad line, poor riding technique in general, and inexperience/information overload. I was PURPOSELY putting myself into these situations the majority of the time because of the above factors.

I would say 2 or 3 of these close calls were honestly beyond my control and 100% the fault of the other driver. But in each of these cases, what I was doing or ended up doing due to experience prevented me from getting into an accident. One of the incidents that comes to mind is when some lady made a left turn in front of me while I was going through an intersection. I even weaved back and forth entering the intersection to draw attention to myself. She must have completely missed seeing me and made the turn anyway. Her fault 100%.

I was driving the speed limit at the time which gave me plenty of time to react and avoid hitting her. I was confident on my bike and was able to emergency brake and swerve in the opposite direction. My rear wheel locked up and I had the ability and confidence to not over react and to get it under control before my back end kicked out too much. I'm sure a little luck played into it all as well. The most important thing was that I was able to ride home without having an incident.

There are two types of riders in the world, those who have crashed and those who will crash. I finally got into my first motorcycle crash at the track two weekends ago. I dove into a turn a little too aggressively and low sided at 55 mph. I slid toward the outside of the turn, stood up, and walked toward the barriers without a scratch on me. My gear did its job and with a little elbow grease and persuasion from a crowbar, I had my bike up and running for the next session. That same weekend, a guy in the pit next to me went down in the last session on Sunday. He was sore as hell and had some friction burns, but his airbag vest saved him from taking a trip to the hospital.

A few months ago, a friend of a friend was killed in a motorcycle accident after he hit a deer at 2am while commuting to work. He died because he was run over by another vehicle in the roadway. He wasn't wearing full gear, his gear wasn't reflective, and he wasn't wearing a full face helmet. Maybe he was knocked unconscious because he wasn’t wearing a full face helmet. Maybe he was laying in the roadway in pain because his clothes disintegrated the second he hit the pavement and no one could see him because he had no reflective gear. Unfortunately, we'll never know exactly what happened because the driver who ran him over never stopped. We can only assume they thought it must have been a deer and they just continued on their way.

I frequently read into motorcycle accidents in my area to see what happened and what could have been done to prevent it. I can think of only one motorcycle accident during my riding career in the past few years where there was honestly nothing the poor guy could have done besides being in a car, taking an extra 20 seconds to tie his shoes, or taking another way to work. He was commuting to work while there was an exotic car event going on at the local stadium. Two of the guys from the event decided to race while going out to get fuel, came around the corner on the wrong side of the road, and slammed into the rider killing him on scene. If he was in a car, maybe he could have survived injury free. He also could have been permanently disfigured or disabled and had his life changed. Once again, we'll never know.

There's a lesson to be learned from each and every incident that I have had and that other people have had. It’s on me whether or not I take away something from the incident and apply it to the way I make my decisions or how I end up riding. If you’re constantly getting into close calls or feel like everyone on the road is out to get you, you need to take a step back and look at yourself in the mirror before it’s too late.

Four years and several track events later, my street riding has toned down significantly. I almost never ride at more than 80% of my ability and even that’s risky. It’s just not worth it to me anymore to get my rocks off taking a turn at 30 mph above the speed limit. I may not be able to see far enough through the turn to see what’s on the other side. There may be a car cutting across the double yellow line. I may hit gravel and slide into a guard rail or off a steep hill. I save the more aggressive riding for the track where there is much less risk.

The guy who was killed at the stadium may not have been able to do much, but there is a lot that I can now do. I can take a more defensive line or utilize the more inside/outside lane to give myself more of a buffer from oncoming traffic. When I cruise up for the weekly summer car show at Bear Mountain, I ride a lot more cautiously and more defensively. There are a lot of other motorcyclists and people driving fast cars during these events who aren’t as cautious and may cause an accident.

My crash at the track two weeks ago taught me a few lessons and really showed me the importance of riding with full gear. It’s amazing how well my suit held up after a 55 mph slide. I used to never put riding pants on when hitting the streets because it was a nuisance to get them on and they weren’t comfortable. I’m going to buy a more comfortable pair of riding pants and take an extra 5 minutes to put them on, because the pain and skin grafts just aren’t worth it when your jeans disintegrate in a slide. I’m planning on getting an airbag vest as well because the extra cushioning never hurts. The high-visibility markings will also help me be seen if I ever do end up in the roadway and hopefully prevent an accident like the one that happened to my friend’s friend.

How many motorcycle accidents, injuries, and fatalities could be prevented if people ride within their ability, ride with the proper gear, ride within the speed limit and limits of the road, and constantly practice to become better riders and be able to make better decisions while in adverse situations? I would say 99% of them. You are in control. You decide how you ride and if you want to be a better rider or not. You decide what gear to wear or not to wear. You decide how fast you go and whether a pass on the highway is a good or bad idea. You have the ability to take away lessons from previous incidents or other peoples' misfortunes and apply them to make yourself a better and safer rider.

Sorry for the long rant haha. Here's a picture of my bikes for you to enjoy.

28061
 

Ing

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Sell that dammed bike! Its too dangerous! And it makes addictive!
I know that stuff, i m riding since 50 years!
Sell it before you are licking blood!
And wen its too late to get rid of that drug, go dirtbike riding. You brake bones, but mostly survive.

Sell it!!
 
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Roli

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So true what @v1vr says. The fact is I rode bikes (still do now and again) on and off for 20 years. In that time I had two proper crashes (not counting bike drops, minor scrapes). Neither was my fault, however the injuries from the first one could have all been avoided had I been wearing even jeans, let alone the right gear. I have a 15 inch scar on my leg that says; "don't wear shorts on a superbike you muppet."

The second was a numpty opening a door at the perfect time to trap my hand between said door, and my oncoming motorbike and even though I was doing sub 5 mph pulling up to some lights, I broke every bone in my hand, however the £27,500 I got for that eased my pain somewhat!

In my 20 years of riding up till that point, I would say that the most dangerous time on my bike was between the ages of 17 and 25, even though I miraculously escaped any serious crashes in that time. My riding style was very aggressive with little room for error. Luckily I didn't own any big bikes till I was in my late twenties/early thirties when I had calmed down a bit.

I'd love to see the stats for bike crashes around the world. I'd bet a penny to a pound that there is a direct correlation between serious accidents, age of rider and power of bike.

I have been driving around helmet-less for the last 4 months on my scooter (Bali). It stops now. I feel embarrassed to even admit this...

Case in point, if a careless driver hits you and you die because of no helmet whose fault is it really?

How old are you if you don't mind me asking? I'm guessing 25 or less...

About to go helmet shopping...

Get a decent one, it's your head. Also, I know it's Thailand so probably incredibly hot and nobody else is doing it but, get a full face helmet, better a scratched visor than no face after scraping along the floor for fifty yards.

This thread could of well saved somebodies life.

You'll probably hate me after reading this bit, however I am a bit of a grammar Nazi with an obsessive compulsive disorder. Reading bad, or incorrect grammar is like receiving an electric shock to me.

Anyway, it's could have.

Sorry to hail you out, but even when people don't mention it, they're silently judging you and putting you in a box.

Peace, and protect that precious head of yours! :cool:
 

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