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

Redwolf

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I have been riding sportbikes since 1995. I've crashed 8 times? Once doing about 130mph+ on the track. 6th gear, wide open throttle, knee on the ground, WOO - now THAT's a rush!

I may have a bit more perspective on track riding safety than most. My business does photos and videos at trackdays and amateur racing across California. I've personally attended guessing around 400+ motorcycle trackdays/amateur races since 2006, and my business (my staff) have covered many more. I've seen countless crashes at the track, up close.

Everything we do in life is managing risk vs reward. Want to start your own business and potentially make lots of money, or keep a stable "safe" job? Risk vs reward. Want to commute safely, buy a big SUV. Low risk, low reward. Want to commute and have lots of fun (or save big on gas)? Motorcycle. Big reward, big risk. Smoke cigarettes? Eat fast food? The list goes on...

What I'm getting at is that riding on the track is managing risk, while maintaining the reward. Downside is the cost and gear needed. If you ride backroads or canyons, as we call them in Southern California, then its cheap, just gas and tire wear. But the risk is that if you crash, you are likely to hit something at the edge of the road - either a canyon wall or guardrail, or a driver crosses the double yellow, gravel in road, the list is endless. The response time of first responders is much, much slower than at the track. At the track, there is runoff if you "run out of talent", and there is an ambulance idling on site, ready to go. Is riding at the track safe? Hell no, but safer than riding on the streets.

@MJ DeMarco is managing his risk by substituting the riskier motorcycle for the UTV, while maintaining a similar level of reward. Which looks super fun by the way! I have managed mine by not riding on the public streets anymore. I do 100% track riding. That's me in my avatar... on the same bike I tossed doing 130mph after rebuilding it. :happy:
 
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Iwokeup

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Ugh, another day another story of someone's life getting totally f*cked up all because they needed to ride a motorcycle.

It seems like every week I hear a story from someone a degree or two away from my life gets into a horrific motorcycle accident. A few weeks ago the story was death. This week's story is someone whose looking at never walking again, brain damage, and all kinds of crap.

The worst of it? He wore a helmet and like many motorcycle accidents, it was NOT his fault.

Want to screw up your life permanently or worse, even die? Buy a motorcycle and ride it. And then be stubborn about it.

Now before you curse me a heathen, I've owned a motorcycle. And I loved it.

However I didn't love the fact that someone else's mistake would kill me, or permanently disfigure me.

I soon realized that owning one was a deathwish, and when some 92 year old grandma runs me over paralyzing me, I didn't want to regret the next 40 years of my life.

To this day, I DO NOT regret selling my motorcycle. I now look at riding a bike like smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. Yea, no way.

What I did was find an alternative to get the same rush, the same feeling, the same windy freedom.

At first it was a convertible car.

Now it's a street legal side by side UTV.

Now I can get the same enjoyment of riding a motorcycle without the stress AND I can ride in the hills.

View attachment 28004

Sell the damn bike.

Now go think. You will thank me later. (Inside joke some folks here might recognize, LOL).
We call them "donor cycles" in the trade for a reason.

Worst story: couple riding a motorcycle, both wearing helmets and armor.....crushed by a Coca-Cola delivery truck running a red light because he was behind on his route.
 

Jay Cecrle

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I had to add my experience in with motorcycles. My wife and I were on a 4-lane highway in rural Nebraska coming back for a dinner date around sunset on a gorgeous fall evening. Not a lot of traffic. We were passing a motorcycle with a husband/wife tandem. As were were passing, heard a loud explosion. The cycle rear tire had a blow out. Looked in my review and I could see the bike wobble and saw the bike lay down followed by both riders rolling on the highway. Luckily, no one was behind them. I flipped my car around called 911. I parked close them with my hazards on so oncoming traffic would see them and not run them over. Longest 7 minutes of my life waiting for that ambulance. Other motorists stop to see if they could help. Both of them were writhing in pain - especially his wife. No blood. Just road rash. All we could do is tell them to try and not move too much. We left after the ambulance showed up.

We read in the newspaper two days later that his wife was life flighted to Lincoln where she later died of internal injuries. I can't imagine screwing myself up, but I especially can't imagine having to think about what I could have did different to protect my wife's life. I feel horrible for the husband. Blowouts happen. With two wheels, the margin for error is greatly reduced. Those two were out for a Saturday night cruise. That's it. I have a 125 cc Honda CB125. It has old tires. I have left it sit in my garage unused for many years mostly due to that experience. When I was young, I would ride it 100 miles in a day and not think twice about its tires.

My uncle also gave up riding when he was blown off the road rounding a curve by the wake of a semi-truck. Had a good size BMW.
 

garyfritz

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My ex dumped me about 9 years ago and went off and got the bike she'd always wanted. My then-16-yr-old said "**I** want one of those!!" and next thing I knew he pulled up to my house with his new bike. I was not happy about it but it was too late at that point. He and I had always had a lot of friction between us, and with his mom leaving I had lost touch with him. The bike became a point of contact between us -- he would bring it over to work on it, change the oil, etc. Then he said "You should get a bike, Dad, so we could ride together!" I didn't want a bike, but I couldn't say no to that.

So about 6-7 yrs ago I got an 800cc cruiser, same model as he had. With shopping for bikes, test-rides, working on bikes, etc I had more quality time with him in 6 months than I'd had in 6 years. So that was great.

I told myself when he left for college, I'd sell it. Well within 6 months he was back, so I didn't. He's had several wrecks and totaled one bike, but came away pretty well himself. Thankfully he doesn't ride much now. I don't ride mine very much at all, and usually it's just around town or up in the nearby canyons. (Scraping off footpegs on twisty mountain roads is too much fun. :hilarious: )

But next spring I sell it. I meant to put it on the market this spring but didn't get it done. Next year it's gone.
 
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GIlman

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Both @Iwokeup who is an ER physician and myself, a radiologist physician who reads the trauma CT’s for a very busy ER have seen the ugliest side of motorcycles. We see it literally daily.

For the very few motorcycles on the road, they make up a huge volume of the bad traumas that come in.

It’s unusual to actually find real injuries from a car crash. Most CT’s are negative. It’s not uncommon at all to see injuries from motorcycle crashes, many severe, many life altering.

I agree that everything in life is risk vs reward. The real issue with motorcycles is that people way underestimate the risk while over estimating the reward. This underestimation is both in the frequency as well as the severity of accidents.

We all do things with added risks, I fly planes, which is about 1/10 as risky as riding a motor bike. But still more risky than driving. But here is the thing I look at now days, what is the utility I get from the risks I take.

At the end of the day a motorcycle provides the same basic transportation as a car. The both get you there at about the same speed. Flying on the other hand, although more risky than driving, provides a utility I can’t get by driving. That is the ability to create time to do more things. Something that would take me all day to do driving I could be done by noon flying. So the trade off of risk for utility is made.

Would I be willing to accept the risk of flying if the utility of driving was the same. Short answer is....NO!!
 

Kak

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I have long held that I would drive a motorcycle constantly if I was guaranteed not to kill myself on it...

Weighing the risks, I made the decision not to own one, but if you get your joy from motorcycles and understand the risks associated with riding them, enjoy, as far as I'm concerned.

I'd rather my dead body be scrapped off of the road by the fire department or evaporated in an airplane explosion than stroking out in an easy chair and dying in front of the TV because I was too afraid to take a risk.
 

Red

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Whats wrong with bikes?

In a country with observant & focused car drivers, absolutely nothing.


Weighing the risks, I made the decision not to own one, but if you get your joy from motorcycles and understand the risks associated with riding them, enjoy, as far as I'm concerned.

Exactly. Risk is relative to the perception of the observer. Some people have no problem smoking or eating fast food on a daily basis which are much riskier behaviors than riding any motorcycle. I personally will never ever bungee jump. You couldn't pay me to do it. But damn.... do I miss enjoying my bike.
 
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Successful Steve

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yeah...I agree with you. Most motorcycle accidents are avoidable, even ones where the motorcyclist isn't 'at fault.'

If you drive like everything can kill you (because it can), you'll greatly reduce your chance of an accident.
  • That car about to turn right, into your lane? Assume that it won't see you and that it will cut you off. Slow down and move over.
  • Can't see around the car in front of you? Back off until you can.
  • Pissed off driver behind you, riding your bumper? Pull to the side and let him go past
  • Can't see over the top of a hill? Go slowly enough so that you can stop for the car parked in the middle of the road just past your sight distance.
Even still, the chance of dying in a motorcycle accident is 17x higher than if you were in a car. Those odds suck.

Actually a lot of motorcycle accidents aren’t always avoidable.

Mine definitely wasn’t avoidable.
 

Successful Steve

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I disagree that most motorcycle accidents are caused by someone else. I think most are caused by stupid decisions by the pilot. I don’t have data and I’m not going to look for it. I’m basing it on observing myself and groups of other riders.

When a group of lads get together you can bet your bottom dollar that ego rears its head.

On a motorbike you’re always an inch from death. That inch is a twist of your right wrist, doing something stupid at the wrong time for the wrong reasons.

I’ve been in groups going faster than anyone would normally - because the guy in front is worrying about the guys behind, and because the guys behind are trying to keep up with the guy in front.

Competitiveness is almost a given when lads get together, but running round a track too fast for the rep is one thing, blasting down country roads (or slicing through traffic) is quite another.

A rocket and an ego is a deadly cocktail.

Maybe I will create that thread after all...

My accident was caused by someone else and I know a lot of friends who got hurt from someone else.
 

SD Entrepreneur

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Ugh, another day another story of someone's life getting totally f*cked up all because they needed to ride a motorcycle.

It seems like every week I hear a story from someone a degree or two away from my life gets into a horrific motorcycle accident. A few weeks ago the story was death. This week's story is someone whose looking at never walking again, brain damage, and all kinds of crap.

The worst of it? He wore a helmet and like many motorcycle accidents, it was NOT his fault.

Want to screw up your life permanently or worse, even die? Buy a motorcycle and ride it. And then be stubborn about it.

Now before you curse me a heathen, I've owned a motorcycle. And I loved it.

However I didn't love the fact that someone else's mistake would kill me, or permanently disfigure me.

I soon realized that owning one was a deathwish, and when some 92 year old grandma runs me over paralyzing me, I didn't want to regret the next 40 years of my life.

To this day, I DO NOT regret selling my motorcycle. I now look at riding a bike like smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. Yea, no way.

What I did was find an alternative to get the same rush, the same feeling, the same windy freedom.

At first it was a convertible car.

Now it's a street legal side by side UTV.

Now I can get the same enjoyment of riding a motorcycle without the stress AND I can ride in the hills.

View attachment 28004

Sell the damn bike.

Now go think. You will thank me later. (Inside joke some folks here might recognize, LOL).
Friend of mine works in the ER, said the worst things he sees are motorcycle accident victims... said he'll never get on one again.
 
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Ronin365

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I mostly lurk, but I could not pass on responding to this thread.

I admit to being a heathen.

About 2 1/2 years ago I took an MSF course and bought my first bike- a Harley Davidson Low Rider S. Many things I do are very much sink or swim, but I have learned so much about riding over the 32K miles I have ridden.

It is true that things could happen to me or others that ride that are beyond my control. That said, my experience has been that riders have for more control if they exercise it with lots of awareness. You can never have enough situational awareness and there are a number of precautions that can be taken to reduce the risk, though never eliminate it.

I still see my riding through newer eyes than say the guy who has been riding 20 years and perhaps has more blindspots about his riding ability or the ability of those who ride around him. I would like to have a close knit group of people to ride with but I dont ride with anyone because the vast majority of riders I have encountered ride poorly.

I don't even ride with the guys that got me started because they have done nothing to increase their skills and I have seen them drop their bikes or lose control of their clutches. If you are going to ride, I believe your should be pushing your abilities to improve.

From my vantage point I have seen close calls that had they been accidents the riders would not have been at fault but they essentially were inviting an accident to happen.

I also noticed there is disporportionate number of motorcycle accidents where the rider rear ends another vehicle. Tons of YouTube videos showing riders going way faster than I would in situations where they end up hitting the boot of a car or truck.

I wonder how much lower the accident stats would be if you subtracted self-inflicted accidents from being stupid and accidents that might have been avoided if the riders were more alert, looking further down the road, giving themselves an escape, etc.

Anyways- each to his own. That UTV does look like fun though.

P.S. If anyone is interested I have started writing to a simple blog to get my writing chops up for a book I have bouncing around in my head. The first article I wrote was uncommon advice I would give to new MC riders.

 

Successful Steve

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I’m afraid I don’t understand your point either. Being in a car whether it is an exotic or regular car, you have a much higher chance of survival compared to being on a motorcycle.

Take a Lambo and a motorcycle, drive them both to 30 mph and slam both into a parked car. Which person will have a better chance of survival?

My biggest worry in my exotic is that it’s so low to the ground that I worry people don’t see me. And I’m don’t like the low hood angle and chance of SUVs rolling over me.

Ryan Dunn died in his Porsche but survived a motorcycle accident.
 

Redwolf

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Something I just thought of... Being a street rider has made me a better driver by being much more aware of surroundings and other driver's behavior. As a (successful?) motorcyclist you have to predict the future - of what the idiots on the road are going to do.
 
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Jon L

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Actually a lot of motorcycle accidents aren’t always avoidable.

Mine definitely wasn’t avoidable.
I don't usually like to debate on stuff, and I don't know anything about your accident, but ask yourself the following. (and apply it to not just your accident but how you drive in general)

If you were going 10 mph slower, could you have avoided the accident?
If you had positioned yourself differently, would you have avoided it?
Could you have made yourself and your intentions more obvious?
Is it possible to anticipate the same situation in the future and do things differently as to avoid the accident?
Etc

Even just sitting still at a light, and then getting hit could be avoided. Don't stop so closely to the intersection, for example.

I don't really care to debate specific situations. My point is that there are *always* ways of driving that are safer.
 

Suzanne Bazemore

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The day I crashed was the day after my 19th birthday, and I thought to my self "I'm only 19 and I just wrecked my motorcycle. If I ride the rest of my life, I'm almost 100% going to have another crash, and next time I may not come away from it just shaken up and with a scuffed up knee. I may die a violent, unnecessary and early death. Or be permanently disabled."
I'm glad you're okay, so that what @AndyBlack said below didn't happen to your family.

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.
My brother was in a motorcycle accident when he was in college. Traffic had stopped to let a lady across, and he was in a turn lane. She pulled into his lane, and he broad-sided her. He crushed the frame of her Ford Explorer with his chest, was thrown 20 feet in the air (at least), and landed on the pavement. We went immediately to the ER to see him, and the EMT's kept walking past him, just to look, saying that they couldn't believe he was still alive. He was unharmed.
He wanted to get another motorcycle to drive, maybe just in the country, and I told him that if he did that, then I would get a sledge hammer and destroy it, no matter where he lived.

Not so sure now...
DON'T DO IT! Ask your mother if she wants you to have one.

There's a lesson to be learned from each and every incident that I have had and that other people have had.
My brother had accidents before the one I described above. Once he slid on gravel. The problem is, how many accidents does someone have to have before they learn all the lessons? And what if they happen to be one of the unfortunate ones who doesn't get a chance to learn from their mistake? And what if it isn't their fault at all, but they just aren't seen by the car that hits them or cuts them off?

Actually a lot of motorcycle accidents aren’t always avoidable.

Mine definitely wasn’t avoidable.
I mean, maybe my brother could have seen that a car was shooting across stopped traffic, maybe not. He lived because he was wearing a helmet, and his chest didn't get crushed because he is very strong. But still, no more bikes for anyone I love.
 

TommyG

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I understand exactly where you're coming from and I've heard the same hundreds of times from family, girlfriends etc.

Riding a motorbike is dancing with death, but it's one of my greatest passions in life and I can't ever see myself stopping. I've been lucky riding daily for a decade without so much as a stubbed toe, and it's brought me more pleasure and satisfaction than anything else in my life. I believe with enough skill and the right mentality they can be ridden relatively "safely" although of course the risk is always going to be significantly higher than with a car.

We all have a different level of personal risk tolerance.

In fact right now I'm planning a bike trip across Russia from St Petersburg to Vladivostok with a friend, wish me luck I guess!
 
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TheCj

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chances-of-dying.jpg


The part for motorcycle is a bit vague it comes in at under 1 per 1000 riders if do some rough guesstimates.

The thing with statistics is, it doesn't matter if its 1 in 10 or 1 in a million if you are the one.

40 people have died so far this year as pedestrians walking in city i live in about 2 million population. The odds of that are way lower than a lot of other things yet for those 40 it doesn't matter what statistics said.
 

MacQNE

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I still have my bike. First had a Yamaha TW200, then a Yamaha R6 and now ride a Ducati Multistrada 1200S. I like having my own bike and not riding pillion. We've been riding since 2007 and although I've had the usual minor incidents while learning in a safe environment neither of us have ever come off, we are very fortunate.

Before we bought bikes, hubby and I sat down to a conversation about this very topic. I think any person owning a motorcycle will be dishonest if they say that the reality of motorcycle accidents doesn't ever cross their minds. We talked about this frankly and decided to put a few things in place - the things we can control.

No insurance on the bikes themselves. All rides would be planned and scheduled. They day before, the bikes must be prepped (tire pressure checked, fluid levels, brakes, chain, fuel - bike communication systems charged etc). No riding without gear - EVER. We live in VERY sunny South Africa with warm temperatures most of the year. Trust me when I say that sweating in your gear is NOT fun. But the rule stands. We only ride at times when there are the least amount of cars on the road - we've found that 5AM on Sunday morning is the best. We have to be back by 8AM when the roads start to get busy. That time window also works for the temperature in the gear. No riding in mist or rain. The bikes will never be used for transport to/from work.... There are a few more things along these lines but you get the point. Planning rides this way takes the spontaneity out of it, sure. But personally I want to feel like I've done what I can to ensure that I enjoy the ride.

Do these things mean we'll never have an accident or that we don't risk death or permanent disability? Definitely not. I still know that every time I swing my leg over that seat, it could be my last day.

I feel, although the consequences are of a very different type, I do the same with my financial decisions. We've both quit our jobs and we're living off our savings while building our product. If we get that wrong, we'll lose our home, our savings and will have to somehow "start from scratch". A lot of people won't start the entrepreneurial journey out of fear of failing. But we do the best we can and stack the cards in our favor as much as it is within our control.

In my view, spending some time outside in the sun surrounded by a great view early in the morning while the world is still asleep is better than sitting in front of the TV when you need a break from the grind.

...

And so the story goes in my mind - the one I tell myself because I so "want it to be right and good and nice". And I say I accept the risks, but what will probably happen the day something goes wrong, is I'll sit with regret. Telling myself that I should have listened.

If I don't sell my bike.... I must accept that I will pay a price when I'm on my motorcycle and something goes wrong, regardless of whether it is my fault or not. And the accountability of that decision will always be with me - nobody else. c'est la vie

MJ is right. Deep down I know the price is just too high to pay. I know I should sell my bike.
 
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Knugs

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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!)

Theres nothing wrong with bikes and you are lucky to have bikelanes. But why would you share the road with vehicles that are anywhere between 1 to 30 tonnes heavy. 30km/h collisions are already considered life threatening polytraumas. I worked in a trauma surgery ER and you cant even imagine what that energy will do to a human body. Slow speed kills too.

Theres no good for your fitness when you will get hit one day on your commute.
 
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DangerousDave

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Wow you guys are a bunch of pansies. What is the point of life if you cant enjoy it? The joy that comes from riding , IMO, so far outweighs the risk (assuming the below), it's not even a close comparison. And I have never been in a cage that I enjoyed driving anywhere close to any motorcycle I have ever owned.

Most motorcycle fatalities are attributable to:
1) Drinking and riding.
2) Not wearing a helmet.

What are the stats if you exclude those 2 factors? Maybe 3x the risk in a car? Big deal.

I have ridden for 21 years with no major injuries, despite 3 at-speed crashes (1 on track, 2 at the Tail of the Dragon when my speed exceeded my skill).

To ride successfully:
1) Drive like everyone is actively trying to kill you. That means using other cars to run interference at intersections, actively watching your 6 at stoplights, watching other driver's eyes and body language, etc.
2) Wear a good full face helmet.
3) Wear (armored) motorcycle-specific riding gear, such as you can buy from a company like Spartan Leathers (wink)
4) Find your limits and ride within them.

Could I die riding? Its' possible. I could also slip and fall down the stairs and break my neck. That doesnt mean I only use elevators.
I could get listeria from my salad, or die from some freak flu, or malfunctioning airplane electronics, or war, or natural disaster, or moose going through my windshield, or bear attack, or drown at the beach. So should I shut myself in my home and avoid living?

Nah, life is too short for that.
 

AviatorS

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I've been an avid rider since I was a child. Grew up racing motocross and motorcycles, i owned 4 bikes at one point. I love it to death but I don't disagree with what OP said. I currently have an r6 that i'm selling in the spring because every damn time i take it out i almost get killed. Never by my own doing, despite the type of bike i actually drive quite respectfully, save the fast riding for the track. Someone pulls out of a stop sign or some shit, i broke 2 peoples mirrors avoiding accidents already this year. The bikes black but i wear bright colours, and i'm always very situationally aware, if i wasn't i would probably be dead by now.
It's something I've never experienced so much until this year. My city has had a lot of people moving from Toronto to my geographical area over the last two to three years (due to changing housing markets). These people drive way more aggressively than native drivers in my city. As a result the last year or two, driving has been far more risky. People don't care about anyone else on the road except themself.
I'm gonna stick with the dirt bike for some trail riding and occasional track riding, but the street bike just isn't worth risking my life over. I love it to death and it's a real shame, but i just can't justify it.

Ugh, another day another story of someone's life getting totally f*cked up all because they needed to ride a motorcycle.

It seems like every week I hear a story from someone a degree or two away from my life gets into a horrific motorcycle accident. A few weeks ago the story was death. This week's story is someone whose looking at never walking again, brain damage, and all kinds of crap.

The worst of it? He wore a helmet and like many motorcycle accidents, it was NOT his fault.

Want to screw up your life permanently or worse, even die? Buy a motorcycle and ride it. And then be stubborn about it.

Now before you curse me a heathen, I've owned a motorcycle. And I loved it.

However I didn't love the fact that someone else's mistake would kill me, or permanently disfigure me.

I soon realized that owning one was a deathwish, and when some 92 year old grandma runs me over paralyzing me, I didn't want to regret the next 40 years of my life.

To this day, I DO NOT regret selling my motorcycle. I now look at riding a bike like smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. Yea, no way.

What I did was find an alternative to get the same rush, the same feeling, the same windy freedom.

At first it was a convertible car.

Now it's a street legal side by side UTV.

Now I can get the same enjoyment of riding a motorcycle without the stress AND I can ride in the hills.

View attachment 28004

Sell the damn bike.

Now go think. You will thank me later. (Inside joke some folks here might recognize, LOL).
 
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v1vr

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I would like to have a close knit group of people to ride with but I dont ride with anyone because the vast majority of riders I have encountered ride poorly.
I went on one organized group ride a few years ago and haven't been on one since. The egos, showing each other up, and stupidity that I witnessed was unreal. I ride with one or two close friends or just go out solo most of the time.

Something I just thought of... Being a street rider has made me a better driver by being much more aware of surroundings and other driver's behavior. As a (successful?) motorcyclist you have to predict the future - of what the idiots on the road are going to do.
I totally agree. There has also been a massive change in my demeanor when I hit the road, both on and off the bike. There's just no point in getting upset about what other people do on the road. Let them be. It's not worth it, especially when you're on two wheels. I have friends who still get angry and try to prevent people from merging and purposely try to close a gap when someone is going much faster than they are. What's the point? You're just setting yourself up to get into a confrontation or an accident.

My brother had accidents before the one I described above. Once he slid on gravel. The problem is, how many accidents does someone have to have before they learn all the lessons? And what if they happen to be one of the unfortunate ones who doesn't get a chance to learn from their mistake? And what if it isn't their fault at all, but they just aren't seen by the car that hits them or cuts them off?
You don't have to have any accidents in my opinion. There are many things you can practice and learn to prevent yourself from having an accident. You can take away something from each and every ride or YouTube video of a motorcycle accident and apply it to the next one. There are definitely the few rare accidents where the rider was in the wrong place at the wrong time and absolutely nothing could have been done. But, in most cases, something could have been done to prevent it.

There are a lot of risks in life where the outcome may leave you being the unfortunate one. Sometimes there's nothing you could do about it. I guess it's up to you to weigh those risks and see if they're worth it or not to you.

Trust me when I say that sweating in your gear is NOT fun.
Sweating in your gear sucks, but I'll take that any day over laying in a hospital bed with road rash or a degloved hand, or even worse on a mortician's table. That's why my rides are usually recreational now. Carrying around a full wardrobe of gear and being soaking wet when arriving at work or at an event is no fun either.
 

v1vr

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I currently have an r6 that i'm selling in the spring because every damn time i take it out i almost get killed. Never by my own doing, despite the type of bike i actually drive quite respectfully, save the fast riding for the track. Someone pulls out of a stop sign or some shit, i broke 2 peoples mirrors avoiding accidents already this year. The bikes black but i wear bright colours, and i'm always very situationally aware, if i wasn't i would probably be dead by now.

Not trying to start an argument or anything, but you said it yourself. Save the fast riding for the track. So are you riding too fast on public roads and getting into all these close calls and accidents?

When you're moving 50 mph in a 25 mph and someone pulls out from a side road can you really blame them? It's hard to judge speed, especially when a vehicle as small as a motorcycle is coming toward you. Were you covering your brake riding through tighter portions of the city where there's a greater chance of this happening? Did you weave back and forth when you saw the vehicle to draw attention to yourself?

I do it anytime I'm approaching an intersection or see a car poking out from a side street. I take up my entire lane because it's mine and I want to be seen. I haven't had a single problem this year with people pulling out in front of me. If they did, I had enough of a buffer to simply let off the throttle or give my brakes a gentle press.

I live in the most population dense area of the United States. It's tough out here man, I feel you. We have our fair share of idiots, people speeding to work or just for fun, mom's driving their kids to soccer practice while snapchatting. But there is a lot you can change about your riding to avoid getting yourself into these situations.

On a side note, what year R6? My R6 is a 2003. That thing is fun as hell to whip around the track.
 

AviatorS

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Not trying to start an argument or anything, but you said it yourself. Save the fast riding for the track. So are you riding too fast on public roads and getting into all these close calls and accidents?

When you're moving 50 mph in a 25 mph and someone pulls out from a side road can you really blame them? It's hard to judge speed, especially when a vehicle as small as a motorcycle is coming toward you. Were you covering your brake riding through tighter portions of the city where there's a greater chance of this happening? Did you weave back and forth when you saw the vehicle to draw attention to yourself?

I do it anytime I'm approaching an intersection or see a car poking out from a side street. I take up my entire lane because it's mine and I want to be seen. I haven't had a single problem this year with people pulling out in front of me. If they did, I had enough of a buffer to simply let off the throttle or give my brakes a gentle press.

I live in the most population dense area of the United States. It's tough out here man, I feel you. We have our fair share of idiots, people speeding to work or just for fun, mom's driving their kids to soccer practice while snapchatting. But there is a lot you can change about your riding to avoid getting yourself into these situations.

On a side note, what year R6? My R6 is a 2003. That thing is fun as hell to whip around the track.

No I do pretty much bang on the speed limit everywhere I go. I'm always covering the brake and my head is on a swivel all the time. I'm fortunate enough that i've only had a few scuffs and haven't actually dumped the bike. Perhaps i've just had bad luck this year. I've witnessed 3 major accidents first hand, last one some uhaul van blew threw a stop sign. I have the video somewhere. myself and the guy i was riding with (that got hit) were driving very respectfully.
My r6 is a 2012.
 
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v1vr

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No I do pretty much bang on the speed limit everywhere I go. I'm always covering the brake and my head is on a swivel all the time. I'm fortunate enough that i've only had a few scuffs and haven't actually dumped the bike. Perhaps i've just had bad luck this year. I've witnessed 3 major accidents first hand, last one some uhaul van blew threw a stop sign. I have the video somewhere. myself and the guy i was riding with (that got hit) were driving very respectfully.
My r6 is a 2012.

Honestly, I've had days or weeks like that and I couldn't pinpoint if it was me or the people on the road. I usually take a break and find something else to do. I'll come back later on refreshed and with a new attitude when I saddle up.
 

xmartel

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My wife was a paramedic for 7 years. She and all the other medics called them donorcycles. She attended more accidents than she can count involving a motorcycle. Many, many people dead.

One thing was always consistent, it didn't matter if it was the motorcyclists fault or not, they were always the ones that were dead.

Some of these people had ridden for decades, had taken all the training, and taken part in racing events and gotten exceptionally good. And then some stupid person pulls out right in front of them with no time to react. It didn't matter how good they were. Now they're dead.
 

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Honestly, I've had days or weeks like that and I couldn't pinpoint if it was me or the people on the road. I usually take a break and find something else to do. I'll come back later on refreshed and with a new attitude when I saddle up.
Yeah it's crazy. I've been riding since I was 16 with little to no issues, and this year for some reason has just been insane. I thought it was me at first, maybe my riding style changed but I'm a very cautious rider.
 
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v1vr

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Some of these people had ridden for decades, had taken all the training, and taken part in racing events and gotten exceptionally good. And then some stupid person pulls out right in front of them with no time to react. It didn't matter how good they were. Now they're dead.
Nicky Hayden had been on motorcycles for decades and raced them at 180+ mph. He was a world champion and America's jewel in MotoGP. He was killed as a result of his injuries from a bicycle accident going no more than 15 mph. You never know what life will throw your way. Some people are fortunate enough to make it through with clear, blue skies and open roads. Others have to slug their way through three feet of mud.

I understand the risks involved, but I don't let those risks stop me. I do everything I can to reduce those risks or learn new ways and new techniques to manage and mitigate them. I'm sure one day I'll cross that threshold where the risk isn't worth the reward, but for now it's a twist of the wrist for me.
 

Jeff Noel

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Sell the damn bike.

Now go think. You will thank me later. (Inside joke some folks here might recognize, LOL).
I took the hint (slightly in advance) and bought a sports car. The bike will be sold in Spring (the market is terrible at this time of the year in Canada for bikes, snow is coming).

One of my friends hit a bear last year, and hit a deer this year (both on a motorcycle). These are quite shocking events and he's getting the safest car out there now: a Tesla.

Having driven a bike for years on a daily basis (as my main mean of transport), I must say the odds of dying are really screwed up. You have 1 chance out of 7 to be involved in an accident/close call everytime to take the road on a motorcycle (I need to find the source for this, it's from my provincial government).

I can't count how many close calls I got on the bike. I've been frightened more than once and probably lived through a few murder attemps from car drivers too.

Get a sports car and go to a drag strip/ice track/track if you want to go ham ! The risks of injuries are wayyyyyyyyyyy below what you might be thinking in a controlled environment... and there's no wildlife.
 

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