motorcyclists be careful out there

While driving home from the coast yesterday we drove through some road construction. Repaving, where one side was grooved to prep it for the new pavement. About 5 miles in we come upon 4 police cars sitting behind a Harley in a mangled mess. I'm sure this guy was out enjoying a sunny spring ride when all hell broke loose. No idea how it turned out, but the bike was a bad indication.

Just had a 55 year old woman from my town killed here Saturday.

Straight, rural road, 10:00 in the morning. A passerby came upon the crash. No idea of the cause, but I could see the poor conditions our roads are in after a harsh winter as a possible cause.

We've got some unbelievable pot holes.

Be safe out there guys and gals!

Road construction areas are some of the most butt puckering things to ride through. Never once felt good about it.

Can almost guarantee Harley guy wasn't wearing any sort of helmet, or at best, the bare minimum to be called legal. 

Hate seeing bad things happen, regardless. 

In reply to SaltyDog :

Deer strike a possibility? 

I read this thread just before suiting up for the ride home. Turned the bike on and the trip odometer was sitting at 66.6. I'm normally not a very superstitious person but I have to admit I was extra aware of my surroundings on the way home. 

Around here this time of year is tough. Really bad roads,  inattentive drivers and motorcyclists that may be a little rusty from a winter of no riding, bad combo.  Pay attention and be safe. 

imgon said:

Around here this time of year is tough. Really bad roads,  inattentive drivers and motorcyclists that may be a little rusty from a winter of no riding, bad combo.  Pay attention and be safe. 

+1

One of my favorites is getting stuck behind the water truck as they make mud through the construction zone, riding a loaded touring bike 1000 miles from home.  

Had a guy locally wad up a brand new KTM 1290 last week.  Looked to me like a combination of target fixation and lack of countersteering skills...

Practice your braking and evasion techniques, and keep the shiny side up! 

Russell Berry, a long-time Porsche tuner (best known for the "MaxHP" chip tune) and nice guy, was killed last week riding his Harley in central NY, apparently went off the road into a ditch. I've wanted to get back onto a bike for a long time, but man, drivers are so distracted and awful these days I just don't want to get on the road with the general populace on a bike.

We (local volunteer fire dept) got called to an injury accident involving a motorcycle on Saturday. Guy slowed down and missed the first deer but the second one jumped him and went under the bike. Bike went ads-over-teakettle at low speed. He landed in the grass and slid a few feet. Bike hit the guardrail and dropped 200 feet down a nearly sheer embankment to a creek. 

He walked away. Scraped his elbow a bit.

Stay sharp. If they aren't actively trying to kill you, they are probably distracted or not watching for you.

I got off my bike one fine day ages ago with a sudden realization that I had been just cruising, and the normal edge of fear was gone. I knew there were 2 solutions. Either get a faster bike and regain that edge, or give up riding. Well I knew the outcome of that first choice, and I found it increasingly difficult not to relax too much, so I sold the bike. Call me a bob costas, I don't care. I'm still here. I love bikes but damn. In todays' traffic, risk/reward ratio doesn't pencil out.

What scares the E36 M3 out of me is bikes splitting lanes.  It is legal here, but one of the more stupid legal things I have heard of.

In reply to CJ :

Actually, lane splitting is safer than sitting in traffic... the problem is some try to do it at traffic speed +50mph...

In reply to Rodan :

I had a guy lane split on SR17 - the windiest, busiest, POS road in the state (runs from San Jose to Santa Cruz).  Passed between cars in curves at 45-50 MPH.  How he didnt get killed, I don't know. 

Not sure anyone is going to convert me to thinking lane splitting is a great idea.

Riding a motorcycles is dangerous.

So is taking a shower in your tub.

If it's not for you I can respect that but people who feel compelled to educate me on the dangers of my chosen hobbies need to go back inside and watch TV.

irish44j said:

Russell Berry, a long-time Porsche tuner (best known for the "MaxHP" chip tune) and nice guy, was killed last week riding his Harley in central NY, apparently went off the road into a ditch. I've wanted to get back onto a bike for a long time, but man, drivers are so distracted and awful these days I just don't want to get on the road with the general populace on a bike.

Yep. This is why I don't think I'll ever own a motorcycle again........at this point it's been something like 12 years since I last rode..........crashed at Hallett at a track day, fair amount of damage to the bike, I ended up with a concussion, bruised hip, and still walk with a bit of limp more than a decade later. 

Was also in a wreck on the street were 4 of us went down, 1 dead at the scene, the other 2 banged up pretty good.......but my bike was just in fair enough condition to ride home. If I hadn't ridden home that day, not sure I would have ridden again. Tough to watch a friend killed right in front of your eyes.

The best motorcycle is (as ever) the Answer.

Miata.

KyAllroad (Jeremy) said:

The best two-up motorcycle is (as ever) the Answer.

 

Miata.

Fixed that for you.  

I'm not sure what it would take to get me off of a bike. More people die in cars every day than they do on bikes and yet I have no desire to stop driving. Maybe if my wife really had a problem with it. 

As far as lane splitting goes I'm in the filtering to the front at red lights is a good idea camp. I'm not so much sold on splitting moving traffic. But then again I've never had to deal with LA traffic. 

Nick Comstock said:

I'm not sure what it would take to get me off of a bike. More people die in cars every day than they do on bikes and yet I have no desire to stop driving. Maybe if my wife really had a problem with it. 

As far as lane splitting goes I'm in the filtering to the front at red lights is a good idea camp. I'm not so much sold on splitting moving traffic. But then again I've never had to deal with LA traffic. 

Well there are also FAR more cars on the road than motorcycles. So you have to look at it as, what % of vehicle accidents end in severe injury/disability/death vs motorcycles. I haven't done the research, but I suspect you're much more likely to for severe injury/death on a motorcycle than in a car. 

Quick Google:

 "In 2013, motorcyclists accounted for 14 percent of all traffic fatalities,4 percent of all people injured, 18 percent of all occupants (driver and passenger) fatalities, and 4 percent of all occupants injured."

I'm all for taking calculated risks, and loved riding my motorcycle until I had kids. Then I decided it was time to put someone else's interests ahead of my own, and my kid needs a dad growing up. Take what risks you decide are acceptable with your life, for me I sold my last bike for at least the next 16 years or so. (youngest is 2 now.)

@Nick: Motorcycles are 35 times more likely to have fatal accidents per mile ridden. Don't fool yourself into thinking the risks between driving a car or riding a bike are in the least bit comparable. It's like the difference between skydiving and flying in a commercial airliner. Not in any way the same. Ride all you want, but do it with your eyes open and without false justifications.

In reply to dculberson :

Believe me I'm not justifying it to anyone. I don't care about percentages. My statement is not inaccurate. I don't give a rats ass about statistics, per mile driven whatever. Being a road user, no matter the mode of transportation, is more likely to kill a person than anything else (not health related). Don't kid yourself that the very thin steel cage you're riding in is in any way safe.

Nick Comstock said:

In reply to dculberson :

Believe me I'm not justifying it to anyone. I don't care about percentages. My statement is not inaccurate. I don't give a rats ass about statistics, per mile driven whatever. Being a road user, no matter the mode of transportation, is more likely to kill a person than anything else. Don't kid yourself that the very thin steel cage you're riding in is in any way safe.

Welp, this certainly won't be constructive. Enjoy gents!

Two weeks ago my wife's coworker on her way to work. I promise you she, and likely 99% of the general population give zero thoughts about the risks involved of being on the road. 

I'm damn well aware of the risks. Every single time I'm on the road. Car or motorcycle, bicycle or pedestrian. Being on the road is likely the most dangerous thing the average person will do on a daily basis. And no one even bats an eye at it. Don't fool yourself.

As has been noted, most active motorcyclists have already heard all this ad nauseam and therefore not much we say will change anything. I grew up on 2-stroke dirt bikes and crashed often enough to be on a first-name basis with the emergency room personnel.  As my friends and I graduated to street bikes, one thing became clear quickly: Most of the time when guys were crashing their street bikes, it wasn't the riders fault - it was the cars fault. To which I said: "F--k that" and quit riding. 

Now as a middle-aged adult,  I'm going to throw on the leathers again. My testosterone is manageable enough that every rider or twisty isn't a direct challenge any more, and my friends are having a great time on street bikes - mainly dual-sports and vintage iron. Also - they ride away from the cities. Leave the commutes to the young and the stupid.

Nick Comstock said:

In reply to dculberson :

Believe me I'm not justifying it to anyone. I don't care about percentages. My statement is not inaccurate. I don't give a rats ass about statistics, per mile driven whatever. Being a road user, no matter the mode of transportation, is more likely to kill a person than anything else (not health related). Don't kid yourself that the very thin steel cage you're riding in is in any way safe.

We all do what we want, and many are encouraging me to stop dailying the Miata as I galavant about in the land of the SUV; but in the modern age here, with crush zones and airbags and such, vehicles are far safer than they used to be.

The 5000lb Mercedes that nearly clipped me in the Miata would've killed me.  A newer larger car (and even not so large such as the mk3 Focus I sometimes lament selling) with all the crash engineering and I'd likely survive pretty well.   The FF forums had more than one post with collisions I was sure required hospitalization, yet they walked away. 

Fool proof?

No. 

But far better odds than you and I have in the event of an accident. 

Neither you or I can ignore the fact that we're playing with fire, nor should we be offended that people suggest we limit our exposure. 

We'll do what we choose, of course, but those making the suggestions are empirically correct. 

OldGray320i said:

We'll do what we choose, of course, but those making the suggestions are empirically correct. 

And about as welcome as those who keep telling us that racing cars is dangerous.  We know.  Thanks.