everytime I think about getting a bike...

I see something that reminds me why I do not own one.

Sitting at home today.. it is misty out, so I can't do any yardwork.. I hear a harley rev up and then fade in an odd way. Looking out, I see the bike going end over end and mulch flying everywhere.

Seems a lady in an Acura did not see the bike and pulled out in front of him. In an attempt to evade, he lost control and put it into the kerb. Judging by the damage, she clipped him with her mirror.

Rider was in work boots, shorts, and a tanktop. Thankfully, he dumped it into some very fresh mulch and managed to walk away with only some minor cuts and bruises... it could have been a LOT worse

maybe he is a crappy rider...who knows. Still no excuse for you not to ride.

Besides being a fashion faux pas, work boots, shorts and a tank top aren't very appropriate riding wear. Good thing for him that pile of mulch was there.

Yep.

I love the the "loud pipes save lives" arguement... how the hell do they save you when the people who are annoyed are behind you???

Plus, I'm amazed at how many Harley riders in my area ride around with their lights off.

Some friends of mine that I play online games with ride Harleys and just blew my mind hearing them talk about safety/riding gear. One guy was telling the other he needed boots when riding. I jumped in and told them boots are a must. It doesn't take much to have tennis shoes slide off your feet in an accident. He then told me "Well, I don't even wear a helmet, so boots don't really matter to me." I said "Boots are the last of your concern then." The other guy said "Yep, I don't wear a helmet either!" I just stopped talking about safety gear with them.

In reply to Anti-stance:

Yep. Imagine how quick your ankle will snap when dropping the bike at any decent speed while not wearing boots.

I wont ride a bike on the road because the wrecks scare me. Off road, no problem. Looking for a 250 now.

Don't be a harley statistic. Buy a canyon-carver and gear up!

I remember hearing a conversation at a bike parts store between a 40-something customer with 10-year-old boy and the clerk about how one time the customer "had to" lay his bike over. Wasn't wearing any gear, so thinking on his feet and using his catlike reflexes, he jumped on top of the now-horizontal sliding bike and rode on it's side until it stopped. Still doesn't wear gear.

I decided it wasn't a wise idea to try to talk sense to a ninja, and just kept my trap shut.

Plenty of idiots on two wheels. Don't judge the group by them, just don't join their ranks. Get a bike, and ride it safely and responsibly.

35+ years on two wheels, not even a near-miss.

I must be really, really lucky.

Grtechguy wrote: Don't be a harley statistic. Buy a canyon-carver and gear up!

The other day I saw a guy riding down the rode on a scooter and he was wearing full sport bike leathers and helmet. Complete with knee pucks. I chuckled a bit.

Once I get my weight down I hope to get riding. As a precursor yesterday I went for a bike ride for the first time in YEARS.

Funny, I wear chaps frequently, boots, armored jacket and full-face helmet, when riding my Harley, yet I see plenty of clowns on crotch rockets in shorts, flip-flops, tank tops and baseball caps.

914Driver wrote: 35+ years on two wheels, not even a near-miss. I must be really, really lucky.

I would say yes, yes you are. It's not you (or me, or whoever) as the rider that I worry about, it's SoccerMom in her 6000Lb SUV texting and driving who runs the red and turns you into road paint that worries me. I've personally witnessed similar scenarios (including fatal) on at least a half dozen occasions.

That said, I would love to ride a bike on a track or off road, no question. A scooter through old Europe where cars don't fit, too.

But any bike on a public road? Did it once, and that was enough to convince me that the other people would kill me. Not if, when.

In reply to RealMiniDriver:

My post wasn't specifically to point out HD riders, its just jackasses on any bike that don't wear proper gear. It just happen to be last night I was talking with my friends that ride HDs about riding gear or lack there of.

Driving through SC almost makes my stomach turn seeing guys riding sportbikes with nothing but sunglasses on at 80mph.

In reply to Anti-stance:

Agreed

Surprisingly (I know this isn't usually the case), the only motorcycle accidents or near misses I have seen haven't involved cars at all. The worst was a big goldwing tumbling end over end at 60 mph down the middle lane of the freeway, I'm sure the rider survived, although probably with some broken bones. The others were just people doing stupid things on sportbikes, like hitting really rough pavement while braking hard from 100 mph to 50 mph with a passenger on the back to keep from hitting a semi truck, or stuff like that.

Javelin wrote: I would say yes, yes you are. It's not you (or me, or whoever) as the *rider* that I worry about, it's SoccerMom in her 6000Lb SUV texting and driving who runs the red and turns you into road paint that worries me. I've personally witnessed similar scenarios (including fatal) on at least a half dozen occasions.

your on a bike that can outbreak and out accel 99% of the soccer moms out there.. its not an issue. The issue I see with people on bikes is the need to be scene rather than paying attention to whats around.. I dont need to be seen... boater's do it well not sure why people on motorcycles can't...

I'd like to see statistics on type of motorcycle involved in accidents.

I bet you that %50 would be sport bike and speed related. 40% would be cruiser type with rider not being to avoid obstacle. This would cover choppers and other custom bikes.

But I bet you'd find that that Touring/Adventure bikes probably have the least amount of accidents and within that group you might find Motards at being the least common.

Why? Riding position, power/weight, brake and contact patch. It also seems that a lot of motard riders are sport bike converts, or ex-racers who have calmed down.

But thats my own opinion. Feel free differ.

GrantMLS wrote: your on a bike that can outbreak and out accel 99% of the soccer moms out there.. its not an issue. The issue I see with people on bikes is the need to be seen rather than paying attention to whats around..

I wish i could agree with you, but I can't. My BIL has been riding for 25 years, had never had an accident, and always looks out. He got run over ~2 years ago and very nearly died as a result. I saw the security camera footage (parking lot at his work) and there was just no warning and nothing he could have done.

I'd say 75% of the bike wrecks I've witnessed were the same way. You cannot be aware of every other idiot at all possible times, especially while wearing a helmet (which limits visibility and audio),

RealMiniDriver wrote: Funny, I wear chaps frequently, boots, armored jacket and full-face helmet, when riding my Harley, yet I see plenty of clowns on crotch rockets in shorts, flip-flops, tank tops and baseball caps.

It is funny I see way too many Harley riders wearing leathers and no helmet (back in KY) and way too many crotch rocket riders wearing flip flops, shorts, tank tops and helmets.

GrantMLS wrote:

Javelin wrote: I would say yes, yes you are. It's not you (or me, or whoever) as the *rider* that I worry about, it's SoccerMom in her 6000Lb SUV texting and driving who runs the red and turns you into road paint that worries me. I've personally witnessed similar scenarios (including fatal) on at least a half dozen occasions.

your on a bike that can outbreak and out accel 99% of the soccer moms out there.. its not an issue. The issue I see with people on bikes is the need to be scene rather than paying attention to whats around.. I dont need to be seen... boater's do it well not sure why people on motorcycles can't...

Are you serious? How do you avoid 6000lbs of poorly driven SUV that suddenly is in front of you?

Start believing you are invincible and you will soon be a statistic

I am probably going to stick with off-road riding for the time being. I can't deal with the idiots on road.

Javelin wrote:

914Driver wrote: 35+ years on two wheels, not even a near-miss. I must be really, really lucky.

I would say yes, yes you are. It's not you (or me, or whoever) as the *rider* that I worry about, it's SoccerMom in her 6000Lb SUV texting and driving who runs the red and turns you into road paint that worries me. I've personally witnessed similar scenarios (including fatal) on at least a half dozen occasions.

I don't think it's luck: I think it's being able to foresee the possible near misses before they become one. Extreme defensive riding makes a HUGE difference. Look both ways before going through the intersection, count on that driver backing out of the driveway without seeing you etc etc.

When I'm stopped I'm more focused on my rear view mirror than I am on the stop light. I figure my peripheral vision will pick up anyone moving in front of me, but its those behind me that scare me.

Especially if I'm at the front of the line.

It's also not unusual for me to play with my lights when I'm stopped...on/off/on/off/on/off of my headlight and brake light. I should installing some flashers for that reason.

njansenv wrote:

Javelin wrote:

914Driver wrote: 35+ years on two wheels, not even a near-miss. I must be really, really lucky.

I would say yes, yes you are. It's not you (or me, or whoever) as the *rider* that I worry about, it's SoccerMom in her 6000Lb SUV texting and driving who runs the red and turns you into road paint that worries me. I've personally witnessed similar scenarios (including fatal) on at least a half dozen occasions.

I don't think it's luck: I think it's being able to foresee the possible near misses before they become one. Extreme defensive riding makes a HUGE difference. Look both ways before going through the intersection, count on that driver backing out of the driveway without seeing you etc etc.

Agreed.

I took an MSF course because statistically your less likely to get in an accident. It was worth $150 or whatever it was for the piece of mind. Some things I got in the habit of doing were making it a point to look at someones eyes when going through an intersection and someone is in the position to turn infront of you. Same thing for someone about to turn onto the road you are on. It helps you know what they are doing and seeing.

After riding for about a year on I 285 in Atlanta during traffic, I got a real good sense of riding defensively, watching/anticipating the movements of others, riding in the correct spot to be seen. I also became really good at staying away from the constant lane changing thug-tards in Atlanta. I could care less how uncool I looked, still looked cooler than being in traction or a coffin.

Wearing flip flops, no helmet, shorts and a tank top on a sport bike (aka: being a squid) is probably a self-correcting problem.