So...riding...really that dangerous?

Message

bikeguy joe · Wed Sep 28, 2005 12:33 pm

People try to kill me all the time.
Do I worry about it?
Hell no! Should you? Hell no!

Ride to live- Live to ride.

#12 Unread post by **Skier** » Wed Sep 28, 2005 1:37 pm

Just three or four years ago, I thought throwing a leg over a motorcycle was akin to playing Russian Roullete with a semiautomatic. I got hooked somehow and started doing a lot of research. I ended up finding out it wasn't as risky as I thought, and just like driving a car, there are a myriad of things you can do to mitigate or eliminate risks.

Now, I believe riding is just as dangerous as the rider makes it. I know guys who ride really conservatively and know the proper techniques, wear their gear and do not mix alcohol with riding. Then, there are the silly, squidly speed demons who I believe are organ donors waiting to happen. These two extremes showcase how it's up to the rider to determine how far they are "hanging out there."

iwannadie · Wed Sep 28, 2005 1:45 pm

i thought i was safe as long as i didnt show off or do anything stupid. Until i was riding home going through a light like normal at 5pm in normal slow paced traffic when suddenly an unaware driver hit me. no thing i could have done to prevent the accident. she simple did not see me cause she wasnt looking ahead of her and she ran a red light. totally creamed me going full speed.

now had i been in my car i most likely would have been fine or at least not that bad off. she hit me from my left so that would have put a lot of car between me and the truck bumper. instead i took the full impact of a truck bumper to my hip pretty much. so yes cars are safer imho.

now when i make a turn in front of traffic red light or not i am afraid no question but you just gotta know your at risk and take that risk. i think if anything i take turns faster now just to get out of that 'danger area' faster and keep myself at less of risk of being hit.

#14 Unread post by **ZooTech** » Wed Sep 28, 2005 1:55 pm

viewtopic.php?t=6034&highlight=

A Motorcycle Safety Council Instructor who taught defensive driving classes and was wearing "proper" gear (whatever that means) was killed by a moron who busted a U-turn in front of him. The only thing you can control in life is what you do. If it's your time to go and God has chosen some moron to take you out, there isn't much you can do about it. So, just enjoy the ride, don't ever take anything for granted, and live each day like you have a terminal illness.

slider03 · #15 Unread post by **slider03** » Wed Sep 28, 2005 2:07 pm

Psycluded wrote:May not be every motorcyclist's fate, but if I had to go, that'd be one way I'd choose...

No, I don't think about the risks constantly. I still get pangs of anxiety when I first throw the leg over, but they pass, and I start my "radar", looking for hazards and minimizing them. Riding, for me, is all about enjoyment and fun. If I worry too much, that all goes away. No fun, no ride.

"Starting your radar" is a good way of putting it. Part of the motorcycle experience is the heightened sense of awareness that must accompany every ride. I'm just a beginner with 1200 miles and the MSF course under my belt. I've had two close calls, and was able to avoid them with proper technique that I had learned. But it's also about traveling country roads, seeing wildlife, looking at travel in a completely unique way, and making new friendships. Is there risk? You bet. But the extreme alertness that's required to ride safely also allows you to take in more of your surroundings, and make the experience that much richer.

flynrider · Wed Sep 28, 2005 2:10 pm

I used to think that I could manage the risks of riding by my choice of technique and safety equipment. I still believe that's true to some extent, but after having been knocked off my bike a few times by senseless cagers, I've had to come to terms and accept that riding is substantially more dangerous than trundling along in an ABS, airbagged cage with a dozen crumple zones.

It's not rocket science to realize that you are perched atop a vehicle that is totally unprotected from impacts, and that if something does impact, you'll be flying off at some approximation of the speed that you were travelling originally. It's just physics.

I don't post this to try and scare anyone out of riding, but I do believe it's important to seriously analyze the risks involved. People who try to block out the downside of activities like this often regret it later. One of the basic drawbacks of motorcycling is that you are largely at the mercy of incompetent drivers of multi-ton pieces of metal. Is it worth it? It is for me.

ronboskz650sr · Wed Sep 28, 2005 2:32 pm

One thing is certain. The higher your skill level, the better prepared you are for any possible situation. So, ride often, and practice your necessary skills frequently. Use a parking lot after, or before business hours. Set up cones, tennis balls cut in half, whatever. Have fun getting good at this. Your confidence will go up, your ability to avoid trouble will increas, fear will be removed from the equation (I said fear, not healthy respect and caution), and the whole experience will be better.

Don't do it half-way, or it will always be a slghtly uncomfortable thing to do. Get into it, do it right, and enjoy the scenery and better gas mileage. Oh, and maybe just a touch of adrenaline now and again.

iwannadie · Wed Sep 28, 2005 2:35 pm

ronboskz650sr wrote:One thing is certain. The higher your skill level, the better prepared you are for any possible situation. So, ride often, and practice your necessary skills frequently. Use a parking lot after, or before business hours. Set up cones, tennis balls cut in half, whatever. Have fun getting good at this. Your confidence will go up, your ability to avoid trouble will increas, fear will be removed from the equation (I said fear, not healthy respect and caution), and the whole experience will be better.

Don't do it half-way, or it will always be a slghtly uncomfortable thing to do. Get into it, do it right, and enjoy the scenery and better gas mileage. Oh, and maybe just a touch of adrenaline now and again.

speaking of which i just picked up Sport Riding Techniques, its a very good book. certainly a must read for anyone wanting to improve riding on the streets. even if your not on a sport bike it would be a good read.

Mag7C · #19 Unread post by **Mag7C** » Wed Sep 28, 2005 3:24 pm

Wear your gear, use common sense, stay aware, and learn learn learn.

Those things will keep you comfortable riding.

This is why I love motorcycles: I could live in a box, drive to work in a box, work in a box, drive home in a box to sleep in my box, then rise again before the sun is up to do it again.

But where is the alone time? Time to feel the wind and the sun and the rain and the shade outside the boxes? I need to feel those things daily just to keep me going and remind me there is a world outside the one we created.

And if you get hit by an SUV, well you're probably dead. But some things can't be prevented. I'm not the most religious person, but I personally feel if you're going to die tomorrow, you'll die, airbags/seatbelt/crunch zone or no.

That's how I ride without worrying about it.

sapaul · #20 Unread post by **sapaul** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 12:54 am

I am with Slider, I definetly "shift up a gear" on the bike, every thing goes on hyper alert and I am much more aware of everything, especially my "bubble", my personal space. I have even been known to slow down to conserve my "bubble". Do I think of dying, HELL NO. Do I think of survival, HELL YES. I have a super computer in my head and I switch it on and compute all the permutations from the cages and myself. Oh and I do not drink and ride or do drugs but get extreme satisfaction every time I arrive safely. How can you not strive for that high every time.