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

[Shiv]

I used to have the notion that motorcycle riding wasn't that dangerous if you were safe about it, didn't do stupid stuff (stupid filter), and watched out for cagers.

However I've read a lot of posts where people are just expecting to die on their motor cycle.

One thread in reference is this one.

Now, is getting on your bike with the preset notion that you will be killed really the best way to go about doing things? Getting on a bike may be close to, but isn't signing your death warrant. I know the statistics are high for motorcycle deaths. But comparatively they're about equal to car deaths (in the number of cars vs motorcycles on the road) so you have almost the same chance to die in a car than on a motorcycle.

Is every motorcyclist's fate to be killed while doing what they love?


And before someone comments about the laughing faces at the end of said post, I'm taking them for a maniacal/insane laughter to fit with the atmosphere of the thread.

[Psycluded]

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.

[TheReaper]

Honestly, I don't even worry about it. When I first started sure I was a bit nervous and apprehensive. Now though, I don't even think about it. Too much other stuff going on. Now I just ride and run through the things I need to do to stay safe. I make sure I'm focused and keeping my head and eyes moving. I figure I'd rather focus on staying safe than worry about being killed.

[Wizzard]

See sig tag below.........

[ronboskz650sr]

Nope..everybody who rides doesn't get killed every time. Other than that, just go ride. That's what i do.

[ejshotgun]

Be aware! Stay Focused!
You must respect yourself, the equipment and the environment in which you are in, to fully appreciate the experience.
Not only does that apply to riding but to Life in general.

Ditto, Wizzard!

FTW

[nightingale]

although you cannot prevent everything, you can take precautions to avoid the grave. Things like a good helmet, jacket, pants, boots, gloves, and by taking the MSF.

[flynrider]

When you think about it, you're out on a slab of asphalt, sitting on a ~500 lb. bike, competing for space with multi-ton cages driven by (what appears to be) idiots. There is a lot of downside to that picture. Physics tells us that, in any confontation between bike and cage, cage will almost always win.

I think the original post referred to on this thread was just reflecting the true risks we take when we ride. Some people don't like to think about them, because it spoils their fun. Personlly, I think risk managment is an important part of riding (or flying, or skydiving).

[sedate_me]

I don't think most bikers believe that they will get killed everytime they ride. They just know that it is a fact of life that we will die sooner or later and it is great for our biking adventures that dying will happen later, later in life. That's why they prepare their gears and motorcycle parts well before the ride. And take precautions all the time.

It's not a great time to die or get killed during your most enjoyable or thrilling bike ride. And for me, that's almost everytime.

We don't ride to die...we ride to enjoy the full beauty of life before it ends!

[cb360]

The sole purpose of beating the safety horse to death is so that you take actions to make sure you don't die riding... not to make you accept that you will. Make no bones about it - motorcycling is more dangerous than the alternative of riding in a car. But quite a few deaths and serious injuries could have been avoided with better training, better gear, more attentiveness and an unimpaired brain.