The truth about motorcycles

[Juan1]

These threads usually turn into:  You just need to be more careful/I'm careful and haven't been in an accident vs. Yes, we inevitably will get hurt at some point

As usual, the truth is somewhere in the middle.  We can lower the likelihood and severity of crashes with good habits.  Still, the numbers suggest most of us will be hurt by our bikes at some point.  No matter how careful we are, there are some situations where we have very little to no control. 

Good luck with your recovery. 

[bigmak]

I just want to thank everyone on this thread for helping me decide to get a pair of pants for riding. I normal wear all gear (Full face helmet, gloves, jacket boats) except for pants as I normally just wear the pants that I wear at work. I've been thinking of getting a pair of riding pants but just kept putting it off. This thread just made me realize that putting it off just wasn't going to cut it.

I ordered the below pants, extra armor and overnight shipping today and will be wearing them either tomorrow or Wednesday and EVERY day after that.

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/3/11/100/147/ITEM/Firstgear-HT-Air-20-Overpants.aspx
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/350/2752/ITEM/Firstgear-Hiprotec-Comfort-Armor.aspx
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/350/2752/ITEM/Firstgear-Hiprotec-Comfort-Armor.aspx

[Chanse]

Thats Why I wear gear, and ride paraniod. And sorry to hear about your mishap but dont let that stop you from riding, just chalk it up to a learning experience and move on, dont let it scare you into not riding you'll lose alot more. And if all else fails at least you made some new homeless friends to teach you the way of the streets.. .. lol, ok bad joke, sorry.. 

[reminor]

Get a car. Don't ditch the bike. Have both. Use them as it suits you.The bad thing is that your need for basic transportation now pretty much forces you to ride the bike no matter you mood, health, weather, mindset, etc. That's bad. You should be able to have a choice to hop in the car instead of using your bike on that perfect-for-riding warm and dry day just because you had a bad gut feeling about today, or your mind is preocupied with thoughts, or you've seen a black cat crossed he road, or whatever. Let alone plain bad days. Having that choice will let you enjoy riding, and be more "in it", i.e. alert, focused, defensive. If you ride every day it turns into a routine. And yo loose your focus and ability to SEE (search, evaluate, execute) which is vital to survive.

And one more on GeeP post. Fully agree. Great job man!

[Danny500]

I'm sorry to hear that.  Nobody should ever have to endure a charity ward.  As you found out, they are some of the most unpleasant places on the planet.

Let's put motorcycles aside for a second.  The motorcycle, in and of itself, has nothing to do with your plight.  Several of us here have deduced and you have admitted to riding aggressively.  When you allow yourself to ride a motorcycle with that kind of an attitude, it is no wonder you get mixed up in the situations you've been involved in. 

The fact of the matter is, riding on top of a 350lb machine with 70-80 HP is a power rush.  Anybody who has ridden a motorcycle the size of the SV will agree with that, if they have the ability to feel emotion.  EVERYBODY has done stupid things on a motorcycle.  You, me, everybody.  Maybe it's the power, the handling, the illusion of total control.  Whatever it is, that euphoric feeling of riding a motorcycle brings the devil out in all of us.

First, you MUST learn to control your feelings.  Learn when and where is a suitable place to get a little wild.  Wilshire Blvd. at midnight is NOT one of those places, neither is a traffic light during rush hour in downtown LA.

Second, your posts and stories give me the impression that you're impulsive.  Part of your problem is you allow your mind to get well ahead of your bike and your body.  As a result, you lose sight of reality unfolding around you.  Learn to take a deep breath and relax.  Then proceed.  Not only will you enjoy life more, you'll enjoy the ride more.  In short, get out of Fast Forward.

Third, you're looking at things in black and white.  Most people at your age look at things in the form of absolute answers such as yes or no, right or wrong.  The fact is, life is painted in shades of color, not black and white.  Most of the answers you will seek in your life end in "maybe".  "Maybe" she'll marry me, "Maybe" we'll have a recession and I'll lose my job, "Maybe" I'll get hit by a bus riding to work to tomorrow, etc.  Learning to accept answers like that will take the rest of your life.

Fourth, you're still having trouble understanding the idea of cause/effect.  Every time you do something, you should be asking yourself:  What could go wrong?  Then, make conscious effort to weigh the risks and benefits and make the decision to continue or not.

I'm not going to tell you to stop riding, or to brush off and get back on the horse.  Neither should anybody else.  It's not their decision.  What I'm going to advise you to do is sit back and weigh the risks and benefits.  Are the risks worth it?  Are the benefits worth it.

I will however, say this:  If you buy a car and drive it the same way you ride that motorcycle, you're going to end up dead anyway.  You cannot abdicate your responsibilty to protect youself to a cage with airbags.  As I'm sure you found out, lying in an operating room as the general anesthetic burns down your veins and the curtains drop.  It isn't quite like in the movies.  Neither are car crashes.

Look at this experience as a stern warning.  Most people aren't as lucky as you have been.

You said what I tried to say... only nicer 

Nicely put Geep. 

Dan

[supazuk]

yes riding is  dangerous, however so is riding in a car, riding a bicycle, or just crossing the street on foot.  I lost a sister that was just on foot and my wife lost hers in a car. Nothing in life is safe. We need to ride with 2 eyes open and our ears listening loud. Above all we need to educate those around us that drive on 4 wheels. Most people don't even think about bikes, they see us just like another car and don;t understand half the things we do. Examples are creeping past stop lines to look beyound the intersection, ridding a few minutes ahead in traffic, and slowing down for red lights. In fact when you ask most drivers they think we do these things be caue we are impatiant or tring to "ride fast"
everything in life is a chance, you can't win the lottery by not playing

[jawntybull]

I'm extremely new to motorcycling- just started at the beginning of summer. I can honestly say until recently I wasn't mature enough to own a motorcycle- had I bought on a few years ago I likely would have ended up a stain on the pavement....

+1 I know if I'd had a motorbike in my 20s I would have passed the way of the dodo. I've ridden for years on road pushbikes, and never had a major accident - touch wood - because I'm acutely aware of how vulnerable I am. Strange though - you'd have to say that riding a pushie on the road (say, 5hrs or 100km a week) would have to be just as dangerous as a motorbike, maybe more (you've only got lycra between you and the pavement). Particularly so if you believe that the biggest danger is other drivers, not yourself. But, you see, I believe the biggest danger is how YOU ride and whether you allow other drivers to control your destiny.

Now that I have the GS I sometimes find myself getting a bit too frisky with the throttle - then I remind myself of the cost and slow down. I'd say it's possible to ride a motorbike without too much additional risk compared to cars - provided you're a bit neurotic about other drivers and ride well within the limits yourself.

BTW I have three daughters, one is on her car learner's. I've told them that I want them to get 5 yrs at least in a car, where the cost of a mistake is less, before jumping on a motorbike. They're happy with this and see the logic. Learn to have natural reflexes to avoid other drivers, anticipate their likely stupid moves etc before subjecting yourself to the dangers of two wheels, I say.

[bikejunkie223]

Most of my riding experience is from bicycles. That's where the bikejunkie part comes in, I have a road bike, a cyclocross bike, a mountain bike, we have 2 tandems, and my wife has a road bike, a mountain bike, and a commuter/city bike I built from spare parts. Our garage is crowded. Anyway, in many ways you are safer on a motorcycle than a bicycle on the road for 3 reasons: 1-you are going the same speed as traffic and have mirrors to help you with your situational awareness. 2- the law requires cagers to give you the same space afforded a car. 3- more protective gear

The down side is that because you are going the same speed as cars if you have a get-off the potential for injury is much greater from the speed, and getting smacked by the 400lb machine you are on. I've hit the deck @30+ in races on a road bike and it is no fun at all, that said- I keep getting back on because I refuse to not do things that make me happy out of fear of injury, I just manage my risk- hence my racing career (on the road) is over. I have started racing Cyclocross which is rad. anyone not familiar with that is it's a race that goes over pavement, gravel/dirt roads, and has barriers you have to dismount and run over. Everyone starts drinking about 9am so there is a great atmosphere- but anyway don't give up motorcycling out of fear, unless you feel the consequences are just too great if something goes wrong- just manage the risk.

[tripleb]

is this cyclocross on a push bike?

[bikejunkie223]

yeah- it's like a road bike but with a tougher frame and wide forks/stays to accomodate knobby tires. Like this: http://www.redlinebicycles.com/adultbikes/conquest-team.html

that's what I'm racing this year- 'cross is silly, and muddy, and friggin' fun!