So I'm relatively new to riding. I passed the MSF course about 6 years ago but only bought a bike last year.

All I ever hear from friends and family is that it's only a matter of time before I seriously hurt myself. Now I'm not fooling myself into thinking that motorcycling is safe, but surely not everyone gets hurt. Does anyone have motivational stories they could share? 

You know, been riding for 30 years with only the usual cager trying to kill me etc...

motivational....  i had a bad crash, but got back on the bike!  that's motivational!  if it's gonna happen, it happens.  it's all about how lucky you are.  you could be the safest rider out there, and still die on your bike.  most crashes aren't the motorcyclists fault as has been proven again and again...  but if it wasn't so much fun, we all wouldn't keep tempting fate by riding

more people die in their beds than on bikes 

before june 2005, I never rode a motorcycle (hell, not even a scooter). Took the MSF, bought bike... been riding 2+ years. no drops or accidents 

I thought I was going to be the "one" a cage eventually got me but I'm back in the saddle again. It gets into your blood. Ride safe, do your best to anticipate cages, check your tire pressure, ride in "responsible" groups, wear your gear... all the time! If you don't have it hey get a good back protector and Icon Squad knee guards, every little bit helps.

I've had no accidents...and only dropped him a time or two.... 

Folks who don't ride are NEVER going to understand what we feel when we do. 

What has also been proven is that the longer you have ridden for.......the less your chance of having an accident.

I just passed my MSF course this weekend. Been riding for about 2 months. No crashes. Practice, Practice, Practice. That's what my MSF instructor said to us after we finished the course. Just cause we passed the course doesn't make us motorcyclists. We are always learning. Learn your swerve and always look ahead and inticipate the worse case scenario and what you would do to avoid an accident.

I've ridden nearly 33,000 miles without a crash.  I know that because the new odometer that was installed (after I collided with a cow and reshaped two vertebrae) started at 0.0 miles. 

33,000 miles ... that's happy, right? 

PS - I had been riding for about 6 months and 4,000 miles when I "met" the cow.

I hope I can make it 33k miles without a crash. Congrats Kerry!

Quote from: pandy on November 19, 2007, 09:31:36 PM
I've had no accidents...and only dropped him a time or 50.... 

Folks who don't ride are NEVER going to understand what we feel when we do. 

*Fixed*

~so i've heard 

 

Do you smell that.....

It's pandy getting burned. 

25k miles and never crashed on the street. crashed 2x on track but thats different.

Hi beRto,

I'm the longest winded poster *ever* here apparently, so here's my take! 

I probably only have 5-6K miles on motos under my belt, counting dirt bikes and street, from back in my teens and 20s, and then the last four years. I was never a moto commuter, though I used to ride out to where my horses were. My miles were mostly ridden all over my local neighborhood and city, and local canyons and mountain roads.
I probably have 10-12K on BICYCLES on the street, maybe 10K more on horses (NOT on the street!)! I have mildly crashed mountain bikes, and as I rode jumpers I crashed some big fences too, it's like motocross used to be, going 20 - 25 mph, get launched from 10 feet in the air, flip and land on your feet if you're lucky, or tuck and roll and come up on your feet. Sometimes eat dirt. If you ride, you're going to fall, is what "they" said, and I did. Over 30 years I broke a hand, a knee, a finger, herniated a floating rib, broke a couple vertebrae in my back, broke my foot (cracked it a little) and loosened up a hip socket. I also dropped two motos, once each in my teens, one time just because it was 105* out, the bike wouldn't kick start, and I just flooded it, got dizzy, and let it lean a bit too far! Didn't get hurt, and just picked them back up, about 360 pounds back then. I rode trecherous desert and didn't crash. Go figure.

Would I have NOT ridden anything if I'd known all that was coming? No freakin' WAY! It was GLORIOUS !!! It kept me SANE! 

I'd say that making sure you're a very conscious rider is a big step to feeling better about all the fear mongering relatives. The statistics are up mainly because of lots of cheap hot sport bikes and plenty of young dumb guys riding them with reckless abandon in T-shirts, shorts and flip flops..  and lane splitting at 120 mph on freeways!     (No offense to the young guys here, you're no dummies!)
My hubby sat for awhile up at a vantage point above a local canyon, on a Sunday, and he said there was probably an average of a wreck every half hour judging by the number of tow trucks. All guys wiping out on corners while trying to scrape their pegs, when they should be out on a track first with instructors to learn how to do it the right way. (I guess that's the "mom" in me coming out...)

Go buy "Proficient Motorcycling", it's a great book! It will help you stay safe, which hugely increases one's chances of avoiding cars and other causes of accidents.
http://www.amazon.com/Proficient-Motorcycling-Ultimate-Guide-Riding/dp/1889540536/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195539808&sr=8-1

And if you don't already have some, get good gear and WEAR IT! The armored jacket does no good hanging in the closet because it's "hot" out. A little sweat is better than leaving one's hide on the asphalt.

And as Prafeston said, Practice. Make your bike your dance partner, know her every move instinctively.

End of lecture, I'm in brushing up mode again too as I now have a heavier and much faster bike! I'm enjoying it AND being extra careful, because as quick as I got used to it, I have a great deal of respect for it, and I am aware of my current limitations.
And, keep a good attitude. Riding is worth it. Careful riding way ups the odds in your favor. 

Quote from: sledge on November 19, 2007, 09:37:03 PM
What has also been proven is that the longer you have ridden for.......the less your chance of having an accident.

I talked to an insurance claims guy and it seems they have the attitude of "Its not if, its when you crash". This makes me nervous being a new motorcyclist. On the same hand, the crash statistics ive read all show a major drop in the chances of accidents once the rider has made it past the 5 month mark.

1.5 months in and im crossing my fingers i make it to the timetable that betters my odds..

My happy story is simple. Im 28 years old. I moved to los angeles and rode the bus for a year. I cant afford a car. Ive thought about riding a motorcycle since i was 6. Ive always been too afraid to do so, yet now i have one.

Every time i get on it, i laugh at myself and roll my eyes because im nuts for buying one. I think "This was a bad choice. This is going to be the end of me." After i turn the corner and start working though traffic for my morning commute i let go of the fears and stop rerunning the "worst motorcycle crashes" videos in my head.

I crack a smile, and usually dont loose it until i park... which is when i let out a sigh of relief because i made it another day.

I repeat the same process on the way home.

I recommend the MSF course to anyone that hasn't already taken it. Besides learning basic motorcycle riding skills, you also learn a great deal of safety measures. Not to mention it can help discount you insurance and if you purchase a new bike with in like 6 months of the class, most manufacturers will give you a kick back for the price of the course. Depends on the manufacturer.

 To you all newer to motos, it took me a LONG time once I started riding again to get comfortable in traffic, because there is so much MORE of it!  Don't feel bad if it makes you nervous, I'm super careful in a car, on foot, every way, It's always good to learn how to stay safer.

I'd say take those bikes out on days off or weekends to a big quiet neighborhood with wide streets. Learn to do U turns both directions, and circles, LOTS of circles. Weave like you're going around cones, practice LOOKING into a turn, your bike wants to go exactly where you look, so if you ever want to NOT hit something, DON'T look at it!  When you're mostly riding straight and doing wide turns, you can't really get to know the bike.

Shift up, shift down ( brake a bit, down shift at proper tach speed), feel how the bike wants to go. It's your dance partner! Relax your grip on the bars (not loose, just don't clench, it freezes up your sensitivity), and loosen up your elbows if they are tight! Don't lean super hard on the bars, leaning on a grip is one way to turn a bike, like weighting a peg. It isn't always lean only, there's more. Just really ride the bike in a more controlled enviromnment. Get a good book and read about proper technique, then go out and practice that day's lesson. It will really help, I did tons of this when I got back on. Your moto WANTS to stay upright actually, they are generally all really well balanced, my hubby has had 46 motos so far and says the GS is really nicely balanced as to rider position over the weight, very comfortable. If you'd ever seen racing footage where the rider came off and the bike went  back up and stayed upright and kept going, well.

That will make you more confident in traffic, and also check your mirrors and look at what's in front of you way down the road, as well as use your peripheral vision to keep aware of what is going on around you. SLOW DOWN before intersections and watch left turning cars that might not see you. Slowing down even 10 miles an hour saves huge stopping distance in feet travelled. That's the kind of stuff a good technique and safety book will make you aware of.

Above all, take a deep breath and enjoy the fact that you are riding a motorcycle, how cool is that? It's like flying!

In the few thousand miles I've been riding (6k if you have to ask)  I've only crashed twice, both times were my own stupidity.  I didnt get hurt from either,  worst I did was bend my brake pedal on one, and destroy a nice LED signal with the other.   

rode home after each one,  fixed what I done broke, and took a lesson out of each crash.   I'm still riding now, so it didnt scare me away.

Like someone has already said, if it's going to happen then it's going to happen. But you can minimise the risks. Wear good gear. Don't get complacent in your riding. I make sure I get in the right frame of mind every time I pull on my lid. Wear good gear. My last tumble was a few years back: the boots saved my toes, the gloves my finger, and the full-face helmet my chin. For the avoidance of any doubt...wear good gear!

Quote from: Teek on November 20, 2007, 12:01:20 AMMake your bike your dance partner...

That's a great expression. Just don't take it too far.... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7095134.stm 

Almost 30 years of street riding, somewhere between 2-300,000 miles. Three minor crashes, no injuries. The racing stuff on the other hand....