Do you ride a motorcycle?

[ExiledInIllinois]

All I know is that I don't want a pickle:

 

 

[Jon in Pasadena]

On 8/4/2018 at 1:27 PM, Augie said:

I drove back from North Carolina this morning and saw a sign that said 836 people had died in NC vehicle accidents to date this year. More than 90 (or 10%) were on motorcycles. Those are not good numbers. What % of vehicles are motorcycles? It ain’t anywhere near 10%, probably less than 1%, so you do the math. Park that baby in the garage. 

According to this site, in 2016 North Carolina had about 3,546,000 registered automobiles, and 196,000 registered motorcycles (rounding to nearest thousand).  That's 5.5%.

[Augie]

3 minutes ago, Jon in Pasadena said:

According to this site, in 2016 North Carolina had about 3,546,000 registered automobiles, and 196,000 registered motorcycles (rounding to nearest thousand).  That's 5.5%.

WOW! I admit to being surprised. I’m sure most are “special event vehicles” and not on the road on a regular basis. Nice weekend rides, etc. I wonder how that compares to other states? 

[Jon in Pasadena]

5 minutes ago, Augie said:

WOW! I admit to being surprised. I’m sure most are “special event vehicles” and not on the road on a regular basis. Nice weekend rides, etc. I wonder how that compares to other states? 

California had 842000 vs. 14768000, which is 5.7%

 

I would expect the ratio to be close to that 5.5% figure in most states; probably a bit lower in exceptionally snowy places, and a bit higher in warm weather places.

 

When I lived up in the Sierras and commuted to work over Donner Pass I owned 3 motorcycles and 0 cars/trucks, but I am a crazy!@#$er..

[bbb]

15 hours ago, Jon in Pasadena said:

According to this site, in 2016 North Carolina had about 3,546,000 registered automobiles, and 196,000 registered motorcycles (rounding to nearest thousand).  That's 5.5%.

 

15 hours ago, Augie said:

WOW! I admit to being surprised. I’m sure most are “special event vehicles” and not on the road on a regular basis. Nice weekend rides, etc. I wonder how that compares to other states? 

 

15 hours ago, Jon in Pasadena said:

California had 842000 vs. 14768000, which is 5.7%

 

I would expect the ratio to be close to that 5.5% figure in most states; probably a bit lower in exceptionally snowy places, and a bit higher in warm weather places.

 

When I lived up in the Sierras and commuted to work over Donner Pass I owned 3 motorcycles and 0 cars/trucks, but I am a crazy!@#$er..

 

I would think what really matters here is the number of miles driven/ridden 

 

Per the latest year gathered by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, this is the chart:

 

4,580,725

3,045,205

N

22,022

 

The top # (In millions) is the total amount of highway miles driven by all vehicles.  The bottom number is motorcycle miles. 

 

The number of miles covered by motorcycles is a little less than Half of 1% 

https://www.bts.gov/content/us-passenger-miles

[Fadingpain]

One must remember that riding a bike is not about taking preventative measures to live the safest life possible.

 

Most things in life really worth doing are rather risky.

 

 

[BillsFan4]

Yes I ride (street and dirt) and have for many years. 

 

I have never dumped my bike on the street.

 

On the dirt is a totally different story. You are going to lay your bike down. It’s unavoidable IMO. 

 

I’ve been around motorcycles for much of my life. My dad and his friends all had bikes when I was young. Then I spent about 6 years working at a couple different motorcycle shops (started in parts and ended as a salesman). 

 

Crashing a street bike is not inevitable IMO, although the risk is much higher on the high performance sport bikes.

 

You should absolutely NOT be on a 600+ CC sport bike unless you have been riding for years. They have way too much power for the inexperienced. All it takes is twisting that throttle a little too far and you are in trouble (especially if you don’t have your other hand on the clutch lever (ALWAYS keep at least a couple fingers on that lever!) because the inertia can cause you start sliding back on the bike, which causes you to twist the throttle even more wide open and will send you+your bike cartwheeling). 

 

 

 

But in general, you just have to ride carefully and know what you’re doing.  You have to be a defensive driver on a motorcycle. 

I expect every car to cut me off or pull out in front of me and act accordingly. I don’t weave in and out of traffic. When I pass a car, I do it quickly and don’t stay in their blind spot. I leave plenty of room between myself and other vehicles (as much as possible anyway). When following a car, I try to position myself where they can see me in their mirrors. 

 

You also have have to make sure you do your maintenance and upkeep. Making sure you have good tires on your bike, with good tread and the right tire pressure, is probably the most important thing. They are the only thing keeping you upright. NEVER ever skimp on your tires.

 

I actually had a friend crash while I was out riding with him, all due to a slow leak in his tire (that imtold him to get fixed multiple times). It causes him to lose traction going around a sharp turn. He slid out and his bike smashed into a guardrail (thankfully he was unharmed). 

 

 

I have crashed my motocross bike though. As I said, it’s inevitable IMO. Especially with the power those motocross bikes have. 

 

I was out out riding with a big group form work (one of the bike shops I worked at). It was a nice day near the end of December. All the snow has melted and it was beyond muddy. My rear tire was too worn down for those conditions and I was sliding all over the place. So I decided to head back to the car and call it a day. Well, on my way back with a friend, he was out in front and “roosting” me (shooting dirt at me from his spinning back tire). So I got out in front of him and was returning the favor. Then I suddenly hit a dry patch, my tire gripped and it shot my dirt bike out from under me. 

I landed on my feet but I had riding boots on with steel inserts (to protect from breaking an ankle) and it caused my knee to bend about 90 degrees in the wrong direction. 

I have NEVER felt pain like that in my life.

 

When a couple friends finally helped me stand up, I tried to put weight in my leg and my knee just buckled. It bent straight to the left and hit my other leg. I looked at my friend and said “uh, yeah I think I’ll go to the hospital now...”. 

 

I ended up tearing multiple ligaments in my knee (partial tear of MCL, full tear of ACL), along with ripping a large chuck of my meniscus (the padding between the knee bones) and chipping a piece of my knee bone off. Recovery was brutal, and very, very long. 

 

 

[Augie]

5 hours ago, bbb said:

 

 

 

I would think what really matters here is the number of miles driven/ridden 

 

Per the latest year gathered by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, this is the chart:

 

4,580,725

3,045,205

N

22,022

 

The top # (In millions) is the total amount of highway miles driven by all vehicles.  The bottom number is motorcycle miles. 

 

The number of miles covered by motorcycles is a little less than Half of 1% 

https://www.bts.gov/content/us-passenger-miles

 

This sounds a lot more like what I would have expected. 

[bbb]

47 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

This sounds a lot more like what I would have expected. 

 

So, roughly, 20x the chance of getting killed on a bike than in a car or truck.  Figuring maybe NC has more biker miles due to mild weather, maybe 15x................Not the odds I would like if I were a biker. 

[ExiledInIllinois]

According to bill board, only 150 died in Illinois last year on motorcycles.  That sounds a little low?  Even because of crappy weather, flat boring state, etc... You'd think it would be higher considering there is 3 million in the Chicago area and 9+ million in the TriState, WI-IL-IN Metro area.

 

108 died last August in IL in all accidents.  I follow the electronic sign boards.  Roughly, 1,000 die each year on Illinois roads in ALL accidents.  I noticed a few years it was below a grand. And... Super SUPER LOW IN WINTER, cold even better... Summer travel season is the death season. Odd, you'd think winter would be closer with #s... But, people stay home/in?

 

I guess as numbers go down... They gotta keep scaring people... Keep the "safety revolution" going... That's where the narrative gets changed... Now the boards are posting last year's monthly totals.

 

Does NOT seem bad for millions of people in a geographically, predominantly large rural state. Most death probably happens on the isolated two lane "death roads." ??  For the millions here, the #s seem low.

Edited August 8, 2018 by ExiledInIllinois

[Flent1]

No, a motorcycle is a very dangerous vehicle for me, but a bicycle is a completely different matter. This is my hobby since early childhood, I still remember these emotions, very pleasant memories. When I read the article https://floridaindependent.com/truly-memorable-bike-rides-you-need-to-take/ I found a new dream, after you click on the link, you will immediately understand what I mean. Now I'm waiting for the end of the quarantine and want to go on a journey through 7 truly memorable bike rides that everyone advises to do.

[ExiledInIllinois]

1 hour ago, Flent1 said:

No, a motorcycle is a very dangerous vehicle for me, but a bicycle is a completely different matter. This is my hobby since early childhood, I still remember these emotions, very pleasant memories. When I read the article https://floridaindependent.com/truly-memorable-bike-rides-you-need-to-take/ I found a new dream, after you click on the link, you will immediately understand what I mean. Now I'm waiting for the end of the quarantine and want to go on a journey through 7 truly memorable bike rides that everyone advises to do.

Oh..  No!  Now you did it stranger.  You're new in these parts,  aren't you? 😕 

 

Don't  go on any bike rides through this town, it will be "memorable" all right! 😉 😜 

 😕 

 

New,  but sure know how to dig up a 2-year old thread!

 

 

Edited September 21, 2020 by ExiledInIllinois

[Sherlock Holmes]

7 hours ago, Flent1 said:

No, a motorcycle is a very dangerous vehicle for me, but a bicycle is a completely different matter. This is my hobby since early childhood, I still remember these emotions, very pleasant memories. When I read the article https://floridaindependent.com/truly-memorable-bike-rides-you-need-to-take/ I found a new dream, after you click on the link, you will immediately understand what I mean. Now I'm waiting for the end of the quarantine and want to go on a journey through 7 truly memorable bike rides that everyone advises to do.

 

6 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

Oh..  No!  Now you did it stranger.  You're new in these parts,  aren't you? 😕 

 

Don't  go on any bike rides through this town, it will be "memorable" all right! 😉 😜 

 😕 

 

New,  but sure know how to dig up a 2-year old thread!

 

 

Don't ride a bike but my friends call me crotch rocket

[Nextmanup]

I'm down here in FL and it is legal (and amazingly common) for bike riders to ride without a helmet.

 

Apparently we get around 600 Bike fatalities a year; I would think it'd be higher than that.  It's amazing how many people are happy to take a lottery on their life in the name of a helmetless bike ride. 

 

*****

 

In 2016, the most recent year with complete data, there were 600 fatal motorcycle accidents in the State of Florida. Throughout the country, there were 5,286 fatal crashes, meaning that Florida's accidents account for around 11.35% of these accidents. Of these 600 accidents, 191 were single-vehicle crashes.

Edited September 22, 2020 by Nextmanup

[ExiledInIllinois]

You  know what gets me.  I probably said this  before, it's the whining little B word mentality bleeding into bikers now.  Remember when  bikers  were the epitome of tough? Leather  jackets, bars, spreading Covid-19 from S.Dakota, etc...

Now... They put whiny signs on their suburban lawns and minivans:

How can I start seeing what I can't see?

Now I gotta look twice for something I can't see?

Now that's what I am talking about!

[Buffalo716]

On 9/21/2020 at 4:41 PM, Sherlock Holmes said:

 

Don't ride a bike but my friends call me crotch rocket

No **** sherlock

[CowgirlsFan]

None now.

Five times as a senior in high school.

[gobilz]

O boy 

[teef]

On 7/29/2018 at 1:17 PM, row_33 said:

I broke and damaged enough body parts running and moving under my own power.

 

i’d be dead in a week with a bike 

 

 

you still alive bro?

 

edit:  and no motorcycle here.  i did the 150cc dirt bikes as a kid, fell many times and avoided injuries for the most part.  i just have zero desire to own a bike at this point.  i have kids to feed and a wife that likes nice *****.

Edited September 24, 2020 by teef

[apuszczalowski]

On 7/28/2018 at 9:48 PM, Augie said:

My freshman year in college I could hear a motorcycyle hitting the gas and flying down the road behind my dorm. It was two lanes each way, kind of campus/residential....a pretty little street that’s probably a 35 mph street, 40 tops. Just the sound told me he was going much faster....until the horrible noise. Someone had backed out of their driveway and he hit the back end of that car. He flew what seemed like 100 feet and went head first into a tree (with a helmet, which was no help). I was one of the first people there, and it’s a sight I will never forget. I guess you’re not supposed to forget the first dead body you stumble across. 

 

 

.

They usually say the helmet is for your protection, it's to keep everything together to make the cleanup a little easier.....

 

 

On 7/28/2018 at 7:11 PM, Augie said:

My son broke his back on a dirt bike. I was not there, or it would never have happened. He never would have gotten on that thing. 

 

I see all the bumper stickers that say “Watch Out For Motorcycles”.  I’d like a bumper sticker that says “Weave In and Out of Traffic at Your own Peril”. I don’t want anybody to get hurt, ever! But ride responsibly....too many people don’t. 

I see that too, but usually you can tell just by the kind of bike. The cruiser Harley type bikes aren't typically the ones weaving in and out. They are the ones you see taking their time and riding side by side and usually have an attitude of not being in a rush. It's the sport bike riders who you will see weaving in and out and squeezing between to get ahead. They are usually riding with the attitude of they have to get somewhere 10 minutes ago. It's probably because those bikes aren't designed to just go for a Sunday cruise.