Why ride street bikes?

[ericm979]

All of the motorcycles that I have seen split lanes violate these standards

Most of the drivers on the road are speeding. Over half of them roll stop signs. Those things are actually illegal. The lane sharing guidelines are just guidelines.

 

[3930dave]

I pulled out in front of a bike a couple of years ago, crossing an intown road. I looked left, looked right, looked left again as I crossed the northbound lane; looked right, then forward as I creeped out into the southbound lane. I looked right again and- "Where the +--- did he come from?!?" I stopped as he was reaching for another gear and before he even saw me; he was probably doing about 40 in that 25mph zone and accelerating. He had plenty of room to get by me but still gave me the one finger wave. I visited that intersection several times over the next few weeks trying to figure out what I should have done differently; even considering going to the PD to see if it was possible to view the camera footage at the intersection that he had come around. The only conclusion I have ever come to is never to try to cross there again, and I haven't.

Before I get rolling D) , let me say this jst - thank you for the care and effort you put into your driving, and the consideration that lead you to choose to not travel that route. If all people took driving that seriously, our accident count (all vehicles) would be dramatically reduced.

^ I didn't want the rest of what I had to say be construed as directed at you; it's not. And, as a rider, I wanted to say Thanks !

I've observed people taking less care behind the wheel. Cell phones notably one factor, but there's more to it.... I'm talking about a background, but important, change in vehicle design. When I started to drive, vehicles were much less safe than today - it was pretty Darwinian...... crash an old enough vehicle, and you drive the steering column through your chest.

Today, people routinely have high-speed crashes, and walk away with little or no damage to themselves. So, for some people, increased vehicle safety means they take chances on the road that they may not have 30+ years ago. When there is effectively No Consequences for Bad Behaviour, some people will make (historically) riskier moves.

I don't agree with doing that ^, but I know enough about human behaviour to recognize it happening in vehicles....

Here's what I don't get though..... Bikers deliberately choosing high-risk moves on the street (yeah, I know, it's all high-risk to many people ), the equivalent to wandering around Detroit streets flashing $100 bills kind of risk.

The only major advancements in Bike safety since I've been on the road are ABS, better lighting, and a bit better tires. Darwin still rules on 2 wheels.

First rule - moving or stopped, people don't see motorcycles - despite your best efforts as a rider (motion, colour, contrast, lighting.....), don't EVER assume otherwise.

Second Rule - Bikes have tremendous capacity for Speed and Agility. Using those features Defensively is the smart play - they can either move you Away From, or Straight Into, Trouble - the choice is yours.

Third Rule - Sight lines - constantly move to maximize your sight lines and visibility, and keep in mind other drivers limited sight lines...... 40 in a 25 may not seem like a big deal, but it is.... your increased 2 wheel speed erodes somebody else's reaction time - if you can't think (slightly) big-picture like this, don't ever get on a street-bike; at the very least, make sure you have a Will drawn up before you do.

Just to name 3......

So, why bother with all of this ^ effort/risk....... much longer discussion, that I'm not sure I can fully articulate, this late in my day... but if you look at the above three paragraphs through the wrong-end of the telescope..... it's a highly engaging activity, by definition. That's important to me, but may not make sense to other people. Call it an antidote to a Disengaged World, and you'd be getting warm.....

As I've commented before when this topic came up..... if the only thing people read on this site were the Tractor Accidents listed in the Safety forum, they'd never ever go near a tractor......

(Cue many assorted rationalizations now..... )

I do understand people recognizing that it's time to hang up the MC keys for the last time.... you've enjoyed The Ride (mostly at least) and have made an informed choice to retire...... enjoy the positive memories.

Let's all give each other (regardless of wheel count) some respect, and elbow room on the road.....

Rgds, D.

 

[atsah]

Even after I **** near got killed I drove to Indiana and bought a Lehman trike Suzuki 1400 Intruder with an air shifter, I would ride with my cousin on the weekends, I kept it in his garage so that my mother wouldn't know I had it. One Sunday a knucklehead in a dump truck came through a stop sign and almost wiped us both out. I never rode again and sold the trike. It's a shame it's so dangerous because it was something I really enjoyed but the last thing I wanted my mother to do is bury me..

 

[CalG]

Before I get rolling D) , let me say this jst - thank you for the care and effort you put into your driving, and the consideration that lead you to choose to not travel that route. If all people took driving that seriously, our accident count (all vehicles) would be dramatically reduced.

^ I didn't want the rest of what I had to say be construed as directed at you; it's not. And, as a rider, I wanted to say Thanks !

I've observed people taking less care behind the wheel. Cell phones notably one factor, but there's more to it.... I'm talking about a background, but important, change in vehicle design. When I started to drive, vehicles were much less safe than today - it was pretty Darwinian...... crash an old enough vehicle, and you drive the steering column through your chest.

Today, people routinely have high-speed crashes, and walk away with little or no damage to themselves. So, for some people, increased vehicle safety means they take chances on the road that they may not have 30+ years ago. When there is effectively No Consequences for Bad Behaviour, some people will make (historically) riskier moves.

I don't agree with doing that ^, but I know enough about human behaviour to recognize it happening in vehicles....

Here's what I don't get though..... Bikers deliberately choosing high-risk moves on the street (yeah, I know, it's all high-risk to many people ), the equivalent to wandering around Detroit streets flashing $100 bills kind of risk.

The only major advancements in Bike safety since I've been on the road are ABS, better lighting, and a bit better tires. Darwin still rules on 2 wheels.

First rule - moving or stopped, people don't see motorcycles - despite your best efforts as a rider (motion, colour, contrast, lighting.....), don't EVER assume otherwise.

Second Rule - Bikes have tremendous capacity for Speed and Agility. Using those features Defensively is the smart play - they can either move you Away From, or Straight Into, Trouble - the choice is yours.

Third Rule - Sight lines - constantly move to maximize your sight lines and visibility, and keep in mind other drivers limited sight lines...... 40 in a 25 may not seem like a big deal, but it is.... your increased 2 wheel speed erodes somebody else's reaction time - if you can't think (slightly) big-picture like this, don't ever get on a street-bike; at the very least, make sure you have a Will drawn up before you do.

Just to name 3......

So, why bother with all of this ^ effort/risk....... much longer discussion, that I'm not sure I can fully articulate, this late in my day... but if you look at the above paragraph through the wrong-end of the telescope..... it's a highly engaging activity, by definition. That's important to me, but may not make sense to other people. Call it an antidote to a Disengaged World, and you'd be getting warm.....

As I've commented before when this topic came up..... if the only thing people read on this site were the Tractor Accidents listed in the Safety forum, they'd never ever go near a tractor......

(Cue many assorted rationalizations now..... )

I do understand people recognizing that it's time to hang up the MC keys for the last time.... you've enjoyed The Ride (mostly at least) and have made an informed choice to retire...... enjoy the positive memories.

Let's all give each other (regardless of wheel count) some respect, and elbow room on the road.....


Good presentation.

For me, Safe riding and safe driving means I'm constantly looking up the road AS FAR AS I CAN SEE. Not a fixed stare, but a look, constantly looking. It seems that most bad wrecks take three things to go wrong. The first is often "I was NOT paying attention".

Pay attention!

 

[Industrial Toys]

The brain doesn't perceive things the way most people may think. If you are looking for blue pliars, thinking they are blue, and they actually turn out to be yellow, they can be in front of you and you won't see them. So maybe the real question when you look for traffic, is to ask, is there a bike there? But that would get old, after doing it a hundred times and coming up, no.

As far as the pillars. I have to have extra strong pillars. but the guy beside me can be in a convertible? OR bike?

 

[LouNY]

Before I get rolling D) , let me say this jst - thank you for the care and effort you put into your driving, and the consideration that lead you to choose to not travel that route. If all people took driving that seriously, our accident count (all vehicles) would be dramatically reduced.

^ I didn't want the rest of what I had to say be construed as directed at you; it's not. And, as a rider, I wanted to say Thanks !

I've observed people taking less care behind the wheel. Cell phones notably one factor, but there's more to it.... I'm talking about a background, but important, change in vehicle design. When I started to drive, vehicles were much less safe than today - it was pretty Darwinian...... crash an old enough vehicle, and you drive the steering column through your chest.

Today, people routinely have high-speed crashes, and walk away with little or no damage to themselves. So, for some people, increased vehicle safety means they take chances on the road that they may not have 30+ years ago. When there is effectively No Consequences for Bad Behaviour, some people will make (historically) riskier moves.

I don't agree with doing that ^, but I know enough about human behaviour to recognize it happening in vehicles....

Here's what I don't get though..... Bikers deliberately choosing high-risk moves on the street (yeah, I know, it's all high-risk to many people ), the equivalent to wandering around Detroit streets flashing $100 bills kind of risk.

The only major advancements in Bike safety since I've been on the road are ABS, better lighting, and a bit better tires. Darwin still rules on 2 wheels.

First rule - moving or stopped, people don't see motorcycles - despite your best efforts as a rider (motion, colour, contrast, lighting.....), don't EVER assume otherwise.

Second Rule - Bikes have tremendous capacity for Speed and Agility. Using those features Defensively is the smart play - they can either move you Away From, or Straight Into, Trouble - the choice is yours.

Third Rule - Sight lines - constantly move to maximize your sight lines and visibility, and keep in mind other drivers limited sight lines...... 40 in a 25 may not seem like a big deal, but it is.... your increased 2 wheel speed erodes somebody else's reaction time - if you can't think (slightly) big-picture like this, don't ever get on a street-bike; at the very least, make sure you have a Will drawn up before you do.

Just to name 3......

So, why bother with all of this ^ effort/risk....... much longer discussion, that I'm not sure I can fully articulate, this late in my day... but if you look at the above three paragraphs through the wrong-end of the telescope..... it's a highly engaging activity, by definition. That's important to me, but may not make sense to other people. Call it an antidote to a Disengaged World, and you'd be getting warm.....

As I've commented before when this topic came up..... if the only thing people read on this site were the Tractor Accidents listed in the Safety forum, they'd never ever go near a tractor......

(Cue many assorted rationalizations now..... )

I do understand people recognizing that it's time to hang up the MC keys for the last time.... you've enjoyed The Ride (mostly at least) and have made an informed choice to retire...... enjoy the positive memories.

Let's all give each other (regardless of wheel count) some respect, and elbow room on the road.....

Rgds, D.

Good writeup :thumbsup:

 

[Jstpssng]

Before I get rolling D) , let me say this jst - thank you for the care and effort you put into your driving, and the consideration that lead you to choose to not travel that route. If all people took driving that seriously, our accident count (all vehicles) would be dramatically reduced.

^ I didn't want the rest of what I had to say be construed as directed at you; it's not. And, as a rider, I wanted to say Thanks !

I've observed people taking less care behind the wheel. Cell phones notably one factor, but there's more to it.... I'm talking about a background, but important, change in vehicle design. When I started to drive, vehicles were much less safe than today - it was pretty Darwinian...... crash an old enough vehicle, and you drive the steering column through your chest.

Today, people routinely have high-speed crashes, and walk away with little or no damage to themselves. So, for some people, increased vehicle safety means they take chances on the road that they may not have 30+ years ago. When there is effectively No Consequences for Bad Behaviour, some people will make (historically) riskier moves.

I don't agree with doing that ^, but I know enough about human behaviour to recognize it happening in vehicles....

Here's what I don't get though..... Bikers deliberately choosing high-risk moves on the street (yeah, I know, it's all high-risk to many people ), the equivalent to wandering around Detroit streets flashing $100 bills kind of risk.

The only major advancements in Bike safety since I've been on the road are ABS, better lighting, and a bit better tires. Darwin still rules on 2 wheels.

First rule - moving or stopped, people don't see motorcycles - despite your best efforts as a rider (motion, colour, contrast, lighting.....), don't EVER assume otherwise.

Second Rule - Bikes have tremendous capacity for Speed and Agility. Using those features Defensively is the smart play - they can either move you Away From, or Straight Into, Trouble - the choice is yours.

Third Rule - Sight lines - constantly move to maximize your sight lines and visibility, and keep in mind other drivers limited sight lines...... 40 in a 25 may not seem like a big deal, but it is.... your increased 2 wheel speed erodes somebody else's reaction time - if you can't think (slightly) big-picture like this, don't ever get on a street-bike; at the very least, make sure you have a Will drawn up before you do.

Just to name 3......

So, why bother with all of this ^ effort/risk....... much longer discussion, that I'm not sure I can fully articulate, this late in my day... but if you look at the above three paragraphs through the wrong-end of the telescope..... it's a highly engaging activity, by definition. That's important to me, but may not make sense to other people. Call it an antidote to a Disengaged World, and you'd be getting warm.....

As I've commented before when this topic came up..... if the only thing people read on this site were the Tractor Accidents listed in the Safety forum, they'd never ever go near a tractor......

(Cue many assorted rationalizations now..... )

I do understand people recognizing that it's time to hang up the MC keys for the last time.... you've enjoyed The Ride (mostly at least) and have made an informed choice to retire...... enjoy the positive memories.

Let's all give each other (regardless of wheel count) some respect, and elbow room on the road.....

Rgds, D.

Just as only certain people have the mindset to be a safe pilot, not everybody can be a safe biker. (Some people shouldn't be driving an automobile either, but that's a topic for another thread.)

 

[radios1]

NEVER Assume a vehicle is going to stop for a red light or stop sign!. Wait until they DO stop, then go, don't be is such a rush that you put your life on the line!.. MANY people have either died, or got into a serious accident trusting that drivers will stop!..

 

[Industrial Toys]

I do that all the time, and yet am not the safest driver. Also, at lesser rural intersections, always look!

Amazing how many people pull ahead over train tracks when the barriers go up without looking. What faith in the technology!

 

[blackdog2086]

I haven稚 read the whole thread but I think the OP is being too hard on car drivers. Motorcycles are hard to see. Especially if the light conditions are poor. A lot of motorcycles ride recklessly on top of that. Anyone who gets on a street bike knows the risk and it痴 stupid IMO. It should be a federal offense to ride with someone not old enough to have a drivers license.

Just call me stupid then. My wife might agree. Where does the whole "not old enough to have a drivers license" come into play in this whole conversation?