Why ride street bikes?

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

Can't blame you there. Everyone knows you park the bike in the living room.

I *tried* to explain that to him. I mean, I can't make good biscuits in a kitchen with a Harley in it. Northern boy, didn't get it. :laughing:

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

I have been on 2 wheels since age 4 or 5.. Probably have 150-180k miles on the road and 4x that on a track.. Last Friday a friend was riding in a group and someone on another bike hit his rear wheel.. My friend went down. ..He is in a coma in a Boston hospital at the moment. Several head fractures as well as a orbital fracture.. Prognosis is still very uncertain. Sometimes you just never know when your number is going to be called.

I posted my other joking response before I saw all these other responses, including this one.... apologies. *Many prayers for your friend.* With head injuries you never know. He may be fine! Please let us know. (darn guy site; no praying hands emoji, and no heart)

 

[kenmac]

People that ride don't just have to worry about being hit by a 70 yr old hat isn't paying attention. They have to worry about the increasing problems with these youngsters and others driving 70 mph down the road.
MC riders also have to worry about that large deer, dog, rabbit, rock,or what ever else may be in the road way.

I use to ride back in my younger days, but there is just waaay to many distractions going on with drivers today for me to risk it.

Many that wreck on a MC don't get a second chance.

As has been said, It's not when it happens, but how bad will it be when it happens.

To All you MC riders out there.... Y'all be very careful out there !

 

[Industrial Toys]

I never saw the appeal of a bike. Especially if you are required to wear a (stinky) helmet. Where's the freedom (of the senses) in that? I'm less restricted in my p/u. Plus, I see these guys in their leathers on the hot asphalt. I don't think you could pay me enough for that torture. Can't stand heat!

Now apparently there are DIESEL military bikes made and available to the public. Not that I could afford or justify one, but that would perk some interest in this conveyance.

 

[ning]

I never saw the appeal of a bike. Especially if you are required to wear a helmet. Where's the freedom (of the senses) in that? I'm less restricted in my p/u. Plus, I see these guys in their leathers on the hot asphalt. I don't think you could pay me enough for that torture. Can't stand heat!

Now apparently there are DIESEL military bikes made and available to the public. No that I could afford or justify one, but that would perk some interest in this conveyance.

I ride in leathers - at least, a leather jacket, and either a pair of heavy mesh pants in the summer or similar but without airflow at other times.

If I'm crossing the California central valley during the summer in the heat of the day I typically get my under shirt wet before closing my jacket; I often get chilly even in 100+F with that set up - there's just enough airflow to cool me without it drying the shirt rapidly (shirt will be damp for about an hour).

 

[newbury]

I get it, it's your life, do what you want with it.<snip>

Because they are almost as much fun as operating a tractor with a backhoe.

I rode in college in Vt. Started in 1969 with a Suzuki 250 and had 1 major accident one afternoon when a middle aged lady pulled out from a stop sign and she t-boned me, bike and I flying into on coming traffic. I looked down when she hit me and can still to this day see her chrome bumper crushing my leather boot (and ankle) against my engine casing. Luckily I was only going 25 mph. She said she hadn't expected a motorcycle to be coming and was sorry. Put me in a full leg cast, I missed 2 weeks of school and final exams and the entire protests because of Kent State. Never did heal properly. Still aches after using for a bit. But danger was relative back then. Several of my friends would be riding with us one day then 7 weeks later were shot to death in Vietnam

About a year later I graduated to a '59 FLH with full police style crash guards. Got involved with a small group of riders, all on Harleys or big bikes. We'd go on about 1 overnight ride a month in New England from May to September. Loved the sound of 1200 CC's rumbling between my legs. Not one of the group would park their bike in the kitchen. We parked them in the living room so we could work on them and watch the war on TV.

The reason I've not put it on the road since '74 is -
I took my Harley apart the winter of '74 to fix a leaky headgasket but joined the Army the next spring (Viet Nam era vet). I moved the bike down to Virginia but ended up spending 1 to 2 weeks a month traveling for the next 37 years. I was having too much fun on the road in places from Korea to Serbia to spend the $1,000 a year for insurance in Virginia and only ride a few weeks.

I've still got my colors, in the bedroom. My Harley in big pieces in the basement (fixed the gasket), and I wore my helmet a few weeks ago when pruning with a pole pruner. I've a dream of getting the bike together again and riding in Mississippi. My sons want to put it together and use it. And I've a tractor with a backhoe

Riding enhanced my "situational awareness", attention to detail like a little gravel on a curve or a small patch of ice. Plus NEVER trust another driver. I'm glad I rode, but I would not want to ride now in DC rush hour traffic.

 

[ning]

ning, are you going to the bay area? I hate driving a car/truck to work down in Silicon Valley and being stuck in traffic. We can legally split lanes here in California and drivers expect it. I take my motorcycle whenever I can. I take the long way that's more mountain road and less freeway. Like you I don't do ride that commute in the rain.

I've been riding on the street for 40 years. I did off road riding and competed at observed trials for a while. I've been a cyclist for even longer and spent 15 years road racing. I only quit racing a couple years ago. You can tell I like being on two wheels. I've developed that same mental radar ning mentions. I'll see a car in traffic and think "that driver's going to so something stupid" and 20 seconds later he'll do it. It's not perfect but I don't get surprised often. You do have to pay attention when you're on two wheels, especially in traffic.

Is it more risky than driving? Sure. But if you're smart you identify the risks and do what you can to address them. It's not like smoking where there's nothing you can do to improve your odds. There's a lot of variation between riders. For every rider like me who has ridden a long time with no accidents there's some number of squids who don't pay attention and ride beyond their ability. Those are the riders who make the statistics look bad. Simply not drinking and riding and wearing proper riding gear greatly reduces your chances of accident and injury.

I've done a lot of "dangerous" activities- rock climbing, wildland fire fighter, professional tree climber. All of those are less dangerous if you're paying attention and know your limits. I prefer to do fun things and do what I can to make them safer rather than not doing them at all.

Last I'd like to mention chain saws. Nearly everyone here runs them even though they're quite dangerous. Felling trees with them is really dangerous. But if you pay attention to what you're doing and wear safety gear you can reduce the risk to a reasonable level.

Yes, from the Sierra foothills. I wouldn't do 17 either; if there's any road in the bay area where drivers are especially rabid and unpredictable it's that highway, and it's too curvy to safely split at any but the slowest speeds (I used to do the Santa Cruz commute by car and use Soquel-SJ/oldSC highway if there was the slightest hint of mess on 17).

 

[newbury]

I posted my other joking response before I saw all these other responses, including this one.... apologies. *Many prayers for your friend.* With head injuries you never know. He may be fine! Please let us know. (darn guy site; no praying hands emoji, and no heart)

and the beating heart for life

 

[CalG]

People that ride don't just have to worry about being hit by a 70 yr old hat isn't paying attention. They have to worry about the increasing problems with these youngsters and others driving 70 mph down the road.
MC riders also have to worry about that large deer, dog, rabbit, rock,or what ever else may be in the road way.

I use to ride back in my younger days, but there is just waaay to many distractions going on with drivers today for me to risk it.

Many that wreck on a MC don't get a second chance.

As has been said, It's not when it happens, but how bad will it be when it happens.

To All you MC riders out there.... Y'all be very careful out there !

All these events occur to drivers of automobiles also. Often with the same significant outcome. Hit a deer, or a moose, your odds are small.

The 70 year old texting while driving idiot, Keep an eye out for those...

Hey! In three years, I'll be one! Oh Oh, Live to ride, ride to live. Get off the fu** ing couch!

 

[RayfromTX]

I rode for many years but sold the bikes to help buy my land. I always thought I would get another but 10 years ago my stepson lost a leg to a crush injury. As I studied all I could to help him I soon discovered that many of the people that lose a leg do so due to a crush injury on a motorcycle. If you get t-boned, your leg is crushed between the bike and the car. The soft tissue damage makes saving the leg impossible because the arteries and veins are too badly injured to support the limb and it becomes and amputation. I decided to give up on the idea of getting a bike even though I could now afford one. I guess I bought a tractor instead.