Say to you what I say when a driver whips by me at way high speed -
“Have fun, and remember to die alone”
3 Likes
No, there’s no denying it. Facts are facts. Choosing to rub those facts in someone’s face in a superior-to-thou manner, though, is decidedly smug. And yes, several posters here are guilty. ^
2 Likes
I came to check the comments just to see how long it would take for someone to point that out. Well done!
It would be interesting to see the numbers on “car drivers are X times more likely to kill fellow travellers than motorcyclists”.
5 Likes
I do not ever speed on my motorcycle.
1 Like
I wish I could say I never speed on the bike… however when the rest of the traffic is doing 20mph over the limit one kinda has to keep up with the flow.
4 Likes
If you ride bikes that are old enough, speeding is not a problem.
3 Likes
Yes! During the SUV boom years people seemed to acknowledge this a lot – people were choosing cars that made them safe at the expense of making others less safe. When I ride my 250cc scooter I’m more likely to die on the road but also MUCH less likely to kill on the road. And, all things being equal, I think I’d rather die than kill.
3 Likes
I had my motorcycle garaged for five years until I could get it repaired and in that time, driving habits had changed so much that, in a year, I had as many close calls as I had in many years. When it broke down again, it wasn’t worth it to get it repaired. I could say that it was just me but I also asked a friend of mine why he had stopped riding his bicycle around and his reply was that there were too many distracted drivers, he also had many close calls and decided not to bicycle around anymore. There are also too many up and coming Squids (squished kids) riding around. If both parties drive/ride consciously there would be less problems.
1 Like
But SUVs are so much fun to play with, especially at a light when they’re in the other lane. Light turns green, twist the throttle and be gone and up to the speed limit in seconds, and with a CVT transmission the engine is making a flat noise with no loud gear-shifting song like a motorcycle.
Something about a scooter doing that makes an SUV driver’s brain pop, and they jam their foot down. 40 seconds later they lumber past above the speed limit, hell-bent on passing.
There was a spot on my commute where I could goad them into passing at 100+ km/h in a 80 km/h zone just as it dropped to a 60 km/h zone and the speed trap. (Meanwhile using non-obvious engine braking to slide down to the speed limit.) Good times…
Kymco B&W 250.
4 Likes
And it seems like we should be able to separate out the 20 year olds who ride like morons on their sport bikes. They have to skew the statistics terribly.
My Dad’s theory was that if he started me motocross racing young enough, by the time I got into my late teens I would have the experience and skill to ride responsibly. So I got an Indian at 9. Moved up to a Yamaha 80 at 11. As an adult, I ride very responsibly, at least on pavement.
2 Likes
Geez, better not walk in California!
1 Like
That’s why it’s legal everywhere in the world except the US (excepting California). I personally would want to have the ability to move between cars that are stopped, so I don’t get rear ended. That said, doing it at 60 when traffic is going 30 is a bad idea.
Survivorship Bias detected.
Some stats and bits from Germany, one in four people who die in traffic is a biker (1), one in two dead bikers is killed by someone elses fault (2), annuals numbers of dead bikers increase when their is a streak of good weather, and last years death count has been down (3).
Came about an inner-city accident last week, biker died, passenger very badly injured - a car made a forbidden turn and they collided.
I knew two people who have been killed, one out of inexperience (got his licence back when we where in school, got himself killed the very first week); what exactly happened with the other one is unclear, but we know he had been drinking.
Helmets have been mandatory here for decades, and for the last years, anti-lock breaks are mandatory on new bikes. Some people may frown upon that, but I think it’s not bad? I had one minor accident, and with anti-lock brakes it would have been fine. Breaking properly without them, and not falling, especially on a slippery road - that is not easy, and if you have not actively practiced it, I think your chances to do it right in an emergency are slim.
1 Like
I drive a car, not very often. I am always very nervous when motorbikes are around, because I know that would I ever touch one, the driver is likely to die or be seriously injured. I usually make extra efforts so that they can pass me and disappear from view.
I’m in Germany. Helmets are mandatory (and it’s probably too cold too cruise w/out gear anyway) and there’s the Autobahn where they go 250 or 300 kph or whatever, so there are some legal outlets where they can ride fast.
About staying in lane: Possibly. However, as a bicyclist and someone who often goes 80 kph behind a truck , I simply witness a lot of bikers overtaking cars. As I hinted, there’s one part on my way from work where bikers, without fail, start speeding to overtake cars. Not that there aren’t any cars who go to fast, mind you, but bikers w/out fail. And it’s not only accelerating fast, which is understandable, but going way faster than allowed. I pity the guys who rented apartments next to that road.
1 Like
Lane splitting is illegal in Germany, as bikers pass on the right and can’t keep the minimum safe distance.
I’ve had about a dozen bikes, but only one had antilock brakes; my current bike doesn’t.
About a decade ago, I was riding a little Suzuki GS450 with a front tyre that was well past its use by date. I couldn’t afford to replace it, and it got to the point where locking up the front wheel was an almost daily occurance.
So long as you stay relaxed, it isn’t that big a deal. Just release and reapply, giving the bike a moment to gather itself first if necessary. It requires practice, but it can be done. You do need to get the responses hardwired to the point of being an instinctive thing, though.
These days, my fingers respond without any conscious direction if a wheel starts to slip; they even tend to pulse the lever a bit when reapplying after a lockup.
On my first bike, I used to deliberately screech the rear tyre as a substitute for the non-functional horn.
1 Like
