Are we death defying idiots?

[DecepticonDon]

That was a real converstion I had not too long ago.
I was wondering about the acceleration of a human body falling out of a plane. Thanks.

 

[madmanmaigret]

"Why tip toe through life to arrive safely at deaths door?"

I don't know who said it first but they had their stuff together. And now I live by it.

 

[Cuba]

:rof::rof:

Although you will accelerate faster whilst falling to earth. Our bike will do 0-60mph in approx 3.5 seconds. Falling out of a plane at 9.8m/s/s at 3.5 seconds you are doing 34.3m/s which is 76.72mph

It works the other way too. Our bike will come to a halt from 60 in about 3 seconds. Falling out of the sky you will come to a stop in about 0 seconds depending how hard the ground is. the biker will be able to then continuing to experiment with the practicalities of Newtons laws whilst the skydiver (who's parachute failed to open) will only really be able to discover whether or not there is an afterlife.

I think I might have become a little sidetracked

Good side track, here's a related question- if an F1 racecar is designed to take a 200mph crash and allow the driver to survive, what if you drop one from a plane and its terminal velocity is around 160mph? Let's assume it struck a hill and could roll down a bit, not just straight into a parking lot for instance.

 

[jamesfz6]

Over the past 12 years, i have put a lot of miles on bikes. But up until a year and a half ago, i rode everywhere all the time.............Then my son was born. In the last year and a half i went from 12k to 18k miles a year on the bike to 5k miles.


And the more i see him grow, from sitting up on his own, to crawling, to walking. It makes me really start to think about the dangers associated with riding. I have had a few wrecks and they didnt stop me. I have had coutless close calls with cars and truck, and that didnt stop me. But it seems like this 28lb, 2 and a half foot tall, boy will get the best of me. I want to be here to watch him grow. I have lost 5 friends in the last 6 years and it really gets you thinking.

After a lot of thinking i feel that when i pay off the last 1200 dollars i owe on the bike i will sell it. It will be about 6 months before i pay it off, so until then i will ride to work everyday.Thats really all i have done is ride it to work mostly, At 16 miles a day doesnt add up to a lot.

A little off topic, i think. Sometimes i type and what i am thinking at the time just seems to come out.

 

[Mattberkshire]

Robert Kubica hit the barrier at 180mph in canada in, I think, 2007. He walked away. The car hit one barrier then into another. A few years ago this would have killed or seriously injured him as F1 cars were only designed to survive one impact. Alesi broke his leg in a Prost in, I think, '97 for this very reason. After Alesi's crash the focus moved to multiple impacts.

Therefore theoretically yes the driver would survive - but..... f1 cars are deisgned to withstand an impact in very specific circumstances. Freak accidents always occur. Senna was killed as a steering rod broke off and punctured his helmet. It all depends how the cra falls to the earth. My guess is that with the lack of downforce under the car but tremends amounts on top it would spin end to end.

The driver would survive if the car landed on the front, back, sides or maybe one of the wheels. he would not survive if he landed upside down or exactly the right way up. Why? G-forces. the front back and sides have crash zones built in thereby reducing the g-force on the driver. With no crumple zone the driver would hit the ground at 160mph and come to an immediate halt. he would be killed purely by the decellerative G's.

Well, that's my theory anyway.

 

[sideslider]

I ride because I want to create awarness.

I always think about other countries where motorcycles are an accepted form of TRANSPORTATION.

I would like to think that one day people will abondon their suvs and think smaller about gas usage.

If everyone was on the same page I think a lot of the deaths would be avoided. obviously not all accidents are the fault of of the cage.

but I'd like to think that if we keep riding someday riding will get better.

I know for sure that if we give up now that motorcycling will always be just a recreational sport in the eyes of the public.

hope that makes sense

 

[cv_rider]

The risk of getting killed on a bike is 8 - 9 times higher than in a car ....

Riding a bike in Denmark is "good value." Here in the US (or maybe California), you are 37 times more likely to be killed per mile on a bike than a car.

 

[dako81]

Over the past 12 years, i have put a lot of miles on bikes. But up until a year and a half ago, i rode everywhere all the time.............Then my son was born. In the last year and a half i went from 12k to 18k miles a year on the bike to 5k miles.


And the more i see him grow, from sitting up on his own, to crawling, to walking. It makes me really start to think about the dangers associated with riding. I have had a few wrecks and they didnt stop me. I have had coutless close calls with cars and truck, and that didnt stop me. But it seems like this 28lb, 2 and a half foot tall, boy will get the best of me. I want to be here to watch him grow. I have lost 5 friends in the last 6 years and it really gets you thinking.

After a lot of thinking i feel that when i pay off the last 1200 dollars i owe on the bike i will sell it. It will be about 6 months before i pay it off, so until then i will ride to work everyday.Thats really all i have done is ride it to work mostly, At 16 miles a day doesnt add up to a lot.

A little off topic, i think. Sometimes i type and what i am thinking at the time just seems to come out.

My father rode motorcycles all his life, untill I was about 5 or so. I always begged and begged to go for a ride with him, and he always said I needed to get a little bigger.

One day I heard my dad messing with the bike out in the driveway so I went out. To my suprise there was a couple there, sitting on his bike. Before I knew it, they drove off on it. All I could say was I had wanted a ride. He promised me, I never got the ride. The bike was gone.

I never let him live this down. I never really had much of a relationship with my dad until the past few years since we now work at the same place. He was ALWAYS working, so I didn't see him much, just some in the evening around dinner then off to bed. Whenever we would argue about anything growing up, I'd bring it up about the ride, I knew it hurt him, it hurt me too.

It hurt both of us. When I got a dirtbike when I was 13 or so (after convincing my mother), we got to work on it together, he got to teach me a lot of things that I didn't know. It gave US something together. I wish we could have had this the whole time I was young, tinkering with his bike.

I don't know, I'm just rambling and I guess what I am saying is your son might really enjoy the motorcycle, and bikes can be something you can both enjoy. I know some accidents and thigns are unavoidable, but don't get rid of something that you enjoy because there is a possibility of getting hurt. Just do what you can to become a better and safer rider.

If you get rid of it, it will be that much more difficult to ever get one again.

/threadjack

 

[Botch]

Bottom line is how much risk are you willing to take, some people may ride a bike but might not want to paraglide, others will drive a car but will not want to ride a bike.

And some people will drive a car every day but never get on a much-safer airplane...

There was an interesting statistic in this month's Motor Trend, about does speed kill? It pointed out that the average speed on the German Autobahn is so much higher than the average speed on a U.S. Interstate, yet the death rate per driven mile in the U.S. was, what, EIGHT times higher?!? Credit was given to cellphones, unqualified drivers, and drunks. Wow.

 

[wrightme43]

I believe a large part of Americas problem with traffic deaths, are caused by to many intersections, to many signs, and to many rules.

A small number of strictly enforced rules works best in my mind

Our intersections are freaking stupid wrong. The roundabout is a infinately better method of joining roadways. Tea well not so much.

 

[FZ6 in Gresham]

I know for me it is the only time I feel free. Free from the daily grind, free from the stresses of life, free from whatever project at work is occupying my mind. Whenever I ride it is like all thoughts are erased and my entire focus is on the task at hand.

I enjoy riding on the weekends as hard as I can and improving my cornering everytime I ride. I commute to work an hour each way and it clears my mind before and after a hard day of work.

A couple years ago I sold my bike not long after a close friend got paralized in a motorcycle accident. Everyday after the bike was gone I regreted the decision to sell it and about a year and a half later I bought my FZ6. I know that there are great risks involved in riding but you can't go through life being affraid of what might happen. I know that since I got a bike again I have been a more relaxed person. I will never sell my bike again without one to replace it.

Ride hard, ride safe.

That's, how I feel about it!

 

[xj750_Pete]

A couple of weeks ago I was involved in an accident that totalled the FZ6. After I picked up my bike from the accident, I really wanted to ride it home. I didn't care if half the fairing was dangling by a wire, I didn't care that the handle bar was bent, nor that my ankle and shoulder was hurting. I just did NOT want to give up riding, but logically it was not a good idea to ride it home. I have to admit though, when I got back on the bike and tried to walked it into the parking lot away from traffic, there was a moment of fear that struck me as I swung my leg over the seat. It made me question what would have happened if the accident happend in a different way? or if I could have avoided this altogether if I just didn't ride? Then I remember all those night rides I took, the canyon runs, the countless times where I had that stupid grin behind my helmet, the places I have been, and the people I have met. And then the fear just quickly went away.

So are we death defying idiots? I don't think so... Some of us just need an outlet. I mean people draw, play video games, get into fights, do drugs, get involved in dangerous relationships, or vandalize private property. For me, and I am pretty sure for many others as well, riding is my outlet. I know there is a much greater risk, but life just seems so much better on two wheels.

 

[SovietRobot]

A couple of weeks ago I was involved in an accident that totalled the FZ6. After I picked up my bike from the accident, I really wanted to ride it home. I didn't care if half the fairing was dangling by a wire, I didn't care that the handle bar was bent, nor that my ankle and shoulder was hurting. I just did NOT want to give up riding, but logically it was not a good idea to ride it home. I have to admit though, when I got back on the bike and tried to walked it into the parking lot away from traffic, there was a moment of fear that struck me as I swung my leg over the seat. It made me question what would have happened if the accident happend in a different way? or if I could have avoided this altogether if I just didn't ride? Then I remember all those night rides I took, the canyon runs, the countless times where I had that stupid grin behind my helmet, the places I have been, and the people I have met. And then the fear just quickly went away.

So are we death defying idiots? I don't think so... Some of us just need an outlet. I mean people draw, play video games, get into fights, do drugs, get involved in dangerous relationships, or vandalize private property. For me, and I am pretty sure for many others as well, riding is my outlet. I know there is a much greater risk, but life just seems so much better on two wheels.

My accident wasn't as bad as yours, but I completely agree.

Thankfully my bike wasn't too damaged and I could ride it home, that made it better. It was fun shifting without a foot peg and not having a working taillight or front turn signals.
I told the EMT's at the scene that I wanted to be able to ride home before the adrenaline wore off, they looked at me like I got brain damage from the wreck!

Also funny story, the cop asked me who the president was and I said "current or elect?", he had to think about it for a moment.

Anyways what I'm trying to say is, riding is more than risk vs reward.

 

[mlevins77]

This past weekend I jumped out of a perfectly good airplane at 3 miles up. I regularly jump off of cliffs that exceed 100 feet. I scuba dive with fish that could cut me in half at any moment. I snowboard down hills to the limit of my reaction time...and sometimes faster. I push my body to it's limits and endure half ironman triathlons in 94 degree heat. I get on a motorcycle and ride.

I do these things not because they define who I am, or because I seek the ultimate thrill. I do these things not because I've got a death wish or because I believe in some adage of you're not living if you live in a bubble.

I do all of this because it is something I enjoy, just like I enjoy a nice steak, a good beer and the occasional roll around with my wife (when she lets me). Life is defined by the choices we make...if you understand and are willing to face the consequences of each choice before you make it...how can that really be a bad thing? Every morning I get up and risk my life in some way, it's part of living. If I choose to get on 600cc's of joy then that is my decision.

Live life by your choices, not by the effects of those choices...that's called addiction. I know that I'll get a rush riding the bike, or jumping off of something high...but that's not why I do it...I choose to do it because I know there is a little fear in me...always...and I am stronger, smarter and better than that fear and so I live.

Live smart and live long.

Mike

 

[ozzieboy]

Riding a motor bike is a relatively inexpensive way to get to work:thumbup:.

























































Ok...Who am I trying to kid?...LMAO.

I love riding my bike.

I love not being held up by people who drive super slowly through fear, because they can't drive.

I love not having to put up with trouble makers who slow everyone down and then speed up in the only places where you can overtake ( Or so they think..lol.)

I love being able to go hard for hours and the fuel bill doesn't ruin me.

I love the feeling of acceleration, and the skimming of the front wheel when you separate from traffic.

I love to test myself and my judgment through tight winding roads.

I love being able to nearly pop my eyes out of their sockets under brakes.

I love coming home exhausted after a long trip away carrying only what I truly need, and not everything I might need.

I love coming home buzzing after a nice ride in the hills.

I love the hyper attentiveness I feel when I'm riding.

It's all good:cheer:.



Who wants to stay alive but not live? Who wants life and breath but not love?

Hmmm. Who's coming for a ride?:rockon:...lol.

Cheers
Mike

 

[chunkygoat]

A lot of you guys remind me of myself.

I've been known to jump off the occasional bridge, trestle, plane, even zipline tower. I like climbing things, jumping off things. I despise heights yet I love the feeling of overcoming the fear. It scares me to ride sometimes, yet facing the fear is almost half the fun.

I too got my bike fully knowing one of my best friends snapped his neck on an R1, my mother's boyfriend broke his pelvis and leg in a motorcycle accident. Despite all the negatives and downsides to riding, I enjoy riding more than any plane i've jumped out of, more than any bridge or waterfall i've jumped off, any mountain i've climbed.

It is an escape, an outlet, a time devoted to myself, my enjoyment, and my own self improvement. It gives me a dream, a goal, a mindset, a thrill. And not any person can ride a bike and ride it safely. It takes a certain type of person want to, and be able to understand riding on a deep level.

I'm still learning, building my skills, and see myself riding bikes for many years to come.

 

[BranNwebster]

Some people skydive, some bungee jump, I ride a motorcycle on the Houston freeways at rush hour. Thrilling!

 

[Phat Tony]

Looking back I think of much more dangerous and stupid things that I've done than ride my fz6. I've jumped out of planes, driven a car 150mph on bald non z rated tires, drove a 7ft wide vehicle on a 2m wide lane in traffic, and various other things the military had me do that was inherently dangerous. Life then did not mean as much to me as it does now. The young and invincible syndrome kept me from realizing how close to death I was. I got out of the "push my limits" stage of life 8 years ago and ride because there is a sense of freedom that I get from riding I can't get from anything else that I do.

 

[keira]

Well, I for one am not that much of a risk-taker. I don't see the point of jumping out of a perfectly good aircraft (I actually have a fear of free-falling....ask Rob it's not pretty). I don't think trusting my life to a giant rubber band sounds fun. I have no desire to be on a dirt bike, ATV, or snowmobile. I don't ride at excessive speed, and I don't do things in my life that put me in unnecessary harm.

But riding my motorcycle gives me the freedom to be by meself and still be in touch with others. It allows me time to clear my head, and still feel connected to my body. It forces me to be in tune with every twitch and every bump, while feeling like I am flying (without the free-fall effect).

It is something I had always wanted to do,a nd now it is something I can't imagine not doing. Sure I do track days. No, I don't do them to "push my limits" or "take risks in a safe environment." I do them because it is a different aspect of something that I have grown to love. The risks to me do not outweight the benefits because I know I am doing everything in my power to minimize the risks laid out before me, without sacrificing fun and freedom in the process.

People I know from my adult life are always suprised when they learn I ride a bike. They say it just doesn't seem like something I owuld like. What they don't know is that it calms me and soothes me, and helps me to be the person I am today.

My sig sums it up nicely "Do what you like. Like what you do."

 

[Oscar54]

:rof::rof:

Although you will accelerate faster whilst falling to earth. Our bike will do 0-60mph in approx 3.5 seconds. Falling out of a plane at 9.8m/s/s at 3.5 seconds you are doing 34.3m/s which is 76.72mph

It works the other way too. Our bike will come to a halt from 60 in about 3 seconds. Falling out of the sky you will come to a stop in about 0 seconds depending how hard the ground is. the biker will be able to then continuing to experiment with the practicalities of Newtons laws whilst the skydiver (who's parachute failed to open) will only really be able to discover whether or not there is an afterlife.

I think I might have become a little sidetracked

That's because you are a "Sand Person" !