What is it with people

[SweaterDude]

99% Motorcycle crashes are due to rider error. Doesn't matter who's fault it was. A rider must know Where, How and What to look for, and some riders are better at it than others.

not in places where you cant lane split. you get rear ended sitting in the middle of traffic. not Schitt you can do. i follow the whole ride like everybody's trying to kill you principle but if it happens oh well. hopefully ill be able to get up and yell at the cage that hit me....

 

[Redwolf35]

Usually when someone says something like that to me, I usually pop off something like "Be careful in your car, I knew someone who was killed driving home from work".....I just give them a taste of what they're giving.

 

[Botch]

I would much rather manage the risk of riding with proper safety praxis and let come what may, than have my soul slowly sucked out by a minivan.

That... was beautiful! :thumbup:

 

[Botch]

not in places where you cant lane split. you get rear ended sitting in the middle of traffic. not Schitt you can do. i follow the whole ride like everybody's trying to kill you principle but if it happens oh well. hopefully ill be able to get up and yell at the cage that hit me....

Well-l-l-l-ll, maybe it won't be legal but I always keep to one side at stoplights and in slowing traffic, keep an eye in my mirrors, and will lane-split if it keeps me from getting squished. If they give me a ticket for that, I'll smile and take it.

 

[SweaterDude]

Well-l-l-l-ll, maybe it won't be legal but I always keep to one side at stoplights and in slowing traffic, keep an eye in my mirrors, and will lane-split if it keeps me from getting squished. If they give me a ticket for that, I'll smile and take it.

if you can fit. around here..... if im first at the light, no problem but if not, a lot of times people dont know where they're going and are always trying to swithc lanes. thats usually the biggie here.

 

[major tom]

Biking is more dangerous, it's a fact, it's obvious, what with no cage around you and only two tires. But those are the very reasons bikes are more fun, they actually lean the right way, and you are outdoors into the world. So as free(still, mostly) human beings we accept the risks for the fun. My only issue are those damn deer! Like a meteor from the sky. A random event in the universe. Keep your eyes peeled kids. Powerful lights and horns is my next step.

 

[lytehouse]

I walk into my office and within 3 minutes of being at my desk (not even out of my gear yet) 3 people have come up to me to tell me about a story they heard from some guy who knew someone who used to ride that got into a serious accident; or got killed on a motorcycle.

Now when I first read you post, the first thing that I thought of was: people tell you about this stuff because they want you to be extra careful, because they care about you. At least that's what I'd like to think :hug:

Now excuse me while I go clean my rose colored glasses.

 

[Verharen]

Now when I first read you post, the first thing that I thought of was: people tell you about this stuff because they want you to be extra careful, because they care about you. At least that's what I'd like to think :hug:

I think so too! But sometimes it takes effort to not be annoyed by people telling you how to live. *sigh*

My daily quote today was: "Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing." - Helen Keller

Seems rather appropriate.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

not in places where you cant lane split. you get rear ended sitting in the middle of traffic. not Schitt you can do. i follow the whole ride like everybody's trying to kill you principle but if it happens oh well. hopefully ill be able to get up and yell at the cage that hit me....

Well-l-l-l-ll, maybe it won't be legal but I always keep to one side at stoplights and in slowing traffic, keep an eye in my mirrors, and will lane-split if it keeps me from getting squished. If they give me a ticket for that, I'll smile and take it.

Like Botch said, you always want to leave yourself an out! And yes, you keep your eyes on that mirror until you know that vehicle behind you is going to stop.

I see riders everyday, making the most common error just simply coming to a stop and not looking behind them. They stop right in the middle of the lane, a few feet away behind the vehicle in front of them and then relax. That is not the correct way. Leave yourself at least one full car length, you want options if it ever came down to it, pay attention and watch your six!

Yes, there might be a time, when I'm sitting at the intersection and I see a car swerve or collide and head right into my directoin in a matter of seconds. At that point, I would just say F me.....

 

[Hobbesca]

Like Botch said, you always want to leave yourself an out! And yes, you keep your eyes on that mirror until you know that vehicle behind you is going to stop.

I see riders everyday, making the most common error just simply coming to a stop and not looking behind them. They stop right in the middle of the lane, a few feet away behind the vehicle in front of them and then relax. That is not the correct way. Leave yourself at least one full car length, you want options if it ever came down to it, pay attention and watch your six!

Yes, there might be a time, when I'm sitting at the intersection and I see a car swerve or collide and head right into my directoin in a matter of seconds. At that point, I would just say F me.....

I took my MSF course a couple of years back, thought i knew what i was doing ... yup complete moron on 2 wheels. our instructors hammered home that we need to always think the car behind/beside doesn't see you.

That course was the best money I spent, well other than the check I wrote for my bike :thumbup:. My wife was extremely pleased that I manned up and took the course.

Awareness of surroundings keeps us alive. thanks to all of you that are instructors. :rockon:

 

[Ssky0078]

I have 2 responses to people and it depends on my mood.

"I've made my peace with my life years ago and will live each day moving forward as if it is my last and I want to suck every last ounce of joy out of it. I do that when I ride."

"I appreciate your concern but only ask for positive comments, so rather than tell me a tragic negative story, tell me to 'Ride Safe' whenever you see me go, because I will live my life fully and not in fear."


But still there are those few people that will still push their agenda of fear based living on me and keep pressing the issue often asking, 'well aren't you afraid when you ride.' My response to them is 'None of us know when our time is up, but living in fear is like committing suicide to me, because you are chosing to stop yourself from finding joy'

 

[gpostarmy]

Though any accident is tragic, I get the same thing quite often. A lot of times it is somebody that has never ridden but has heard a story from somebody else about somebody else. I feel like they have to try and justify there own fear of riding.
Like I said before it is normally a story from somebody else about somebody else, but people never feel the need to come over to you when you get out of your cage and tell you a story about an accident, and I would be willing to bet that everybody, personally knows somebody that has been in an cage accident or been in one themselves.

 

[verman]

Everyone has different risk tolerance. I knew an ER doctor in CT who rode Harleys and did not wear a helmet. Seemed odd at the time. How much brain tissue and broken facial structures had this man seen in his career?
I returned to the sport after years without riding, and took a motorcycle safety course. It was every instructive. Drive defensively, maintain the bike the way it should be maintained, and upgrade equipment when needed. That's my strategy to minimize risk.
A car could still pull out from a side street faster than I can react to it. But reducing unnecessary risk seems like a logical strategy to me.
Same with my other somewhat risky activity of skiing. You do see people skiing with antique equipment and skiing in a risky fashion with no helmet, etc. Someday their luck my run out

 

[aclayonb]

So nobody uses my response?

I've been trying to get myself killed all week but these pu$$ies are afraid to hit me....

or

I do hope that I die instantly. I'd hate to drag an oxygen tank everywhere.....

Both are reasonably true and when said in a perky voice, chase of all but the morbid ones (which are my type anyway). Then again, most of us ride to the office anyway so.....

 

[Recluse420]

99% Motorcycle crashes are due to rider error. Doesn't matter who's fault it was. A rider must know Where, How and What to look for, and some riders are better at it than others.

So true, I've been doing this for 3 years and 35k and I'm always getting stories about a dead friend or relative, last one was "is that your bike out there? - "ya" - "oh I just buried my friend last week he died on his bike", well great what the hell do you want me to do with this information? BUT, the silver lining here is we can hear all these stories and as Vegas said if you ask about the details you will find out they were being stupid or riding out of their ability which is stupid.

I've come to realize long before I was on two wheels this world is chuck full of stupid morons and they are breeding and multiplying every day and a real easy way to take out one of these morons out is to put them on two wheels, they won't last long at all.

 

[XTremo]

People were coming out with that crap to me over 40 years ago!

And you know something? I'm still here....still doing it.....and they're all dead!

What can we learn from this?