ware

Decided this morning im not getting one. Woke up to find out a co-worker who ironically drives a motorcycle was involved in an accident last night on his way from work. Critical condition with head injuries (was wearing FULL gear). Im off to the hospital to see him.

/Thread.

Quiks66

I wasn't going to touch this thread and it looks like I didn't really have to. Hope for the best with your friend.

doubleRdazz

get one

i bought my first one when i was 18 and i've never looked back

you just gotta be extra careful on the road when your riding, you have to watch out for yourself and for everyone else that might get in your way

im not gonna lie, i've been in the ER more than once but i'll never stop riding

turdflo

if bikes were "dangerous" they would probably wake up at night and kill their owners......yeah, you know where I'm going with this?

Get one if you really want...but what really kills bikers are two main things;

--old ladies and other idiots not paying attention behind the wheel
--excessive speed by bikers

Think about those two factors long and hard. Buy lots of protection gear, and try not to go cheap on it. Are you going to be thinking of the $50 you saved on something, when you're disabled in a hospital bed?

Don't ride over the speed limit during day/evening hours....and always keep your eyes out for others, because they might not be able to see you even in broad daylight.

If you are going to speed in and around traffic, switching lanes at excessive speed, and generally just being a dumbass, ignorant, attention ***** then sooner or later your day will come.

ONLY OPEN 'ER UP ON BACKROADS.

Enjoy

AzntaggeR

LOL!! so thats how you bought your M3. i just thought the army was paying you real well.

like everyone else has said, if you're afraid of riding then it probably should be for you. if you're interested still and are somewhat serious about it, at the least take the MSF course.

slm

He already posted that he decided against it.

Odiedogcx

haha. The Army only got me as far as my 330 ... the lawsuit is what got me my soon to be methanol injected supercharged M3

MASTER4666

My favorite part.

ware

My friend still isnt doing to good. In the end, FOR ME, the consequences just don't seem worth it. (even though i would love to have one)

Starscream

Sucks to hear about your friend, hope he pulls through. My best thoughts to him.

Also, maybe it's not the time for you, read up on then, mature a little...then see if you want to still come in the 2 wheel world. When I was 17 I was so close at getting a bike, I'm glad I didn't, I was very irresponsible and immature to own one. But I read a lot during those years, and many years later, finally made my dream true. But I'm a lot more mature than back then.

Rotten Egg

slowed down to make a left turn...had my blinker on did nothing illegal just a normal ride to work and someone decided to rear end me then when i fell off my bike infront of them they ran me over...didnt walk for a year and 8 months...im 24 and walk with a cane most of the time...riding is amazing...and one of the greatest experiences of my life but i have 2 kids that i will never beable to play with because of it

AdeJong 03

i got rear ended too but luckily i rolled out of the way.

im barely recovered and the accident happened in mid september

i dislocated a shitload of vertebrae and ribs and my neck was jacked up for like 3 months
didnt break anything because i was completely geared up including armor under the leather

no bueno

pics






dont get a bike, the way you sound it doesnt even seem to be worth it

NYabstrak78

stick with a car

my cousin was in a bike accident and is in a coma for 3 months now with brain damage and every bone broken in his face. and his rider never made it

ZC DOHC CRX

so you have never rode dirt bikes or anything? im 18 myself but been riding dirt bikes since i was about 6 yrs old. its not me im worried about its the idiotic drivers around me. i have been cut off numbers of times and gotten the finger in the process when i did nothing wrong. tell me how that works? and the young ladies driving their big suv's dont seem to watch for bikes much as i have been almost ran over a couple times at a stop sign waiting for my turn to go....

I say if you have no experience at all dont even think about getting one.

*edit* saw that you decided not to get one, and quite frankly a wise choice *edit*

Starscream

Yes, street riding is dangerous, but let's not get fooled: in the track you can also get seriously injured or even killed.

The track is a wonderful place, but it's not a 100% safe environment. Motorsports in general are dangerous. Specially in club tracks and the ones that aren't to FIM specs (Without sufficient run off area). Many club/amateur racers or track day enthusiasts have been seriously injured on the track.

Why do we do it? Well, like I have always said...you need a little bit of insanity to ride a bike. Along with many other things.

Numba1 K Series

Brutally honest statement.

Summer is coming around again.....

GuNnErGoD

pwr2lbs

I say if your not a little scared of it dont get one!

.Ash

My mother likes to bring up the safety thing after a couple ugly-ish accidents; I always remind her that I've broken less bones on motorcycles than she has not on one (zero).

WERA689

I know the OP said he has decided against it, but I'm alarmed by the postings that followed that post!

For example, the one above with the wrecked ZX9 and roadrashed arm. This bozo was obviously riding too much bike for his skill level, AND wasn't wearing proper gear. My guess is that he ran into a corner too hot, scared himself, and rather than try to make the corner, he just rode off into a ditch. As I said in my first post here: STUPID. PERIOD. For him to post nothing more than pics, without the full story to back it up is misleading and ignorant anti-motorcycle propaganda.

And the ones that were rear-ended...I've been riding street for over 40 years, and I've never been rear-ended! Not once! Why? Because I'm aware of the fact that I can out-stop any car on the road, and check behind me before I do any heavy braking. If there's someone too close, I make another choice--go through the intersection, move to the side of the lane so the car has somewhere to go...the point, as I said before, is elevating your situational awareness. Always know what's going on around you, and leave yourself some options for any and all possible occurrences.

As I also said above...if you don't ride smart, you CAN GET HURT. You can, and should, do everything you possibly can to minimize the potential for injury by wearing proper gear, and, again, BEING SMART AND AWARE and HAVING THE SKILLS to ride safely. I'm not saying you can't get hurt...that would be foolish and a very simple lie. I AM saying that you don't have to succumb to the kinds of incidents that the photos above represent if you treat the sport with RESPECT...respect for the bike, the road, the other idiots on the road and the risk that you accepted when you chose to ride in the first place.

I will relate the one incident I had where I was hurt, though not badly. I was riding back to college from my gf's house. It started to rain, and I saw some other bikes that had pulled under a bridge overpass on the interstate and decided to stop and sit it out with them, though riding in the rain was not a problem to me. I parked the bike on the shoulder, shut it off (!) and was reaching for the stand with my foot, when I suddenly found myself on the ground, staring at the underside of the bridge! A '62 Ford Falcon (read Sherman Tank) had hydroplaned on the wet road and slid off onto the shoulder and into me...sitting there PARKED. I suffered a deep bone bruise, when perhaps I should have lost my left leg at the hip. The bike (a '74 Norton 850 Commando) was totalled, launched 60-something feet down the shoulder of the highway.
What could I have done to prevent that? Don't stop on the interstate, for one...I was at an exit, and could have easily gotten off and pulled into a gas station instead. But, ultimately, this was one of those cases where "**** happens" applies, plain and simple. I could have been in a car alongside this guy, and been pushed into a bridge piling in my car, and been killed just as easily. Sometimes, **** just happens, and it's NOT the motorcycle's fault.

Ok, rant off.

PS. My screen name is the name of the organization I raced with for 16 years and my competition number. In that 16 years, I crashed once, walked away uninjured, and went 3 seconds a lap faster after the crash. I started racing at age 29--very late in life for that sort of thing. At that point, I had been street riding for 12 years already, with no accidents that weren't caused by my own stupidity and lack of experience. I learned from each of them.

MSchu

MmmK

WERA689

I'll take that as a "good points, all".

AdeJong 03

your point is valid but it doesnt mean that riders like me didnt take the necessary precautions to avoid an accident.

i was clearly fully geared up and the lady behind me said she thought she was in the other lane. she was so dazed they thought she was under the influence

even the best riders will go down. as you said "**** happens"

and we know what wera is, congratulations

i definitely do agree with you on the zx9 thing

S.GEEZIE

If your scared of it, then don't get one. when you go out riding & something scares you, like a car cutting you off or something like that, your probably gona panic & do something to make you fall like hittin' the front brakes way to hard.


There are two types of riders, ones that fell & ones that are gona fall.

Lude-Conduct

I started riding last may 2 weeks after riding my friends bike. First time I had been on one ever. I sen did a low speedhigh side into a curb. I was told not to me it disuade me and I didn't. I was instantly addicted and felt very very comfortable on a bike. Went out and bought an 08 ninja ZX6R. I learned on it but was for the most part safe. I went down slow low side in a canyon. Insurance covered it all.

You will go down. It happens. Just do your best and always wear as full gear as possible. I bought a one piece for the canyons. Best investment ever. I recently taught one of the Marines in my section this last weekend to ride. He took a turn. Before he even got to the turn I knew he was going down. By he didn't. If I would have yelled I honk he would have freaked out and it would have been worse. He low sided and broke my rearset on the right side. Frame sliders did their job. Small scuff on the right fairing. No big deal. He paid for it and when I get time I'll fix it. I don't have rme now as it at home. Once I'm finished with this activation and upcomng deloyment. I'll be back on it regularly. But he didn't let I disuade him. He will buy one when we be back.

BUT TAKE THE MSF COURSE. I only finally took it last month. Wish I would have earlier. My low side could have been prevented.