You crashed, a motorcycle, at 125 miles per hour, and went to work that night. Oh, I have to hear these details.
"Be Careful"
- Thread starter HangFire
- Start date
- Status
I understand the resentment towards perceived (or actual) attempts at manipulation
I also understand the pain of a funeral for someone who's time came much to early, for no fault of his own
We all gotta go somehow, but it should be more a choice of the self, vs a drunk/reckless/incapacitated
While these offenses can all happen in a car, you're odds in the car are much better
But I'm also biased, I've been rear ended by motorcycles (twice), and have irrepairable spinal damage because of it
I'm biased because of people who lane split (illegal in the Tri state area)
I'm biased from the PTSD I developed when the sound of a screaming ICE engine flying by me (which used to elicit great joy) now makes me shudder and recoil
The first guy that hit me was in full gear, had a licence/insurance/helmet, and lost a $30k BMW 1200
Second time around was a unlicensed, unidentified guy, on a (unregistered) GSXR 750, in shorts/slides and NO Helmet
And while I felt terrible for both of them, it was completely their fault
While these are my burdens and experiences, I don't wish them upon anyone else
The kid down the street just turned 18, and he's buzzing up and down the street on the Rebel 300, I still cringe when it goes by
I've worked on it a few times, I tried to ride it, first time I stalled, second time I nearly launched myself off the thing
Imma take the hint
The odds aren't in your favor, with that being said enjoy yourself
I also understand the pain of a funeral for someone who's time came much to early, for no fault of his own
We all gotta go somehow, but it should be more a choice of the self, vs a drunk/reckless/incapacitated
While these offenses can all happen in a car, you're odds in the car are much better
But I'm also biased, I've been rear ended by motorcycles (twice), and have irrepairable spinal damage because of it
I'm biased because of people who lane split (illegal in the Tri state area)
I'm biased from the PTSD I developed when the sound of a screaming ICE engine flying by me (which used to elicit great joy) now makes me shudder and recoil
The first guy that hit me was in full gear, had a licence/insurance/helmet, and lost a $30k BMW 1200
Second time around was a unlicensed, unidentified guy, on a (unregistered) GSXR 750, in shorts/slides and NO Helmet
And while I felt terrible for both of them, it was completely their fault
While these are my burdens and experiences, I don't wish them upon anyone else
The kid down the street just turned 18, and he's buzzing up and down the street on the Rebel 300, I still cringe when it goes by
I've worked on it a few times, I tried to ride it, first time I stalled, second time I nearly launched myself off the thing
Imma take the hint
The odds aren't in your favor, with that being said enjoy yourself
Last edited:
I had a roommate/landlord decades back, he was a on-call EMT. He was first medical arrival at a motorcycle accident, it was a single bike colliding with a utility pole (I think fleeing from law enforcement). Bike apparently going too fast around the bend, went straight. Pole didn't move. My landlord EMT said the biker was laying there in his full PPE, looked almost fine. But his lower half was facing the ground and upper half was facing the sky. Helmet was smashed, everything poured out when they tried removing it. DOA.
I think in a car the same accident you have a higher % chance of avoiding it, or at least surviving it. By way of analogy, almost everyone ejected from a vehicle in a high speed accident, dies. You just have no protection. I don't think I've ever seen a outcome more favorable on a bike, than belted in a car.
Four HS aged kids, 2 of whom were classmates of mine, in a car, hit a large oak tree at very high speeds, totaled the car. The two in front died, I did not know them. Not sure if belted in. The two unbelted in the rear survived. Weird stuff. 50% survival in a car. Zero % on a bike, however.
Modern car examples, we can look to horrific car crashes where people survive seemingly by miracles, but it's the safety feature advances. No similar advances exist for bikes, however. It's still basically 1950s safety, you're on your own in your helmet and armor.
Ooooh look "I know somebody that..." anecdotes. I guess I forgot to list that in the original post. That's gotta be more irritating then the BE CAREFUL.
I know multiple people that died in car accidents. In college I knew a guy who spent almost 1 year in a coma and 2 years in rehab after being run over by a car. I don't mention them every time the topic of automobiles come up.
I know one cannot manage the flow of conversation here at BITOG, but geez, all I wanted was some witty retorts. I think I'll go with the guy I knew in college. That's a good story (and true).
I know multiple people that died in car accidents. In college I knew a guy who spent almost 1 year in a coma and 2 years in rehab after being run over by a car. I don't mention them every time the topic of automobiles come up.
I know one cannot manage the flow of conversation here at BITOG, but geez, all I wanted was some witty retorts. I think I'll go with the guy I knew in college. That's a good story (and true).
I haven't read all the posts but living here in Maryland I would never set my butt on a bike again. Too many crazy drivers in Maryland and too much traffic. A good friend of mine was involved in a bike accident. A deer came out of nowhere and he never had a second to react. It messed up his head and he was never right after that. Several people killed on a bike in my county in recent years. I used to ride but I now refuse to. Bad enough in a car.
Would any have survived the same crash on a bike? Almost certainly not.
The reverse is very often true, people survive often totally unscathed in vehicles where it would have been fatal or serious injuries on bikes.
But I know, this logic does bounce off some people who take "wind in my hair" over the ability to walk without a cane, or prosthetic leg. I have a friend who tried passing a truck on the left, truck didn't signal and turned left. Friend's leg caught the big steel chrome bumper, amputated his leg in an instant. He went into a tree, got a bad TBI that decades later interferes with his thinking ability. If he was in a car, the damage would have been to the vehicles and nothing else.
I forgot. Just three weeks ago I came across a guy laid out on the road. Two police were already there rolling him over. Must have just happened because I went through there about 7 minutes earlier for a stop at WAWA. I never heard his fate.
You know the leading cause of death in the USA is heart disease. I like to hang out at Five Guys and Urban Churn and helpfully ask “Are you planning to eat that?” I find most people really appreciate learning about the benefits of a raw food vegan diet coupled with low impact aerobics in a sensibly padded room. Because I, you know, care so much.
The ironic twist of your sarcasm is entertaining. It seems to me, much like the population you delicately mock is either uniformed or indifferent to logic and stats for their own self preservation, information just bounces right off unreceptive motorcycle riders in a similar fashion.
ETA the NHTSA fact sheet:
Per the NHTSA, per vehicle miles traveled in 2020, motorcyclist fatalities occurred nearly 28 times more frequently than passenger car occupant fatalities in traffic crashes. Motorcyclists accounted for 14 percent of all traffic fatalities and 18 percent of all occupant (driver and passenger) fatalities.
Last edited:
That was my point. For the moment, at least, we’re free to choose our risks. What’s wholly unacceptable to one educated, intelligent, and informed person seems completely reasonable to another. There is no irony, unless you don’t get that. In the event that you truly are trying to eliminate every conceivable danger, that isn’t living; that’s avoiding living, and I can’t imagine anything more sad.
As they say, it's not the crash that kills you. It's the sudden stop. If you're wearing good leathers, a helmet and gloves, a 125 MPH get off isn't bad....... As long as you don't hit anything while you're in the lengthy process of sliding to a stop.
How many car accidents did you see at the same time?. One thing about "Death Boxes" is, they can cause multiple deaths and injury's from one accident. In a second, your whole family can be gone.,,,
Maybe there’s a middle ground? 0-60 in just under four seconds. Wind in your hair. Two tons of German engineering and steel wrapped around you for survivability.
Coincidentally enough, I was at a car show a few years ago and stopped at look at three generations of Miata/MX-5 side-by-side.
I talked with one proud owner who looled like a Harley rider. He said that his wife would not ride the bike with him any more, so he reluctantly test-drove a Miata. He loved it and bought it. He said it's as close as he can get to riding a bike.
My wife says the transplant surgeons here were heartbroken when the motorcycle helmet laws came in.People are weird about motorcycles.
A neighbor at my apartment complex complained to the front office that I had parked "too close" to their car, and they were "afraid to open their car door".
I was parked in the middle of a regular car-sized parking space, a full space over from their car...
These same people have given me the "be careful" admonishment before as well. I think they mean well, so that's how I take it.
A friend of mine lost her brother in a motorcycle accident, and if we ever get together and I'm on a bike, I have to hide the bike and helmet or she gets really emotional. This, despite the fact that her brother rode without a helmet or protective gear for years, and his favorite motorcycle activity was bar hopping...
I've had my share of close calls too. Life is a gamble. I try to avoid rush hour traffic and busy roads where people routinely drive like aggressive idiots. And I make sure I'm home safely before the bars let out.
I wear a full face helmet, gloves, and an armored jacket, but I'm not wearing $200 kevlar jeans... You gotta find the balance that works for you.
The majority of other bikers I see on the road are wearing significantly less gear than I do, and probably half aren't even wearing helmets.
I really wish the police would enforce the existing laws against phone usage while driving.
Rubber side down...
There hasn't been any shortage of donor parts in a long time. Any multi vehicle crash, usually has something for someone.,,
My sister would always tell me to be careful when flying my airplane home after a visit. I got frustrated and said “Do I look like a KamikazI pilot?” It never changed her behavior, she has always been a helicopter mom..
I usually respond by saying “be naughty and drive fast” with my friends and family. It’s the anti-gratuitous response. I have a brother in law like that. That is why I like him.
Aw shucks Astro, I have had an urge to get a 2007 BMW GS1200 adventure bike. Now you come along and toss this into the mix! Hmm, maybe I can start looking for four wheels instead..
There is a shortage here - stats for 2020 are 105 MV fatalities in a province of 1.4M, in conjunction with a large (c. 18%) indigenous population. The indigenous people are very prone to developing diabetes and kidney disease, thought to be due to their poor adaptation to a western diet. Kidneys are always in demand.
- Status
