Some people are out to prove themselves....... me personally I ride for myself and the pleasures it gives me. I'm not out to be faster, hang lower, or wheelie longer then anyone else, I ride my own ride and let others ride theirs. I ride to have fun and I do, I also ride within a level that I know I will be able to enjoy riding for many many years to come. I'm not saying I ride like a puss, but I stay within my ability.


I guess the biggest reason so many crash are because they feel the need to prove there riding ability to there friends or others who are in the group. When people push it, they will go down eventually.

My best advice to any rider is "Ride your own Ride" Don't let others push you. This will make for many years of riding to come.

 

Well said...agree 101%

 

Because Americans have always had the idea in their head that we are a free country that allows us to do as we please.

In all honesty, I have lost most interest in trying to show people what can happen while riding a bike if you are not prepared. Those that listen already know it...and most visit the track regularly and have forgotten riding on the street. I pretty much just dont' care about what some 20 year old is going to do with his life. Those that understand are some of the higher posters on this forum or in real life anyhow, they already get it.

 

:bow Well said :bow

 

I always try to ride at my own pace no matter who I am with or "showing off" for. I have been on a sport bike for the last year and had one close call which is why I almost never get on it without a minimum of pants, boots, leather jacket, and helmet. I love to ride and plan to continue on for a long time but will be as safe as i can while doing it.

still haven't tasted pavement yet and hope to keep it that way

 

Just because a rider crashes does not mean that he/she was exceeding their ability. There are many factors involved.

Also what is safe for 1 rider can be very unsafe for another.

Also, some crashes are not avoidable, no matter how many net-idiots can sit back and pick apart the riders story.

For me, I love to ride fast, but I do my best to reduce my risk.

I always have a well maintained machine, I check tires and air pressure before every ride, I ride when the roads are most deserted, I usually ride alone, I do frequent trackdays to improve my ability, and I never come close to riding near my ability level on the street.

I do get my knee down just about every time I ride, so there is definitely some risk involved. But its something I love to do, and at this point in my life the risk I take continues to be worth it.

I personally cannot buy a 160hp sportbike and ride around like a grandma like you can, thats not why I ride. If your main reason to buy an R1 is to pose by it, fine with me but I would rather ride it like it was designed for.

 

I bet sports car owners, fishermen, and even gun owners have spirited discussions about newbs or the lack of etiquette or knowledge among new members to their respective community, especially regarding their lack of intent to learn from or listen to the more experienced members of their group. I have seen first-hand that something inside people "clicks" and they just have to keep up with the rider in front of them at all costs or else. That isn't always the case but it happens more often than not. "Ride your ride" - I hear it all the time. Then I hear "so and so couldn't handle the pace" - so I ask - which is it? You can't counsel someone to ride their ride then bust their bozack about their speed. Personally, I don't care what people say about me on the street. I ride at the pace that is fun for me and will get me home alive. If someone thinks I'm 'slow', they can meet me at the track if they want a taste of the pace.

edit: I'm sorry for your loss of your in-laws; that must have been a very traumatic experience.

 

I'm 22 college student and i've been riding for almost 2 years (not long I know) and nothing aggrivates me more than going on campus and seeing all the guys in shorts and flip flops on brand new bikes that their parents bought them with no clue how to ride. They sit there in the parking lot and rev the he!! outta then engine then stall it trying to take off, then proceed to about drop it making a right hand turn. Uh excuse the soap box but its people like that that give other responsible riders (especially the younger group) the horrible reputation that we have.

 

True.... but I have seen some, not many, that surprised the hell out of me. At the beginning of the summer I was talking to a young rider, 21 or so, that had just bought a new R6. He stated to me that he wanted to buy a full exhaust system for his bike but instead spent the money on some very nice riding gear. I was taken aback by that. Props to him! I have since seen him riding around town and he always has his gear on. I wish all riders young and old would follow his lead.

 

I agree, there is definitely a vibe that goes in both directions on this site. It seems that the advice to wear your gear, sometimes full leathers, is more to protect you while you are trying to be Nicky Hayden rather than being an upstanding citizen of the motorcycling community. Personally, I don't care what anyone does - but younger riders definitely feel the pressure to go faster and lean lower, especially when they are with their 'crew'.

I don't ride anymore with a 'crew', so I don't have to get home and wonder about all the 'what ifs' that could have killed me. Most of the time at least, there are always moments.

Nothing against this particular rider, but there is a guy who just bought his friends Repsol because his R1 on pilot powers was sliding all over the mountain trying to keep up. This is a recipe for disaster in the making. It will always be this way until they stop making sportbikes.

Derek

 

I think it is more funny when people who carve the streets make fun of people who stunt, in regards to danger and safety.

Anything that you do in excess in life will eventually eat you up. Even the air we breathe.

On the other hand accidents are accidents. ALso, it seems that a lot of sportbike riders seem to be fairly young, and not all there yet. Too many posers I say.

Some people are just plain stupid.... Ever met someone that asked you how many times have you gone 160 etc,etc, and than they proceed to inform you how they pull wheelies at 180 mph.

 

I guess the part that is irritating the most might be the more experienced guys that ride. They always “ride within themselves” which could be very fast. The idiotic part about that phrase is on a public road you have no control over the conditions of the surrounding elements. Hitting a patch of dirt on a hairpin at 20 might be savable but at 50 you can’t have time to compensate. Why doesn’t that thought process sink in with us?

NSDQ...It does tremendously suck to see it happen right before your eyes. Some people can't understand why I still ride at all. As us bikers know...they just don't understand. I do have a ton more respect for the open road and suprisingly have realised that I can have fun and not have to push me or my machine to the edge.

 

you can do all the preaching you want, but some people need to learn the hard way.

 

Maybe it would help if America followed a step process like Europe does. You start off with a very small displacement bike then work your way up as you gain experience. Here in America any young male can walk into a dealership and purchase the baddest 1000cc sportbike they want. It happens everyday. Most have no clue how to ride and the bike was probably bought by their parents. They see their friends on these bike, so they want one. With some it's just a fad which will fade away in a few years. Most have no clue what it is to ride with full gear and laugh in your face when you try to educate them. I've had it happen to me and I just about have given up as I choose not to judge people on how they ride and the lack of not wearing gear. It's your choice and it's your life. Anyway you look at it, be it riding the track or street motorcycling is a dangerous sport.

 

Maybe it would help if America followed a step process like Europe does.

I considered that also but with a few converstations from guys in the UK, It might actually be worse over there. Apperently its hard to find a guy on a sport bike that isn't doing something illegal or stooopid.

I do have a bit of concern that if we continue to behave like we do then some leftwing "save me from myself" liberal might want to take away the freedom of having any bike that I want too.

 

Almost daily…definitely weekly there is a new thread in here about another rider going down. Why do us sport bikers seem to be so thick headed. We will blast someone for not wearing all his gear but then proceed to act like Nicky Haden in your local canyon only to hit some dirt, oil, or any other crap on the road and hit the deck.

We keep living up to the reputation that I think the rest of the world has about us. Most people that I know see a sport bike and instantly think that we will eventually die on it. I get tired of defending us by saying its much safer then they think it is and they are over reacting. I am slowly realizing that we must be low on the evolutionary scale of motorcycle riders because even with spreading the word here we just keep hitting the pavement for doing something stupid.

I have the personal experience of loosing my mother and father in-law from a motorcycle accident because while he was following me he entered a corner too fast. My sport bike could handle it but his Harley just didn’t have the cornering ability to make it. Two years later I still have my wits about me and I learned that I can have fun in the canyons with out having to test the grip ability of my tires.

I saw more guys on sport bikes with shorts and tee shirts on bikes this weekend then I did with helmets and gear. How can we pass on the message here that motorcycling can be fun if you just keep your head in check? The introduction of new squidly riders is quite over whelming it doesn’t look like anyone is passing on the right information to lets these squids ride for the rest of their lives.

Discuss

I could care less what other people thought about me on my bike. I see people riding all the time with shorts and sleeveless shirts. If they dont have the common sense to ride responsibly, then they will pay the cost. Most of the people talking smack about riders, wish they had the balls to ride or wish they could convince their other half into letting them get a bike.

 

lot of people ride so some are bound to go down. we all enjoy it and like to ride hard, let's face it. if we wanted to ride like pussies we'd all own cruisers, not R1s.

All we can do is try to be careful when we push it to the limits and remember to wear our gear.

 

Good Points

Fire-R1,

Good points. I agree. I think many people could benifit from your point of view. I suspect most will take it a nagging...congrats on having the courage to speak up. I just know that 10 years ago I would have listened respectfully and then promptly gone out and "RE-LEARNED" it on my own.

Not so much the case now...I tend to listen and take what is said to heart alot sooner.

As for others screwing up how the world views us...I am pretty much not going to worry about that. I can't control what people want to think. Or others do.

Congrats on doing things together with your wife. That must be a great source of enjoyment for you both.

-Gilman

 

It really gets me how no matter what extreme sport we do you always have those people trying to do it as wreckless and irresponsable as possible, people ride without a helmet because they think they are just that good which is never the case. People wear a helmet if for nothing else because of what other stupid drivers are out there. Now me I wont leave the driveway unless at least a helmet is on, I think only once have I ever left without my gloves and leather on but I definetely drove accordingly that day, speed down and BOTH wheels on the ground at all times. It really makes me wonder everytime I see a guy on a crotch rocket going well over 100 with nothing but a t-shirt and shorts sometimes jeans

 

Fire-R1, I think you said it well. We do seem to live up to all the nasty things people say on a pretty regular basis. We are all guilty of speeding, drining and riding, splitting cars too fast, etc. etc. This is my own bad list, anybody else want to own up? Definitely time to slow my role and keep it on the track.

 

Here is an example of how to get your fix. A while back a group convinced me to get up at 5 am on a weekend. About a dozen of us headed up to the hills and put 140 miles on the clock by 8:30. If there was any speeding to be done there was nobody around to see it and no traffic to suprise you if you had made the mistake of coming too hot into the corner. Maybe that would be something worthy of still getting that rush without perpetuating our image of being reckless in traffic.

It was an awsome ride and well worth getting my arse out of bed in the morning. Who cares if I was the only one I had to impress that morning.

 

Made my first "wrecked on the street" post saturday, I could'nt get enough of a good thing and kept working on 1 corner looking at my rear tire marks group tighter working on my turn-in mark. But i dumped the bike not in the turn i was working on but the 1 after it to loop back around. Underestimated fatigue after hitting the first left 30+ times and just rode into the gravel on the outside of the road. Hmm gravel over there i better check it out . I've gone thru that curve at 60+ but went down at 40+ thinking about microwaving lasagna when i get home:chair: :boom :machinegu

 

funny how that works.
you've gotta keep that edge always on your toes, as soon as you've lost it it's time to call it a day.

 

we have the 250 for a year thing in australia and let me tell you there are no shortage of squids here:chair:

unfortunately sports bikes appeal to the average dip$shit bcos as we all know pro-racer mode is only a flick of a switch away, id say just as many riders of sports bikes (if not more for kawi and suzy :sneaky ) are there to pose and be cool than to really ride for personal enjoyment

 

If Vipers were $10,000, you'ld see 'em crashed all over the news. Bikes are affordable and more popular than ever. I know around here (correct me if I am wrong) Suzuki started the trend of not requiring proof of insurance for a purchase, which meant you could buy one with a learner's permit, which only requires the written portion of the exam. I know LOTS of guys with (expired) learner's permits. Whole lot of affordable power! My wife's an ER Doc, doesn't have a problem with two wheels, but cut the sales price in half, and require no license and you've got a 16 year old on a 100mph Banshee. She hates those things! Lots of crushing accidents, can't get away from'em when they roll. Oh yeah, this isn't a 4-wheel forum. Point is cheap horsepower.

 

Good point, A LOT of people have gone down lately, 3 of my personal friends just since last week in fact. It's a sobering reminder how dangerous our sport is. I found taking it down a notch in the twisties yields just as much enjoyment with much less risk <3

 

Ruff Ryders !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Well for starters ya got people on here giving bad advise to new riders.Like go WOT on a R1 in 1st and 2nd gear.To a person who has never been on a liter bike.:secret:

 

Yes, glad i was unhurt just sore for a day. And can now learn from this. never let you guard down in any corner

 

...perhaps it is the attitude of 'I don't care what anyone else does' that makes this occur more often than it should. Maybe we need to take a more proactive approach, especially with people getting into the sport. Obviously the i don't care system does nothing. I wish there were laws to make people wear some minimum protection at least. That way, we would all have something between us and the pavement in a crash, and insurance people would have fewer excuses to say that bikers are very dangerous since they ride without gear.

 

... Obviously the i don't care system does nothing. I wish there were laws to make people wear some minimum protection at least. That way, we would all have something between us and the pavement in a crash, and insurance people would have fewer excuses to say that bikers are very dangerous since they ride without gear.

There is. They're called helmet laws, some states have'em, some don't. I rode for years without leathers and got lucky. From what I've read on this forum, 75% of the people on here don't have leather pants, and I'm not preaching! I only bought mine because I signed up for a track day, now I wear 'em just about everytime I ride. Will a new law really help?
OK 18 year old kid (18 year olds please don't be offended!) you've passes your written portion of the test, here's your learner's.
New law- buy a helmet
New law- buy a jacket
New law- buy pants
New law- buy boots
Now you'll be safe (from roadrash and most minor offs)
I high-sided with full gear and still had a nice ride to the hospital with a concussion and bruised spine (whatever that means!) Leathers won't stop a truck or telephone pole.
The point is the only law that would cut down deaths would be one that limited one's ability to own a bike based on......what? age? previous experience on a dirt bike or scooter? psych test?
I'll need to be grandfathered in to pass that last one!:sing: