Here too, an old guy (younger than I am) failed to negotiate a corner on a favorite road of mine and ended up in an oncoming Jeep's radiator a couple days ago. Pay attention, ride within your skill level, wear the gear, ride sober, all of which improve your chances of survival. Things still happen, but much can be avoided. Riding season is definitely here be safe.
Don’t get too alarmed. There must be many more people riding motorbikes now than in 1975, and riding more miles And a high percentage of the fatalities were boozed up or had no licence.
Unfortunately some go and buy bikes with too much performance for their abilities / experience and it does not always end well.
Yes there is a risk in riding, there is a risk in everything, and unfortunately in a crash with a car we will usually come out worse.
These posts reminded me of an incident that occurred at a local motorcycle shop many years ago. A "Guy" with more money (credit) than brains had just taken possession of a new Victory. I distinctly heard the shop owner asking Guy if was he sure he wanted to ride the motorcycle home. Guy was wearing sneakers, shorts, tee shirt, one of those idiotic egg-shell skid lids, and was insistent that he knew how to ride. No idea if Guy had an M endorsement or not. He rev'd the engine a bunch of times, stalled and almost fell over. Started it again and, while dragging his feet, wobbled out of the parking lot onto the highway. I walked over to the shop owner and said that's not going to end well. He agreed. Said he tried talking Guy into buying a "beginner" bike but Guy wasn't having any of that, preferring to spend $25k on status statement.
We were still standing outside the shop talking for a few minutes when we noticed traffic on the highway was becoming congested. Guy had made it little more than half a mile before losing control of his brand new motorcycle and getting injured. Guy was unable to properly negotiate the first intersection and went down. The only fortunate thing was that he wrecked directly in front of a fire department so the paramedics were quickly there to render aid. The motorcycle was still operable (kind-of) and one the the shop guys walked down the street and rode it back up the shoulder of the highway and right into the service bay. Expensive mistake.
It is important to ride within your ability level, get some training, practice skills, wear proper gear, and get a license. Crazy as this seems, one salesman who sold me a motorcycle has only ever had a learner permit. I presently live in a State where wearing a helmet is optional. I regularly see people riding while dressed in sneakers, shorts, and tee shirts. That is their choice. Personally I do not like wearing all of the protective gear - but I wear it anyway. Road debris is painful when it impacts your body. I have experienced several kamikaze birds while riding interstate highways. Had a Japanese beetle knock two of my teeth loose on one helmet-less ride decades ago. Had a truck in front of me kick up a large rock that cracked my face shield and almost knocked me off of the bike while riding the Washington DC beltway. I know firsthand that when your body impacts another vehicle, bounces off and slides down the asphalt it sustains damage. I want to try and minimize any more potential bodily harm so I gear up each and every ride: ATGATT
Motoring on public roads is a group participation activity that works best when everyone adheres to the same rules. Ride safe everyone.
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