I’m a big chicken - going to keep it in the dirt…
 

I am booked in to test ride a new Monster, a new Paningale, and a new M1000RR this afternoon. I’m going to cancel.

A friend of a friend didn’t make it home from a ride on Monday. He was a very experienced rider and died from a single vehicle accident on the highway. It is unclear if a second vehicle was involved or caused this.

I sold my last 2 street bikes because of near misses with other drivers. Sometimes it takes a horrible incident like what happened to Trent on Monday to remind me that nothing has changed and we aren’t invincible.

I’m going to keep up the dirt / bush riding and keep to 4 wheels on the roadways.

Better to be a live chicken than a dead rooster.

One of my BILs was dying to get a motorcycle until he started working in the ICU. He said they call motorcycle riders organ donors in there. Still doesn’t have a bike, doesn’t want one anymore. With the number of morons we have in our roads, I don’t know how you guys do it.

Sorry to hear about your friend's friend. I hear you on your concern but you don't even know if the accident was the rider's fault, for any number of reasons.

Me, it's better to live a careful, full life than a safe one out of fear. I did ride my bike 3500 miles across country 2 years ago. And every time I get back on, I can feel the joy. I'm not giving up that joy in my life. I commute only 25 miles each way on my bike, plenty of times cars haven't seen me. But I see them.

When it's your time, it's your time. Live to the fullest until then.

Back when I was an invulnerable 15 year old, I wanted a motorcycle as I could ride it to school, and not have to ride the bus. I sat next to a buddy on the bus and he talked of getting his motorcycle in a few weeks, and how cool it was be to ride to school. He got his motorcycle, and he rode to school. A few months later he was right in front of our bu, turning left across the Atlanta highway. He tried to make the turn and not have to wait on a Semi. There was gravel and he went down, and the Semi killed him and I watched it happen.

I decided, nope, I will wait until I can afford a car.

Lack of experience and a new motorcycle are a recipe for disaster. Perhaps you made the right call.

Those of us with decades of experience without injury have learned a thing or two. The first is...don't ride for transportation. Especially if you live in a high traffic environment. Second is...don't ride in high traffic environments. Third is...assume every car, dog or deer is out to kill you and plan accordingly. And...ATGATT.

Or, don't ride.

I'll just chime in and say boats are just as deadly as motorcycles.
You are guaranteed to have DUI drivers everywhere that have NO clue of right-aways.
Boats don't have brakes either.

Head on a swivel with full situational awareness like in the race car is all you can do on the street, dirt or water. I feel blessed to still be able to do them all but the long good bye is now underway. Enjoy your passions while you can.

What Choco said ....

I've never known anyone killed or injured in a boat accident.

I sold my Sportster years ago... lost my nerve on the "crowded" backroads even .... no regerts.

I got waaaay more hurt riding in the dirt than I ever have on the street.

To each their own.

There it is.

I have led an extremely adventurous life but I never liked riding a motorcycle on the street...and I have no idea why, none. I simply am not comfortable, which isn't a positive.

My Father always rode, Norton's and Harley's, right up until cancer took his motorcycle away...he was just a delight on a bike and it showed. You can't pretend that level of joy.

I always loved dirt biking, especially in places like China Lake, etc. My hip guy recommended I stop so I did...until this Spring: My neighbor bought two really nice dirt bikes for himself and his son. Neither of them have much experience.

I have been "helping" them get acclimated:cool:

I have been good...electric start dirt bikes FTW.

My point is, UncleB, I get the sense you have no aversion to a life well adventured, that is the key: To each their own.

The most fun vacations I've had have been motorcycle road trips. Starting in high school early '70s with a bedroll strapped to the bars. We'd get to the highway and flip a coin, North? South?
Now they're well planned with nice hotels and restaurants booked ahead. Every time an adventure

Almost everything that is fun has risks, that said I rarely used my motorcycles for transport to work in Toronto, just not fun and high risk. I don't think you are a chicken for not wanting to ride on the street, lots can go wrong, also not saying off road is much safer, but less likely to get hit by a car. I know of an incident where a guy riding off road got killed by a bullet. That M1000RR is probably one of the safest bikes on the road but also one of the most dangerous.

I am 59. I stopped counting at 20 people known personally dead- more than 10 years prior. There are more. I just stopped counting. Riding on the street is the one thing I will not ever do. Donorcycle is correct.

I don't argue with people who do ride on the street, but you need to understand statistics.

I have posted here on Pelican many times about this topic. My kids are now adults and living their lives. I have been riding for a long time, going back to dirt bikes, smaller street bikes, road bicycles, then proper street bikes. I feel much safer on a street bike sharing public roads than a dirt bike in the sticks with questionable trails and opportunities to crash. I am 62 (soon 63) and know that any sort of OFF BIKE experience may result in injuries that will make it hard to live going forward.

I ride every weekend with a very small (4-6) group of very competent riders that have the same experience as me. We normally also plan 2-3 multi day trips each year covering 1000+ miles in a few days. I am very particular with who I can trust riding as a group - as are they. The group is all aged over 50 and have nothing to prove but the pace can get quite fast, too fast for me at times, on the more sporty back roads. I always keep my effort under 90% to account for the unexpected.

Sure I have experience with cars doing stupid stuff but it's rare that they caught me off guard. My head is on a swivel always and do not let ANYONE to control my position. I ride a bit faster than traffic (3-5 mph) so I can pick my spots on slabs (highway) especially when traffic is heavy.

I am blessed to be a MC rider here in San Diego. There are hundreds of miles of East county roads that are relatively un-trafficked on the weekends that are quite amazing except for the high heat Aug-Oct months.

I completely respect everyone who choose to not ride or do ride. It's a very personal experience. Here is a dated picture riding Mesa Grande East county in the late morning. Sporty but lots in reserve for the unknowns.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1754591245.JPG

I’ve been boating for a long time and never felt my life was at risk. We frequent one of the busiest and most drunk lakes in the country and deaths are very rare, and are typically drownings. Boats hitting each other is very very rare.

None of this is knocking people who ride btw, not in any way shape or form. We all do stuff that could kill us, you pick your poison in life.

I'm a roady bicyclist as well and feel way more vulnerable on my bike than my motorcycle. I'm riding basically naked on skinny as hell tires, people can't see me as well and I'm wearing a joke for a helmet. And worst of all, every car on the road is passing me. I'll have to quit riding both someday but not yet

^^^Road bikes are deadly too!

I think the biggest eye opener for me was a HS buddy who was a full time moto-cop. He was on a solo ride for a vacation. He was not a risk taker. I was told he hit a patch of gravel on a corner and was instantly gone.

It is all on how you want to live. I get it. I ride dirtbikes, mountain bikes, ski, and do other higher risk stuff.

Sometimes things happen dirt riding also...

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Sorry about your friend Bill.

A few of the older guys around here are riding trail bikes and trials bikes so they are not tempted to go too fast on the dirt either.

As a lifelong road rider, I have to agree with everything that Shaun, Mike, Java, and others have said. We know the risks and accept them. More importantly, my family (and I assume theirs as well) understand both the risks and how important our riding is to us. We all make our own risk vs reward assessments and wind up somewhere in our comfort zones. Some are happier pushing that further than others, some less than others. Thank God we all live in a time and place where we can still make those decisions for ourselves.

Me too...dirt bikes only. Until I developed a back issue. I mentioned wanting to return to riding, M.D. said maybe I didn't understand him..."you can step off a curb wrong and break your back"

(edit) Remember taking a friend's 750 Kow street bike for a brief ride...shortly after that one arrived on the scene. When I turned up the wick, it scared the krapola out of me.