Bike experience

[stevej37]

The helmet thread led me to wonder...how many have been in a car/bike accident??

Thinking about getting back into it this summer...maybe mid-bike size.
Was a full-time biker..but it's been many years.
Wanted to post a poll...couldn't figure it out!


1 Never
2 Once...but not my fault
3 More than once...still riding
4 Been there...done with it.

[Don Ro]

1) Never...not even on the track.
.
Ran off a couple of pubic roads, however, remained upright...too hot into left corners when I was young & dumb.
Never down & crashed on public roads - God Bless me.
The past 10 yrs. or so, I ride like an old man on public roads...I just enjoy the machinery...much more dangerous than the track.
.
When the time comes, if it eventuates for you, share what you end up with.

[Chocaholic]

Riding streets for almost 40 years. Never in an accident and can only recall a few close calls. I rarely (if ever) ride for transportation, always allow a significant escape route, always courteous and only scrape pegs when it's dry, clear and low/no traffic. Actually, I avoid traffic as a habit. Bottom line, ride like your life depends on it, have fun but do so only when you've minimized the risks (and that includes respecting your skills and the lack thereof).

[Schrup]

Lots when I was drinking, none since I quit. I want a street bike, but will have to settle for my dirt bike until I retire. Too dangerous around the Seattle/Tacoma area.

[Brando]

Turn this into a poll

3 - More than once, still riding. Both times not my fault.

The first was in February 2010. Heading north on Harbor Blvd in Newport, a car heading south turned from the center turn lane right into me. Squished my left ankle between car & bike. I flew across 3 lanes, ended up on the sidewalk. The funny part? There was an ambulance right there, waiting to pull out of the parking lot. Couldn't walk for 8 months. Luckily no surgery, just a cast and lots of waiting, followed by PT. I still have bouts of terrible back pain to this day.

Second time was in Irvine, riding south on Jamboree. I was in the far left lane, lady drifted over into my lane (my right), her wheel hit my foot peg. Luckily didn't lose my foot, bent the peg down instead of up. A few minutes with a torch, vise, and black paint and it was all good.

[JavaBrewer]

Car - 2 accidents, both my fault.
MC - 0 accidents
Bicycle - many accidents

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by Don Ro

1) Never...not even on the track.
.
Ran off a couple of pubic roads, however, remained upright...too hot into left corners when I was young & dumb.
Never down & crashed on public roads - God Bless me.
The past 10 yrs. or so, I ride like an old man on public roads...I just enjoy the machinery...much more dangerous than the track.
.
When the time comes, if it eventuates for you, share what you end up with.

Looking at this one...or the 650. I like the upright riding postion.2017 CB500F Overview - Honda Powersports

[stevej37]

I tried to make it a poll, but didn't see any way to do it until I clicked "submit new thread"
Too late then..I thought.

[atcjorg]

3) had a vw minivan run a red light grazed me on the way by, was working as a mc courier in downtown la, in the number 1 lane rolling up to a light at about 25 no cars in front
of me there were 4 cars in the number 2 lane, when the light turns green #3 in line decides to jump into the number 1 lane and occupy my space I hit him at the front wheel arch, was catapulted 20 or so feet landed on a car in the left turn lane, walked away from both bruised some but walking, have dodged many close ones but there are some that even king Kenny couldn't avoid. The popularity of cell phones has increased the danger 10 fold, I am going to sell my bike soon, recovering from a crash at my age is not as easy as it used to be.

[LakeCleElum]

I was a slow learner.....Had so many, I started a list I still have around somewhere.....Didn't count dirt bike crashes, moto-cross, or road racing; only street crashes.....List has something like 27 crashes.....Most getting in a curve too hot or hitting gravel/oil or whatever........Glad I survived to get old.

[sammyg2]

One car accident, 20 years old
Motorcycle: never went down on the street

Racing motorcycles in the desert in district 37 I went down all the time. ALL the time.

[Yorkie]

Cars 2 (both when I was 17)
Motorcycles 1 (January this year after 35 years on the street)

[Jeff Higgins]

I have been riding street bikes since 1976. I've averaged somewhere between15,000 and 20,000 miles per year, usually split between at least two bikes. I quit really keeping track of mileage quite a few years and a couple of bikes ago, when I crossed the half million mile threshold. I have been hit by other vehicles twice, and have crashed all on my own twice. Only one collision resulted in a hospital trip, about three and a half years ago when my wife and I were on our Road King and got hit head on by a left turning pickup truck. That's as close as a real disaster as I have ever come.

I kinda take it with a grain of salt when a guy says he's been riding for 30, or 40, or however many years and has never crashed. Maybe they have owned motorcycles that long, but ownership and riding are two different things. Plenty of guys have "ridden" (translate: "owned") bikes for 30 years and have not logged their first ten thousand miles on a motorcycle of any kind. They don't count when we are trying to compile statistics like this.

It is a "dangerous" sport. No getting around that. We can do things to mitigate the danger, to lessen injury when it does happen, but we do kind of have to accept it will happen, if we ride long enough. Dress for the fall, not the ride, stay alert, don't be stupid - and may The Force be with you...

[red-beard]

Once in middle school and once in High School. I've had some accidents since, but usually they involved stopping short to avoid being hit, and then falling over...while still clipped in...

[red-beard]

Oh, motorcycle...only self inflicted...

[MRM]

Jeff, I remember when you posted about your accident and I immediately thought about you when I saw this thread. I was impressed with the safety gear you had on at the time of the accident and how it mitigated certain death down to a mere disaster. Would you mind going over all the safety gear you were wearing that day, and for good measure, anything you use now that you didn't then?

[Don Ro]

Originally Posted by stevej37

Looking at this one...or the 650. I like the upright riding postion.2017 CB500F Overview - Honda Powersports

I like that twin 500...upright position, 31" seat, nimble, etc. A fully modern moto, for sure.
The 650 is almost 50 lbs. heavier, I notice...but then more torque.
I've never been a fan of hard angles on moto styling, however,...my Hyper is close, but not hard...it has soft edges & curves on what little angles it does have.
Nice rig, brother...ride safely.

[masraum]

Cars, sure, enough in the past 30 years, mostly my fault when I was younger. More recent, someone else's fault, but if I had been more defensive, they were probably avoidable.

I've never done the 2 wheel thing. My mom was an ER nurse when I was young, and my dad was a cop and drove an ambulance for a short time when I was young or not yet conceived. I've since avoided 2 wheels and a motor. I suspect I would enjoy it, and I don't trust myself. Now that I'm in Houston, I don't trust everyone else. Houston has the WORST drivers of anywhere I've ever driven including Spain.

Everytime I see a video like this, I think I made the right choice. Many or most of these are due to driver error, but the consequences are potentially so much worse on 2 wheels vs 4.

You may want to mute the volume for the occasional obscenity and the occasional horrible music.

[Don Ro]

^^^
Two minutes is all I could give. Mostly "dumb guts" riding...and riding beyond skill level.

[jwasbury]

Had 2 offs in my 26 years of riding. Once on the street, my fault. First fast bike...ran out of road in a corner, no grip on the grass. Once on the track. My fault. Spastic brake application caused a high side incident. Fractured clavicle and scapula.

I survived 16,000+ miles of daily commuting to NYC from Pennsylvania this year...traded paint a couple of time in NYC, but otherwise unscathed.