Decline of Motorcycling

[gsxrken]

Originally Posted by trader220

That's the thing... I am okay with my own skills its that its become less and less enjoyable with more people and less attentive people on the roads. As recently as two years ago I was still commuting 50 miles each way on my bike in traffic. I don't make that commute anymore and I am losing my luster to ride anymore, after decades and probably around 150k miles on the streets.

This reminds me of something from just yesterday. My younger cousin just bought his first house and his energy and enthusiasm was boundless. He had not only moved in and completely unpacked, but when we left at 9pm he was about to start pulling Sheetrock off the walls in the living room. On the way I marveled at it, but then realized I used to do the same thing 20 something years ago myself. After completely remodeling two houses and restoring several cars, much of it singlehandedly after work and while raising a family, my experience and tool collection is fairly comprehensive. Similarly, I would grab the bike keys over the car keys whenever I could. These days, my desire to do that has lessened- but not disappeared.

[RSBob]

Not a moto rider but find this thread very interesting as a road cyclist. I have the same misgivings about people texting, talking on their phones as well as the aging population, not to mention, let’s call them, new Americans.

No matter how attentive I am checking where people are looking always a fear of being taken out from behind.

As a result 90% of my riding is trail. It’s a challenge physically and mentally as well as being out in nature which I really enjoy. The danger are the risks I chose to take and how hard I chose to push it. Just like driving a car at 9/10s, mtn biking give me the same excitement and is constant skill building. More than you wanted to know.

Two wheels on the road is just getting too risky for this 60 year old.

[RSBob]

Not a moto rider but find this thread very interesting as a road cyclist. I have the same misgivings about people texting, talking on their phones as well as the aging population, not to mention, let’s call them, new Americans.

No matter how attentive I am checking where people are looking always a fear of being taken out from behind.

As a result 90% of my riding is trail. It’s a challenge physically and mentally as well as being out in nature which I really enjoy. The danger are the risks I chose to take and how hard I chose to push it. Just like driving a car at 9/10s, mtn biking give me the same excitement and is constant skill building and no tickets from Johnny Law. More than you wanted to know.

Two wheels on the road is just getting too risky for this 60 year old.

[MMARSH]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

I will be on the Isle of Man for the TT in just about six short weeks...


.

Ok. Now im envious. Thats on my bucket list. Make sure you post the details.

[Embraer]

when I lived on 400 acres out in the Mojave several years ago, I bought an old Honda XL250 to ride around my property. one of my buddies bought an RM250 and kept it at my place. he ended up giving me his bike when he moved to texas. riding, out in the desert, at sunset is a great memory burned into my mind. ...like the closing sequence of "On Any Sunday."

[Jrboulder]

1955-1965: 237 car accidents per 100,000 population
2005-2015: 129 car accidents per 100,000 population

[speeder]

It seems like we've had this conversation a few times before here but the bottom line is that everyone has to follow their own comfort level in terms of riding motorcycles and every other risky activity in life.

I've had a MC endorsement since 1975 and have ridden countless hours and miles in Los Angeles, Minneapolis and highways all over the country. I personally don't find it any different than it's ever been--you've always had to watch your ass on a bike. I think that it would be unsafe to have only a bike for transportation because of the principle of only riding when you feel like it, not because you have to. There are times I really don't feel like riding, rather take the car and listen to music w A/C or heat blowing, etc...

I woud feel unsafe riding somewhere other than CA. because of lane-splitting or filtering here...if I had to sit in lines of cars waiting for some distracted driver to rear-end me, I would feel unsafe and vulnerable. The ability to ride between and go around the 4-wheeled traffic adds another dimension to street riding and it's a lot safer, especially on the freeway but everywhere. Riding a MC in big city traffic requires skill and absolute attention at all times but I enjoy it and slice through traffic like a hot knife through butter and it's all legal.

Ironically, I don't ride in the dirt because while I consider it massive fun, I know 100% that I'd crash and break a bone or three, maybe my neck. I can't ride like an old lady in dirt, it's too much fun to hoon and I don't have the chops to back it up plus I'm fairly old.

[zakthor]

Originally Posted by RSBob

Not a moto rider but find this thread very interesting as a road cyclist. I have the same misgivings about people texting, talking on their phones as well as the aging population, not to mention, let’s call them, new Americans.

No matter how attentive I am checking where people are looking always a fear of being taken out from behind.

As a result 90% of my riding is trail. It’s a challenge physically and mentally as well as being out in nature which I really enjoy. The danger are the risks I chose to take and how hard I chose to push it. Just like driving a car at 9/10s, mtn biking give me the same excitement and is constant skill building. More than you wanted to know.

Two wheels on the road is just getting too risky for this 60 year old.

I'm not 60 but i completely agree. I commuted by bike in traffic for 15 years. Had all sorts of close calls. Was only after i'd taken the motorcycle safety class and commuted by motorbike for a few months that it sunk in how suicidally exposed i was on a road bike. A few places where i rode the closing speed between car and me was 30+ mph. With that delta you'll never avoid the inattentive driver. Motorbike has mirrors and a giant throttle so you can move away from any driver that makes you uncomfortable.

I made the same move to mtb. It might still be dangerous but i wont get nuked by someone elses mistake.

[ckelly78z]

I used to ride an LTD 550 to work, and around the countryside in the evenings (peaceful with low traffic). I started feeling vulnerable while sitting in traffic on busy streets sucking exhaust, and looking at the big bumpers of the cars around me. I sold that bike 30 years ago, and havn't street ridden since. When my son was young we both got dirtbikes (a Honda XR75 for him, and an XR200 for me) to crash around the farm, and fields. He still has my old XR200, and I have a Kaw KLR250...but at 54, I still refuse to ride on the road.

Far too many cell phone distracted/drug induced/stupid drivers out there....just last week a local couple my age, slammed into the side of a car that pulled out in front of their street glide (killed one on the spot, and took 3 days for the other one to die after organ harvesting).

[DanielDudley]

Originally Posted by trader220

My son is now 12 and although he’s big into cars, he shows almost no interest in the bikes.

I have now come to the point where there is so much congestion, so many people texting, checking email, and checking social media as they drive I am losing my desire to be out on the road with these idiots.

Just really losing my passion for the street with all the idiots.

That’s my rant…

Realistic observation.

Originally Posted by trader220

My son is now 12 and although he’s big into cars, he shows almost no interest in the bikes.

Probably not a bad thing. I want a bike, and I think about it a lot. People around here drive stupid. I could probably pull it off, but I can't afford to get laid up, and I don't have any vestige of confidence in my invulnerability.

[KevinTodd]

I, too, have ridden nearly all my life. Started on mini-bikes with Tecumseh engines and graduated to Honda dirt bikes and enduros. Gradually moved onto the street, first with Honda and Kawasaki, and then on to HD, where I stayed for years, owning nearly every model in the Big-Twin line-up. I racked up hundreds of thousands of miles all over the country--none of my bikes were trailered anywhere--that just wasn't cool.

MY last remaining bike is the last one I bought new--a 1996 HD FLSTN Softail Nostalgia. The only thing remaining stock on that bike is the paint, as I have modded the suspension, drive train and electrics to provide better looks, handling and power. The bike was always one of my faves--and that alone keeps me from selling it--along with the fact that I couldn't really get anything for it, even though it is pristine.

I just do not like the near-death experience of riding anymore---I cannot take the bike around the block without some half-wit nearly taking me out by pulling out in front of me or whatever. It's just too frustrating, when it should be enjoyable and relaxing.

I revisited MX a few years back with a new Yamaha WR250, and although I also love that toy--I'm too old to be flying over handlebars in the woods, and I hate cortisone shots.

I'm sure there's an answer in there somewhere--that's why the scoots are still in my garage.

[Mike Andrew]

Gave it up 4 years ago after 50 years of riding motorized 2 wheelers of all sorts.
Out for errands on my Z1 and a Ford started sliding into my lane. I kept a sharp eye as it forced me to beep and then brake hard. No change and it bounced the driver's front wheel off the curb of the planted island before veering back into its original lane. Could have been me between the two.
Pulled up next to the car at the next light and it was a 20ish girl texting with Hip Hop blaring. No wonder she did not hear me honk. I dropped some choice words and rode off when the light changed and finished my errands.
This was early September. Rode the bike exactly twice after that, including the morning I sold it the following spring, both times maybe a mile around the hood.
Too many people in the burbs and too many distracted drivers. Makes even getting to open spaces dangerous.

[vash]

Originally Posted by Mike Andrew

Gave it up 4 years ago after 50 years of riding motorized 2 wheelers of all sorts.
Out for errands on my Z1 and a Ford started sliding into my lane. I kept a sharp eye as it forced me to beep and then brake hard. No change and it bounced the driver's front wheel off the curb of the planted island before veering back into its original lane. Could have been me between the two.
Pulled up next to the car at the next light and it was a 20ish girl texting with Hip Hop blaring. No wonder she did not hear me honk. I dropped some choice words and rode off when the light changed and finished my errands.
This was early September. Rode the bike exactly twice after that, including the morning I sold it the following spring, both times maybe a mile around the hood.
Too many people in the burbs and too many distracted drivers. Makes even getting to open spaces dangerous.

Man. You kicked butt. I think you did everything right.

Similar happened to me, but he heard me honk. But I was already backing off. My honk was more of an “eff you”, less of a “please correct yourself”. The driver nodded embarrassed and gave me all the room in the world. It was cool. I hope he drives more carefully next time.

Today. I’m in my truck. I have to pick up a big bag of dogfood. ill prob get rear ended

[GH85Carrera]

I never really got into motorcycles.

A few years back my wife and I drove the 911 up to Colorado in the middle of summer on vacation. As we left Oklahoma it was in the high 90s. We went through one pass on the way to our hotel, and for 10 miles of the pass it was sleeting. I had gone from full AC blasting to running the heater on the same day.

As we were checking in at the hotel two guys came in looking really miserable. They left Amarillo and decided they were tired of being hot, so they headed to the mountains. They both were nearly frozen in the sleet. One guy sat the sleet piled up on his crotch and he had ice a few inches thick on his most sensitive areas. They both got checking in and went right to the hot tub. The said they were for sure not hot anymore.

My wife and I rode in total comfort in a car with the radio playing and arrived happy.

I understand that with the exception of a woman there is nothing more fun to have between your legs than a motorcycle. Several of my friends have them and take long drives, and ride often. I will stick to cars personally.

Ride on and have fun.

[legion]

I got my motorcycle license in 2008 and got a bike the same year. I put a few hundred miles on it that year around town. I was scared to death the whole time. Yes, drivers on their cell phones (talking or texting) scared me. What was even worse, is that I quickly figured out that someone could look right at me and still not see me. I came to believe that most drivers saw and human-sized thing (person on a motorcycle) and subconsciously put me in the category of "pedestrian". I had numerous occasions where someone looked right at me, and pulled in front of me out of a parking lot such that I had to panic stop or swerve to avoid hitting them. By 2012, I'd found that I was putting less than 50 miles on the bike a year. I sold it.

Maybe if I'd learned to ride earlier I may have enjoyed it, but I feel like most motorists are morons and shouldn't be licensed to operate such deadly machinery.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by Jrboulder

1955-1965: 237 car accidents per 100,000 population
2005-2015: 129 car accidents per 100,000 population

You're going to have to post a source for that, or an awful lot of us are going to call "BS".

There are so many factors that go into what constitutes a "car accident". Injury accidents or every little fender bender? Just car on car, or involving pedestrians, stationary objects, farm animals, etc.?

And what "population"? The car owning population, or the general population, including those who do not own a car?

How about as related to use? In other words, accidents per mile driven? Did the average car get driven more in the '50's and '60's?

There are a lot of relevant questions that go unanswered when you just post a set of numbers like that. I see throughout this thread that many (not all) of us who ride perceive it to be more dangerous today than it was many years ago. There are more distracted drivers and more things to distract them than ever before. Granted, none of us posted any stats to back up what is purely our gut feel, but now you have introduced some. Show us where you got them so we can analyze and discuss.

[vash]

a coworker just texted me. she signed up for a local motorcycle safety course. here in CA, you take and pass that course it substitutes the riding test you have to take. (the test is tough!! you have to do this keyshaped slow speed maneuver best left to scooters). she said all the classes near her were booked for a long time.

we have one at the fairgrounds near my home. it is packed. lots of 250cc cruiser type bikes used for the class.

i think the thread title should be.."the decline of motorcycling for me/us - and i want to tell you about it"

[vash]

seriously. if i want to love long and healthy.

a more SURE BET would be to stop drinking alcohol, delete red meat and fried foods from my intake. and put money (buy insurance) aside for long term care.

that's what i should be nervous about.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by vash

a coworker just texted me. she signed up for a local motorcycle safety course. here in CA, you take and pass that course it substitutes the riding test you have to take. (the test is tough!! you have to do this keyshaped slow speed maneuver best left to scooters). she said all the classes near her were booked for a long time.

we have one at the fairgrounds near my home. it is packed. lots of 250cc cruiser type bikes used for the class.

i think the thread title should be.."the decline of motorcycling for me/us - and i want to tell you about it"

I taught these classes up here many years ago. Yours is a false perception. The full classes and difficulty getting into them is a function of the lack of instructors, not a function of increasing ridership. Most areas just cannot find enough people to teach these classes. It's a big commitment, with the only real "pay" being the satisfaction of having helped out. That runs out pretty quickly for a lot of people.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by legion

I got my motorcycle license in 2008 and got a bike the same year. I put a few hundred miles on it that year around town. I was scared to death the whole time. Yes, drivers on their cell phones (talking or texting) scared me. What was even worse, is that I quickly figured out that someone could look right at me and still not see me. I came to believe that most drivers saw and human-sized thing (person on a motorcycle) and subconsciously put me in the category of "pedestrian". I had numerous occasions where someone looked right at me, and pulled in front of me out of a parking lot such that I had to panic stop or swerve to avoid hitting them. By 2012, I'd found that I was putting less than 50 miles on the bike a year. I sold it.

Maybe if I'd learned to ride earlier I may have enjoyed it, but I feel like most motorists are morons and shouldn't be licensed to operate such deadly machinery.

The boss my wife used to work for lost his son to a parking lot pull out. He was on a Harley.