Am I a coward?

[tdragger]

Some of us listen to our sense of self-preservation more than others. IMHO, a very healthy thing to do. But, then again, there's something to be said for "when traveling through life don't forget to live."

 

[Paul Hyland]

My bike is rarely see's anything under 80 mph and I love the thrill when I take short sprints to 130 mph. I know I am sick in the head but I have even been known to put the cruse control on my truck on 100 mph on my way to deer lease.

 

[breeze]

these machines are capable of going quite fast very quickly don't mean you have to use all the power and speed all the time. (sure their are some of you out there)but when you put on as many miles as I do its hard not to exceed the speed limit( I average about 1500 to 2000 miles a week just to get back and forth to work)seems like that's all I do anymore fuel truck up then run it dry.me personally I am addicted to the performance these rockets have. like others said the powers there if and when you want/need it don't mean you have to use it I know its hard but use a little self control if youre scared

 

[HansO]

I don't think you are a coward by any means, You are just starting to realise you are no longer a 18 year old invincible person, in fact you are lucky to be having self doubt now rather than as some of us finding out the hard way that we no longer have the agility or the super fast reflexes we once had.
I still cruise at around the 120km mark unless I feel it is either safe to go up to say 130 or 140 but this is only after assessing the risks eg visibility road conditions etc, also the other risk of being booked comes into play, just the other week while cruising along at 130kph coming home from Phillip Island along a stretch of back road in good condition and towing my camper a car flashed his lights at me as we do to warn of speed traps so I immediately rolled of the throttle and as I got closer I realised it was in fact a unmarked highway police car! And he just waved. The curious thing is this was on Victoria said by some to be full of cops that are hard on bikes another interesting thing is that later the same day it happened again twice but the fact I corrected my speed in each occasion is what I think got me home with out a ticket.
I ride by my gut feeling if I feel it is safe to go harder I do but always access the Risk and that includes if you feel a little off then don't go for a ride simple as that!

No You are not a Coward Just realising your Limitations

 

[Dawg68]

That's just the feeling of self preservation, nothing wrong with that. I would not label it as coward or chicken either. If you start ignoring your feelings or riding beyond your comfort zone, in time you will be able to tell stories on how and when you lost control or worse.
When I ride with friends who like to push the envelope, I just ask them, where ya stopping for lunch, and I meet them there. I ride for me, no one else. I find that I ride with traffic, if I'm too slow that causes problems, too fast that can be a problem. Hard question to answer, I guess it all depends on what kind of rider you want to be.
Oh ya your use of the term "common sence", if it were common we would all think the same rather, most of us know what is right and wrong and it's when "good sence" kicks in we make good decisions.
Just a thought.
Cheers and safe riding.

 

[breeze]

good friend(R.I.P. SH*T HOOK)of mine used to say MOVE FAST DONT LAST (kinda think he was talking about other things tho)

 

[STRIPES]

Many stretches of Interstate Highways here is TX are posted at 80mph or above. I think there is s stretch of I30 toward Abilene that is 85 but I may be mistaken. I got a ticket not too long ago in that area for doing 95 in an 80. The THP officer told me he was running over a hundred for quite a way and was't catching me.... don't know how fast I was going at that time. He had me clocked on radar at 95 though. He was real nice. Scary part about it was.... I wasn't trying to speed. I knew I was in a high speed area and wasn't watching the speedo closely. Wasn't even in a hurry. Just cruzn.

 

[Kmutt]

Being a little scared keeps the senses sharp.......I enjoy riding but am always on edge.....well mostly always......when there are no cagers in the area I do relax and enjoy a little bit more.....but its always there inthe subconcious to stay alert and be aware of my surroundings

mutt

 

[R3Tex]

I never thought I would make it pat 30...I spent some time in a profession where long life was not high on my list of $hit to worry about...then came kids and my sense of responsibility for my family overwhelmed my taste for the wild and wooly side of life. Kids are grown now and capable of taking care of themselves, most of my earthly possessions are paid for and I have enough life insurance to take care of Nurse Ratchet. The wild and wooly seems to call more often now than it has of late and you can't live your life in fear...just sayin. If you feel the need for speed by all means indulge yourself. If you don't then don't. The one place I don't want to find myself is sitting on my porch in a rocking chair wishing I had done more of the things that made me happy in my life. I want to be sitting there remembering all the good things..

 

[Pres10]

That was the thought that was swirling around in my head, falling off the bike at high hiway speeds and landing on a giant belt sander.
Started thinking of the hiway as a giant moving upside down belt sander .
Crap , I guess it's time now to get my head examined by a shrink.

Get your head examined by a shrink?? Just go for a long ride, best therapy in the world.