Attitude, risk and riding... long but maybe thought provoking...

[IMFASTTOO]

I could care less what anyone else wears or how they ride unless it affects me and to some degree it does. As was mentioned, we all get tarred with the idiot brush. I live on a road frequented by weekend warriors all summer (thousands of them) and it always makes me shake my head when I see the lack of protective gear. My favourite is the guy on a ****** rocket in full leathers, full face helmet, gloves, boots etc and the girlfriend clinging on for dear life wearing Daisy Duke shorts, a spaghetti strap top and flip flops.

We had a forecast of 90% chance our severe thunderstorms yesterday. I was passed on the highway by a guy (on a HD) wearing jeans, running shoes and a half helmet. No gloves and no glasses! (did you not see the forecast? I thought) But the best was he was riding about 10' behind a cube van in the very middle of the centre lane. Did I mention it was pouring rain?
I will stop for just about anyone on a bike if it looks like they have problems, but I would happily have kept on trucking had he dropped.

I have a BUD that rides with shorts wifebeater shirt no helmet no gloves no glasses and he had me laughing when he was caught in a torrential down pour last week and I was in my truck and I followed him home WOW did he get blasted and hes a new rider and was never in rain before and now he wants a helmet and some riding attire

 

[RKTNMYPKT]

I ride naked........ A lot

 

[1K9]

As most of you know, I'm a crash survivor.. the truth is, I've been hospitalized three times in my life from motorcycles, this last one almost killing me...

That's not the point of this tread though, just that I do have a heightened awareness for risk (and I'm almost 54, so I know I'm not immortal)...

Anyway, I'm working in Jackson, WY which is a HUGE Mecca for the Harley riding community as they go on their sojourn to Yellowstone National Park. Packs of them every day in and day out... you rarely see Goldwings, maybe the occasional BMW and a few dual-sport riders. I've never seen a Rocket and only the rare ******-rocket. So, when I share these two experiences and discuss them, it is about Harley riders, however, their actions are not necessarily unique and limited to Harleys, so the food for thought is universally applicable.

Common instances here in town.. a gaggle passes through (gaggle being a gaggle of Harleys, like a gaggle of geese) being led by your typical wife-beater shirt clad rider, no safety gear except a leather vest, chaps, no helmet, no gloves.. wife on back dressed similarly but likely with a bandana or head scarf to keep her hair in tow. Bottom line, they go down, no protection. The leader will push the crowded traffic and lights... I've seen it many times, leader pushes the yellow light, gaggle follows through on the red... uh, what if someone busts the green and broad sides them?.. kay typical experience #1...

Unique experience #2 (but based on my observation of these guys that pass through here, I doubt it's that unique). I rode south along the eastern side of Wyoming a couple weeks ago and got caught in a rain and hail storm. Me and two Harleys (both completely decked out $40k 110 Harleys and typical riding gear (nothing) with wives on the back all about my age, mid 50s) hid under the gas station awning to wait out the storm.. it passes and I rain-gear up as I know we'll pass through the tail of it on our way, then we go, they don nothing (I also wear full gear).

I'm tailing them (lead has a radar detector which is nice), they ride 80mph into the hail and don't slow down... it sounds like rocks hitting my helmet and hurts my legs even through riding pants.. I know they are in major pain.. no let up in speed.. I back off and re-join after we pass storm... The leader is driving like he's trying shake not only me, but also his partner... 100mph, blind passes.. I know he's pushing that 110CI as hard as it'll go.. and he's fully loaded.. I'm solo, and sporting WAY more power than him so no way he could shake me if I wanted to hang tight.. but I refuse to blind pass or pass on curves at those speeds.. Both me and his partner work hard to catch back up as he doesn't wait for us to re-join.

All I can say is WTF? both examples they've got their precious cargo on the back and taking risks like that? We all take risks, no doubt.. we all drive too fast on occasion, go when we shouldn't, all kinds of things.. but when our Ego drives our ability to see and reduce risk? Clearly these examples show ego driven risk taking, but where is the line?

So this isn't really a bash Harley thread, its more of a "risk taking attitude" thread (for example if you're going to ride with no gear, maybe think about NOT adding risk to the ride)... something we could all benefit from anyway.. or, it's just an observation.

John

My few cents...
When I started riding (1993) my Elmer, Dr. Jose Ferrer, Spine Surgeon in gave me some advice...
1. Ride like you are invisible.
2. In traffic, cover your front brake.
3. Don't drink and ride.
4. Pre-ride check your bike like it is an airplane.
5. If you are too tired to ride, don't ride.

I can only add
Live bellow your means and ride bellow your limits.
Look where you want to go and lean...the bike will make it.
If you are leaning, don't touch the front brake.

 

[mexican]

[QUOTE="1K9, post: 399660, member: 6421"









I can only add
Live bellow your means and ride bellow your limits.
Look where you want to go and lean...the bike will make it.
If you are leaning, don't touch the front brake.[/QUOTE]
Been doing all of the above for 35 years!!!

 

[sonny]

I ride a lot. Normal is about 20,000 miles a year plus. For me riding a bike is a daily adventure.The Rocket was a ego trip at first. Very fast compared to the Harley Fatboy. So yes we took a lot of stupid risk at first proving to the world that we ride and own a first class machine. Now days we have calmed down a lot. The guys who ride like tomorrow will never happen well good luck with that. Not saying I do not flat out get it on a open highway at times but it is done dressed in riding gear, My normal gear is gloves, some type of jacket depending on the weather and a helmet. Nothing brings more of a good laugh then to see some pirate all dressed up for a ride wearing tennis shoes especially on a Harley. That to me in the generation I grew up in says it all. Just let them pass. Forty plus years of riding hard and being placed up wet.

 

[rainman]

Describing the typical effin idiot who gives us law abiding(to a point) good motorcyclists a bad name, now being an MSF instructor I will help most riders out off trouble but if someone wants to ride without a helmet and even the basic protective gear I will happily wave at them as they are sliding across the road. Remember any fool can make a motorbike go fast in a straight line.
Now talking about accents i get asked a lot if I am from Australia which I do not mind just do not ask me if I am from England I do not want to sound funny like them guys big problem with listening to most Americans talk is that they talk so slow it is like putting a 45rpm record on at 33rpm

That's. Just. The way we talk in. The south

 

[cr0ft]

All I can say is WTF? both examples they've got their precious cargo on the back and taking risks like that? We all take risks, no doubt.. we all drive too fast on occasion, go when we shouldn't, all kinds of things.. but when our Ego drives our ability to see and reduce risk? Clearly these examples show ego driven risk taking, but where is the line?

It could also be just blind ignorance. People are incredibly bad at evaluating personal risk, and tend to operate from the assumption that the risk is lower for them personally than anyone else. Ask two smokers which of the two is at greater risk of lung cancer and they'll both point at the other guy.

I kind of had this long post in mind to discuss risk but realized I didn't really have that much more to add. The fact is, people are stupid and they make stupid choices that they regret once the stupidity catches up to them. Some of us learn as we go and survive the experience and become a little less stupid, and some get their stupidity bill all at once and wind up killing or crippling themselves and others.

 

[cr0ft]

My favourite is the guy on a ****** rocket in full leathers, full face helmet, gloves, boots etc and the girlfriend clinging on for dear life wearing Daisy Duke shorts, a spaghetti strap top and flip flops.

Sounds like this waiting to happen (again): Brittany Morrow Motorcycle Crash Anniversary – Moto Lady

 

[barbagris]

Some of us learn as we go and survive the experience

tbh - I sometimes wonder if we (I certainly) didn't have this easier as 40 years ago there was less traffic and we had less performance available.
My first crash was very close to fatal - the truck wheelnuts brushed my helmet. Was entirely my fault. I'd been riding 6 weeks.
It changed my attitude there and then. Wasn't the last mistake but the subsequent ones were correctable. Now I see "learners" out and some truly scare me - because they simply do not have space to learn.

 

[cr0ft]

The past decade or so with the mobile phone becoming ubiquitous has been scary, and getting ever more so. Distracted driving has always been a thing but never this widely spread throughout the populace. There's finally some propaganda now slowly building up the idea that, hey, staring at a phone screen while you're supposed to be driving is bad, but even so. I mean, just talking on the thing raises your reaction time - even with a headset - by 2 seconds, but texting? Yikes.