University research into increasing motorcycle safety

[RevRoss]

Prime example. Right now one of the main highways in Tulsa is backed up due to another motorcycle accident. Motorcyclist was tailgating a pickup and trailer combo and one of the trailer tires blew out. Motorcyclist hit the brakes lost control and hit the concrete divider. Estimated speed of motorcycle was 80 miles per hour in rush hour traffic. Another parts donation is on the way. No we are not talking about the motorcycle but the rider.

My brother-in-law is a liver surgeon.
He refers to me as a Donorcyclist (true).

 

[Journeyman]

Which is more stuffin around than simply ignoring it or putting it in your pocket where you cannot hear it. It always amazes me why people are so desperate to answer every phone call. If some one really needs you they can ring back or send a text. If an emergency they can ring 000 or whatever.

My oldies in their late 80's struggle to get to every phone that rings (and they do not use mobiles), despite at least 40% of them being sales, scams or charity callers. They have a message recorder they can wait to hear someone leave a message, which 99% of callers do not do because the call is of no significance etc. But the oldies never do wait to hear if the person leaving the message is someone they want to talk to and pick up or have done so well before they start talking. They then laboriously and politely explain to the 1000th charity caller that they donate to a number of regular charities (about $2000 or more a year of their pension) and do not wish to donate more......

My folks do the same thing- I think from being around when the telephone first came into the home and a call was a big deal. But it's not purely a generational thing as my 17 year-old daughter not only looks at the cell phone whenever it beckons, but even in-between (I guess to make sure it isn't broken).

Besides the risk of getting killed by someone on their phone while driving my other peeve (perhaps not nearly as important ) is being in a business face-to-face with someone and they stop working with me to answer the phone. Now the person on the phone has just moved in front of me as the customer service person tries to resolve their issue before returning to me. Happens ALL THE TIME- right? I whip out my phone and call the business just as they complete the call and proceed to pick up where we left off. It's fun to see their face when they realize the person they are talking to is 3 feet in front of them.

 

[Journeyman]

Skipped reading all of it but:

As much as people mock the saying “Loud pipes saves lives”, about 15 minutes ago my loud pipe just saved me from a lane change.

Driver started moving over, never checked his mirror, but heard me coming up next to him and swerved back in his lane. Window was down.

The TORS on the Rocket are not nearly as loud as the TORS on my '98 Thunderbird Sport. I wish they were. On the Sport I've found it easier and faster to pull the clutch and rev the bike, rather than go for the horn. I think the sound has more "stopping power" along with some additional attitude (Car driver can fill in the blank) than going "mweep, mweep." Yeah, I too have an air horn on the Rocket. I guess I need to get some different pipes one day, but I do like the look of the TORs.

 

[Ishrub]

My folks do the same thing- I think from being around when the telephone first came into the home and a call was a big deal. But it's not purely a generational thing as my 17 year-old daughter not only looks at the cell phone whenever it beckons, but even in-between (I guess to make sure it isn't broken).

Besides the risk of getting killed by someone on their phone while driving my other peeve (perhaps not nearly as important ) is being in a business face-to-face with someone and they stop working with me to answer the phone. Now the person on the phone has just moved in front of me as the customer service person tries to resolve their issue before returning to me. Happens ALL THE TIME- right? I whip out my phone and call the business just as they complete the call and proceed to pick up where we left off. It's fun to see their face when they realize the person they are talking to is 3 feet in front of them.

 

[1olbull]

It always amazes me why people are so desperate to answer ANY phone call. Or the doorbell.
I think my inbuilt "Grey Matter" computer is starting to fail. PAUSE seems not to work any more. All interrupts result in LOSS OF DATA. Paperless Office - HA!.

When I'm home alone, working upstairs in my office, and in my video cameras I see stranger(s) at my door ringing the inoperative door bell on my security cameras . . .
I wait . . .

 

[3R3Izzo]

I stared to ride a few years ago at 50ish. I had pit bikes etc from car racing. I got a used FLHP with 39k miles. It was intimidating and I was respectful to the point of being scared, but I am a big guy (6'4" and a not an insignificant % of the bike weight.) Next bike was a vrod which was a LOT easier to ride and I pretty much only opened it up in a straight line and it took me a LOOONG time before i would open it up to redline. Next was an R3, when I first rode it I REALLY had to pay attention when stopping. There were several times my height and strength were the only reason it didn't go down at a stop. Latest bike is a K1300S - it is a scary bike. It can write checks no way in H*LL will I EVER be able to cash.

Long story short. Only reason I survived so far is I am past having to prove anything to myself or other people. I keep my ego in check and am careful in improving my skills (AKA pushing abilities)
30 years ago I would have been dead.

Best way to improve motorcycle safety is to improve tech between the rider's ears, get them to pay attention to what is around them, and convince them not to measure their d$ck with their motorcycle. After all - it doesn't get longer if its DEAD

I started riding at around the same age as you, and needed some luck to survive some “rambunctious behavior “ on that bike (a Bonneville) and later on the Rocket. I’m 61 now, and very selective about my twist the throttle moments.