Motorcycle, second thoughts about commuting.

[kieefer]

Granted, there are a lot of dumbass riders and drivers for that fact out there. They give the good guys a bad name, that also goes for the ones who thinks straight pipe exhausts are cool too.

The ones who abuse and ignore the laws usually won't be riding for very long.

[Guest mustangdave]

I just started riding again...have a whopping 8 mile commute from Antioch to Lavergne...I use all the "back roads"....no interstate. I'm really enjoying it... forgot how different things are from the seat of a motorcycle. DRIVE DEFENSIVELY.

[M4sherman]

IF you ride always keep a back-up plan. Just yesterday I had a fiesta try to run me over and If it was not for a VERY small gap in traffic I would have been FOOKED big time. In general if your on a bike get one with enough power to pull away from the cagers because the only advantage you have is distance when it comes fighting with cars

[dou44]

every time i think about buying another one i see where acouple were killed in a week. i have not had one in over 20 years so i guess i wull stick with the old cars i build

[1gewehr]

Ive been riding for over 30 years. The best advice I was ever given was "ride like everyone else is trying to kill you". I had one relatively bad accident where a woman crossed a four-lane road in front of me turned left suddenly. With nowhere else to go, I went off-roading. The bike and I slid across 50 yards of sandy and rocky soil before stopping. Fortunately, it was winter and I was wearing heavy riding gauntlets, heavy jeans, long johns, and an army field jacket with liner and sweater. I ended up with rash on arms and legs, but no serious injuries. All my clothes were shredded! My gloves and helmet were in bad shape. I had a Lexan face shield that was rubbed mostly away by ground contact. If I had been going 65 instead of 60, I probably would have been hurt badly.

That incident taught me to ALWAYS wear the gear!!! Don't buy cheap helmets or gloves.

I'll second the riding class. In fact, I'll say that taking it every 5-10 years is probably a good idea. You get complacent with more experience. I took it for the second time about 5 years ago and it woke me up to bad habits I had fallen into. It's probably the cheapest insurance you can get.

Riding is undeniably more dangerous than driving a car. I imagine THAT is part of the joy of riding. You know that you are further on the edge and need to stay vigilant and skillful in order to survive. I used to commute in to downtown Nashville daily on my bike. Every ride was an adventure!

[Punisher84]

Granted, there are a lot of dumbass riders and drivers for that fact out there. They give the good guys a bad name, that also goes for the ones who thinks straight pipe exhausts are cool too.

The ones who abuse and ignore the laws usually won't be riding for very long.

Loud pipes save lives. That's not just a saying on a patch. It's the truth. I have gotten more than a few people's attention away from their cell phone with my pipes. I'm never obnoxious with it, but if you're trying to run me over I'm going to make your ears bleed.

[Caster]

I rode for years and never had a wreck. Now I defy the odds by never riding again.

An old guy told me something when I first got into bikes. He said "Son, there's only 2 kinds of motorcycle riders, not 3, just two. There's people who've had wrecks, and there's people who are going to have wrecks."

[kieefer]

Loud pipes save lives. That's not just a saying on a patch. It's the truth. I have gotten more than a few people's attention away from their cell phone with my pipes. I'm never obnoxious with it, but if you're trying to run me over I'm going to make your ears bleed.

That's what horns are for, each his own.

When the time comes that our state decides to test emmisions and safety items on our bikes, including sound readings, I HOPE YOU STILL FEEL THE SAME WAY.

If you don't think it can happen just look at CA and what Arnold recently did to motorcyclists and performance shops.

[jonlisha]

I will never ride anything with less then 3 wheels but it must have at least four if I'm on the road, saw a couple on a motor cycle making a legal U turn at a 4 way stop on highway 64, a line of cars had stopped at the red light blocking the cyclists view of the lane on the other side but they made their U turn anyway assuming the light would stay red long enough, well it didn't and a small red car on the other side of the line of traffic just barely missed the red light as it turned green and sped on through, just then the motor cycle cleared the line of traffic and neither it or the red car had time to react and the car slammed into the side of the cycle at about 35 mph, both riders flew through the air and the bike caught fire nearly instantly as it slid along the road, couldn't tell much about their injuries but I'm sure one rider lost a leg as the car impacted directly on it, neither of them we're conscious and blood was draining from their leather suits, they were air lifted and that's the last I heard of it.

That scarred my girlfriend and she will barely ride a four wheeler now.

[Guest lci419]

I will never ride anything with less then 3 wheels

I grew up on three wheeled atv's and love them! Of course, a few idiots there ruined the whole industry. Something I've never figured out is why atv's aren't street legal in most states. I'd be on one in a heartbeat! Even if it required add on horns, turn signals, street tires, whatever... In my mind they're far safer than motorcycles, any ideas why they aren't legal?

[kieefer]

Three wheelers are all over the road these days but the 3 wheeled ATV's were hurting too many kids and manufactures quit building them, most likely due to lawsuits or government pressure would be my guess.

I grew up on three wheeled atv's and love them! Of course, a few idiots there ruined the whole industry. Something I've never figured out is why atv's aren't street legal in most states. I'd be on one in a heartbeat! Even if it required add on horns, turn signals, street tires, whatever... In my mind they're far safer than motorcycles, any ideas why they aren't legal?

[Punisher84]

That's what horns are for, each his own.

When the time comes that our state decides to test emmisions and safety items on our bikes, including sound readings, I HOPE YOU STILL FEEL THE SAME WAY.

If you don't think it can happen just look at CA and what Arnold recently did to motorcyclists and performance shops.

Have you ever heard the horn on a motorcycle? That's ok, none of the people who have almost killed me have either.

[Oh Shoot]

Have you ever heard the horn on a motorcycle? That's ok, none of the people who have almost killed me have either.

Amazon.com: Stebel Nautilus Compact Motorcycle Air Horn: Automotive

I had several close calls in my youth, rode off and on for years, even survived a reckless stint with the Kawasaki MACH 3 Death Machine. At about 35 had a nasty spill only doing 40 or so, all kinds of damage, even chewed off half my ear inside my full coverage helmet. I took the hint.

- OS

[bajabuc]

That's what horns are for, each his own.

When the time comes that our state decides to test emmisions and safety items on our bikes, including sound readings, I HOPE YOU STILL FEEL THE SAME WAY.

If you don't think it can happen just look at CA and what Arnold recently did to motorcyclists and performance shops.

Hmmmm...sound tests? You mean like they did for car speakers? You know the car speakers...the ones that are so loud the driver of a car two blocks away gets permanent hearing damage...like the one that goes past my house every morning at 3AM. Like I'm sure he's going to hear a horn....however, he hears loud pipes because they mess up his music...if you want to call that music. Edited June 9, 2011 by bajabuc

[kieefer]

Have you ever heard the horn on a motorcycle? That's ok, none of the people who have almost killed me have either.

Life has risks, enjoy them or limit them.

Yep, factory horns suck. There's plenty of aftermarket options out there like the one OhShoot posted.

Straight pipes or performance exhaust systems will not be in our future if the California Senate Bill 435 becomes law in other states.

With this law, California will require “every new motorcycle or aftermarket exhaust system built starting in 2013 to carry a stamp on the exhaust certifying that it meets federal Environmental Protection Agency sound requirements.â€

Just saying, I feel loud pipes hurt our image and the above law is what is to come. Along with that are bike safety and emission testing and that takes more taxes.

As far as loud car stereo's, they are in violation of the city noise ordinance already in place here in TN, so I rest my case.

[strickj]

Loud pipes are constantly on. Constantly warning surrounding traffic that there is a bike there.

A horn does nothing to make the presence of a bike known. It is there as an afterthought. It's usually used in conj with the finger after the bike has been ran off road.

[daddyo]

Man, that was painful to watch.

When I lived in Orlando in the mid-seventies, I was hit head-on by a drunk driver on a two lane road. We were both moving about 35 MPH.

He veered over into my lane, and I had no warning and no time to react. I flew all the way over his car and landed on the pavement on the other side. Completely missed hitting his car. I remember realizing in mid-air where I was and rolling up into a ball only seconds before I hit pavement. Knocked the wind out of me and I thought my chest had been crushed.

Spent three days in the hospital with a shattered left wrist (which is still deformed), a compression fracture in my spine, a puncture wound in my leg, and numerous contusions. I was lucky. The ER physician said he had seen people killed or paralyzed for life in far less serious bike accidents. The deputy in charge of the scene brought me my helmet, which had the first two layers completely sheared off from contact with the road surface. That would have been my head had I not been wearing it.

No, I'll never ride again because there are too many morons on the road.

[Guest nicemac]

I kept my street bike for three months. After six or eight near misses (people cutting over on me, pulling out in front of me, etc…) I just sold it. I have been riding in the dirt for over 40 years. A tree has never pulled out in front of me. Disclaimer: After a few dirt bike wrecks through the years I have tried to CLAIM the tree was at fault, but really, they never were…

[Guest nicemac]

…because there are too many morons on the road.

I am not convinced that all drivers involved in accidents with bikes are morons as much as it is just plain hard to see a bike in heavy traffic. They are harder to see.

[daddyo]

I am not convinced that all drivers involved in accidents with bikes are morons as much as it is just plain hard to see a bike in heavy traffic. They are harder to see.

Bovine Scat. Anyone who is aware and paying attention (and not playing with their webphone) knows what is in front of them, to either side, and behind them. The "bikes are hard to see" crap doesn't work.

BTW, they don't have to run over a bike to be a moron. I see them every day from the driver's seat of my car.

Edited June 10, 2011 by DaddyO

[Guest nicemac]

Straight pipes or performance exhaust systems will not be in our future if the California Senate Bill 435 becomes law in other states.

…

Just saying, I feel loud pipes hurt our image and the above law is what is to come. Along with that are bike safety and emission testing and that takes more taxes.

^^^Nailed it.

[Guest nicemac]

Bovine Scat. Anyone who is aware and paying attention (and not playing with their webphone) knows what is in front of them, to either side, and behind them. The "bikes are hard to see" crap doesn't work.

BTW, they don't have to run over a bike to be a moron. I see them every day from the driver's seat of my car.

Bovine Scat right back. Is a big rig more visible than a car? Sure it is. Because it is bigger–MUCH Bigger. A bike (with a footprint and a frontal area less than 1/4 that of a car) is less visible than a car or truck.

And there are plenty of morons on bikes too–one passed me headed south on I-65 yesterday afternoon headed toward Franklin. Traffic was running 70-75. He was weaving in and out of traffic using all five lanes going 100+.

[daddyo]

Bovine Scat right back. Is a big rig more visible than a car? Sure it is. Because it is bigger–MUCH Bigger. A bike (with a footprint and a frontal area less than 1/4 that of a car) is less visible than a car or truck.

And there are plenty of morons on bikes too–one passed me headed south on I-65 yesterday afternoon headed toward Franklin. Traffic was running 70-75. He was weaving in and out of traffic using all five lanes going 100+.

Just because a big rig is bigger than a bike doesn't make the bike invisible. I have never failed to see a motorcycle because I pay attention.

[Guest nicemac]

Just because a big rig is bigger than a bike doesn't make the bike invisible. I have never failed to see a motorcycle because I pay attention.

Never said that a bike was invisible, just harder to see.