i was thinking on buying a bike but i read a few places that wrevck are alomst inevitable. is this true? im more a tame guy even in my car i dont haul *** and drive wild so i wouldn't be that way on a bike but i know theres is no way to make EVERYONE on the street a careful driver. anyway i guess what im really asking is if im a carefull and alert driver are the chances of getting into a wreck on a motobike really THAT high? I havent been in one today yet but its still early
I have been hit standing still in a parking lot we are not fortune tellers No.
That's the hidden beauty of motorcycle wrecks -
you don't stay IN them.
Truthfully, there is always a risk of a crash no matter what the vehicle is. Your job is to minimize that risk as much as possible. If you ride a motorcycle, you will crash. That's just a fact you'll have to accept before you ride.
Everyone is out to get you, you are invisible, and you will lose in every altercation no matter who is at fault.
The only way to prepare yourself and stay safe longer is education (take an MSF course), practice (controlling the bike needs to be as mindless as walking) and making sure you are wearing the gear that will let you survive with the least amount of injury.
My first (and so far ONLY) crash totaled the bike, but I was wearing the right gear and was able to go back to work the next day with only a couple weeks of soreness & bruises.
Helmets are worthless without the rest of the gear, and half helmets are worth less than a baseball cap. FULL gear means exactly that, because the asphalt is undefeated. doesnt matter how good of a driver you are. there's always that idiot trying to mimic fast and the furious with a stock or ricer car. I rode a bike on the streets of LA for 5 years. Was involved in 3 accidents, all of which entailed being run into. It IS inevitable that you will be in an accident. Fortunately I was, as you say, an alert and careful rider, and was not badly injured. But you need to be aware of EVERY other vehicle ALL the time. It got so it wasn't enjoyable anymore and now I'm back on 4 wheels. I had my motorcycle for two weeks before I had my first near miss.
I was in traffic, just cruisin' along in my lane. Some idiot from the next lane over decides he wants to be in my lane. He didn't check his blind spot and didn't signal his lane change. He just slammed it over into my lane.
When I ride, I try very hard to stay out of people's blind spots. When you're in traffic on a road with three or more lanes in each direction, sometimes you can't stay out of everyone's blind spot. This one one of those cases.
This idiot driver left me with two options: 1.) take the sideswipe and try to stay upright or crash in a direction that wouldn't get me run over 2.) swing over into the fast lane, hoping that nobody had moved over into it since the last time I checked it
I chose option two, and ended up cutting off a big moving truck, a U-Haul or something. I was able to get on the throttle fast enough to avoid become a hood ornament. In all the adrenaline, all I could think to do was give the driver the most enthusiastic "f*** you" hand signal I could and get away from the idiot.
Another anecdote. A Harley rider flew in front of me (I was driving a car) and all of the other traffic from an entry ramp on the highway. He thought he'd squeeze in ahead of all of us instead of slowing down a bit and merging safely. Right as he was getting onto the highway, his transmission locked up, his real wheel locked, and over it went. At this point, he was most certainly wishing he had a little more space between himself and the cars behind him. We were able to hit the brakes, swerve, and miss him. He was lucky, and ended up with a torn up Harley and very minor road rash. I pulled over and helped him get his bike off the road (I had to pick up the back end as we couldn't get the tire to roll).
Moral of the story: riding is dangerous. There are things out of your control (gravel in turns, blown tires, bad drivers, big road debris) that you have to be prepared for. If you ride with them in mind, and put yourself in the best position you can to handle them, you'll be better off than most riders.
Always treat the cars on the road like they are waiting for just the right time to take you out. Always be in the lane and lane position that makes you most visible to potential hazards. Don't let people tailgate you. Don't tailgate anyone. Always have an out in case someone decides they deserve the lane you're in more than you do. Be ready to get out of traffic if you blow a tire. And so on.
The absolute best thing you can do is take the MSF course. There's a good chance that practicing what they teach will save your life at some point. They will explain to you a lot of the hazards and how to be prepared for them. It's a wonderful thing, and in a lot of states will earn you a waiver for the motorcycle driver's test. Don't get on the road without taking it.
All in all, I recommend motorcycles. They're a lot of fun and can be very economical. I can't imagine not having one now. It's such a great escape. There are dangers involved, but if you ride safely and wear proper riding gear, the rewards outweigh the risks.
Have fun! There are three types of riders. Those yhat have gone down. Those that are going down. And those that are going down again. The question is not if you are going to go down but instead when are you going to go down.
I believe that every seasoned motorcyclist has had their share of mishaps. That may mean that they had a low speed slip, drop or a high speed impact.
You can do everything right but all it takes is one idiot to ruin your day.
All you can do is perfect your skills. First and foremost every new rider should take the MSF course and every seasoned rider should take also take the MSF course.
Personally I always ride in the defensive mode and I ride as if every car, truck and SUV is out to harm me.
The day that I swing my leg over the bike and not be afraid is the day I will give it up and thus far in my 26 years of riding luck and skill has saved me.
Good Luck the only ones I've been in that involved bloodshed on my part also involved a lot of beer consumption.
I once smashed an oncoming olds cutlass that turned left in front of me but I always put 2 fingers on the front brake when an oncoming car puts on its turn signal so I was able to slow down enough that I just did a stoppie against the fender, touched my nose to the hood & came back down on my wheels. no damage other than bent fork tubes & a new finder.
dont hesitate to use full throttle when passing traffic & try to ride just a little faster than surrounding cars. if you have to ride in someones blind spot try to zoom up where he can see you then drop back. keep your hand on the front brake whenever theres any cross traffic. I've had people look right at me then pull out in front of me many times in the past 50 years. I once had a telephone truck stop behind me ,look left, then start to go right over me,the girl I had on back put a dent in his hood with her fist just before his bumper touched my tire. I've had more close calls than I can remember. just keep in mind your invisible to car drivers so get their attention any way you can. loud pipes help in parking lots & slow traffic& go easy on the beer when riding. When you are out on the public roads, It doesn't matter what vehicle you're in. Unfortunately, motorcyclists are damaged the most due to lack of protection (and I'm not just referring to proper gear).
After many years of riding I've been involved in accidents caused by my own lack of attention. Yes, complacency does NOT have a role while behind the steering column of a motorcycle or car. In other words you must pay strict attention to your surroundings/environment at all times. It is enevitable that you will get into an accident and its only a matter of time when you do--- the outcome will be judged by your keen awareness, proper protective clothing, and luck.
There is, however, a safer way. Take your bike and test your skills on a motorcycle track. The curriculum provided by the experts will outperform your learning curve on the streets on any given day. Basically, you'll learn more in a weekend @ the track then 6 months of riding on the street. Plus its a controlled environment with a medical staff on-hand if things don't go as planned.
Good luck out there and always remember to stay alert, ride within your limits, wear protection, and obey the law. I'll be sure to wave we pass each other! Falling is almost inevitable, but you've got to
REALLY screw up to 'wreck`.
That said, you are more vulnerable on a bike,
and defensive driving is a survival skill you will
need.
Be aware that 'Cagers` will out-brake and out- turn
the average rider. Your defense is planning and
caution. - Your ego can hurt you.
You have to decide for yourself just how much
risk is acceptible to you.
"If you're not prepared to fall off, don't get on." |
