I know it's cool to weave in and out of traffic.

I know it's cool to pass others by using the shoulder.

I know it's cool to pass RV's by crossing the double yellow while in a blind corner.


But when you slam your Harley head on into a Explorer, and I have to look at your headless corpse, it's no longer cool.



Reflections of an accident I witnessed about 4 hours ago.

 

Ugh sick man..

But thats true....
If you ride bikes you need to obay the law like other vechials.

 

I am a biker and it still ticks me off when people do that. Just because you're riding a motorcycle doesn't mean you don't have to obey the law.

 

Was it an older or younger guy Alan? Just curious. Thats a bummer. You kind of expect that on the rice rockets but it seems even worse when its a fellow on a Harley because it gives the rest of us an even worse name. I'm not trying to be ageist, its just with the yuppies snapping up Harleys left and right I see ..a lot more young guys on them.

Truth is, I rode like an idiot when I was younger too...most of us did. Sorry to hear this, glad you weren't involved.

 

It was a middle aged, tatooed male. There were 3 of them, and he had fallen behind and was trying to catch back up.

on edit:

It's not going to matter to him, he is gone, but the turmoil he left behind will take awhile to resolve. The woman who was driving the Explorer was literally hysterical. While she wasn't physically hurt, it's going to be a long time before she gets a good nights sleep.

Thankfully, she left a good set of skid marks well over on her side of the road.

 

I've seen and heard of and been in several motorcycle accidents. A good many of them were because the motorist didn't see the bike. The others were because the bike was going too fast for road conditions or because the rider was impaired do to drugs or alcohol.

A word to the wise. Always drive defensively, always wear a helment and never drink and drive.

A lot of bikers think it will nver happend to them, but if you ride long enough you are going to go down. It will happen a lot faster if you ignore the warnings listed above and that bike won't protect you like your Ford truck will.

 

...unfortunate and avoidable...
..."Cool" has nothing to do with it though, I see people in cages doing the same stupid things too...
...Ive done em, however my primary reason would be to try to escape the traffic to some degree...Imagine if you will, 3 lane city streets (each direction) 45 mile speed limit (so everybody is doing at least 55mph, by happenstance you end in the center lane stop light to stop light surrounded by 3000lb cages...bumper to bumper.
All the while your trying to ride defensively and stay out of everybodies blind spot...

Heck yea, Im going to weave through the traffic (as safely as possible) utilizing the inherent benefits of a motorcycle (acceleration/manuverabilty) to try to avoid being trapped in the pack and getting plowed into by some putz drinking their morning latte and yakking on their cell lying to their boss on why their gonna be late for work...been there, done that and got the E ticket ride as well...

So "sometimes" ya gotta ride like ya stole it...It aint necessarily about being "cool"...sometimes its about survival...
And the ones who think it is "cool" are the same A-holes who end up trying to pass on a blind curve...

Me and my old lady almost got plowed by a Putz in a mustang who was trying that same stunt on our last rode trip to laughlin...

I was in front and saw it coming over, so I slammed my bike over to the fogline...Fortunately we've ridin together enough that we can pick up each others moves and she just played follow the leader...the 'stang missed her by 3 feet at over 70 mph (approx)...

Unfortunately, most people dont consider the "total ramifications" of what an accident will cause...My heart and prayers go out to the poor lady in the explorer...Peace

 

I've been riding for over 30 years. Daddy told me there are 2 kinds of bikers. Those that have crashed and those that will crash. Sooner or later we all crash.

 

Speaking of bikes, does anyone watch "American Chopper"? It's about a father/son who have no respect for each other, fight all the time and build really ugly bikes they consider works of art.
Dono

 

I like that show. I don't know how much longer those two can go on without killing each other. Those "ugly bikes" start at $30,000.00 and go up to $150,000.00.

I also like "Monster Garage". Last night they turned a hot dog cart into a dragster. I thought that was a bit of a stretch. I liked the one where they turned a PT Cruiser into a wood chipper.

 

Yesterday I was sitting in alot of traffic on a one lane road. A bike behind me apparently thought it was expedient to use the sidewalk as the 2nd lane. After a few blocks he encountered an officer who was not amused at his attempts to appear as if he was walking his bike on the sidewalk!

 

dono,
What kind of bikes do you think look good? Not a flame, just curious.

 

I've rode for over 30 yrs, been down myself. Seen idiots doing stupid stuff on bikes, seen more idiots in cages doing stupid stuff. Almost got clocked by three seperate ones in pickups passing a combine on a hill in a no passing zone at the same time. Had people tailgate me on my bike for mile after mile(whack the throttle and I'm gone). Had one guy draft me on the interstate(drafting a bike??).
I can hope the Lady will be able to find peace and comfort through friends, family and church to help her.
The bottom line is the people that ride like that give a bad name to the rest of us, be it bikers or owners of the little cars that zig-zag in and out of traffic imitating fast and furious.

Oh well could vent for hours, 'nuff said.

 

As a rider, I'm usually the first person to tell that type of rider "Thanks a lot for making all of us look like A-Holes."

It just seems like no matter how hard we try, there's always going to be irresponsible idiots that continue to be a danger, and risk themselves, others, and this wonderful activity.

Of course, the same can be said of anything, but when it comes to motorcycles, people have seen too many movies, heard too many stories, and dealt with too many idiots, to ever change their opinion..

 

Fair question. First of all, I believe that a truck or bike needs to please the owner only and that the opinions of others (like me) are secondary. Having said that, some of the things I dislike are forks that are in a different zip code from the seat, bars that are so high the rider looks like he is surrendering, any bike too heavy for one person to lift upright, and bolt-on parts that have no function.
I do appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into some of the custom bikes (they are not really "choppers"), but I feel that many are built for a look more than function.
The best looking bike I have seen lately was a factory custom Sportster that was a few years old but absolutely mint. I spotted it in a small Oklahoma town I was passing through. I approached the owner to compliment him and we spent a pleasent hour setting on the curb talking bikes.
Back when I was riding (a long time ago), I could only afford one bike so it had to be able to meet all my needs - street, competition at drags, field trail and other events, and games with my buds. My last bike was a 40 inch (650cc) Triumph that was ported/polished, 2 carbed, tall cam, 1 gallon gas tank, 2 into 1 high pipes, Bates racing seat and pinion pad on the chopped rear fender. If I wanted to take a trip (my longest was 350 miles), it took only minutes to install the stock tank - it was a light, quick fun machine.
The club I was in held weekly events - Poker Runs, Rocket Runs, Lime Runs, Riddle Runs, Field Trails and short trips. I met lots of good people and had a great time.
Dono