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Post by worksforme2 on Jun 22, 2019 9:34:37 GMT -5
Reading about an accident in New Hampshire yesterday. A pickup and a bunch of cycles involved. 7 dead bikers and still more injured. It's too early to know what really happened but one thing we do know. When a motorcycle tangles with a car or truck, whether it's the bikers fault, the other vehicle drivers fault, or no bodies fault, the biker always loses.
As someone who rides I am constantly aware of what those in vehicles around me are doing, or what they might do. From my perspective as someone who bought their 1st Harley in 1972 I have seen a lot of poor decision making and generally a lack of respect by motorists for motorcycles over the years. It seems way worse now than when I started riding back in the 70's. I can't count how many close calls I have had.
As the 4th approaches I know things will be a lot more hazardous for those who venture out on their bikes. I usually don't take my bike out on the holidays, and I won't over this 4th. Headlines like this one have me wondering at age 70 if maybe it's getting close to the time when my riding days will be done.
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Post by misssunnybunny on Jun 22, 2019 11:04:30 GMT -5
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Post by lessingham on Jun 22, 2019 11:29:13 GMT -5
We had a great tv advert here in the UK. "Think one, think twice, think bike!" When I have a bike in my environ, I try to think about him/her, leave room, signal well and be aware of her/him. Cyclists scare the bejesus out of me, ignoring red lights, give way signals and no lights at night.
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Post by DryCreek on Jun 22, 2019 13:50:54 GMT -5
Man, that’s ugly.
One of my sons is a cyclist and we’d argue this frequently about him road cycling on busy streets. Being right doesn’t make you less dead. A neurosurgeon was killed here, cycling mid-day on a major road that wasn’t even busy, the day after a cycling event on the same road. The driver didn’t even realize what they’d done.
Visibility and awareness sometimes just aren’t enough. I don’t know that you need to give up riding, but you’re wise to not do it on holidays when people are very distracted and likely to have been drinking.
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Post by baza on Jun 23, 2019 0:10:04 GMT -5
Biker here too Brother worksforme2 - and considering "when" to call a halt to it also. I do everything I can to stack the deck in my favour, but the odds are real poor (compared to a motorist) of returning home in one piece after a ride. In my jurisdiction, a factor of 38 applies. That is to say a typical biker is 38 times more likely to die on the roads than is a typical motorist. 38 times. Those are seriously bad odds. However, I love it, and I'm prepared to take - and own - the risks .... at this time. But, I am thinking, seriously, of "when" to stop. |
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Post by greatcoastal on Jun 23, 2019 5:37:28 GMT -5
As a trucker I too consider the odds against a biker when I see them on the road.
I go above and beyond to protect them. How can I do that?
I purposely get behind them and give them plenty of safe following space, especially on highways lined with red lights, turn lanes, and passing lanes.
I know that a biker would prefer to have ample room to gradually approach a red light, keep their bike rolling, instead of having to put their feet down on the street. I too would prefer slowing down long before approaching a red light, so I don't have to downshift and upshift so many gears.
Then there's braking distance. I need a lot of it! Bikers seem to like that too!
Lastly I sit way higher than the rest of the crowd on the road, and ( I like to think) that I am a very aware, cautious driver, so I purposely want to be the one beside or behind the biker.
However, living on the coast, we have many bridges leading to islands. I have zero respect and zero tolerance for the crazy biker who wants to do double the speed limit and zig zag in and out, only to end up sitting at the red light.
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Post by noregretz on Jun 23, 2019 12:49:38 GMT -5
There was a time when I seriously considered buying a motorcycle. The freedom, the power, the experience of not being in a cage was appealing to me. However, I'd also known friends, acquaintances, etc who had perished at a young age on them.. So, I guess I erred on the side of caution and never took the leap.
The laws of physics are non-negotiable... Nuff said.
God bless those poor souls who died.
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Post by Handy on Jun 23, 2019 18:06:17 GMT -5
Noregretz
The laws of physics are non-negotiable...
In my area, there are pedestrian only paths, bike paths marked for bikes only but part of the road so bikes share the road, and some areas where bikes are permitted to use the whole car lane.
I ride my bicycle on no-motorized vehicles permitted areas but rarely ride on the bike area that is shared with cars. In those areas I ride on the sidewalk or if it is a almost no car traffic residential area sometimes on the sidewalk and sometimes on the street.
I am probably breaking some laws when I ride on the sidewalk but The laws of physics are non-negotiable... and I always move to the street if someone is on the sidewalk.
Most drivers are courteous but some food delivery drivers are in a hurry and many vehicles pulling trailers come too close for comfort. The trailer tires and fenders stick out wider than the vehicle tires so I choose the safety of the sidewalk.
Bicycle rules: Kids and animals have the right of way, no speeding past adults, always say passing on your L or R, no hot-dogging.
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Post by saarinista on Jul 3, 2019 0:56:40 GMT -5
And now, here in Atlanta, we have the latest dangerously questionable transportation trend: motorized stand-up scooters! 🤪🤔🛴🛴
These are like the kick scooters we had as kids except they are powered by battery driven motors. Vendors strategically place them about the city to encourage people to walk more in town. (Yeah I know that makes no sense.)
The hope is that one will be available when you exit public transportation and trying to go someplace specific that's too far to walk without sweating. Breezing along around 10 mph, you should arrive fresh as a daisy.
But that theory goes out the window if you hit a tree trunk or lurch headlong over a pavement crack. Further, since you're standing unprotected on low profile vehicle, unsuspecting drivers are more liable not to see you and may well hit and kill you, as has already happened. Since you're basically standing balanced on a motorized skateboard holding a pole with handles in the front, you're dead meat if you're run down by a car or truck.
Further, people just put the things down anywhere when they're done riding them. I imagine that significant numbers of them have been hit and destroyed by cars, which makes me wonder about the economic viability of this whole thing.
I sense municipalities are going to outlaw these rental scooters before too long. That's a real bummer, as I've been wanting to buy one for myself for a long time. My initial plan was to buy two, for me and my refuser, to jazz up our lives. When he sneered at that idea, I thought well, maybe I'll just get myself one as well as an English Setter and use it to take the dog running. But that fell aside too.
Now I've pretty much given up on all of it. I am walking, hauling heavy stuff around the house/yard and and doing yoga. These all burn more calories than motor scooters as well as saving money on vet bills.🤑 🤪🛴💵
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Post by saarinista on Jul 3, 2019 1:01:10 GMT -5
There was a time when I seriously considered buying a motorcycle. The freedom, the power, the experience of not being in a cage was appealing to me. However, I'd also known friends, acquaintances, etc who had perished at a young age on them.. So, I guess I erred on the side of caution and never took the leap. The laws of physics are non-negotiable... Nuff said. God bless those poor souls who died. And may God bless all of us who are still caged and repressed by whatever else restrains us from having fun and living lives unfiltered, unfettered & uncelibate, too.🌷🌹🙏 |
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Post by noregretz on Jul 4, 2019 6:35:08 GMT -5
About bikes..
I have sometimes heard about chicks and Harleys...
Any ladies willing to answer this question?
Does that characteristic low frequency vibe of a Harley make you horny when you ride?
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Post by worksforme2 on Jul 4, 2019 7:17:07 GMT -5
About bikes.. I have sometimes heard about chicks and Harleys... Any ladies willing to answer this question? Does that characteristic low frequency vibe of a Harley make you horny when you ride? I'm not a chick but I wrote a theme on how the 1st time my X wife rode on the back on my Harley we ended up having sex. This was about 2and 1/2 yrs ago. |
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Post by saarinista on Jul 6, 2019 2:46:07 GMT -5
About bikes.. I have sometimes heard about chicks and Harleys... Any ladies willing to answer this question? Does that characteristic low frequency vibe of a Harley make you horny when you ride? I rode a Harley once while working as news reporter in NW Arkansas. A bunch of Hell's Angels were having a convention/gathering of sorts in the Ozarks. At that time, the HA's were trying to enhance their image a with a toy drive and to present as a a decent, caring, bunch of guys who just happen to enjoy riding really noisy motorcycles. As part of the story, I got to ride on a Harley with a Hell's Angel . I love anything that accelerates quickly. In my fantasies I will always be an F-16 pilot. Motorcycles are fast, and that, not vibration, has been my focus when I've ridden, which has only happened twice in my life. I'm just not a fan of Harley noise pollution. But if somebody offered me a ride on one, I wouldn't turn it down if the bike owner looked safe and sober. I like to go fast! |
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