My choice to continue to ride.

[Al Goodwin]

I've been riding since age 8...I've lived 52 years, ridden hundreds of thousands of miles, all with only a couple of minor accidents.

Are my days numbered?  When does the good run come to an end?  I ask myself, "Is the risk worth the reward?"

When do I say "ENOUGH of the dodging distracted drivers" and simple drive the truck? 

I never want to stop riding, and I doubt I ever will.  I stay focused when riding, no distractions, but the fear of the drivers with their phones  in their hands keep me on edge when in traffic, taking the joy away, replacing it with anger.

What's the answer?

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/smartphones-are-killing-americans-but-nobody%e2%80%99s-counting/ar-AAtQOp7?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=iehp

[yamahamer]

We are in the age of The Zombie Apocalypse, only it's cell phones rather than brains.  :crazy: The penalties need to be up there with DUI's.  :battle-6:
I'm way more cautious these days and almost refuse to ride on the interstate. This is also why my wife stopped riding her own bike and started being my passenger again.
:cool08: She keeps her head on a swivel.  :cool08:

[KrisCook]

I think more than ever, we can't afford to ride on those days when we "aren't feeling it."  I don't ride unless I can muster the energy to get my "edge" on.  It takes hyper-vigilance to  keep from getting wiped out by a driver who is gazing into her lap instead of watching the road.

That's not to mention animals in the road and slick spots and dirt in the road and mechanical trouble and a host of other things that are beyond your control. 

But as I rode to work last Friday in the brisk morning air, I felt more awake and alive than I ever do when I drive the car.  There's just something about being out among the smells and temperature gradients that makes me feel more engaged with my surroundings, and life itself. 

No more often than I get to ride, and as much as my skills have atrophied (not that I ever had many), I have considered giving up riding too.  But I just can't quiiiiiite get there.   :tongue-chopper:

[jrobinson]

I plan to enjoy my life and do the things I want regardless of the risk. I believe everything we do is a calculated risk. There is always a risk vs. rewards. You can die from anything, you must make what you are doing as safe as possible.

As a volunteer fire fighter, I know I may have to risk my life at anytime. I push for training to have the knowledge to lessen the risk. One of the mantras in the fire service is, Risk a little to save a little, risk a lot to save a lot. 

Life is the same, the more enjoyment I get from an activity, the more I'm willing to risk. I will also try to train as much as possible to lessen the risk.

I enjoy riding, so I'll risk more and train as much as I can.

[klaviator]

I can't imagine life without riding.  I don't see how all those people who don't ride even survive :thinking-022:

So I'll take my chances.  I'd rather die from a distracted driver than a slow death from cancer or some other disease.  If I stopped riding I'd soon die from PMS anyway. :bike-038:

[kdtrull]

Allen, I haven't read the article yet but this is great topic for discussion and the timing could not be better.


Additionally, what Kris said is spot-on:

I think more than ever, we can't afford to ride on those days when we "aren't feeling it."  I don't ride unless I can muster the energy to get my "edge" on.

Unless you are really, really out there in the sticks or riding through the woods, the days of a mindless, relaxing ride are GONE....if they ever really existed...but I feel like they used to.

Do you remember the creek crossing up near Mt. Zion on the Nowhere to Be ride a couple years ago where a couple bikes took on some water and stalled?  You may throw the flag on this, but I met a lost Fed-Ex truck on that very road one day and almost ate some grill.

Almost no road, paved/dirt/chirt/otherwise is safe to let your guard down.  There's as many geeked-out rednecks out in the sticks as there are texting morons on the highway....well, ratio-wise anyways.

Excellent topic for discussion!

[jrobinson]

Unless you are really, really out there in the sticks or riding through the woods, the days of a mindless, relaxing ride are GONE....if they ever really existed...but I feel like they used to.

I somewhat disagree with this for myself. I do think a lot depends on the type personality you have. I believe I'm relaxed when I ride. I'm kinda laid back most of the time, plus I'm confident in my riding ability. Also with the years of experience I have, I do a lot of the things subconsciously without thinking about what I'm doing.

I started riding before all the "Watch for motorcycles" crap. I won't depend on the other drivers on the road to watch for me. It's my life and my job to watch for them.

[kdtrull]

I somewhat disagree with this for myself. I do think a lot depends on the type personality you have. I believe I'm relaxed when I ride. I'm kinda laid back most of the time, plus I'm confident in my riding ability. Also with the years of experience I have, I do a lot of the things subconsciously without thinking about what I'm doing.

I started riding before all the "Watch for motorcycles" crap. I won't depend on the other drivers on the road to watch for me. It's my life and my job to watch for them.

Well, I fully agree with you.  I think you could project "Watch for motorcycles" on their windshields and it wouldn't make much of a difference.  I am prone to overstate things sometimes.  I still find ways to relax and enjoy or I wouldn't keep doing it...but it ain't the same as it used to be...or, maybe it's just me???  There's no doubt that I am partial to my smallest bike these past few years.  Until now, I thought it was just more fun but maybe there's more to it than that.  Additionally, maybe I just do my job and watch for them more than I used too.  The condition, imagined or real, still kinda' irks me now days.

[klaviator]

I somewhat disagree with this for myself. I do think a lot depends on the type personality you have. I believe I'm relaxed when I ride. I'm kinda laid back most of the time, plus I'm confident in my riding ability. Also with the years of experience I have, I do a lot of the things subconsciously without thinking about what I'm doing.

I started riding before all the "Watch for motorcycles" crap. I won't depend on the other drivers on the road to watch for me. It's my life and my job to watch for them.

I'm with you on this.  Being alert for the possibility of someone doing something stupid or any other hazard has always been part of riding for me.  I can relax and still be alert.  Sure there are times when riding is not relaxing such as heavy traffic or when riding hard.  I have also accepted the fact that something could happen that I just can't avoid.  Several years ago a deer ran in front of me, I hit it and went down.  There was nothing I could do, there wasn't any time to do much of anything.  Sometimes shit just happens.  In this case shit happened at around 65 MPH.  I ended up riding the bike home but it was pretty trashed.

Another time while riding through Deal's Gap (that's what we called back then before the T-shirt vendors renamed it the Dragon) a bike coming the other way crashed and slid across into my lane and we hit head on.  Maybe with perfect reflexes I could have done something to avoid this but I don't have perfect reflexes so I just chalked it up to "shit happens". 

I guess I could have given up riding after those crashes but I never considered it.  I still enjoy riding.  I have slowed down some as I have gotten older and maybe I'm a bit more careful but I think that happens to most riders. 

When I started riding there were no cell phones but there where still plenty of idiots behind the wheel.  People would sit there when the light changed to green even back then.  Distracted driving is nothing new, it's just more obvious these days.  Also, drunk driving was a bigger problem back then. 

I don't see that things have changed all that much in that riding has always been dangerous and probably always will be.  More importantly, riding has always been fun and always will be :bike-038: :bike-038: :bike-038:

 

[kdtrull]

I started riding before all the "Watch for motorcycles" crap.

I've been contemplating this particular statement for well over an hour.  And, I swear to you that I'm not trying to challenge your opinion or start another word-war on here.  I simply want to learn or, at least, attempt to understand different perspectives.

Some states have spent a fair amount of money promoting the notion, "look twice, save a life".  I have no idea who the primary promoter is.  FWIW, I concede that it could be nothing more than an opportunist trying to make some $$$.  What I am really curious about is this:

You have a vast riding experience that likely exceeds many of our own...I am exceedingly interested in why you directly state that this campaign is "crap".

For the record:
Although not legally, I have ridden our state's roads since 1974.  I feel the level of dismissive implication is worthy of further study.

I can concede that the outcome of the campaign is practically mute but, did you mean anything more distant in this space than something else of the same kind?

[jrobinson]

This is a waste of money in my opinion, not because nobody listens to the msg, but because I won't let down my guard because of the campaign. That money would be better spent offering training for riders, especially new riders.

There's nobody I trust more than myself and if I'm going to wreck/die, I want it to be my fault. I don't want a false sense of security that all drivers will watch out for me.

I hope this helps and understand it's the way I look at surviving the ride.  :bike-038:

[Chuck A.]

I love this thread. New life to the forum with all the participation.  :DANCING-banana-032:

I got my first 3 hp mini bike at the age of 5, just 2 month before my 6th birthday. Riding is a part of me. I have always ridden like the driver in the car don't see me. I ride at ease but knowing at all times what is in front, beside, and in the mirrors. I to started riding before all this "watch for motorcycles" crap came about. Back when auto drivers knew what was around them. They watched for everything around them. Back when a car had 'none assist braking, power steering was far between so both hands were occupied, cars weren't sound proof, uncomfortable bench seats. When driving was a privilege, not a rite.  Technology has spoiled drivers, made us 2 finger wheel, 3 toes on the peddle drivers. We look straight ahead, don't hear a thing out side the cockpit, half asleep drivers. Oh, empty hand, wheres my phone.

Everyone who has ridden with me know I have an annoying swirling taillights that slash with braking, a slashing headlight, And a LOUD air horn.  I wear high vise shirts. I try to say HERE I AM! to the idiots with steering wheels.  :battle-6:

5 weeks ago I used my 20 oz flasks that I have mounted on my handlebars to remove a drivers side mirror and housing on a car full of older teen boys and girls at Guntersville. They rode my rear fender from the state park on over to about the feed mill before passed and thumping butts out the window while laughing at me. Traffic light caught them. Took the time to say 'how ya'll doing' and then lite into the mirror. He tried to run up on the sidewalk to pass the 18 wheeler in front of him and run all over a sign post.  :lol-049:

Sometimes you just got to educate them while they're young. :idea-007:

[renchinrider]

I find that I agree with all of you, in one way or another.  There has been a time or two over the past several months that I've seen people do things on the road that made me question whether or not I could get enough enjoyment out of riding to make it worthwhile.

On the other hand, I've driven a lot more miles inside 4 wheels over the past year than I've gotten to ride my bike.  And I've noticed something interesting:  When I'm driving either my truck or our car, other drivers seem much more cavalier about pulling out in front of me, cutting across lanes (seemingly inches from my bumper, and without turn signals) to pass other cars, and so on.

Conversely, I continually notice that other drivers are indeed more cautious about doing the same things when I'm approaching on my motorcycle.  Like many of you have said, there have always been impaired drivers, and what drivers (including me) used to do playing with radio dials and rummaging through cassette tapes, they now do with cell phones.

Like each of you, I've worked to develop riding habits that give me the best possible defensive edge, should either I or the driver in front of/behind/approaching/beside me makes a serious mistake.  I was pondering this a couple of days ago after perusing the lengthy thread about motorcycle handling in curves, and whether brakes/throttle, etc provided the greatest advantage.  I concluded that I had found my personal solution to that dilemma years ago (not long after crashing my Road King on the side of Mt. Fuji in Japan):  I just slowed down--that's it.  The same applies to my traveling on the interstate--I maintain a much greater following distance than I used to.  I don't compete with merging drivers coming up on my right--I just give them the right of way and let 'em go. 

Not sure I've said anything new, but this is my inflation-adjusted two cents' worth... :crazy:

[renchinrider]

One more thought that came to mind shortly after I posted my two cents worth above:

A few months back, Klaviator joined us vintage motorcyclists for a ride from Huntsville to Lynchburg, TN.  He was traveling on one of his scooters (not sure the nomenclature) which he had just purchased at the time.  As other riders chatted, geared up, etc, Klaviator found an isolated part of the parking lot and began riding figure 8s, etc.  I knew exactly what he was doing, and noted his devotion to safe, defensive riding skills, and familiarity with his new scooter. :applause-003:

I am an absolute, 150% advocate of both MSF courses and gymkhanas, as well as any other training that can help one enhance their defensive riding skills.  (I have no exposure to the GP8s, but I understand they are also riding skill builders?)   I have the "Ride Like a Pro IV" DVD, and I also occasionally take my bag of 1/2 tennis balls, mark a few places in an empty parking lot, and practice my skills using the guide and diagrams that came with the DVD.  I'll never be the rider they want to film for their next "Ride Like a Pro" presentation, but I know the practice makes me better, and might just give me the edge I need in an unforeseen emergency!

[IceCold4x4]

I started almost 3 years ago getting back on 2 wheels after an almost 20 year hiatus. For me there is no choice anymore. It's a hobby that I understand may kill me one day, however it's already given me such good memories in just those 3 years that there are very very few things I would give up for the ability to ride. The only thing that might slow down my desire to ride on the street would be having a kid (if that actually makes me grow up and stop acting like a 16 year old). But there are plenty of ways to go, if I die with a helmet on you can probably bet I was having a good time on my way out the door.


Since I started seriously riding I've gone down once on the street due to a driver not seeing me. At the time I swore it was his fault, a year later and with improved skills I realize that the accident was completely preventable from my end. (not that it was my fault in the least I did nothing wrong to cause the accident, I just didn't do or have the skills at the time to prevent it) So I'm now always on the lookout and have even noticed it helping when driving trucks at work. But even though I'm a better rider than then, I'll still keep looking for ways to improve.