Why ride street bikes?

[Sigarms]

I quit working a whitewater rescue job because I no longer trusted the people I worked with to get me out of a predicament.

On some of those creeks and rivers, the only help you're going to get is from yourself LOL That said, when I worked as a raft guide, I was pretty good at using a rope and pully on moving water if I had to.

 

[Jstpssng]

That explains why the guy who hit my car in the LF tire back in Jan didn't see me, I had a dark blue car. My shoulder is still not right from that...

Aaron Z

That doesn't explain why somebody pulled out in front of my beige Sierra Sierra with DLRs a few years back. He looked me right in the eye and still pulled out like he didn't see me. I left 4 strips of my tires on the pavement, if my ABS wasn't disabled I would have T-boned him.

 

[mopardude318]

I rode a Ducati 848. Loved to ride, had many bikes. Last September a Prius pulled out in front of me. Almost died, I was in Stanford Hospital for 13 days. Lost my spleen, had lacerations in my kidneys, colon, liver and stomach. 4 busted ribs. That did it for me. I'll never get on a bike again.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I rode a Ducati 848. Loved to ride, had many bikes. Last September a Prius pulled out in front of me. Almost died, I was in Stanford Hospital for 13 days. Lost my spleen, had lacerations in my kidneys, colon, liver and stomach. 4 busted ribs. That did it for me. I'll never get on a bike again.

That is a pretty convincing testimonial. A guy can't survive too many of those.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I had a '62, 70, 71 four door, 72.

All had 6's.

The 62 was a 194 with a power glide.
The 71 had a 250 with a power glide.
The 72 had a 250 with a 350 auto.

But the 70 was my baby.
It had a manual three-on-the-tree with a 230L6. I got it from my dad around 1978 with 140,000 on it. It was worn out. SOooooo..... :laughing:

I took the engine to a place called Shaker Racing, and had it bored out .60 over, and align bored, had the crank polished and whatever they did to it, had the head redone, ported it, etc.... basically got it all back in boxes and put it back together myself the summer between my junior and senior years in high school. Got some stupid radical cam from Isky. Headers and a 4 barrel intake from Clifford's. And a Holley 450 carb.

When I got it all together, that little car would do 114. I blew up the tranny doing burnouts in reverse, so I got a 4spd from a junkyard and cut a hole in the floor for the shifter. For some reason, I lost about 15MPH off the top end when the 4 speed went in, which I don't understand, as I think they all had 1:1 final drive. Maybe I changed the rear end ratio at the same time and forgot? I don't know. Anyhow, the top end dropped down to about 99mph, but man, it got there fast! It would chirp the tires in all 4 gears.

The neat thing about the 230 was it had the same bore as the 250 and the small block V8's, but it had a much shorter stroke, so you could spin it at higher RPMs. I could get 6800rpms out of it, but if you went more than about 1/4 mile, you'd pump the oil out of the lifters! :laughing: It was a great 1/8 mile car. A real good stop-light-to-stoplight pest to larger engined cars.

Sadly, the body rusted out so badly, that around 1985 my mom and I walked up to it and pulled the rear bumper off with our hands. :laughing:

I cut it up with a torch, and we put most of that car out with the trash over several weeks.

However, I kept the engine and put it in a 1971 Toyota Landcruiser FJ40 with a bolt in small block V8 kit. So it lived on. I still have it in a storage shed for a future project. And I still have the hood from the 70 Nova, too, as a keepsake from the first car I ever drove.

I recall when I bought that car; I wrote a check for $2,330.00 and I got woozy. I didn't think there was that much money in the world. It had 80k on it when I got rear ended by a kid driving a big Pontiac river boat. Was waiting to merge onto heavy traffic. I watched him in my rear view mirror; he never looked at me, only the traffic.
Is that you in the picture? Is that a silver streak in your hair? I have always had the "mark of the skunk" in my hair, although it's about all white now.

 

[MossRoad]

Nooo that's not me. I got no hair, and no Nova, either! :laughing:

 

[Garandman]

Within the older demographic riders, one group at risk are the so-called “Re-entering riders,” those who rode years earlier than took years off.

I took off 1999-2007 while my kids were little. When I got back into riding, I took the MSF Advanced Rider Course. This had been watered down so I took the Total Control Course. I take some sort of training every season - but track days count!

These are all risk factors.
No rider training? Risk factor.
Haven’t read the Hurt Report? Risk factor.
Don’t wear a helmet? Risk factor.
Years off? Risk factor.
Don’t wear riding gear? Risk factor.

 

[kcflhrc]

Within the older demographic riders, one group at risk are the so-called “Re-entering riders,” those who rode years earlier than took years off.

I took off 1999-2007 while my kids were little. When I got back into riding, I took the MSF Advanced Rider Course. This had been watered down so I took the Total Control Course. I take some sort of training every season - but track days count!

These are all risk factors.
No rider training? Risk factor.
Haven’t read the Hurt Report? Risk factor.
Don’t wear a helmet? Risk factor.
Years off? Risk factor.
Don’t wear riding gear? Risk factor.

Dumb Asses in vehicles, Risk Factor

 

[the old grind]

Ape-hanger handlebars, Risk Factor.

Loud-exhaust-pipe-insecure-manhood-compensation is just an annoyance, IMO. Me '89 H-D FXSTS have quiet OEM exhaust. (so do '75 XLH and pet '80 FXEF)

Speed? 40 yrs of riding 'Milwaukee Mopeds' says I'm perfectly fine riding at the rear of the pack.

No ride freeway as going 65 in 70 or 75 mph zone means more impatient auto/pickup jockeys loom in curved mirror that skews distance perception. Pic from 10-7-17. btw have trimmed a few of those excess pounds since then.

 

[tractorshopper]

In the Navy, we had to take a 3 day motorcycle safety course to be able to ride on base. My bike was my only transportation so of course I had to take the course. Was very good BTW.

During the course, there were actual cone drills that we had to ride through with different scenarios, one of which was locking rear brakes for a short stop (not from a very fast speed either, so nothing too dangerous).

This Chief Petty Officer was in the course with me and had bought a brand new Harley with all the extras. This dresser was huge. It was his first bike and he was just learning to ride. During this rear brake lock, he got unbalanced at the stopping point and dropped his brand new bike. I felt really bad for him because I knew that thing was very heavy and he just couldn't keep it from falling over.

The damage wasn't too bad, but I'd feel sick if I scratched up a $30+ bike, so I know he must have been sick.

 

[Sigarms]

The damage wasn't too bad, but I'd feel sick if I scratched up a $30+ bike, so I know he must have been sick.

In 53 years, the most I paid for a 4 wheel vehicle was $15,000. So if you mean $30k instead of $30, I know EXACTLY what you mean. However, If the most paid for a Motor cycle "bike" was around $30, I have no clue on how you you would feel, and wish I could live in the same world as you when it comes to money, and what you pay for what you do

 

[Garandman]

In the Navy, we had to take a 3 day motorcycle safety course to be able to ride on base. My bike was my only transportation so of course I had to take the course. Was very good BTW.

During the course, there were actual cone drills that we had to ride through with different scenarios, one of which was locking rear brakes for a short stop (not from a very fast speed either, so nothing too dangerous).

The Lee Parks Total Control Course I took was one of the military-approved courses.

How about a decked out Honda Valkyrie? You can hear the metal grinding.

 

[goeduck]

I witnessed a motorcycle almost take out a bicycle today where the motorcycle was making a left turn and the bicycle was going straight. The motorcycle rider obviously did not see the bicycle. Close call but no accident. Gotta watch for everything....

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I witnessed a motorcycle almost take out a bicycle today where the motorcycle was making a left turn and the bicycle was going straight. The motorcycle rider obviously did not see the bicycle. Close call but no accident. Gotta watch for everything....

Folks on bicycles are a pain; at least some that do not think the rules of the road apply to them...and around here, that seems to be the rule rather than the exception...so I am particularly careful when I see one on the road. Closest I ever came to taking one out was at a stop light. It was a divided street, with a median, running East and West, ending in a "T" Eastbound at the stoplight with a single lane road running N&S. There were sidewalks on all sides; it was in a hospital zone near a housing addition, with considerable foot traffic.

I approached the red light, and stopped, looked both ways, and started my right turn, when a guy on a bicycle going he77 bent for leather, comes from my right...on the sidewalk, and blew by in front of me. This was a pedestrian crossing; he should have been across the intersection in the vehicle lane. Another near miss...I never expected a vehicle in the pedestrian lane, especially on my side of the light.

 

[PILOON]

Folks on bicycles are a pain; at least some that do not think the rules of the road apply to them...and around here, that seems to be the rule rather than the exception...so I am particularly careful when I see one on the road. Closest I ever came to taking one out was at a stop light. It was a divided street, with a median, running East and West, ending in a "T" Eastbound at the stoplight with a single lane road running N&S. There were sidewalks on all sides; it was in a hospital zone near a housing addition, with considerable foot traffic.

I approached the red light, and stopped, looked both ways, and started my right turn, when a guy on a bicycle going he77 bent for leather, comes from my right...on the sidewalk, and blew by in front of me. This was a pedestrian crossing; he should have been across the intersection in the vehicle lane. Another near miss...I never expected a vehicle in the pedestrian lane, especially on my side of the light.

Hear U loud and clear!

They never stop, turn where prohibited, speed (yes they race down hills at breakneck speeds, hey fast is fun!)
I often see them race down hill weaving in and out of traffic, up and down sidewalks and blowing lights and never stopping.
Oh, and pedestrian cross walks don't apply to bikes, only cars!

Here they passed a law that we must give them 3 ft (actually 1 meter) space subject to fines also a 'dooring law', should a bike run into your door you earn points and hefty fine, like at crazy speed U can see a bike zig-zag B4 you open the passenger door when you are parked at the curb?.
By the same token the bike should be the one to anticipate that drivers do exit a car but no, the bike wants to squeeze by a parked car and slow moving traffic that only provides about 2 feet of clearance, never mind the 3 foot law since it applies to the car and not the cycle.
I once drove a van and was shaken badly when a cyclist actually used my van to bounce himself into a sharp turn when I was stopped for a red light. (That was back when courriers were prevalent and used no brakes .)

 

[Richard]

I agree with you. I always preferred dirt bikes (1980 (or was it 81?)Yamaha YZ-465 & 1983 Maico 490)

I figured if I hit a tree & died, it was my fault....whereas if someone not paying attention on the road hit me....

Dirt is way more fun!

Edited to add: I was once driving south on I-75. I was probably in Kentucky heading back to TN.

I was doing the obligatory 80 MPH.

Some "dude" on a pocket rocket was in lane next to me. Stands on his bikes seat....again, at 80 MPH. He starts bouncing his weight on the seat.... I was wondering what he was doing.... then he pops a wheelie at 80 MPH and scurried away from me, leaving me "in the dirt".

I'll admit.... I had a negative thought flash through my mind about how poetic it would have been had he flipped the bike at that speed... Utterly stupid.

 

[MossRoad]

Just last weekend my wife and I were in our car somewhere on I65 south of Gary, in the center of three lanes, following slower cars in moderately heavy traffic. I signaled to move into the left lane to pass, looked in my rear and side view mirrors, saw nothing, and just as I made my over-the-left-shoulder quick glance, a bike flew by well over 120mph. :shocked: One millisecond later or me not making that glance, he'd have been toast. My best guess is he passed a bunch of people in the far right lane and swooped across two lanes to go around me and the line of cars I was in, because that's exactly what he did once he got past us, only swooping across two lanes to the right again. There was just no chance in heck that anyone can react to that kind of speed.

I used to ride that fast, but never in traffic. Always slowed to the speed of the flow and made sure I could be seen in a reasonable manner. Maybe I'm just getting older.

 

[Ritothebull]

The new sports bikes aren't really any fun until you hit 100 and even then it doesn't feel that fast, these guys think it's always going to be the other dummy that crashes not them.

 

[ning]

Sorry to hear.

Left turners account for the majority (over half!) of multi-vehicle motorcycle accidents, as reported in the Hurt Report and other studies.

The problem is common enough that the Brits have a name for it: SMIDSY, or "Sorry Mate, I Didn't See You." The reasons - and the countermeasures - are well understood.

It's just that many riders don't bother to educate themselves. If you are a rider, watch this video. If the background behind the driver's head is not moving, you are not moving relative to the driver's field of vision, and he is unlikely to see you. I discovered the anti-SMIDSY maneuver by accident in 1985 but didn't understand why it worked until I saw this video.

Thanks for sharing that!

 

[MossRoad]

The new sports bikes aren't really any fun until you hit 100 and even then it doesn't feel that fast, these guys think it's always going to be the other dummy that crashes not them.

Modern cars are very similar. Back in the 70's it was something to have a car and build it up to 300 horsepower and be able to get it up anywhere close to 120mph. It took tons of time and a lot of money on accessories... headers, intakes, carbs, gears, etc.... and you'd be extremely lucky to get 100K miles out of it before it was time for an engine rebuild. Even less for a performance engine.

Today, you can buy a used completely stock 2013 Impala LTZ for about $8000. It's 300hp stock, has a top speed of about 154, gets 30mpg on the highway, and will go 200,000 miles with just oil and air filter changes. My wife and I have an LS of the same year. We were driving up to the beach last night, just following traffic in Michigan on the 4 lane divided highway. Not paying attention, just driving along. I look down and all of us are going 90. YIKES! I could still see the wooly bears trying to cross the road. Good grief. I thought about how smooth the ride is. How much better the roads are. How all the cars are capable of just cruising along at those speeds and it doesn't even seem like the car was working. I was still getting 27mpg and only running about 2000rpm.

Sometimes I long for the good old days, and then, while I'm laying under my 93 Suburban, trying to bend new brake lines to match the rotten ones, and I think... maybe if I just had my hair back, I'd be satisfied.