Cars R OK, but what kind of motorcycle do you have

I forgot to update this thread from my last post.

Circa March 2006 I traded in my Triumph Daytona 600 for a Triumph Daytona 675.

A very good, very sharp handling bike, but I never really warmed to the "Scorched Yellow".

Nonetheless, I racked up 21,000 miles in just over one year and have just sold the bike to purchase the new Ducati 1098 in yellow.

For me, the perfect commuter car for my 80+ miles in and out of NYC every day.

This is my fifth BMW.

Although this is not in the spirit of the thread, I must say this. In my profession we call motorcylcle riders organ donors. I don't own a bike but did enjoy the small low speed, off road, trail and dirt track riding many years ago (?30 years). I have a question for all of you how many have had an accident?

Mechans: Definitely not in the spirit of this thread...and by the way I worked in a ER and I've cornerworked on the race track. Inexperienced riders with lack of protection being taken out by cars not paying attention (cars turn in front of motorcycles is the number #1 accident - guys get your flashing front headlight modulators to help wake these cagers up). The other accidents are youth involved in single vehicle accidents...just like when they are in cars...

I choose not to live in a bottle, it's Saturday morning and I'm gearing up to hit a little town on the outside of town and get my coffee and some breakfast in a little dive!

But to answer you question: I've had probably about 30+ high speed get offs on the race track road racing motorcycles over the years because I was pushing either too hard or was taken out. I walked away just a little sore. Proper Protection (full leathers, back protector, racing armour, racing gloves and boots, and periodic new helmets) and riding in a controlled environment are key here. This type of experience translated onto the street = Zero accidents on the street in 20 years of riding.

Oh yeah I should add that now I have a modified Kawasaki Z1000 and a soon to be unrestricted Kawasaki ZX-14 with approx 196hp/114ft/lbs of torque to keep in the spirit of this thread! My Moto Guzzi unfortunately keep stranding me every other ride due to my poor dealer support (can't fix a simple problem), so it's sold.

Mechans

I have been riding about 12 years and have had about 12 accidents, mostly minor and mostly my fault, with only one not so serious injury.

Cytocycle is correct - proper protective clothing makes a huge difference and having learned to ride in the UK, where they take biking a bit more seriously, I have always worn boots, pants, jacket, gloves and full face helmet every time I get on the bike.

This won't prevent you from breaking your or back in a high speed incident, but it can eliminate many other horrible injuries. Perhaps more importantly, it shows a type of discipline and respect for the dangers of riding which is also a key to not becoming an organ donor.

In a comprehensive study of motorcycle injuries and fatalities, the DOT discovered the 3 most significant risk factors:

1) No Helmet!?

Doh...now I am all for personal freedom and perhaps not legislating this, but riding without a helmet is just plain stupid.

2) Sobriety?!?

Doh....Getting on a bike intoxicated is more than plain stupid, I might say suicidal.

3) Lack of "Visual Conspicuity"

This phrase translates roughly to "the car that mowed you over on your bike didnt see you"

Here, there are some counterintuitive statistics:

160 + MPH "sport bikes" which Cytocyle and I favor are "significantly UNDERrepresented in the accident data compared to cruiser or Harley type bikes.

On the surface, riding a bike with 150+ HP that can out accelerate any car on the road may seem more dangerous than cruising down to the grocery store on your Harley on a sunny Sunday.

In fact, however, you can get killed driving your Harley into the back of a car or a tree going as slowly as 25-30 MPH - especially if you're wearing jean shorts, flip flops and a bandana on your head after a few beers down at your local biker bar.

So if you want to try motorcycling, be sure to do the following

* always wear proper, protective clothing, and a brightly colored or white, full face helmet and factor a budget for all of this into the price of your bike

* understand that cruiser bikes are less visible to cars

* ride as if you are invisible, and every car is trying to hit and kill you

* ride as if you NEVER have the right of way - that includes green lights and intersections where the other guy has a stop sign

* Assume cars NEVER slow down or stop at red lights, stop signs and intersections

* take as much training as you can and read and study continuously

Bikes are great. Have fun. Ride Safely.

cwlondon