I too am one with little gray matter when it comes to bikes, I sold my last one 12 years ago. The last time I was on a bike it was 130 mph on a two land highway, and the 955 Daytona was not even working. Scared me silly, and I have not been on one since. Some people can ride smartly, I am the fool who likes to ride real fast. No more, do not want my daughter growing up without dear old dad.

 

About 10-12 years ago we (family) went to our normal camping spot in Denmark. I just had a conversation about this with my mother this evening. A biker flew by us at a speed of 150+ mph. My mother didn´t notice him though I´ve seen him fly past us and going on in speed. I was around 12 or 13 years those days. 3-5 kilomters later at a bridge we´ve seen some of his stuff hanging there and cars parking there for ambulance, one km more and we saw his destructed bike. That guy got killed by hitting a car and he went over the bridge, about 50-100 meters free fall down. He had no chance

I don´t have a bike license, but that crash impacts me up to now. Even if you can save some minutes by riding too fast, you won´t live when beeing too fast. So take this into account

 

I've been a volunteer firefighter for about 15 years, and we've scraped up/hosed down a few bad wrecks. Seems like it would be a lot of fun, but I'll never own a bike. One guy went into the ditch doing "in excess of 120 mph" according to the troopers who were chasing him, struck a road sign and lodged himself in a 18" culvert backwards. His rear end hit the culvert first, and he just folded up and went right in, the pipe cut him up some. Another went into the woods and struck a tree about 12 feet off the ground. Ugh.

Was pulling my bobcat on Tuesday on a curvy back road, and a group of 8 or 10 crotch rockets came flying by in the other direction. The last few had me convinced they were gonna strike my trailer fender, they were leaned right over and chasing eachother. I remember thinking "They're gonna die right now on my trailer" and waiting for them to hit it. Whew. Dummies. The DOT would have lit me up, even though I was in my lane and legal.

 

All this reminds me of a quote from The Notebooks of Lazarus Long:
Edwin

 

Exactly why I don't own a motor cycle or a fast car for that matter. I don't have the self control to own one. If someone told me that it will do 170 MPH then I would be the one that would test it out. At least I "KNOW" I don't have the self control which is something I suppose.

Britt

 

Saw a V Max right inside a Chev Cavalier several years ago here in Toronto.
Killed driver and pasenger on bike, killed driver and passenger in front of car and severly injured passenger in back of car.
Also flipped the car over.
I havn't driven a bike in years...loved the dirt bikes and crotch rockets.
Last couple of years of riding, bad karma and the heeby-jeebies got to me .
As much as I would love another bike, I will never get on one again.

 

I was wondering about that myself...How, on earth did they extricate the occupants WITHOUT removing the roof?? It appears that the a-posts were cut, but thats the only evidence of extrication...Plus, where is the passenger seat?? This looks plausible but seems kinda fishy


An F-250/motorcycle/rider/pavement sandwich put to rest any thoughts I had about riding

 

Probably used that 6000 psi power washer they're talking about on the other thread.

 

Can you say track day. I've ridden on the street for years and did all the crazy stuff. Got my first bike when I was 18, GSXR 750, couldn't take off with standing it up, lanesplit cars at 120+mph, speed everywhere, lucky nothing happened to me. Lost some friends, friends lost some limbs. Got back into it 6 years later, just couldn't do without that sheer acceleration and speed you only get from a sportbike.

Then a buddy talked me into doing a track day, looked cool, I thought I was the man, crashed my 3rd time out but got hooked, and learned some humility. Did a bunch of track days, got my race license, raced for a year. Unfortunantly had a really bad crash last (during a race) year at around 130mph, BUT I WALKED AWAY! Yes I was really beat up and had a shattered shoulder with a few other broken bones but I was alive. Moral of the story, if you ride, go to the track to get your speed fix, no cars, no soccer moms, no trees, just you, the track, your bike, and others with the same passion. The street isn't the place for it...

 

oxman, right on about the track days. I'm hoping to start riding on the track towards the end of the year, there's several in my area; a couple of my friends go regularly. the street is just not a good place to get a speed fix; it's bad enough riding responsibly on the street!
I am a speed junky and enjoy driving cars fast but having been in a BAD car accident(not at fault) and knowing just how much stuff hurts even on a full dose of morphine and for how long it hurts afterward I have no desire to push it on the street on my bike. you could say that respect was 'beat' into me by a truck...too bad I was in the smaller truck at the time.

to those of you that ride, don't wear an a**-hat and hopefully you'll keep it rubber-down.

 

I'm finding that as I get older I get more respectful of the time I have left. I also find that the old injuries i sustained by falling off of things, horses, bikes, roofs etc... are really starting to bother me now.

Like anything else, life becomes more precious the less you have left.

Edwin

 

I lost a good friend on March 10 when he started to turn on his street and was hit by a Deputy Sheriff doing an est. 100+ MPH. At that speed a helmet does nothing but fly. We were in Key West for bike week he was suppose to be with us. It teaches you EVERYONE is out to get you even the Police when you are on a bike. You have to watch everyone. We still ride and enjoy it but will always think of him and the 3 kids and wife left behind.

 

My brother walked away from being hit by a master's student in Electrical Engineering who was working at IBM and going to school but was running from the cops one night. Cop had stopped pursuit when he left the city limits at over 140 mph about a mile down the road. 1 AM in the morning my brother happened to be sitting at the crossroad when the guy popped around the limited sight distance curve and clipped the front of his Dodge Shadow convertible. Bike imbedded in the left front fender just in front of the wheel and the pilot went about 250' further down the road after clearing the hood. Cop was on the scene about the same time my brother climbed out of the car due the the flames on the hood from the bike's gas tank.

Just goes to show that even smart people can be really stupid - he will never make a mistake again. We talked to the EMS guys who picked up what was still inside the leathers and to a friend that was working the local ER that night - the human body is not designed to go from 140 mph -> 0 mph in 3 feet. The force of the impact knocked my brother's car in a 57' loop on dry pavement. Talk about kinetic energy.

 

and that's what happens when stupid idiots get on bikes; stuff like that gives the rest of us a bad name. most CHP/Sherriffs in CA will let bikes go if they're just being pulled over for speeding or fix-it stuff if the rider actually pulls over, as long as they're not driving wrecklessly.

 

In Tampa, they actually ARE!!!