Triumphrat

Lee · 09-16-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by John21

The Hurt Report pointed out that 95% of all motorcycle wrecks happened within three major catagories. 1) riding in city traffic 2) riding at night 3) riding back and forth to work. In my life, I have stayed away from the above three types of riding.

I think if we could take the latest statistics the report you read has and combine them with the Hurt Report, we might find that the Hurt report is still correct.

Just a thought...........John

The Hurt repot was interesting to read when it came out. My problem with the Hurt report was the part about helmets. The NHTSA has said that 39% of all fatalities could have been avoided if helmets had been worn. I know from my experience in EMS that wearing helmets does help. Of course if you hit a pick up truck at 50mph head on most likely you will need a coroner. If the NHTSA is correct that would be a huge amount of lives saved. This does not even count the people who have long term head injuries. One only has to look at the spokes person for not wearing a helmet to see how much it is needed. (GARY BUSIE)

medic315 · 09-17-2007

I am a paramedic in a costal town that hosts both a Harley rally and a Sport bike rally back to back. The one thing i have noticed over six years of working both events.

More middle aged men wreck Harleys and cruisers, usually drunk and showing off for some girl half their age. They haven't been riding long, if at all, before they come to the rally. Most have no safety education.Speed is most ALWAYS a factor and lack of control is the ending result. Every year we have people hit by cagers but most calls are single bike by people with more money than brains.

Sport bike week brings mostly younger males on fast bikes. Again little riding expierence if at all prior to rally.Speed and tricks for some girl or buddies. Or a majority of passenger accidents due to not knowing how to be one and little driver education on how to handle to bike with a passenger. Usually the older crowd in the sport bike category show constraint and clear judgment.

I wonder how our stats compare with AMA or nationwide stats.

Why do we trust the insurance anyway? Their job is to MAKE money NOT pay money.

pwrmedic1 · 09-17-2007

I am paramedic in WNC and I totally agree with you I pick up more injuries from cruisers with middle age people than any other age group and I belive this report is totally biased toward money and some long term effort to reallly mess with the sport bike group and that really p/o's me because I am a Daytona rider.

John21 · 09-17-2007

I agee that there are a lot more cruiser riders hitting the turf than sport riders. I am basing this on what I have read in the past.

Here's a cute story. I used to live in Tucson. They had "Hooters Night" every Wednesday down the street. They had this guy on almost every Wednesday named "T-bone". T-bone said he could "hustle any woman" as long as he had his HOG.

I went down to se this guy one time since I lived about 3 blocks away. When i saw this dude, I understand why he needed his HOG to impress women.

I do agree that men ride cruisers in general to impress women. That is why I love my Sprint. I don't have to impress anyone anymore, just ride.....

This weekend, down in Hot Springs (Arkansas) was some kind of a bike rally against the use of helmets. I suspect it was a cruiser-dominated rally.

My wife and I wear helmets for a couple of reasons. One is the comfort level. I cannot imagine riding without any helmet at all AND being comfortable. I do know that most crusier riders diss-agree with helmet useage. Cruiser riders live in the "do-rag world".

The second reason for wearing helmets is so we can see. I could never see properly when I was without a helmet. Even with glasses.

Last, is anyone old enough to remember the "chopper craze" of the late 60's?? Back then, they passed many anti-chopper rules. In many states , it was impossible to customize your bike in the slightest.

I had a 650 Bonnie I had made into a chopper back then. In a 5-year span, I bet I was stopped 50 times for nothing. I probably paid some 10-15 tickets for things like loud exhaust (I did have mufflers), high handlebars (over 15 inches got a ticket), improper passenger handles (you have to have a handle on each side of the seat welded to the frame back then for passengers), to many other things.

What this all boils down to is that I think there are too many guys riding motorcycles for ridiculous laws to be passed these days. Motorcycles are just too much of a part of everyone's lives anymore.

Just my opinion........John

RevMatt · 09-17-2007

The argument over the danger of sportsbikes is similar to those used to ban pitbulls. The conclusion I always come to is that it is not the dog that is dangerous but the idiot who owns it. Same with bikes. If a group of riders routinely rides recklessly on interstates or drunk after attending "biker night" at the local watering hole, guess what? The problem isn't the machine but the operator.

Any rider can seriously reduce his or her risk of an accident by taking a handful of precautions regardless of the bike.

1) Don't mix alcohol with riding. Period.

2) Get a license.

3) Get trained by a pro -- MSF class -- and take the experienced rider course annually.

4) Cover and use the front brake. (I know one MSF instructor who is also a paramedic who told the class that in a number of fatal accidents he investigated it was obvious that the motorcyclist only used the rear brake.)

5) Practice panic stops

6) Learn and use proper cornering techniques every time you approach a curve, even if you can make the curve without slowing down. In an emergency actions follow habits. Do this even if your ride is heavy bagger or cruiser.

7) Obey all traffic laws and save the stunts for a closed course or the track.

8) Downshift when approaching a busy intersection even if you are not turning and the light is green. A ten mph reduction in speed lessens your stopping distance by 50%.

9) Don't pass on the right.

10) Expect cagers to violate your right of way and ride like you are invisible.

11) If possible avoid riding at rush hour and (especially) when school lets out. Soccer moms in minivans and SUV's tend to drive while blabbing on the cell phone when they are shuttling the kids from school to dance class, to karate and soccer practice. My hunch is that cell phones are a huge factor in the increase in rear end collisions.

Mojoinco · 09-18-2007

I remember the 'bullet bike' IIHS report. And then Senator Danforth's bill in the Senate. And writing letters. And the same Bryan something was head of the insurance industry funded IIHS as he is now. And how it got hard for a while to insure those same kinds of bikes. Probably also will see the same said insurance industry use this as in excuse to raise rates and cancel coverage -- when in the same reality they will be having liquidity and profit issues due to economic downturn (insurance companies are really large investment companies, with your insurance payments providing capitol for investments). It happened the last round as we had some issues with a little thing called 'inflation' and poor Wall Street performance.

No doubt we have the most affluent riders ever (meaning older): the allure of our youth and those greasy dirty bikers that waved a finger at 'the man'. Hey, the cruisers are better than the hottest sport bikes of the day, and are not so expensive (not to mention rarely leak, always start, etc). Of course they weigh as much or more, and a lot of riders have never driven a lighter bike that will handle, nor had to develop the skills -- or it's been so long they have forgotten them. And let's not forget those that shouldn't be riding as they aren't aggressive enough to pay attention and survive (just like sking or snowboarding). It's okay to not ride.

Then you have the young male rider -- just the reason the Army wants you young -- you ARE invincible. And finance companies don't care as long as you keep writing those checks each month (kind of like the 'housing credit' crisis; the same activities that lead to the savings and loan crisis, or the credit card crisis). Meaning were I felt pretty good at being able to buy a used 400 Hawk, these guys can buy some pretty cool machinery (and as over their head as the old men).

So maybe their is a reason for generalizations -- because it's true: We will always be true to our gender (sorry ladies, but riding is still overwhelmingly male, just as certain activities will always be primarily feminine -- with pleasant & notable exceptions in both). So boys will be boys, it's just the cost of the toys...and the women to impress or other mean to compete with.

And yes, sharpen the pens, join the AMA, and go see your representatives when the Congress is out of session (I pray that some day they will be limited to 30 days of session a year -- better chance I win the Powerball lottery after being sainted).

Malibu · 09-18-2007

I'd agree that crotch rockets are more dangerous. I've heard the major age group is 40-46 for motorcycle fatalities. Twenty years ago it was 20-26. From Purple Rain to Wild Hogs!

Lee · 09-21-2007

Some one can get killed in a Hugo if you add in speed, alcohol and stupidity. To say any bike is more dangerous is ridiculous. If the rider is irresponsible and careless then out law poor riders not bikes.

ohiorider · 10-02-2007

There was a cartoon in a recent mag I read. Showed two guys walking past a newstand, with headlines reading "OJ jailed", and "Hillary announces her health care plan". One guy asks the other, "What decade are we in?"

And here we go again. The IIHS (do I have this right ... the Insurance council that acts as the voice for the insurance companies?). Back in the late 80's, maybe early 90s, this organization, along with Senator John Danforth, saw to it that insurance companies (State Farm comes readily to mind) created a blacklist of uninsurable bikes, and/or a list of bikes that would carry excessively high premiums.

Strangely, bikes like the heavyweight BMW K100RS (82hp) fell into that category initially because it 'looked like a sportsbike'. Anything with low handlebars was a candidate for insurance extinction.

It took a tremendous amount of work by groups like the AMA, as well as the bike riders themselves, putting pressure on companies like State Farm (hope I'm not singling them out incorrectly, but their name sticks in my mind as one of the primary offenders).

The most effective pressure was exerted by bike riders who not only had their bikes insured thru S Farm, but their cars and homes as well. These guys and gals simply found another insurance carrier that didn't discriminate against their type of bike, and switched all their insurance over to them, and away from State Farm and other companies who used the blacklist to establish absurdly high premiums.

Bob

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F4sSprintST · 01-30-2008