Need "survivor" stories!

[Anonymous]

Fellow bikers, after my buddies accident, some friends and family are raggin' on the few of us that love to ride in our friends and family circle :? Give me some survivor stories to share with them! Does anyone know any crash stats for cars and bikes. I know bikers are more careful than cagers as a whole right?

[Poot]

I am new to motorcycling (having bought my GS850 in June, this year).

About 1 month after I purchased it, I went down going at at speed upwards of 65 kmph. I did not get physically harmed, surprisingly and luckily, however the mental change is the most important.

After I fell, I have generally been a better rider, being more aware, cautious, and experienced in extreme-response situations. Some would say that crashing / going down, is a good thing. I agree, assuming the person is not hurt too badly, because it is an important lesson, which may prevent even worse accidents in the future.

The most important thing, is to have learned from the lesson.


matt

[fast eddie]

All I can say is, when anybody gives me the old "motorcycles are so dangerous, you're not even strapped in" I always reply "well, no-one's ever been trapped inside a burning motorcycle."

After a biker is killed and it makes the news, people invariably say "you should stop riding." The only possible answer is "I don't tell you to stop driving every time somebody dies in a car accident, do I?"

Hardly the statistics you're looking for, but most of these comments are hardly based on logic or common sense anyway, so a simple rebuke will usually clam people up.

[bwringer]

When someone starts nattering about how "Uncle Joe kilt hisself on on 'o them devil machines" I normally ask three questions:


Was he sober?

Was he wearing a helmet (or any protective gear)?

Was he trained or even licensed?


Invariably, the answer to all three questions is "no" and I consider the point made.

Like all risks, the risks of motorcycling can be managed if you take the responsibility to do so. Unfortunately, many (if not most) motorcycle owners do not take this responsibility seriously.

Look at it another way: potentially speaking, a modern sportbike is the safest possible vehicle. You have small size, incredible power, light weight, mind-boggling brakes, and nimble handling. An accident should be nearly impossible on such a capable vehicle.

Yet there are thousands of squids out there with broken bikes and broken bodies -- all 99.999% due to operator error. We'll leave wiggle room for the odd factory defect or something. And we'll leave out old ladies backing into parked bikes and other freak accidents.

A car turned left in front of you? Sorry, that's rider error. It's one of the most common types of motorcycle accidents and it's 100% avoidable. What were you doing in such a vulnerable position? How did you allow that slow clumsy car to get in your way? Why didn't you plan an escape path as you were approaching?

Single vehicle accident? Sorry again -- that's the rider's error and responsibility. Whether it was deer, gravel, ice, sand, the sun in your eyes, a decreasing radius turn, or the last four beers, it's your responsibility to stay on the road and be ready for hazards.

And yes, all the above is challenging. It's very, very hard to stay alive on a motorcycle. (The deer are probably the trickiest part...) You don't have air bags or crumple zones -- it's all up to YOU.

Like many other areas of life, most people don't want responsibility. They want someone else to pass laws, install safety equipment and take care of all that hard stuff so they can have the illusion of safety without learning or working hard at anything.

I love motorcycling for that precise reason -- my survival is strictly up to me. If I lose a caliper bolt and my brakes lock up and I crash, it's my fault. If I'm tired and not paying attention and I plow into a minivan full of nuns on their way to the orphanage, it's my fault.

Conversely, when I get to see a beautiful sunrise while carving up corners on SR47 on my way to work, I appreciate it all the more because of all the things I've done to be able to enjoy those moments. When I pull into the driveway on a stormy night, I'm happy for all the skills and equipment that keep me safe and keep my wife from being the slightest bit worried. When I lean into a fast turn and feel the footpeg scraping lightly, I feel incredibly alive. All the work, practice, time, maintenance, and money spent are well worth it for those moments.

[Dink]

bwringer I absolutely agree, I learnt many years ago there is no such thing as an "accident" collisions yes "accidents" NO!!!, it may not be immediately apparent where yuor fault lies in relation to a collision or crash, it may be as obvious as to fast, or failing to see a deer in time, but if you are involved YOU are equally responsible to anyone else (I am not talking Legally responsible, there is a difference) Think about what bwringer wrote, for you to "be there" to be involved in a collision, YOU failed to detect the danger and act accordingly, and yes there is often more than one way to "act accordingly",
Remember I take a viewpoint of I am responsible for what my bike does or doesnt do, because I detest the idea of leaving my life in the hands of others, probably why I am rarely a passenger ( Geez maybe I am a control freak 8O ) I stay aware of the fact that when I am on a bike everything will impact upon me immediately, therefore I accept that it is my responsibility and my responsibility alone to avoid that ( I have heard a rumour that it tends to hurt otherwise ) What most people call a close call I consider to be a major failing on my part as I have obviously failed to detect or anticipate correctly what was happening around me.
Opinions ??
Dink

[Anonymous]

I had an 80 mph laydown. Stastically speaking, it shouldn't have happened. 6:00 Sunday morning, on the California/Nevada border Interstate 15. A Honda Civic changed lanes in front of me. Had a 1/4 second to react. The VFR that I was on was smashed. Two broken ribs, some road rash, sprained foot, and lots of bruises and aches. Rode a friends bike 3 weeks later. Haven't stopped since. That was 9 years ago.

The son of a bitch saw what happened and left me for dead in the middle of the desert. If I could ever catch him it would be a bloody vengeance.

[Anonymous]

I agree on a lot of what has been said, but there are some occassions where you have no options (idiots running into you, or recently I was doing a toy run with about 100+ other bikes, the police was leading the ride stopping all cross traffic and when I was about 1/4 way into an intersection an idiot in a car decided to come right at me, fortunately I had read his intentions and was able to jump on the throttle and get out of his way. Now the other type of accidents which can be prevented could be as followes: I was 16 and stupid, riding a bike in a construction site I hit a patch of unpaved road and went down. Fortunately a friends father found me bleeding all over the road and I was rushed to the hospital, I did not break anything but was scared to death, you see I was not wearing any protective gear whatsover and had a blood clot in my brain. I was very fortunate that it went away and I did not do any other damage, but I can guarantee you that when I get on my bike now all of my protective gear is in place and I would never ride without it again. So all in all some experiences teach you lessons that are never to be forgotten...

[Poot]

Ringer is absolutely right. Its up to the rider to keep out of dangerous situations, in advance. You almost have to be able to predict stupidity, but often its not too hard to see a situation where things could go bad, and just hold back to see if it does.

I've only heard of 1 accident , in which a rider was cut off, and sandwiched between cars, and had a choice of going into one, or going down.

But also, my mother tried to give me the story of my distant cousin who got nailed when riding behind a truck carrying pipes. I told her that it was his fault for riding so close to the truck, and she didn't say another word.

[joeadams]

Anybody who believes that there is absolutely no way they could ever crash a motorcycle under any circumstances besides an error on their part is fooling themselves.

I think we had this discussion before.

[Anonymous]

Anybody who believes that there is absolutely no way they could ever crash a motorcycle under any circumstances besides an error on their part is fooling themselves.

I think we had this discussion before.

Well put, In regards to having this discussion b-4 I don't know I am pretty new to the forum...afe

[earlfor]

I guess that depends on what is considered "error on their part". Every obstacle or circumstance is random and some sets of clues/indicators are more difficult to decipher than others. Failure to assemble the clues and note the probabilities of the more complicated situations doesnt absolve the rider of being responsible for the outcome.
Although anyone can crash, I believe 99.9% of crashes could have been avoided.

Earl

Anybody who believes that there is absolutely no way they could ever crash a motorcycle under any circumstances besides an error on their part is fooling themselves.

I think we had this discussion before.

[bwringer]

I think we need to keep in mind that there is a large gap between theory and practice, even for highly skilled riders. I was talking about theory.

Barring bizarre mechanical failures (which are still caused by someone's human error), crashing can always theoretically be avoided by the rider. At some point in every crash, the rider failed in some way. Granted, in the real world, it's NEARLY impossible sometimes to avoid colliding with suicidal deer or idiotic minivan pilots, but it is never COMPLETELY impossible.

I agree with Joe -- anyone who thinks they could never crash is an idiot. Everyone is vulnerable because everyone makes errors all the time.

The important part is that we can all strive for perfect, error-free riding. There is ALWAYS vast room for improvement because we are all imperfect human beings. There is no such thing as the perfect ride or the perfect rider.

That might sound bleak to some, but for me, that's is an empowering thought. It means my fate as a rider is in my hands, and mine alone. The more I learn and the more skilled I am, the more control I can exert over my own safety and enjoyment.

Will I ever be a perfect rider, and thus perfectly safe? Absolutely not. No one will ever be a perfect rider. I wear a full face helmet, gloves, armored jacket, etc. every single time I ride because I know for a fact that I'm not perfect.

[moto_dan]

More carefull ? Maybe, but a real problem I observe with myself and others is a momentary lapse of thought and while riding a bike can lead to castrophic results whereas that same lapse in an auto is of no consequence. I personally believe that there are "nearly" no pure accidents and as motorcyclists we have the greater responsiblity since we're the most vulnerable. Just a few scattered thoughts.
BTW while this topic has been discussed before, it is always timely seeing that we're always gaining new riders and forum members.

[earlfor]

Youre the first Dan to voice a problem I have long been aware of. You're riding along, thinking you're 100% and then realize you're "snapping" back to reality and cant remember what went past in the last 150 feet.
This seems to happen when I am taking it too easy, or the ride doesnt require the digestion of a large enough amount of information to keep my mind busy. In these times, it helps to add things to my list of scan and detect activities to bring them back to a "busy" level. My "riding mind" seems to work best when I keep it at near overload level with information to process.

Earl


[quote="moto_dan"]
More carefull ? Maybe, but a real problem I observe with myself and others is a momentary lapse of thought and while riding a bike can lead to castrophic results whereas that same lapse in an auto is of no consequence.

[Poot]

[quote="earlfor"]Youre the first Dan to voice a problem I have long been aware of. You're riding along, thinking you're 100% and then realize you're "snapping" back to reality and cant remember what went past in the last 150 feet.
This seems to happen when I am taking it too easy, or the ride doesnt require the digestion of a large enough amount of information to keep my mind busy. In these times, it helps to add things to my list of scan and detect activities to bring them back to a "busy" level. My "riding mind" seems to work best when I keep it at near overload level with information to process.

Earl

More carefull ? Maybe, but a real problem I observe with myself and others is a momentary lapse of thought and while riding a bike can lead to castrophic results whereas that same lapse in an auto is of no consequence.

Of course there are situations that are out of control....

i.e. your going cautiously , and a mountain sheep runs on to the road, and you swerve to avoid, and it changes direction, and you jam on the brakes, and swerve, and it changes directions again and stares you down. Its happened to me, and lady luck was on my side.

The scariest thing of all that I can remember, was on my road trip, when I was coming to tacoma...... I was so tired, that even though I was trying my hardest to stay alert and awake, my eyes would close for a few seconds, every time I blinked......scary, scary business. 8O :?