Motorcycle as you're main form of transportation?

[countrychic]

I ride a Honda Shadow 750, fully aware of the dangers on the road but you can't beat being on 2 wheels.
.

I ride one of these as well!! Love it!!!

We don't use our bikes as means of transportation daily but when the weekends come it's bike time!!

 

[ironwill]

I love My Harley, ive got a juiced up 05 fatboy, Used to get great mileage, now not so much...But i can set off car alarms from a distance and do a burnout for a long way without touching the brake, very important stuff i say...There is not any aluminum or plastic left on my ride, its all triple dip harley chrome...All told 50,000 but its my second love...and ill have it for many yrs to come...
Countrychic rides a sweet honda and we love our time on the roads...
Be careful out there bros and sis, and remember our fallen friends are G.B.N.F...

 

[Loch Ness]

Not to rain on anyones parade, but just a few minutes ago I saw a car pull out in front of a sport bike and bam it was done couldnt do anything for the guy dead instantly. It really freaked me out

 

[pesty4077]

I'll never get one, after standing over a close friend in the trauma center while he lay on the bed with multiple skull fractures, broken clavicles, ribs, brain hemoraging, etc etc I'll never get one. They had to cut the guy open like a turkey just so his swollen lungs had room to move and circulate oxygen. I stood in the waiting room holding hands with about 50 other guys from work and prayed for him. Dr. came out and said he probably wouldnt make it, so if we wanted to see him we could go in the room 3 at a time. In my line of work I see alot of death and tragedy, but when it's one of your own you aint so tough. Anyways, the guy managed to hang on by a thread, it's been 2 1/2 months since the wreck and he still cannot walk. fuck a bike

You can die tommorow, you never know. My best friend and brother-in-law, both got killed in motorcyle accidents. God will let me live as long as he wants, after that I am screwed By, the way if I rode a motorcycle, smoke a cigerette, drank alcohol, was overweight excessively, which one of these things would I worry the least about? LOL

 

[pesty4077]

Maybe I shud drive a Prius Hybrid. Would that make me gay?

I be more worried about, how the hell you are going to fit in one!!

 

[cpesloco]

With the current gas price crises facing all of us how many of you out there depend on a motorcycle as you're only means of transportation or at least 50% of it. How does it impact you're bodybuilding and training in the gym. (packing you're food, weightlifting belt, ABBA's greatest hits [kidding], change of clothes, etc..) Circumstance has caused me to ride a motorcycle as my only means of transportation. It has been a few months now and though the daily commute is 64 miles I am really starting to get used to the ride. My riding skill has never been better and the 32 mile ride home in the evening is usually very peaceful. The true test will be in a few weeks when the rainy season starts then I may be singing a different tune.

seems to have gone off topic...to answer your question is it sucks. I would ride my bike everyday if it wasn't for having to tote my lunch, laptop, and gym clothes.

not to mention i have to drop my daughter off at school and i like having my special coffee in the mornings..

If i was not dedicated to a decent diet and training then it would not be as big of an issue and I would ride.

Unfortunately my Repsol doesn't have saddle bags and a cup holder!

 

[knucklehed]

Oh man!

Not to rain on anyones parade, but just a few minutes ago I saw a car pull out in front of a sport bike and bam it was done couldnt do anything for the guy dead instantly. It really freaked me out

I hate hearing that. I ride a Guzzi v11 sport. I can't get enough of it. As was said earlier, when your time is up, there is nothing you can do, and I believe this. But at the same time I have two young boys 5 and 10 years old. Nothing scares me more then not being around for them as they grow up. I feel a little selfish abouth the bike for this reason, but I just can't stay off it.

 

[name_here]

It makes sense because it gets good MPG and they are a lot of fun but the danger factor is very high. As a matter of fact I just woke up in the ER saturday. I don't remember a damn thing. I'm very lucky that I didn't break anything or worse.

LOL Smart car is looking right about now to me. If I had a family I don't think I could justify getting one but it's up to you.

Good luck to you.

 

[SpankyDXM]

I own a Shadow Aero 750 and I use it strictly for work. I drive an average of 80 miles round trip daily . I put $11.40 which is a fill up and I can go 3 days. In my car I put in 70 dollars and get 4 days...in my truck I can put well over 140 dollars in and just get a week. So I went buy a bike with saddlebags "cause they make all the difference" and now the bike pays for itself.

Keep in mind I only paid $7200 brand new for a bike that in 7 years it will still be worth $3500-4000. So to me that was the best bang for the buck.

PS if you have a half helmet make sure you buy a full for the rainy days . Your lips will love it

 

[ghostdog128]

A few things for all those involved in this thread. First to those that have had friends get hurt riding, I will say this I am a certified MSF rider trainer as well as having other extensive riding training courses. Most riders should not be riding. Just because you pass your states mandated training doesn't mean you can ride. Riding is a skill set that takes a long time to master. Take additional course and learn the skills needed. Take a street survival course.

All riders should wear a full face helmet. I agree with our right to choose not too but those that don't are straight up morons and deserve the cranial surgery they receive when they face plant. Plain and simple. Most riders do nothing to make themselves more visible, wearing bright clothing reduces the chance of an accident by up to 36% and a white helmet by 24%. I wear a bright lime yellow jacket and bright yellow helmet on my Harley. Yeah, I look like a tool but I don't care. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people start to pull out and catch a glimpse of my clothing and stop. Bright colors save lives. Stop worrying about how you look.

Next, to those that said cagers see us but claim they don't, well they actually don't. I consider myself an expert rider and I've caugth myself not seeing motorcycles. But the cyclist didn't help, by making himself invisible, wearing black or dark clothing or a black helmet. There's a phenomenon call “Inattentional Blindness” and is starting to be studied exstensively in psychology. Here's a link to a good article on it.

**broken link removed**

Bikers need to be more proactive in their riding and not assume cagers see us. Assume ALL cagers don't see us and ride defensively.

Finally, mature and responsible rideing. Alot of the youner riders should not be riding mainly because they lack the mature attitude to handle those japanese rockets you see them on(not limited to the jap bikes). Very few of them can utilize the lean angle available on those bikes and 98% of all riders I see can't perform slow speed manuvers. I have a full size Electra glide and I can, from a dead stop perform a feet up U-turn in either direction within a 12 foot diameter.

I'm sorry if my thread seems like I'm preaching, I'm not but riders can eliminate I would say 90% of their chances of going down with bright clothes, defensive and proactive riding, staying within their abilities and being mature. There is always going to be that 10% in life you can do nothing about.

For those that want a great video on riding but don't feel like taking a course look into this one. Best video going right now in my opinion and taught by a former motor officer.

**broken link removed**

 

[pesty4077]

A few things for all those involved in this thread. First to those that have had friends get hurt riding, I will say this I am a certified MSF rider trainer as well as having other extensive riding training courses. Most riders should not be riding. Just because you pass your states mandated training doesn't mean you can ride. Riding is a skill set that takes a long time to master. Take additional course and learn the skills needed. Take a street survival course.

All riders should wear a full face helmet. I agree with our right to choose not too but those that don't are straight up morons and deserve the cranial surgery they receive when they face plant. Plain and simple. Most riders do nothing to make themselves more visible, wearing bright clothing reduces the chance of an accident by up to 36% and a white helmet by 24%. I wear a bright lime yellow jacket and bright yellow helmet on my Harley. Yeah, I look like a tool but I don't care. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people start to pull out and catch a glimpse of my clothing and stop. Bright colors save lives. Stop worrying about how you look.

Next, to those that said cagers see us but claim they don't, well they actually don't. I consider myself an expert rider and I've caugth myself not seeing motorcycles. But the cyclist didn't help, by making himself invisible, wearing black or dark clothing or a black helmet. There's a phenomenon call “Inattentional Blindness” and is starting to be studied exstensively in psychology. Here's a link to a good article on it.

**broken link removed**

Bikers need to be more proactive in their riding and not assume cagers see us. Assume ALL cagers don't see us and ride defensively.

Finally, mature and responsible rideing. Alot of the youner riders should not be riding mainly because they lack the mature attitude to handle those japanese rockets you see them on(not limited to the jap bikes). Very few of them can utilize the lean angle available on those bikes and 98% of all riders I see can't perform slow speed manuvers. I have a full size Electra glide and I can, from a dead stop perform a feet up U-turn in either direction within a 12 foot diameter.

I'm sorry if my thread seems like I'm preaching, I'm not but riders can eliminate I would say 90% of their chances of going down with bright clothes, defensive and proactive riding, staying within their abilities and being mature. There is always going to be that 10% in life you can do nothing about.

For those that want a great video on riding but don't feel like taking a course look into this one. Best video going right now in my opinion and taught by a former motor officer.

**broken link removed**

Good Article! Ghost Dog! I been riding since 1979, too many daredevils on the road. I am not worried about bright colors, my loud pipes have people notice me

 

[thebrick]

A few things for all those involved in this thread. First to those that have had friends get hurt riding, I will say this I am a certified MSF rider trainer as well as having other extensive riding training courses. Most riders should not be riding. Just because you pass your states mandated training doesn't mean you can ride. Riding is a skill set that takes a long time to master. Take additional course and learn the skills needed. Take a street survival course.

All riders should wear a full face helmet. I agree with our right to choose not too but those that don't are straight up morons and deserve the cranial surgery they receive when they face plant. Plain and simple. Most riders do nothing to make themselves more visible, wearing bright clothing reduces the chance of an accident by up to 36% and a white helmet by 24%. I wear a bright lime yellow jacket and bright yellow helmet on my Harley. Yeah, I look like a tool but I don't care. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people start to pull out and catch a glimpse of my clothing and stop. Bright colors save lives. Stop worrying about how you look.

Next, to those that said cagers see us but claim they don't, well they actually don't. I consider myself an expert rider and I've caugth myself not seeing motorcycles. But the cyclist didn't help, by making himself invisible, wearing black or dark clothing or a black helmet. There's a phenomenon call “Inattentional Blindness” and is starting to be studied exstensively in psychology. Here's a link to a good article on it.

**broken link removed**

Bikers need to be more proactive in their riding and not assume cagers see us. Assume ALL cagers don't see us and ride defensively.

Finally, mature and responsible rideing. Alot of the youner riders should not be riding mainly because they lack the mature attitude to handle those japanese rockets you see them on(not limited to the jap bikes). Very few of them can utilize the lean angle available on those bikes and 98% of all riders I see can't perform slow speed manuvers. I have a full size Electra glide and I can, from a dead stop perform a feet up U-turn in either direction within a 12 foot diameter.

I'm sorry if my thread seems like I'm preaching, I'm not but riders can eliminate I would say 90% of their chances of going down with bright clothes, defensive and proactive riding, staying within their abilities and being mature. There is always going to be that 10% in life you can do nothing about.

For those that want a great video on riding but don't feel like taking a course look into this one. Best video going right now in my opinion and taught by a former motor officer.

**broken link removed**

Excellent post! Yes bikes can be dangerous, but how many times have I seen riders just asking for an accident by their foolish behavior?

 

[ghostdog128]

Good Article! Ghost Dog! I been riding since 1979, too many daredevils on the road. I am not worried about bright colors, my loud pipes have people notice me

Pesty,
I can certainly appreciate louds pipes, I have them, but they do very little in helping us get noticed. Certainly not what us riders think they do. First Doppler effect only makes them very loud to the cagers to our rear, not in front of us.

The most important thing though is that the human eye and mind is attracted to bright colors that contrast our riding enviroment. Loud noises are great but they don't stimulate our eyes to the position of our bikes as bright colors do. And again the effectiveness of loud pipes is limited by the doppler effect.

But you can't beat a set of straight pipes for sure.

 

[ghostdog128]

Try this awareness video out. I use it in my basic rider classes, maybe 1 person in 30 will get it the first time.


http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/this_is_a_test_1

 

[pesty4077]

Try this awareness video out. I use it in my basic rider classes, maybe 1 person in 30 will get it the first time.


http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/this_is_a_test_1

Well, I guess 13 and I did see the moonwalking bear.

 

[inoverdrive]

Being in the car business I see alot of people asking about bikes. KEEP BUYING CARS PEOPLE!!!!!!!!! PLEASE

 

[ghostdog128]

Well, I guess 13 and I did see the moonwalking bear.

Good!! , I'll admit I missed it the first time I ever saw it. You're definately in the minority seeing it on the first play.

 

[pesty4077]

Good!! , I'll admit I missed it the first time I ever saw it. You're definately in the minority seeing it on the first play.

Ghost Dog, You are right about making motorcyclists more aware. I always tell people that are thinking about riding motorcycles for the first time" Realize that motorcycles can kill you, and always expect the unexpected" If you think that someone will pull out in front of you, expect it and slow down. (Think before participate)