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Should motorcycles be illegal?

Should motorcycles be illegal?

  • Yes

    Votes: 1 2.2%

  • No

    Votes: 38 84.4%

  • Chuck Norris holding strong eye contact while eating a banana.

    Votes: 6 13.3%
  • Total voters
    45
I would give up this:

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Before I would give up this:

gage bday party 008.jpg
 
radcen said:
Yeah, I've heard this before. All it means is that people can be as creative as they need to be when justifying their pleasures.
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Is that "all it means" or is it just that you have made up your mind so any other response is mere justification?
 
Peter Grimm said:
You are 36 times more likely to be in a fatal crash on a motorcycle than in a car. The most common reason for motorcycle crashes is they get hit by a car that doesn't see them.
.
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In 2004, I was hit by another rider and remained out of work 6 months. Fracture of the foot, the hand and the two cracks in the spine. Four years passed until I sat back in the saddle of a motorcycle. But now I got the heaviest motorcycle that I can freely control. No more middleweight bikes.

DSC06941.JPG
 
Lutherf said:
That noise from a Harley can often be a lifesaver. Even if someone can't see you they can damned well hear you.
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Unfortunately it is a legend. The most dangerous for motorcyclists cars, those who suddenly and without warning change line. They usually do not hear the sound of motorcycle or do not understand where the sound appears.
 
My position on bikes is the same as for gay marriage: If you don't like them, don't get one. And that's why I don't have nor will ever have a motorcycle. But that is not a sufficient reason to ban them.
 
Bikes good.

No bikes bad.

Don't dress for the ride. Dress for the slide.

Should it happen, it will happen really fast!
 
sawyerloggingon said:
Motorcycles are perfectly safe, it's the morons in cars that kill motorcyclist.
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I actually got wrecked this August because of a driver who either didn't see me or didn't care.

Was actually 8 minutes away from my destination on an hour and a half trip. Had to get on a highway for just a few minutes, only part of the whole trip that I needed to do such. As I'm in the merge lane with about a car length between me and the next car trying to find a point to merge (heavy traffic on the highway at the time) a little cross-over darts into our lane. He smashes into the car in front of me about a second later and about another second after that I slam into him.

It was the weirdest situation of my life. I saw him coming and immedietely my brain was going "He's going to hit that guy" followed by "**** I'm going to hit him!". I thought to try and swerve and avoid, but the shoulder was not going to be a welcoming place and I likely didn't have the time to make it. So I tried to break a bit and turned the bike slightly so I wouldn't hit straight on. Bike went right, I threw myself off the left on impact.

Thank god I had my armor on and a full face helmet. I look a bit like a joke when I'm riding a Cruiser bike with what looks like crotch rocket gear, but I was thankful for it. I banged my head on the ground as I landed, but didn't even have a headache after. I had a bad bruise along my side near my hip, but other than that no damage to my body. A little scrape an elbow, through everything I was wearing and armor, which made me cringe thinking what it would've been if I didn't have the armor there.

Guy ended up telling the cops that he swerved to avoid hitting someone in the lane he was in (because he was following that guy too closely) and just didn't really see me and over estimated the space he had before he got to the car that was in front of me.
 
Cardinal said:
My biggest fear would be driving between lines of stopped cars on the freeway. All it takes is one person to open their door at the wrong time and bam.
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Thankfully I believe this is illegal in Virginia, though I've seen people do it and I just shake my head.
 
Peter Grimm said:
I'm getting a Triumph Bonneville, and as I've been reading safety statistics on motorcycles it made me wonder what the good people of DP would think.

You are 36 times more likely to be in a fatal crash on a motorcycle than in a car. The most common reason for motorcycle crashes is they get hit by a car that doesn't see them.

Do you think a 16 year old should be able to buy a motorcycle? Should protective gear (helmets, leather assless chaps, etc) be required? Do you think there should be noise limits on the pipes?

This is a thread all about motorcycles and the law, so post your thoughts.
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1. No it shouldnt be illegal.
2. Yes a 16 year old should be allowed to buy one. Though If you are their parent and you buy your 16 year old a GSXR100 or even a ZXR600 you are a moron, get them something relatively slow and light so they can learn how to ride before they get something that will out accelerate a supercar.
3. Yes cars tend not to notice bikes, When you ride you must pay extra attention to the wolrd around you one of the reasons for #2 above high speed gives less time to react. It takes time for people to learn the lessons of expecting the car to pull out in front of you.
4. No protective gear should not be required but you are a moron if you dont wear any. Winning a Darwin award would be your best service to humanity if you dont.
5. Of course there should be noise limits on pipes what you think just because a guy/girl has a bike they should be allowed to make nore noise than everybody else? Also if you ride a bike it is smarter to have it quie,t it attracts less unwanted attention from the police. Track days are different though many still have a noise limit.
 
Just make stupidity illegal, that'll solve the problem. Most Harley riders are morons for not wearing any gear other than boots and maybe a leather jacket. Rocket riders show off in terrible areas on bikes that are just waiting to kill them. Cars... plenty of stupidity there too. I've only been riding for 5 years and have nearly been hit a good 10 times. Cars just need to pay more attention and riders need to wear their gear and be constantly aware of their surroundings and escape routes.

To the OP, take a motorcycle safety class. Not only will it teach you the fundamentals but even if you already know how to ride it can make you aware of some of your bad habits. On top of that I saved a solid 25% on my insurance. Goes without saying, wear your gear. At the very least a helmet but the more the merrier.
 
ex99 said:
Just make stupidity illegal, that'll solve the problem. Most Harley riders are morons for not wearing any gear other than boots and maybe a leather jacket. Rocket riders show off in terrible areas on bikes that are just waiting to kill them. Cars... plenty of stupidity there too. I've only been riding for 5 years and have nearly been hit a good 10 times. Cars just need to pay more attention and riders need to wear their gear and be constantly aware of their surroundings and escape routes.

To the OP, take a motorcycle safety class. Not only will it teach you the fundamentals but even if you already know how to ride it can make you aware of some of your bad habits. On top of that I saved a solid 25% on my insurance. Goes without saying, wear your gear. At the very least a helmet but the more the merrier.
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I would go one farther take a race course class as well . It will make you a better rider and maybe you will discover a new pastime. You will learn far more about cornering and what you CAN do with the bike if you need to than you will just riding around on your own.
 
Quag said:
I would go one farther take a race course class as well . It will make you a better rider and maybe you will discover a new pastime. You will learn far more about cornering and what you CAN do with the bike if you need to than you will just riding around on your own.
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ABSOLUTELY agree. Something I've always wanted to do. I used to do HSAX and can say it certainly has saved me a couple times. Might have been in a car but it still taught me to think quickly. You only have a nanosecond to decide what your best course of action is.
 
I know a lot of people who ride street bikes. Out of all those people the only ones that were ever killed on a motorcycle were going well over the posted speed limit. I'm talking 150 to 180 mph. Those people were stupid and put there own lives as well as others in danger. Doing stupid stuff like that is expected to get you killed someday. The people I know that were hit by cars or ran into cars is very low. Most bikers are very aware of their surroundings. If you follow the rules and drive defensive your chances are very good you will never have an issue.
 
shlunka said:
Have you observed any motorcycle racing?
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Motorcycles do lack traction thus have lower g-force potential for turns/corners. That cornering disadvantage can be overcome by their lower weight (and higher horsepower to weight ratio), giving the motorcycle the ability to accelerate and brake faster. Check lap times for a 2 mile, road race, course and you will see that the lowest lap times are obtained by the smaller (lighter) motorcycles. What cars gain (over motorcyces) on the turns, they lose (to motorcycles) in acceleation and braking between them.

lap times from Summit Point - evolutionm.net

Summit Point Raceway
 
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ttwtt78640 said:
Motorcycles do lack traction thus have lower g-force potential for turns/corners. That cornering disadvantage can be overcome by their lower weight (and higher horsepower to weight ratio), giving the motorcycle the ability to accelerate and brake faster. Check lap times for a 2 mile, road race, course and you will see that the lowest lap times are obtained by the smaller (lighter) motorcycles. What cars gain (over motorcyces) on the turns, they lose (to motorcycles) in acceleation and braking between them.

lap times from Summit Point - evolutionm.net

Summit Point Raceway
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Actually most race cars can outbrake race bikes as well. 4 much larger contact patches and use of downforce overcomes the lighter wieght of bikes whos contact patch basically halves as the real wheel is providing little to no braking force. As to the fastet bike on any given track, depends on the track. Faster tracks with longer straights and more flowing corners tend to have the larger bikes win. Smaller tighter tracks favor the smaller bikes. The closest track to me is rather small with some tight turns. 3-4 years ago it was a 1000CC superbike that set the new record that was previously held by a small 2 stroke so even on some smaller tracks the HP of modern superbikes is overcoming the cornering advantage of the smaller bikes.
 
Peter Grimm said:
I'm getting a Triumph Bonneville, and as I've been reading safety statistics on motorcycles it made me wonder what the good people of DP would think.

You are 36 times more likely to be in a fatal crash on a motorcycle than in a car. The most common reason for motorcycle crashes is they get hit by a car that doesn't see them.

Do you think a 16 year old should be able to buy a motorcycle? Should protective gear (helmets, leather assless chaps, etc) be required? Do you think there should be noise limits on the pipes?

This is a thread all about motorcycles and the law, so post your thoughts.
Click to expand...

There are old bikers and there are bold bikers but, there are very few old, bold bikers.

Taking MC safety course is a good idea for many reasons, including an insurance discount. Most single vehicle MC accidents result from operator error/ignorance. Whether the law requires MC training or decent MC safety equipment is of little importance - if you have a $10 head then buy a $10 helmet. ;)

I have ridden MCs for over 30 years, was a certified MC safety instructor and have been in MC street accidents 6 times, breaking bones in 4 of them. Safety, as defined as absence of risk, does not exist while operating a MC. Learn and practice your riding skills, defensive driving techniques and wear appropriate protective gear.

The typical excuse used for MC accidents is "I didn't see the MC" but that is 99.9% BS - what else can they say but "I was not paying attention, I saw the MC but figured they would either get out of my way or do little harm to me in a collision".

Ride aware, ride often and have fun.
 
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