For those who ride

[Greenman]

Do you ever get the feeling that maybe it's time to give it up? Over the last 6 days I've seen two serious accidents, and been forced out of my lane twice by drivers not paying attention. All of this was while driving my pickup, which is huge and white, kind of hard to miss.

It seems like drivers are getting a lot worse, the two wreaks I witnessed were caused by outright stupidity, and I'm seeing more of it every day. It's making me rethink motorcycles.

 

[lxskllr]

Opposite. I'd like to get a bike, but am getting too old and delicate. I should have gotten one years ago to get the wrecks out of the way, and get some experience.

 

[Fenixgoon]

the more i ride at a track, the less i want to ride the street.

that being said, road trips are still hella fun. but it's so hot in texas right now, i have little desire to cook myself.

 

[dbcooper1]

I know exactly how you feel; I'm at that point too. I've been riding for over 40 years and at the end of every season lately, I think it might be time to give up the bike. I've had all sorts and sizes of road bikes; right now a 6 cylinder Goldwing. There's no shortage of stupid out there; mostly distracted drivers from my experience and too many inexperienced riders choosing too big a bike too soon. New cars have all sorts of gadgets to play with but I think the biggest culprit by far is the phone. But then every spring, there's perfect day for a ride and off I go again. So far, anyway.

 

[Greenman]

the more i ride at a track, the less i want to ride the street.

that being said, road trips are still hella fun. but it's so hot in texas right now, i have little desire to cook myself.

Love road trips! Around here fall is the best time of year to ride, perfect weather.

 

[CuriousMike]

I spent 19 years of my life riding motorcycles... almost to exclusivity.

Commuted, toured, sport-ridden, weekend rides, rain, "track days" and a little dirt riding.

There is no such thing as "get the wrecks out of the way." There's no such thing as "laying 'er down".

There is very demonstrably training and a soft-science to riding a motorcycle "safely" and with good control. ( Training = Motorcycle Safety Foundation, The MSF )

I had those 19 years and had a LOT of fun. I got it. I had fun. I rarely took chances, stayed safe, had fun.

Acceleration on a fast motorcycle is intoxicating. And affordable.

And there are seemingly way more dipsh!ts who ride motorcycles than other sports.
And they're more visible.

And everyone has a cousin/uncle/best friend who was killed/maimed/hurt on a bike - ergo, bikes are dangerous.
They neglect to mention how the cousin/uncle/best friend wasn't trained. Or was riding like a jacknard. Or was driving drunk.

I had 19 years without incident.

Then, one day, I found myself laying in a ditch wondering why it hurt to breathe.

I've taken a 5 year break from riding. I'll come back when I'm ready. But, for now, its been time to take a break. But not give it up.

 

[Greenman]

I know exactly how you feel; I'm at that point too. I've been riding for over 40 years and at the end of every season lately, I think it might be time to give up the bike. I've had all sorts and sizes of road bikes; right now a 6 cylinder Goldwing. There's no shortage of stupid out there; mostly distracted drivers from my experience and too many inexperienced riders choosing too big a bike too soon. New cars have all sorts of gadgets to play with but I think the biggest culprit by far is the phone. But then every spring, there's perfect day for a ride and off I go again. So far, anyway.

I'm with you on every single point.

 

[Greenman]

I spent 19 years of my life riding motorcycles... almost to exclusivity.

Commuted, toured, sport-ridden, weekend rides, rain, "track days" and a little dirt riding.

There is no such thing as "get the wrecks out of the way." There's no such thing as "laying 'er down".

There is very demonstrably training and a soft-science to riding a motorcycle "safely" and with good control. ( Training = Motorcycle Safety Foundation, The MSF )

I had those 19 years and had a LOT of fun. I got it. I had fun. I rarely took chances, stayed safe, had fun.

Acceleration on a fast motorcycle is intoxicating. And affordable.

And there are seemingly way more dipsh!ts who ride motorcycles than other sports.
And they're more visible.

And everyone has a cousin/uncle/best friend who was killed/maimed/hurt on a bike - ergo, bikes are dangerous.
They neglect to mention how the cousin/uncle/best friend wasn't trained. Or was riding like a jacknard. Or was driving drunk.

I had 19 years without incident.

Then, one day, I found myself laying in a ditch wondering why it hurt to breathe.

I've taken a 5 year break from riding. I'll come back when I'm ready. But, for now, its been time to take a break. But not give it up.

I'm in the Bay Area as well, it seems to be the epicenter for stupid in Northern California. I just got back from a trip to the hardware store and some half wit in a BMW was passing cars in the left turn lane going around 65 in a 40 zone. A woman was killed in the same area about a month back by a driver that couldn't make the turn. I could pretty easily make that turn in my pickup going 70 mph.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I keep going back and forth. When I ride I really enjoy it but lately all it seems I'm doing is commuting on it once or twice a week and that can be a mixed bag. If traffic isn't too heavy it's fine but if it is grid lock and I'm lane splitting it gets tiring quick. Plus, I have a really nice car now that I love driving so I'm kind of thinking of selling the bike.

 

[Subyman]

Luckily, I live in a sparsely populated area and we don't have a lot of motorcycle jack asses giving everyone a bad name. Mostly Harley cruisers with some sport bikes here and there. The only deaths that seem to happen are from drunks either plowing into a bike or the biker is drunk and goes off into a ditch. Even with that I lost my taste for riding.

I rode for about 5 years when I was in my late teens and early twenties. I went through the motorcycle driving classes (both in class and on the track.) I also had a 25+ year biker give me a lot of great pointers. I was very proficient at riding and loved it, but a few close calls from other drivers ate away at my confidence in others enough for me to move away from bikes and back to cars and other powersports. I love riding, but if I was going to get on two wheels again I think it would be on an off road bike instead of on the streets.

 

[Greenman]

I keep going back and forth. When I ride I really enjoy it but lately all it seems I'm doing is commuting on it once or twice a week and that can be a mixed bag. If traffic isn't too heavy it's fine but if it is grid lock and I'm lane splitting it gets tiring quick. Plus, I have a really nice car now that I love driving so I'm kind of thinking of selling the bike.

Lane splitting is stressful. You have to be on your toes every second and searching for the slightest twitch out of the drivers around you. I still do it, but 10 miles of lane splitting is like riding 300 miles on open road.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

I bought a bike again after a 5 year hiatus. It's dangerous and honestly not the smartest decision I've made. I am very selective about when I decide to ride. I don't ride when traffic is heavy or it's dark outside. I also don't ride when the weather is not comfortable for me. I have 1200 miles on it this year. I figure I'll keep it around for those nice weather days when I get the urge to ride. I've already sunk all the money into gear and whatnot so I'll keep it another year or two and make a decision then.

 

[dbcooper1]

Years ago, I used to be afraid of an 80+ year old in a big Buick; now it's a 16 year old in a Mustang on a phone. More and more though, I ride only on country roads and I'm increasingly a fair weather rider.

 

[CuriousMike]

Lane splitting is stressful. You have to be on your toes every second and searching for the slightest twitch out of the drivers around you. I still do it, but 10 miles of lane splitting is like riding 300 miles on open road.

It's remarkable the amount of energy you use when riding in heavy traffic... particularly if splitting.

 

[skyking]

I keep going back and forth. When I ride I really enjoy it but lately all it seems I'm doing is commuting on it once or twice a week and that can be a mixed bag. If traffic isn't too heavy it's fine but if it is grid lock and I'm lane splitting it gets tiring quick. Plus, I have a really nice car now that I love driving so I'm kind of thinking of selling the bike.

Bad traffic commuting on a nice bike is a waste. A waste of your time in the saddle, etc.

 

[rstrohkirch]

More people need to ride dirt bikes. Either on the track or trails. Give it a serious go and you'll probably wonder why you even own a street bike.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Bad traffic commuting on a nice bike is a waste. A waste of your time in the saddle, etc.

Keeps my skills up though.

 

[JulesMaximus]

More people need to ride dirt bikes. Either on the track or trails. Give it a serious go and you'll probably wonder why you even own a street bike.

Yeah, the problem I have with that is the only place to ride is the desert and I don't have a way of getting a dirt bike to the places I could ride it.

 

[Greenman]

More people need to ride dirt bikes. Either on the track or trails. Give it a serious go and you'll probably wonder why you even own a street bike.

I rode dirt bikes as a kid. It's fun, but hard on an old guy's body.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

I sold all my bikes when I moved from a rural to an urban community. Way too many distracted drivers. It's really no fun to ride in traffic. When I retire to the hills of Kentucky you can bet the first purchase after the house will be a bike.

 

[hanoverphist]

i ride mine at least every week. even if its around town, to the coffee shop, to my friends auto shop or just to the store to pick up some stuff. i do long rides as well, i love riding and have been riding since 1988 or so. i took a few years off while raising my kids, but have been riding for a very long time. one thing that hasnt changed over the years is distracted drivers, being an alert rider is about the best you can do. regardless of that, when its your time, its your time. im not gonna stop doing something i love while im still capable of doing it just because of that.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Meanwhile, on my drive in to work this morning I saw 2 motorcycles down. One had two fire trucks blocking a couple lanes of the freeway for what was, I'm assuming, an injury accident as the only vehicles present, other than the fire trucks, was a CHP cruiser and a mangled motorcycle. I assume they took the rider away by ambulance by the time I was passing by.

The other one looked like a car had rear ended a bike. The front end of the car was mashed and the bike was on its side stand parked in front of it. Rider was off the bike and standing though so that was a good sign.

 

[Carson Dyle]

I knew a couple of guys who were huge motorcycle enthusiasts back in the 1970s. And gave it up in the early 80s for exactly the same reasons. They thought that drivers were just getting too careless and that it was only a matter of time before their number was called.

I think it mostly has to do with your personal experiences and what you've seen.

 

[pauldun170]

I stopped riding during peak hours years ago.
My general rule is that if I see more than a couple of cars then it's time to go home.
My riding is tends to occur from predawn to about 9ish on weekends. Occasionally I'll head out during busier times but its rare.

Heading out 5AM to 5:30AM on a weekend and having the roads to myself is awesome.
Risks are still there but most of it involve deer but at least the deer don't issue speeding tickets or blow stop signs.

 

[PricklyPete]

I see way to many motorcycle and bicycle accidents to be interested in riding on the road on either. Hell, I barely feel safe driving I25 (our mega lane highway) in my SUV due to careless/distracted drivers. I'll stick to mountain biking for my adrenaline rush.