Man some of the people in this thread...its just obvious that you have never ridden a bike.
No, not everyone who rides a motorcycle is going to get hit, or lay the bike down. Ride during the day, be proactive (as wirednuts points out), and be smart. If you have never ridden, you really *cannot* understand the difference between riding a bike and driving a car, there is no comparison in the attention you put into driving. Bikes get hit when cars stop paying attention.
Helmets- helmets should not be required by law, people should be able to do what they want with their lives. That said, if you ride without a helmet you are an idiot IMO. Someone not wearing a helmet does not endanger others any more than someone with a helmet.
Loud exhausts- yeah, im not a fan of overly loud bikes. But, the FbF pipes I have on my Duc do help get some attention on the road. One more chance I won't get hit by a douche on a cell phone. To the story about the guy in the morning- yeah he's a dick. Maybe you should say something to him about it.
Beginners- I recommend anyone who comes to me for advice to buy a rebel 250 (if they want a cruiser) or a ninja 250 (if they want a sport bike). Heck I enjoy riding either of those bikes and I've been riding since I was 4. Riding is riding!
Lay bikes down- while you can't avoid everything, I don't know that *everyone* will lay a bike down. Yeah, I put dirtbikes down all the time, but I've never been down on a street bike. Know your limits, and know the limits of your bike. I bet a lot of people who put their bikes down also are the ones you see taking the bike in to a shop for a freaking oil change...I'm not going to get all hippy here, but seriously, wrenching on your own bike has its advantages in knowing every little thing about it, and that helps on the road.
People getting angry at motorcyclists because they are stupidly putting their lives at risk- I really have trouble fathoming where people are coming from on this. Mind your own business? I understand that many people are risk averse. That is fine. But we would not have gone to the moon or even be in this country without people willing to take risks. Not everyone can be risk averse...that would suck for us as a species.