Seat Belts, Health Care

[Jesus_lol]

[quote name='Ed Normile' date='26 March 2010 - 06:32 PM' timestamp='1269653562' post='2081028']
Truth is that there are very few to no accidents on a motorcycle which are survivable. A helmet may help you if you came to a stop and your bike fell over, but outside of that the odd times a motorcyclist survives a crash he wishes he were dead. I had a good friend who went by the name "Doc" he was doing 15 miles an hour according to the cop who was behind him, he was preparing to turn left when an old lady pulled into him from the right without stopping. He lost his left arm and his right leg, had to have a bag strapped to his side to use the bathroom and lived miserably for almost five years. I seen a man stopped at a light during bike week in Daytona Fl., a drunk rammed him from behind doing maybe 20 miles an hour and bounced him into a telephone pole, he died on the way to the hospital. My cousin laid down his bike doing 30 miles an hour in Buckeye Lake Ohio when a camper pulled out in front of him, he went through four years of reconstructive surgery as the leathers he was wearing ground off him and his skin went too, he did not own a helmet and he slid without hitting his head, his legs, back and shoulders were not as lucky.

Edit> Oh , by the way, most bikes have windsheilds to keep you from being blinded by the wind or bugs that may hit your face and eyes.
ed
[/quote]

actually, quite a few are survivable. if you are wearing the safety gear(helmet, gloves jacket, etc) any crash where you dont actually impact anything(as in sliding along the road at 100mph, instead of into a truck) you actually have a really really good chance of being unhurt, maybe a little bruised up. without that stuff, like in a t shirt etc, you are gonna haveneed for serious skin grafts. but any responsible bike rider wears at least a jacket gloves and helmet everywhere.

[Sternhauser]

[quote name='Ed Normile' date='26 March 2010 - 08:32 PM' timestamp='1269653562' post='2081028']
Truth is that there are very few to no accidents on a motorcycle which are survivable. A helmet may help you if you came to a stop and your bike fell over, but outside of that the odd times a motorcyclist survives a crash he wishes he were dead. I had a good friend who went by the name "Doc" he was doing 15 miles an hour according to the cop who was behind him, he was preparing to turn left when an old lady pulled into him from the right without stopping. He lost his left arm and his right leg, had to have a bag strapped to his side to use the bathroom and lived miserably for almost five years. I seen a man stopped at a light during bike week in Daytona Fl., a drunk rammed him from behind doing maybe 20 miles an hour and bounced him into a telephone pole, he died on the way to the hospital. My cousin laid down his bike doing 30 miles an hour in Buckeye Lake Ohio when a camper pulled out in front of him, he went through four years of reconstructive surgery as the leathers he was wearing ground off him and his skin went too, he did not own a helmet and he slid without hitting his head, his legs, back and shoulders were not as lucky.
[/quote]

There is a certain degree of fragility with motorcycles, no doubt. However, probably 90% of motorcycle "accidents" could be prevented by being properly visible, riding like you're invisible, and not being foolish. It probably wouldn't hurt for cagers could throw a look over their shoulder or use a signal every once in a while, too.

Simple leathers just don't cut it.

ATGATT. All The Gear, All The Time. Armored jacket, armored pants. Knee armor. Hip armor. Shoulder armor. Elbow armor. Full face helmet. Spine armor. Boots, and armored gloves. The reason there are very few to no accidents which are survivable is because the squids are riding like they usually do, like idiots, at least 30 MPH faster than everyone else, wearing nothing but their trusty Corona t-shirts, shorts and flip flops. These are incapable of protecting them from being decimated by the pavement or a windshield/tailgate when they inevitably make their acquaintance. Hard. You can t-bone a deer and survive without a problem, as long as you're [i]wearing your gear. [/i]

There are plenty of videos out there of motorcyclists getting up and walking away as long as they've got their gear on. And not just at racetracks at 140 MPH.

~Sternhauser

Edited March 27, 2010 by Sternhauser

[Jesus_lol]

[quote name='Sternhauser' date='26 March 2010 - 07:56 PM' timestamp='1269658582' post='2081065']
There is a certain degree of fragility with motorcycles, no doubt. However, probably 90% of motorcycle "accidents" could be prevented by being properly visible, riding like you're invisible, and not being foolish. It probably wouldn't hurt for cagers could throw a look over their shoulder or use a signal every once in a while, too.

Simple leathers just don't cut it.

ATGATT. All The Gear, All The Time. Armored jacket, armored pants. Knee armor. Hip armor. Shoulder armor. Elbow armor. Full face helmet. Spine armor. Boots, and armored gloves. The reason there are very few to no accidents which are survivable is because the squids are riding like they usually do, like idiots, at least 30 MPH faster than everyone else, wearing nothing but their trusty Corona t-shirts, shorts and flip flops. These are incapable of protecting them from being decimated by the pavement or a windshield/tailgate when they inevitably make their acquaintance. Hard. You can t-bone a deer and survive without a problem, as long as you're [i]wearing your gear. [/i]

There are plenty of videos out there of motorcyclists getting up and walking away as long as they've got their gear on. And not just at racetracks at 140 MPH.

~Sternhauser
[/quote]

this post is full of win. i didnt know you ride motorbikes as well. without derailing the thread to much what bike do you ride?

dont forget the harley riders with the useless skull caps.

[Nihil Obstat]

[quote name='Jesus_lol' date='27 March 2010 - 12:31 AM' timestamp='1269667861' post='2081161']
this post is full of win. i didnt know you ride motorbikes as well. without derailing the thread to much what bike do you ride?

dont forget the harley riders with the useless skull caps.
[/quote]
Also not to derail the thread, what does a full set of armour set one back monetarily? $1000? More?

[Jesus_lol]

[quote name='Nihil Obstat' date='26 March 2010 - 10:34 PM' timestamp='1269668048' post='2081162']
Also not to derail the thread, what does a full set of armour set one back monetarily? $1000? More?
[/quote]

hmm. well
there is a very high upper limit, but ill guess it out for you based on what i got. gloves 50 bucks, jacket with some armour 2-3 hundred, boots a couple hundred, helmet as low as 50(if you smell of elderberries and like half shell skullcaps) to 1000 but a normal perfectly safe one is 100-300 bucks. not sure about the pants.

but yeah 1000-1500 bucks. but i dont have the fancy racing armour, but its not much more. probably around the 1500 dollar limit. but then if you consider a bike that can accellerate as fast as a Bugatti Veyron will set you back 15,000 new its not much in total. and a used bike for 5 grand will be faster than nearly any ferrari. whereas a new car for 15 grand will be servicable, but utterly boring.

if you want to be life savingly garbed, and arent going too fast, a set of hiking boots, steel toes etc that cover your ankle, and a 300 dollar leather jacket with armor and a full face helmet, with leather gloves will set you back 600-700 bucks total. hardly ideal, and you might still get hurt badly in a slide, but thats sorta the bare minimum.

Edited March 27, 2010 by Jesus_lol

[Nihil Obstat]

[img]http://www.gizmag.com/pictures/lrg/4642_23090552430.jpg[/img]

Fast acceleration you say?

[Jesus_lol]

[quote name='Nihil Obstat' date='26 March 2010 - 10:55 PM' timestamp='1269669307' post='2081167']
[img]http://www.gizmag.com/pictures/lrg/4642_23090552430.jpg[/img]

Fast acceleration you say?
[/quote]

mhm. stock getting about 9.6 second quartermiles, hitting about 145 miles per hour, top speeds close to 200 miles per hour. and that isnt even the fastest accelerating bike.beaver dam close though. 0-60mph in about 2.5-3 seconds for the faster bikes.

Edited March 27, 2010 by Jesus_lol

[Nihil Obstat]

Actually, I'll be honest with you. If I were to have a midlife crisis someday and buy a motorcycle, it would be something more like this:
[img]http://image.motorcyclecruiser.com/f/9159455+w750+st0/baja_test_lg+2003_harley_davidson_electra_glide_ultra_classic+side_view.jpg[/img]
or this:
[img]http://allmotorcyclepictures.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/2009-Harley-Davidson-FLSTN-Softail-Deluxe-front.jpg[/img]

[Jesus_lol]

[quote name='Nihil Obstat' date='26 March 2010 - 11:22 PM' timestamp='1269670956' post='2081177']
Actually, I'll be honest with you. If I were to have a midlife crisis someday and buy a motorcycle, it would be something more like this:
[img]http://image.motorcyclecruiser.com/f/9159455+w750+st0/baja_test_lg+2003_harley_davidson_electra_glide_ultra_classic+side_view.jpg[/img]
or this:
[img]http://allmotorcyclepictures.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/2009-Harley-Davidson-FLSTN-Softail-Deluxe-front.jpg[/img]
[/quote]

well i cant see the second picture. but harleys? bleeeeeeeeagh. half the fun of motorbikes is leaning into corners and they can barely do that, the other half is acceleration, and they can barely do that either. if i was to get a cruiser motorbike it would be this one.
[img]http://www.mcnews.com.au/Testing/Yamaha/2009_V-Max/Yamaha_VMAX_Images/images/2009_Yamaha_V-Max_Jet_RHF_700p.jpg[/img]
actually i lied, there are two harleys i like, the [url="http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/wp-content/gallery/hd-xr1200/HD-XR1200-1.jpg"]XR1200[/url] dirt tracker styled bike, and the [url="http://www.motorbikestoday.com/reviews/Images/harley_vrod_fr_lge.jpg"]V-Rod[/url]. both are unusually fast and well handling for Harleys, quite interesting bikes.

Edited March 27, 2010 by Jesus_lol

[Laudate_Dominum]

[quote name='Jesus_lol' date='27 March 2010 - 01:31 AM' timestamp='1269667861' post='2081161']
this post is full of win. i didnt know you ride motorbikes as well. without derailing the thread to much what bike do you ride?[/quote]
I concur.

btw, this is probably one of the coolest hijacks evarr.

[Winchester]

I was pretty good at Mach Rider.

[Laudate_Dominum]

[quote name='Winchester' date='27 March 2010 - 11:00 AM' timestamp='1269702045' post='2081297']
I was pretty good at Mach Rider.
[/quote]
[img]http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h119/NoonienSoong_2006/banana_rawk.gif[/img]

[Sternhauser]

[quote name='Jesus_lol' date='27 March 2010 - 12:31 AM' timestamp='1269667861' post='2081161']
this post is full of win. i didnt know you ride motorbikes as well. without derailing the thread to much what bike do you ride?

dont forget the harley riders with the useless skull caps.
[/quote]

Just a Ninja 250. The pre-2007 style. I wanted to learn how easy it was to get killed on a small bike before I moved to a larger bike. It can still out-accelerate about 95% of American cars, and it is a fun little weasel in the twisties. Very easy to throw around. I'm looking into procuring a Vstrom 650 for sport-touring at this point, but I love the 250 so much that I don't know if I'll get rid of it.

How about you?

~Sternhauser

[Jesus_lol]

[quote name='Sternhauser' date='27 March 2010 - 12:35 PM' timestamp='1269718522' post='2081456']
Just a Ninja 250. The pre-2007 style. I wanted to learn how easy it was to get killed on a small bike before I moved to a larger bike. It can still out-accelerate about 95% of American cars, and it is a fun little weasel in the twisties. Very easy to throw around. I'm looking into procuring a Vstrom 650 for sport-touring at this point, but I love the 250 so much that I don't know if I'll get rid of it.

How about you?

~Sternhauser
[/quote]

my first bike was a [url="http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r267/diablo_man/DSCF4191.jpg"]1984 yamaha virago 500[/url]. which was fun, weak clutch and the previous owner abused it, but it was still quick. dstroyed my friends nighthawk 250. next bike was a [url="http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r267/diablo_man/DSCF4471.jpg"]1984 Honda XL600r enduro[/url] that my next door neighbor gave to me, cause it hadnt worked in years. he had the whole thing rebuilt basically, so when i eventually fixed it(with 3 cents of electrical tape on the killswitch wire) it ran awesomely. light strong bike and geared down it wheelied pretty awesome. after doing lotsa dumbstuff with it in vancouver i decided to seel it and get a road bike, at which point i broke my elbow mountain biking.

so now i have no bike except this 50 dollar [url="http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r267/diablo_man/DSC00197.jpg"]suzuki ts185 2 stroke dirtbike[/url]. which ran awesomely, fast and loud around our farm, wheelies and jumps until it stopped working for reasons unknown

but im looking at getting a 2000-2002 kawasaki zx-6r for my next bike.

the V strom is by all accounts an awesome bike, though ugly. i think i would rather have the sv650 though.

[Sternhauser]

[quote name='Jesus_lol' date='27 March 2010 - 03:48 PM' timestamp='1269722897' post='2081520']
my first bike was a [url="http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r267/diablo_man/DSCF4191.jpg"]1984 yamaha virago 500[/url]. which was fun, weak clutch and the previous owner abused it, but it was still quick. dstroyed my friends nighthawk 250. next bike was a [url="http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r267/diablo_man/DSCF4471.jpg"]1984 Honda XL600r enduro[/url] that my next door neighbor gave to me, cause it hadnt worked in years. he had the whole thing rebuilt basically, so when i eventually fixed it(with 3 cents of electrical tape on the killswitch wire) it ran awesomely. light strong bike and geared down it wheelied pretty awesome. after doing lotsa dumbstuff with it in vancouver i decided to seel it and get a road bike, at which point i broke my elbow mountain biking.

so now i have no bike except this 50 dollar [url="http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r267/diablo_man/DSC00197.jpg"]suzuki ts185 2 stroke dirtbike[/url]. which ran awesomely, fast and loud around our farm, wheelies and jumps until it stopped working for reasons unknown

but im looking at getting a 2000-2002 kawasaki zx-6r for my next bike.

the V strom is by all accounts an awesome bike, though ugly. i think i would rather have the sv650 though.
[/quote]

Jesus_lol,

I love the looks of the old '70s and '80s imports. Especially the cone-shaped exhausts. Sounds like a great bike to have learned on. A ZX-6R would definitely be interesting. Aren't the roads a little . . . straight, where you are, though?

The Vstrom is phenomenally ugly. Like others have said, a "plastic maggot." The SV650 is a better looking bike, but I like the luggage and slightly better dirt road capabilities offered by the Strom.

Isn't it funny how every used bike you see is for sale has [i]always[/i] been dropped by the "previous owner?" Sure it was. Or the best one, "I had to put it down to avoid hitting X." Sure you did, Mr. Locked-It-Up-Because-I-Panicked-Lowside.

Like the saying goes, it's not a question of [i]if[/i] you put your bike down, it's a question of when and how. The ego goes down harder than the bike. I've dropped mine twice at (thankfully) low speeds in a controlled environment. I'll be very honest about that.

~Sternhauser