Motorcycle Safety | Page 2 | FerrariChat

Motorcycle Safety

Discussion in 'Motorcycles & Boats' started by Texas Forever, Mar 20, 2021.

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  1. fpb

    fpb Karting

    Dec 18, 2003
    179
    MI, Chicago
    Surprised nobody has mentioned it, but wear brightly-colored gear (especially the jacket and helmet). I wear a day glow green/yellow jacket & helmet and it definitely is hard to miss. I have no idea why guys wear black or matt gray helmets. And wear all your protective gear every ride! It boggles my mind how many people don't wear any of it.
     
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  2. BoulderFCar

    BoulderFCar F1 World Champ
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    Dec 16, 2004
    12,114
    Asheville, NC/Ft Lauderdale
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    Tom
    I don't mean this as a smart ass remark but it may sound like one. By the time someone is intentional enough to shop for, invest in, and wear hi viz they are probably a pretty safe rider. It's a priority. Does it work? Can't hurt. The bigger factor is that you've probably got someone who's pretty plugged into safety from the get go. Kind of like remembering to take two Advil to avoid a hangover before you go to bed. If you remembered the Advil you probably weren't hammered.

    I had three people turn left in front of me last week. One was a motorcycle! All of them <40MPH situations and all easily avoided because I was going through the intersections with caution as opposed to entitlement.
     
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  3. fpb

    fpb Karting

    Dec 18, 2003
    179
    MI, Chicago
    Nah, that's a good point. It's probably a semantic argument, but I would say that brightly colored gear potentially alerts other drivers. In other words, if I'm riding safe it definitely matters, but I'm more worried about cars seeing me. When I ride I'm generally only worried about other drivers and not my ability.
     
  4. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 29, 2004
    33,736
    Austin TX
    Full Name:
    Brian Crall
    How the hell do you expect to be seen when that F350 has a text to return?.

    If I was allowed to make one rule, cell phones would not be allowed to function when in an automobile. Either that or a mandatory 1 year suspension and harsh fine.
     
  5. fpb

    fpb Karting

    Dec 18, 2003
    179
    MI, Chicago
    Fair point, i.e. in some cases you won't be seen at all. My point is to do all you can to try to make yourself visible.

    Unfortunately we're probably too late to have sweeping restrictions on cell phone use.
     
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  6. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 29, 2004
    33,736
    Austin TX
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    Brian Crall


    Just no point I guess. We had a teenager a year or two ago hit a church bus while texting and killed 13 of the 14 inside because he was texting.
     
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  7. Nospinzone

    Nospinzone F1 Veteran

    Jul 1, 2013
    7,347
    Weston, MA
    Full Name:
    Paul
    I've owned and been riding bikes since 1969. I don't know how many miles, but certainly well into 6 figures. Fortunately I have never had an accident.

    For most of those years my biggest concern was Friday and Saturday nights when most of the drunk drivers were out on the roads. Today drunk drivers aren't nearly the concern they once were. In the last 15 years or so it's the people on their cell phones talking, texting, web surfing, etc. that are my biggest concern.

    All the tips given are excellent, but none of them (except maybe for gear) will help you if you get rear ended. My wife has been rear ended twice in her car and me twice in my car (fortunately my Lexus not my Ferraris). If all but one of those happened while on my Harley Deuce, it would not have been pretty. Three of those were people on their cell phones and one was an elderly lady who hit the gas instead of the brake.

    For the last few years I've done under 1000 miles per year. I basically go to Laconia (NH) Bike Week with friends and do an occasional ride. If it wasn't for my wife who enjoys an occasional summer ride, I'd sell the thing.
     
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  8. Zcobra1

    Zcobra1 Formula 3

    Oct 9, 2012
    1,247
    So Cal
    Full Name:
    Bert
    I will add..Avoid riding at sundown...If possible. Avoid riding at sundown with sun at your back.
     
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  9. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 29, 2004
    33,736
    Austin TX
    Full Name:
    Brian Crall

    Especially if you are in an area with lots of wildlife. I rode across a big piece of west Texas at night once. Next morning I got up to do the next leg and was shocked at how many fresh deer kills I saw by the road. Lucky to be alive. Riding through there is like riding in a closet. All you can see is what is in your headlight beam.
    I met a guy once who was riding at night in farm country. Hit a black horse standing in the road. When I met him he was out celebrating getting the last cast removed. It was nearly a year after the accident.
     
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  10. Nospinzone

    Nospinzone F1 Veteran

    Jul 1, 2013
    7,347
    Weston, MA
    Full Name:
    Paul
    Deer are a real problem where I live. There is a lot of wooded area where I live and I have to be alert riding or driving a car at night. It's funny when I was a kid I grew up 50 miles west of Boston. We use to drive another 50 miles west during deer season to even hope to see a deer. Today I live 20 miles west of Boston and the deer are all over the place.

    It got so bad a couple years ago our town authorized bow hunting by special permit. I have a Barnett Predator, but the town has strict requirements, plus I'm not that proficient. I've had them walk across my backyard and I've been tempted, in season or not! :)
     
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  11. BoulderFCar

    BoulderFCar F1 World Champ
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    Dec 16, 2004
    12,114
    Asheville, NC/Ft Lauderdale
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    Tom
    This is non scientific and very narrow scope but I'm keeping track of the motorcycle deaths on the Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smokey Mountain Park where all the "good" roads are. Aprox 12 so far this year. 7 on the Blue Ridge and 5 in the GSMNP. 1 was a kid in his 20's going way too fast on the crotch rocket. 1 person, 52YO, crossed the center line and hit a car. All the rest are riders 55YO and up who failed to negotiate a turn. In other words, they drove off the road. A couple of those cited speed as a factor but the main thing was just old guys driving through a turn or catch the drainage on the side. None of the reports I've read cite idiot car driver behavior as the cause. I'm not making the case that distracted drivers aren't a huge issue it's just on the roads I ride, 8 months into the year, the fatalities are pretty much the fault of the motorcyclists.
     
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  12. Tegethoff

    Tegethoff Formula Junior

    Jul 19, 2014
    301
    Los Feliz
    Full Name:
    Adam
    I said this earlier this year.
    6 months later, I was side swiped by an SUV.

    Proper riding gear probably saved my left leg.

    I still have some fractures and dislocation, and will be out of work for 3 weeks or so, but I'm alive. Not all of my friends have been so lucky.
     
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  13. Texas Forever

    Texas Forever Seven Time F1 World Champ
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    Apr 28, 2003
    75,391
    Texas!
    I wonder how many dead where on big Harleys? It takes a lot of skill to ride a 800 pound motorcycle with crappy brakes and no cornering clearance.


    Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
     
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  14. BoulderFCar

    BoulderFCar F1 World Champ
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    Dec 16, 2004
    12,114
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    Tom
    I don't know about how many were Harley's but most of what you see on the BlueRidge are Harley's and Goldwings. I do know that as I talk to people many people trailer in or rent and ride Western NC as their one big ride of the year. The roads surfaces are near perfect and there is very little side traffic but there are lots of decreasing radius turns and most of the roads have a 12-24" drainage ditch right at the paint stripe.
     
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  15. Texas Forever

    Texas Forever Seven Time F1 World Champ
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    Apr 28, 2003
    75,391
    Texas!
    I've see clips of a big Harley that couldn't turn because it had grounded on the turn side and keep going straight.
     
  16. rob

    rob F1 Rookie

    May 22, 2002
    4,129
    Vt
    It's ironic you post this I had an F-350 come at me head-on right over the double yellow line a couple of weeks ago. He had his phone on his steering wheel and his stupid j/o face buried in it, I had just enough time to swerve out of the way. The only thing that pisses me off more is after these j/offs maim or kill somebody they say how sorry they are, it's too late at that point. Police in a town here in Vt set up in an abandoned store front on a busy road and watched for people driving by talking on their phones, they had a cruiser up the road that would pull the people over and ticket them. Would like to see this done more often.
     
  17. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 29, 2004
    33,736
    Austin TX
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    Brian Crall
    Last MC accident I had was avoiding a crash with a BMW SUV. I was happy I was able to avoid being run over by him but did crash in a somewhat controlled fashion doing it. Totally his fault due to an illegally performed maneuver and he admitted so to the police. I was not a very happy camper and not doing anything to hide that fact. After my reaction to him telling me how dangerous motorcycles were the Police decided to stay around until we exchanged information and he had left.
     
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  18. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 29, 2004
    33,736
    Austin TX
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    Brian Crall
    And I guess you have never seen a Ducati poorly ridden? Its no different than riding or driving anything. You operate it within its limits. An F350 cannot avoid accidents a 488 can. You drive it taking that into account.
     
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  19. Texas Forever

    Texas Forever Seven Time F1 World Champ
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    Apr 28, 2003
    75,391
    Texas!
    True, but riding a big Harley in North Carolina twisties that have a LOT of declining radius curves means you need to go slow.
     
  20. Wikdstrate

    Wikdstrate Formula Junior
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    Mar 25, 2013
    642
    New York
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    Alec
    You had me until the end of #2. I do a fair amount HPDE’s with my Aprili RSV4 RF and it makes me chuckle when people say you will actually accelerate when you lay the bike down on pavement (or grass)…this is physically IMPOSSIBLE and crushes your credibility.

    You’ve made some good points but please don’t perpetuate this myth!

    When was the last time you laid a bike down in its side and watched it speed away??!!

    You will not stop as fast as you otherwise would have if you would’ve kept the bike upright and it infuriates me when people claim bikes speed up when they are laid down. :eek:
     
  21. Texas Forever

    Texas Forever Seven Time F1 World Champ
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    Apr 28, 2003
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    What I meant to say is while you are still braking, you are slowing down. But once you stop braking, you're not slowing down much. Laying down a bike is not a good idea. Even if you somehow miss the object in front of you, there is the risk of the bike coming down on top of you.
     
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  22. Wikdstrate

    Wikdstrate Formula Junior
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    Mar 25, 2013
    642
    New York
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    Alec
    Didn’t mean to come off aggressively but even my driver’s Ed teacher in high school would tell us that hitting a patch of ice would make your car speed up before a possible collision.

    I got into it pretty good with him and it didn’t end well for me. Barely passed the class even though I was the only one in my class that already had a license and was a fairly accomplished driver by the time I took his class.

    Still burns me a little to this day…definitely should let that sh*t go. :)
     
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  23. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 29, 2004
    33,736
    Austin TX
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    Brian Crall
    #48 Rifledriver, Dec 30, 2021
    Last edited: Dec 30, 2021
    I had it explained to me this way a long time ago. A MC on its wheels has a deceleration rate of 3X.. A rider sliding on the ground has a deceleration rate of 1X. You are going to crash...how fast do you want to be going when you do?

    Reread this whole thing. Yea, getting rear ended and having someone turn left if front are 2 biggest fears. Been riding MC's on the road for 52 years pretty regularly and have been successful so far in preventing it and it is prevention.
     
  24. BoulderFCar

    BoulderFCar F1 World Champ
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    Dec 16, 2004
    12,114
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    Tom
    Congratulations on a good 52 years. I'm about 45 years.
     
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  25. Texas Forever

    Texas Forever Seven Time F1 World Champ
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    Apr 28, 2003
    75,391
    Texas!
    Perhaps the number one safety rule is to ride where there few or no cars.


    Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
     
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