Hang Up Your Helmet

Living in Fl for most of the year now, wouldn't ride a bike here. Too many meth heads and idiotic drivers. In general in 2024 regardless of location drivers of cars are way less attentive than they were in years gone by. Cars are safer so they concentrate less, then theyre all used to being beeped at by the car to warn, and there are all the distraction of screens in the car and on phone.

I still ride in Ct in spring when leaves on tress small enough to see though the bends, and also in fall, both also being seasons where the old folks are meandering elsewhere. If i lived in NC near the great mountain roads would ride more. Each time I ride I'm reminded why I love it so much, but Im selective of when and where I ride simply because of idiots in cars.

i push my speed on a track in a race car, not the same as a bike, but tis own thing. Every decade or so have a whoops on track, so stuff happens.

Bikes are awesome but mixing them with meth heads in clapped out trucks, old codgers who shouldn't be on the road and moms in minivans, all of whom are not paying attention doesn't make sense to me not to mention traffic and lights, who needs that. So I limit my riding according to times and conditions.

 

Darwin at work. Never applied brakes very hard as though he thought he'd lose control. He did drag his feet though.
Rode it like it was his very first time. Looked like he had time to stop had he acted decisively.

 

Funny, I have ridden and or driven in most states and I agree Florida drivers are terrible but then I think Texas drivers are nearly as bad. At least in Texas there are plenty of lonely roads. As bad as California is in most respects the average driver is pretty good. I commuted for years on a motorcycle rain or shine in some of Californias worst commutes and never really felt unsafe and that is with 100% legal lane splitting. When I moved here a local rider asked me about riding in Texas and I told him I sure was going to miss lane splitting.

 

So, the message is the helmet isn't gonna save you.........cool how the other riders just continued on with their day.......

 

Yes, he is.

 

I just finished a 1000+ mile ride on my Triumph Sprint through central Washington-- fantastic time! And yes, somehow I'm still alive.

 

Rifledriver one week ban for personal attacks.

totally not needed to discuss the topics.

Robb

 

He was out of line, but honestly this is an obnoxious thread generally.

 

Really, this thread should be in P&R. That is a more appropriate place for moralizing and telling other users what they should do.

 

I want to buy this bike. I know I shouldn't. But I wanna buy it anyway.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/196537031485?mkevt=1&plmtId=1110100101&mesgId=4001&mkpid=0&emsid=enull.m161499.l174141&mkcid=7&ch=osgood&euid&bu=43199086877&trkId=b7848fe8-8d3e-3809-b319-4bdbf8e3f15e&cnvId=a7fb74a1-c76a-4a5d-81a4-a4efd73d9c0c&osub=-1%7E1&crd=20240831173502&segname&recoId=196537031485&recoPos=1&autorefresh=true

 

Hmm do you think a 12 hour road trip on that or a GT car like a Ferrari Maranello would be more comfortable?

 

You can put it in your living room!

Or more likely, your office.

We are working on a plan to display my BMW Racer in the lobby of my club-- should be interesting. I'll have to get it detailed.

 

There really are no lonely roads in FL, but there are meth heads.
I do ride over the summer in CT, but there its deer and confused retirees. So now its mostly fall riding.

Just as a reminder came off my one bike last May, I ve owned that bike since 1986 and last time came off it was prob 1989. Not a biggie low speed, sand on a turn front tire slid out did a roll. Bent a peg broke a lever and turn signal. Hobbled into house with a bleeding knee and sore elbow. Without even turning around or looking at me wife said what happened, I guess I closed the door wrong coming in, weird their 6th sense.

She said I'm not gonna patch you up. But second night she dressed the knee, I guess didn't want blood on the sheets, lol.

As with track driving, its a confluence of unexpected events.

Still imo the thing that's gonna get you in life is not he thing you expect, between a piano falling on your head, illness. etc might as well live.

The thing about riding a bike, or running a car on track, or skiing, it all keeps the mind spooled up and reflexes sharp, way belter to live than to just slowly fade away.

 

Been riding since I was 14-15, I'm going to be 62 in a few months, after some contemplation and confirming I still have both arms and both legs and everything else in between, I sold my bike a month or so ago. Drivers in NJ are just too distracted.

That said, I'm considering returning to how I started riding and buying an off-road/trail bike, lots of trails through the pine barrens down where I live, I figure there's less of a risk getting t-boned or hit by a semi when riding on a trail than riding on a street or highway.

One of the last picts I took of my bike, it was fun, no regrets:

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