Motorcycle riders, WEAR YOUR GEAR!!! Graphic

One of my best friends is in a wheelchair from a Motorcycle accident. He horseshoed himself backwards around a tree. His feet were touching the back of his head. Shit was rough to watch him go through all that.

 

I always wear my gear and drive safe but there's always someone who can be a jerk or even something in front of you that wasn't noticed in time to avoid hitting. I've had close calls but no type of incident.

 

Every time I go out, I assume any and everyone is going to pull out in front of me and or cut me off. It has saved me more times than I care to remember.

 

Holy shit that looks nasty. I don't think I'll ever own a streetbike... looks like so much fun but I don't know if I'd be able to ride knowing all the things that could go wrong. I'll stick to dirtbikes and ATVs for now

 

I know just as many people seriously injured and killed from dirt bike and atv accidents as sport bikes. I do live in a rural area though, and I'm quite certain that this isn't reflected in country wide statistics. Still wear your gear! Rocks and trees can do a lot of damage too.

 

Oh no doubt about it. The main difference in my mind is that when you are riding a sportbike (or any motorcycle for that matter) on the street, all it takes is one person not paying attention in their car and WHAM you're on your side. No matter how many precautions you take..... you can never control your surroundings. When you're ripping up a trail or area that you are familiar with.... as long as you are focused, the likely hood of being in an accident is much smaller.... just because you wont have a soccer mom texting her kids ram into you at 60mph.

I always make sure to wear all my gear (only piece I don't have is a neck brace.... have everything else and I always wear it). Remarkably have only been in two little accidents, one was I was on my ATV, going around a turn, distracted (looking at some people on bicycles).... front wheel caught a tree and flipped on my side. Nothing broke on the Zuk... just flipped it back over and it & I were fine. Other time was the first time I rode a bike with a clutch... I tried riding it on a paved cottage road, wearing just my helmet, gloves, shorts, and a t-shirt. It was a little RM80.... anyways I got up to speed fine, but when I was slowing down I grabbed way too much brake and endoed over the bars.... got a nice scar on my elbow to remind me to always wear my gear now, and to always stay focused on where I'm riding.

Saw a pretty scary motorcycle accident last June.... I was heading southbound down a street in the STI the night before fathers day with my dad + mom (coming back from dinner), and there was a guy on a Ninja 250 about two car lengths ahead of me in the lane next to me. We were both maybe doing 10 over (km/h, not mph). Anyways this older Jewish guy with his family is making a turn from a sidestreet to go northbound pulled out without really looking.... his van is in the lane of the guy on the Ninja, only about 10-15 away from the front of the Ninja. The guy in the van stops, I slow down, guy on the Ninja goes into my lane to avoid the van (no way he could have stopped in that distance), and then the moron in the van decides to pull out as quickly as possible, as you can imagine the guy on the Ninja went right into the side of the van, did a flip over the handlebars, lands on his back. One of the scariest things I ever saw.... The dick in the van was ready to run but me + my dad ran out of the car to stop him and then I helped the motorcyclist and called 911. The guy was fine really, able to walk. Bike looked like toast. I never found out what happened... I hope the old guy got charged. We made sure to tell the cop he was ready to run.... imagine what would have happened if the guy on the Ninja had died and this ass had run away. Even after the accident, the van driver never asked the motorcyclist if he was OK, or apologized... just called his lawyer and other people from his Synagogue who came and stood around him. I remember the van driver telling ME that the biker was going way over the speed limit, at that moment I was ready to sock the guy in the face haha.

It's stuff like that accident I saw that makes me afraid to ride a bike.... even though the motorcyclist was obeying his laws, and reacted to the danger (van pulling into his lane and stopping), there are some total idiots out there and you never know what they're gonna do. I should point out that the guy on the Ninja was wearing his jacket and gloves, but NOT his pants or boots, he said he was coming back from a friend's birthday party, and it was the first time he'd ever rode without all his gear. It also sucked for the guy because he only had his advanced learner's permit.... meaning he wasn't supposed to be riding at night. I don't think breaking the rules and riding at night was the cause of the accident... although I'm sure if there was a court case about it, the van driver would have been sure to point this out.

 

Kudos to you and your dad for helping the guy out. To many people are out for themselves now days and aren't concerned with whats right. Guess I'm a little reckless, but I'd rather go out playing hard than standing on the sidelines. Not saying that you are by any means, your obviously more well adjusted than myself.

 

Haha I hear you on that one. I haven't fully decided that I will/won't ride a streetbike... I'll wait until I'm a little older and wiser though before making that choice, even though on some days I wake up and think I WANT A BIKE! My uncle, who has been riding bikes since he was a little younger than I am now (started out riding dirtbikes up at my family's cottage back in the 70s), still rides on the street, even though he's had a few accidents. I know that the first time I take a sportbike out, I'll probably be hooked! But my uncle says to at least wait until I'm 20, and since he's the only one in my family who rides, I respect what he says about riding on the street.

I ride my Suzuki 450 ATV and my two dirtbikes pretty hard so that kinda makes up for it. Plus I usually drive the STI pretty hard when I'm given the opportunity to take it out for a spin

 

I have a buddy who has an STI. Very fun car. I had a corvette for a while, it was a lot of fun. I'll be buying a Z06 in the next few years good Lord willing. What can I say, I like to go fast.

 

That is ridiculous. Im glad he is okay but how that didn't cause more damage than it did with type of wound is amazing. Kind of makes think twice about wanting a bike

 

r6-forum.com? Im in there!

 

First pic looks like cranberries in cranberry sauce.





But seriously that's a pretty bad wound. Glad he is ok and I hope all you riders stay safe!

 

Yeah man, they are very fun. Too easy to get into trouble with though haha. I'm glad ours is silver/silver BBS wheels and a hatchback..... much more stealthy than the 04-07s in blue with gold wheels! Can't wait for second year of university, my dad says he's gonna give her to me to keep from then on!

Z06s are no joke... those things are seriously quick. I especially like the C6 Ron Fellows edition.... the color combo is very nice!

 

Whats your username? Mine is the same as here.

 

Indeed. I don't know if I'll buy a C5 and spend some cash on go fast goodies or pony up the doe for a C6 and just leave it be. It'll depend on how much the C6 depreciates over the next two years. I've always wanted a sort of project car though, and the C5 is easy to work on and aftermarket parts are pretty cheap, as well as about 20K less than a C6 right now. Decisions, decisions......

 

Your idea of ok is different than min.

 

Who is that on the r6 forum? I'm there as well. This is why I adhere to always riding with gear on hot or cold. And here in Phoenix I receive the extreme hottest weather in the nation and I STILL ride with all my gear. There was a guy that came into Cycle gear and complained to the worker and me that he doesn't want to sweat too much while riding. Well where we live, you are GOING to sweat any which way you look at it. Shirt or no shirt, jacket or no jacket. I'd rather be drenched in BO sweat than blood.

Anyway this is why I made the decision to keep the aggressive riding to the track only.

 

Those of you on r6-forum.com, the thread is under active topics. Just search "Wear your gear." I told him there would be no mention of names on other threads.

 

Well, not sure about Jandrews but mine would be that he is alive and is able to speak, do everyday things etc.

 

He's doing very well in that he is at home and healing properly. He can get out and go and things of that nature.