It Won't Happen To Me, I don't need to change.

[nzspokes]

I am constantly amazed, when people are talking about my accident with me, how they make comments like, aw yeah, i ride really carefully, or, yeah im pretty cautious, or, i am pretty aware of my surroundings......like i Wasnt,

on a 100kmh stretch of road, when an approaching car swerves into your lane less than 50m from you, when hes doing 40-50 and you are doing 100.....no amount of care, awareness or caution is going to save your bacon or in my case, rigt leg. 1-2 seconds at best to assess and manage....

you just dont know and cant anticipate that kind of situation.....it can happen to anyone

I dont think and of the smart riders here believe that being aware and well trained keeps you above the danger. Just gives you options for the ones that can be avoided.

[old slider]

I am constantly amazed, when people are talking about my accident with me, how they make comments like, aw yeah, i ride really carefully, or, yeah im pretty cautious, or, i am pretty aware of my surroundings......like i Wasnt,

on a 100kmh stretch of road, when an approaching car swerves into your lane less than 50m from you, when hes doing 40-50 and you are doing 100.....no amount of care, awareness or caution is going to save your bacon or in my case, rigt leg. 1-2 seconds at best to assess and manage....

you just dont know and cant anticipate that kind of situation.....it can happen to anyone

Thanks for sharing that Skippa1, I admire your spirit mate. I would hate to think how many times you have replayed that terrible moment in your head and the what ifs.

I am sure that most riders who learn as many motorcycle riding and associated skills as they can are still aware shit can happen, but those with these professionally taught skills may be able to get a better outcome and chance of survival than those who havn't learnt much.

[roogazza]

I think I wrote something like this years ago ? My recipe for riding and surviving !

I usually ride sunday mornings,early (have for many years).
But stay away from towns and intersections if possible. Traffic shits me .
I'm due a birthday in April , I'll be 69.
I don't ride with anyone,all my mates have since given away the bikes.
I still get along,but pick my spots carefully. I don't follow,somethings in front, I pass it.
Don't ride in wind or the wet,really fussy with the weather and road conditions.

So this is how I've lasted riding this long (54 yrs).
A good coffee and a cigar or two and I'm happy as.

[pritch]

on a 100kmh stretch of road, when an approaching car swerves into your lane less than 50m from you, when hes doing 40-50 and you are doing 100.....no amount of care, awareness or caution is going to save your bacon or in my case, rigt leg. 1-2 seconds at best to assess and manage....

Twice in recent(?) years, both times when I was comunting on the moped, I've had a car coming straight at me - on my side of the road. My options were limited on both occasions but I was lucky the drivers woke up in the nick of time.

And these fuckwits weren't foreign tourists either.

[old slider]

I think I wrote something like this years ago ? My recipe for riding and surviving !

I usually ride sunday mornings,early (have for many years).
But stay away from towns and intersections if possible. Traffic shits me .
I'm due a birthday in April , I'll be 69.
I don't ride with anyone,all my mates have since given away the bikes.
I still get along,but pick my spots carefully. I don't follow,somethings in front, I pass it.
Don't ride in wind or the wet,really fussy with the weather and road conditions.

So this is how I've lasted riding this long (54 yrs).
A good coffee and a cigar or two and I'm happy as.

I like your thinking, Now I will admit that I avoid the wet and really windy days with a passion. I hate having to spend a lot of time cleaning and drying my bike
as well as the roads around me are used a lot by heavy traffic, (water, diesel and stock effluent, not to mention large dollops of liquid salt and chemicals from the tanneries as wet skins are transported between factories can make it interesting) I also try to avoid those hours at each end of the day when the sun is getting low in the sky for pleasure rides.
I have been doing all of my riding solo and loved it. I have only just dabbled in a couple of public group rides, really enjoyed them but I decided this mornings one a miss, Good cause fund raiser with an open invitation being a mix of cars, hot rods, bikes etc doing the run, probably good as gold, but I decided against it.

[pritch]

I like your thinking, Now I will admit that I avoid the wet and really windy days with a passion.

Me too. I have had enough soakings and gale force winds over the years, I try and avoid them now. The bike is supposed to be fun. Well as much fun as the arthritis will allow.

[YellowDog]

As we're all coming out of the closet
My bike is my pride and joy. It's not a tool to get me from A to B, it is something I use for pleasure and enjoyment.

Riding in the rain, riding in heavy traffic, and generally riding at night too (MKI Tigers have terrible lights) are things I would choose not to do, unless I absolutely have to

Total respect for those hardcore all weather riders whos bike is their only form of transport. That was me once too, when I had no other choices

[AllanB]

2,500 kms in the car with the family over the last two weeks up either end of the South Island and I assure you that the retards are out there on four and two wheels.

[nzspokes]

As we're all coming out of the closet
My bike is my pride and joy. It's not a tool to get me from A to B, it is something I use for pleasure and enjoyment.

Riding in the rain, riding in heavy traffic, and generally riding at night too (MKI Tigers have terrible lights) are things I would choose not to do, unless I absolutely have to

Total respect for those hardcore all weather riders whos bike is their only form of transport. That was me once too, when I had no other choices

Im commute on the bike, I ride socially on the weekends and I ride adventure stuff. But am finding myself a lot more adverse to rainy days. Car is clocking up a few more Ks these days.

[Runty]

Im commute on the bike, I ride socially on the weekends and I ride adventure stuff. But am finding myself a lot more adverse to rainy days. Car is clocking up a few more Ks these days.

I know what u mean - I also used the car a bit more in the last year as well - clocked up almost a thousand km in it!! - and I did less than 20 thousand km on the bike.
I even commuted in the car once!!! (though in my defence i did have my rear wheel in the boot as it had a nail through the tyre)

Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk

[nzspokes]

I know what u mean - I also used the car a bit more in the last year as well - clocked up almost a thousand km in it!! - and I did less than 20 thousand km on the bike.
I even commuted in the car once!!! (though in my defence i did have my rear wheel in the boot as it had a nail through the tyre)

Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk

My current car, Ive just done 10,000ks on it in 4 years. Most of that is moving kids around and taking them camping.

[pritch]

Don't use the car all that much. At a warrant check I got a warning re the back discs getting down (the front discs were new). Two warrants later I was still getting warnings for the rear discs so I asked about that.
"You've only done a thousand ks since the last warrant."

[AllanB]

Don't use the car all that much. At a warrant check I got a warning re the back discs getting down (the front discs were new). Two warrants later I was still getting warnings for the rear discs so I asked about that.
"You've only done a thousand ks since the last warrant."

You need a more interesting car!

[pritch]

You need a more interesting car!

Not really, it's far from new but it's fun to drive, it's quick, it stops, it handles. From the road test, "Better than a BMW. Not just better for the price, just better."

Bikes to me are fun, cars are a tool. It's a, "Four wheels transport the body, two wheels transport the soul" kinda thing. Even something that cost a shit load more money wouldn't be any more fun. Porche and Ferrari are out of the question financially, but my joints are at the stage where I wouldn't be able to get in or out of one of those anyway. I'm happy with what I've got.

[old slider]

Not really, it's far from new but it's fun to drive, it's quick, it stops, it handles. From the road test, "Better than a BMW. Not just better for the price, just better."

Bikes to me are fun, cars are a tool. It's a, "Four wheels transport the body, two wheels transport the soul" kinda thing. Even something that cost a shit load more money wouldn't be any more fun. Porche and Ferrari are out of the question financially, but my joints are at the stage where I wouldn't be able to get in or out of one of those anyway. I'm happy with what I've got.

Talking of joints, I parked up the Fat Bob after about two hours of fun riding around on the outskirts of town, looked at my poor ole W650 sitting unregistered/warranted etc and with the sidecar chassis and sub frame removed and looking totally unloved, sod it I thought a few laps around the neighbor hood will lubricate it and hopefully put a smile on both our dials, Pulled out the choke gave it a couple of light kicks on the kick starter and then pressed the electric start button, that instant old style gargle from the triumph impersonating exhausts, clicked smoothly into gear and away.

Oh shit this feels a tad uncomfortable on the hips, the knees are much higher than I am used to after neglecting the ole girl for so long while spending way more time on the HD cruiser. I wonder if I can fit forward controls, lol