older riders surviving badly

[AllanB]

Still a ton of room, overtake wasnt on until the car passed. All he did was move to position 3.

We will agree to disagree over your man love of the trainers passing skills.

[george formby]

fucking wombles... I dont remember titling this thread HI-VIZ lol...

hey look... there has been some valuable info posted thanks people, what i have found is what I was thinking has ben reinforced so im not far off the mark... im aging, deal with it and get back to enjoying the ride.

Uncle Bulgaria here. Yeah, but nah. But yeah.

I need reading glasses now, but can still identify the sex of a sand fly at 50 paces. My clarity of thinking varies more, probably a consequence of diet and beer. I break easier.

If I'm riding I make sure I'm well fueled and have a good mind set, some days I do dumb things, the old body ain't the mammoth killing weapon it used to be regardless of the teenage mind. Dumb days are for the garden, not riding bikes.

Having finally come to terms with the fact I'm not the next Rossi, pretty crap on a bike to be fair, I've done a fair bit of training. To be safe...

The irony of this safety training is that it has allowed me to ride the way I always wanted to, the way I used to fantasise about. Smooth, quick, unruffled by what the road throws at me.

Whodda thunk it? Despite my faculty's fading the compensation is keeping me ahead. The less I trust myself the more effort I put into being smart about my riding.

Many here say that you learn something every ride, true. It's not just about the ride but us as individuals, don't hide from failings as time goes by, fix them!

Swinging deep through a corner gives me the same buzz it always has, I just consider how deep and how fast a bit more.

Thinking about ageing and how it resonates on life in general.. I would be miserable if I was still shit at everything now. Turns out over the years quite a lot of learning, figuring out, putting balls on the line, has had a positive affect. I can do loads of stuff I had never thought about years ago. I can do stuff on a bike that I tried 40 years ago and screwed up. I learned how to do it with a 50+ head and body. Haven't completely broken either of them yet. Cool.

[johcar]

Is that question aimed at anyone in particuar? I dont think anyone has said it actually makes you a target?


I haven't seen anyone try to 'science the shit out of it', nor do I think its a matter of 'Ego'.
theres really only two ways to potentially improve your safety on the road:
1) attempt to influence other road users
2) Take personal control of your safety

using Hi-Vis is not taking personal control - it s relying on other road users to see you. theres a myriad of reasons why it doesnt always work - drivers to tired, or too focussed on the radio, cellphone, lipstick, burger they're eating while driving etc etc.
You own headlight use reduces effectiveness of Hi Vis, and things like riding position, screen and packracks etc can nullify the benefits of HiVis too. essentially, Hi Vis MIGHT help A BIT, but only sometimes

Bottom line for me, is that, NOBODY cares more about MY safety, than ME.

Im not going to put my safety in the hands of some random other road user - Im going to take control by doing things like choosing line and lane position, taking courses and refresher courses, paying attention to the condition of my motorcycle, and assuming that every other road user is oblivious to my presence.
In my mind THOSE are the things that are more likely to secure my safety than wearing a Hi Vis.

No 'Ego' or 'Science' about it - just a logical, though out consideration of how I can improve my safety on the road.

But hey, your opinion is the only one that counts, and anyone who doesn't agree must be a cunt, right?

I've been riding since I was 15, with a bit of a break while the kids were living at home.

Before I got back on the bikes, I tried the pedally kind, to try to lose some weight and build fitness.

Went for a ride with a group of 10 friends one evening wearing a flashing led-embedded hi-vis vest, flashing lights on my bike helmet, flashing lights on the handlebars. I was leading the second group of 5 riders and a dickhead decided to do a u-turn in front of me (I was in downhill mode going about 35km/h). I broke my collar bone, scapula and 5 ribs and tore my acromion after taking issue with the dickhead's A-pillar. Hi-vis did me no favours then, so I don't bother with it now.

I ride with a black leather jacket, a yellow helmet and a white Tiger 800 and rely on my years of experience to spot dickheads in cages doing(or about to do) stupid things.

The Silver, Gold and Gravel Training I have done recently with Prorider confirmed and enhanced my skills.

I have put 26K on my June 2017 Tiger, incident-free, mostly commuting in Auckland traffic...

Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk

[russd7]

im over 50. I wear glasses and have done since age 10, can't be fucked wearing hi vis and lookin like a bloody tinky winky, I went for a group ride today and we brought everyone home safe. I Like my black leather and the missus thinks I look cool in it.
I take my own safety in my own hands and don't rely on others and to be honest if I could I would also ride with my headlight off simply because I am of the belief that with all the cars driving round with there lights on it just confuses the average motorist.


im still alive to ride another day

[nerrrd]

fucking wombles... I dont remember titling this thread HI-VIZ lol...

hey look... there has been some valuable info posted thanks people, what i have found is what I was thinking has ben reinforced so im not far off the mark... im aging, deal with it and get back to enjoying the ride.

Underground, overground, wombling free...I'm over 50 so I'm an ageing rider. I thought we were supposed to be discussing measures you can take to improve your chances of surviving on the roads. My bad, as you were.

[FJRider]

Underground, overground, wombling free...I'm over 50 so I'm an ageing rider. I thought we were supposed to be discussing measures you can take to improve your chances of surviving on the roads. My bad, as you were.

Wearing Hi-vis gear is effectively being safety pro-active ... with no effort whatsoever. And ... often at no (or little) extra cost. Even if the results (your continued survival .. ??) will show little or no advantage to not wearing any ... and you are seen (excuse the pun) to be pro-active in your personal safety.

Win win ... right ... ??? (or have I got it wrong ... again .. ??)

I can see why it's so popular ...

[Banditbandit]

Agreed. But what proportion of older riders would you say wear Hi Vis?

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Perception becomes reality. In my group there are hardly any over 50 without the hi-viz stuff on.

In the group of around 30 older riders I ride with there are only two of us that do not wear Hi-Viz ..

[dangerous]

fuck ya hiviz shit... if a cage driver dosnt see ya with out, they aint gona see you with... heres something funny

a friend just told me when they were sitting there licence in Auckland ie the practical, the instructor was well lit up in hi viz like a squid boat... Kath didnt find out if she passed or not cos the instructer was taken out big time... so... go figger

[Berries]

go figger

Is that the new James Bnod film?

[GazzaH]

I'm grateful for all the Darwin award applicants out there zooming around in their black leather, lights out, two-wheeled ninjas with straight pipes and an unshakable belief in their capacity to spot and respond to all hazards.

Good on yer! The more of you, the more I stand out.

It comes down to our personal risk assessments & preferences.

I just hope I don't accidentally run into one of the stealth bombers and hurt my knee.

[george formby]

Is that the new James Bnod film?

I thought the new one was an Aussie production, HoldenAye?

I wonder who will replace Pierced Brossom?

[AllanB]

James Bond wouldn't wear hi-viz.

Mind you he rode that god awful BMW cruiser thing some years back.

Side note to that comment - there is a modified version of one around Christchurch (or was I've not seen it for a while) that looks quite cool.

[AllanB]

If you are going to wear one, can't ya wear a half way decent looking vest instead of a $10 Warehouse one?

As design goes I have always thought the Icon brand military vest was one of the better ones.

[granstar]

I wear black leathers with a white helmet and people see me and I think it is due to the colour contrast. My old bike doesn't run daytime lights nor required to and never had any issue with not being seen, mind only been riding since 1975 daily.

[dangerous]

I'm grateful for all the Darwin award applicants out there zooming around in their black leather, lights out, two-wheeled ninjas with straight pipes and an unshakable belief in their capacity to spot and respond to all hazards.

Good on yer! The more of you, the more I stand out.

It comes down to our personal risk assessments & preferences.

I just hope I don't accidentally run into one of the stealth bombers and hurt my knee.

darwin.. as in "thick"? no I resent that ;-) I zoom, I wear black, lights ON tho, loud pipes yeah but not straight... and fuck yes I use my brain to spot and respond to what I hope is all hazards... its worked for near 40yrs and 500,000k on the road and track...
We are born with brains why do we insist on letting the brain die slowly due to rules and regs and thinking hiviz will save the world...???

I wear black leathers with a white helmet and people see me and I think it is due to the colour contrast. My old bike doesn't run daytime lights nor required to and never had any issue with not being seen, mind only been riding since 1975 daily.

contrast YES hivis has become to common, people simply switch off to it