Other bikers you want to "knock" sense into

[Headbanger]

How about an open face helmet and a T-Shirt....

[Bikernereid]

Suzukis are better bikes but have to say that the hottest, nicest bloke I know rides a Honda; the shame, the shame. But he does wear full lid, boots, gloves, full leathers if long ride and jeans & leather jacket for shorter runs.

WTF? You only meet the nicest people on Honda's

[owner]

I dont give a shit what other bikers do If they are riding with me they can do or wear what ever they want as long as they dont knock me off and they come home in one peice Im happy. why do you care about others actions so much?

[roadracingoldfart]

I was just pondering if the people that dont think a good set of riding gear is not sensible / crutial also think the hospitals are cheap to run empty halls and the taxes paid to keep them smelling nice are just fine and dandy ?

Hmmmmmm

[Bikernereid]

Do you honestly think these people think about such things?

At the end of the day they will only learn when they have an accident and lose their skin and hurt themselves. There is nothing better than experience to teach you a valuable life lesson. Let them ride around in whatever they want, just don't give them sympathy when they hurt themselves!

I was just pondering if the people that dont think a good set of riding gear is not sensible / crutial also think the hospitals are cheap to run empty halls and the taxes paid to keep them smelling nice are just fine and dandy ?

Hmmmmmm

[koba]

Do you honestly think these people think about such things?

At the end of the day they will only learn when they have an accident and lose their skin and hurt themselves. There is nothing better than experience to teach you a valuable life lesson. Let them ride around in whatever they want, just don't give them sympathy when they hurt themselves!

If, in you opinion as expressed earlier, dogs should be microchipped and controlled then why should people be given ultimate freedom?
Im' really not trying to have a go as much as it may sound, It just seems contratictary to your earlier views.

[Bikernereid]

Dogs should be chipped so that the owners who let thier dogs cause accidents can be held found and held accountable. Thier irresponsible action has caused an accident that was not the riders fault.

The person on the bike is responsible for themselves and thier safety. If they want to risk getting hurt so be it, the responsibility ends with them.

Does that answer your point and I didn't think you were having a go at all?

If, in you opinion as expressed earlier, dogs should be microchipped and controlled then why should people be given ultimate freedom?
Im' really not trying to have a go as much as it may sound, It just seems contratictary to your earlier views.

[koba]

Dogs should be chipped so that the owners who let thier dogs cause accidents can be held found and held accountable. Thier irresponsible action has caused an accident that was not the riders fault.

The person on the bike is responsible for themselves and thier safety. If they want to risk getting hurt so be it, the responsibility ends with them.

Does that answer your point and I didn't think you were having a go at all?

Yeah, pretty much.

[dipshit]

I dont give a shit what other bikers do If they are riding with me they can do or wear what ever they want as long as they dont knock me off and they come home in one peice Im happy. why do you care about others actions so much?

Because motorcycle statistics are appalling enough as it is. If we want to guarantee motorcycle's future with the freedoms we know today, then we all need to improve our riding habits.

The more carnage there is on the roads, the more the powers at be are going to take a closer look at us.

This is how the actions of other people can also affect me. I could not give a toss about them personally... I care about the statistics they generate.

Plus as you point out... we also have to share the road with them.

[Bass]

Because motorcycle statistics are appalling enough as it is. If we want to guarantee motorcycle's future with the freedoms we know today, then we all need to improve our riding habits.

The more carnage there is on the roads, the more the powers at be are going to take a closer look at us.

This is how the actions of other people can also affect me. I could not give a toss about them personally... I care about the statistics they generate.

Plus as you point out... we also have to share the road with them.

You sound like Katman.
But that's OK because I agree with you.
A section of the KB population espouses, the "let them do what they like; it's none of your business" point of view. What they miss IMHO is that personal freedom comes at the cost of personal responsibility.

It becomes my business when they waste my tax money. The cost of treating broken bikers does not even begin to be covered by the ACC levies we pay. On top of that, some 45% of motorcycle accidents are single vehicle events and so mostly (not always I grant you) the riders fault. Of the rest, slightly more than half have the greater degree of culpability resting with the rider. So basically, by a considerable margin, we as riders are the authors of our own misfortune and yes, I figure in the statistics.

Ah, what's the point?

Those who figure greatest in the stats aren't listening anyway.

Maybe they never will.

[James Deuce]

We don't pay enough ACC to cover the cost of motorcyclist death and injury. The levy needs to be in the mid-$400s to do that.

Still unhappy with what you are paying?

ACC is an example of how a Government can enhance your freedom. If you want the option of personally insuring yourself for injury, you'd find yourself priced out of a lot of things that Kiwis take for granted, like sports, swimming, boating, mountain biking, and horse riding.

It's not a case of "let them do what they want", from my perspective, it's a case of, "They're not going to listen so why invade their space and be rude trying to get a point across?"

If you are a good enough friend to someone and you can say anything without causing offense, then by all means make some suggestions.

Walking up to random strangers and insulting them is likely to escalate out of your control fairly rapidly, or just reinforce attitudes that old people are killjoys.

[swbarnett]

The more carnage there is on the roads, the more the powers at be are going to take a closer look at us.

This is how the actions of other people can also affect me. I could not give a toss about them personally... I care about the statistics they generate.

Plus as you point out... we also have to share the road with them.

The problem is that there will always be extremes in society, it's a law of nature. Stop the hoons today and the next level become the hoons. Next thing it will be you and I that are labelled hoons just because we ride motorcycles. The trick is to essentially ignore the hoons and convince the "powers that be" that we're not all at the current extreme so they don't tar all of us with the same brush.

[swbarnett]

We don't pay enough ACC to cover the cost of motorcyclist death and injury. The levy needs to be in the mid-$400s to do that.

Still unhappy with what you are paying?

ACC is an example of how a Government can enhance your freedom. If you want the option of personally insuring yourself for injury, you'd find yourself priced out of a lot of things that Kiwis take for granted, like sports, swimming, boating, mountain biking, and horse riding.

It's not a case of "let them do what they want", from my perspective, it's a case of, "They're not going to listen so why invade their space and be rude trying to get a point across?"

If you are a good enough friend to someone and you can say anything without causing offense, then by all means make some suggestions.

Walking up to random strangers and insulting them is likely to escalate out of your control fairly rapidly, or just reinforce attitudes that old people are killjoys.

Well said.

There is also the reverse psycology aspect. I know I feel like putting the hammer down every time I see a sign with "speed kills" or something of that ilk.

[Bass]

We don't pay enough ACC to cover the cost of motorcyclist death and injury. The levy needs to be in the mid-$400s to do that.

Still unhappy with what you are paying?

No, of course not, but we are a minority and when/if that statistic becomes widely known, the majority who are subsidising us will be.

ACC is an example of how a Government can enhance your freedom. If you want the option of personally insuring yourself for injury, you'd find yourself priced out of a lot of things that Kiwis take for granted, like sports, swimming, boating, mountain biking, and horse riding.

I concur, I really do. But that's exactly why it should be protected and the best way to protect it for us, is to bring our cost to the general public down.

It's not a case of "let them do what they want", from my perspective, it's a case of, "They're not going to listen so why invade their space and be rude trying to get a point across?"

If you are a good enough friend to someone and you can say anything without causing offense, then by all means make some suggestions.

Walking up to random strangers and insulting them is likely to escalate out of your control fairly rapidly, or just reinforce attitudes that old people are killjoys.

There is wisdom in what you say - it is the "Do nothing, for nothing can be done" attitude that I despair of

[James Deuce]

There is wisdom in what you say - it is the "Do nothing, for nothing can be done" attitude that I despair of

I fall into that category generally speaking because I don't see any effort at all levels of driver training and education to take driving and riding seriously. The safer cars get, the more sound proofed, the better in car entertainment gets, the less likely we are to see an improvement.

In 1987 an 80HP CBR600 on 17" rims was a VERY fast bike. Now it is a a bit porky for a middleweight, under-powered and the suspension and tyres are rubbish.

Once upon a time it was considered insane for a learner to be able to buy a 50hp RGV250. 200BHP/litre. Now 600cc inline fours are right on the 200bhp/litre specific output and are exceeding RGV power to weight ratios, if manufacturer's specs are to be believed. Most lads look at these bikes as a stepping stone to "better" things. A K6 GSXR600 would have won the first two years of the WSB championship with ease, and would have been scoring points until about 1995.

I'm not saying things were better in my day, just different. But attitudes haven't changed to speed, other road users, or upping your skills to cope.

And a 600 is still viewed as a little bike.