NZ Herald article - Born agains...

[kermit63]

I'm one of the XR200 at uni, Triumph Daytona at 45 - cos I liked sports bikes and could afford one. I did a riding course before I got the Triumph and use it mostly for commuting. I got told when i was 18 by a bike salesman that "none of these bikes have the ability to knock themselves off there own side stand - it's all between your ears and in your right wrist". Good advice then and it still applies today. I'm learning more each time I ride and am riding within my limits. I'll never be Valentino Rossi, but love the sensation of riding a bike on a windnig road - even the Ngaio Gorge at 60ks is fun.

I think the rule changes are generally good - particularly basing bike size on Kwh per 100cc's and was pleased to be advised that in fact I am the biggest part of the problem - certainly focused the attention.

Cheers.

[scumdog]

Abolish power everything and auto anything I say,that'll send the bunnies back to their holes. Oh, and get rid of electric starters. Worst thing that ever happened for the road toll.

I duuno - at least an auto kicks down if the ever decide to pass another car.

With 5-speeds they just let it pink and labour it's way sloowwwly past the other car still in 5th gear.

The big difference these days to 30 years ago is EVERYBODY in the family has a car, not just dad and sometimes Mum as well, even spotty oiks still at school have a car, I would like to see the comparitive figures of car per 10,000 people from 1977 to 2007.

Why have so many people got a car? 'cos jap imports have made them cheap-as-chips - and hence also nobody looks after their car, it's just a 'thing' like a fridge or microwave, it's value plummets as soon as it changes hands unlike when cars were hard to get and would hold their value and were consequently pampered a bit..

[Ixion]

OK. I managed to get half the figures, and as suspected the article is fudging

Motorcycle deaths/injuries 2001 669/35 20071234/39

The 2007 figures are not final , it takes time for the police to complete the crash data. Deaths are actually to Feb 2008. (cos that's they way they present the numbers. Don't ask me why). So, injuries went up by 84%, yes. But fatalities only went up by 11%. Much less than even their claimed rate of vehicle growth.

Which I am sure is wrong.

Those death and injury figures explictly DO include mopeds. Any two or three wheeled vehicle

But I'd bet a chocolate fish that the registration figures are for motorcycles only. Which would fit with the increase in injuries over fatalities - it's all the scooter riders being knocked off and getting road rash

Moreover:

The "old men falling off their bikes" is total cobblers.

Injury and death rates for 2006

Under 50 811/40 Over 50 141/5
Under 55 869/42 Over 55 68/3

Ditto for 2007 (same comment as above re different periods. And they only give it in 10 year chunks

Under 55 1103/40 Over 55 110/4

So, 10 times as many youngsters as old farts. So there. Of course if Oldrider keeps falling off, this years figures may be another matter.



If I can find the rego figures I'll write to the Harold and debunk him

[kermit63]

not old till I'm 50 eh.....cool. I must have mistaken middle age for old age. I could be getting towards experienced by then.

[Ocean1]

not old till I'm 50 eh.....cool. I must have mistaken middle age for old age. I could be getting towards experienced by then.

Purely subjective dude.

Middle age = *10yrs older than oneself*

Old = *>10yrs older than oneself*

[GaZBur]

not old till I'm 50 eh.....cool. I must have mistaken middle age for old age. I could be getting towards experienced by then.

Anyone who calls me old at the end of this year better be ready for a slapping! 50 is not old - I will just be a very experienced teenager!!!!

[Ixion]

not old till I'm 50 eh.....cool. I must have mistaken middle age for old age. I could be getting towards experienced by then.

I thought I was being conservative. Based on MY definition of old, we have a near perfect record (until Oldrider went and buggered it up!)

[vifferman]

Anyone who calls me old at the end of this year better be ready for a slapping!

What about if someone calls you old now?
Anyway - what happens at the end of the year? Does your warranty run out then?

[jimmy 2006]

lol !

The problem is old riders have small nuts.

[Ixion]

What about if someone calls you old now?
Anyway - what happens at the end of the year? Does your warranty run out then?

No, the lease on his body expires and he has to turn it in.

[mstriumph]

The problem is old riders have small nuts.

and some of us don't have any nuts at all ......................

[Usarka]

......needed basic education tips on how to get out of trouble, such as to ease their brakes into a swerve to avoid a head-on crash.

hes right thats the first thing i was taught when learning to ride.

make sure you ease your brakes into a swerve to avoid a head on crash.

[90s]

Which would fit with the increase in injuries over fatalities - it's all the scooter riders being knocked off and getting road rash ... The "old men falling off their bikes" is total cobblers.

No I don't agree completey. If you look at the info I posted earlier on crash data 1980-1996:
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...&postcount=105
(edited version below)

...
As for the age this is interesting - esp. bearing in mind the overall reduction in motorcyle deaths (makes the above even more relevant). Please see tables "motorcycle deaths and injuries by age group" and esp. "motorcyclsts killed and injured by selected age groups":
http://www.transport.govt.nz/assets/...et-July-07.pdf
You will note the trends esp in the 2nd table for the deaths in the group 2-24 yrs vs. the groups 30-39 and 40 and over.
Examining:
http://www.transport.govt.nz/assets/...ycles-2006.pdf
also shows the reducing number of deaths - against the general perception of this thread - to about 1/3 of 1980 levels in toto (see figure 19 and also table "deaths and injuries of motorcycle riders and pillion passengers 1980-2006", source: http://www.transport.govt.nz/assets/...et-July-07.pdf)
and as a percentage of overall road deaths down from 20% to 6-7% 'only', although the first source comparable but slightly different figs.)
Fig 20 "percentage of motorcyle casualties by age and sex" conflates injuries and deaths so gives a different view, but the 'hump' of riders between 30-54 is clear. ...

[mstriumph]

Actually I agree with it............

in a sorta oblique way, so do i ...... but then, i believe that anyone who hasn't ridden [or driven, for cages] for a period of, say 4 years, should have to take a refresher course before being let back on the road

how to accomplish that
difficult but not impossible

[kermit63]

As we are on the topic of rider experience, I had an interesting new inexperienced rider experience yesterday morning. I was riding down the Ngaio Gorge at 5:45am in the rain (1) and the dark (2) - that's 2 new experiences. I was leaning my way round a left hand bend when I came across a small rock slide. Because it was wet and dark, I was going slowly, but I also didn't get to see the rock slide until I was virtually on top of it. I knew that the mud and rocks were going to be a problem, so I didn't grab the brakes, stood the bike up straight and then wham - hit the rocks. The jolt was enough to throw the bike to the right and onto the wrong side of the road. Fortunately, there was nobody coming the other way, so I'm able to write about it today. It did give me a hell of a fright tho.

Is this just one of those "shit happens - you never know what life's gonna thro at you moments", or what should I have done differently to avoid going onto the wrong side of the road and into what could have been a very sticky situation.

Cheers.