The problem with motorcycling

[monk69]

Now, if I could just ride to a level of proficiency equal to that of my ability to talk ****...

GUNNY + 1 That !

 

[Scab]

Now, if I could just ride to a level of proficiency equal to that of my ability to talk ****...

Holy ****!!! Gunny THAT!!!!!!!!!!

Now, if I could just ride to a level of proficiency equal to that of my ability to talk ****...

GUNNY + 1 That !

That just saved me $0.84. 'Cause you're both off the Christmas Card list!

 

[NoCage]

Somebody's sig. line...

Cheating death is the only thing keeping me alive.

 

[Fred W]

While I am one that never wants to hear of my friend having a MC crash, I do confess that the inherent risk involved IS the attraction for me. It is a mental game, a war of wits against the laws of physics. It's a battle where preparation, equipment, gear, mental focus, etc. all come together to give me a slight edge in returning alive. But it's still a risk. If I don't do my homework, or if I make a miscalculation, the laws of physics will school me without delay.
As one that has awoke to the concerned stares of paramedics looking down at me, I must say that I wouldn't have changed a thing. If I could have gone back to the beginning, and seen my eventual outcome, I still would have chosen to ride. My human arrogance would have thought that I could somehow change the outcome and beat the system.

I think the reason why some choose one risk vs. another is just an internal understanding or intuition of a particular set of physical laws that we think we can exploit. None of us willingly choose to play a game that we know we will lose.

Sniff, sniff... Dat was beeyoutiful, man. I'm goin'ta have to buy you one of these next time I see ya'

 

[JimNtexas]

With respect to flying, I mentioned that you can't just stop and sort things out.

I just ran across this YouTube video of a USAF student pilot who needed to stop the plane, but of course you can't do that.

For the non-pilots, This happens in a T-38 supersonic jet trainer, flying out of Vance AFB OK. The squeaky voice is a student pilot, the amused voice is the instructor pilot.

The student is supposed to be flying a low level visual navigation route. It should be pretty straight forward, just fly down the black line on your map, turning a visual checkpoints like towns or lakes.

The student runs into a little problem, that is getting bigger at the rate of about 7 nautical miles every minute. He'd like to stop, but the mean old instructor won't let him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Gix8L3fcBc

I got lost once as a student F-111 navigator over Idaho once, so I really feel this pilot's pain.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Now, if I could just ride to a level of proficiency equal to that of my ability to talk ****...

Holy ****!!! Gunny THAT!!!!!!!!!!

Now, if I could just ride to a level of proficiency equal to that of my ability to talk ****...

GUNNY + 1 That !

That just saved me $0.84. 'Cause you're both off the Christmas Card list!

Hey, I was not speaking to your ability to talk ****...I was speaking of me having the proficiency level equal to MY ability to talk ****. That is funny though! Can I please be back on the Christmas card list? I'll send you one for labor day.

 

[Scab]

Alright, you're back on.

I hadn't looked at it from that point of view, so I guess I better just put you both back on and spend the damn $0.84.

 

[monk69]

Alright, you're back on.
I hadn't looked at it from that point of view, so I guess I better just put you both back on and spend the damn $0.84.

That's where I was with that,too!

 

[monk69]

Jim....Maybe the instructor could pull some neg.G's and float the map up to the canopy.One time when I was riding back sit in a F-4(He needed some one to go back seat to pick up some clams for a officers party),he told me to get one of the manuals and hold it on top of my hand,then he pulled some negs.,and the book was floating in front of me...good memories....And I still have my 43,000 ft. alt.card,and my OMIASS card.....

 

[Slappy]

Being a civilian pilot myself and just waiting on my ability to put $$$ on an instrument check ride instead of pretty toys for the bike I can appreciate what you are saying. However, being a former reconnaissance marine who jumps out of plane, hiked for mile, got shot at, nearly blown up several times and has lived through not 1, not 2 not 3 4 or 5 but 6 motorcycle accidents. If life scares you get off the planet and make room for the rest of us. Life is an adventure and not a spectator sport. With anything we do in life there is risk. Some risk more apparent than others. Notice I said apparent. Walk through a jungle of SE Asia. There are more bugs and snakes that can kill you than you even realize. Are you away of the danger? Of course. Do you let it keep you from enjoying what is around you? Absolutely not. Everytime you throw your leg over that machine it is your last. So far you just havent ended that ride. You are just taking breaks during that long ride. You may die on a break or on the bike, only time will tell.

When humans make things "safer" natural selection is no longer given its chance to do what it is designed to do. Chlorine in the gene pool is a good thing. If you want something safe then get yourself a Volvo or a Saab. If you want to wonder the road less traveled and see the world in a way you will never be able to from a car or train or plane, throw you leg over a fine piece of engineering and enjoy the view because its your last ride.

 

[Braenen]

One thing is for certain, If motorcycles had not developed along side the car and the truck, the NTSB would never allow it to be developed today.

 

[Jetmaker737]

Actually though the idea of a tire that doesn't dump you when it loses air is a good idea and I bet wouldn't be too hard to engineer. I mean I agree with all the risk taking talk, etc, etc in this post (if I didn't I wouldn't be riding) but the thought of some randomly placed shard causing death when easily rectified seems dumb.

 

[donaldb]

here brun....................This should take care of all your worries.........

 

[TheAxeman]

without risk...there is no reward.it is the stuff of dreams...and when my dreams have died, so have I.

That is seriously profound and right on the mark...

 

[Fred W]

Actually though the idea of a tire that doesn't dump you when it loses air is a good idea and I bet wouldn't be too hard to engineer. I mean I agree with all the risk taking talk, etc, etc in this post (if I didn't I wouldn't be riding) but the thought of some randomly placed shard causing death when easily rectified seems dumb.

What makes you think it would be easy? If they could make solid, or foam filled tires that performed anywhere near pneumatic tires do, don't you suppose they would have done so immediately? It's not just on motorcycles. Look at all the Ford Exploder SUVs that were involved in roll-over incidents that were blamed on tire blow outs due to underinflation? That was a multi million (maybe billion) dollar fiasco. I think if there was a simple solution like you suggest that would have been suggested then.

And a tire blow-out is far more common on heavy cars and trucks than on motorcycles. We tend to get relatively slow chronic leaks rather than acute blow-outs.

Even the current technology run-flats are scorned by most savvy drivers as being crappy performers, handling poorly and riding like on solid steel wheels.

 

[ShawnKing]

Now, if I could just ride to a level of proficiency equal to that of my ability to talk ****...

We'd all be Rossi's then, wouldn't we?

 

[Jetmaker737]

Even the current technology run-flats are scorned by most savvy drivers as being crappy performers, handling poorly and riding like on solid steel wheels.

Everything in engineering has a trade-off. And maybe that's the trade-off for a tire that won't go flat. Not a good one if you like performance.

 

[Checkswrecks]

You can have the run-flats today, you can have the protective equipment, etc. It just costs money.

Ever seen a rider in tennis shoes and a T-shirt?

The vast majority have shown by voting with their wallets that they don't want to spend the bucks, even for ATGATT.

 

[Brody]

https://www.rhinotire.com/

I've never used this but know some that have. They claim no negative effects. Makes flats unlikely.

Also there are several manufacturers working on "airbag suits". I've seen a few articles in magazines about them.

The last time that I was at Americade (2 years ago), they had a dealer for one type of suit.

There is a cord attached to the bike. When the rider separates from the bike the suit inflates.

They had a video of the suit being tested,,,,,,,,,,,the rider intentionally T-bones a car flies off and survives without injury.

mg2:

 

[johnny80s]

Reading of Wayne's and Annette's accident, something came to light. Something pretty profound...
I just becoming a VFR pilot (check ride next week). Will be heading to do instrument next. Not for a living or anything serious, just for fun and education.

Aviation, like motorcycling has its safety risks. But one thing I have come to realize about aviation is that redundancy is critical to managing down risk. Weather goes bad - have an alternate determined. Mechanical fuel pump craps out - got an electrical one. Vacuum pump goes kaput - fine, there are two. Pilot keels over - there is another one in the right seat (if you planned it right). Radio goes up in smoke - pull the portable out of your bag. Get lost - use radio navigation. Or GPS. Or radar. And etc., etc., etc.

The problem with motorcycling in general is there are NO backup systems. Like in Wayne's accident - probable front flat - despite the skilled rider, there is only one possible outcome. We ride on two tires and depend on both. Pretty high odds that a acute failure will lead to a fall. And high odds that a fall will lead to injury. Why is this acceptable?

Perhaps manufacturers should design in some redundancy. For example, why not have run-flat tires? Or a safety ring inside the rim that supports the tire tread if air loss occurs? What about gear? There is protective gear, but truthfully, does it do enough? A helmet is protective, but people still die with them. Can't someone design a helmet that assures a very high rate of survival, by say, an airbag-type inflation around the outside shell? What about cars - couldn't they have a motorcycle sensor that alerts the driver if an impact is predicted?

I realize there are real engineering challenges to some of these examples. Costs may may many items completely unfeasible. But damn, we really throw caution into the wind considering if one thing goes wrong - there is nothing to back us up!

OK, thanks. My philosophical dissertation is over!

-BD

Dude?