Your day could be worse...

[burninrice]

I walked out of work at the college I teach at on Friday afternoon and observed four students huddled around staring at a motorcycle. It was a new Suzuki GSF500 sportbike, a very nice looking "beginner" bike. I walked up to the students and inquired/complimented the bike and the owner stated proudly "thanks, I just picked it up this morning." Now, it's pretty early up in this neck of the woods to be out riding in town. The streets are dry, but covered with sand from the intersections being icy and there is still some snow on the yards. About two hours later I was out running errands near campus and, while driving down a main drag, I observed a police car with it's flashers on and a few people standing around in a parking lot... Well, you can guess what happened. There was the GSF, fairing busted in a million pieces, rider (thankfully with a helmet in his hand) standing there dejected and a pickup with it's owner looking equally unhappy. I couldn't tell what exactly happened, but it probably involved too much speed, too much sand, too little skill, and too much front or rear brake.

My stomach got that sickening feeling in it imagining what that kid must feel like with a 6 hour old wrecked bike. Hope he had insurance and a license. I'm not a big advocate of helmet laws and other things that invade people's personal freedoms, but I have to wonder if it wouldn't be a good idea to require anyone who gets a motorcycle license to take a safety course. I took one after riding for about 15 years and it was one of the best experiences I've ever had and now I'm going to take it again with my 16 year old daughter this summer.

 

[feejer222]

I walked out of work at the college I teach at on Friday afternoon and observed four students huddled around staring at a motorcycle. It was a new Suzuki GSF500 sportbike, a very nice looking "beginner" bike. I walked up to the students and inquired/complimented the bike and the owner stated proudly "thanks, I just picked it up this morning." Now, it's pretty early up in this neck of the woods to be out riding in town. The streets are dry, but covered with sand from the intersections being icy and there is still some snow on the yards. About two hours later I was out running errands near campus and, while driving down a main drag, I observed a police car with it's flashers on and a few people standing around in a parking lot... Well, you can guess what happened. There was the GSF, fairing busted in a million pieces, rider (thankfully with a helmet in his hand) standing there dejected and a pickup with it's owner looking equally unhappy. I couldn't tell what exactly happened, but it probably involved too much speed, too much sand, too little skill, and too much front or rear brake.
My stomach got that sickening feeling in it imagining what that kid must feel like with a 6 hour old wrecked bike. Hope he had insurance and a license. I'm not a big advocate of helmet laws and other things that invade people's personal freedoms, but I have to wonder if it wouldn't be a good idea to require anyone who gets a motorcycle license to take a safety course. I took one after riding for about 15 years and it was one of the best experiences I've ever had and now I'm going to take it again with my 16 year old daughter this summer.

Just a thought, will you make her wear a helmet?

Glad the rider was OK.

 

[burninrice]

Absolutely. I've always worn a helmet and always will and not one motorcycle will leave my garage with an unhelmeted rider aboard, period. It's tough to verbalize why I'm on the fence about helmet laws, I just prefer to keep the Government out of as much as possible. However, I've seen the value of these safety courses and as a former dealer I can't tell you how many bikes we sold that ended up back within a week or less for an insurance estimate. Probably one a month. Nine times out of ten it was a single vehicle, carelessness situation. And there's a link here, I read a statistic one time that the use of helmets by safety course participants was significantly higher (can't remember the %). Maybe instead of forcing helmets on people with no education we should force the safety course which has way more benefits than just the helmets and hopefully the bucket usage will come along with the courses. Just an opinion.

 

[cougar8000]

Here, in a land of Lincoln, safety course is FREE, but people still avoid it or end up going to a private school that teaches an advanced racing technique and pay upwards of 300+.

BTW. It might be beneficial for your kid to take the class with out you being in it. Just a suggestion. This way she does not have to look over her shoulder for your approval every time, nor she will be relying on you to give her pointers, but instead concentrate more on the instructor. Do you think it is easy to talk toa girl when her father is around :lol:

 

[burninrice]

BTW. It might be beneficial for your kid to take the class with out you being in it. Just a suggestion. This way she does not have to look over her shoulder for your approval every time, nor she will be relying on you to give her pointers, but instead concentrate more on the instructor. Do you think it is easy to talk toa girl when her father is around :lol:

Good point. I actually thought her learning to ride was something we could experience together, but I forget that teenagers aren't exactly into that sappy, togetherness bit. I could see where that could cause her some stress being in a class with her dad.

 

[FJRBluesman]

Man you hate to see that type of stuff, it's too bad. He may never get another bike thinking it's too hard or dangerous. I would agree new riders should take a class etc. I hate the gubment telling me what to do also, but I wouldn't ride with out my brain bucket on.

I woulkd expect Bust to do soemthing like that but it's hard for him to go over like that with his training wheels on.... :bigeyedsmiley:

One thing out here in Cali, many egos are too big for their owners. Lets face it, when a young male with zero to very little motorcycle experience gets hold of a bike that has the weight to HP ratio of a super race car, you're asking for trouble. I hate too read about people who just got a bike, crashed it or died. The acceleration is intoxicating and will get you over your head in a nanosecond!

I remember a year or so back, I was at local dealer in Irvine, CA, and a guy just bought a brand new...I don't know….something real fast. He looked about late 30's to early 40's in age but it was evident it was his first bike or first big bike in many years. He starts it up, gives it a tad too much throttle and the tach zoomed to scary and he backed off it. You could see him react in a panic to get his hand off the throttle. I thought, thank God he wasn't actually riding it.

I leave and I see him coming up behind me at the light. The light is red for all of us. The road is 4 lanes wide and the far right lane veers to the right but it's at the intersection to stop. The guy blows right through the light veering onto the freeway. He totally blew it. I thought I may be reading about him in the paper soon. :huh:

 

[feejer222]

All scary stuff. They are everywhere out there, you have got to fend for yourself.

Re the helmet law. It's been law here in the UK for many years. Even before it was I rode with one. Glad your daughter will be wearing one.

I would hate to be a new rider on todays roads and on todays bikes.

 

[Bustanut joker]

I woulkd expect Bust to do soemthing like that but it's hard for him to go over like that with his training wheels on.... :bigeyedsmiley:

Why ya pickin on me? I'm taken them off next week. Then I can ride like a grown up

I watched a guy pull up on a brand new Shadow couple years ago to take his endorsement test, just off the showroom floor two miles away. Anyway he laid her down. Trashed the tank, a mirror and turn signal plus his right knee. I actually felt bad for the dude.

:jester:

 

[weekend rider]

Sometimes the government does not force laws like "helmet laws " on you, we as riders, and mostly the ones that object and get serious head injuries as to were a helmet would have minimized it. Who pays for that individual when a helmet would have helped.

 

[odot]

Yuppers, puppers.....the helmet nazis are out in full force.

 

[Bearly Flying]

Who pay's for the individual wearing a helmet that barely survives when otherwise they would have been dead and buried?

Two sides to that argument.

A law requiring a passing grade in a Rider training course would accomplish way more. And good chance the Rider would wear the Helmet voluntarily.

 

[burninrice]

Also, who pays for all of the insurance claim-hikes on nearly-new sportbikes, etc that get wrecked the first day out of the showroom. Not to mention the reputation all motorcycle riders get by uneducated people riding like idiots: dropping their bikes on Main Street, blowing corners, rear-ending cars, etc. No one's done a survey yet, but I would love to see what a lack of education costs the public. I'd bet a steak that it's a hell of a lot more than the old head injury argument with non-helmet wearers.

I work with a gal that's one of these "people who ride motorcycles pose such a cost to society, blah, blah" types and my standard retort to her is "what do you do on the summer weekends?" She goes down to lake and gets dragged behind a boat at 30 mph with two fiberglass planks strapped to her feet. I bet a dock or swimming raft feels pretty good across the ankles when your driver has had one too many Red, White, & Blues. We're paying a lot for people's hobbies and bad habits.

 

[odot]

I love pabst blue ribbon beer.............what are we talking about again?

 

[Jagermeister]

I was meeting with one of my customers, a highly educated CEO, who rides a HD (let's leave that alone, for the moment). After chatting about local roads, yada yada, I was shocked to learn that she rides without a Helmet!

The fact that makes this most Ironic: this MBA-CEO is a HOSPITAL executive. She sees motorcycle trauma every week, yet won't wear a helmet. Likes the wind in her hair, or some such BS.

 

[timalan]

I love pabst blue ribbon beer.............what are we talking about again?

Beeeeeeeeeerrrrrrr! Actually Irish whiskey at the moment.

Safety classes or not. I noticed that not all people belong in motor vehicles, no matter the number of wheels.

 

[odot]

Hey, this can be a two for one deal.......helmet nazis and harley haters convention.....rock on, dude.

 

[FJRBluesman]

I was meeting with one of my customers, a highly educated CEO, who rides a HD (let's leave that alone, for the moment). After chatting about local roads, yada yada, I was shocked to learn that she rides without a Helmet!
The fact that makes this most Ironic: this MBA-CEO is a HOSPITAL executive. She sees motorcycle trauma every week, yet won't wear a helmet. Likes the wind in her hair, or some such BS.

Maybe she has a death wish or likes the risk of beating the odds.

I forget but not long ago some actor or singer slipped on ice just walking, hit their head, dead. :rip_1: It doesn't take much.

 

[Knifemaker]

It always gets under my skin abit when I hear some one say about helmet laws

"I don't think the Goverment should be telling us what to do"

But they seem to have no problems with seat belt laws, child restraint laws and a multitude of other goverment enacted regulations and statutes....but for some reason the helmet law is the one straw breaking the camels back to them.

Holy crap , bitch about how much money you have to pay in taxes , or the fact you have to pay personal property tax every year on something you already PAID FOR , or complain about military spending verses child education...

The goverment is all over us like a cheap suit........... and them passing some law that may possibly save your miserable life is going too far??

I have freinds that do not wear helmets, I kindly tell them I think they are nuts, but do not harp on it every time the subject comes up, as I do try to respect their decision. In their state they are not breaking the law, and have the right choose.

When they come here to my state they know they have to wear a helmet, and if anyone jumps up on there soapbox and starts telling me how it is wrong for the "goverment to force us to wear these" ..

I just tell them that they should be thankful someone gives a **** about their lives because I sure as hell don't.....

KM

 

[wfooshee]

Florida requires MSF for under 21 riders to get their endorsement. Older riders who do the MSF don't have to take the riding exam at the license office. I'm actually not sure if the under-21 folks still have to take the exam or not.

I'm trying to gather some of this up for Iggy's state-by-state area, but I keep finding conflicting information. I'm gonna have to see if I can wrangle some free info out of one of my attorney customers. (Probably as soon as I fix his Blackberry for free.)

As for the kid in the original post, it's pretty damn hard to leave it at home when you just got it, no matter the road conditions. You gots to be SEEN. Whether or not the incident was his doing or the other's, it was still not the best decision to be out and about in the conditions present at the time.

A co-worker's son is probably picking up a 500 twin pretty soon. I've talked with him at length about what he's going to have to go through, what he can expect, and what he needs to be ready for. Ride like you're invisible, don't brake while leaning, look at everything you do: where you turn, where you stop, where you put your foot down, where you put the sidestand down. He's been smart enough not to act like he knows it all already!