Bike safety

[Mr Pants!]

Did anyone see the news this week. They had a story on how there has been an increase of middle aged men over the last few years buying super fast race bikes. Me being one of them.

This has now been recognised by the government as becoming a serious issue as we speed and are a danger to others and ourselves.

Some interesting stats here btw - https://www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/statistics.htm

Unfortunately, we are not all like that, again there is a handfull of idiots who insist on going out and running a mock. They showed this video from a helicopter of a guy on a race bike doing 130mph and he was S'ng in and out of all the traffic on the motorway!! It also showed a couple of fairly tight over takes down a country road. Now they were riding like complete pratts!

The sad thing is, just like the change in gun laws, the people who are sensible and enjoy these machines as a hobby or interest, are going to be persecuted because of idiots like that, so we all have to suffer.

I am worried about what the government are going to do about it, are they going to insist on a mass restriction of all these mad machines, or perhaps a secondary test you must complete within a couple of years, or are insurance companies just going to price the race style bike off the road completely...... Who knows.....

Any points of view on this?
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Mr Pants! (Alex or Al)
Its better to burn out, than to fade away....

[izzi81]

one thing they never mention when they have lists of statistics like that is the one thing I would really be interested to know..

[Laura]

I think every rider and driver on the road should br restricted for 12 months no matter on the age.
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Good girls ride motorcycles bad girls thrash them.

[Rvf_FiRe]

17 year old Johnny can go out and buy a top of the line motor fully tuned up capable of 200mph+ if he can afford it the day after he passes his test and yet nothing is ever mentioned

The laws need radical changes in many areas but i cant see it happening. Bikes and bikers are massively easy targets to hit. I cant see what the second test would do tho, you just get it right on the day and then can still be a loon. I was thinking for the car test that it should be a 3 part plan, theory, practical and then a mandatory advanced course to be completed before a machine over a certain cc is allowed. Not sure as to reactions this would bring but i think it would highlight the new drivers that maybe scrapped through the easier first test. I think it would also teach a lot of new drivers a lot of techniques that would not only help them but everyone else as a whole.

If the goverment was to do something radical to the bike laws i for one would be willing to go to any such legal lengths to sort it out and overhaul it in some way. I know many people say things like this but when it comes down to it many cant be bothered to get off their arses to do it. Like the trucks and the fuel protest, they showed some what the power they had when it came to being able to make their point, maybe not a great example - fuel prices are still rising etc but it was a start.

Dunno if any of this is making sense etc but just trying to get more views across. It shouldn't just be down to this goverment, which are frankly inadequate in many ways, to be able to destroy something which many people love and don't take for granted because of a small few that think they can handle something the way they want.

*breathe breathe * lol hope this helps keep this subject alive, i love bikes and all they are, nothing can give you a buzz the way they do and as such i don't wanna lose them or what they are!

Stepping away from the top step now and stop shouting, lol, stay safe !
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[Andy99]

Last i heard the largest increase in the motorcycle accident rate was when only 1 vehicle was involved. This was last years figures but i've heard the trend has sadly continued this year. However until all motorcycle accidents get all the details accurately recorded for the study we'll never know.

[Ste]

[Andy99]

[Rvf_FiRe]

Very true to an extent. I know a guy i used to go to college with, 22 but able to get his hands on an M3 evo, not drove that long but had the money, but look at the amount of young guys going around in their souped up nova's with heavy kit in it, weights a hell of a lot more than a bike, that ploughing into you would do slightly more damage than a bike, i know that a bike would still do the damage that could prove fatal but its less likely. How many of these young drivers do you see trying to impress the girls in their little cars, loud music and halfords alloys. How many load up their cars with their mates and cruise at speed just to impress. Again a car gives the driver an impression of total security and therefore are able to take a hell of a lot less care with their driving, young drivers especially, anyone in the real world knows thats fact.

They say its 1 vehicle statistics..... why the hell don't they do something about this then, i bet the 1 vehicle is the bike but why does it crash, yes rider error some times and maybe showing off but what about the state of the roads, we pay good money to use them but their a disgrace. What about the oil slicks that we have to contend with. What about all the horse shit on country roads, people are made to clean up after their dogs , why not their horses? i know they couldn't ride round with bags full of shite but they could take a bit more care with where it is. Is a small fold away shovel too much to carry and possible save a life by shovelling a little crap out from the centre of a road into the edge.

The statistics are twisted to a point but their are so many angles to look at that this is a much wider issue than just to say its older riders getting on newer bikes.
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If a word is misspelled in the dictionary, how would we ever know?

Don't think of yourself as an ugly person. Think of yourself as a beautiful monkey!

[Andy99]

I think whats needed is proper stats showing bike size,rider age/experience,road type & condition etc.. This way we can get the true picture of bike casualties and then maybe do something about it. If it is mr no experience on big bike he needs to be stopped as his accidents could end up getting good bikes killed off,does anyone remember the 100bhp arguments a few years back? If it's the state of roads then we can point and shout at the government to do something about it. At the moment all the safety lobby see is bike deaths up and cry out "told you so,dangerous things those motorcycles we need to save these idiots from themselves"

[Rvf_FiRe]

Thats a couple of the points i mean, actually doing something about the roads and whats contained on them etc and the fact that all the goverment and the followers seem to want to do is simply point a finger and not bother to explain to people who, what, why, where and when etc this is happening too. Do they really think we want to go out and die for a bit of 'fun' ? A in depth statistical view of whats happening on our roads would be great but again the goverment isnt going to be bothered with this as its far easier to just point and decide.
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If a word is misspelled in the dictionary, how would we ever know?

Don't think of yourself as an ugly person. Think of yourself as a beautiful monkey!

[mchaggis]

[Born2bVile]

Lies, damn lies and statistics.

The classic in my opinion has always been the 2.4 children.

What the fooking hell is .4 of a child?

Statistics can be used to argue any point. It all depends on the spin put on them.

[Kickstart]

[Tarmacsurfer]

If it's the advert I think it is, with the scooter rider getting knocked off then the car driver certainly doesn't indicate 'well before' he starts the maneuver. To my mind both are at fault, the rider for being a pillock and overtaking on a junction and the driver for not indicating early enough. That's just my take though /shrug.
On the subject of young drivers in performance cars, I personally know at least one 19 year old in an Impreza and a number of other sub-20 year olds who are driving fairly highly tuned hatchbacks. Some without declaring any modifications. Personally I'd like to see the bike restriction lifted rather than a car restriction imposed, but small chance of that.
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I'm immortal. Well, so far.

[Born2bVile]

[Kickstart]

Hi

Totally agree (although never tempted with the rallies).

Work colleague learnt to ride a bike last year. Couple of hundred miles and then did his test. Wanted an R6 as a first bike, then one day texted me asking what I knew about a TL1000R as he had been offered one and thought it would not be that much faster than a 600 . Eventually persuaded him to buy something more sensible as a first bike and he got a 600 Fazer. Now thinking of upgrading but also thinking about things other than hot shot sports bikes.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[Andy99]

[Shade_BW]

Funnily enough, no-one has done an adequate study (for cars or bikes), into single vehicle accidents. It is assumed that the driver lost control through inexperience, being too cocky etc.

A recent article in a bike magazine showed a corner where most oncoming traffic was across the centre lane, and in the paths of where bikes would be. Any avoiding action which resulted in a crash for the biker (or another car), without hitting the oncoming car would be deemed as a single vehicle accident, and the biker would be assumed to be going too fast and losing it.

Riding home yesterday, found a massive diesel spill which took up almost the entire width of the road, and lasted for some length, round a few bends. If I had come off, there would have been no other vehicle involved, yet could that have only been my fault? (unfortunately I didn't know accurately enough where I was to report it).

Statistics have their place, but they don't always tell the full story, or even enough of it.

Shade
I am not a number.
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[G]

[iain12345]

I was reading in RIDE that the governments are pushing the manufacturers in to pushing sales of midd range road bikes and less sports bikes in the comming future. I personally don't understand how this is going to work.

Who knows - 10 years from now we all might be going around on Fazers and CG's. (no offence intended there) For the time being though, all I want is my high performance sport bike to have alot of smiles and happy moments on and I don't see that changing.

[Frost]

that now you see him now you dont advert as odd i thought there was blame on both sides. the bikers was moving around a hell of alot close behind the car. the car driver checks both mirrors yet still hits the bike. surely the biker was a bit retarded for overtaking at that point. unless i missed something obvious like the car didnt indicate

[G]

[Shade_BW]

[NickD]

[hustler]

Middle aged (nearly ), fast bike, DAS'd just over a year ago, clearly I'm a statistic waiting to happen - am I worried? No.

There will always be something (someone) that causes accidents and there will always be some figures backing the latest slant on things - as long as they don't interrupt my nice sunday ride and I can arrive home put my my feet up on the arm chair with smoking jacket, slippers and my pipe.
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As I said to that guy with the crutches and full camouflage gear, you can hide but you can't run.