[mojo!k]

The other day I was out riding and happened to be following a man and wife(or)girlfriend on a sport touring bike. The first thing I noticed was that they were both wearing jeans, light jackets and tenny's. ..ok, I usually don't rag on people for their riding gear, or lack thereof, but this was a nice looking bike (so you'd think the guy would know better?) plus the guy was carrying precious cargo. ....then I thought well, maybe they are just cruising slow around the outskirts of town or...whatever, it's their deal. The path we were on was a busy 45-55mph road that leads to the hwy. The pace was about 45ish & this guy decides he's going to tailgate & look to pass the lifted 4x4 rig in front of him. As I hung back I observed this tailgater repeatedly get closer then back off because there was no opportunity to pass. Meanwhile the traffic ahead of the 4x4 was slowing but the guy on the bike didn't notice cuz he was so fixed on trying to pass. When the 4x4 hit his brakes, I began to slow and then realized the sport tourer was not paying attention to the rig in front of him. Welp, he was so close to the 4x4 that it didn't take but 2 seconds for him to be in no mans land -- no time to brake and no where to go but around him into oncoming traffic, which is what he did. Luckily the oncoming cars saw him and moved to the shoulder allowing him room to pass.

Man, I gotta tell ya that just pissed me off. :edit: Not only did he put the life of his passenger in danger, but he also put into jeopardy those in the oncoming lane.
I hope the woman passenger gave him a proper beating when they stopped! :bdh:

BE CAREFUL out there people. As I watched the whole thing happen I was reminded of how fast we can get ourselves in a pinch if we are not cautious. And after I calmed down, I logged in what I just witnessed to make a mental note of how NOT to ride! ...passenger or solo.
Anyway, I just wanted to share this with my fellow 9'rs. Ride safe.

 

[Kev]

Man...that sounds completely STOOPID

But hey there are stoopid cagers....so why not stoopid bikers :dontknow:

 

[grampi]

It appears cagers aren't the only idiot drivers. You should see the crotch rocket riders around the Chicago area. Doing 100 MPH, weaving in and out of traffic, all while wearing sandals, shorts, a t-shirt, and no helmet. I call them donorcyclists......

 

[SomeFknGuy]

I guess by yall's judgement id be an idiot then... I ride daily in jeans, boots, and a tshirt...the way i see it if i get into a wreck its going to be highly likely that a helmet wouldnt help anyhow... i dont really listen when people call me dumb, because they are usually the ones that go out and drag race down the street after leaving the bar...

 

[grampi]

I guess by yall's judgement id be an idiot then... I ride daily in jeans, boots, and a tshirt...the way i see it if i get into a wreck its going to be highly likely that a helmet wouldnt help anyhow... i dont really listen when people call me dumb, because they are usually the ones that go out and drag race down the street after leaving the bar...

The way I see it, why increase your risk of injury to a pass time that's already dangerous by not wearing safety gear? Stats don't lie and helmets do greatly increase your chances of surviving an accident, but to each their own.....

 

[Guest]

I guess by yall's judgement id be an idiot then...

Right on :doorag: Geeeeesh, Life=No Value

 

[Kev]

I guess by yall's judgement id be an idiot then... I ride daily in jeans, boots, and a tshirt...the way i see it if i get into a wreck its going to be highly likely that a helmet wouldnt help anyhow... i dont really listen when people call me dumb, because they are usually the ones that go out and drag race down the street after leaving the bar...

Thats what they said about seatbelts as well :dontknow:

Good luck fella...I hope we'll see ya on the board for many years to come :bigthumbsup:

 

[kuntryy]

So, what you're saying is that those who don't wear safety gear and helmets are idiots? I bet that everyone on here buckles up too? LOL. Last time I checked, it was a decision that only the rider can make. If they don't wear it, then they don't wear it. I truly do hope that those who don't wear the gear and helmets never go down.

 

[Timbo0824]

It appears cagers aren't the only idiot drivers. You should see the crotch rocket riders around the Chicago area. Doing 100 MPH, weaving in and out of traffic, all while wearing sandals, shorts, a t-shirt, and no helmet. I call them donorcyclists......

I guess by yall's judgement id be an idiot then... I ride daily in jeans, boots, and a tshirt...the way i see it if i get into a wreck its going to be highly likely that a helmet wouldnt help anyhow... i dont really listen when people call me dumb, because they are usually the ones that go out and drag race down the street after leaving the bar...

Oh boy... op:

those that don't wear gear - You're not idiots necessarily... I for one, have no bones with people riding w/o helmets.

It's a choice (in most places here in the states anyway) - which means you man up and eat the consequences of that choice. But a helmet sure ain't gonna hurt your chances in the event you ARE in an accident. (I think I just heard HyperPete in the background...).

Also, they call them accidents for a reason, Many times (if not MOST times) it's going to be something outside of your control that causes an accident. To name a few... Gravel, Oil, anti-freeze (yep, it's worse than oil, ask me how I know...) Rain, A bug in your eye, a good looking girl in the car next to you, glare, the sun, some stupid cager, some stupid biker, a nail in the road, a construction ladder on the freeway from a truck that didn't tie it down(yes, I've seen this, and almost hit it), headlights (for those that ride at night), 18-wheelers w/ huge blind spots, Re-treads flying off tractor trailers, wet leaves, sand, Salty roads (for those that really brave the elements), drunk drivers, pedestrians, deer and your neighbors dog...

So, if you're cool with the risk of getting in an accident and dealing with 2nd and 3rd degree burns/road rash on your upper body for wearing a t-shirt, broken bones, internal injuries, and/or having your brains being spilled on a public roadway for not wearing a helmet and gear, more power to you.

BTW, I mean this all seriously... I've been known to ride w/o a helmet from time to time. It's on the days where I can convince myself I'm invincible.

 

[Timbo0824]

Also, to the OP... thanks for sharing. There's a valid point in there to two-wheeled brethren out there to be safe and not make stupid decisions that put you and others in danger.

Hopefully that point doesn't get missed through the "helmet, no-helmet" argument.

 

[CBR1000DUDE]

Darwin anyone?

I think that not wearing a helmet is your choice, but it's not a choice in California. Of course, most riders wear these fake helmets that don't offer any protection, but seem to get them around the law.
Survival of the fitest. Works for me. I could care less if they survive or not. It's not my problem. It's probably not too smart, but riding a motorcycle could probably be described as not too smart. Or skiing without a helmet (legal!) either!
I believe in live and let live.
Some kid's been doing wheelies down my street on his new dirt bike with no helmet. My wife asked to me talk to him. I said no way, it's his life, and if he wants to splatter his brains all over the street, I'll just hose it off.
I gave up trying to save the world. Darwin was right. They can save themselves or not.

 

[Screamnyellozonker]

It does end up being our problem. Everytime a rider does a header and kills himself that is just another nail in the motorcycle riders group coffin. Enough of them go down and pretty soon they will be putting airbags and seat belts on our bikes and then decide we are just not capable of being safe and legislate some sort of safety mandate that says unless a rider can pass a head on at 35 mph then we are going to be judged unsafe. You can bet that somewhere there are motorcycle hating politicians just waiting for some sort of spike in the death rate to get us poor stupid souls off the road and save us from ourselves because they know better. Don't think so. Just look at cars and guns. They will have us wearing safety suits that make the Michlein man look trim.

 

[crdj40m109]

Lots of good, and not so good, points here. We ride as individuals but cagers see us as a collective. And bottom line, we should realize that when we ride with less protection we'd better be paying more attention. Cagers know they win in a steel to steel conflict, every time.
Am I the only one who has watched a guy in a pickup or car look me straight in the eye while he ran me off the road?

 

[Slave #1966]

universal health care

Up here in Canada we have full universal health care, and you have to wear a helmet. There reasoning is you do not have the right to burden everybody else with your medical bills. With that, when are they going to go after the obese, it seems lack of excersise leading to heart disease is the number one problem here. Maybe everyone should have to wear a helmet with only a fine mesh screen for a mouth piece, that can only let soup through. that would save a lot money.

 

[allytay1]

I agree that we all get branded with the same brush ... just for being on 2 wheels. Personally, I think riding a bike has made me a far more defensive driver because you are so aware of how exposed you are out there in heavy traffic. I've ridden with and without helmet, in kevlar jackets and t-shirts, in riding boots and running shoes. I agree that your gear choice should be a personal decision ... so long as you're not putting other lives in jeopardy and are, at a minimum, driving safely. My passengers are my wife and my daughters, and they are always geared up properly.

I think the dopes that make stupid choices on the road (i.e. tailgating, weaving around in traffic, etc.), regardless of their gear choices, are going to eventually be the cause of helmet laws and biker crackdowns everywhere. There's always a couple rotten apples that spoil it for everyone else.

 

[Timbo0824]

It does end up being our problem. Everytime a rider does a header and kills himself that is just another nail in the motorcycle riders group coffin. Enough of them go down and pretty soon they will be putting airbags and seat belts on our bikes and then decide we are just not capable of being safe and legislate some sort of safety mandate that says unless a rider can pass a head on at 35 mph then we are going to be judged unsafe. You can bet that somewhere there are motorcycle hating politicians just waiting for some sort of spike in the death rate to get us poor stupid souls off the road and save us from ourselves because they know better. Don't think so. Just look at cars and guns. They will have us wearing safety suits that make the Michlein man look trim.

They actually just tried to pass legislationhere in Illinois to strengthen helmet laws. Through work of groups like ABATE, it was beaten down...

Not sayin I don't partially agree with you, just sayin.

Lots of good, and not so good, points here. We ride as individuals but cagers see us as a collective. And bottom line, we should realize that when we ride with less protection we'd better be paying more attention. Cagers know they win in a steel to steel conflict, every time.
Am I the only one who has watched a guy in a pickup or car look me straight in the eye while he ran me off the road?

I might argue that you should really pay that level of attention all the time, but I think that's the point the OP was making... And no you're not the only one unfortunately.

Up here in Canada we have full universal health care, and you have to wear a helmet. There reasoning is you do not have the right to burden everybody else with your medical bills. With that, when are they going to go after the obese, it seems lack of excersise leading to heart disease is the number one problem here. Maybe everyone should have to wear a helmet with only a fine mesh screen for a mouth piece, that can only let soup through. that would save a lot money.

interesting point, but a bit skewed IMO (and I'm not Canadian, so I don't have a dog in the fight)... The data behind helmets saving lives is a bit more -cut and-dry than talking about statistics surrounding obesity and it's related medical costs.

 

[Reaper]

I guess by yall's judgement id be an idiot then... I ride daily in jeans, boots, and a tshirt...the way i see it if i get into a wreck its going to be highly likely that a helmet wouldnt help anyhow... i dont really listen when people call me dumb, because they are usually the ones that go out and drag race down the street after leaving the bar...

I know some of you guys have the right not to wear a helmet, but if your going to sit there and tell everyone that you think a helmet would NOT make that MUCH difference any way, then have a look. This was a fellow member the other day who is basically OK, (no head injuries due to helmet) are YOU going to tell us that your skull would still be in one piece after seeing this helmet. If you still think a helmet would not make that much difference then there is not much more to say.

 

[OUTLAW]

Gary Busey used to be one of the biggest proponents of no helmets laws in California. Till he went down & hit his head on a curb. Now he's FOR helmet laws. Go Figure!

 

[Masochist]

Gary Busey used to be one of the biggest proponents of no helmets laws in California. Till he went down & hit his head on a curb. Now he's FOR helmet laws. Go Figure!

Oh so THAT'S what happened to him! And here I though he was just drunk off his ass everytime I saw him...:joke: :joke:

 

[Earthquake9]

I had one pass me on I-30 in Dallas doing at least 120, weaving, splitting lanes and changing 3 lanes at a time, he missed the left corner of my truck by inches. I thought he must want to die. These riders actions reflect on all of us.