[34763]

Oh joy. Something to get the blue hairs all worked up in between Metamucil ads.

 

[1163]

Wonderful.



Another sensationalized piece of "news" to define ALL of us as members of motorcycle gangs endangering the lives of "the chiillldrennn!"



Hell, they'll most likely ask some drunk to sit on a bike and throw some bottles of beer around him too.



"See how BAD motorcycles are?!?"



I get so sick of this trash.



I know I'm saying this without first seeing the "report" but with a description like that I don't expect they'll say anything about the other 99% of those who ride.



Thanks MO for letting us know.

 

[38890]

Great, they found some kids to do stand-ups on the freeway for the cameras... They'll probably share road-rash stories with the reporter and when asked "it seems so dangerous, why don't you stop?" they'll say some dumbass crap about "the rush" and how it makes them feel "alive"...



I don't have anything against stunting in general, but just like the various "street racing" stories in the news I guarantee they'll find the dumbest bunch of guys in town to interview because the smart guys know better than to be seen on camera engaging in illegal acts and talking about how often they do it.





I can just imagine the interview about their fallen "brother" who broke a footpeg on the interstate and rolled under a truck:



"Yeah, Wolfman was a great guy. I seen it happen; it was a bad scene... But I'll still stunt because of the rush I get, it makes you feel alive, like you're really free..."



S'pose I'd better have a beer when it comes on...





-=Goggles=-

 

[burtonsimmons]

You guys better watch out. I'm going to get my extreme motorcycle gang and we'll put your life at risk...



I'm sure a group of early 80's Honda Ascots are a threat... we out 147 hp at the crank... between 3 bikes! That's DANGEROUS stuff, man.

 

[Abe_Froman]

www.Ratherbiased.com

 

[Istamulada]

First time ever that i'm happy of not owning cable TV.

 

[32927]

Andy,



I made it to South Carolina without incident. When I get a little time I will send you an email.



I saw a commercial for the episode and my first thought was... "that's a badass stand up wheelie!"



The truth is that I don't ride like that only because I can't.



Chuk

 

[Chango]

Here's what their website has in the form of a preview:

"Finally tonight, they call themselves adrenalin junkies out for a clean-cut thrill, but are sports bike enthusiasts a menace to themselves and others? Robert McNamara will examine this growing and potentially dangerous trend in tonight's Eye on America."

I'm sure they will be fair and interview many normal, sane motorcyclists for this one...

Chango

 

[Chango]

Oh, in case you're looking for the website, it is:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/1998/08/01/eveningnews/main15214.shtml

Chango

P.S. - Sorry, I can't remember how to do a proper link and I don't feel like looking it up right now.

 

[Buzglyd]

I took my neighbor riding this weekend and she was game to go anywhere except Palomar mountain because of the "crazy riders" she'd heard about.



Apparently the squids are feeding journalists their latest antic which involves leaning close to a car in the turns and scraping the top of their helmets to get a paint stripe from the car.



I laughed at the naive journalist who would believe that one.



So Morons! Any paint stripe collectors out there?

 

[Intersport]

I rarely go a full week without seeing some two-wheeled idiot splitting lanes at 90 mph wearing a tee shirt, or wheelying alongside cars at 70mph on a freeway. I usually enjoy the show (although I keep my distance) but I know the cagers aren't looking kindly. Unfortunately, these dumbasses don't realize they're hurting our general cause, and themselves in the long run. Like racing, stunting should be taken off the street.

 

[blademan]

Just watched it, they did it in Dallas (my hometown), the bike night they are referring to is Sonic in Garland on Thurs. nights. They depicted nothing but danger, stunting, and street racing, nothing of the enthusiasts that will be here for decades, unlike the little *** stunnas who'll die evey year. This sucks, because the cops are even going to get worse around here now.

 

[34763]

Did you ever notice that every "dangerous trend" reported in the media is also growing, usually at "an alarming rate"? Seldom is there any real data behind this, of course, but the very fact that there is video footage of something means that it must be about to explode into your hometown ...

"Ma, git mah gun. We're about to be overrun by them godless motorcycle scofflaws! I hears they run down babies and eat their adrenal gland just for kicks!!! They's EEEEEEEVIL!!!"

 

[seruzawa]

Give me a break. Anyone is surprised by this?

The media creates stories where there are none in order to have sensational crap to frighten everybody with. I doubt that anyone here can name one instance of a news story that they have personal knowledge of that wasn't overblown, twisted and sensationalized.

I remember in 1982 when an agricultural dam was breaking down in Delta, Utah and they had to evacuate the town.... about 50 homes. When Dan Rather came on at 7 he led off with a story where, I'm not making this up, 600 homes were evacuated. This is the sort of accuracy you can expect from the Evening news.

 

[34763]

Hey dude, glad you made it safe and sound! Send me an email with all the road stories ... duking it out with Deliverance families, outwitting corrupt Southern Sherrifs, getting cozy with The Farmer's Daughter, etc.

 

[34763]

Here's their "full" story online.

Shoulda guessed they'd focus on the reckless death of some tragically underskilled rider ... a 23 year old girl, no less. Isn't it odd how the needless death of an experienced motorcyclist at the hands of a reckless elected official doesn't warrant the same type of mania? Anybody else feel like pointing this out to CBS News?

 

[3655]

I fee like pointing it out. If anyone can come up with a good email address, I would certainly use it. Maybe we could get something on the O'Reilly factor.

 

[37372]

Guys, guys, guys - take it easy, OK? If it bothers you that much, don't watch it. The news shows are businesses, and they produce shows to add to their bottom line - a nuanced, non-biased show about the joys of responsible sportbike riding would hardly generate the audience share that a sensational bunch of crap about blood, death, lawbreaking, etc. would. This is America, and that's how it works. I don't have a TV, and I certainly don't watch NASCAR, but if I read about a race that involved a car catching fire and vaulting into the grandstands killing dozens of people, I'd probably go out of my way to see the video - wouldn't you? If you expect reasonable presentations of any high-risk activity, you're invariably going to be disappointed. Or you could contact CBS News and suggest that they present a segment showing sportbike riders obeying all traffic laws and just generally having a pleasant time without doing anything spectacular (or dangerous). Good luck with that one.

 

[Viffer-dude]

There's a common term for this sort of "journalism". It's called "Muckraking". Nobody's better at it than CBS and Dan Blather.

 

[Ducati748K]

I thought wow! What a great news story. Motorcycles really are a threat to everyone on the roads. So I pulled out my calculator and decided to see how much of a threat I am to my fellow motorists "fear of the freeway" and all that. Let's see, I weigh about 150 lbf with all my gear and my Ducati 748 weighs about 480 lbf for a grand total (actually shy of a grand ;-)) of 630 lbf. This of course is equal to 630 lbm (19.58 slugs) because those measures were calculated on earth or were they? Anyhow seeing that my Ducati will not meet the 160 mph (234.7 ft/sec) requirement to make it on the CBS report but rather only 152.2 mph, I am going to need a small cargo helicopter (a CH-46 or 53 would work pretty nice) and about 774 feet of elevation to achieve critical speed after being pushed from the helicopter for being a "full of myself" Ducati rider (totally neglecting air resistance because of superior Ducati aerodynamics or the lack there of). Upon impact with the unsuspecting family in the small station wagon, I will have imparted 539273 slug*ft^2/sec^2 or ft*lbf of energy. That is equivalent to 1580 rounds of 9mm bullets at point blank range from a Police Officer's Glock or 500 rounds emptied from a United States Marine Corps SAW. Ouch!!! The point is we are dangerous . . . But . . . a 5000 lbm SUV travelling at a "Street Legal" 65 mph is going to deliver 706193 ft*lbf of energy which is 1.3 times the impact energy of my motorcycle at 160 mph. I don't even want to discuss what that 80,000 lbm Semi-Tractor Trailer speeding down the road at 75 mph (15 million ft-lbf of energy) is going to do to that poor family. There are alot of terrors on the roads today, but, I guarantee that there are far fewer motorcycles cruising at a relaxing 160 mph than there are SUV and Semi drivers traveling at or above posted speed limits. Watch out! I think we need to take the Semi racing off the streets and onto the tracks. Now that WOULD be a spectacle.