[mesoglea]

Look at me Perspective

Both the cruiser and sport bike world have those "Look at me" types. We all know that the "Loud pipes save lives" thing is wrong due to the Doppler effect. Some sport riders do stupid things on bikes and then we all get lumped together as a nuisance.

Most of those riders have had no formal training let alone a track day. All they do is trick out their bikes with chrome rims, ride with novelty helmets, a tank top and running shoes. Then they act like clowns to look cool. This type of rider will have chicken strips about two inches wide on the rear tire. They also have some of the most powerful bikes on the planet because all they know how to do is wrench the throttle while in a straight line and float the front wheel on the interstate.

I feel that mandated training for all motorcyclists should be required during the licensing process by attending the Basic MSF course at the trainees expense (must pay to play). This will reduce incidents by educating riders in proper, safe and courteous riding habits. If they are stopped by the police for stupid actions, there will no excuses.

Another thing that I feel would reduce fatalities and other acts of immaturity is tiered licensing. There is no reason that a 16 year old kid or a new rider of any age should be on a modern liter bike. Injuries and fatalities occur because they cant control the bike safely. They just don't have the experience or wisdom to handle a bike with 150+ horses. For the first two years, nothing bigger than a 600 or 883 twin. If caught on a larger bike, a one year suspension of all driving privileges and a hefty fine. Don't like it? Don't ride.

Some riders don't think its cool to wear safety gear. I am required, by military law, to wear a certain amount of protective gear. I'm an adult and I do what I'm told because its smart. Look up motorcycle injuries on the net, safety gear will save your hide! Looking cool is for those in still high school.

Many fools complain about the helmet issue. Some say they don't work, they're too heavy or useless over 30 MPH or some other lame excuse. Why do all the pros wear them? Grow up, get a real DOT/SNELL helmet and wear it.

Set firms laws governing safety equipment and enforce them. The MSF recommends, in every state DOT riders handbook, what to wear. Proper safety gear says you are not only educated about riding, you also present a positive image. Lack of safety gear is one of reasons our insurance rates to go up.

It is a privilege to ride, not a right.

 

[mesoglea]

Re: Look at me Perspective

I was implying that the act of wearing safety gear is required and also smart.

The adult reference is because we also are required to wear bright, contrasting colors by day and reflective materials at night. This is on and off the base. Many riders wear dark jackets because it looks fashionable and a blaze orange construction worker vest is a fashion catastrophe.

If a military member chooses not to wear the required Personal Protective Equipment and is involved in an accident, the military can refuse to pay for the medical care and will prosecute for a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice for failure to obey a lawful order.

Most military riders simple refuse to wear the orange vest because its uncool. I say grow up, be an adult, follow orders and do as you are told.

The military has had too many accident in the last few months involving motorcycles.

 

[mesoglea]

Re: Ducati slogan...

Loud clutches sound like mechanical failure.

 

[mesoglea]

Re: Look at me Perspective

I also feel that we need tiered licensing for all vehicles but that is another story......

 

[mesoglea]

A) Nice idea but the public would have a meltdown. That would also open the door to taxing everything as they see fit.



B) You have my vote!



C) Not bad. Make DUIs a felony and hammer them, no exceptions.



D) Again, you can count on my vote. I do agree that the lawmakers and politicians care only for votes and money.



However, you splitting lanes illegally is setting a bad example and contributing to the bad image of riders.

 

[mesoglea]

Re: Ducati slogan...

No worries! I'm just not a big Duc fan. A dry clutch is fine but they sound like a fork in a garbage disposal.

This is a post about motorcycle safety that applies to all riders. The flaming will happen and its all in fun anyway.

As the Motorcycle Safety Officer for my command and I take it seriously.

Honda says, "Stupid Hurts".

 

[mesoglea]

As children, we are taught to look for cars before crossing the street. As adults, we wont notice bikes because we are taught improperly from childhood.

Ask random people "What do you look for before crossing the street?" Most will answer cars.

 

[mesoglea]

Informing a fellow rider that they are doing something negative within our community usually invites a fight. Tell a cruiser rider his novelty helmet is a toy, useless and illegal. Tell a sport rider their wheelies make us look bad. Tell any motorcyclist that they should wear better gear.

Even if you are tactful, most will be upset that you infringed on their territory while being 100% correct.

After repeated flak, attitude and foul words those people only learn by the law and injury. The "It wont happen to me" theory is in full effect.

Many die hard stunters could care less about another riders opinion about the law and the ramifications of breaking them (FTP) or the newest Victory. Some cruisers don't want to hear hard evidence that a helmet can save your life or that Honda has a V5.

The majority of MO users appear to be much more mature and educated than some of the other sites. This site is middle ground because it caters not to a specific group, but all aspects of the two-wheeled world. We may flame and bash but we come back for the intelligent posts and the logical reviews of all makes/models. This furthers our knowledge of the motorcycling world.

 

[mesoglea]

Re: Look at me Perspective

OK, longride this is to you:

Many military members ride motorcycles and will continue to do so. We know that you are about 20 times more likely to get into an accident on one. There are military members that work in some of the most dangerous environments in America every day. That's not just combat with bullets flying either. Riding a bike is nothing compared to the job some perform daily for less than half of what their civilian counterpart is paid.

Its part of my job to ensure, to the best of my ability, that they are educated, informed and held accountable to the laws (both military and civilian) and their actions on and off the base. Nine Marines/Sailors have died in motorcycle related accidents since the beginning of October. We had a Sailors son die last month because he was stunting without a helmet.

Ever lose a friend from an accident? Was there something that could have prevented it? Could you have done something? If so, why didnt you?

Safety might be trivial to you. Its not to me or the military. Accidents don't happen, they are caused.

Through training, we can reduce mishaps and save a life. That life could be a mother, father, son, daughter, husband, wife, ect. That doesn't matter.

We take care of our own.

 

[mesoglea]

Re: Look at me I'm cool without a helmet because I'm a rebel

I hope you are joking.

Motorcycle safety is a serious thing. You can laugh all you want but the men and women defending your right to scoff military law are being injured by the same attitude you are displaying.

Judging your reply, I can tell you never have been through an MSF course. Take one, you might learn something.

I bet you're never going to drop your bike either.

 

[mesoglea]

Complacency can kill.

I never said he couldn't scoff our laws.

I get heated because 4 military members have died from motorcycle accidents in my area in the last few years. One man retired after 20 years of service only to get hit by a teenager while she was talking on her cell phone! He wasn't even out for a year. We had one guy get hit and then go down less than a week. The Naval Safety Center is hot on motorcycle accidents. That heat is pressed onto the commands.

Complacency can kill.

Many military actions seem stupid to the end user. Most of the time they are not high enough on the ladder to see the big picture and the end product. Many things are put into place from what we call "Knee Jerk Reaction".

As for the safety issues and our requirements tell me what you think is stupid, why and how to correct it.

 

[mesoglea]

protect/defend the freedom

According to the dictionary, privilege and right are synonyms. You win.

But if I get a reckless, is it legally the states privilege/right to take my bike and crush it? An item that is my privilege/right to own?

We can talk semantics if you like. Privilege and right are used differently in the military.

If you think an MSF course won’t help the lack common sense what will? If one life is saved, the course worked. Statistically speaking, I feel the course can save hundreds.

Yes, the 600s will kick out over 100 horses and break 150 MPH. Ever ride a modern 600 and then a modern 1000? HUGE DIFFERENCE! Most riders can’t use 50% of the bikes potential anyway; all they see is 1000cc and 165HP.

Look at Europe, they have tiered licensing and are better drivers because of it.

I know it’s not the bikes fault. It is the human factor. What’s so wrong with limiting the availability of the machine on the street? I’m not suggesting that you can’t own one, just cant ride it until you have demonstrated that you can handle it.

If something is just handed to you, the respect is lost. If you earn it by working for it, you respect the thing because you paid for it.

When you rent a car, do really care about it? No, it’s not yours.

Being brave and being stupid are different things. In the military, not wearing your safety gear is just stupid. Is getting hurt and possibly punished for you lack of taking the extra time to put on the safety gear worth it?

Its your civilian tax dollars that will heal these military members when mishaps occur. Things will have to be replaced, lost man hours and others to pick up the pieces that all could have been avoided if a class or a safety brief was conducted.

All it takes is one young rider to think twice about following the faster guys. Again, if one person benefits from it, it’s a good thing.

The "its not going to happen to me" type of thinking has killed many.

 

[mesoglea]

Re: Complacency can kill.

Im cool.

I do get hot about motorcycling. Its part of my job.

I try to lead by example by doing and saying the right things.

I just get pissed when I see a military guy not wearing something because he could get hurt and then fried for it afterwards.

 

[mesoglea]

Wheelies are cool if they are done in the right place with the right equipment at the right time.

Floating the front wheel in 3rd gear to showboat on the interstate can cause accidents. How many idiotic drivers are out there? Their attention will be focused on the bike and not the traffic. Mishaps can occur because of the wheelie. What happens if the rider botches the wheelie causing a traffic jam and a possible pile-up with injury? If the rider rode within the law, the chance for a mishap would be drastically reduced. If people don't like bikes already, a wheelie wont help.

I feel if you are going to stunt, take it to an industrial park on a weekend morning, with friends. It's not in a residential area and your friends will call the meat wagon if you wreck.

As for the gear issue, I have informed some cruiser riders that their novelty helmets are illegal and useless. I will suggest that since they are required to wear one, why not make it a real DOT/SNELL helmet. I get attitude and sneers. I think it shows their intelligence by the quality of the helmet which denotes the value of their brain.

I have informed fellow military members that they are required to wear the blaze orange/reflective vest at night and they play stupid and one got violent. They were formally instructed to wear the right gear and they still refuse to. Ignoring a simple regulation that will increase the riders visibility is asking to be punished militarily and vehicular.

I write from a military standpoint. Its not just a job, its a way of life.

If some junior guy at any company wrecks his bike, does the manger care? Not really. Will the company provide training and information to improve the off work accident rates? No.

Does your boss get the call at 3 AM if you got hurt in a car wreck? No.

I am morally bound to care because its my job as a leader/manger of over 138 Sailors. I care because its the right thing to do. I get pissed when I see a military member not wearing the right gear because when they get hurt, I have to try to re-educate the base in the proper riding attitudes, gear and safe habits. If they had taken the extra minute to put on the safety item, it all might have been avoided.

I will get those calls in the middle of the night on my time off that someone was injured.

I care because each time someone gets hurt the entire Navy feels it. Some other Knee Jerk Reaction takes place and then a new requirement gets placed on us.

Think about the horsepower that will be at the wheel in 3 years. 200+ on the liter bikes?

Something will give. Will the government regulate horsepower? What about top speed being governed to less than 186 MPH.

The people that feel the most heat are the older riders, those that have more years of riding and the maturity to ride responsibly. They are the ones truly limited by the newer riders stupidity.