More great press?
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Yeah, too much adreline!
More crazy push beyond the limit fools.
We lost a kid here in the valley doing a high speed wheelie in a 25 mph school zone during school.
A girl in a SUV turned in front of him and it killed him.
How was she supposed to know a motorcycle going way three or four times the speed limit in a wheelie was heading her way?
More crazy push beyond the limit fools.
We lost a kid here in the valley doing a high speed wheelie in a 25 mph school zone during school.
A girl in a SUV turned in front of him and it killed him.
How was she supposed to know a motorcycle going way three or four times the speed limit in a wheelie was heading her way?
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Bike vs. Rider
One of the riders featured in the video said something that got me thinking, that was: "It's not the bike, it's the rider." I disagree. Certainly, anyone can get on any bike and ride it safely and responsibly. However, in my experience, I ride very differently depending on the bike I'm on. When I had the VFR, cruising the Interstate at 90+ mph was comfortable and enjoyable. Blasting it up to 120 or 140 was even more fun, and frankly, it became addictive. Trying to move along with the traffic flow became intolerable. Get on the old '77 HD, and 65-70mph seems plenty fast. The bike is happy at that speed, and so am I. Now with the Concours I just got, I'm finding myself somewhere in between; moving through the traffic rather than along with it, but not going 100+.
I think it's human nature that when you have something, you want to use it. The old adage "When a boy has a hammer, everything needs pounding" is just as true with adults. If you have a bike that can go 180, you're going to want to use it to at least some degree of it's potential.
Again, anyone can make the choice to ride responsibly on any bike, but to simplify things by saying "It's not the bike, it's the rider" flies in the face of the evidence we see around us every day. Riders on "superbikes" ride differently than those on lesser machines.
One of the riders featured in the video said something that got me thinking, that was: "It's not the bike, it's the rider." I disagree. Certainly, anyone can get on any bike and ride it safely and responsibly. However, in my experience, I ride very differently depending on the bike I'm on. When I had the VFR, cruising the Interstate at 90+ mph was comfortable and enjoyable. Blasting it up to 120 or 140 was even more fun, and frankly, it became addictive. Trying to move along with the traffic flow became intolerable. Get on the old '77 HD, and 65-70mph seems plenty fast. The bike is happy at that speed, and so am I. Now with the Concours I just got, I'm finding myself somewhere in between; moving through the traffic rather than along with it, but not going 100+.
I think it's human nature that when you have something, you want to use it. The old adage "When a boy has a hammer, everything needs pounding" is just as true with adults. If you have a bike that can go 180, you're going to want to use it to at least some degree of it's potential.
Again, anyone can make the choice to ride responsibly on any bike, but to simplify things by saying "It's not the bike, it's the rider" flies in the face of the evidence we see around us every day. Riders on "superbikes" ride differently than those on lesser machines.
What does the T shirt say?
" Ride like a KNOB and you'll DIE". Unfortunatly "they" judge "us" based on the actions of the "few". At least it used to be the few. I live in a college town. I dread spring waiting for the body count, the screaming ss's on residential streets. It's so peacefull when only riders with heated gear are out...... Oh yeah I don't think we've hit double digits on the fatalities yet. Should we add in the dismemberments?
" Ride like a KNOB and you'll DIE". Unfortunatly "they" judge "us" based on the actions of the "few". At least it used to be the few. I live in a college town. I dread spring waiting for the body count, the screaming ss's on residential streets. It's so peacefull when only riders with heated gear are out...... Oh yeah I don't think we've hit double digits on the fatalities yet. Should we add in the dismemberments?
"Hey if you're gonna ride a motorcycle at the same speeds as you'd drive a car, you may as well just drive a car!"
Thanks a$$hole! Don't do me anymore favours unless I ask ok?
In other news local Fox News in Atlanta has a major motorcycle exposé tonight at 6pm. I hope they went down to the BP on North and Spring to get some of our local "stuntaz" opinions.
Well my ZX14 was nice while it lasted.
Thanks a$$hole! Don't do me anymore favours unless I ask ok?
In other news local Fox News in Atlanta has a major motorcycle exposé tonight at 6pm. I hope they went down to the BP on North and Spring to get some of our local "stuntaz" opinions.
Well my ZX14 was nice while it lasted.
Freaking wonderful. Baldy in the interview sure as hell didn't help. Mr Dreadlocks at least tried to sound reasonable.
One point that really should not be missed. If that was 9 out of DC, WAY back in the day (when it was WTOP, maybe even before that) is was once owned by the KKK. No, has nothing to do with the story, I just like that little tidbit...at least they have come a long way, to bad WE haven't...
Take a look at old movies of "crazed bikers" in the 50's and 60's. They did the exact same crap, just that the wheelies were not as impressive and no one wore helmets so they died, almost every time, when one did something really stupid and crashed. SOS, different day and different bikes...
Note, they did not say why the guy on the Harley (yes, that was a Harley) crashed. Betcha it involved a car doing something stupid, but talking on that point doesn't help ratings. Having ridden the DC Beltway more than a time or two, it's a pretty good bet...
Makes one wonder how many folks were killed in cars during that same period...
One point that really should not be missed. If that was 9 out of DC, WAY back in the day (when it was WTOP, maybe even before that) is was once owned by the KKK. No, has nothing to do with the story, I just like that little tidbit...at least they have come a long way, to bad WE haven't...
Take a look at old movies of "crazed bikers" in the 50's and 60's. They did the exact same crap, just that the wheelies were not as impressive and no one wore helmets so they died, almost every time, when one did something really stupid and crashed. SOS, different day and different bikes...
Note, they did not say why the guy on the Harley (yes, that was a Harley) crashed. Betcha it involved a car doing something stupid, but talking on that point doesn't help ratings. Having ridden the DC Beltway more than a time or two, it's a pretty good bet...
Makes one wonder how many folks were killed in cars during that same period...
Gee, I rode my sidecar to work today. Know that BP station well, right across the I75/85 from Georgia Tech (where I went to school) and Georgia State's dorms (where one of my daughters lives). May be I should mosey on over there and be in the way or something, just to fire the stunt idiots up!
Any how, don't forget it's FOX 5, no one REALLY gets their news from FOX anyway...and I am sure the story will be very "fair and balanced"...
Any how, don't forget it's FOX 5, no one REALLY gets their news from FOX anyway...and I am sure the story will be very "fair and balanced"...
Agreed.
I have zero empathy for those in the industry that tirelessly voice the "skill and talent" that exists within the massive minority of professional "stuntas". While it may be true that among these elite resides true ability worthy of applause, the promotion of this activity amongst the masses is negligent at best.
You may sell the stands dry of "Super Streetbike" now, but it won't matter when all of us have been legislated out of existence.
It's always been difficult just to convince newbs to do it right from the get go; get proper gear and some training, really place value on core skill sets. Learn from our mistakes. And that was before the dawn of the stunt culture as its become. Now they're going immediately from never having owned a bike to crashing in after-hours parking lots and city streets.
Nobody is going to tell me the promotion and commercialization of the stunt culture is a good thing for mototrcycling as a whole. It simply isn't.
There is no longview with the majority of these kids and this culture. They buy a bike, half-ass around as wannabe stuntas for a handful of years, raise the ire of the citizenry, then get out with a few injuries if they're lucky and move on. They spend a small chapter of the sum total of their lives around bikes and that's it. There is zero regard for the long-term damage that this sort of activity is going to mean for the rest of us.
Sounds like I'm a cranky old man, and maybe that's true, but it seems pretty obvious.
I have zero empathy for those in the industry that tirelessly voice the "skill and talent" that exists within the massive minority of professional "stuntas". While it may be true that among these elite resides true ability worthy of applause, the promotion of this activity amongst the masses is negligent at best.
You may sell the stands dry of "Super Streetbike" now, but it won't matter when all of us have been legislated out of existence.
It's always been difficult just to convince newbs to do it right from the get go; get proper gear and some training, really place value on core skill sets. Learn from our mistakes. And that was before the dawn of the stunt culture as its become. Now they're going immediately from never having owned a bike to crashing in after-hours parking lots and city streets.
Nobody is going to tell me the promotion and commercialization of the stunt culture is a good thing for mototrcycling as a whole. It simply isn't.
There is no longview with the majority of these kids and this culture. They buy a bike, half-ass around as wannabe stuntas for a handful of years, raise the ire of the citizenry, then get out with a few injuries if they're lucky and move on. They spend a small chapter of the sum total of their lives around bikes and that's it. There is zero regard for the long-term damage that this sort of activity is going to mean for the rest of us.
Sounds like I'm a cranky old man, and maybe that's true, but it seems pretty obvious.
Re: Bike vs. Rider
That's good thinking. The next logical step after this idea is "Ok, now that we think this, we can just legislate high speed motorcycles out of existence, problem solved."
We're always going to be thought of as dangerous fools. That's just the way it is. Pry it from my cold dead hands.
That's good thinking. The next logical step after this idea is "Ok, now that we think this, we can just legislate high speed motorcycles out of existence, problem solved."
We're always going to be thought of as dangerous fools. That's just the way it is. Pry it from my cold dead hands.
The odds are probably the same that his do-rag got in the only eye that could see straight after he finished chugging that last beer.
And the third possibility is he was reaching for his blackberry and forgot that cruise control doesn't know how to countersteer.
And the third possibility is he was reaching for his blackberry and forgot that cruise control doesn't know how to countersteer.
Re: Bike vs. Rider
that's YOUR problem though. Being capable of using ones intelligence (last I checked, we'd surpassed the great apes) is a symptom of being human. Either use your brain, or get off the roads. I don't really want to be riding with chimps.
that's YOUR problem though. Being capable of using ones intelligence (last I checked, we'd surpassed the great apes) is a symptom of being human. Either use your brain, or get off the roads. I don't really want to be riding with chimps.
Actually I wouldn't worry about this too much.. Remember the car-racing craze after the movie the Fast and the Furious came out. You saw stories like this all the time. Great to see that sportbikes are leading the way by creating more ethnic diversity in the rider population. Cruisers never did that... It was refreshing to see the honesty and enthusiasm from these sport bike riders. Doubt they will be buying Harleys in the future.. Sorry GPTB but these kids are the future...
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