[scooter51]

If this keeps up which I think it will, we are in trouble. It's too bad these people had to die and make us look even worse to the public to boot. But being in Sac the knee jerk reaction capital, it won't belong before some news hound wanting to make a name for him/herself does an expose on the "dark and dangerous motorcycle underground" and find a bunch shirtless ill-spoken wanna-bee stunter jackasses that are all too eager to be on TV to prove their point for them. Then the safety Nazi's will have "credible evidence" that all sportbike riders are represented by the few and we need them to save us from oursevles so that we don't kill ourselves and take some bystandard with us. Next horsepower regulation, limiteded riding hours (those damn things are dangerous enough you don't need to be riding them in rush hour traffic), and a full platoon of police to police the back country roads. Long story short watch out and be careful, I'm not saying don't speed, we all do it, we all rip the occasional wheelie. But doing everything to the extreme i.e. 100mph wheelies on surface streets and the like, is like saying "look at me I'm big irresponsible jackass who has no regard for your safety or mine" Sorry to rant but I used to work in a bike shop here in Sacto and the community used to be small and I have watched it grow and I have buried more friends than i care to recount, some by faults of their own some by the irresponsbility of others both cagers and other bikers. But this is what always scared me and still does. I want the fastest bike you have cause I wanna be like the Star Boyz, and if you try to show these morons a smaller bike, (note this garbage came from beginners...generally aged 18-30) they think you are infering that they are not man enough. Any way they buy, crash, die or if they don't die they find away to blame everyone and everything but themselves. And we all pay for it........public looks done on us, police harrass us and have you tried insure a sportbike in htis area lately? when I bought my RC51 in 2001 my insurance was $65 a month now it is almost $250 a month and I am 30, been riding since i was 19 and have had several MSF advanced rider courses. When I was younger I did not want to start on something top rate, for one the people I new that had them were truely fast guys, racers or exracers and I would have just felt like a poser moron getting a bike like that. So I started with a small standard (1991 Kawi Zephyr 550) bought in 94 and worked up from there, a series of 600 machines later I finally my 51. I guess what I 'm trying to say is alot of people need to learn some humulity because the are only hurting themselves and our image. Sorry about he rant but it needed to be said. And about the knee jerk politicians......Never underestamate the power of an uniformed mass.

 

[scooter51]

1 speeding ticket for 45 in a 40. It comes off in Jan 05, but I've been told not expect much of a drop, because there are so many new riders here the claims on 1000cc sportbikes are unbelivable, plus some other factors very high number of unisured motorists and the overall population here is growing very fast so more insurance claims in general. But mainly the expanding motorcyclist population, which is a good thing, like I said just too many people trying to jump into the deep end head first when the have never even gone swimming.

ps I am switching to liability so I can afford insurane I have a feeling it will be much less. I just hope nothing happens to my bike.