Old bikers prompts renewed focus on safety.

Glory be!

"What we think is happening with this older group is that they rode a motorcycle when they were 18-20 years old, then they hit their 40s and realized, 'Hey, I can afford a bigger, better bike,'" said Gigi Zenk, a licensing spokeswoman.

Dang. Someone in the govt finally figues out what everyone else has known for years. Well done Gigi!

On the other hand...... ""If it keeps one person from killing themselves, all the better."

Where have we heard that before? It's usually the excuse for some overpriced and burdensome govt solution that doesn't work. Check yer wallets.

Re: Glory be!

They forgot to add "We're doing it for the children!"

Wouldn't a fringed casket be the "quintessential baby boomer (afterlife) luxury purchase" for these boneheads? They could select their casket's custom paint and chrome accents right before they ride off on their nearly half ton bikes for the first time.

Oh No, don't tell me someone's ego is going to get bruise by this report.

The squids rejoice in second place.

Where is the middle ground between young/dumb and old/wise?

Re: Glory be!

Maybe MO was set up as a secret think tank for the gov.

Hi all,

I have been riding since 1970, on a 175 BSA. My bikes have gotten bigger and faster, as I have gotten bigger and slower. I still have butterflies everytime I ride.



I notice a lot of new older riders, do not have that fear. They ride in bunches, and can not corner. I think that it is very hard to learn to ride when you start out at 40 plus on a big bike. You never learn in the same instinctive way that you can when you are a teen. This is especially true in emergency stops or turns.

When I took the MSF class, our instructor said that WA state used to have a tier license system. However, some State Rep from Mercer Island (affluent and Republican) bought a bike and was pissed who couldn't ride it until he got through the tier system. He introduced a bill removing the tier system. So now anyone with a license can ride any overweight Harley they want regardless of experience. I used that opportunity to buy the safest bike available a 600 SuperSport. Great Brakes, turns on a dime, etc. If ridden responsiblely. I digress, I think a tiered system is the best way to go....

Yep. just ride to the XXX drive-in in Issaquah WA on a weekend and watch the overweight baby boomers on their Harleys. You can tell they are weekend riders, cause they are on the verge of out of control and that is just in the parking lot. The have their little leather vests and "DOT" approved skull caps. As my "pack" (a Ninja, Daytona, CBR600R) ride in, the look of disdain is all over their GPTB faces.. Who is squid? i.e. dumb vs wise?

Re: Glory be!

LOL Good one. You might want to "rethink" the term "think tank" when talking about MO. I predict this story will have the typical GPTB response. "Don't take away our freedumb er freedom..."

"If it keeps going, we're going to be in trouble. We're already in trouble," Patrol Capt. Jeff DeVere said.



Uh oh. What does he mean "We're already in trouble." Another do-gooder winding up to make his pitch. In the great scheme of things, a few wobbly baby-boomers getting squashed while riding their Harley's hardly ranks as a major concern to society.



Now if he wants to do something about middle-aged, overweight people who eat too much sugar, I could get behind that effort. Naw, just kidding.

I'm sick of this issue

As a Marine who came home and bought a new bike, all i hear is safety. The Base General set rules, that are inline with state laws, but it is FORCE FED EVERYDAY. I am considered "Medium Risk" just for owning a bike, and must check in on the weekends (i'm a 33 year old child), even if i'm not riding! I think the news media is making this worse than it really is (having spent 13 months in Iraq, it almost never looks like what you see on TV). I'd like to know how many people enjoy riding on the weekend and don't crash - show me that statistic.

Noah

'05 SV650N - 3250 miles and no accidents, or drops.

What are the statistics per mile travelled I wonder?



Surely that's the best way to figure out if there's a problem? Rather than looking at historical figures and realising that "hey - older riders are making up a bigger crash death rate", how about instead looking at the death rate per mile travelled for each age demographic, and then decide whether or not the older riders represent a higher proportion of motorcycling deaths than the younger riders.

Good point. And I wish to make another: given the older re-entry riders probable tendency to be a bit slower and more careful, they should have a MUCH lower crash rate per unit of miles traveled.



Bet you they don't...

C'mon now, aren't you a weekend rider on your first bike yourself? What's the difference between admittidly stupid looking outlaw wannabe's looking down their noses at you and you looking down your nose at them?



All that said, I don't care to be associated with them either and try to avoid "cruiser places." I just like the bike. If it stops raining for more than 5 minutes at a time I might even ride it LOL

I certainly agree with your post... it's all true... but I don't know what "GPTB" faces mean!?!

Would mid-30's and scarred be the middle ground?

Funny thing is, I was thinking a big road glide would be just about perfect. Now I'm thinking them Harleys are dangerous.

Is it wrong to crank up Tom Jones on a bike?

The airlines are usually mentioned as safest per mile.

I'm more interested in safest per accident.