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Saw some real stupid bikers tonight.

15K views 124 replies 55 participants last post by  wnowak1 
#1 ·
I was coming home on I-95 tonight from Richmond Va. I was in my car in the 3rd lane with other traffic doing about 60mph. On the left side of the highway, off the road next to the concrete median barrier I see a group of red taillights. It turns out it was 3 sport bikes. All of a sudden all 3 pull out into traffic and aim to cross all 3 lanes to get to an exit that is probably 75 yards ahead. I thought for sure one bike was going to get it, all cars in all lanes had slammed on thier brakes to avoid these idiots. Traffic on I-95 was very moderate tonight. These guys had plenty of time to wait for an opening. They waited long enough for a whole pack of cars to actually be right on top of them.

This was the dumbest thing I have ever seen! It scared the hell out of me. Being a new motorcyclist, it sure made me think. God that was so close. I guess all 3 had to go home and clean out thier pants! I almost did.
 
#77 ·
ZX-10R Urza said:
Uncle Bob said:
Wanna be stupid that's your


Yes, uncle bob did, Freakinout. I really don't appercaite it, I i found it uncalled for. Yes poeple bash my info, fine what every, don't bash me. After all It's againest the rules right? The admin also broke the same rule was banned for. I don't want him banned or anything, just making a point. He told me to behave, I have been doing soo this who time. But NO ONE appericaites being called stupid, espeacially when its a mod.


Pete
I don't consider that a direct comment at you.
 
#78 ·
Freakinout said:
I don't consider that a direct comment at you.
Freakinout is right. Read the context. So ZX 10R Urza, instead of being offended about something that wasn't even said directly to you, why don't you instead be a contributing member to the forum? You've made some good contributions in the past. So get over the supposed offense, and let's talk about bikes.
Curt
 
#80 ·
I don't need to call you names, the word you're refering to, within the context of my post was aimed at newbies in general that will be future statistics causing my insurance premiums to rise.

It's not because I used a quote from one of your posts as a starting point that everything I wrote was aimed at you.

Now your answer to countersteering is interesting because you seem to have read enough about it to make your post almost sound legitimate. Yet it doesn't make sense. There is no sliding involved in countersteering, at least not if you're doing it right.

And countersteering is the only possible way to steer a motorcycle above 20mph. Yet most riders don't even know they're countersteering.

BTW we are equal here, don't care if you're 10,20 or 89 as long as you respect the site and the members. Interesting that you bring up your age when it suits you. As for having time, well yes I'm lucky to have an IT job where I'm on standby for incoming calls that pays very well. I've so far made nearly a thousand dollars answering your posts.

As for me dogging you, well if I see bad advice being given by anybody I will jump in and correct it.
 
#81 ·
Here is what I would like to say about these recent posts here. First, I agree that a 600 probably isn't the best bike to learn on. It is what I have, and I think that it is a good bike for me. But that is just my opinion, and shouldn't be taken for anything, since I don't have experience with other bike sizes. Because of this, I would NEVER say that a 600 bike is a good bike to learn on, because I can't compare.

As for guys getting "dogged", I really don't think that is right. Because people ask advice, they are going to get opinions from many people. Just because you don't agree with their opinion doesn't give you the right to label it as bad advice. It is still just an opinion. The person receiving the advice has the right to get different opinions from others and compare them. For this instance, if they decide to go against your opinion and start on a 600 bike, that's their fault. You definately have much better information and facts pointing to a smaller bike for new riders. If they base their decision on someone else saying that "a 600 is a good bike because it was ok for me", that is just asinine, and you can't be blamed for trying.
 
#82 ·
Nobody is "dogging" anybody here, if a member overreacts to somthing he missreads and makes a mountain out of a molehill I have no control over that.

Yes we can have differences in opinions, that makes the site interesting.

Can there be good advice and bad advice. Yes most definitely, some things go way beyond a difference in opinion and must categorized as either bad or good advice.

Experienced riders, professional intructors and the statistics say 100hp+ for a newbie is BAD Advice. Not an opinion, this is a documented fact.

Of course it is not an absolute truth either, a newbie on a 100hp+ is not garanteed to crash,hurt himself or die, But his probabbilities of this happening just exploded to a one in twenty chance compared to a one in 500 chance on a 50hp or less bike.

Factor in that the same poster then goes to another site and uses the posts here to get them to change their opinion on the same subject.
 
#83 ·
Uncle bob, I've always felt a 600 was the borderline, Never been changed :roll: looks like someone is making a mountain outta a molehole thou :wink: :wink:
 
#84 ·
Oh, so its ok for uncle bob to call newbies stupid then?? And he meant it toward me, just getting all technical. Basically, If you don't want me to think that, DON'T MAKE IT SEEM LIKE IT. I do whats called "keeping it real". And this is a instance where "keeping it real goes wrong". I state my mind and opinion, not changing it for anyone, unless i see fit. Poeple post pics and statics all they want, but it still doesn't show any proof. Think about Deal's Gap. Its used by prolly +500 thousand bikers each year, yet there has been only ONE death in the past year. Does this make it a safe rode? absolutely not. Sure post a pic of a motorcycle crash with a 600cc. SO? that's ONE instance, and it prolly doesn't even accuratly display what your arguement is.Think about the autobhan, it has no speed limits in some areas, and it still has a lower yearly death count than the US interstate. Does that make it safer? Does that make it more dangerous?
 
#85 ·
re

i sort of relate to it like this:

when i was 16 my father was building up a 1970 GTO and i was hoping it was for me
at the time i had just started driving cars and had 65 oldsmobile F85 6cyl,but that did'nt
stop me-i added wheels,slick paint,dual exhaust,offenhouser intake etc,etc,
prolly had a whopping 175hp at the crank
a year later the GTO was done- 375hp athe crank,4speed,posi rear,411 gear
headers etc,etc
i ask to drive the car and dad said until you have some experience on the road and learn
how to use horsepower and not mindlessly drive it - you'll only polish it!!!

best thing he could've done-i was never one to act stupid,but i do like to go fast
that car would have got me into BAD trouble! i know it would've
its just too much temptation with all those ponies under my foot

i did'nt understand then -but slowly he started letting me take it to the strip while he
showed me how to drive the car and when i was 21 i got the car!!

now a father myself-if my daughter wants to start riding when she's old enough
i would not consider for a moment putting her on 100hp bike as her first scoot
and i really believe most parents feel the same

to say that a certain hp bike is too much for a noob is really more of love concern
or a saftey issue in my view-it apllies to other things also-like guns

9yr old with a BB rifle or a 12 gauge-same principal to me :D
 
#86 ·
Re: re

bikeaholic said:
now a father myself-if my daughter wants to start riding when she's old enough
i would not consider for a moment putting her on 100hp bike as her first scoot
and i really believe most parents feel the same

to say that a certain hp bike is too much for a noob is really more of love concern
or a saftey issue in my view
I wholeheartedly agree with the above statement. If a child is still under the care of their parents, it is the parents and not the child who should have final say as to what bike the child can start on.

ZX 10R Urza: Pictures and statistics ARE proof. If you don't agree with what they say, take that time that others have and try to find pics, stories, or statistics that back your opinion. My lawyer friends always say it is better to have your own facts than relying on breaking down the facts of others.
 
#87 ·
I did put proof, deal's gap. Look it up. And what do you want me to do, get you a pic of some guys riding responsibly?
 
#88 ·
No. What we want is to see your statistics that just as many new riders die on 250's as on 600's (proportional to ownership of the two sizes). That should prove that it's all about the rider and not about the bike.

Until I can see the actual statistics, I would agree with Uncle Bob that the people who really know what a newbie can do would be the MSF instructors. In http://www.kawasakimotorcycle.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2268
Uncle Bob said:
I get my info for beginners from MSF instructors who see day after day what beginners are able to do or not.
Another possibility would be EMT's. Those guys see the deaths. I never hear those guys saying newbies should be on bigger bikes.
Curt
 
#89 ·
Curt said:
No. What we want is to see your statistics that just as many new riders die on 250's as on 600's (proportional to ownership of the two sizes). That should prove that it's all about the rider and not about the bike.
That was what I was trying to get across. Deal's gap could be a good start, you just need the stats as to who rides it, and on what bikes. If it's all guys with 15 years riding experience on EX 500's, that really doesn't help your point much. :?
 
#90 ·
Yes you are right about deals gap not having many deaths, questions is why ? Is it being ridden by newbies ? or is it just a place evrybody has heard of and travels to see at some point. Maybe the set up is such that the speeds are reasonable for the condition of the road.

Then again maybe it's just plain luck because when I peeked in on the site I saw this .

Eleven reported accidents on the ``Dragon'' last week prompted Saturday's intensive traffic enforcement efforts on U.S. 129 (Calderwood Highway).
One week, eleven reported accidents, how many riders dropped their bikes and didn't bother to report it ? I would hazard a guess of at least twice that number. But still eleven in one week that's way too much for my taste.
 
#91 ·
re

i've ridden it twice-seen accidents both times- it has plenty of unreported spills
just because you don't die - don't mean anything

the police have really cracked down up there as a result of the number of spills
both spills i saw were riders riding beyond their ability,not weather,not road conditions,
not mech failures, but inexperienced riders on go fast bikes they did'nt know how to control
in a hairy situation-the biggest problem up there is not the road-its oncoming traffic
both incidents i saw were that way-both riders had to leave the road surface due to
poor skills and a disregard for their own limits
 
#93 ·
Freakinout said:
I've been working on a personal friend to stop doing stupid stuff on his bike. its hard to break it into their heads :x
Actually it's quite easy. It involves you physically beating the crap out of them and breaking a bone or two, so then they know what it's like to wreck a bike doing something stupid. Don't laugh because I'm not kidding.
 
#94 ·
I coudln't agree more. I don't think its good to do wheelies ALL the time. But knowing how to control one might help you. You'll have better balance, plus if you accidently down **** instead of up shift and lift the wheel off the ground you don't freek out and loop it.
 
#95 ·
Re: re

bikeaholic said:
when i was 16 my father was building up a 1970 GTO and i was hoping it was for me at the time i had just started driving cars ... <snip> ... i ask to drive the car and dad said until you have some experience on the road and learn how to use horsepower and not mindlessly drive it - you'll only polish it!!!
Excellent example! My dad also had a taste for high-horsepower cars, but only rarely let me take them out alone...and refused to let me purchase a motorcycle while I lived at home. (Unlike you, bikeaholic, I was one to act stupid.) He did, however, teach me a lot about safe and "high performance" driving (See the book: Bob Bondurant on High Performance Driving).

I never could afford anything hot until the age of 26 when my dad sold me his 1991 Dodge Spirit R/T (a limited production, 224 hp, turbo charged and intercooled Q-ship) for a song. Since then, I've come to understand and appreciate what my dad did for me...and I'm real cautious around teenaged drivers. Only this year, at the age of 3?, have I been able to finally get my hands on a bike and I appreciate my dad's restraint on me even more. I got into enough trouble in the cars I owned. I can't imagine what I would have gotten into on a bike. Young (inexperienced, hot-headed, particularly male) drivers & (cars or) motorcycles are a bad mix. (Lately, though, it seems like young female drivers are getting more wild as well with the whole Fast and Furious street persona.)

bikeaholic: Do you still have the GTO? How about a picture in the "Show off Your Ride" section? :D
 
#96 ·
I see the same behavior on the interstate here in Ky during rush hour. It give all motorcyclists a bad name. I wish I could pound some smarts into them. I just say a prayer for their safety as they go by at 100mph!!!

I am training up the next generation of bikers in my family and intend to teach them proper bike manners!!! That is all we can do.

Heather
 
#97 ·
re

nope neo-no goat was passed down - ironically he wrecked it in a grocery
store parking lot :lol: and it was sold

i'm still obsessed with pontiacs though - i now drive a 01 WS6 T/A
with just a few mods :twisted: :lol:

don't tell anybody but there are plans for a "judge" car in the future :wink:
 
#98 ·
WOW now that was a lot of reading. This thread reminds me of some of the things I hear on the CB while traveling. It goes everywere, talkes in circles and is pretty interesting.

Now as for speed, I say if you can keep it under control and in your lane fine. Come into my lane and I am going to run over you because I am using it. I have been as fast as 155mph on a R75 BMW. I have driven a curvey country road at 90 mph in a 63 Pontiac Catalina then did the same in reverse at 45 mph ( I was 16 and had no fear or sense ) I jumped a hill like the dukes of Hazard I also jumped a Subaru Justy over a sand dune and landed 40 feet away with wife and baby as passengers. Broke four horses including one wild mustang that tried to kill me more than once. and a lot of other things I can't remember that was either really stupid or really thrilling according to your age and outlook.

Now I ride my Kz 550 like the old man I am. I get my thrill or fright from riding on the interstate getting passed by rigs or some times passing them. I do have a 100 honda dirt bike that has replaced the horses and it has thrown me enough to keep me happy. The point. I am still alive Thanks to GOD alone. I say to the young man ZX-10R this,"I and the rest of this forum DO CARE about YOU. If we didn't we would not try to help you.

My sons are 13 and 17 and I was that age once. They have troubles like we all did and do. I did teach them to respect life, theirs and everyone elses. but above all to love everyone. You don't have to like them just love them. With this attidude they are not likely to endanger anyone. Anyway ZR be careful, ride the way you see fit but remember it might be me coming the other way and I am still a little crazy and might not move. Just kidding. I am to old to move fast enough :? be safe and GOD bless.......

MACK
 
#100 ·
Ok Urza listen up. I'm going to tear into you like nothing else and hopefully one day it will SAVE YOUR LIFE.

I'm guessing you're what, maybe 19? I come to that conclusion just for the simple facts that you can't speak full sentences without triggering the language filter on the forums. I can see why you got banned from the suzuki forums.

I used to feel like you did. Balls-to-the-wall, all out, head's on fire and butt is catchin' type of guy. On November 6, 1999 I left The Keg in Lafayette, Louisiana in my 1988 Toyota 4x4. I was not drunk, but i had drank a few Rolling Rocks. I fell asleep at the wheel on my way home and hit a bridge guardrail, skidded on the side of the guardrail until my twisted front bumper caught the end of the guardrail and spun me around until my driver's side door hit a telephone pole. I came up off the passenger seat, my head went THROUGH the side window and contacted the telephone pole right above my left eye. All of this happened precisely 50 feet from a Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Deputy, who was parked in a nearby parking lot doing paperwork.
He had to slam his car into reverse and floor it to avoid being hit by my truck.

I woke up seven days later in ICU at Lafayette General Hospital. I had coded three times on the way back to the hospital. (I.E. No pulse, no heartbeat) My skull was severely fractured from just over my left eye all the way back to the occipital plate, (very back of skull) and that skull fracture severed my optic nerve coming from my left eye. Something like that happens to you, you kinda tend to wake the heck up. Right then and there I told myself that it was time to stop screwing around.

Wake up, kid. Your life is too precious to end up plastered against the side of some building because you were being a hotshot. Trust me, i've been there and i know. Hopefully you won't come into my emergency room one day because you've got the grille from a Chevrolet stuck 10 inches into your thoracic cavity. As has been said on here before, theres a time and a place for everything. I'd LOVE to counter all the dumb things you said, but i've got to go to clinicals.

By the way, if you don't wanna get your feelings hurt by being called dumb by Bob, then STFU and register. Remember that you're a guest and guests aren't supposed to poop in their hosts' cheerios
 
#101 ·
Its not only bikes and alchohol that dont mix but bikes and carelessness dont either. Just a few months ago some bikers riding up a boulevard, all of them stopped at a cafe but one. The one that didnt stop, turned around to see where everyone went and in that split second was at an intersection and slammed into a car that was making a turn onto a side street. He died as a result of his injuries. A father of 2, with lots of riding experience under his belt and not on a crotch rocket. Just made a dumb mistake. Thats all it takes. You have to concentrate while your riding, like you were flying a plane. You cant ride like your driving in your car and be distracted, it dont work.
 
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