Keep posting the horror stories, it will do three things,

1, Keep all of us (riders) aware of the potential dangers of our passion.

2, Hope fully there are cagers out there that read and some of this information will leak out.

3, Make the politicians realize that as group we are a powerful vote.

Part of the thrill of the ride are the inherent dangers involved. Just keep both eyes on the road, and your head in the ride...

 

Here is my .02, take it for what it is worth. I learned tofly as a child andgot my ticket 30years agoat the age of 18. My fatheris also apilot.We flew together a lot when I was a kid and there is one thing he told me I have never forgotten.My father told methat every time he takes off hewas prepared to die and that hewas not scared to die. He went on to explain hisstatementby saying that if you are unprepared and/or afraid to die you can become paralyzed with fear (panic) in the face of an emergency (my father is also a clinical Psychologist). I have never forgotten these words andhave lived by them every time I climb into an airplane, ride my bike or drive my car.Knock on wood, I never had a serious accident while participating in any of the motor sports I love so much. I have had several close calls where maintaining control and not panicking has saved me from serious injury or worse. Other rules I follow include:Ride like everyone is out to get you. Expect the unexpected. Learn as much as you can about your motorcycle.Maintain your motorcycle. Become as skilled a rider as possible. Know your limits and ride within them. Don't worry about the rest, if you do you can become paralyzed with fear.

 

These forums have great stuff. Topics to get you thinking and collectively sharing solutions!

I certainly agree with the fear being a contributor and component to disaster. Being a Commercial Pilot and Skydiving Jumpmaster, I've seen my share of people just freeze when something their not ready for happens...reaction time aside. I believe you have to PREPARE yourself to handle the risk. Emergencies are real and having the skills to react correctly is critical. Taking my own advice and since I've been out of riding a few years I'm going to take an Advanced MSF/Riders Edge course when my bike comes in and purchase the Ride Like a Pro DVD to increase my riding skillset. Keeping the sticky side down!!!

 

Riding today is more difficult than ever with all the cagers of today. The skill level of cagers is so low now that we motorcycle riders must be more defensive than ever! I have been down and put in a hospital, but then too as a bicyclist, I have gone down and ended up in a hospital too! It is possible no matter what you do. Motorcycling is a passion and the enjoyment is just to ride! Yes, today I am a bit more fearful of being on the road, and thank God I do have that fear instead of over confidence! I hope that fear is enough to keep me out of trouble most of the time while I ride. Good maintenance can prevent most mechanical issues. Checking out your ride prior to taking it out on the road is just as important like a pilot does with his aircraft. Both have potentials of mechanical failure or conditions that will affect the outcome! The forum has a lot of negatives, but then some of those very negatives are informative and help me as a rider. No matter what my experience level is, I continue to learn each and every day! Only you can decide for yourself if riding is what you wish to do! I do not go by forums of gloom and doom to decide if I ride or not. I pick my days to ride, weather conditions etc. It is how I make myself feel right when I get on one of my two motorcycles. Keep a clear head, be defensive always and enjoy the ride. That is why we bought them in the first place?

 

Amen to that

 

Yep, seems folks have forgotten how to "suck it up and deal with it".

And fair number of people like to draw attention to themselves by adding extra "drama". Look at a few of the "survived the dragon" threads. And the "I almost died when a car tried to kill me". Well, if you ain't dead, it don't count.

Maybe I'm just too old to play the game anymore. I go for rides and sure cagers do stupid things but then they were doing stupid things when I was driving my Dodge as well so it's nothing new. I occasionaly have some issue with one of my bikes but I either fix it myself or have a wrench attend to it.

A friend recently made a "big deal" about a mechanical problem he had. The neutral light on his 07 bagger went out. OH MY G-D!!! Alert the media !!!!. You would have thought it was the end of life as we know it. I told him that a mechanical problem would be something like oil pouring out of his bike, parts shedding like tree leaves in Autumn, or failure to start and run. Otherwise he was to STFU and get on his bike.

It's no big deal.

 

B-b-b-but I paid 20k for it. It should be PERFECT!

 

It is something that I chose - I enjoy it - take all the courses I can - read as much about safety and ride...........

 

"I'd rather die while I'm living, than live when I'm dead...." Jimmy Buffett.