Riders: Talked out of buying my first bike.

[The Annoyed Man]

I was interested in buying a Can-Am Spyder. However, my wife was against the idea since her Dad died in a motorcycle accident when she was 9 yrs old.

And as a matter of fact, I witnessed one of many motorcycle accidents where the rider did not have a chance against 2-tons of steel hurling at HW speed.

Now, in life we take risks and we live with our decision. However, I feel that most riders are safe riders and most of the time a distracted car driver, a sleepy car driver, or even a drunk car driver knock off a rider dead.

Is my concern justified? Is my wife correct, that riding a motorcycle is putting your self at elevated risk of being injured or killed?

To add a bit, my wife is really really worried if I would use my Spyder to commute to work (30 miles each way on the famous HW-75).

I love motorcycles, although I don't currently own one, and I roadraced bikes in sanctioned events for about 6 years from 1985 through 1990. I quit racing when my wife was pregnant with our son.

Two points:

1. There is nothing inherently unsafe about a well-maintained motorcycle. The key words are "well maintained." When people fail to maintain a car adequately, and that leads to an accident, they are still surrounded by a car, and they still have a reasonable chance of survival. They even have a reasonable chance of suffering no injuries at all. When people fail to maintain a motorcycle, and that leads to an accident, they are surrounded by other cars, telephone poles, curbs, culverts, pedestrians, etc., etc. Draw your own conclusions....
2. The bikes themselves may not be dangerous, and yours may be perfectly maintained, and you may be the absolute best rider on the planet, but you still have no control over what other drivers are going to do. So even if all the other driving conditions are perfect, the world in which you ride is still a dangerous world. And as I can tell you from repeated experience on the most famous canyon roads in Southern California, even a single vehicle bike accident can put you over the side of a 500 foot cliff, and then all the maintenance in the world isn't going to help you. The only things that can save you from such a fate in similar terrain are A) judicious use of the throttle, brakes, and steering; and B) a guaranteed lack of other cars to collide with; and C) a road without sand, gravel, potholes, greasy pavement sealer, deer, kids chasing a ball out into the street, black ice, high winds, other out of control bikers, and a host of other environmental factors.

Whether or not you choose to wear a helmet and good leathers is your decision, and they may mitigate some of the factors in crashing, but they won't miraculously mitigate all of them. I once got hit from behind at an intersection by a teenager trying to pick a tape up off his floor, while I was flat footed at a dead stop, waiting to make a left hand turn. He was going 25-30 mph. My bike was totaled. I was sent to the ER with a crushed leg. I was knocked out when, after the impact hurled me vertically into the air, I came down next to his car and his left rear tire rolled over the back of my head. The only reason I know this is that there was a huge tire tread mark across the back of my helmet. Leathers would not have prevented the crushed leg, and the helmet did not prevent me being knocked out cold for a couple of minutes. I came to, laying on my back and staring up at the sky, with a circle of concerned faces over me asking if I was OK.

In that particular instance, I was not doing anything illegal or reckless. I was in the intersection, feet down, with my left turn signal on, waiting for an oncoming car to clear the intersection before making my turn. Other cars who had been at the light headed the same direction as I was were passing me on the right when this 16 year old yutz rammed into me. During the 5 or 6 years that I worked in an ER, I saw lots and lots of people brought in who were injured in bike accidents. I have no statistics to report, but I can tell you anecdotally that something like 75%-80% were the victims of someone in a car making an illegal left turn in front of the motorcyclist when the biker had the legal right of way. The car drivers universally claim that they just don't see them.

I still love bikes, and someday, when I'm retired and have the disposable income for one, I'll buy another. BUT... anyone who rides and refuses to accept that the world you ride in is a dangerous one, no matter how skilled you are, is a fool. Anyone who rides and refuses to dress for the occasion, including a helmet, is a damned fool. And speaking of skilled riders, I once went for a ride with a friend of mine and Fred Merkel. Yes, THE Fred Merkel. The man was the then reigning World Superbike Champion (1988, '89), and previous AMA Superbike Champion (1984, '85, '86). He was terrified on that ride, and we were on a low traffic winding mountain road. It is hard to argue with his skill level, and his truthful recognition that a public access highway is a much more dangerous environment than a professional racing circuit where the speeds are triple what we were riding at on the highway.

I'm not trying to talk you out of buying a bike, particularly that Can Am Spyder which I also find intriguing. But I am saying, go into it with both eyes wide open, without being in denial of the risks associated with it. If you can still enjoy it, knowing those risks, then by all means go ahead. But like RPBrown said, there are two kinds of riders: those who've been down, and those who are gonna go down. Another saying: There are bold riders, and there are old riders, but there are no old bold riders.

Have fun and keep the shiny side up.

[Purplehood]

I rode since I was sixteen.

Whe I got married a second time at age 35 and my ex-wife insisted that she wanted a son (she was specific), I decided that I had pushed my luck after driving in Okinawa and SoCal for the past decade and stopped. It was simply a personal decision on my part as it was not suggested by her.

Do what you feel is right.

[karder]

I have been riding bikes for many years and I ride daily to work. I log about 20,000 miles in the saddle every year. I don't think that anyone can argue that riding a bike is more dangerous than driving a car if you are involved in an accident, but there are ways to reduce your risks.

1) Always wear a helmet and proper riding gear. There are those who choose not to do this and I respect their individual rights, but if I go down, I want to be wearing a helmet.

2) Don't drink and ride ever.

3) Don't race and obey traffic laws.

The vast majority of motorcycle fatalities involved the breaking of at least one of the above rules, especially the last two. You can never account for the careless driver who t-bones you or rear-ends you, but if you take reasonable precautions you will greatly minimize your risk. The wife is another question. If she had a terrible experience as a child by losing her father, she may not come around. Marriage is all about compromising and you may have to respect her wishes on this one my friend.

Good luck.

[i8godzilla]

I would ask, how safe do you feel riding? I engage in lots of what others would call 'risky behavior'. I consider my activities safe. I have been bungee jumping for over 20+ years--I know the safety requirements and understand the manageable risks. I still hang glide after 26 years--again, I know the equipment, how to read the weather conditions, and the rules of the sky. Sky diving anyone? Does this mean I would run out and get on a motorcycle and drive in DFW, Austin, or Houston traffic? Heck, NO! If I felt the urge to ride, I would find a riding course and bang up their equipment to see if it was for me.

[RPBrown]

The funny thing about this is back in my early riding days when I was wilder, I would have said time for a new wife.

But seems the older I get the smarter I get.

[Fangs]

Bikes are tons of fun.

I agree with what everyone else said, and cannot stress taking the rider's safety course enough. Stuff I remembered from there saved my life several times.

I would never drink and ride. Ever, not even one.

I'd always wear gear. Think of having someone taking a grater to every part of your body... anything not protected is going to hurt severely.

City riding at 30ish mph always scared me more than 75+ mph on the open road, just because of all the cars around me.

Fearing something like TAM's experience always led me to blink my brake light when cars were coming up behind me, sometimes I'd honk if I didn't think they noticed me.

I almost went down 3 times over the course of my riding, every time was due to some oblivious car operator, once had gravel mixed into the situation too.

I sold my last bike, a ZX-6R, when I spent almost 6 months on crutches and couldn't ride. It was just too depressing to stare at it. So I guess there's a 4th type of rider: Those who never went down and no longer have a bike. Though I will get another one when money allows, so that might still happen.

As for your wife... I've said stuff like, "Tell her you're a man, you'll do what you want," to my friends before, the universal response is, "That's why you're not married". Hehe, they might have a point.



Oh, and a funny story. I was going to Wimberley from Austin once on 290 when I came to the red light at RR12 in Dripping Springs. That light's sensor would never pick up my bike and I resorted to taking a right on red, make a u-turn, take another right, make a u-turn, then take another right to get where I wanted to go. Well this time it was still green from a previous vehicle, and I thought I could make it, but it turned yellow and then red. I also had a State Trooper behind me, waiting to take a left. I sat there, and sat there, and sat there wondering what he was going to do but not daring to run the light or even cut across a couple lanes to do my right on red game. After almost 15 minutes he finally got on his loudspeaker and told me to run it. I gave him my confused look (helmet tilted, arms out, palms up) and he goes, "Seriously, run the light, I won't give you a ticket, unless you keep holding up traffic."

Hehe, true to his word, I got to run a red light in front of an officer without getting in trouble.

[edmart001]

Motorcycles aren't any more inherently unsafe than handguns or chain saws or lots of other things out there. The level of risk involved all depends upon both the manner in, and the level of skill with which they are used.

Motorcycling means different things to different people. For some it's loud pipes and leather fringe dangling in the wind. For others it's scraping footpegs at g's only a Formula One car could do on four wheels. For still others it's economical transportation that still has some level of performance excitement. And finally, for some it's about unobstructed views and being in the elements on trips. Sometimes is a combination of several of the above factors. I've always felt an important first step was for an individual to try to figure out what motorcycling means to him. That will help decide a lot of things including type of equipment (bike and safety), level of risk, level of training required to appropriately mitigate the risk, etc.

Similar to choice of firearm, the choice of motorcycle depends on what tasks you wish to accomplish and even then, there will still be a lot of personal preference. And again, similar to firearms, one really needs to get appropriate training for the activities one wishes to undertake. That's the only real way to mitigate the risk.

Having said all of that, I'll leave you with a few additional thoughts about motorcycling:

1. + eleventy billizzion on the MSF courses. The Beginner Rider Safety Course is a great way to begin and get a good introduction with no real committment. You don't even need to own a bike yet to take this course - they provide the bikes. It might also be a good way to get your wife to see how serious you are about riding safely.

2. Always dress for the fall, not the ride.

3. If you are going to survive, you have to be on the lookout for "Get-There-Itis". Many motorcyclist, light airplane pilots and small boat sailors have died from this. There will be times when conditions are just not condusive for safe motocycling and only you can decide NOT to ride. It may be the weather, the traffic, how many beers you've had (any?), you may just not be feeling well, or some combination of the above. The bottom line here is that the margin for error is much more narrow on two wheels and sometimes the smart move is to opt for either just not going at all or going another way. If you get into the mental zone where you just have to "Get-There" you may well be in trouble before you even start the trip.

4. Motorcycles are the most manuverable vehicles on the road and they offer unobstructed view. These are your most important survival tools. Never allow yourself to be boxed in without a way out. The trick to survival is to simply no longer be there when the soccer mom who is applying her eye make-up while driving decides her Suburban needs to be where you and your motorcycle are.

5. I personally am not interested in the Spyder, if I was not going to get a real motorcycle I'd just as soon get a convertable. (Not hating on what you like, it's just like I said before, there will be a lot of personal preference.)

[lonewolf]

Been riding my Road King for a few years now. Some close calls. One that I would consider deliberate and reckless on the part of the driver of the other vehicle. Another thing about motorcycles is that they (in my opinion) are more work to operate. More coordination. Battling the elements to a greater degree. I followed my wife from Euless to College Station last summer, her in the car and me on the bike. She was bothered that I stopped much more often than she wanted. Beware of dehydration and fatigue. Take regular breaks. No Iron Butt patch for me. I plan my trips accordingly. I give extra time to get where I am going, so I minimize the stress of the ride.

I always wear a helmet. I took the motorcycle safety course. I don't drink (at all) when using the bike. I keep as large a cushion as possible around me when in traffic. I stay in gear when at a light, watching for boneheads behind me. That way I can get out of the way if needed.

Different types of riding:

Commuting. Plan your route and leave in plenty of time so you are not tempted to be one of the crotch rocket commandos weaving around traffic.

Touring. Leave time on the agenda for rests and such. Stay hydrated. Remember that in most cases of travelling by bike, its the enjoyment of the ride as much as the destination that make it special. At least for me.....

Maintenance. No skimping here. Ever. Check everything regularly.

I believe the Can Am Spyder can be purchased with an automatic transmission, so shifting may not be necessary for you. Keep your situational awareness high at all times when on a bike. Things that may only cause a bruise when in a car may very well kill you when on a bike.

As with everything else in the world, the choice is yours.

[steve817]

I rode a Sportster for three years and decided I didn't like it as much as I thought I would.
Never had any trouble on the highway but have many war stories about city streets, residential areas, and parking lots.

[boba]

I'm not a marital counselor so you're on your own with that part of the question but my opinion on the safety question is a mature adult riding a motorcycle is safer than the same adult riding a bicycle on the same roads in the same traffic, but more dangerous than the same adult driving a car on the same roads in the same traffic.

[bnc]

Have you taken the rider's safety course?

If not, I would. Maybe sign your wife up to. It is required to get a class M license in Texas. It's also good training, and builds a good foundation for safe aware riding.

Is that a new requirement? When I started riding about 9 years ago it was not, if so this is news to me.

+1 on what everyone said about the MSF courses, you'll come away much higher on the learning curve of proper motorcycling and do so in a safe environment, it is fun (you get to ride bikes around the parking lot), and many insurance companies will give a bit of a discount if you have passed the course.


I commuted year round for about 6 years, but luckily only had a few close calls with other moving objects, a pretty even split between dumb cars and overly excited critters. Most of my nervous incidents were weather related, and in retrospect I was probably more brazen about riding through it than I should have been (some were not easily avoidable), but live and learn. (hail and dust storms are pretty interesting...)

I sold it a while back since I now live in a busy suburbia (traffic sucks even if it wasn't dangerous), without what I would consider quality fun roads (not in a practical distance anyways), and I live too close to work to make commuting practical (bicycle is the fastest way for me to go). So, I can't say that I have become less of a risk taker, it just doesn't fit into my life anymore; after the bike sat for almost a year without riding I figured it was time to let it go. If my life became more riding friendly a new bike would be pretty high on the list.


FYI, http://www.newenough.com/ and http://www.motoliberty.com/ are two of the best places to get riding gear and other accessories, and they just happen to be in Texas (Lubbock and DFW, respectively). http://www.aerostich.com/ also is a great resource.

[lonewolf]

I don't believe the motorcycle safety course is a requirement. Successfully completing it does allow you to avoid the actual driving portion of the test, with the examiner riding in a car your wife/husband/friend has followed you to the DPS in. It was nice to just take the written test, show the documentation, and get on down the road. The course I took was $190.00 and well worth it.....

[RPBrown]

I don't believe the motorcycle safety course is a requirement. Successfully completing it does allow you to avoid the actual driving portion of the test, with the examiner riding in a car your wife/husband/friend has followed you to the DPS in. It was nice to just take the written test, show the documentation, and get on down the road. The course I took was $190.00 and well worth it.....

As of this year it is required

[TLE2]

What's more important:

1) Your wife's peace of mind and "good graces"
2) Your freedom.

You're already married so the freedom thing is a bit frayed at the edge already.

Tell her you want to join us when we jump out of perfectly good airplanes.

[cheezit]

Ive wanted a bike forever. the wife said no..... I now drive a really nice truck :)