You hear a lot about close calls and danger when looking at motorcycles from the outside. I’m looking at motorcycles now for the first time, and my wife is concerned. As I just want a chill cruiser, I thought maybe some perspective from actual riders might help with the perceived danger. What do you guys think? Do you have any stories or opinions? Anyone experience any accidents that armor/air vests came in clutch? I appreciate any insight you guys may have!
I rode full time for 5+ years in Los Angeles. 45min commute 5 days a week. I loved it, except for rain days.
All the gear, all the time.
Assume everyone is out to kill you.
If you have young kids, find a different hobby.
If you have dependents, look into life insurance.
Motorcycles are more dangerous. It’s just a fact. But also, every step you take in life is a risk assessment. Mitigate your risks and decide if the risk/reward trade off is acceptable to you.
If you do decide to ride, take a training course first.
This is the main reason why this is an extremely dangerous hobby. All the close calls - at least most of them - would be related to someone else is out there to kill you.
However it's also fun on that same level. No thrills without spills.
You want a "chill cruiser", is that 750 CCs? 2000 CCs?
Where will you ride? A lot of my riding is on "slow" parkways by lakes, but riding on the highway is VERY different.
What safety equipment will you buy? Full face helmet? Airbags? Riding jeans, riding boots, leather gloves, chaps, etc.?
Will you always wear ALL of your safety gear?
How careful are you to begin with? Do you obey most traffic laws in your car or do you have a stack of tickets and never obey laws?
Leadfoot? Like speed? Like taking your life in your hands?
Planning to take a motorcycle safety course? How will you learn and how much will you learn?
Are you a hothead? Get angry easily? Get in a lot of fights?
There's probably more that's not immediately coming to mind, but I think you get the idea. It can be very dangerous or much less dangerous. Never totally safe and always more dangerous than a glass and steel cage. But it is a LOT of fun and I love it.
Statistically, it is more risk than a car. But like any risk, you can mitigate parts of it. As mentioned, accidents have patterns. Learn how to navigate intersections, how to identify and prepare for potential right-of-way violations, and how to reduce your speed during a corner. Take at least a basic rider course. Understand your limits. Over confidence is extremely dangerous, particularly for new riders. Never mix bikes and intoxicants.
This sounds like a lot, but its really a few hours of work and taking it easy while you learn.
I rode for forty years in US, UK, EU. Sport bikes and tourers. But I quit because too many car and truck drivers are paying too much attention to their phones while driving.
Humans are wired to notice/recall the rare and the lurid. It’s how we survived way-back-when. So we give disproportionate attention to crashes. For each crash-and every one of them is a terrible thing-you’ve got to figure close to a billion rides completed safely just that day. Motos are everywhere, and the most common individual transport in a lot of places. We don’t have an organ in our brains for statistical understanding, this is why we just naturally come to believe motorcycling is more dangerous than it is.
Having said all that, it IS dangerous. Dress for the slide, not the ride. Because “debridement” (DO NOT look at the pictures) is just about the most painful procedure a human can endure AND it’s success isn’t great because of post-procedure infection. Am I sweating in my suit, helmet, boots, and gloves? Oh yeah. Because road rash SUCKS.
Riders get hurt on chill bikes too. I have a lot of experience and been down a couple of times. You can control a lot of risk by making good go/no-go decisions. Alcohol in me or drinking holidays, bad weather or at night, unfamiliar area, unfamiliar bike, passenger on the back, fatigue, known problem area, emotional state. There are a few more and past one or two should stack up to an automatic “no go”.
I think in a lot of ways, the answer to the question requires honest self reflection. It's exceptionally easy to tell ourselves we'll be responsible rider, always wear the gear, ride defensively. It's another thing to actually do those things while on the bike.
Motorcycles will always be more dangerous than driving, but it's reasonably on par with other risky hobbies with the right mindset and self control.
The dangerous part is that small and minor mistakes can have huge consequences, they are not proportional. But there are many ways to mitigate the risk and I think it all starts with attention to detail and all the other good suggestions made in this thread.
I have a Helite air jacket that I bought after being in an accident last year that I’m fairly confident would have prevented the injuries that landed me in the hospital if I would have had it at the time. I’m now in process of upgrading to a bike with ABS brakes
Those airbag vests really add quite a bit of protection. I’ve seen a case where a guy crashed into a car (driver on phone made an illegal maneuver), totaling both his bike and the car he hit. He survived without major injuries (basically only bruises and some pulled muscles). According to him (and the paramedics) the consequences would’ve been lot more severe if he hadn’t been wearing it.
Is motorcycling inherently more dangerous than driving? Yes. Can much of that danger be mitigated with education, technique, and awareness? Also yes. The single best use of your time in learning to ride would be taking an MSF course; you can learn most of the techniques they teach on your own in a parking lot, but the instruction in mindset and awareness is entirely worth it. I’ve been riding for 12 years and the lessons taught in my initial class still pop into my mind every time I get on a bike. Hyper-awareness of other drivers and road conditions is the best thing you can learn; I’ve been in three accidents in my life, two of which were caused by drivers pulling out in front of me, the third due to sand on the road surface that was invisible until I was sliding through it. In each case, proper gear and a full-face helmet saved me from major injuries.
As everyone else here has stated. Be responsible with it. It IS inherently more dangerous, but you can limit your exposure. Seriously...ride like you're invisible to cars. In my opinion, most (not all) motorbike accidents are preventable and are largely caused by the rider going too fast for their skill level or not paying attention to their surroundings.
Most motorcycle crashes happen at low speed, then inexperienced riders, then after winter, or something like that. So, ride year round, a lot and always fast (don’t).
Fortnine has a good video about it with some statistics, it kinda boils down to always wear all the gear, like others here have said, and ease into it after a break. Whether it’s a week or 6 months, a day you haven’t ridden, is a day you’ve lost feeling for YOUR bike. (that last sentence is my addition)
I ride a lot, have for years, ride like a hooligan sometimes and have laid down my bike 3 times, all below 30km/h.
First, take a class on riding. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) and many Harley dealers offer them. An advantage is that passing the class will give you the endorsement on your DL, which you need to legally ride.
Next, start small. Getting used to a smaller bike will help you get a feel for how to deal with the nuances of controlling a bike and how to deal with traffic. As others have said, get the right gear and use it. Even if your state doesn’t have a helmet law, wear one.
When you’re ready to move up, you can easily sell the smaller bike and get the one you want.
And when you’re out on the road, assume nobody can see you. Be vigilant and always look for a way out of a situation.
Seconded about the MSF course. I'm my opinion, if you can't be disciplined enough to take it, study it, and pass it with high scores, then you probably shouldn't be riding at all✌️
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