Ka1oxd
New Member
- Nov 19, 2009
- 1,071
- Boat Info
- 1988 Sea Ray 340 Sundancer
- Engines
- 7.4l inboards
I do ride a bike, but I am not you average biker. After owning 5 bikes, and 450,000 miles on 2 wheels, tell your son the following:
I have been riding for 40 years on the street, several years in the dirt doing trail riding. The trail riding gave me great skills including putting down a bike without getting hurt. I have laid my bike down 4 times. The first 2 was within 15,000 miles of owning a bike. First one was in the rain the first time. I leaned over to far for wet roads and the bike came out underneath me. I slid 45 feet on my back. I was wearing a heavy denim coat, jeans, and a helmet. I walked away with no scratches. The second was on a highway @70 when I came around a corner and there was an accident hidden from view. My only escape route was removed had cars at speed entering the highway from the on ramp. I went from 70 to 25 skidding the bike strait to a free area, then slid the bike sideways until I laid it down with the bike in front of me.
My 3rd time was at around 230,000 miles, then again last year at 430,000 miles. So far I have cheated death and injury because of my skills. Up until last year, I rode 3 hours a day commuting to work, now I have a job 3 miles from the house, but still ride.
Helmets are important on the highway, but skills are more important than anything else. I have ridden in 4" snow, hours in the rain, as cold as -10 degrees, and 3 years ago, driving home from work, felt hail and watched the tornado come to the ground while I was traveling on the highway with no place to seek shelter. I do ride both with and without a helmet. On the highway always wear a helmet except when the temp is 95 & above. Around town, not so much. If there is going to be bad weather, I take the helmet.
- Rule # 1, the biker is always at fault. The biker must be 100% on his/her game always planning escape routes while driving.
- Rule #2, When riding a bike, if the driver in the car does not make eye contact with you, they do not see you.
- Rule #3, You have to anticipate actions of all other drivers around you. This includes the ones behind you.
- Rule # 4, Your head must be on a swivel. You have to scan right from right in front of you out, to the left, to the right, to your rear view mirrors (both) all the time and to compute a 360 degree view and threats. See Rule #1
- Rule #5, that car approaching does not see you if you do not have eye contact and will cut you off. See Rule #1 & #2 #3.
- Rule #6, The car approaching from your rear, especially at a traffic light or stop sign, does not see you. See Rule #1 & #2 #3.
- Rule #7, The car on a side street will pull out in front of you. See Rule #1 & #2 #3
- Rule #8, There are fast bikers and old bikers, there are no fast old bikers.
- Rule #9, It is not a matter of if you will go down, it is a matter of when you go down.
- Rule #10, As applying rule #1, you must know how and when to put the bike down. Your only protection if you are going to take a hit, is to put your bike down in front of you and stay with it if possible. This requires skill.
- The killing zone is for those bikers between 4,000 miles and 50,000 miles. To become an old biker, you must survive accidents or better yet escape them. This takes time and skill. The skill is reading all the drivers intentions before they take them. This is the right of survivorship.
I have been riding for 40 years on the street, several years in the dirt doing trail riding. The trail riding gave me great skills including putting down a bike without getting hurt. I have laid my bike down 4 times. The first 2 was within 15,000 miles of owning a bike. First one was in the rain the first time. I leaned over to far for wet roads and the bike came out underneath me. I slid 45 feet on my back. I was wearing a heavy denim coat, jeans, and a helmet. I walked away with no scratches. The second was on a highway @70 when I came around a corner and there was an accident hidden from view. My only escape route was removed had cars at speed entering the highway from the on ramp. I went from 70 to 25 skidding the bike strait to a free area, then slid the bike sideways until I laid it down with the bike in front of me.
My 3rd time was at around 230,000 miles, then again last year at 430,000 miles. So far I have cheated death and injury because of my skills. Up until last year, I rode 3 hours a day commuting to work, now I have a job 3 miles from the house, but still ride.
Helmets are important on the highway, but skills are more important than anything else. I have ridden in 4" snow, hours in the rain, as cold as -10 degrees, and 3 years ago, driving home from work, felt hail and watched the tornado come to the ground while I was traveling on the highway with no place to seek shelter. I do ride both with and without a helmet. On the highway always wear a helmet except when the temp is 95 & above. Around town, not so much. If there is going to be bad weather, I take the helmet.
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