MyBB Motorcycle Owners Thread

[SauRoNZA]

90+% of the time I will be puttering along. That would be the case regardless of the bike.
It's that 5% of 'enthusiastic' driving that makes the difference. I wanted something that would put a smile on my face.

I'm lucky enough to have a company car, which is comfortable and sensible. But smile inducing it is not. Taking the long way home every now and again is fun.


If it doesn't work I sell it a few months time.

Oh it's very good for those smiles.

The smiles requirement is just a very small part of my ride so an easy compromise to make.

It's a lovely bike to look at etc, but for me personally I just can't do the superbike thing any more. Even with the S1000 being one of the more comfortable options.

 

[Hosehead]

Is it true everyone crashes at least once?

Yep
I ve broken femurs ribs thumbs fingers wrists ankles and had a nice chunk of engine bits embedded in my knee.
I've also had extreme road rash where I dug bits of tar out of my skin for months on end
Do I have a death wish ? nope. I just have a severe aversion to sitting in traffic going nowhere soon and a pathological hatred
Of COCT endorsed money grabbing parking attendants.
Training helps novice riders to some extent but ultimately it's experience in the saddle, sharply honed reflexes and anticipation of drivers behaviour as well as having the attitude that everyone is out to kill you which will keep you alive in the long run

 

[kfc4unme]

I haven't crashed the road bike yet and I have been riding since 2014. However the first time I road a dirt bike I came off and knocked myself out. Messed up a R6500 helmet on its first outing. At least it was a decent helmet though. Could have been worse for me.

Having said that, I keep considering selling my road bikes, and going off-road only. I am a dad now and feel guilty every time I ride...

 

[Heisenborg]

Yep
I ve broken femurs ribs thumbs fingers wrists ankles and had a nice chunk of engine bits embedded in my knee.
I've also had extreme road rash where I dug bits of tar out of my skin for months on end
Do I have a death wish ? nope. I just have a severe aversion to sitting in traffic going nowhere soon and a pathological hatred
Of COCT endorsed money grabbing parking attendants.
Training helps novice riders to some extent but ultimately it's experience in the saddle, sharply honed reflexes and anticipation of drivers behaviour as well as having the attitude that everyone is out to kill you which will keep you alive in the long run

Ive had 15yrs exp

Both bikes i crashed i dont even remember reacting. One was a drunk driver. The other a taxi.

You will crash and usually u wont have much say in the matter. Thats the risk u take each time u get on

 

[SauRoNZA]

Yep
I ve broken femurs ribs thumbs fingers wrists ankles and had a nice chunk of engine bits embedded in my knee.
I've also had extreme road rash where I dug bits of tar out of my skin for months on end

Out of interest what gear were you wearing?

I’ve never understood this mentality. Where does this guilt come from?

You can die from anything. So should you feel guilty for being alive?

Having kids does not mean you need to stop your own interests.

You will crash and usually u wont have much say in the matter. Thats the risk u take each time u get on

Complete and utter bolloks.

It’s a very woe is me attitude and one that doesn’t take any responsibility for your own actions.

No single accident is 100% someone else’s fault and there is always something you could have done differently to avoid it.

Search yourself and your experience and replay it in your mind to figure out what you did or didn’t do to make a potential accident into a real one.

Only once you can be that honest with yourself and take responsibility for your own actions can you become a better rider and in turn you will stop crashing.

It’s where the whole concept of defensive riding comes in. It’s not always about your ability to respond to a situation but in many cases about not being on the situation in the first place.

And don’t get me wrong. I understand the mentality. I too had it once upon a time.

But the reality is most accidents are avoidable through our own actions.

Doesn’t matter if a driver swung out without indicating and caused the initial circumstances, if you were doing 120km/h in a 60 at the time it’s more your fault than theirs.

It’s why I cannot stand this “the cagers did X” nonsense. It’s never only them.

You increase your own risk through the way you ride and the chances you take.

“Experience” based on time is also an extreme misnomer. If you have been washing dishes for 15 years you are still just a dishwasher and as good as the guy who started last week. You need to elevate yourself and make progress up the chain to really call it experience.

Not saying you know nothing or haven’t learnt anything in 15 years. Just pointing out that progress of time doesn’t mean much.

Someone could have ridden for 15 years but only covered 15,000km for instance.

 

[Heisenborg]

Out of interest what gear were you wearing?



I’ve never understood this mentality. Where does this guilt come from?

You can die from anything. So should you feel guilty for being alive?

Having kids does not mean you need to stop your own interests.



Complete and utter bolloks.

It’s a very woe is me attitude and one that doesn’t take any responsibility for your own actions.

No single accident is 100% someone else’s fault and there is always something you could have done differently to avoid it.

Search yourself and your experience and replay it in your mind to figure out what you did or didn’t do to make a potential accident into a real one.

Only once you can be that honest with yourself and take responsibility for your own actions can you become a better rider and in turn you will stop crashing.

It’s where the whole concept of defensive riding comes in. It’s not always about your ability to respond to a situation but in many cases about not being on the situation in the first place.

And don’t get me wrong. I understand the mentality. I too had it once upon a time.

But the reality is most accidents are avoidable through our own actions.

Doesn’t matter if a driver swung out without indicating and caused the initial circumstances, if you were doing 120km/h in a 60 at the time it’s more your fault than theirs.

It’s why I cannot stand this “the cagers did X” nonsense. It’s never only them.

You increase your own risk through the way you ride and the chances you take.

Lol ok dude. You know what happened in both my accidents

A drunk driver swerving into me head on and a taxi changing lanes with no warning. Woe to me.

Chop

 

[SauRoNZA]

Lol ok dude. You know what happened in both my accidents

No I don’t.

But I hate the concept of advocating that everyone will crash based on your two experiences.

It’s simply not true.

Even if they were perfect freak accidents it doesn’t correlate with every other accident out there.

But I’m not at all surprised at the response really, considering the original matter of fact statement.

Didn’t mean to pick a fight with you, but rather to be a counter argument for anyone else reading.

I’m still quite sure that if you are honest with yourself you’ll find reasons where you failing in both accidents. Whether going too fast, failing to respond properly, locking up brakes, bike being in a bad state of wear etc.

 

[Heisenborg]

No I don’t.

But I hate the concept of advocating that everyone will crash based on your two experiences.

It’s simply not true.

Even if they were perfect freak accidents it doesn’t correlate with every other accident out there.

But I’m not at all surprised at the response really, considering the original matter of fact statement.

Didn’t mean to pick a fight with you, but rather to be a counter argument for anyone else reading.

I’m still quite sure that if you are honest with yourself you’ll find reasons where you failing in both accidents. Whether going too fast, failing to respond properly, locking up brakes, bike being in a bad state of wear etc.

Both were new bikes. Both times i was going less than 60kph and both times i had no control over the accident apart from being hit from nowhere. But you have a very clear mindset so knock yourself out mr expert

 

[SauRoNZA]

Both were new bikes. Both times i was going less than 60kph and both times i had no control over the accident apart from being hit from nowhere. But you have a very clear mindset so knock yourself out mr expert

If you were hit from nowhere it means your observation of your surroundings was lacking.

It’s that simple really.

 

[Heisenborg]

If you were hit from nowhere it means your observation of your surroundings was lacking.

It’s that simple really.

Ok

 

[SauRoNZA]

Ok

I’m sorry that your first reaction is to be defensive about it.

You should be critical of your own riding each and every day and ask yourself how you can improve on it.

If for no other reason that staying alive.

After all think about it. Why haven’t you crashed since?

Is it because the other parties have changed their behaviour or because you learnt from the experiences and changed your own?

It also comes down to the slower rider is often the better rider at least when it comes to riding on the road.

You see so many track junkies that have nothing but lap times on their mind and how that makes them awesome. But on the road they permanently endanger themselves and everyone else as the same skills just aren’t applicable.

Guys that can put their knee down at 200km/h but can’t negotiate a set of cones at 40km/h in a parking lot.

 

[Heisenborg]

I’m sorry that your first reaction is to be defensive about it.

You should be critical of your own riding each and every day and ask yourself how you can improve on it.

If for no other reason that staying alive.

After all think about it. Why haven’t you crashed since?

Is it because the other parties have changed their behaviour or because you learnt from the experiences and changed your own?

It also comes down to the slower rider is often the better rider at least when it comes to riding on the road.

You see so many track junkies that have nothing but lap times on their mind and how that makes them awesome. But on the road they permanently endanger themselves and everyone else as the same skills just aren’t applicable.

Guys that can put their knee down at 200km/h but can’t negotiate a set of cones at 40km/h in a parking lot.

Dude u got issues

 

[SykomantiS]

Personally, I'm inclined to agree with SauRonZA on this one.

 

[Hamster]

If you were hit from nowhere it means your observation of your surroundings was lacking.

It’s that simple really.

Obviously this guy didn't check his rear view mirror...

...he eventually won the court case against the officer.

 

[SauRoNZA]

Obviously this guy didn't check his rear view mirror...

...he eventually won the court case against the officer.

That’s hardly what I would call an “accident”. It’s a purposeful intention to take him out on the part of the driver.

What a way to want to win an argument without providing any valid input.

And of course there will be freak accidents or events thar are literally completely beyond your control.

But you always need to question if you could have done something differently and what that was. Even in “potential” accidents that didn’t amount to real ones.

You car say freak accident happen, therefore I’ll just hand myself over to everything that comes my way and not give a damn to prevent it.

It’s a constantly learning experience.

To simply blame everyone else and say you will always crash is like riding straight into a brick wall and hoping it disappears when you are about to make contact.

 

[SauRoNZA]

Dude u got issues

Not at all.

But go ahead and live in wilful ignorance assuming that the world is out to get you and eventually will and take no action on your own part to prevent it from happening.

What a way to live! Leave everything to destiny.

Personally, I'm inclined to agree with SauRonZA on this one.

Glad someone gets it.

 

[Bundu]

Glad someone gets it.

I also agree with you.

Having ridden bikes for many, many years now, has actually made me a better driver as well - much more aware and constantly trying to predict what other vehicles could do, that could impact on me

I saw this test the other day: https://www.biketalk.co.za/wp/risk-exposure-test/

 

[SauRoNZA]

I also agree with you.

Having ridden bikes for many, many years now, has actually made me a better driver as well - much more aware and constantly trying to predict what other vehicles could do, that could impact on me

I saw this test the other day: https://www.biketalk.co.za/wp/risk-exposure-test/

Nice link!

 

[Sinbad]

Nice link!

98...

 

[faniebraai]

Out of interest what gear were you wearing?



I’ve never understood this mentality. Where does this guilt come from?

You can die from anything. So should you feel guilty for being alive?

Having kids does not mean you need to stop your own interests.



Complete and utter bolloks.

It’s a very woe is me attitude and one that doesn’t take any responsibility for your own actions.

No single accident is 100% someone else’s fault and there is always something you could have done differently to avoid it.

Search yourself and your experience and replay it in your mind to figure out what you did or didn’t do to make a potential accident into a real one.

Only once you can be that honest with yourself and take responsibility for your own actions can you become a better rider and in turn you will stop crashing.

It’s where the whole concept of defensive riding comes in. It’s not always about your ability to respond to a situation but in many cases about not being on the situation in the first place.

And don’t get me wrong. I understand the mentality. I too had it once upon a time.

But the reality is most accidents are avoidable through our own actions.

Doesn’t matter if a driver swung out without indicating and caused the initial circumstances, if you were doing 120km/h in a 60 at the time it’s more your fault than theirs.

It’s why I cannot stand this “the cagers did X” nonsense. It’s never only them.

You increase your own risk through the way you ride and the chances you take.

“Experience” based on time is also an extreme misnomer. If you have been washing dishes for 15 years you are still just a dishwasher and as good as the guy who started last week. You need to elevate yourself and make progress up the chain to really call it experience.

Not saying you know nothing or haven’t learnt anything in 15 years. Just pointing out that progress of time doesn’t mean much.

Someone could have ridden for 15 years but only covered 15,000km for instance.

I agree with most you are saying here.... but doing what you say you must do, will not always prevent an accident, yes you might escape some... and if you can escape all, well maybe you should be the subject of some book or tv show.

the chances of being in a bike accident is A LOT more than getting into a car accident.... hence the rule "if you ride a bike, 2 things are for sure.... you will fall; and you will get wet"