On motorcycles, I had 2 minor accidents in a row, at about age 20 or 22. Next a very close call. Stopped riding for a while, and started again a few years later. Since then, no more wracks, but of course quite a few close calls. Must be now some 35 years without getting hurt and nothing bent. I wish I could say look at this, but unfortunately I have to admit, I've just been lucky a few times. Now, here is the question I ask myself:
In today's traffic (density), not in Utah! ...
given the velocity of traffic,
with the number of trucks around
(and S.U.V.s the size of trucks),
... can an average biker, age 60 +/-10, defensive driver/rider, following the written rules and common sense ... still avoid getting hurt in 2020/21 ?
More precisely, in case you had an accident lately - in retrospect - what was the main cause and could you have avoided that accident and how (other than by staying at home
?
Just be a very defensive rider and be very observant about your surrounding's AND wear proper protective gear , never mind about the cost of this gear , still MUCH cheaper than the medical bills ! Also DO NOT drink when on your bike or before your ride .
Fundamental awareness all the time about your surrounding. It is probably second nature to seasoned riders and is no stress to them as awareness is innate.
A seasoned rider is much less likely to react after strategically avoiding a death situation, but simply and defensively maneuver the situation and shake their head or roll their eyes afterwards.
I will admit that riding a motorcycle on the street is not like it was maybe 15 years ago. The people of today drive with more distractions than ever. The worst being a cell phone of course. There have been times when riding I see a car waiting to come into my lane from a side street. The driver will appear to look right at me and yet still turn out causing me to brake to keep from hitting them. Do not get me going on the lane changers. I never ride in the blind spot. Loud exhausts, reflective riding gear and others do no good. Be defensive. Treat all drivers as a hazard. Never ride in the blind spot. Which part of the lane should you stay in? As far as I am concerned each one has its downfall. If I am on a single lane road coming to a light I will tend to hang to the right to keep the car behind me from pulling alongside to do a right turn. Yes this happens a lot right! LOL! Makes me so mad.
But riding under these conditions does not seem to be relaxing anymore. I will never stop riding on the street but tend to get off the beaten track as fast as possible to less traveled roads. Seems to be more relaxing.
But what I have found to enjoy more? Trail riding. My prefered ride is to hit the dirt roads, fire trails or anything that is not paved. It is way more relaxing and enjoyable for me. This is not the type of road the CB1100 can handle but my enduros can.
As with other topics like "How long will you keep your CB1100" or "How long will you ride" I am sure I will be riding trails and backroads way after I am done with the streets.
I have had 2 accidents in my life. One I was young and stupid following a car to close. I should not have been there. They braked quickly to avoid an accident and I could not avoid them. Hit the car and went over the top Superman style. Not a good day for me. Broke bones that day but got right back on the moment I was able. Next I was not paying attention to the surroundings. Made a turn on a sunny day and the road was covered in standing water from a fountain at that corner. The wind was so strong it blew the water into the road. Tires lost traction and I went down. Just a bruised ego on that one. The bike suffered way worse. Again a simple case of not paying attention. After those accidents many years ago my, riding techniques have changed. Those changes have saved me numerous times and will continue to long into the future.
(11-07-2020, 01:45 PM)teamvisegrip_imp Wrote: [ -> ]I will admit that riding a motorcycle on the street is not like it was maybe 15 years ago. The people of today drive with more distractions than ever. The worst being a cell phone of course. There have been times when riding I see a car waiting to come into my lane from a side street. The driver will appear to look right at me and yet still turn out causing me to brake to keep from hitting them. Do not get me going on the lane changers. I never ride in the blind spot. Loud exhausts, reflective riding gear and others do no good. Be defensive. Treat all drivers as a hazard. Never ride in the blind spot. Which part of the lane should you stay in? As far as I am concerned each one has its downfall. If I am on a single lane road coming to a light I will tend to hang to the right to keep the car behind me from pulling alongside to do a right turn. Yes this happens a lot right! LOL! Makes me so mad.
But riding under these conditions does not seem to be relaxing anymore. I will never stop riding on the street but tend to get off the beaten track as fast as possible to less traveled roads. Seems to be more relaxing.
But what I have found to enjoy more? Trail riding. My prefered ride is to hit the dirt roads, fire trails or anything that is not paved. It is way more relaxing and enjoyable for me. This is not the type of road the CB1100 can handle but my enduros can.
As with other topics like "How long will you keep your CB1100" or "How long will you ride" I am sure I will be riding trails and backroads way after I am done with the streets.
I have had 2 accidents in my life. One I was young and stupid following a car to close. I should not have been there. They braked quickly to avoid an accident and I could not avoid them. Hit the car and went over the top Superman style. Not a good day for me. Broke bones that day but got right back on the moment I was able. Next I was not paying attention to the surroundings. Made a turn on a sunny day and the road was covered in standing water from a fountain at that corner. The wind was so strong it blew the water into the road. Tires lost traction and I went down. Just a bruised ego on that one. The bike suffered way worse. Again a simple case of not paying attention. After those accidents many years ago my, riding techniques have changed. Those changes have saved me numerous times and will continue to long into the future.
RE off road: Yeah, riding for miles upon miles standing up sometimes feels sooooo liberating. Even on roads surfaces - sometimes forget that I am standing. In any case, you see so much!
OK GoldOxide... yeah no standing for me. Just sitting in the seat slowly motoring along enjoying the view. I will stand a little if the legs get stiff. Just feels weird for me to ride like that. LOL! Maybe the vintage XL600 is not made for standing. Or better yet the vintage body is not made for that.
I went on a group ride with a bunch of people. They all take off hell bent on getting somewhere. Some were standing others just hanging on trying to keep up. Me I just motored along enjoying the view and had a ball on my own. At night the conversation turned to my riding habits. I just answered I am here enjoying the view not trying to beat everyone. I put on 500 very enjoyable miles that long weekend of riding from sun up to sun down. Great views and excellent pictures.
I had the time of my life!
I think I understand what the OP is getting at. At 55 i qualify for answering and I say yes whith one exception. As alreadys said, defensive riding is key.
I am fortunate to ride in Sweden where traffic has increased steadily since I got my license (early 80s) but it's still relatively sparse. This allows me to manouver in traffic and maintain an "exit strategy" for the unexpected, i.e. not having to rely on others' skills and judgement. It's all about imagination and prediction, not about riding slowly (I overtake more than I'm overtaken). So yes, as a rule I feel I can avoid getting hurt.
However, there is one exception - multi-lane traffic around Stockholm (the capital) 24/7 and sometimes also around handful of other main cities in Sweden. Here it's impossible to keep sane distances as drivers (and riders) tailgate, swerve in front, overtake on the inside, refuse to use their indicators or adjust their speed to others. The end result is complex, dynamic and scary. I've ridden in London, Paris and Rome but Stockholm is the worst I've ridden. So I stay away, even though I have the RLETs to protect me.
I would say take all precaution there is to be taken, before ride remind self to be safe, but still, I believe the most dangerous factor being self. Once on the road, when the adrenaline took over, the right hand start to twist unlogically. Soon peg feeler start grinding and tyre side strip start fading. On most of my ride, its safe for the 1st 15 minutes. After that, ain't see any speed limit signboard anymore.
I think it's a really interesting question, j3gq, particularly as I had an accident in February this year. My previous accidents were nearly 50 years ago. The first was entirely my own fault. I wasn't paying attention to the traffic and a car stopped in front of me. I ran into it at low speed. Nothing much hurt but by pride and the front mudguard (fender). The second was entirely someone else's fault. On a one-way street, a driver turned right from the left lane across the right lane in which I was travelling. He hit me, damaging the bike and my leg. I learned to try to be more aware of the traffic around me and to work on the driver's 6th sense that alerts you when someone is going to do something idiotic.
My last accident was in the country earlier this year. It was raining lightly and had been raining on and off for a few days. I turned under a railway bridge into a depression filled with mud and the bike slid out from underneath me. I'm not sure that I could or would have done anything differently. I don't recall whether I realised it was mud until I was in it and the bike started sliding. I was travelling at a safe speed for the conditions. Maybe, if there's another time, I'll try to stop and the proceed very gingerly, but, on this occasion, there were cars close behind me and it may not have been possible to stop safely.
As for traffic, I'm forced to ride in it to escape it, but I rarely enjoy it much and exercise as much care as I can to stay both aware and safe. I try to avoid getting too close to cars, or sitting in the blind spot, or allowing them to get too close to me, but in stop-start, multi-lane traffic it is often hard to control all those things.
in relation to other road users.
.
.drive like you're invisible
.
.
.
bcos
Self-accidents are something else.....