Ever worry about a stranger after seeing them on a motorcycle?

[2017EX_imp]

Good Topic Guth. I am reminded of the old saying " you have to learn to walk before you can run". My learner bike back in '68 was an 80cc Suzuki, which was ungraded many times over the years as riding skill, experience, and budget increased.

I traded in a Harley CVO I owned for the past ten years on my CB. The Harley was a beast to wrestle at slow speeds around town. Then, it had feet forward controls, which is a whole different ball game in terms of perception of balance while riding and cornering. lastly, " a mans just gotta know his limitations " and getting up there in age, I needed something lighter and easier to handle. The difference in weight from the Harley to the CB shaved off almost 250 lbs.

I cringe every time I see a guy ( or girl ) on a motorcycle cruising down the road with no helmet, wearing a T shirt, shorts, and flip flops. It is their choice for certain, but I think those of us who have ridden for years would agree that it is not a good choice.

[gtcoupe65_imp]

Good Topic Guth. I am reminded of the old saying " you have to learn to walk before you can run". My learner bike back in '68 was an 80cc Suzuki, which was ungraded many times over the years as riding skill, experience, and budget increased.

I traded in a Harley CVO I owned for the past ten years on my CB. The Harley was a beast to wrestle at slow speeds around town. Then, it had feet forward controls, which is a whole different ball game in terms of perception of balance while riding and cornering. lastly, " a mans just gotta know his limitations " and getting up there in age, I needed something lighter and easier to handle. The difference in weight from the Harley to the CB shaved off almost 250 lbs.

I cringe every time I see a guy ( or girl ) on a motorcycle cruising down the road with no helmet, wearing a T shirt, shorts, and flip flops. It is their choice for certain, but I think those of us who have ridden for years would agree that it is not a good choice.

Thats funny, I just gave my younger son my 05 Harley Ultra 103 Screamin Eagle. Same reason, bought a new 2014 CB1100 and instantly fell in love. Just about 500 fewer pounds to lug around on. If the Ultra handled as well as my old Road King, I'd probably still be riding it.

[misterprofessionality]

oh boy, i've got one of these:

I watched a squid on a BMW r1200GS drop it at low speeds not 6 weeks ago. He was riding with a friend, on a much older sport tourer (VFR i think), and the friend was in the lead. It was clear that they were out for an afternoon ride together, and that said squid was way proud of his brand new GS. As many of us know, it's a fairly heavy bike. and it's high up, and it's relatively powerful. it's really not a beginner bike, but I always seem to see people with very little experience or sense riding them. We all know of the guy that's been mentioned above, whose whole dream is to own a big bad Harley, so he's just gotta buy one for his very first bike because he can't wait. We also all know of the short-sighted dumb kid who's just got to pop some dank whoolies, so he leaves the showroom on an R1 or a FZ9 or god forbid a Busa for his first bike. But i'm beginning to suspect there's a third group on the rise. there's a subset of...i dunno what to call them....independently wealthy 30-somethings (yuppies? do they still exist?) who are really psyched about buying a brand new R1200GS or an Africa Twin or a Super Tenere for their first bike.

anywho, this guy was definitely one of those guys. no helmet. polo shirt. shorts. i was in the far left lane, they were in the far right. my lane was somewhat traffic-clogged, so they passed on by, and i lost sight of them for a moment or two. when i came upon them again they were coming to a rather sudden stop behind a line of cars at a red light and sure enough, the BMer couldn't keep his footing and fell over. I sat at the stop light a couple lanes away and watched his friend park and try to help him lift it carefully while people honked and yelled out their windows behind them to move out of the way. The cringe i felt was powerful.

i'm making a big assumption that the guy's got money, so he's probably going to repair his damages no problem and carry on riding this monster bike that he can't handle all season. considering his propensity for riding without a helmet i found myself thinking on the way home that it's only a matter of time before he loses his life. There's a lot of traffic deaths in this state. the lack of a helmet law here surely contributes.

There's also the short story of the guy on the lime green custom Hayabusa who was so enamored with the way my stock black CB1100 looked that he spent too much time looking at it and went face first into the back of a minivan. he was going the opposite direction on a local road in traffic, and i gave him a little wave as he approached. he waved too, but i could tell by the angle of his helmet he was giving my CB a very long look, like he'd never seen anything in the world like it. I was trying to pay attention to my own stretch of road, but i saw the moment his front end crunched and his helmet hit the back windshield. thankfully he wasn't going fast enough to even break the back windshield of the minivan, but it **had** to hurt, and that Custom Busa was certainly going to be off the road for quite a while after that.

[rotor]

As mentioned repeatedly above, heavy, hard to maneuver motorcycles are part of the problem. But I have another observation:

There is a large number of riders that get on their bike only occasionally, primarily - if not exclusively - for that big trip once a year, when their annual vacation rolls along. All skills deteriorate during period when they are not exercised, and motorcycle riding is no exception. Being an occasional motorcycle rider is, in itself, a hazard.

[Stichill_imp]

I'm not too worried about riders who struggle with low-speed maneuvering. In most cases the casualties are egos and property damage. Although there can be injuries as well, they are usually not life-threatening. In many ways, skill at parking-lot speeds separates advanced riders from the noobs and ne'er improves. I'm certainly not as skilled at low speeds as I'd like to be, but I keep practicing. It's much more important to be vigilant and canny while riding and maintain control of the machine at speed under all conditions of traction.

[Guth_imp]

Interesting tales all. The guy that I observed looked like he was just a regular guy that simply wanted to enjoy riding a motorcycle. He did not appear that he was trying to fit into any certain "category" of riders. He had some safety gear. Did not appear to be trying to impress anyone. Perhaps it's just rare that I see a new rider these days. I just hope the guy is able to survive his initial entry point into riding.

I guess it's just a matter of "progress" or whatever you want to call it. What many people consider to be an average sized motorcycle these days is nothing like what I viewed bikes when I was younger. There are only so many safety mechanisms that they can build into motorcycles. If someone wants to go big to start then so be it. I don't want to sound like a grumpy old man — I'm not mad about anything here. Just a bit surprised is all.. I suppose the thing is that while motorcycles have changed quite a bit over the past number of decades, people themselves haven't. So it goes eh?

[Cormanus]

The alternative to people 'going big to start' is the sort of regulation we have in Australia where there are two classes of motorcycle license and you are limited to certain bikes for at least a couple of years and then you have to pass a further test to be allowed to ride large capacity bikes. Some of the LAMs (Learner approved motorcycles) are up to 650cc so they can perform pretty well and I suspect many people who ride motorcycles for commuting or weekend spins don't ever bother getting an unrestricted licence. In my view, it's not a bad arrangement, but there's a moment when the state intrudes to far into these things. It's a matter of opinion where that line is drawn.

[Roper_imp]

The alternative to people 'going big to start' is the sort of regulation we have in Australia where there are two classes of motorcycle license and you are limited to certain bikes for at least a couple of years and then you have to pass a further test to be allowed to ride large capacity bikes. Some of the LAMs (Learner approved motorcycles) are up to 650cc so they can perform pretty well and I suspect many people who ride motorcycles for commuting or weekend spins don't ever bother getting an unrestricted licence. In my view, it's not a bad arrangement, but there's a moment when the state intrudes to far into these things. It's a matter of opinion where that line is drawn.

When I was in Japan many years ago, the "beginner" class was only up to 100cc. The market for "look fast" mods was huge. I had an friend--a Japanese college student--who had a 100cc Suzuki which looked exactly like a 600cc GSX-R. Only the sound gave it away. Well, that, and it topped out at 100 klicks.

In Utah, you have to pass a written test and a riding test to get a motorcycle endorsement on your driver's license. Most riders just take the foundations course to satisfy the riding test. The size of motorcycle you use to pass the riding test determines your license restriction: 90cc or less, 249cc or less, 649cc or less, 650cc plus = unrestricted. Also, for the first two months, all new riders are considered learners and cannot ride with a passenger, after dark, or on interstates. I think those are pretty reasonable requirements. If I could change anything, it would be learners for six months rather than two months.

[Jeeves_imp]

I worry every time I go to a dealer for whatever reason, and see the 20-30 year old du jour, pie-eyed about the sport bike they are buying as their first machine. I can't change their minds and make them do something more logical, but I DO pray for their safety and hope they get through assimilating the real mechanics of riding before they decide to get too crazy...

[dwcurton_imp]

Back when I sold my old V-Strom after getting my CB, the guy buying it was a typical story. He'd ridden as a young man, gotten married, and hadn't been on a bike in decades. Now he wanted to get back into riding and absolutely wanted an ADV bike. He was shorter than I was and older, and could barely reach the ground even though I'd lowered my bike an inch from stock. Still, he paid cash and the deal was done, except he had no one to follow him home. So I reluctantly agreed to follow him and then bring him back to get his truck.

The entire 30 minute trip was cringe inducing. Every stop was a guess as to whether he'd get his foot down before dropping the bike. Every take off was a wobbly affair as his control of clutch, gear, gas and steering was questionable at best. Turns were unstable, and even straight line driving was iffy. I was sure he was going drop it right in front of me.

Somehow he made it home, got off smiling and laughing like he had the greatest time. Completely unaware.