Saw a nasty one today, driving up the Florida Turnpike. Three Harley bikes, one with a passenger. That Harley ran up behind a slower car, and evidently hit the rear of it. The crash killed the driver of the bike and the passenger. Sent the occupants of the car off in a helicopter to the hospital.
We sat dead still on the Turn Pike for 2.5 hours, before the wreckers and FHP cleared the lanes. What a mess.

sad,,summer here is the same.Kids on crotch rockets always biting it.And alot of people just don't see the scooters

Just starting to see an uptick in the fatal wrecks we respond to in upstate NY for the season. Lots of bikes hitting the road the last week or so with the "warmer" weather.

Can't ride pillion on a motorcycle. It's bad enough to be a passenger in somebody else's car.

Must have seen over a hundred Harleys and Harley wanna be bikes on the Turnpike and on I-75 today.

They are all in love with dyin',
Drinkin' water from a fountain,
That's pourin' like an avalanche,
Comin' down the mountain.

I'm gonna sale my street bike cause I'm tired of being pulled out in front of and having people change lanes on me. If it weren't for me riding like everyone was out to kill me I would be dead.

Lost a co-worker and a cousin to motorcycle accidents two years ago this summer.

sold mine 10-12 years ago,son turns 18 the first of the month.
maybe replace it some day,but only with a dirt bike.

Bet the Harleys were all on the side of the rode broke down.

Haven't heard that song in years

This AM we were out doing a trash pick-up along the FM road we live off of and at least 50 Harley's went by led with two police bikes with lights on and the last being two more with an ambulance in front of them. All lights on. Firm faces on all, no waves, nothing.

Damn, Sam. Really sorry to hear that. It's old, but it's true.. they didn't have enough time to learn anything.

Nice, hardworking guys buy new Harleys, but they don't know how to ride them. They get hooked up riding in large groups and they get killed. Sucks.

That's why I NEVER do the toy runs around the holidays. Like I've been telling my little brother for years. "I don't need 30 thousand other people telling me I'm havin' a good time". He always laughs at that, but he's rode every gnarly ass 2-wheeler out there. (I ain't kiddin', and built a shcitbox full of 'em).

Really sorry for family. Wish they'd had more time to learn.

Ed, What was that all about? Funeral?

One of the things that impressed me when first learning to ride a motorcycle was how much room it took to stop one of them, especially if remaining upright was a concern.

You're a dumb azz for saying that here in this thread where people have passed.. and my '97 ain't NEVER broke down, ever. Just go ridin', Dude. Really F*ucked up you're throwin' stones here.

What? Jap bike hard on? I've owned or ridden a fair amount of hard ass Jap bikes and had fun with every one.. And My brother will trump that card.
So, STFU and have some respect.

seal billy,

"I'm gonna sale my street bike cause I'm tired of being pulled out in front of and having people change lanes on me. If it weren't for me riding like everyone was out to kill me I would be dead."

Back when I had a bike, I very seldom rode it to work, and I learned pretty quick to avoid the freeways completely. Some of the worst dumb azzes in the world driving cars would run you into the barrier or off the road in a heartbeat.

The little bit of riding I did was on some quiet (back then) country roads that had little traffic.

Myron

I sold mine for the above reasons, took the money and bought a quad now if I get hurt it's my own damn fault.

The freedom you experience is great but as a "leo" bagged too many that were technically "in the right". The margin for error is too small for most, so you take your chances and pay your dues.

That's what we were thinking.

You are where I was about 7-8yrs ago!

I've always thought having a bike would be nice, but I've seen too many "minor" accidents turn into a fatality for the bike rider. I decided they're just not for me. I've never really understood riding all packed up on interstates though. Seems like you're begging for trouble. We had a group tangle with a semi last fall, going about 70 mph. 4 fatalities, ugly.

Been thinking strongly of doing the same thing for the same reasons.

I can understand why some get killed. They ride like idiots, at least half I encountered did. When you see more than 20 in a group they think traffic laws don't apply to them. Running stop signs so they don't have to stop and put their feet down, Nitwits pulling their bikes in front of traffic causing it to stop so the group can pull out together. Just yesterday, three bikes at an intersection. First two pull out, the third pulls out in front of a pickup and almost gets plastered. I guess he was afraid he was going to lose the other two. Thats something I would expect three whitetail deer to do.

Yep guys its crazy in town. I had a woman that was right beside me at a red light, when it turned green we went across an intersection and she started pulling away from me to where I was about even with her rear door handle. Then she just changed lanes as if I wasn't there. I just moved over as she did and stood up and knocked on her door with my right foot as Igot over then passed her!

I mean I was right beside her at the red light. WTH! People are idiots and every single time something like that has happened it has been a woman or a mexican, just sayin... I'm gonna keep the XR650R though.

Nope it just isn't worth it. Not in town anyways. I also have a boy that is 16 and I don't want him on a street bike so I can't be riding one if I preach to him about how dangerous it is.

I parked my bike in 95, havent been on one since.

If you have witnessed kids moving through their daily lives as zombies don't expect anything else behind the wheel. Being right and being dead isn't much consolation. New gen of people outside.

America is a land of dead drivers. There are WAY to many distractions for people now. Phones the biggest! To much stuff available to think about inside the car.....

W

That's the truth... Even the cars bells and whistels are a distraction.

Pat, that's of course, the 800 pound gorilla in the room. The death yesterday, according to the FHP, was the bike ran up into the rear of the car.
Further up the Turnpike, near Orlando, I ran across three Harleys. They were riding two abreast, with one behind, doing 65 in the passing lane. They were blocking traffic, and knew it. Cars, including mine, went roaring into the right lane, and back into the fast lane. When I went by, one of the scooter drivers gave me a really dirty look.
In Miami, there is a rice rocket death a week, often on the Julia Tuttle, (I-195 heading to Miami Beach). They race between cars, rocket by traffic in the pull off lane, and generally act like horses azzes. One died a week ago, when he tried to go between two cars at 70, and one pulled over just a tiny bit.
While we need to 'watch out for motorcycles', they damn sure need to watch their own behavior.

motorcycle accidents and deaths just go together

We recently had a horrible accident in Southern Oklahoma on State Highway 81. A northbound truck came over the centerline and struck the lead bike in a 10 bike group. All 10 bikes got piled up, mostly trying to avoid the truck. Some deaths, not sure of how significant the injuries were.

People in Autos/trucks simply don't make a conscience decision to be on the lookout for bikes.

people on bikes simply don't make any effort to insure their own well being.

Several years ago there must have been a poker run or some sort of charity run because I encountered what I believe to be over 100 bikes. They entered the 4 lane divided highway and one goof stopped in the right lane to force traffic to the passing lane. I am hung in the passing lane with the horse trailer and they won't let me back in the right lane to exit 3 miles down the road. They let me in because I forced my way over. Wasn't going to let those a$$holes make me miss my exit and go several miles out of my way. I call those idiots cheesy riders, they give the responsible riders a bad rap.

Sold my Harley the same year. Haven't been on on since either, and when you see the idiots on their cell phones texting and not paying attention it confirms my decision even more. Was offered a wide glide at a great price the other day and turned it down as I'm not wanting to be an "oh sh*t", I just didn't see him casualty.

This.
A year ago one of our kids got married, in a bike wreck, died, and his wife had their first child, within 2 months. The last thing my wife told him in person was "You're a husband and soon to be a father, stay off that bike." Three weeks later he was dead. He had so much to live for.

If I were a rider I'd have all the life insurance I could afford and all my funeral plans in place.

try watching out for them when your heading down the freeway at 120000lbs,gravel truck and wagon and have to change lanes , you LOOK its CLEAR you start to switch and a crotch rocket passes you at 30 miles an hour over the limit 2 feet off your front bumper.. fiffen death wish, JUST PLAIN STUPID.

norm

Have been riding since the 1970's. Still here. Still enjoying.

I don't ride stupid, anymore. Got that out of my system a long time ago.

Be careful out there, and think. Please.

Regards, Guy

I am one of the Arzz hats that DRIVES a bike.
I am very aggressive when I drive and will push other bikes out of my way when they are going to slow.

That said
I do not ride in groups and yes I road a Harley until 6 weeks ago when a tow truck driver threw it off of his tow truck and totaled it. I will be getting another when it is all worked out.

Going the speed of the traffic is a death sentence for a biker even the highway patrol here in So. Cal will let bikes go faster than the traffic (to an extent)

Riding in large groups is also a death sentence stupid is as stupid does.

I have had my share of accidents on bikes most of them were not my fault. One was , to fast around a bad corner on a new bike to me and I was down for six weeks recovering.

I do not pleasure ride. I commute and the bike saves me many hours a week on the road and a lot of fuel. It does not save me money.

When I drive my truck I drive all of my passengers nuts because I do not stop looking in every direction. I have had my mother and my girl friend tell me to knock it off that I am diving them crazy. To many years on a bike and a habit that I will not want to stop doing.

Most bike are arzz holes like what was said earlier they think that the traffic laws do not apply to them and they do not pay attention to the surroundings around them . But most auto drivers at least in So. Cal. have no clue on how to drive the vehicle they are in. They are just going along for the ride them selves.

In S. Cal.they need to have mandatory refresher courses in driving every 5 years to knock some sense into the idiots and wake the illegals up.

True all too often.

This is true of most drivers regardless of mode. As vehicles go, two wheels are far less forgiving than four.

and therein lies the crux of the issue.

Been riding for the past 40 + years, and still do. A friend wanted to start riding a few years back, told him that the only way to stay alive is to treat half the people on the road as if you are invisible to them, and the other half as if they intentionally want to kill you. I used to blame car/truck drivers for most of the problem, but over the years I have seen way to many people on bikes that create their own problems.

I was literally within an inch of one of those. Rode the bike home and never rode it again.

I sold my bike in 1986, because there was something wrong with the throttle. I was only able to run it either closed, or wide open.

Had a lot of fun, drove a lot of miles, but it was obvious it was going to be the end of me, sooner or later.

The driving habits of looking out for everything have stayed with me and served me well.

Yep. That's what I figured, too.

A good defensive motorcycle course should be at the top of any rider's list. Idaho has the STARS program. Insurance data indicates a 70% decrease in accidents for those who have gone through the program.(Pretty sure I got that number correct)

Much can be avoided with heads up riding and identifying dangers as they develop.
Leave room.
Always have an escape route.

I hear ya, maggie. I've been riding for 45+ years now and that's exactly how I view things, too. I EXPECT other drivers (and riders) to [bleep] up, so I stay as far away from all of them as possible. I also putt around most of the time, unless I'm out on 27 or some other deserted highway where I can juice it a little and then go back to just cruisin.

Had one dumbazz rider damn near take off a chunk of my driver's side front bumper a couple years back coming back from the Keys. He was desperately trying to stay with the "pack", which had already gone around me. I could tell he was an inexperienced rider, watching in my rear view and driver's side mirror how he was riding my rear bumper and came out to pass. Really, really dumbazz move and he could have easily been road grime if I didn't see it coming.
GF was almost crying and begged me to pull over for a few minutes so they could "get the hell away from us".

My sincere condolences to you, I know that pain all too well, there is nothing worse.

That's pretty much what I was told when I was young. "They either don't see you or they're actively hostile." Those words of wisdom kept me alive long enough to get bike riding out of my system.

A Butthole Surfers quote?!? Damn, I'm impressed, Dan'l-san!

Bingo.

I live about 30 minutes from the dragon her ei eat TN.... 311 curves in 11 miles.... they are scraping riders off of there all the time... had several friends lay it down on there.... on of them came around a corner and hit a small sqaure piece of plastic someone dropped.... His front tire went out from under him and he and the bike went about 100 feet down over the edge...

THings can happen so fast... I do not ride the dragon much since it has become so popular.... One thing for sure... Bike riders better be paying a lot more attention than other drivers..... That is one reason I like my Pipe annoyingly loud...

Just another example of a biker not paying attention.. Just too bad his passenger had to pay too..