Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire This guy can ride!

Perhaps you ain't ridden motorcycles along winding roads at speeds far over the legal limit very much

The one time I went off the outside of a 30mph curve at 60 I'll admit it was fun.

I have read every pilot about to crash says "oh sh$t", I did too,then a moment of really rough riding, then sliding in tall grass next to the bike, no helmet, leather jacket, blue jeans, Doc Marten's on my feet. Got up, long grass sticking out everywhere. It was fun, like getting knocked over in football (or rugby in Australia). On the motorcycle the handlebars were pointed 45 degrees off of the direction of travel, turn signals, windshield broken, and I had crushed in the gas tank on both sides with my knees (no bruising on my knees, no idea how I did that). So ya, you could go out laughing if it was instantly fatal.

Problem is when it ain't.

Good friend of mine, after 35 years of trouble free riding, in a moment's inattention finally got taken out by that old lady turning left ( his wife was following him in their car and he was looking in his mirrors). Hit the right front quarterpanel, left side of bike slammed up against side of car, buddy, wearing full protective gear, went across the hood, landed in the road. Woulda been unhurt except his left foot got trapped for a microsecond between car and bike.

Complete compound fracture of tibia and fibula just above the ankle, spiral fracture of femur. They had to do an incision from thigh to ankle or else the swelling woulda cut off the circulation. Six months of agony, he was just lucky his boss kept his position open at work and he had good insurance. Six months unable to work followed by chronic pain and now a leg so fragile he's gotta worry every time he steps off a curb. If he breaks it again there ain't enough bone left in the ankle for another screw, he'd be looking at amputation.

I ain't spoken to split pelvis guy in years, but I heard they bolted it back together, I doubt it was fun.

So there IS a downside.

Just this past week a local young man riding a motorcycle on a major U.S. highway here attempted to pass a 1 ton pickup truck that happened to be turning left at the same time. Young man's obituary and tributes sounded like he was probably a real nice person. Not wearing helmet -- coroner said he most likely died instantly.


Back in the late '50s watched a man riding a big Harley lay it over and slide it and himself on a blacktop residential street and finally jumped the curb landing on the front lawn of a house. He apparently didn't realize the street he was on was a dead end street when he fired it up. Long, straight no traffic street that ended and "T-d" into a cross street. He lived, got up and sat back down on the curb but with what I'm sure had to be some very painful, raw, bloody road rash reminders, embedded with sand, dirt, etc., all down that side of his body. Shredded the jeans and shirt he was wearing.

Just once?,....and why did you go on the outside?

A long banked entrance ramp to the Interstate near here was one of my favorite places to twist the wick on my Dyna. It's about 250 yards long,...big sweeping banked curve.

Wind it out in 2nd, then bang 3rd while going down it and the rear end would kick sideways about 6 inches. Enter the interstate doing 85 leaned off about 30 degrees. It wasn't particularly challenging. It was just fun.

Besides,...seeing an old geezer in overalls with his hat turned around backwards hitting I-75 at 30 degrees doing 85 on a Dyna let all the Michigan yankees headed to Florida know they were in Kentucky.

Ya, I'm a fast learner, or was. Motorcycle riding teaches you to have your head on a swivel and to always be aware of the worst thing that can happen.

Even if you ain't riding faster than you can see (the usual error once you get past the fear stage and start to feel comfortable on a bike) any motorcycle rider has numerous stories they can tell of near things where they could have gone down hard.

All that being true, me and my buddies routinely rode fast and cornered hard, actively looked for winding backroads in fact. Triple digits were common on the straights... where we could see.



??

Because when I topped the rise the road suddenly went real hard to the left?

If I have to tell you...you wouldn’t understand.

I strongly suspect that video was staged. The guy was very familiar with that stretch of road and is a too-skilled rider. His use of "hanging off" to compensate for the bike's lack of clearance shows some ability beyond the average rider.
On unfamiliar road, nobody can ride at 100% because they have to have a bit of cushion for the unexpected. If not, they'll be going off road at some point.
As far as the comparison of street racers to real racers is concerned, it's a whole different environment. Even within racing disciplines there are huge differences in strengths and weaknesses. ISDT riders have different skill sets than motocross racers though there is certainly some overlap. Desert racers see things differently the oval track racers.
Even within a given discipline, riders have strengths and weaknesses. Conditioning and the ability to maintain concentration often makes the difference.
In the end, regardless of his background or identity, the guy can ride. GD

I've been riding bikes most of my adult life,...many different kinds. I don't know what the appeal of a Harley is to others. But I bought a Dyna because I wanted a long, rangy bike that I could stretch out on. It didn't have to be a Harley. I also looked at a Yamaha Warrior for the same reason. I could have been happy with either.

Guy can ride, that road is usually packed with guys trying to burn it down. The riders sure rely on there was no landslide on turns. The remaining sand would make it real interesting.

Even I can be funny once in a while

I believe it’s something to do with where and when a guy grows up. I didn’t know a kid that wouldn’t freeze in his tracks and stare at a Harley (or two) getting on it. I’ve owned all kinds of bikes. Many were faster and more reliable, but I’m on my 3rd Harley (02 Road Glide) now and I‘ll never get rid of it.

That’s not to say I won’t ever buy another ricer. As a matter of fact, I tell everyone that asks if they should get a Harley to not do so. Sort of cliche, but if you haven’t known you wanted a Harley for a while, you should probably get another bike that makes more sense.

I’d agree with Ray on just about all of his points. The difference is, I’m riding an 04 Road King Custom that I bought new. I’ll probably keep it forever too. Fortunately, I’ve been lucky with my Harleys. I’ve owned four and none have ever let me down. The dependability issue has not been a problem for me. I have had Honda trouble years ago. Ride what you like, but nothing turns heads like a Harley.

No, there's 2 of us. Bulls also, flitted through my mind.

Brought back memories of riding the Dragon in TN/NC. Thought I was pushing the limit until a dude on a sport bike passed me in a curve with one hand behind his back.

Me and my brother had the exact same experience on that road passed us in a tight curve like we were standing still.

Might be the same guy.m, this was ten years ago.

This should get Nancy stirred up...

Yeah, I guess I just don't get it. Some of them look cool and comfortable. For me, I am just not drawn to a bike that is that big and heavy. I guess comfort, power and stability are their strengths. Sport bikes are faster and more maneuverable but probably less comfortable. Personally, I like dirt bikes and the lighter they are, the better in my opinion. If I wasn't a financial failure, I would have a nice Husqvarna 2 stroke enduro. I do think some of the road bikes look cool though. Maybe I'll come around as I age.

I grew up in an area that was loaded with outlaw bikers in the 70s and 80s - mostly Pagans and Warlocks. In fact, 2 that went to the same high school as me (many years before) became notorious killers. When I was a little kid, I was terrified of the bikers. They would roll down the streets with insanely loud bikes in a menacing way. As I grew up, I realized that most bikers are actually just role playing. There are still some 1%ers around but not in great numbers. Most of them are senior citizens or close to it.