Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Jeez........motorcyclists don't do well here

I grew up riding scooters, dirtbikes, and streetbikes. Sold my last one about 20 years ago. I had a young family to think about. Absolutely zero regrets.

Working in the hospital, saw too much bad $hit during the rally. If it can happen on a motorcycle, I have probably seen it.

Four very conservative local riders that I knew with lots of experience had some bad wrecks. Two mortalities, one with series of surgeries to be put back together, and the other about killed his wife.

Having lived out here for over 30 years have seen too much senseless, nonsense during the rally. From good people losing and ruining their lives to the crazy and unsafe riding.

Just this morning going to work in Sturgis had two bikes stop in the middle of the road to make a left turn. Had to roll down the window and tell them their was a turning lane. Glad I was paying attention and got the truck stopped.

This time of year my head is on a swivel looking out for the motorcycles. They are everywhere, going every which way. Insane!

Official rally statistics do not start until Friday, But I believe there has already been one fatality, and some serious wrecks.

The thing that boggles my mind is how some riders have not quite figured out that exhausts pipes are HOT! See it every year.

The eye contact thing is a way of being aware of what the other car is doing. If it makes you feel better to concentrate on the front bumper or the front tire, that's your choice. In fifty years of riding, city and country, summer and winter, pavement and gravel, a lot of it too fast, I've mostly stayed upright, avoided being hit, and, except for MX incidents, avoided injury. Now in my seventies, I'm a little more cautious because I am aware of my personal limitations (rickety body. slower reflexes). I have also seen the incredible increase in the volume of traffic and this is the biggest concern to anyone on the road.
I've had some experiences which, if not for pure, dumb luck, could have ended badly. One time, I was traveling from Spokane to Calgary and making pretty good time on my naked Gold Wing. I was running at about 100mph, reeling in the cars and just cruising by. I was going so much faster than the traffic that I was paying little attention to my mirrors. As I approached another car and got ready to pass, I did glance into the mirror in time to see two guys on GPz 1100's travelling at least thirty mph faster than I was. That was a lesson I never forgot and was glad to have learned it; always be aware of what's happening around you, not just in front.
The only time I went down on the street happened in a construction zone where a short section of street was being repaved. They had oiled the road just as a big thunderstorm hit so the road surface was fresh oil with a layer of water on top. This surface is just about tractionless but I was in traffic and had no option. There were no signs and no real warning so I had no choice but to continue forward. Any attempt to do anything other than ride straight ahead would have ended in a fall anyway so ride ahead I did. It was going well and I was almost through when the old couple in the Explorer ahead of me, decided to slow way down to negotiate the little bump at the end. I had no choice but to try and avoid the rear end of said Explorer and as soon as I twitched, down I went. Ruined my jacket, scuffed my helmet on the curb, bruised my elbow. Minor damage to the bike. The explorer drove off, oblivious. The guy behind me, in a car, got past me without running over me. The lesson there? Stuff happens. There was nothing I could have done differently. Weather and city workers set me up and the tentative driver in the explorer knocked me down. Heavy traffic took my options away. If I had been aware of the oil earlier, I might have been able to detour. So, look further ahead might be the only lesson here.
I spent years commuting on a motorcycle and the whole family spent time touring. My father rode, my brothers ride, my son rides. I've witnessed one fatality of a rider while I was riding. He did something stupid and it bit him.
One thing I see a lot of in recent years is the large group of bikes riding in formation, slightly below the speed limit, with the lineup of traffic behind them. These guys are a rolling road hazard and poor representatives of motorcyclists. GD

Looks like it was 4:2 stupid motorcyclist to stupid cars. I had to open each link. Not so much to get the numbers; but to check and see if my former boss was one of the organ donors. He’s a solid cork sucker and would do stupid schitt on a bike all the time then brag about it in the office.

I havent ridden bikes on the road for 40 years but every year I get the bug real bad. And then I squash it after I think about how many people are driving on prescribed brain drugs, high on marijuana and/or driving with cell phones in their hands. This alone pretty much quintuples the chance of accidents since my days in the 80's.

Rode a Yamaha XL650 on the road back in 81/82, after growing up on MX bikes in the mountains & fields.

The difference that I found was that trees NEVER pulled out in front of or swerved into my lane in those early days of riding.

Stupid post, you want the drivers to know you are there. An exhaust that is loud enough to hear yet not annoying is a big plus. You have to ride outside of the blind zone, with plenty of room between you and the vehicle in front of you and you can use speed to stay in the safe zone, expect all drivers to be idiots. Some of them might be spandex wearing bicyclists hiding their angst against motorized bikes while driving cars.

If you need exhaust noise to keep you safe, you are doing it wrong. I suspect many people won't be able to hear an exhaust above all the other noise in their car, unless it's a really loud exhaust. Bear in mind that exhaust noise is somewhat directional, so an moderately noise bike may not be audible until you enter the danger zone. When they hear an exhaust, they won't be able to process where it's coming from. The kind of people that don't carefully look before changing lanes, won't let the presence of an exhaust note stand in the way of their carelessness. You are most assuredly wise to move purposefully through danger zones and to have an escape plan in place when you do.

Exhaust noise does not mean crap during the rally. It is constant noise, and one is usually surrounded.

A good exhaust note is always a plus, lets people know approximately where you are and that noise is exactly what I want heard when I enter the "danger zone".

Lots of comments here from non-biker experts

Just realise that you are incredibly vunerable on a motorbike, or bicycle, people are ignorant, inattentive, and just seem to be getting worse!

Some good advice for motorcycling came to a fellow rider from an old motorcycle cop. Go a bit faster and keep away from the traffic. Good advice for the open road but not so good in town. We are fortunate we can lane split legally here. Still seems to upset some motorists.

Cagers don't seem to look around themselves much anymore. Combine that with sometimes unexpected poor road conditions and you have to be aware. In the USA you have deer etc that run out, here it's Kangaroos and pigs mainly.

Ride safe and ATGATT!

That last comment could cover the bicyclers also.

Just noticed this posted on KSL today

MC rider killed was a 22 year veteran Firefighter/Paramedic for SLC...recently retired

Now that really sucks........

All though years saving lives.......RIP

https://www.ksl.com/article/5045239...e-crash-was-recently-retired-firefighter