Why dont more people ride bikes? Why is there a general...
Discussion
George H said:
I'm a non-biker and I love bikes, they're just fantastic, except for when you get the odd d
head on one.
It was the aesthetics that drew me in to bikes- I've always loved the look of the older stuff. Lots of modern motorcycles look like Optimus Prime trying to bum a push bike.head on one.You are right about the odd d
head too.
I got myself a bike the minute I turned 16 (20 years ago), had it for a year then moved on to cars. I enjoyed every minute of it and the freedom it gave me, and I never really thought about the safety aspect of it.
I passed my DAS in September last year and bought a beautiful new Triumph Speed Triple 1050 which lasted precisely 2 weeks and 536 miles. A deer jumped from behind a hedge whilst I was doing 60mph on a nice country road which didn't end well for the bike or the deer - luckily I wasn't badly injured and was back on my feet in a few days after a trip to A&E in the back of an ambulance.
If you every speak to A&E doctors/nurses about bikes and what they deal with on a weekly basis you might think twice about getting on one. The night before I had my accident they dealt with a 35 year old guy who had an accident on the A1 and he died not long after they brought him in. Not long after that a friend I grew up with died in a motorbike crash a few miles from my house so I decided not to get another one (much to the OH relief). I fully respect peoples decision to ride bikes, and on nice days I wish I still had one, but no matter who defensively you ride you are still at the mercy of other road users who often drive like complete idiots!
I passed my DAS in September last year and bought a beautiful new Triumph Speed Triple 1050 which lasted precisely 2 weeks and 536 miles. A deer jumped from behind a hedge whilst I was doing 60mph on a nice country road which didn't end well for the bike or the deer - luckily I wasn't badly injured and was back on my feet in a few days after a trip to A&E in the back of an ambulance.
If you every speak to A&E doctors/nurses about bikes and what they deal with on a weekly basis you might think twice about getting on one. The night before I had my accident they dealt with a 35 year old guy who had an accident on the A1 and he died not long after they brought him in. Not long after that a friend I grew up with died in a motorbike crash a few miles from my house so I decided not to get another one (much to the OH relief). I fully respect peoples decision to ride bikes, and on nice days I wish I still had one, but no matter who defensively you ride you are still at the mercy of other road users who often drive like complete idiots!
I love bikes and would dearly love to get one, but if I'm honest they scare me, and the potential for serious damage/death is in my perception high.....
A girl at work recently died riding pillion when her hubby (experienced rider) crashed into an oncoming car.......I vowed never to even think about getting a bike after that.
A girl at work recently died riding pillion when her hubby (experienced rider) crashed into an oncoming car.......I vowed never to even think about getting a bike after that.
If bikers would drive knowing that the car driver hasn't seen them there will be no crashes .
The reason I don't have a bike is
The weather
The insurance
The fact I can't carry fk all
I had small mopeds and currently have quadbike that I can't park anywhere because it will go missing, insurance is silly . After disappearing from my garden before Christmass it's now sitting on axle stands
The reason I don't have a bike is
The weather
The insurance
The fact I can't carry f
k all I had small mopeds and currently have quadbike that I can't park anywhere because it will go missing, insurance is silly . After disappearing from my garden before Christmass it's now sitting on axle stands
I've just got my licence (and a new 800cc BMW) at the age of 39. I'd been putting it off for years, primarily due to safety concerns.
It still scares me and my cornering technique is woefully indept (bikes don't corner well with scaredy cat closed throttles!) but I'm loving the challenge.
Decent gear, plenty of training and an attitude that everybody is out to kill me will keep me safe enough.
Makes any car seem boring though and my driving has become very erm cruising in style.
It still scares me and my cornering technique is woefully indept (bikes don't corner well with scaredy cat closed throttles!) but I'm loving the challenge.
Decent gear, plenty of training and an attitude that everybody is out to kill me will keep me safe enough.
Makes any car seem boring though and my driving has become very erm cruising in style.
Good replies so far mostly what i expected.
My insurance with 6 years ncd is £750 for both bikes or the same as my car plus both bikes do nearly double the mpg so i cant understand the cost as my bikes cost very little to run compared to my car. I can see why people would say bikes are unsafe and can see the figures that back this up but for me personally its not a lot different to doing a track day or driving at high speeds etc all of which a lot of non-bikers happily do.
My insurance with 6 years ncd is £750 for both bikes or the same as my car plus both bikes do nearly double the mpg so i cant understand the cost as my bikes cost very little to run compared to my car. I can see why people would say bikes are unsafe and can see the figures that back this up but for me personally its not a lot different to doing a track day or driving at high speeds etc all of which a lot of non-bikers happily do.
The primary reason for me not getting a bike is I want to stay in one piece and fully functioning.
My dad had bikes and I had a mini motocross bike when I was young, but as soon as I started driving at 17 I realised how vulnerable bikers are and how they will always come of worse in any accident on our roads.
2 incidents made me decide to never get a bike.
1 - The only car crash I've been in was when somebody pulled out in front of me and I ploughed into the side of them. Luckily in a car I was reasonably protected, on a bike I might have been dead. Their excuse "sorry I didn't see you"
2 - Colleague at work passed his bike test. 2 weeks later he's lying in intensive care. Car pulled out in front of him at a junction. Smashed legs, smashed pelvis amongst several other injuries. 10 years later he can just about hobble about on crutches. The other drivers excuse "sorry, didn't see you"
I don't want to be killed by a "sorry I didn't see you" driver - you need to share a road with thousands of them.
frosted said:
If bikers would drive knowing that the car driver hasn't seen them there will be no crashes
Unfortunately car drivers don't give you a signal when they have seen you, so you have to make a judgement and ride defensively otherwise you would have to pull over every time a car came within 50 feet of you. There are responsible bikers and there are complete tw*ts - the same as car drivers.
A crash I was involved in (passenger in the car): a biker was doing an illegal u-turn, the car I was in went into him, @ 20mph-ish.
If it had been a car doing the u-turn it would have been a dent. The bike rider is now wheelchair bound (it was found to be 100% their fault).
Tried to fking sue us too!
So, motorbikes: can be a tool of natural selection.
If it had been a car doing the u-turn it would have been a dent. The bike rider is now wheelchair bound (it was found to be 100% their fault).
Tried to f
king sue us too!So, motorbikes: can be a tool of natural selection.
there are two parts to this...
I have known of 11 people who have died vehicle accidents.
1 on a bicycle
2 on a motorbike
8 in cars
two of these made the news. guess which ones!
media and government interests skew vehicle accident perception.
Generally people who buy bikes do like to go fast, this increases the accident statistics.
If you break down motorbike statistics to the type of motorbike, you will see very few accidents involving tourers, choppers, cruisers, distance enduros. This also applies to commuter style bikes, but only without L-plates on!
bikes attract fast people. the same people in fast cars would crash just the same, and you probably wouldn't have that much disparity.
If you get into bikes for the right reasons, and not just to go 150mph everywhere, you will do much better and probably never have a crash.
all that being said, bikes are hard to see for people not used to watching for them. if there were more out there, then people would get used to them. although you would probabl get more resentment.
I have had a van driver try to hit me on purpose before when filtering very slowly past me.
I have known of 11 people who have died vehicle accidents.
1 on a bicycle
2 on a motorbike
8 in cars
two of these made the news. guess which ones!
media and government interests skew vehicle accident perception.
Generally people who buy bikes do like to go fast, this increases the accident statistics.
If you break down motorbike statistics to the type of motorbike, you will see very few accidents involving tourers, choppers, cruisers, distance enduros. This also applies to commuter style bikes, but only without L-plates on!
bikes attract fast people. the same people in fast cars would crash just the same, and you probably wouldn't have that much disparity.
If you get into bikes for the right reasons, and not just to go 150mph everywhere, you will do much better and probably never have a crash.
all that being said, bikes are hard to see for people not used to watching for them. if there were more out there, then people would get used to them. although you would probabl get more resentment.
I have had a van driver try to hit me on purpose before when filtering very slowly past me.
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