Motorcycles

[daveT]

Katy, if you ever get in a wreck while wearing sandles, Orlando will cry because you will probably rip off a few toes. Please wear shoes. You won't be very sexy if you can't walk straight.

I can say from experience that when the time comes, you must be able to trust your instincts when it comes to a wreck.

I used to be a bike messenger, and it is for this reason that I will never buy a motorcycle. The hardest thing to dodge is a car cutting you off while they are making a left turn or a u-turn. The best you can do at that point is pick the spot on the car that looks like it will hurt the least, usually the front end.

I have been in the hospital twice: once for bruised ribs and the second for a dislocated shoulder, which required 6 months of message therapy, and still messes with me these days. I also had my leg under a front tire of a car tire, and that resulted in a bum knee. Today, I sometimes limp, especially if it cold outside. In the worse impacts, I was riding at about 30 mph on a 20 pound machine, I can't imagine the impact at 75 mph on a 700 pound machine.

I wore a leather jacket when it was cold outside. The time I bruised my ribs, I hit the door of the car, was tossed on top of the car, and fell on my bum. Despite the leather, my skin did not lacerate, it exploded.

Please be more careful.

[katyseagull]

[ QUOTE ]
I also had my leg under a front tire of a car tire, and that resulted in a bum knee.

[/ QUOTE ]
this sounds really painful.


[ QUOTE ]

Despite the leather, my skin did not lacerate, it exploded.



[/ QUOTE ]

This sounds very descriptive. Descriptively disgusting.


Watching bike messengers dodging cars makes me very nervous. I don't think motorcyclists make nearly as many risky maneuvers do they? (though they are traveling at much higher rates of speed.)


I want to see a picture of Mat on his motorcycle. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] Mat, can you oblige us?

[Fishwhenican]

Motorcycles are great. I love riding.

When I turned 18 I bought a motorcycle. My mom was really afraid of them but my dad wasn't. He actually found one the one of his co-workers had for sale and took me out to get it. I rode that thing everywhere. Unless there was snow on the ground I was on the bike.

Got married and had a kid and then it got tougher to find time to ride. Ended up selling it and didn't have one for a long long time.

A couple of years ago I bought one from a buddy that was just beautiful. Kawasaki Vulcan 800. Drove it home from Billings (bout two hours) and as soon as I got home my wife wanted me to teach her how to ride it. I wasn't sure it was a good idea but relented because there is no telling her no when she has her mind made up. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Anyway, I took her over to a parking lot right by our house and told her just to go slow, no turnns just stay in 1st gear. She started out fine but then tried to make a turn. She got mixed up between the clutch and giving it gas and ended up going right into the side of a building!

Hurt her pretty bad. Busted her front tooth in half and sliced her bottom lip all the open when she hit the windshield. We ended up making the trip to the emergency room and she had to get stiched up and later that week to the dentist to ge tthe tooth repaired. Motorcycle was bent up pretty good and I never ended up riding it again. Ended up selling it back to the same guy I bought it from taking a hit on the value and minus the repair cost. Damn..

Still want to have one some day but haven't had the chance. Got a little 110 dirt bike for the boy and he loves it. Rides all aroung the land we have and over to the neoighbors house and all of that. Still scares me a bit but so does all kind of stuff with the kids.

Key is being careful. Cars LOVE to cut a motorcycle off. I couldn't believe how many time I had people pull out in front of me. Way more than in a car or truck.

[daveT]

Yes, that job requires a ton of risk, with riding in the rain and snow. Ironically, Katy, the maneuvers you see are actually very safe. It is better to be aggressive than defensive. Every accident I ever been in was while I was obeying the traffic laws perfectly, and that goes for most messengers.