Here in Asheville, NC we have had two motorcycle stories in the news and not favorable coverage, I am afraid. First, last week, a local 20-year old woman fell off the back of a bike on I-40 and was run over by several vehicles. She did not survive. Investigation is not finished but her web site on MySpace indicates she ran with a fast crowd (literally, on bikes!), liked to party and said she wanted to die young doing something dangerous. One of those shake-your-head incidents!
And this week, they find a 19-year old who crashed his Yamaha sport bike (his first bike) on the way home from the dealer after buying it. Was reported missing by his family and is found after 4 days in the woods off a curve with a damaged spine. Alive but will probably never walk again.
Not a good week for motorcycle's image in this area. And a tough week for two families!
'02 in black - the real BMW color! (Now gone to a new home)
Vann - Lifer No. 295
I agree that their problems were their own making. However, the predictable result was a front page article today in the local paper about the dangers of motorcycles. Also a big discussion of the fact that in NC, beginners can get motorcycles with no training. That may be a worthy discussion but any motorcycle discussion is always tainted but the media's extensive use of cliches to describe anything.
To make it worse, we are expecting 2,000 Harleys in town this weekend for a rally and there was much mention of "roaring" into town and the usual portryal of all riders as either young guys on "sport" bikes or middle aged guys on "cruisers".
'02 in black - the real BMW color! (Now gone to a new home)
Vann - Lifer No. 295
Vann - I've heard incidents over the years where people riding pillion fell off the back of motorcycles because they were not expecting their pilots to make sudden accelerations. I wonder if this is what happened to the woman.
As for the young kid on the sportbike - I see so many kids buying a 600cc or even a literbike with no/little experience. Especially in college towns like Blacksburg.
Member #93, June 2002
'14 BMW R1200RT "Wethead"
'77 BMW R100/7 "Airhead"
fnfalman wrote:They're both adults so they should know better. And if they don't, so sad too bad. No sympathy from me for idiots.
Common sense isn't awarded based upon age. I wonder how many of us who are over 20 did similar things when at that age. I know I did. Wild, crazy, stupid things and I was not that wild as a young adult. "There but for the grace of God, go I..." or something like that. And, IMHO, the thing that does make us wiser adults is simply that we made similar mistakes but were lucky enough that when we made them, they did not result in death or quadriplegia. Luck or providence was on our side, we got the sh*t scared out of us and that was enough to make us learn, for the next time. They have my sympathy. I've never met anyone who didn't deserve some, and when I got to learn a bit about some of their lives, I found I was even more sympathetic and less likely to categorize them in the "idiot" category. Sure, there are "idots" out there but how many young'ns do we know or have we fathered ourselves that are just itching to get a bike and go screamin' around the town? Like I said, I WAS that 19 year old once... I've just been blessed.
Well said. I was also that young man when young. Do we still scare ourselves occasionally in middle age? Er... well I will put up my hand - and I practise advanced riding techniques and road safety at ALL times. There is not much difference between a 'scary' outcome and a very tragic outcome.
I believe we all took chances when we were young and foolish!
I did. Bar hopping, ride the motorcycle to sober up, then hit another bar! Occasionaly I would pick up a Police escort on way home. Give nice officer motorcycle keys--go inside house and crash! Drive over for my keys next day and listen to sermon from nice Policeman on dangers of driving while drunk.
Do it again next weekend, but in a different part of Philadelphia.
That was in the mid to late 1960's. Somehow I survived while several of my riding chums didn't!
Along the early 1980's I had already ceased riding a motorcycle while drunk but my car always had the usual passenger----a case of beer. About that time serious DUI laws went into effect and I was informed by "Da Man" that I faced jail time if I didn't stop drinking and driving.
Being young makes you feel indestructible ! You act first and think after... No matter how mature a youngster may be, there's room for actions that would be considered immature/idiotic at a later age...
We've all been there, we’ve all done stupid things. When I think of my early stunts on both 2 and 4 wheels, I feel very fortunate that I'm still around in one piece today...
I got my first Yamaha XT (1982) against the wishes of my parents who hated motorcycles, not having the proper guidance of someone who’s been there before me, I learned everything the hard way...
Now a father of a 10 year old boy, I try to pass on my experiences good and bad, hopping for my son to either not be interested in motorcycles (yes, I would rather not have my son on 2 wheels) or gather enough safe riding sense before he even thinks of riding a motorcycle...
wncbmw wrote:Here in Asheville, NC we have had two motorcycle stories in the news and not favorable coverage, I am afraid. First, last week, a local 20-year old woman fell off the back of a bike on I-40 and was run over by several vehicles. She did not survive. Investigation is not finished but her web site on MySpace indicates she ran with a fast crowd (literally, on bikes!), liked to party and said she wanted to die young doing something dangerous. One of those shake-your-head incidents!
And this week, they find a 19-year old who crashed his Yamaha sport bike (his first bike) on the way home from the dealer after buying it. Was reported missing by his family and is found after 4 days in the woods off a curve with a damaged spine. Alive but will probably never walk again.
Not a good week for motorcycle's image in this area. And a tough week for two families!
If I had rode a bike in my 20's I would never have got to my 30's. The problem with motobikes is that in a car you make a mistake you get a bent panel, on a bike you get dead. Your first highspeed bend can also be you last, which is why training is important and moving up slowly, small bike to big can be a life saver. Too much throttle on a small bike might make it shimmy and twitch, but you can normaly get away with it and learn a leason, on a big bike, well you know the answer.
As for the girl dropped off the back, the resonsibility is with the rider.
It's sad for anyone to get hurt no matter who is responsible and my heart goes out to their families.
Many of the people I rode with over the years scared themselves many times but it was always the bike's fault, or another driver's fault. Many of them no longer ride because "motorcycles are dangerous!"
I have scared myself many times, always my own inattention or stupidity. Even when someone manages to pull out in front of me or turn left in front of me, I try to see it coming. If I don't I blame myself for not being more attentive to my surroundings.
I don't want to start anything here but I see bikes like some see firearms. They can sit in a box or in the garage and never harm a soul. It is misuse or lack of attention by PEOPLE that get them hurt or killed.
yjleesvrr wrote:
As for the young kid on the sportbike - I see so many kids buying a 600cc or even a literbike with no/little experience. Especially in college towns like Blacksburg.
I was just in southern Maryland for the last 4 days. I noticed a HUGE number of cruisers and a good number of sport bikes. Very few of the sport riders wore proper gear. Lot's of speed and weaving through moderate traffic at 80+ MPH. At least the cruiser community had jeans and leather jackets on (although I saw a good number of novelty helmets).
I'm with someone else who posted earlier that I have little sympathy for riders who choose to ride like that. I have a LOT of sympathy for the cagers who have to break at 75 MPH because a rider cut in front of them going 90+!
Erik (a.k.a. Norseman9)
Lexington, MA
2002 R1150R (black, the only color)
Yankee Beemers
And a tough week for two families!
