ok, I'm getting my first bike sometime soon. I've been thinking a lot, been reading through the forums. It seems to me that *most* of the accidents, and almost all of the serious serious accidents are due to the motorcyclist doing something stupid...say 120mph on the highway popping wheelies etc
I realize that you can't control everything, sometimes shit happens and you just do your best to avoid it. When i think back to when i crashed my car, it was because i was being stupid. I was in no condition to drive mentally, (pissed as hell) and i was flying down a side street which i had never been on...luckily i controlled the slide and walked away without a scratch, and only messed up the front right bumper and side skirt of car, but still scary as hell. Knocks the sense of responsibility into you.
How dangerous are bikes on the side streets, as long as you're watching yourself? Thoughts?
Assume full protective gear, (like i'll be in) leather up and down etc
You don't have to do 120 to get killed on a bike! Have you ever ridden before? I started on a 750 with no experience (bad Idea) So just letting go of the clutch made for some memorable moments. But regardless, power is addictive, so really the question is, are you mature enough to handle it?
oh i am definitely mature enough. I found out that my gf was cheating on me, didn't get mad, didn't get aggressive, told her to pack her stuff up and get out.
I'm pretty level headed, don't even speed on the highway. I'm not worried about being able to control myself.
I'm taking a MSF course this summer, but i keep wondering, bc you always hear about sportsbikes being involved in deadly accidents, they're usually going way too fast, and not careful enough
Just wondering what everyone's opinion on the matter is.
even if you are within the laws, you can still get yourself killed pretty easily on a bike.
and you are never careful enough. all you can do is your best to keep everything in control, to be alert of everything around you and to leave enough space btwn you and the cages so that if something out of your control occurs, you can do something about it.
and sometimes, shit just happens. you are on a bike with only your gear btwn you and them and the asphalt.
Rider error will get you killed. Personally I think the the act of riding a bike can come easy to most but that is the easy part. It's once you get out on the road are you good enough of a Motorcyclist to keep yourself out of danger and be part of that concrete jungle out there.
For one I always ride with the High beams on, and even then it seems that half the people still don't see me. Best advice is to constantly move your eyeballs and track every possible threat coming at you. Always assume the lady backing out of her drive way did not see you and that every one in a car is either checking their e-mails or putting on their make up. In either case you are always invisible, someone will always think nothing of cutting you off. Ride defensively and wear the gear,
definitely, i've read a lot of stories where the gear has saved life and limb
after seeing pictures of some of the guys road rash on here, i can say i'll be buying a 2 piece leather suit, and very good gloves. I saw a pic of some guys finger who had to have his extensor digiti minimi repaired, if i mess up my hands that's my lively hood right there!!
i like the idea of always riding with your high beams on, i'm going to do that. I'm also concerned with being hit from the rear. I'm going to have to remember to check behind me when stopping...crazy some people remove their mirrors!??
I think most accidents are actually caused by other vehicles hitting motorcycles (usually because they don't see them and violate right of way, most commonly when the vehicle turns left into an oncoming motorcycle). It's hard to find reputable statistics for motorcycle accidents online, but they do exist.
Many single-vehicle motorcycle accidents are caused by the rider doing something "stupid" (dangerous is a better term than stupid I think). You hear about them a lot online.
To OP, you sound like me lol. I never rode on two wheels before until two months ago I bought my R6. I took the MSF program, don't abuse the power and ride very defensively. Remember, slow and steady wins the race =]
Also, peer pressure is a bitch.. if you ride with your friends they'll typically wanna show you how fast they can go and how hard they can lean.. know your limits and stay away from going over them.
EDIT: I tend to watch a lot of YouTube videos on motorcycle crashes.. look at what they do and DON'T do that. They're either uncontrolled stunts, or breaking the rear wheel loose in a turn for a nice highside.
haha i've seen soo many youtube crashes. I don't have any friends with bikes, so not a porblem. Even if i did, definitely not going to go anywhere near my limit. I just want to enjoy the thrill of riding a motorcycle, not really in it for stunts/wheelies/crazy stuff that gets you killed...enjoy the open road
i remember when i was an EMT, i saw this one guy, guess he swerved bc a truck, hit the center pillar on the highway, went up and over his harley...broke his femur, dislocated every ligament and tendon in his left knee, multiple lacerations to his face, broke every bone in his wrist...pretty bad shape. Will never walk right again.
and then there was a girl who wasn't wearing a seat belt, ejected THROUGH the windshield, and walked away with only a few small superficial cuts
I'll share a story. I didn't see a co-worker for 3 weeks and it turns out his brother was in a motorcycle accident.
It was in bumper to bumper traffic. The car in front of him stopped short and he hit it, the bike tipped over and he went sideways where a truck actually run him over.
His pelvis is completely destroyed, he was in a coma for a week and almost died.. I was having a hard time listening to this guy telling me... And this was in damn bumper to bumper WITHOUT lane splitting.....
You have to be careful and try to plan for the unforeseen. Always on the defensive, not the aggressive though.
You will not fully understand until your riding a motorcycle yourself. And no "MOST" accidents DO NOT happen when bikers are being stupid. Stop watching youtube
The unfortunate reality is that you cannot control other drivers. Because of this, you are always vulnerable and assume high levels of risk every time you ride.
Good website check it out. "The typical motorcycle accident allows the motorcyclist just less than 2 seconds to complete all collision avoidance action"
A reality check: thousands of bikers will take their last ride this year
Motorcyclists are frequently overlooked by other drivers, and bikes are obviously far less crashworthy than closed vehicles.
While 20 percent of passenger vehicle crashes result in injury or death, an astounding 80 percent of motorcycle crashes result in injury or death.
Roads are more crowded. Cell phones are used everywhere.
There are more inexperienced riders
Oh and what good is leather when you fly off your bike in to a Tree,post,pole,car,truck, or go under a car truck etc. you get your ****ing brains washed out all over the road and the police man and anyone else around has to see this sad sad mess that once used to be a human all over the road in peices. or broken neck etc. this stuff is just some of the stuff you must think about when you ride. Its not a matter of if it will happen. its a matter of when.
One HUGE thing to remember is that statistics have shown the number one accident that happens to Motorcyclists is Cars turning left in front of us!..Always be very cautious of that.
Other then that I say respect the bike and be mature its your life in your hands never forget that and be level headed..There's no reason to rush to the next red light.
haha my father has always said, what's the rush i'll meet them at the next light
left turn, thanks i'll have to watch out for that. I wonder why that is?
as if sitting an an intersection, and the car to the right is turning left? Does he not notice?
My advice would be to get very comfortable with your bike and learn what the bike is capable of. Ride ride ride. Become as "one" with your bike as much as possible when you ride so the physical motions of riding... clutch control, throttle control, up shifting, down shifting, front and rear brakes, leaning etc... will become second nature to you so while your on the road you can focus on the road and the other obstacles around you and can react without having to think about what to do.
Pay attention to what's going on around you when you ride.
Learn how to handle your bike, spend time in an empty parking lot practicing turning, swerving, and emergency braking.
Don't ride pass your limits
If you ride worrying that your going to go down, you will go down. If you ride like nothing is going to happen to you, you will go down.
Don't ride at night until your comfortable riding.
Always ride with a trusted friend.
Stay away from group rides, for a while.
gear is a last resort. the first step is riding smartly, and preventing the accident. And yes you can't control the actions of others, but you can drive defensively. See someone about to pull out of their driveway even-though you're cruising down the street in their direction? Don't assume they're gonna see you. Assume they're not seeing you.
I posted this a few days ago, but highways are actually far safer than side streets. No intersections, no driveways, no stop and go. So be careful mostly around corners and intersections. My minor accident accord at an intersection while turning. Lady stopped short after turning and i wasn't able to stop. So had i taken the turn cautiously and anticipated her stopping, I'd have saved some money on parts.
With all that said, keep the rubber down and your mind clear when riding and that'll go a long way, but never forget to have fun. Driving like a sally is not what these bikes were built for. Practice makes perfect, and there's no better practice than an MSF class and some track days.
I agree 100% on all of this!..MSF course is definitely worth taking..I was riding before I took mine and even rode my 250 to the classes..learned a lot of great information I still use and got my license with an insurance discount! Haven't gotten the chance to go on a track yet..some day hopefully!!!!
I was once told "One track day can equal a year of street riding " anyone else hear this before?..
I don't mean to preach the same old, but I think that R6 would be a pretty bad choice for the first bike. It's not that it's difficult to control the power as some people would have you think - even a 1000 can be pretty tame when you want it to be. The issue I see with starting on a bike with over 100 hp is that it tends to get you into bad habits. A 250 or a 500 doesn't have too much power that you can call dangerous, whereas the R6 does. The R6 has plenty of power that you as a new rider cannot tap into safely, and as you continue to gain more confidence (falsely, perhaps) and discover that power, you tend to begin pushing it well beyond your skill level. That's when you begin to get in trouble. I began riding on a 600, so I know what that feels like.
I can agree with that post ..mostly..I started on a smaller bike and worked my way up..because I was told that's best..Hell other countries make new riders start on smaller engine sizes by law before moving up ...
What makes me say Mostly is that in a recent Motorcyclist issue I read. Keith Code wrote about how statistics show that new riders that start out on LITER bikes got into far less accidents as opposed to 600's . Because of the power that comes so easily with a Liter bike that the riders respect the power more and ride more level headed and calmly...There was much more said but I can't remember it..It was a great read and makes you think about it all more closely.
Has anyone read this article and possibly add to it more? I myself still think its very smart to start small..but I had to show the other side of the sword.
i think they said that most bike accidents happen when on coming traffic makes a left turn in front of you trying to make the yellow light. you have to be very cautious when your out riding. like people said before, ride like people cant see you. i mean if you are moving fast, you have to pay more attention. i always keep my eyes on cars, to see if they make any sudden moves or what not. and when approaching lights, i pay extra attention and slow down to see if anyone is making a turn.
on a stop, i try to stand on the side. not right behind the car. that way if someone not paying attention decides to run me over from behind, i wont get squished. but will just bump me or if i have enough time, i can just try to go around the car in front of me.
there is alot of factors that can involve in a bike accident. take the MSF course.. they teach you all that stuff.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Yamaha R6 Forum: YZF-R6 Forums
3.1M posts
112.1K members
Since 2003
A forum community dedicated to Yamaha R6 motorcycle owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, modifications, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!