DIYbanter - View Single Post

J. Clarke[_2_]

In article , says...

On 6/9/11 12:10 PM, Larry Blanchard wrote:
On Wed, 08 Jun 2011 22:23:31 -0500, -MIKE- wrote:

If you're driving a motorcycle and someone cuts you off, you call life
flight."

You can call that anti-motorcycle or you can call it sage advice. :-)

I call it an over-reaction. I've been in 4 of what most would consider
relatively serious motorcycle accidents. No ambulance.

1. A drunk ran into the back end of my lightweight bike and sent me over
the handlebars into the street. Aside from some road rash and some very
sore testicles from contacting the steering damper, I was fine.

2. A driver ran a stop sign directly into my path. I, and my passenger,
went airborne over the hood of the car. We both walked away.

3. I lost the bike on a section of dirt road that had just been oiled.
The bike and I went sliding down the road. At one point the bike was
behind me. When we stopped it was ahead of me. Must have hopped right
over me. I had a sore and raw elbow from propping myself up on it while
sliding so I could see where the bike was. Got back on the bike and rode
it 100 miles home.

4. I borrowed some kids motorscooter when I ran out of gas. The front
wheel went into a high speed wobble (at about 30mph!) and I went
airborne. Hit the curb and was stunned for a minute.

I will admit I was considerably younger then. I'm a bit more brittle now.

BTW, I once came around a curve on a mountain road to see two semis, side
by side, coming straight at me. With no place else to go, I went between
them. Bent the handlebars! If I'd been in a car I wouldn't be here
today. But to be fair, I've been in a couple of situations in a car that
might well have killed me if I'd been on a bike.

Motorcycles are as dangerous as the rider wants them to be. As far as
the cars on the road, I was taught to "ride paranoid". Assume that if a
car can try to screw you up, assume it will. That advice has served me
well.

P.S. All the incidents described above happened in the days before
riders wore helmets. I usually wore an old greasy HD cap :-).

I'm reading this post and wondering if you're arguing with me or
agreeing. :-)

He's pointing out that a bike crash does not automatically require "life
flight".