The Old Hardley Ableson Farts

[007]

Did you guys see this CNN article? Check it out!

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/01/21/mot....ap/index.html

Will our insurance rates rise because of this trend?
I think they should have separate insurance policies for Harley rider wannabes.
I don't want to share the insurance pool with them.

[Trapper]

The problem with those stats is that they never take in the relativity of the numbers. Sure there are a lot of older guys getting killed on bikes, but how many more older guys have taken up the sport. It is obvious by the traffic, that the cruiser market (i.e. older guys) has exploded. So sure the fatality rate may have gone up x% , but the licensed riders may have gone up 3x%. I hate stats that are a crock of poop.

[The Chad]

good point, I also think that they should restrict the size of engine to the number of years you've been riding. I'm glad they don't mind you, I bought my gsxr1000 after 6 months of getting my learners.

[Trapper]

Squid ...... J/K

[Adrenalin_Junky]

Way to think outside the box Trapper, nice to see others out their who question all sides of a story!

[jaydog19833]

I am here speaking for the younger generation. I just turned 21 and I think by far I am the safest rider outta all my friends. They drive like idiots and don't wear gear for the most part.

Having said that in the past year and year before I heard of 2 kids (about 20 years old) dying in NY. They were both drunk.

Now the same 2 years I lost count of how many older guys crashed their cruisers....it has happened SOOO much here the past year. I always figured it was the squids who crash but it seems a majority actually ARE older. I just want you to remember that I am well aware older riders (40+) are entirely capable and I have learned more from them that anyone....but theres so many who are a bit absent minded in a non-aggressive way. Thats the killer. I was behind a large group of cruisers at last years "Americade" and wholy crap; they were all over the road, crossing yellow lines with oncoming traffic and passing cars and other bikes on the right shoulder. Those are aggressive accidents.

Oh yes, I have taken statistics in college and I have learned that YOU CAN NEVER get perfect data with these reports. It is ALWAYS off and next year you could hear that it's the kids again who are having fatal crashes.

[inspiron]

As it said in the article, most of the 40+ fatalities are caused by alcohol ...

I don't care if you are 16, 36 or 56 - sitting on a bike requires 100% concentration. If I have been drinking ANYTHING alcoholic, then I stay OFF my bike. Period. Call me a wimp, but I don't like pain. And I know that dropping my bike will be physically and emotionally painful, so I am doing everything I can to avoid this. Getting on my bike after even one beer is just asking for trouble. So I just won't do it.

I am reading "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" at the moment - and one of the points that I keep seeing (and cringing at) is that they ride for hours, then pull into a town, and hit the first bar for a beer. It's also part of the H-D "image" that you down a couple of long-necks before "crusiing" home. That's another reason why I ride a Suzuki

[Uncle Bob]

Of course there are 18, 28, 38 and 48 yr old squids out there.

[St0nkingByte]

Sounds like these old fogies need to learn the 'wrist-down' throttle position from the MSF.

[B_Wayne]

While i agree with the fact that statistics are always slanted because they refuse to show both sides of an argument, I am more inclined to agree with this report. I'm young, I'm impulsive but I dont do anything I cant handle. You wouldn't dare see me go buy a 1000 cc bike as my first bike (or my first bike after years of not riding). Hell I got hit by an old guy in a CAR let alone a bike. I'm a firm believer that legislation ought to be enacted for older riders/drivers to re-take their driving tests after a certain age to make sure they are fit for the road. I lived in Yuma, AZ for almost three years and every winter you would hear of the old fogeys (the winter visitors) hitting and killing someone because they were driving their car on the wrong side of the highway (yeah it happened one year) or some Marine getting killed by some old fogey who never even saw him crossing the road. Its sad that most of these people dont ever realize that they are incapable of being safe on the road. The fact that some of them are doing it on bikes is even more scary. I have already told my Mom that when I think she's done driving, I will cut up her license for hers and everyone else on the roads good. She agrees with me, at least for now.

My $.02.

[Trapper]

The problem with your post is that you use the word "I" . What do unbiased statistics have to do with any individual. Hey, I could say I am a 36 year old, cruiser rider, who is safe to a fault (spend too much money on safe riding books). But I'm not saying all "fogeys" are safe. You can say you don't do anything you can't handle, but what does all of you age group do? Not just you. That's the point of dissagreeing with the report. If the stats were relevent (i.e. Fatalities per licensed rider in each age group), I would accept the report wholeheartedly.