auerrod

Ironically the only way to build confidence while riding is by riding. Be safe and practice being safe, but don't neglect what steps may need to be taken to learn the skills to become a better rider. I have taken 2 classes and neither of them prepared me for real life as much as... well... real life. If you are afraid of the highway, or traffic in general, make a point to go out and... ahem...play in traffic. Set aside a few minutes or a short ride every week and expose yourself to the situation you are least comfortable with. Mine was righthand turns because I kept ending up in the oncoming lane! After no time you'll have a better feel for the flow of traffic volume, or how your bike turns, etc. and you will acquire the skills you may be weakest with. The term would be "practice".

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LA_Geezer

^^ This is all well and good auerrod — if you live in a part of the country that has a decent share of sane drivers, that is.

If you happen to live in an area that's ranked among the highest in lists of several driving maladies, though (and we have the second highest auto and motorcycle insurance rates in the country to prove it) one tends to approach his fears with a bit more solemnity.

My biggest fear is women in SUVs talking on their cell phones while driving. I have had the misfortune of having my life threatened on 4 such occasions within the last year. And all four of them occurred in two locations — both of them being shopping malls adjacent to main thoroughfares. In all four cases, the cars in question were Mercedes and Lexus SUVs and the drivers all looked at me rather indignantly (as if to suggest that I should stop in the middle of the highway to let them pass).

"Play in traffic" though, somehow suggests to me that the way to handle rattlesnakes is to taunt them by waving your hands in front of them. Sooner or later you'll be able to avoid getting bit.

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cagie

So, do you think that the Feds will ever outright BAN cell phone usage by the driver of a vehicle? I mean, look how long it took to get seatbelts. Then there is still that was handed off to the states to enforce.

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Comments contained in my posts are not intended to cause physical or psychological stress and are mearly my two cents worth, and in this economy, that's cheap!
87 CMX250C 'the Pygmy Pony'
87 CMX450C 'Black Lithium'

LA_Geezer

Well, that isn't the issue, cagie, but, given that the local constabulary only writes tickets at the end of the month to ensure that their monthly quotas are met — and they always set up in the same places to write them so only the fools are caught — my guess is that the enforcement of any new cell phone law would be at about the same pitiful level that they currently do the seat belt law enforcement.

Right now, our state is deciding whether or not our helmet laws should be loosened up to the extent that MC riders over the age of 21 have the choice of wearing or not wearing a helmet. The proviso is, that the rider carry $100K in medical and liability insurance if he chooses to stick his neck out. On a local talk show they discussed this subject this morning, but took the position that the insurance requirements were unfair. Certainly I don't agree: if you are foolish enough to ride without protecting yourself, then you should be prepared to pay for your own injuries, and not expect your fellow citizens to foot the bill. One listener smarter than I, I guess, called in to say that now that we have a decent president — one who cares about the folks, I presume — the state government shouldn't worry about the medical insurance since NObama is giving it to all of us FREE (Yeah, sure it is).

I may have already said this, but my position is that you should consider the cost of your helmet in relation to how much you value keeping your head safe. If you think of it that way, then even the most expensive helmet money could buy would be a true bargain.

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cagie

I agree, I still hate to have to pay for someone elses stupid mistake or lack of good judgement...

Not only the cost of the helmet, but also the quality. There are too many skid lids out there that have bogus DOT stickers on them that makes the user feel like they are complying with the law. IMO, those things are just enough to scrape the remains into after a crash.

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Comments contained in my posts are not intended to cause physical or psychological stress and are mearly my two cents worth, and in this economy, that's cheap!
87 CMX250C 'the Pygmy Pony'
87 CMX450C 'Black Lithium'

auerrod

[QUOTE][QUOTE]FYI- Long Island is a direct suburb of NYC. Sane drivers, I can't say, but they are seasoned at driving in insanity which is why none of the roads on LI have made the top 10 list of deadliest roadshttp://www.forbes.com/2007/07/12/roads-driving-highways-biz-logistics-cx_rm_0713deadlyroads.html?partner=alerts.

This may just be the difference between 26 and 60. No hard feelings, just a different state of mind.


I only used Play in traffic as a metaphor for practicing something you may not be comfortable doing such as riding in traffic... and yes with proper practice one can become very adept at handling venomous snakes.

If you had read my previous posts you'd know I'm a clear advocate of riding inside one's skill level. But to neglect practicing new or weaker skills that will make you a better and safer rider, to me, is more dangerous than avoiding the inevitable and only driving back roads (because small roads are where most people are killed if you read that article I linked)

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ASE-Tech

I had to point out to my buddy that his "turtle shell" was NOT DOT Approved. Alls he had to say was "shhhhhhhhhhhhh" your not supposed to tell me that!! I said, Well, I Just Did!

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I know stuff, it just doesn't come out when I need it to.

93 Shadow 1100

auerrod

I don't know why my above link doesn't work now (it did earlier when I checked it) but just google "top 10 most dangerous roads" and the forbes website usually comes up on the top of the list. Sorry for the inconvenience.

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LA_Geezer

The Forbes article mentions roads that are mostly (not completely) VERY heavily traveled roads that are due to an upgrade to super highways. It says nothing about poor/erratic driving behavior that is a hallmark of my neighbors. As an example of this, writing about 150 tickets per month in my subdivision without any appreciable decrease in speeders as a result, the city decided to punish all of us by putting speed bumps on the two major streets into it. Now they merely accelerate past the 30 MPH speed limits only to apply heavy brakes every 250 yards or so when they reach the next bump.

Quote, This may just be the difference between 26 and 60. No hard feelings, just a different state of mind.


If this is a reference to the difference in our ages, why should I — or would I want to — have any hard feelings about your relative inexperience with driving? I got my driver's license in 1958, and my first powered vehicle was a Lambretta motor scooter that I rode for 2 years on the streets of Paris. I've driven several million miles over the years since then without ever causing an accident. The only major cities in this country that I haven't driven in are Denver, Seattle and Los Angeles, so it might not surprise you to know that I know where Long Island is; in fact, I visited the 1964 World's Fair in NYC and drove right by the Empire State Building.

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MyMidLifeRebel

My first time to write...I bought an '86 rebel 450 last year to finally learn to ride myself. I had signed up for the safety class given by the state of Illinois, but life happens...In June of 2008 I was on the back of my boyfriends bike on a 2 lane highway in Iowa along mississippi river in the afternoon when a deer came out of the cornfield right in front of our bike. We hit the deer and down we went. My boyfriend suffered a concussion and a broken arm and came right up. Myself, I don't remember a thing only what I have been told. I was helicoptered to Iowa City hospital and placed in a coma. Many broken bones...ribs, shoulder, hands, face bones, scalp, and a swollen brain. I came out of it weeks later with no major surgery except staples. They did not expect me to live let alone ever wake up or get up. I was back to work in 3 months(i deliver mail for the post office). Then...how to get back on the bike or should we?????????? My boyfriend replaced the totaled bike with a newer one soon after. Me, I just looked at mine in the garage for months. Myself and my boyfriend finally took the safety course in Illinois in April. Best thing for anyone biking. And YES, I am finally driving my own bike! Fear? Of course, but it is either get back on and enjoy this sport or put the bike up for sale and find something else in life to enjoy. I don't think I will ever ride on the back of a bike again, I want more control of the situation. It was not my boyfriends fault, we just don't want to feel the guilt of seeing the other seriously injured again, or possibly see someone die. Every friend thinks we are crazy to be back on these things, but for now we have decided that someone was watching over us that day, and we are going to try it again. We observe every safety rule we can, and we definitely wear helmets now. If you are still fear the bike, take the courses offered. Our crash was not our day to meet our end, and we will try this again, but when we feel we need to give this up, my thought is to sell the bikes and by a convertible. Same idea but on four wheel instead, and no helmet required. Good luck and stay safe!!!!!!!!!!!

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