Curious about your thoughts...

[Verismo]

I'm 43 years old, and for you guys who are older and have been through some generations of motorcycling, I'm curious about your thoughts concerning the evolution of motorcycling, in particular motorcycle safety, and whether there has been a net increase or a net decrease over the last say, 50 years or so.

The context for the query comes from a ride I took on Sunday. I headed out to the three sisters around Leakey, Texas, and man was it gorgeous. I was lucky enough that I caught it minutes after a rainshower, and the sun breaking through the cloudcover, along with the smell and feel of the air, was breathtaking. It was just one of those days. I know ya'll know the feeling. And also, man what a bike.

As it got dark and I had to head home, I realized I was about 130 miles out, so I headed over to I-10 for the straight shot rather than riding through all the twisties(and deer) for the ride back. And this is where the basis for my question began to form.

Not only do we have an ever-growing population of vehicles on the road, most of which, if I'm seeing correctly, are being piloted by distracted drivers on their phones hurtling down the highway, we have a huge and growing fleet of truckers that are flat out hauling ass. Motorcycles have been going fast for a long time now, but I have to imagine that 50 years ago, if you were on a motorcycle and traveling down a highway at 85 or 90 mph, you were one of very few on the road doing so. Nowadays, we have fully loaded semis that are doing 85 and they are being PASSED by other semis doing 90+.

This was something I encountered between 5 and 10 times on the ride back. And getting stuck going over an already windy hill behind a semi doing 90+ in the left lane, while there was a semi directly to my right doing 85, and a line of drivers directly behind me doing 85 while looking at their phones, made me wonder about this evolution.

Now granted, the F6B is one of the most reassuring, planted, power whenever and wherever you want it bikes on the road. And technology has also given many bikes better aerodynamics, traction control, abs, etc. But this experience made me wonder about the asymmetry of this evolution. Even with all the rider aids, it seems like it might be lopsided.

So I'm wondering, for you guys who are older, do you feel you have experienced this? Has the additional power available, aerodynamics, rider aids, etc., created a gradual change in motorcycling? Or have you felt more of an exponential shift, due to other vehicles, over the last 10-15 years?

Jason

[Frye]

Myself, I like traffic including semis going faster for several reasons. One is because widely divergent speed differences between vehicles cause more accidents than everyone traveling at high speeds in my opinion.

Also, I think I'm less likely to get a "fast driving award" when everyone is speeding.

By the way, I'm soon to be 64 and motorcycles have been my primary mode of transportation since I was around 13.

[Cali261]

If you get hit by a semi doing 85+, you won’t have any more worries.

[Verismo]

Myself, I like traffic including semis going faster for several reasons. One is because widely divergent speed differences between vehicles cause more accidents than everyone traveling at high speeds in my opinion.

Also, I think I'm less likely to get a "fast driving award" when everyone is speeding.

By the way, I'm soon to be 64 and motorcycles have been my primary mode of transportation since I was around 13.

That's a great point, Frye. It's cool to have a forum like this to bend your ear about it. Motorcycles have come a long way since you were 13, huh? Although, even in my life I've seen many changes that I would consider lateral or even backwards, depending on the bike.

Jason

[Verismo]

If you get hit by a semi doing 85+, you won’t have any more worries.

This is a true statement.

Jason

[Frye]

They have changed a lot indeed since my first 60s era two stroke, oil injected Suzuki with two rear sprockets and a short length of chain (maybe 4 links) in the tool kit. You would remove those links and switch to the small rear sprocket for on road. Put them back in and go to the big rear sprocket for off road. Seems like the top speed was 38 on the big sprocket and forty something on the small one. Paid for the bike with my grass mowing earnings and a loan from my Dad. Will never forget that first biker tattoo when the skin from my forearm stuck to the hot header pipe I was trying to put back on. I watched that patch of skin stuck to that pipe turn brown and burn while I was nursing the part of my arm it used to live on. My thoughts were "burning skin stinks and I love this shit". And I still do.

[willtill]

The cell phone in this day and age, has become the greatest threat to a motorcyclist. It wasn't like this back in the 1970's when I started riding.

[Verismo]

They have changed a lot indeed since my first 60s era two stroke, oil injected Suzuki with two rear sprockets and a short length of chain (maybe 4 links) in the tool kit. You would remove those links and switch to the small rear sprocket for on road. Put them back in and go to the big rear sprocket for off road. Seems like the top speed was 38 on the big sprocket and forty something on the small one. Paid for the bike with my grass mowing earnings and a loan from my Dad. Will never forget that first biker tattoo when the skin from my forearm stuck to the hot header pipe I was trying to put back on. I watched that patch of skin stuck to that pipe turn brown and burn while I was nursing the part of my arm it used to live on. My thoughts were "burning skin stinks and I love this shit". And I still do.

And stories like that are exactly why I love forums like this. Too cool. Also, I didn't know anything about the on/off road sprocket change. That's really neat. Did you use that very often, or was it just one of those things that you kept in your back pocket for when you might want it?

Jason

[Verismo]

The cell phone in this day and age, has become the greatest threat to a motorcyclist. It wasn't like this back in the 1970's when I started riding.

That's interesting to hear, Willtill. I keep thinking that, too. And we're so far in, at this point, I think the only thing that is going to reduce the risk will be autonomous vehicles that pay way better attention to the road than drivers currently are. At that point, though, I wonder if speed limits will also increase dramatically, thus making it even more difficult for motorcyclists. It would be an interesting inversion, if all the 4+ wheelers were consistently zipping down the road at 130, while most casual riders aren't doing nearly that, except in short bursts.

Jason

[Frye]

And stories like that are exactly why I love forums like this. Too cool. Also, I didn't know anything about the on/off road sprocket change. That's really neat. Did you use that very often, or was it just one of those things that you kept in your back pocket for when you might want it?

Jason

It mostly stayed on the big sprocket since I was years too young to drive on the roads although I rode on local roads to get to trails and neighborhood dirt tracks. That was before lawsuits ruined the world. In the late 60's/early 70's every vacant field was or could be a dirt track, every woods had bicycle and motorcycle trails, every railroad track could be ridden beside and every strip pit was a swimming hole surrounded by trails and full of fish for the taking. Many of those vacant fields and back woods dirt tracks would be surrounded by partying kids sprawled out on the hoods of cars and trucks on the weekends watching the races and crashes on those homemade tracks. And of course, if you knew where to go you'd sometimes find hundreds of people hillclimbing and watching hillclimbing on abandoned coalmining property. There were some bad accidents and occasional deaths (mostly rolled jeeps) hillclimbing but the thrill level was off the charts and there were some real characters that lived for it. The motorcycles were all two strokes of course, the air was full of the smell and smoke of them. No lengthened swingarms, just dual purpose, or off road, or striped road bikes or even seemingly homemade bikes. Saw a Rupp minibike a time or two with a Hodaka SuperRat motor and a crazy ass big dirt bike with a carburetor from a giant loggers type chain saw. That bike could tumble and flip all the way back down a hill (roughly a 60 yard tumble) and the motor would still be running. I guess they weren't all two strokes. Harley 350 sprints did pretty good out there too although they were big. Those were good times. Nearly everybody went home limping at the end of the day but it didn't matter.
My favorite thing to do on dirt bikes back then was motorcycle tag. It was played in the dark in grown up fields. If you were "it" you had to touch another bike with your bike to make them it. No helmets, usually tank tops or T shirts and no headlights allowed. Crashing the other guy was allowed and encouraged. And of course there were patches of briers in those fields that you could shred yourself in getting away from faster bikes. I once got stuck in one with the briers wrapped around myself and my bike so tightly I couldn't fall over and couldn't get off my bike. The other guys eventually heard me shouting and pulled me out backwards. It was a hot summer night, I was bleeding everywhere and all the torn skin was filled with burning sweat. The guys that pulled me out were in the same shape. Then we started up the scooters and got back to enjoying balls to the walls mayhem. Damn those were good times.