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.
"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.
And... moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.''
-- Barry Goldwater, Acceptance Speech at the Republican Convention; 1964
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.Originally Posted by Frye
Jason
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.
"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.
And... moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.''
-- Barry Goldwater, Acceptance Speech at the Republican Convention; 1964
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.
21 years Army (retired)
...been everywhere, seen everything, done almost everything.
IBA 80537
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
But mate in the early 70's I remember coming home on leave on the old 500 Yam (2000 Kays)
With a cassette Player in the pocket playing Supertramp And Springsteen and EarBuds.
Now that was Kool
That reminds me that tape decks were emerging as the newest high tech auto accessory when I started riding in 1970. Before then you only had AM or AM/FM radios with 5 presets, but tape decks gave you the ability to choose what you listened to. There were 8 track decks at first but cassettes soon followed and ruled the market.
Looking back, these were quite a distraction. If you didn't like the current tune you couldn't just tap the 'Next' button on your steering wheel or handle bar. You had to reach for the deck mounted under the dash (a long reach on some big cars of the era) and press the fast forward button. With some decks you had to hold the button long enough to advance to the tune you wanted. Cassettes typically had to be ejected and flipped over every 20 or 30 minutes, and to change albums you had to eject the tape and replace it with another which was often stored in the console, glove compartment, or box under the seat.
I'm not trying to minimize the danger posed by inattentive drivers using their cell phones. But distracted driving has been around in many forms for a very long time.
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.
"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.
And... moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.''
-- Barry Goldwater, Acceptance Speech at the Republican Convention; 1964
Man, this was a pleasure to read, Frye. Thanks for taking the time to write it. And the line,"Those were good times. Nearly everybody went home limping at the end of the day but it didn't matter." .. describes a lot of my life, too.
Jason
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