"Death rate in overdrive for older motorcyclists"

[Shark Doctor]

There is sobering information in this piece on CNN.com, some stuff we knew about and have discussed here, but worth sharing for the newer folks just enjoying their first Sporty...

Just to remind you, when we ran the thread about average age of Forum readers, for those who responded, the average I calculated was 42 +/- 12 years.


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

[xllent01]

Go to Daytona Bike Week in a few weeks and you want to see
some high fashioned non experienced riders cruising around
that place. Holy Cow Bat Man look out. Daytonas accident
rate goes up every year,and has risen steadily now for the
last decade. It's not just Daytona it's all around us.

Return riders or new riders need to take a motorcycle safety
course just to see how much they have forgotten or have
not learned yet. I for one have not been without a bike for
28 years that is how long i have been riding motorcycles. Do
i need a refresher course? sure i do. Will it help me refresh my safety
skills? you betcha it will.

[Moved On]

Originally Posted by CNN

Safety experts suspect older riders with a lot of disposable income are buying more machine than their aging, out-of-practice bodies can handle.

I guess I better trade in my Sporty for a BT then to be safe.

If you are returning to riding after 20 years, take the MSF course, please!!!

Gazza

[willprevale]

Originally Posted by Gary

If you are returning to riding after 20 years, take the MSF course, please!!!

Gazza

and the same goes for the new riders. It's no shame to learn and it's not just like riding a bycycle.

[xllent01]

Alot of states require it now to get your license.
In NC were i live you can opt to take the MSF and bypass
all the dmv bullsh$t.

When i took my license all you did was one right hand turn,
one left hand turn and stop sign, and one complete figure eight
in a parking lot all in less than 10 minutes time.

[Moved On]

To be honest I took the course just to get my license. I wasn't too thrilled about going through the DMV after 22 yrs since my last test. But after taking the course I became a firm believer in taking it for the stuff you learn that might just save your life someday.

Gary

[Darhawk]

I have said it, and said it, and said it......the MSF course should be made mandatory before the license can be issued. But just try to get this passed
through the state houses.

[rider1951]

Originally Posted by xllent01

Alot of states require it now to get your license.
In NC were i live you can opt to take the MSF and bypass
all the dmv bullsh$t.

When i took my license all you did was one right hand turn,
one left hand turn and stop sign, and one complete figure eight
in a parking lot all in less than 10 minutes time.

That was more than what I had to do to get my license. You went out of the parking around the block and back into the parking. If you came by in a reasonable amount of time with no new scratches they gave you a license. Of course that was 30 years ago and things have changed thank goodness.

The scarey thing now is you can take a MSF course on one of their small bikes, pass and get you license then go home and hop on your 800 lb motorcycle. I was in a BMW shop a couple of years ago and a guy from California was talking to the salesman about getting his Oregon license. He said he couldn't pass the test on his K1200LT so they suggested the the MSF course. The thought scared me when I thought about the guy and his wife out on their own. Then they wonder why the death rate is climbing.

[tmcelrea]

And its too bad that these people are also partly responsible for the increase in the cost to insure your ride. I blame the crotch rocket riders for the rest of the increase.

[flathead45]

funny thing, at an abate meeting an older gent who nobody knew stopped in (seeing all the bikes out front) and after the meeting he asked if anyone knew of any groups that sponsered rides , well we told him we were going on a 100 miler after the meeting and he could tag along if he wanted , no problem

well this little 135lb 5'4" gent walks out to his bike (a fatboy) swings his leg over the bike , hits the starter , kicks up the side stand , and tips over on his left side

now while he was in the bar during the meeting he did not drink , as we picked up his bike and helped him get up we could not smell booze on him ,so we were thinking he was sober, sure as shit he was , but this was his first day out on a bike "EVER" and he got himself the biggest baddest bike he could find and wanted to run with the big boys who had several thousend miles under their belts

and you wonder why accedents happen