Instead of Stopping Riding Maybe I Get an MC w/ All Those New Safety Features

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How does the Cam Am Spyder look to you? I rode one at one of the first demo days they had when they were taking orders for the first production run. A lot of fun! You can pick up a used Spyder for a good price and that Rotax V-twin has plenty of power. Newer models also have an in-line triple available. I like the visual footprint it has, especially for oncoming cars. It has been around for a long time and parts and service should be readily available for a long time to come. I am thinking the Yamaha Niken isn't gonna be around for more than a few years. Yamaha had a great idea in the GTS back in the early 90's with the swing arm front suspension, but basically died on the vine at dealers for the price. JAT when looking ahead.
 
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Horsepower is not needed in order to get killed or get hurt.
A blink of an eye that missed the oncoming danger is enough.Even going at bicycle speed.

Very true! But, inexperience and high horsepower, plus weight, can be a significant contributing factor. I religiously read every local motorcycle accident report and a significant number seem to be caused by excessive speed, lack of control, and inexperience. Yes, most accidents are caused by cars turning into the path of a motorcycle, but it doesn't help if the cycle is going 100mph popping wheelies when it happens. Even in your crash, I wonder if it would have been worse if your bike had weighed 800 pounds instead of 325 or whatever a Ninja 250 weighs? I was early onto the scene of a Goldwing crash once, and apparently what did them in was a huge bump in the road at a very slow speed left hand turn. That would have been very negotiable on a light bike.
 
I don't have any stories or reports one way or the other, a lighter bike and a heavier bike have their benefits and downsides depending on the day and situation. That sounds like what is being said in the post above.

With that said, the right hand and wrist controls SO much (maybe "everything" when talking overall control) on a motorcycle... the power of the engine and the front brake. No two elements give more authority over "go" and "slow". More folks are taken out by cagers than anything, and usually cagers turning. It's about queuing up the eyes and mind to be looking ahead and all the great techniques we can read about and practice with respect it planning escape routes, proactively rolling out and covering the brake at an intersection with cars entering or coming towards.

Like I said, a Spyder will give a heckuva frontal visual footprint, if not real similar to many cars.
 
No fear!
lol.gif



fear or confidence, not too much or too little
 
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Or you could just be smart and ride a motor scooter instead of a motorcycle. I saw a statistic that stated motorcyclists are more than 3x likely to get in an accident (or maybe it was flat-out DIE?) than those on scooters.

Plenty of valid theories as to why that is, and they all make sense to me. I long for the day that people realize a 150cc scooter (PCX 150, anyone?) actually looks cooler than a lot of motorcycles, gets 100 mpg, has storage under the seat, can be operated with only one hand (yay for texting and scooting! jk!!), is safer for numerous reasons (knees and legs are protected if the bike is laid down, for starters), *and* it can go 75 to 80 mph (after spending less than $100 to upgrade various CVT parts, primarily lighter weight rollers and [steeper angled] driveface). 65 mph stock is actually perfect for me, however, because all the highways I travel on are limited to 55mph, which means people ACTUALLY travel at 65 mph... so I just hold it wide open and don't ever have to worry about the speed limit. Amazing contraption. I'm probly going to buy nothing but Hondas for the rest of my life because this PCX has changed my life so much. So awesome!!

Motorcycles are cool, too... but I'm not sure I'd ever want to shift a CBR600RR, so long as Honda's CTX700 or NC700X are still produced with DCT transmissions that do all the shifting for me. I have a 6 speed manual trans in my car, but shifting on a bike is not nearly as safe, IMHO. We all know that it's not us, it's THEM that's the problem on the road. So be prepared, buy an automatic!! ;-)
 
Ok, I'm curious. What makes shifting a bike unsafe?

I've been shifting bikes since I was 6. Never had an issue shifting.
 
Maybe look at/ride a Can-Am Ryker. Available in both 600/900cc. Both have fully automatic CVT transmission and right side combined braking brake pedal. No handlebar clutch/brake lever or foot shift lever. Purely twist and go. Have ABS/traction control/stability control. Can be had for < $10k WTH..
 
Originally Posted by 02SE
Ok, I'm curious. What makes shifting a bike unsafe?
It's not about what IS unsafe, but about what CAN BE unsafe. Simply being on 2 wheels can be unsafe, which becomes more unsafe with slippery roads, potholes and other hazards, and especially cagers riding beside us that cannot see or hear us, etc.

When someone downshifts too low, their back tire might skid. When someone doesn't downshift all the way to a stop, they might not be prepared to move when someone's about to rear-end them, or, even worse, they might stall out if they're holding the clutch in while in a higher gear. Shifting can take concentration away from the turn signals, horn, and brakes.... And vice versa. I mean... trail braking requires you to brake and throttle at the same time... that's bad enough without having to downshift as soon as coming out of a curve. Point blank, tho... shifting is not always seamless, because we are humans and make mistakes.

Originally Posted by 02SE
I've been shifting bikes since I was 6. Never had an issue shifting.

This is the definition of being subjective. Step into the shoes of the thousands of ignorant n00bies out there every day who all want to pop wheelies like the guys on YouTube. This is the ONLY reason I could see for someone wanting to shift a bike. I also see that others believe riding motorcycles should be more challenging, because then "everybody would do it", which would mean they would lose their coolness.... Which is, I believe, why scooters have such a bad rap in America.

Some people only ride for fun, and I can see the desire to shift there, as I like to shift my bike on the weekends. But if you're really commuting on your bike, riding every day of the week in all traffic and weather conditions.... And you're a law-abiding citizen that only travels with the flow of traffic... Why on Earth would you want to shift when there are other options that provide far more peace of mind?

With a scooter, I can swerve in and out of traffic without even thinking about what I'm doing. With a motorcycle, OTOH, I have to pay attention to speed/RPMs, as being in the wrong gear or even missing a shift could mean the end of the metaphorical road. But to each his own, of course....

I'm sure there's someone out there who has never missed a shift, only ride on dry pavement during daylight, with 100 ft of space cushionomg them from all other drivers.... But there are so many statistics that show motorcyclists ride like jackasses and/or cannot be seen/heard by other drivers... So they die or get seriously injured at minimum. You might be in the better side of the statistics today, but one day... ya never know!!
 
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That's an interesting opinion on all the ramifications attributed to having to shift a bike.

I will say that it does take more skill to ride a Motorcycle competently than it does a scooter, or drive a car.

I will also say from having helped instruct riders in how to operate a Motorcycle properly that not all people are cut out to ride.

But IME the percentage of people that tried and still couldn't get the hang of operating a Motorcycle competently, to the point of it being instinctive, is small.
 
^^^ It does take a lot of rider skill to always be in the perfect gear, and to shift and clutch perfectly all the time. I could see how inexperienced riders could get tripped up on trying to be in the right gear all the time or operating the motorcycle in the correct matter when it might really count (ie, ready to bolt out of the way of a zombie in a car, making a safe pass, etc). Like 02SE I've been riding bikes for decades and shifting/clutching is as natural as walking to me, but it takes some time to get to that point for everyone. And every motorcycle is a bit different, so you also need to know your bike to make the best out of it.
 
Originally Posted by AtomicNumber53
Originally Posted by 02SE
Ok, I'm curious. What makes shifting a bike unsafe?
It's not about what IS unsafe, but about what CAN BE unsafe. Simply being on 2 wheels can be unsafe, which becomes more unsafe with slippery roads, potholes and other hazards, and especially cagers riding beside us that cannot see or hear us, etc.

When someone downshifts too low, their back tire might skid. When someone doesn't downshift all the way to a stop, they might not be prepared to move when someone's about to rear-end them, or, even worse, they might stall out if they're holding the clutch in while in a higher gear. Shifting can take concentration away from the turn signals, horn, and brakes.... And vice versa. I mean... trail braking requires you to brake and throttle at the same time... that's bad enough without having to downshift as soon as coming out of a curve. Point blank, tho... shifting is not always seamless, because we are humans and make mistakes.

Originally Posted by 02SE
I've been shifting bikes since I was 6. Never had an issue shifting.

This is the definition of being subjective. Step into the shoes of the thousands of ignorant n00bies out there every day who all want to pop wheelies like the guys on YouTube. This is the ONLY reason I could see for someone wanting to shift a bike. I also see that others believe riding motorcycles should be more challenging, because then "everybody would do it", which would mean they would lose their coolness.... Which is, I believe, why scooters have such a bad rap in America.

Some people only ride for fun, and I can see the desire to shift there, as I like to shift my bike on the weekends. But if you're really commuting on your bike, riding every day of the week in all traffic and weather conditions.... And you're a law-abiding citizen that only travels with the flow of traffic... Why on Earth would you want to shift when there are other options that provide far more peace of mind?

With a scooter, I can swerve in and out of traffic without even thinking about what I'm doing. With a motorcycle, OTOH, I have to pay attention to speed/RPMs, as being in the wrong gear or even missing a shift could mean the end of the metaphorical road. But to each his own, of course....

I'm sure there's someone out there who has never missed a shift, only ride on dry pavement during daylight, with 100 ft of space cushionomg them from all other drivers.... But there are so many statistics that show motorcyclists ride like jackasses and/or cannot be seen/heard by other drivers... So they die or get seriously injured at minimum. You might be in the better side of the statistics today, but one day... ya never know!!

Some people simply prefer shifting manually.
 
One of my greatest joys of riding is shifting. For those uncomfortable with it, Honda has your answer. Not knocking those who make that choice by any means, we all do what we do for fun.

To me, my ABS brakes will greatly increase my chances of staying safe.

Its whatever makes one feel good but the bottom line motorcycles are dangerous, as are bicycles, not sure if either is a great way to commute.
 
Additional safety features can mitigate variables outside the riders control. For example, diesel slicks, rough/uneven pavement, loose gravel, etc.

The new integrated five axis IMU from Suzuki on my DL1000 is pretty impressive. I would rather have it then not
grin.gif
 
We are spoiled with the tech in new bikes. My new DL1000 has a 5 axis IMU integrated ABS and Traction Control. The only problem with riding a bike like that is the risk of riding a non-tech bike after
smile.gif
 
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