I said " If I were a motorcycle driver, I would wear a helmet, but I don't think it should be required by law." Honestly, I have too much common sense to drive a motorcycle, but I have no problem with the rest of you driving a motorcycle with or without a helmet.
Nothing personal. Driver? No no no. Rider. You straddle a motorcycle like a horse. Do you drive a horse? Of course not, you ride a horse. You drive trucks, cars and airplanes...you ride motorcycles.
Alright, now I've got to ask. As an experienced pilot, you say that you'll be "driving a plane" and not 'piloting', 'operating', or 'flying'?
I would say "piloting" or "operating" is the technical term best suited for being in control of an aircraft of any sort; I'm hesitant to use "flying" as there are ground operations, but even then the instructions are you're "flying" the aircraft until it comes to a complete stop. So those 3 terms are probably interchangeable. Outside of the Air Force, pilots are rarely...I would say never referred to as "Drivers." What is the origin of this? You know I never thought about it. I don't have an answer to that really. Apologies for the large .jpg files.
More like you 'go' flying but pilot or operate the aircraft. 'Driver' isn't used in general aviation so is probably used in a colloquial sense.
ACtually, I'm just pointing and laughing at the kook running around with a pair of Depends on his head.
I just started a new book last night and the first chapter comes right out and grabed me.It was from an author { Oliver Sacks } who loved motorcycles and also loved to read and was a Doctor.From London.His entire family were doctors.He was also an " asexual " closet gay until his early adult years. Seems he was so busy reading and studying,and being British Prim & Proper there wasn't time left over for much else.Let alone Gay sex { which was not tolerated at all in London in the 50's } an arrestable offense. However this author was a splendid individual,very caring and open and concerned.He also Loved Motorcycles. His first being some BSA Bantam w/ 2 stroke engine and as he writes " faulty brakes ".He had started out his motorcycle career almost crashing it due to the " throttle jamming " as he carelessly kept opening it up. To feel how fast it would go.Well he couldn't stop the throttle jam and was buzzing along very quickly and couldn't stop the bike. The brakes being " faulty ". Why he couldn't just engage the clutch or put it in neutral was beyond me.But then watching - Jay Leno's garage - YouTube videos and explaining how older British model bikes and most any bike from that period had all these little quirky procedures for starting. Plus bikes from the 50's had Kickstarts or magnetos.No battery.No generator,let alone alternator.You had to sometimes " tickle the carbs " So this young author,and motorcycle enthuthiast eventually moved on to a 250cc. Norton.He ended up crashing it because he was riding in a rain storm and was blinded on a winding country road with blinding oncoming headlights.Luckily he was dressed to the Motorcycle nines.Wearing a helmut, boots,and gloves as well full leathers.He actually stepped off his bike and slid 20 yards or so on the slick country road pavement. His next bike was a 600 cc Norton Dominator.They made a few versions. Jay Leno has a You Tube of his classically restored 650 cc Norton Dominator. Leno saying that at the time { his being a '61-62 Model Norton } Norton was something like the 2nd largest motorcycle manufacturer.
Jay Leno has a YouTube video on his magnificently restored '61 Norton 650cc.He went on to say that yes, " back in the day " it was routine for Bike owners,especially of the British Bikes to have to babysit them Stuff like " tickle the carbs " or spend time after a long ride in the garage tightening down bolts as if a doting mother.It was part of the routine. I can attest to this.Having owned a Triumph Bonneville 750 from the mid-70's. It looked and sounded great.But it was my worst ever motorcycle.It was a kick start and quite tricky to fire-up.It buzzed a lot and did cause those Brit bolts to slightly loosen. But it was unreliable. Hard to start.I was actually terrified of the thought at being stranded at a Bar and not being able to start.I also frequented a Biker bar in Cleveland where the Hells Angels Cleveland chapter used to frequent. Because it was a hole in the wall bar { darkest bar inside I ever drank } and had very quality quarter-slot pool table.Plus some arcade games.However the Cleveland chapter of the Hells Angels had their own bar,and nobody in their right mind ever came within a block of it.Not even to look around the corner. So My very pretty 750 Bonneville was a complete waste.I ended up moving out of Cleveland to my future domicile and put it in storage.I sold it and got a Suzuki 750 sportbike.I didn't like it.Way to fast and the seat height was ridiculous. I turned to Cognac for entertainment most nights.Until the late 90's. My first cruiser was a Kawasaki Nomad .Voted best Cruiser by a couple mags. It looked great.But it sucked ... big time.Was lunky,clumsy and slow.Didn't like to corner and had No pick up.It just looked like one of those 50's Cop bikes one saw in the movies.I kept for around 4 months and traded-up to a real winner.A Honda Valkyrie Tourer.Now that was a motorcycle.Fast,almost unbelievably, handled well,stopped real good and was great for touring.With a Big as Barn windshield and rather highish seat ,one could really view the road w/authority.Started up like a motorcycle should.With authority and certainty.I put a little over 10,ooo miles on and traded again UP to a Rune { supposedly the last of the Valkyrie's }.
Not true. My '09 Yamaha has a bigger motor than some of these newer cars at 1300cc, and loving to ride you always look for a reason to go ride, you can find yourself spending twice as much in gas as you would if you had a car instead.
What an odd thing to say. You must not ride much faster than 30mph, because any higher than that and the wind starts howling in my ears, unless I have my fullface helmet on, then I can hear much clearer. Maybe you should look for a new helmet.
Unless it's one of those 3 wheel Can Am abominations. No offense intended but why not just buy a Buick? you get AC and don't have to bake at the stoplights when it's 100. The whole idea of motorcycling is that it's a matter of balance, you feel the road much better when you have to lean as it curves. You don't ride a horse if you have any sense. Talk about dangerous, you're a good four feet of the ground; and a motorcycle doesn't have it's own inhuman mind constantly plotting against you
There's a guy in my town { like in his 50's } who rides around on his Can Am and loves to drag off other bikes.He's did it around me a couple times.
Motorcycles aren't "needed" by most people who buy them but neither are the majority of other things that people buy. Just like how nobody needs a 450hp Corvette Stingray but people have them. I'm personally terrified of motorcycles. I think they are awesome and I have struggled with getting one for years but I'm honestly just afraid of killing myself on that thing. For example a few weeks ago I slammed into a large deer going about 60mph at night. Hit the deer so hard that it literally flipped on the hood of my truck and up on the windshield. It rolled off and proceeded to limp away somehow...don't think he made it far...Anyway I have a brush guard on the front of my truck and even at that speed the only reference I have to me even hitting anything was pulling deer fur out of my bumper for a few days. Not a scratch elsewhere A guy slammed into the back rear of my truck a few weeks back and crushed the entire left front end of his little car. My truck had a scuff on the rear wheel and bent the axle, replaced the axle shaft and shes good as new. Meanwhile his car was in BAD shape. Now I think of my outcome in either of those situations had I been on a bike. Hitting bambi at 60mph on a bike would have likely sent me sailing over my handlebars. If a guy hit me in his car I'm sailing off the bike. I may or may not die but I doubt it would feel good...I like having the peace of mind of knowing that getting into an accident in my truck will likely not kill me whereas getting into an accident on a bike probably will. Hell I don't even really feel safe riding in a car. I've seen what happens when those little cars smash into a truck. I'll keep my truck...
If you're going to fly a helicopter you are already well suited to be a risk taker. Motorcyclists are risk takers, it's a personality type. The risk is actually the attractant. I agree, being on a motorcycle means in any number of scenarios you don't walk away from, while in a car you would; hence the risk involved. You can manage the collective, cyclic and rotor pedals to control your bird. You can certainly handle the throttle, clutch, brake and gear shift to control a motorcycle. You have the coordination for it. Being on the ground, sitting in a chair in an office building minimizes most risks. Being in the air, in a flying egg beater basically, has it's own inherent risks also, certainly far more than I encounter sitting here in an office building. So you're a risk taker, you have the personality type to ride motorcycles and you have the necessary coordination to safely control a motorcycle, once you get more confident on it. You just assess that particular risk, riding a motorcycle, as too great, and I understand that.
lol you know so many people tell me the exact same thing its funny. I dunno, maybe once I get the hang of it I'd enjoy it but getting over the initial fear is the hardest part. I know it doesn't really make sense... People tell me all the time "So wait a minute, you have no problem literally dodging trees and power lines at 120kts at 50ft above the ground but you are scared to even take a ride on a motorcycle...?" Yeah it makes no sense, but yes they scare me lol. Another funny thing is that I am EXTREMELY terrified of heights. Again, makes no sense. But in the air I'm fine I am comfortable and have no issues with it at all, even when hovering at 100ft and looking around. But on top of a building or a cliff or something and looking down I get so scared that I literally feel the blood draining to my feet and I get weak in the knees and panic.
I would never push someone who is hesitant to get into motorcycling. Never. The main reason for accidents is a rider going outside their comfort level. "I don't want to look like a wimp, I'd better accelerate hard and take the corners fast." That's how you die. You are not comfortable with the idea of riding in traffic with little to no protection, and as I say...that is your comfort zone. You are comfortable in other areas of risk taking, like flying, but with flying, at least you don't have to worry about a distracted driver running into the back of your bird. I sold my motorcycle last year as I felt it was getting too crazy out there. Too many distracted drivers, too many variables out of my control even in approaching the sport of riding with safety in mind. So again, I would never push someone into a potentially very dangerous hobby, who is hesitant at all about it.
A funny thing is (dont laugh at me) I actually rented a scooter a few times when on vacation on a beach lol. I had a blast on that thing although I'm pretty sure every man within visual range was shaking his head at me lol. I think the thing probably went like 30 or 40mph tops and that was plenty fast for me. I had a blast going down a long road on it. But the top speed of that thing was about as fast as I ever care to go on two wheels. I felt a bit uneasy the second the adrenaline wore off and I realized that I was going 40mph on 2 wheels...I quickly slowed down and putted around going much slower until returning it. I think what screwed me up was an experience I had when I was young. My cousin owned a sport bike and was giving us rides on it at a family gathering. He was in his 20s and reckless. Accelerating quickly, cutting corners quickly, all of the things you probably shouldn't do with a young preteen on the back. It scared the living crap out of me and I never wanted to get on one again.
I've ridden mopeds, basically glorified bicycles with an engine; so I won't make fun of you for riding a scooter. No one in my family rode motorcycles. I was the odd ball. I turned 20 y/o and bought my first motorcycle, a 1984 Honda Interceptor 500cc. Despite the name, the bike was tame and good for beginners, my parents hated the fact I had one, but tolerated it I suppose. Here's a photo of the type of motorcyle, not the actual motorcycle. So flash forward about 20 years and 6 bikes later, I owned this..the actual bike, a 2006 Kawasaki ZX-14 1,398cc engine. Basically the pinnacle of sport touring motorcycles...start small progress over time to an advanced model. Never ever, start with an advanced bike. In first gear the ZX-14 will be going 70 mph..you have 5 gears left (1 down 5 up). A beginner level rider can get into serious trouble in a matter of seconds on this type of bike...basically from a standstill at a stoplight to 80 mph will take less than 4 or 5 seconds...a speed capable of killing a person. You have to respect it, you have to. I finally put the helmet up for good last year and sold it. I haven't decided if I'll get another one or not.
I talked to a guy on a CanAm on the Blue Ridge last week. He rode a trike because he couldn't balance a bike anymore after hip surgery...he has already put 9,000 miles on his C-A this year.
I disagree. It should be a person's right to not wear a helmet, but insurance companies should be allowed to refuse any claim on injuries that could have been prevented by them. I feel the same with seatbelts.
I never motorcycle, but I have had a few scooters. A 50cc Vespa, which I rope to school everyday since I was 14. In Indiana, until recently, you had to be at least 14 and have a photo ID to ride them on the road. It got up to about 40-45 when brand new. My second one was a 150cc Vespa, when I was 16. It got 60-65 mph Both of them got well over 90 mpg, which saved me on gas when I was a teenager, and I could pretty much go on any street without holding up traffic. When I was 20, I got a 300 cc Vespa that get get 80-85 mph, which I took on a lot of road trips. I had that for 5 years and then I started looking at Piaggio scooters. I ended up buying a Piaggio M3 (three wheels) scooter. I got the 500 cc version. It has a 3 gallon tank, and gets 55 mpg, and has a top speed of 75-80 mpg, allowing me to even use the interstate if it's an emergancy.
I've found a new obsession. It's the Yamaha VMAX (interested in mid 2000's model). The rational, sensible part of my mind, tells me that it'd be incredibly stupid and ultimately pointless to purchase a VMAX, but then there's the remaining 99% of my brain's cognitive function giving a thumbs up. It really is an impractical machine. It's not great for cruising around town, the gas mileage is poor, and it's looks are not that great for a cruiser. But check out the engine and what it can do! It almost satisfies my desire for a cruiser that can perform like a sport bike. Yet, it's still impractical. Opinions?
