| Author | Message | ||
     Smcnamara |
Not a story that bodes well for any riders.... http://tinyurl.com/y7k4c4 A few bad eggs will probably result in pain for all of us. Much like the loud pipe issue. | ||
| Lost_in_ohio |
Sounds too familiar. The locals around the Dragon complain about the same thing. Loud Bikes and High speeds. Not to mention the antics of burn outs and wheelies. I know that if I lived there I would get sick of it every weekend. The riders that die at high speeds kinda have it coming....I feel bad if they involve a bystander....Like the family in the truck. | ||
| Xring |
What the...??? That is some CRAZY riding. The stats are horrifying. I really dislike this style of "news". Heavily edited video for dramatic effect, somber tone, etc. But still, they've got problems on that stretch of road. The bicyclist that was hit head-on especially gets to me. That is scary. Good link. Bill | ||
| Whodom |
 Smile, you're on candid camera (yellow XB9R)! Anybody we know? | ||
| No_rice |
i wish i had sound on this comp. | ||
| Teddagreek |
I almost hit two bikes going around a curve Stupid asses where riding side by side and the guy on the out side was a foot from the yellow. Question who was going hot around the corner and when your dead!! You can't tell the cops the car was riding the yellow and weaving in and out of the lane because they were looking at the secenery and not the road.} In my day to day as a I deal with traffic Issues with my job. What people have to realize these are public roads and as a tax payer every one has a right to drive them. Maybe not at 100+ but the fact is you still have a right to be there. | ||
| New12r |
That is where I learned to really RIDE a streetbike and now I have lost a lot my fav. roads cuz of some squids!! Those stats are also for a 5 county area, not just "the loop". That is also the area that we hold March Badness! | ||
| New12r |
X-Ring, that riding is not a crazy as it looks on tv. The double yellow passes are usually due to SIGHTSEEING TOURISTS GOING 10MPH who refuse to let any faster traffic by including the locals in cages!! Now lets also blame the people who go out and buy a 150hp bike, go to mtns. and kill themselves cuz they just dont have the exp. needed to negotiate those roads. | ||
| Slaughter |
I'd guess it's time for me to say it again: we're bringing it on ourselves. I've noticed we aren't always encouraging others to slack it off - and now we're getting hyper-enforcement, double fine zones, more rigid enforcement of non-DOT parts (pipes especially) - smog. We see it all to much in the LA area. Shame, it wasn't always like this but 20 years ago I never saw "Ruff Ryders" (an LA "club") - BLOCKING the F*CK*ING freeway while a dozen of their number does stunting - and they all clear out before the PD get the helos launched. Like I said, in a way, we've been asking for it - in the cities, in the canyons. and yeah, the few bad eggs DO get tons of publicity (all bad except those F*CK*NG ghetto/urban/outlaw stunter videos you always see drawing the crowds at the motorcycle shows) | ||
| Whodom |
Those stats are also for a 5 county area, not just "the loop". I noticed that too. They probably just kept adding counties to their search until they came up with what sounded like an "alarming" death toll. It also looked like they were driving ~20 MPH in their van as they got passed time after time by bikes, who weren't always passing illegally contrary to their implication. | ||
| Jb2 |
I began riding the "Dragon" before they called it the "Dragon" and when there was almost a mutual respect between local motorists and touring motorcycles. That has definitely gone by the wayside. Very few folks will pull over to allow motorcyclists to pass. It's not uncommon anymore either to hear resentment expressed by locals in restaurants concerning brazen stunts pulled by us bikers. They feel we get away with way too many violations, more than you could get by with in a car. We have created our own demons in the process of having what we all consider a "little bit of fun." In a couple of areas some locals have oiled the road with diesel fuel to combat the problem in renegade justice style. I travel alone as much or more than I do with a group. Having said that; the folks I do choose to travel with lean towards the conservative side but it's not uncommon to hear "I hate to waste a road." I think what we're all forgetting is that some of these roads lead right to the homes of people who don't ride and they are loosing their patience with our kind. The fact that this is just now becoming a newsworthy item proves they've been tolerant for years. I've noticed a huge rise in the numbers of riders, the numbers of risks taken and the number of accidents in the last twenty years. We've brought it on ourselves folks. If you want to change how the public perceives us then you're gonna have to change the way you approach your riding style when you venture into someone else's backyard. Only we can fix it it. Pointing a finger back at the locals only festers the wound. | ||
| No_rice |
they need to have there camera's rolling when some of the sports car groups run the roads around there, but then that would defeat there purpose. the worst a sports car will do is speed, maybe cross the line and headon with someone or skid off the cliff or into the cliff. there are alot of car tracks on that road to showing just where that has happened. | ||
| Daves |
I think it also has a lot to do with "The Gap" being promoted as the "in" place to go ride and ride in that fashion. Some make it seem you aren't a real sportbike rider unless you have been there. The local businesses helped promote it and now have created their own problem to some extent. For the local people I am sure it does get real old, except the ones making money off it. There are lots of curvy roads all over the country. Go ride them instead. The only reason that area has had enough of the sportbikes and the accident/death toll is so high is because of all the riders that flock there. | ||
| Irideabuell |
I witnessed the oil across the road on the Dragon when I was there in October. It was done just past the dam lookout - I couldn't believe it! I had heard about this the night before and found it very hard to believe, but alas, it's true. I also encountered a local that did everything possible to not allow me to pass on the Dragon during my first trip through. Mind you, I wasn't speeding and was just getting the lay of the land. The old timer with wife and dogs in a pick up were doing 20 mph and would move in to the other lane to block me when we hit the straightaways where I could easily pass. The longer the straightaway, the further he would move in to the other lane. I think he only pulled over eventually as his dogs were barking at me like crazy from the back seat and I'm sure he was getting sick of the racket. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I was paying for the bad deeds of others. | ||
| Jackbequick |
As far as the TV clip, I thought the TV show was done with a neutral tone and in an objective manner. They are reporting on an issue of high public danger and handled it fine. Turn that topic over to the yellow journalists at Fox and people like Geraldo and you would see a *real circus* with no regard for objectivity or accuracy. They have lost the bubble on the problem there, I say they need to implement merciless enforcement within their capabilities and without regard for type of vehicle. Eventually the bad eggs will quit coming. Do the right thing, it's that simple. Jack | ||
| Lake_bueller |
I think you'd be suprised at the relative safety of the "Dragon". compared to the number of bikes. There were a total of 3 fatailities this year. In the past 10 years, there have been 16 deaths on the infamous 316 turns. How many bikes/passes have covered the road in that time? 500k, 740k, 1 million? That's a VERY low mortality rate for strech of road that techincal. I'm looking forward to see the "part 2" of the report tomorrow. | ||
| New12r |
The roads in the vid are NOT THE DRAGON! Those are the N Georgia Mountains. Not quite the Dragon but a lot closer to me, (about an hour and a half from my doorstep!) The vid was quite fair and really only targeted the SQUIDS! I talk to and know many of the "Locals". I ride with many of the locals as well, you can have a great time not going 100mph, One of the main reasons I bought my Buell to begin with! | ||
| Daves |
Yeah but that wouldn't make as good of a news story | ||
| Lake_bueller |
I know that's NOT THE DRAGON. But it seems everybody wanted to start harping on Deal's Gap. I thought I'd show that the Dragon is relatively safe. | ||
| Slaughter |
Roads ARE safe - it's dummasses (riders and others) that are the problem We kill one each weekend on an average in So CA in the mountains during the season. I can't tell you how often I've come on a rider just having wadded his bike and he's blaming "something" in the road or some car holding him up... guess what!!?? It's a freaking PUBLIC ROAD! Dirt, rocks, water, traffic. If you're riding at 90% and you NEED another 15%, guess what? You're gonna be a statistic. Sorry bout the rant. Ride well, realize the traffic, the road conditions, the other riders are out there to try to kill and maim you. Around the next turn will be a fresh rock fall, a car crossing the double yellow, doing an illegal left or U-Turn. Any other philosophy is simple denial. A single rider down is a tragedy; 4,553 fatalaties is a statistic (2005 NHTSA). (Message edited by slaughter on November 03, 2006) | ||
| M2nc |
you can have a great time not going 100mph, One of the main reasons I bought my Buell to begin with! Ditto - The exact reason why I started riding Buells. More fun at legal speeds. I find it hard to believe that anyone could get up to 153mph on US-129. That is just stupid on those roads. That said, in the mountains or on the city street, cagers are just aggressive to motorcycles. If News 5 wants to balance that report take a five county area around Atlanta and survey motorcycle accidents that involve cages. I bet they would be equally surprised that more motorcyclist are killed by stupid cagers, than squids in the mountains. | ||
| Kdan |
5 years ago those roads didn't have hardly any "locals" on them. Those people they interviewed definitely didn't have local accents. They're rich yuppies who drove the price of mountain land through the roof and established a weekend/retirement community. They moved into the area where the motorcycles were there first and bitch about the motorcycles. Typical. | ||
| Jb2 |
I only mentioned the Dragon because of the very close vicinity to the mountains in North GA and the parallel in attitudes with both neighborhoods. And KDan is right, there are a lot of transplanted northerners scooping up land along the most scenic routes and building new homes at an alarming rate. Point is it's a problem that's not going to go away. The non-riding yuppies love the area for a lot of the same reasons we do. Both groups provide dollars to the local economy and the local citizens feel pushed out. It'll be interesting to see how this unfolds in the next few years. As a person who started riding the area before Pete and Doris bought the motel at Deal's Gap and before T.W.O. was even a dream I've seen big changes. Changes enough that I plan my trips there in the off season and have looked for new "non-popular" areas to ride. Interesting tidbit... we rode the Cherohala a few weeks after it opened and came upon what we believe was the first motorcycle fatality on that road. It was about an hour after it happened. An older gentleman from Florida riding an Amazon green S3T bit a guard rail hard. That corner is now clearly marked because it's a decreasing radius, off camber turn that will shoot a person right across the lane into a guard rail. What stuck out the most is the officers had the impression that he was puhing it to the limit. My bet is he just got snookered by the road but the bad attitude towards riders was becoming appearant over ten years ago. Ride safe and respectable out there. Keep in mind how we interact with local citizens counts. (Message edited by jb2 on November 04, 2006) | ||
| New12r |
We are always searchng for the next great place to hide! We could start a "Build a track in my backyard" fund!! | ||
| Brucelee |
There is no defense for the riding we saw in this video, none. And lets face it, it happens all the time. | ||
| Lake_bueller |
PArt 2 | ||
| Rocketman |
I watched that video too, and particularly the few bikes at the beginning, including the Buell guy. They were not in it hot at all. Despite crossing the double yellow (and it's true of many video captures) it's easy to make a bike look faster than it is. There are many issues in that story that cross over to the British scene too, but fortunately in some respects, we as fast road riders on some occasions, can get away with it by having a national road network that lets us get away from the more popular routes and still get our riding rocks off without upsetting the locals or drawing much attention to ourselves. Rocket | ||
| Lost_in_ohio |
Part 2 what a laugh.....they clock cruisers in traffic and say they are going the speed limit. I mentioned deals gap because I have been there and could not believe what I had seen. The Super Bike show on Speed is not helping either. They show a lot of people stunting on city streets. I read somewhere that the European Union is talking about laws regulating speed on street bikes to 200kph. That will be a sad day and how long before we follow. With that being said cough cough, My boss asked me how fast I was going on the on ramp in front of the hospital. I didn't pass him or any thing.....just quick getting on the freeway. | ||
| Rich |
Road crime. It's not for everyone. | ||
| Rocketman |
It's hard to give the newsreaders credit, no matter how hard they try to be fair to the majority of more sensible riders, when they show video of a speedo, and running commentary to go with it, passing 200mph. Simple research would clearly show that as bullshit, but those watching who are anti-bike will believe such reactionary journalism and condemn us all. Poor show when those making the news get to use journalism to judge the biker but they can't be honest in their own profession. Rocket | ||
| Xb9ser |
Hey Lost 200 kph wouldnt be so bad Buells would then sell like hot cakes. If I figured right 200 kph is 124 mph not a whole lot slower than our top speed of 135 to 140. Who needs to go that fast any way? The fastest I have been is around 120 mph anyway.But I am an old fart 48 years old.After rideing the Dragon and surouding rodes this summer with some fellow Buellers I was told I was a more mature rider than them. I had just as much fun and we all had a safe ride! which was the inporant thing all had fun and no issuses.A month ago I rode in Mts of NC with some more buellers 2 were on blasts we all had a great time the Blast did amasing well in mt. it is not top speed but the fun you have rideing. The blasts were draging foot pegs and made it through The snake at Shady valley Tenn were a Busa crashed trying to make it!! It is not at all about Top Speed to have fun.  .At one point at general store at Shady valley 8 of the 9 jap bikes there had crash damage on them. | ||
| Johntman |
i don't think they will do the speed regulation. if they did then the bike companies would gear down the bikes, making them even quicker and easier to do wheelies. plus it would be just like cars that have speed regulators... go spend 400 dollars and get a "superchip" that takes away the speed limiter. | ||
| Lost_in_ohio |
Rocket that video (busa 200mph) has been around a while....I forgot where I got it....I think maybe uponone. There has been some question of it's authenticity. Far as bikes being regulated I have a friend who has family in germany and his son is big into sport bikes and was worried about it and spoke to me about it when they came back from a visit. Far as that goes I support the graduated motorcycle licensing....... Makes a ton of sense to me and maybe save some lives in the process. Limiting horsepower and requiring time periods and training for the next step for a beginner. There I go again pirating the thread. (Message edited by lost_in_ohio on November 05, 2006) | ||
| Aka_dark_lord |
Wow . . . 200mph = 293.3 fps (the length of a football field). You see it as you hit it. You can say oh shiP as your on your way to the pearly gates. |
