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Skyguy
| | Posted on Monday, July 31, 2006 - 03:49 pm: | 
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You can not convince ANYONE to wear gear at a gas station. Most people that wear gear went down at some point and thought, Hmmm that hurt maybe I will gear up next ride.
I kinda like the fact the RUB crowd wears novelty helmets. It keeps the sport bike statistics looking not to bad............
My local Fire chief says that the number of serious injuries usually occurs to the HD crowd. Although we have had four sport bike fatalities up here in the last year and they are skewing my local stats. Every one of the fatalities was an under 24 year old sqiud BTW |
Court
| | Posted on Monday, July 31, 2006 - 03:52 pm: |
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I have a fond memory of a guy in the Reg/Road Thing/Court age group who appeared on an FLH one day.
Quietly and methodically he set about his run....glass smooth, limited only by the parts of the bike.....much of which he ground off on the ground.
It was an impressive show. |
Firebolteric_ma
| | Posted on Monday, July 31, 2006 - 05:32 pm: |
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The State Police in the city are pretty impressive on them big ol' harleys.
on a second note....lost that was a brave/stupid thing you did there at the gas station. I'm pretty surprised you left in one piece, i surely wouldn't be so kind if someone told me i didn't love my significant other.
Them's Fightin' Words!
(Message edited by firebolteric_ma on July 31, 2006) |
Eboos
| | Posted on Monday, July 31, 2006 - 05:46 pm: |
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When I took my rider's edge course at Sheldon's, there was a statie doing circles with his floor board planted on the ground in the same spot. |
Buellisti
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 01, 2006 - 12:10 am: |
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Hey, those guys at the filling station are the fastest growing population segment when it comes to fatalities. NHTSA data shows that they are ending up DOA in greater numbers than young squids. And given I am in the same age group, it is starting to play hob with my insurance rates. sigh. |
Marhaba
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 01, 2006 - 12:59 am: |
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okay, so not to hijack the thread but one of the guys at work today dealt with a similar situation. This is the fastest I have ever seen a customer leave our store. Older gent, waltzes in on a shiny red Triumph, and walked up to one of the other salesmen who had an appointment with him. He demanded (not just asked, demanded) a test ride on the XB12Scg on the showroom floor while wearing sandals and shorts no helmet and a tee shirt. I walked up to the other sales guy to briefly ask him a question about another one of his customer who was in the shop at the time. As the a**hole is glaring at the salesman and snidely commenting on how he shouldn't have to wear long pants and closed toe shoes. I stood there and made a joke about how he could just buy a pair of Harley jeans to go ride in, and the other salesman chimed in with the fact that we offer pants from rainsuits to people if they're wearing shorts, so that insurance won't come back to bite us because all that is required is long pants. The dumbf*** turned around to me and said, "excuse me, who are you? are you the one who's trying to sell me this bike?" and basically told me to f*** off, and told the other salesman that he wouldn't be buying a bike from him if he wouldn't let him take a test ride without protective gear, and promptly walked out. Got on his pretty shiny Triumph and zzzzz... zzzz....ZZZZZ'ed out of the parking lot. Really mature. But not nearly fast enough to suit me....
Man, if this is the type of people that Harleys are attracting now and Buells are just starting to (I hope that he's the exception to the rule) I'll be beating my head into a stone wall. Keep in mind folks, others do have feelings, in sales, on the road, within the Harley community and within the unique Buell community. The experience that LIO had was unfortunate, and what's really pathetic is that the yuppie/SADYS (thank you to Jack for the new acronym) demographic is on the rise, and they are the hardest people to work with in any form. They whine for everything because they've been handed everything their whole lives and they've never had to work for one g**dam*ed thing, thus leading them to believe that skill and ability along with all their shiny chrome can be bought. Just goes to show that all good things run their course sooner or later, some a**hole always discovers it and screws it up. To sum up, I saw a guy in this shirt walk into the shop yesterday, "18 grand and 18 miles sure as h*ll don't make you a biker." |
Jlnance
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 01, 2006 - 08:54 am: |
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FWIW, I've found that whenever I want to start a conversation with someone on a motorcycle "hey thats a really cool bike," is a great opener. Things seem to go well after that. |
Diablobrian
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 01, 2006 - 09:17 am: |
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Marhaba, first off I love the shirt. It goes right up there with I own a motorcycle, not just a t-shirt.
Second. You are correct. There are a lot of arrogant people attracted to the outlaw/rockstar biker image they see on
the discovery channel, and in assorted movies dating back to the wild one.
You are correct in your belief that they think anything, and anyone, can be bought or coerced into doing whatever they want.
You can't help someone that does not want to be helped. The fact that the behavior and attitude bother you speaks well of you.
Even if you do hang around with/work with Tim  |
Light_keeper
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 01, 2006 - 09:37 am: |
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http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/060730motorcycles.shtml
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Regkittrelle
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 01, 2006 - 11:20 am: |
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The problem of people using motorcycles in unintentional suicide bids is not going to go away. In fact, as sales increase (2005 was a near-record year)this problem will get worse.
Add in the burgeoning scooter sales and we have a situation that is going to invite serious legislative/LEO attention.
While there is no one solution to this, there are a number of tactics, if you will, that can have a very positive effect.
The one that I champion is very unpopular, and hasn't an emetic's chance at an anorexia convention, of being implemented: Very strict licensing.
Most beginning riders are lacking the skill to safely ride a motorcycle; they're not stupid, they've just never been trained. They have the mechanics down (start,stop, turn)but, generally have zero knowledge of incident/accident avoidance. When presented with a problematic situation they react as they would in a car; brakes to full lock.
MSF, Rider's Edge et al, are good starts for training, but they, in my opinion, do not take it far enough. Therein lies the problem....
Properly stringent training and licensing would have a negative impact on sales. It's not hard to guess where the pushback would come from on that.
Harley-Davidson's Riders Edge program is to be applauded on three levels:
1. It's giving riders a headstart on riding
2. It's a brilliant marketing strategy
3. It's a due diligence tactic that puts the company in good stead with the the gov, the courts, and parents... to name a few.
But it, as with MSF, is only the first step. That someone holds a cert from these organizations does not mean they're qualified to ride.
And the training industry has its own little problem. It has to restrict its training to activities that preclude anyone actually dropping a bike (though they still manage to do so). This because of the intense litigeous culture that we've created.
My (partial) solution? The California Highway Patrol would create a civilian course identical to that required by their motor officers. Graduate from THAT school and you'll have more than a fighting chance against the long odds.
I do stupid things on motorcycles at times, and I've been more than lucky on several occasions. When I examine (and boy, do I ever!) what happened, I can always discover the reason, which is why I regularly enroll in courses. The last one I attended was excellent: http://www.streetmasters.info/index.html |
Pwnzor
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 01, 2006 - 11:36 am: |
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Lost in Ohio,
Are you effing crazy? WHAT would possess you to say such things? Who are you to be making any offhand comment like that?
I'm a peaceful guy in person, you can say what you like about me. But if I'm in a gas station and any man speaks ill to my Maggie, things begin to happen very rapidly. I'll let your imagination go with that.
Ever seen Last Man Standing? |
Kuuud
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 01, 2006 - 12:01 pm: |
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Fantastic proposal Reg. Sign me up if it ever comes to pass. Let me take it one step further and propose (less than a snowballs chance...) similar strict requirements for cage drivers. Give them a skills test every year or two. If they fail...yank their license until said person has completed a real-world driving school. I'll be first in line.
Driving/riding is a privilege, NOT a right!
Bret |
Ceejay
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 01, 2006 - 12:15 pm: |
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problem being with those two new regulations/legislation is that cars/motorbikes are so ingrained with society and thus the economy, if you remove 1/4 now and maybe up to 1/4 later from the driving/riding population what will happen to the economy? I believe that those would affect a much greater scope than was intended... |
Tramp
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 01, 2006 - 12:19 pm: |
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Reg's idea is essentially what most other western hemisphere nations require.
usa really needs it. |
Bomber
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 01, 2006 - 07:35 pm: |
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reg's idea (ok, it ain't his, but he brught it up) has worked pretty darned well in most other modes of transportation -- things that float, things that fly -- anything with wheels should be treated the same, I believe . . . .
course, it would have rendered much of my late teens, moot, but, hey . . . .
;-} |
Paint_shaker
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 01, 2006 - 10:17 pm: |
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I would say consider yourself lucky in that your approach to a total stranger at a gas station, with the remarks you made, didn't end up in a physical altercation.
On the other hand, if they appeared at your motorcycle skills course that you are teaching, no problem admonishing them for lack of proper safety gear. The comment about his attitude towards his wife would be uncalled for in any situation (unless you are real good friend). |
Tramp
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 01, 2006 - 10:33 pm: |
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nah- i'd still knock a real good friend on his kiester for that one. |
Lost_in_ohio
| | Posted on Saturday, August 05, 2006 - 07:07 pm: |
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Sorry been out of town.....Had no idea I was going to have to defend myself on the subject. I was just venting about peoples stupidity
If you would have seen how unstable she was on the bike you would understand what danger she was in. The screeching tires and honking horns were because she could not make the turn into the gas station. Someone had to stop an make her think about what she was doing......and if her man (boyfriend/hubby) wasn't gonna do it then who will? And they were going to the bar?
Far as getting knocked on my kester. The guy was a tyipcal loud mouth rub and I can certainly handle myself in a scrap.
I guess that I don't praise the almighty dollar that much......But explain to me who sells novelty helmets and why? Why would ya buy one.....the half helmet DOT approved are only 19 bucks at iron pony.
As a cyclist I understand that I am going to wreck and that helmet my help me come out in one piece. I also wear all the protective gear ever ride just in case. Do these people believe they are never going to wreck.....especially after drinking alcohol?
As far as my comment about Harely riders thinking they own where ever they are at is clearly a regional thing. I met some really great guys and gals on my recent trip that changed the my harley stero type. My area has a higher percentage of jerks than other areas I guess.
An example....at my after work watering hole a bunch of harley guys come in and take over the pool table and are loud and ruin the atmosphere of an after work hang out. Mercifully they don't stop there all that much.
In the parking lots at work reving their motors and racing around the lot with open pipes. I work at a hospital so it is inappropriate.
on and on......them taking over the gas station and stopping traffic and then screaming at the drivers who actually had the right of way just finished me off.
Again...just me venting about stupid stuff people do.
blast away. |
Lost_in_ohio
| | Posted on Saturday, August 05, 2006 - 07:23 pm: |
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pwnr......He verbally attacked me first, being called a pu$$y for wearing a helmet and leathers....I think not. Not that what I said to him was right. But I hope it got her thinking.
Very lady should see those pictures of that chick with road rash. Thank god she had a full face helmet on.
I don't think the average rider has an appreciation for how quickly they can be turned into hamburger by the asphault or concrete.
She is a pretty lady hate to see her get screwed up. |
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