Well said, I'm 54, and have seen what can happen. Back in the day I had a friend who rode an Interceptor. He always rode like a bat outta Hell. He passed me while I was driving a car I was speeding 70 in a 55 and he went by me like I was sitting still. He had they bike laid over that he was just a few inches above the concrete median. Of course no gear except a helmet. He was my manager at Wendy's so he's going down the road, tie flapping in the breeze. Well that bike wasn't fast enough. So he traded it in for a CBR. I almost bought that bike. I loved the Interceptor he had. But I didn't. So one day he was supposed to be at work and never showed. A little later when we got another manager to come in. We learned he had crashed either he blew through an intersection or wasn't paying attention. Either way he had hit a car and was on the helicopter being flown to the trauma center. He had numerous broken bones and died on the helicopter but was revived. I don't think he's been on a bike since.
i first started riding on a Yamaha DT 125 top speed of 65
Then I rode 4 Wheelers for a while then a Katana 600. I lost that one in my divorce, my ex's boyfriend wanted a bike. Now the 1988 Hurricane.
You are right, most driver's in cars are on autopilot at best.

 

Not a wimp, but a person who is professionally riding based on his own evaluation on what's necessary. Here's food for thought, there is no such thing as a real accident especially when it comes to vehicles. All supposed "accidents" really boils down to at least 1 person being incompetent during the vehicle's operation. Operating a motor vehicle on public roads is a privilege and it is upto the operators due diligence to keep themselves safe. Sadly, there's too many entitled people in this world who do not understand and/or willing to take responsibility for their own actions and believe that using public roads is a right and that they have all the necessary qualifications to be a racer when in reality, they're just full of themselves. If that happens, I would feel sorry for the families that are left behind, however, I'd chalk it up to natural selection and that their demise was based on their own actions. Yes, it is the harsh reality of things, but in the end, we're all just walking sacks of meat and bones and it's up to us to keep ourselves alive. (I've worked in hospitals, have saved lives, will continue to save lives, but am no longer empathetically affected by death because **** happens)

 

That's the truth. I'm not going to say I always obay all the speed limits. But I've gotten older and have had enough close calls that I've learned my lesson. What got me started on this thread was a post on YouTube. I guy was complaining that a van cut him off. He was only going 150. Totaled his bike and spent 6 months in the hospital. Just recently a friend of a friend was killed. Riding through the city like a bat outta Hell and a car made a turn in front of him. It just doesn't make sense to me.

 

See I think that's a good point - but with a caveat

We've all chosen motorcycles. There's no practical reason, and the stats tell us that this is a very dangerous thing to do.

But we do it anyway

We all face our mortality every time we fire an engine, and we do it by choice

So I feel like there's always going to be a subset of riders who crave the rush and the danger. Sometimes you'll spot a mad glint in their eye as they brag about their latest brush with death. Maybe it's the guy who passes you on the highway doing ludicrous speed in a tshirt, or the dui barfing through the bottom of their helmet at a red light before peeling off down a busy street. I remember a lot of those people.

I remember a few that didn't make it to adulthood. Maybe it was a sleepy commuter, or a left turner, or a tree. Usually it starts with speed. In my experience, most times it comes down to rider error.

The thing we know is that city streets are the worst possible place to ride recklessly. Even if you're not be the one who made the mistake, you'll be the one to pay. The car or bus is just the deadly consequence of a choice made moments earlier. The other shoe drops.

From there it usually goes to a hospital or clinic, sometimes the grave. The bike to a yard and left to rot under a tarp. Life goes on, unless it's been taken. The whole thing a tragic waste

I don't get it either. But I also understand the pull - The thrill of pushing the limits - the feeling of speed and danger that's at the heart of our shared habit.

I'm not here to judge. We're all guilty to some extent, or else we wouldn't choose to ride at all

We'd be on a boring car forum arguing about washer fluid or something like that

 

Everything you said makes a lot of sense. It only takes a momentary lapse in judgement to have dire consequences. We are all going to die one day so the enjoyment of riding is worth the risk. But it's the people who seem to want to rush that along, now a days for a few views on YouTube. It's not worth it. When I suit up for a ride I try to remember that I'm sitting on a 500 pound bike riding with 2 ton cars that are probably not paying attention. Some drivers act like we shouldn't be on the road. I remember one time I was on a 2 lane back country road that I hadn't rode on before. I was just having a good time when I noticed that a car had come up behind me. I mean right on my tail. So I thought he would pass but nope so I sped up and he still was riding my tail. By the time I hit 90 I saw a side road that I thought I could cut off on. I didn't know that after about 20 feet the pavement ended and there was a drop off to a rough dirt road. Luckily I was able to keep the bike up and get it stopped. I turned it around and tried to catch him and let him know what I thought about his driving. But I never did.

 

Great summation and analysis that only "been there, done that" experience can provide!

I've put down a little over 25k miles in 3 1/2 years of riding and know that easily 90% of my close calls were the result of my poor choices, i.e. too much speed, not paying attention, etc. I like to think I've learned from my mistakes but, then again, I'm at an age where I can't afford to NOT learn from 'em. When I was younger, surviving a bad decision would likely have just given me some confirmation bias, i.e. I lived through "that", so I'll live through it if it happens again. That type of thinking, in the hands of a young adult who already has a sense of invincibility and cockiness, coupled with a road rocket? Yeah. I regret not starting riding much sooner in my life but, at the same time, I know if I'd started on sport bikes, I'd be lucky to have made it this far!

 

Coudnt agree more with your original post. Im convinced you are right when you say its an age thing. Having returned to biking three years ago when i was 60 i took a refresher course and i find i am a lot more cautious than when i was younger.