Staying alive

So, SWest (Steve) posts about Hurley Wilverts death as a result of a collision with a car on his motorcycle and this piqued my interest. I have never heard of Mr Wilvert before but a motorcycle collision with a car is something I'm concerned about. I figured that it was most likely the number one cause of a collision; The car taking a left hand turn across your lane for whatever reason. They misjudged your speed, they did not see you, whatever. At any given time on this site there are 8,9, 15 members and 250, 350, 500 guests and this isn't for the members for the most part but if they'd like to join in I would love that.

Most of these guys are as old or older than I and whereas we'd love to get you riding again--we'd also like to help keep you alive so you can grouse and complain at a ripe old age. Much like we, er, I do. We are looking back and many here are looking ahead and the landscape has changed.

Drunk drivers are still around but today the bigger concern is texting while driving. You know that yourself. In Vermont, I've got critters galore out there mostly at certain hours but still, be aware. Your tires might be old checked and planning to kill you. The list goes on. But that left turn in front of you? That's number one. Don't let it get you.

At 24 yo my sister was on the back of her boyfriends Honda 750 when a car made a left hand turn right in front of them. She died shortly after.

I never at the time made the correlation about how worried my parents might be to lose an other child on a motorcycle. I was at the time 21. I was invincible.

Hopefully, so will you be.

Rob

That is the #1. Being rear ended is right up there as well. I had a close call two years ago where she turned in front of me, I took the oncoming lane to go around behind her and she backed up making me clip her with my side box. I managed to keep the bike up and stop on the oncoming shoulder. All this happened in seconds. They ARE out to get you.
The "wreck" I talk about happened in 86. A stake bed truck pulled over to the right as if to let me pass, Just as I dropped down a gear and rolling it on he turned left in front of me leaving me nowhere to go. All I remember is putting the bike sideways and pushing off. Next thing I was laying in the desert. It happens quick and sometimes you don't have a chance to do anything.
The only thing you can do is keep the safety equipment (tires, etc) in good shape.
Steve

Thanks Steve, we are about the same age. The war stories are important especially since I'm contemplating giving my son a bike. I take none of this lightly, nor should any new or aspiring rider. You can get hurt and hurt badly.

I got the GPZ just last year. I wasn't looking for a motorcycle but it was in a neighbor's yard with a sign that said $100. and I passed by it like 3 or so times before I said, " a hundred bucks"? I stopped by and and asked what's up and he said it didn't run. I have him the 80 dollars I had in my pocket and said, I'll be right back with the rest

After I got the bike I needed to change the chain and sprockets, I ordered the stuff with the exception of a master link so when it all came i was scrambling. I called around but a 630 Chain it's hard to come by locally and a master link near impossible. I called a little shop in Brattleboro, VT and the woman had me speak with her husband, the owner of Lynde Cycle Shop. His name was Stanley. He took the time on the phone to rifle through his bins in search of a link. I started to feel bad because i was an interruption for small change. He wouldn't have any of it and found the link. I went down and asked how much and said nothing, keep the money. I told him I'd be back and replace it.

A few weeks later his wife and he were out for a ride when a pickup truck took a left in front of them, Stanley died shortly after but his wife survived thankfully. I still have the link that I was to return to him.

Half of the cage drivers out there can't see you........and the other half are TRYING to kill you. Keep that in mind and you'll last longer.

I credit my HID headlight and driving lights for making them see me. The headlight is ice blue and bright so it stands out. They'll come to a rolling stop then hit the brakes when they see it. There have been a few that try to beat me and cut in anyway. I expect all of them to try and do it. Beware the blind driver waiting for a truck making a right turn. They'll get inpatient and pull out in front of you for sure.
Steve

Good subject. We probably should have a sticky thread on this as it may be the most important topic for any new rider.

An oncoming left-turner got me 18 years ago. I was starting out from a redlight, and in the middle of the intersection a delivery truck turned left into me with no warning. Luckily I turned just enough to fly mostly over his hood rather than into his windshield. My knee hit the truck and flipped me into a summersault in midair then I landed on my back.

The worst part was in the hospital, the cops came and said it was the truck drivers word against mine. His defense was that I came out of nowhere! So I asked the cop if he really thought I materialized from hyper space or something like that. Then I begged the cop to go back and look at the signage. There were clearly visible "No Left Turn " signs everywhere. So the cop reluctantly went back to the scene where the FedEx driver was still waiting for a tow. Then, thankfully the cop came back and told me he wrote the driver a ticket for making a left turn. No surprise FedEx lawyers were in complete denial, so I had to get a lawyer.

But as you mentioned, even as scary as the left-turners are, I think texters and phone-gps useage scares me more. Everybody is driving with their heads looking down into their laps so cops won't see they are looking at their phones. No one looks forward to drive anymore.

I will most assuredly be outfitting any bikes I own with the brightest pulsing headlights available. I even like the accessory lights that i see on many of these dual purpose type bikes.

I'll be asking advice soon on led or what you all are using these days. I'm making up for lost time being so long out of it.

It is getting spooky out there tho and I drive more defensively than i ever have. It's said that a good offense is the best defense and that might be partly true but speed isn't what I'm referring to but rather how you enter an intersection or a sweeper. Vermont is light traffic but i have had people come at me in a sweeper well into my lane and its scary. I haven't trained myself fully to deal with this but I'm doing it now. I want the dual horns and I want to program myself to think, Hit That Horn! Training is everything in emergency situations. It's what the police do. You don't want to think, to need to react.

I'm actually thinking of giving my 21 yo son a motorcycle. I offered it last year and he said that he and a friend of his were thinking about getting bikes. Anyway, word got out and i started getting emails from family. Emails I never opened. Didn't need to. They likely started with, WTF!

As if I didn't think of the import of what I was doing.

On some level I think they got to him but this year he mentioned it so we'll see. It's weird being the parent now, a parent that knows full well how devastating a crash can be. But at the same time, a parent that knows full well the joys of motorcycling.

I think it is a good topic, an important one because I personally wrestle with this in no small way.

On the bright side, my daughter shows no interest at all.

A good thing about many Harleys is that they've got that huge light bar up front which is kind of an attention grabber & the big fairing probably helps as well.

Kind of the opposite, I was behind a sportbike one time that had a tiny integrated tail light turn signal assy tucked under the rear of the seat, and you could not tell what he was doing. Braking? Signaling? who knows? but certainly aggravating for the people around & behind him.

....

My neighbor gave my son a 71 350 Honda before he died. Didn't want his son in law to have it. Went down three times and gave it back damaged. We fixed it up with parts I had laying around and got it looking good. He had just turned 18 and decided to party with his friends. Got a DUI. He didn't come home and let the bike get liensaled. He didn't want my help. I got a notice from the high desert CHP the bike was impounded there after a wreck and being abandoned. It was still in my son's name but wasn't worth fixing. My son got tired of bumping his head and came home where I put him to work as a helper. Got him a nice 81 Suzuki 750E for $500. All it needed was paint. One of the valve adjuster screws fell out again so I gave him a magnet tool and told him to find it. I found three of them before. This time I wanted him to do the work. He got mad at me so he stole from me and his sister and left. He wound up in LA. I'd get a call once in a while when he needed money. He didn't get any. One day he calls and asked me if he could come out and fix his bike. He needed money for the bus to do it. I asked him how he was going to fix it with no money. He said he was hoping I would pay for it. By this time the bike had been sitting 10 years with the valve cover bolts off. I told him it wasn't worth fixing but if he wanted it to have a friend with a truck come and pick it. up. "Forget it" he said. I didn't hear from him again so the next year I sold it and all the other bikes to Sams Cycle for salvage. Meanwhile my bike was still sitting waiting for me to fix it.
I'm convinced it's better they buy it themselves. Otherwise they don't care for it as if they had.
I bought my 350 Honda at 18. By the time I sold it and bought my Z1at 21 I knew every part of that thing overhauls and all.
Steve

Yeah, I agree with that sentiment about 99.9%.

The motorcycle I would give him would be one of they ones I presently have. Probably not the best starter bikes but as long as they were sound as far as being roadworthy to the hilt then I wouldn't worry about that aspect. I think by most standards both my children are doing well. They have nice friends, other people (adults) think very highly of them, and they don't have substance abuse problems. I know I mentioned that he is working on Block Island because the people he works for own a few restaurants so when one closes down for the season, another one opens.

The gift comes with a caveat. He needs to know how to maintain his bike and we will build it from the ground up together. Of course, this is my vision and maybe not his. Just because I think these bikes are special doesn't mean he will. Although, I have instilled in him a reference for the music of the 70's and he has quipped that he wished he grew up in my era... Well, here's an opportunity to gain a snippet of that.

It's funny, by now you have may the sense I'm a bit of a loon, so I'll remove all doubt. When he was old enough to travel with me to go shopping maybe to pickup materials for work or clothes, wherever. Because he was blonde haired and blue eyed I'd introduce him to the lady clerks who were fawning over him by saying, "This here is Captain America and I'm Billy" .

That's the line Dennis Hopper used in "Easy Rider". I don't think anyone ever caught on.

I just like kidding around, it keeps me sane... At least I think it does.

I think one more caveat is that he takes a rider safety course.

I don't believe that I'd want to own a motorcycle that I personally couldn't maintain. There is something about racing with your shadow on the highway, looking down and seeing your silhouette with the sun at your back inches from the ground buzzing along at 90 mph, going somewhere or nowhere in particular.

The freedom I feel is exhilarating.

That's what I wish for him too.

Besides, it would be really cool to ride some Kaws with Captain America. I can't give up the dream.

Best regards,
Billy