Quote:
Originally Posted by Dusman
What a downer of a convo...
I just asked some buddies what kind of bikes they rode back in the day. They both told me stories of buddies they either had die on the back of a bike or in one case, my buddy was riding with someone on the back, they wrecked, and the passenger he was carrying died. Both situations involved, in my opinion, waaay too much bike (1000-1100cc crotch rocket in both cases), and the usual case of waaay too much speed.
I’m curious, (1) how many people have tried and regularly try to talk you out of riding? (2) What horror stories do you have riding your Chondas on the road?
Biting my nails,
Dusman
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Dusman, are you new to riding? I am guessing, but I didn't want to assume. I am relatively new too. If you are, I would consider taking a motorcycle safety class. MSF and Harley offer them. They are a little pricey, at about $200-300, but I think it was well worth the money. One thing I learned was already mentioned. Treat every car like it’s on a mission to kill you.
Where are you planning on doing most of your riding?
I understand your thoughts on being nervous about the drivers out there. I live in rural Nebraska, and when I ride my road bike, I ride it to work. But, it’s pretty rural...more cows than people rural. There are some days when I don’t encounter any cars on my way to work. If I lived in a busy suburb, I’m not sure I’d feel as confident.
One other thing. I was a member on a forum dedicated to the type of road bike I had 2 years ago. I expressed a similar concern with the guys on that forum. I was really new then and had been riding for only a few months. One guy on the forum said something to me that has stuck with me. He said he avoided doing things his whole life, like ride a motorcycle, out of fear. He didn’t want to get hurt. Then, one day he thought about his age, how life is short and how he felt like he missed out on some opportunities out of fear.. He said that one day he just decided that he didn’t want to live in a fear bubble for the rest of his life. I identified with that guy, and what he said stuck with me. I dedcided the same thing. There are many things that are not safe. Skiing and snowboarding are not safe, but I do those sports. People die skiing, but I love doing it. I’m not going to jump out of a helicopter onto the 90 degree face of a mountain...but I will ski within my means and abilities.
But, be safe and Ride defensively.