Young People and Fast Motorcycles-Advice from an Old Cop.

[VaTom]

This past Sunday afternoon my wife and I were driving through the city on the local expressway, 3 lanes in each direction, speed limit 55 mph. All of a sudden a pack of at least 7 young motorcyclists came zooming through the traffic doing in excess of at least 90+ mph. A couple had young female passengers on the back, all wearing shorts and tee shirts. They were passing in between cars on both sides, racing each other etc. Now I have nothing against bikes, I had one when I was young but these high powered "crouch rockets" in my opinion are very dangerous when driven at high speeds by young likely inexperienced or over confident riders.

Forty years ago while working the midnight shift I attempted to stop a reckless motorcyclist on the same stretch of highway. (later identified as intoxicated and driving on a suspended license) A high speed pursuit resulted. Never getting within 200 yards of the motorcycle I saw him loose control at about 95 mph, sideswipe a guard rail and be thrown into the air and over a bank. DOA with every major bone in his body broken. Not a pretty sight. Stays with me to this day.

An accident at very high speed on a bike is almost sure to end in death if not crippling injuries. No matter how good a rider you are the threat is always there. If you know a young person who owns a high speed bike and is reckless with it, please educate them to the dangers. Tell them to make sure their organ donor cards are up to date if they want to ride recklessly.

 

[Hair Trigger]

Darwin will weed them out. These kids live for the thrill, never thinking about consequences to themselves or others. Attributed to John Derek, an actor and director, "Live fast, die young, and leave a beautiful corpse."

 

[GaryS]

We used to call them "donor cycles" because those young, healthy, but dead bodies were a good source of organ donations.

Same for "car surfers" for that matter.

 

[llowry61]

I had a street bike when I was younger. I sold it and rode strictly dirt bikes because I could tell I was headed for trouble. Dirt is still dangerous, but I never had a serious wreck riding enduros in southern Ohio. Still got the thrill of the acceleration, but not at 120 mph.

 

[LVSteve]

Forty years ago while working the midnight shift I attempted to stop a reckless motorcyclist on the same stretch of highway. (later identified as intoxicated and driving on a suspended license) A high speed pursuit resulted. Never getting within 200 yards of the motorcycle I saw him loose control at about 95 mph, sideswipe a guard rail and be thrown into the air and over a bank. DOA with every major bone in his body broken. Not a pretty sight. Stays with me to this day.

LE in the Vegas valley has a policy of not pursuing reckless motorcycles. They would likely deny such a policy if asked in cold blood, but their radio traffic reveals the truth. I suspect it's state wide with NHP.

 

[Puller]

Sounds like a self correcting problem.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

On another board a motorcyclist said people mocked him for wearing leathers, heavy gloves, long pants even in warm weather. He noted that he never needed skin grafts and physical therapy and sweat washes off.

 

[pawngal]

I hate seeing young gals riding 2nd on those crotch rockets, I feel she doesn't value her life and the young guy trying to be a low flying dare devil certainly doesn't. Her weight and higher up seating makes the bike unstable. Have had 3 fatalities very local in the past 2 years. One was a 2 fer and the other just one young guy. Both were within a couple of blocks of my shop. The single one LE figured he was going well over 100mph, went down sideways with the bike on top of him and slid down the highway continued with enough momentum to hit the back of a full size pickup and knock the rear axle out of it. Quite a mess to clean up.
Thankfully he was alone.

 

[Llew Taranau]

Identification Chart

 

[ColbyBruce]

An added hazard is that the bike can become a 600# or more projectile traveling 100 +/- m.p.h. when the pilot loses control.

 

[wilkoi]

There are foolish motorcycle drivers.
There are old motorcycle drivers.
There are no old foolish motorcycle drivers.

 

[crazyphil]

Here, just day before yesterday, a young man on a motor cycle crashed
head on into a garbage truck. He lost his life.
He was in a passing lane and failed to negotiate a curve.
Head on collision with the carbage truck.

 

[ZGrand]

The current crop of riders described by the OP have given all motorcyclists a bad name. I've been riding for 47 years. Always considered myself a "motorcyclist" and not a "biker" -- I ride "standard" style motorcycles -- not cruisers or sportbikes (think Honda CB750). It used to be that other vehicles would be careful around motorcycles for the most part. Not any more. They will tailgate (almost push you off the road if they think you're not going fast enough), cut you off, turn right in front of you -- pretty much just try to kill you. For this reason I don't ride anywhere near as much as I used to, and when I do I stay off anything but back roads.

There are still a few of us good motorcyclists out there.

 

[Ole Joe Clark]

Had a guy tell me that he rode one 140 mph on the interstate North of Atlanta. He lived to tell me about it. A smart guy in many ways, but no common sense.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

 

[twodog max]

A few years ago I had a pair come around me on a 4 lane busy highway. They both pulled wheelies and rode at very high speed out of sight. Idiots!
About the same time in a county not far from here two crotch rockets both with girls on the back were racing on a rural two lane at night. They wrecked on a bridge at very high speed. All 4 were killed and I heard from one of the deputies that went to the scene the biggest body part was part of one of the girls legs. No witnesses so no one knows for sure what happened but was told the speed was estimated at 120mph.

 

[Muddyboot]

The current crop of riders described by the OP have given all motorcyclists a bad name. I've been riding for 47 years. Always considered myself a "motorcyclist" and not a "biker" -- I ride "standard" style motorcycles -- not cruisers or sportbikes (think Honda CB750). It used to be that other vehicles would be careful around motorcycles for the most part. Not any more. They will tailgate (almost push you off the road if they think you're not going fast enough), cut you off, turn right in front of you -- pretty much just try to kill you. For this reason I don't ride anywhere near as much as I used to, and when I do I stay off anything but back roads.

There are still a few of us good motorcyclists out there.

I quit riding years ago for all the reasons you listed, to many people trying to kill me, and cell phones made it much worse....

 

[Pisgah]

There are foolish motorcycle drivers.
There are old motorcycle drivers.
There are no old foolish motorcycle drivers.

Amen, from a 68-year-old rider...

 

[jbtrucker]

I've had them past me so fast it shakes the semi , almost got one that past me on right when changing lanes

 

[Bekeart]

AMEN!

I quit riding years ago for all the reasons you listed, to many people trying to kill me, and cell phones made it much worse....

AMEN!

Same reason I quit riding.

Bekeart

 

[Hair Trigger]

I had a street bike when I was younger. I sold it .....

I started riding motorcycles when I was 16; never cared for dirt bikes but loved street riding. I got involved in amateur endurance roadracing when I was 31. A bit past the usual "prime" for that sort of action, but it was a means to go as fast as I wanted without becoming some Buick's hood ornament, and it was a lot of fun. I did it for three years, but it didn't seem to satisfy the need for speed and my street riding was getting more and more radical. After a few close meetings with God, I quit, cold turkey, in 1987 after 17 years of riding and haven't been back on a motorcycle since. Still, there isn't a day goes by I don't think about buying some old classic bike, something I'd have to work on as much as I rode it.

Here, just day before yesterday, a young man on a motor cycle crashed
head on into a garbage truck. He lost his life.

I guess you could say he trashed himself.