Reply With QuoteGiven your luck with four wheels do you really want to risk it all on two? With that disclaimer cheap classic style bike honda shadow
I'm not old enough to own a Blackbird. Not sure I ever will be.
Maybe 4 wheels aren't so bad after all... wickett.org
It only goes to show when people can no longer discriminate on the grounds of race, religion, or sexual orientation, they can improvise and still find someone to hate. - Dave Moulton
Given your luck with four wheels do you really want to risk it all on two? With that disclaimer cheap classic style bike honda shadow
Blah blah blah!
William,
I’d encourage you to reconsider. You’ve got a family, and for whatever reason you seem to be an accident magnet. Not a good combination with a motorcycle.
I’ve always wanted a bike, and I almost pulled the trigger on a used Ducati Monster early this spring. I sat down and had a long, honest talk with Melissa about it, and at the end I decided that riding a bike just wasn’t a responsible decision with a one year old son at home. Your commute to Track Dog takes you through a much more densely populated area than mine does – I would’ve been comfortable riding back roads to PGBT & 78, but there’s no way I’d ride a bike all the way through Garland.
People around here can’t drive for shit, and most of them are too busy multi-tasking to pay the slightest attention to their surroundings.
Iain
"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
Bikes are more fun on back roads and tracks anyway. Stop and go without AC in Texas summer will test your enthusiasm for sure.
why tiptoe through life only to arrive at death safely?
If you want motorcycle advice, ask on a Motorcycle forum site, not a Miata one.
SOLD: 91 Mazda Miata "Grand Sport" - FM V-Maxx coilovers, FM sways, Hard Dog roll bar, stock 1.6L running strong, 15" Star Specs, 96 Grand Sport paint
- 85 GMC S15 Jimmy "the Tyclone" - LT1 350ci V8, AWD, Typhoon interior, 18" C5 wheels, 96 Grand Sport paint
I can highly recommend Two Wheeled Texans.Originally Posted by GregW
http://www.twtex.com/forums/index.php
Wise man.
Since many of you have ridden motorcycles I am sure you have some good stories of hits or near misses.
I guess you would say a thread hijack.
I use to ride to high school on a 100cc Yamaha. One afternoon on the way home on Hwy 80 in west Fort Worth
I saw a car coming at me on the wrong side of the hwy. (lots of drinking bars next to highway). This was my
first big Eye opener! Where do you hide or go. You know they are focused on what they see ahead of them. I got off
the Hwy fast. Guy just kept on going.
I know two different girls that are paraplegic from street accidents as passengers. One was in college. The other
in her 40's and no family support. The same thing can happen in cars I guess.
But my favorite motorcycle crash stories are what you did while riding off rode. These normally don't have sad endings.
walking across the street is potentially fatal, are you going to stop doing it? you just need to be smart about it.
Russian, with walking across the road you have a lot more control of your destiny and it's a relatively quick process.
Riding a bike, you're beholden to the mental midgets driving 2 ton cages around you.
The most eye opening experience for me was riding in Caracas traffic and I cut over a lane and then proceeded to have a motorcycle cop slam my mirror, attempt to kick me and inform me loudly that I need to watch where the #$(*$# I'm going. I've paid a lot closer attention to my mirrors since
Looked this this guy: http://media.noticias24.com/1102/pol1x.jpg
Other actions deemed safe by many individuals include sword swallowing, train surfing and rattle snake wrangling but I'm not going to do those either. Nah, I hear what people were saying. Plenty of folks safely ride everyday but the chances of injury are higher on a motorcycle than in a car.
I looked up the Wikipedia page on motorcycle safety. According to a 2006 NHTSA report, 0.1310% of cars on the roads end up in fatal crashes. 0.7234% of motorcycles end up in fatal crashes. In 2010, over 32,000 people died on US roads. Nothing is safe when discussing travel by roads.
Also, this argument is pretty similar to "Why drive a Miata, those big trucks and SUVs will crush you out there". Really, we would all be safer if everyone had a Peterbuilt, right? I believe that the more vulnerable you are, the more attentive you will be. Attentiveness is key in accident avoidance.
If you are still interested in a bike, Suzuki TU250X is a cool bike. Looks old, rides new.
1994 R-package - gone, but not forgotten.
1966 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40. Restification in progress. or should I say De-RUSTification in progress?
1984 Honda VF1100S. V4 Fury!
Regardless of our affinity to things with two wheels, when it comes down to it, his wife and kid hold the cards in this game. If no bike = happy spouse, then that's the best decision. Ditto on that TU250X, though...
Maybe 4 wheels aren't so bad after all... wickett.org
It only goes to show when people can no longer discriminate on the grounds of race, religion, or sexual orientation, they can improvise and still find someone to hate. - Dave Moulton
That Suzi is sweet....too bad they don't make a bigger one (400-600cc would be cool).
My wife won't let my younger kids ride in my miata for safety's sake. My wife wont ride in my miata either but she did like my motorcycle and honestly she didn't want me to sell it. I sold it for the kids. I'll buy another one though when thier older. Riding is either in your blood or it isn't. The ones that it is, we just have to ride the really be happy on a nice warm afternoon. The miata is a fair compromise for now. Sigh
SOLD: 91 Mazda Miata "Grand Sport" - FM V-Maxx coilovers, FM sways, Hard Dog roll bar, stock 1.6L running strong, 15" Star Specs, 96 Grand Sport paint
- 85 GMC S15 Jimmy "the Tyclone" - LT1 350ci V8, AWD, Typhoon interior, 18" C5 wheels, 96 Grand Sport paint
From my experience, I spend alot less time on the side of the road with a car than a bike. Its also cheaper for fines in a car. Here is a picture of my old bike.
I tried to explain that I was only trying to save money on tires and the front tire is only used to turn and stop. He didn't believe me. Hmmpphh
Last edited by GregW; 06-18-2011 at 05:11 AM.
SOLD: 91 Mazda Miata "Grand Sport" - FM V-Maxx coilovers, FM sways, Hard Dog roll bar, stock 1.6L running strong, 15" Star Specs, 96 Grand Sport paint
- 85 GMC S15 Jimmy "the Tyclone" - LT1 350ci V8, AWD, Typhoon interior, 18" C5 wheels, 96 Grand Sport paint
I love bikes and have been riding since I was a kid.......commuting on one in the big city is no fun.
I love bikes. I have always had at least one since my 15th birthday. I swore off forever after my last accident that cost me a $6000 dollar bike, $35,000 hospital bill and 3 months off work. The forever vow lasted about 3 years and I'm riding again, but off road only!
Stripe Das Sape
We are leading the world to democracy by example.
This. Sorry to seem like a Debbie Downer, as I love riding and recommend it. Just not to a new rider considering commuting in a metromess.
Go ahead and get a bike. Take the safety courses. Ride on weekends, out in the country, at speeds you are comfortable with. Still dangerous? Yep. But safer by 100x
Bike riding is great auto-x practice. Talk about "looking ahead"...
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