Is biking REALLY dangerous or only midly dangerous?

I've been biking for five years and had a couple of offs, the worst injury being when I broke my right wrist and left thumb and had both arms in casts but I got back on as soon as I could. My sister has been riding 10 years and has only come off once when an old man changed lanes into here (then claimed her SV pushed him into a lorry ).

Biking is dangerous there is no doubt about that but you can limit the dangers to some extent. Ride within you own limits, don't do things you are not comfortable doing just to beat a car or a scoot etc. Assume that people are going to do something stupid/unexpected/dangerous then if they do you are prepared. Also something that scoot riders seem to ignore is just because there is a gap you can fit through doesn't mean it is safe to go through it think first.

My first 'big' Bike was a GPZ500s which although nothing special was very different to the 125 I passed my test on, what I did was spent allot of time on quite roads learning how it handled, how it stopped, how is accelerated etc and I found it made a big difference when riding in traffic. It also helped calm me down, I was petrified on my first ride on the GPZ ('big' bike, it was chucking it down and it had new tyres) did a couple of silly things because of how scared I was. Like Jonboy said being terrified of being in an accident isn't the right frame of mind.

Getting injured is a risk you take but the sense of freedom and fun I get from riding my bike far outweighs it in my opinion besides my flat mate a Uni spent longer in a cast than I did after my bike accident just from breaking his leg playing football.

Just my 2p's worth.

I reckon it's dangerous and you should respect that/remind yourself of it when you consider foolish overtakes, etc. but a hell of a lot of fun things (pretty much anything that gives you an adrenaline rush) are dangerous. I've nearly drowned canoeing, been knocked out when windsurfing and hit out of a boat by a boom (bottom bit of the mast) when sailing. All three of those things could be potentially fatal, but aren't considered especially dangerous sports. Then you have things like gymnastics (which I badly broke my arm doing), which are neither fun, nor safe, so there's danger everywhere.

I can honestly say, selfish as it is, I would rather die comparatively young, having done all those things, than live to 100 having never done any dangerous sports.

can't really add anything to whats been said, you'll know after 6 months / a year if you truly have the biking bug or not...

I've ridden 365 days a year whatever the weather for 7 and a bit years... Won't give up until i'm physically incapable of riding

Originally Posted by Kate

John, we both skate, how many skater accidents can we think of? Quite a few and yet both of us are still skating. Its all worth it!

Lol! And I don't wear pads either! To be fair you are right, I've haven't fallen over very often on skates and I've done thousands of hours on them. Well, there was that time when I got concussed playing hockey, but hey, my fault for not wearing a helmet at the time, and the **** who went for slap shot without looking first...

Anyways.

For the last year or so I have been using my scooter as almost my only method of transport in london. However, after I moved to Purley I realised that the delights of streatham and norbury could not compare to the comfort of a direct train journey. As such it made me rethink what I thought biking meant to me. Reading stories on here has really made me think about keeping the speed down too. There was a time when I would run the scooter flat out at all times! This was not safe...

Here is why I am still going to get the bike.

After the DAS training, I was aware of so many extra ways of riding better. I want to evolve that. After getting used to the new bike (and sorting out some other priorities) I am going to invest in some advanced training. I have also decided that ALL cars are trying to kill me! I think I can be a better ride by KNOWING that I'm crap.

Second, I only intend to use the bike for enjoyment. I don't want to ride in bad conditions or at night if I can help it. This should help reduce the chances of an accident, and increase the percentage of miles that are fun! I particularly want to ride socially too.

Finally, I intend to understand the bike mechanically. That way it's not just a toy or transport method. I've always been mechanically minded (my dad made me fix a carberator choke plate and exhaust silencer on our car when I was 12) and fancy getting grips with building a kit car someday. Plus it's an excuse to buy all those tools... torque wrenches, impact screw drivers... cool

Wish me luck with the SV tomorrow!

Ok, must do some work now!

...and thanks for the sincere replies guys. I really appreciate it.

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Originally Posted by Ceri JC

I can honestly say, selfish as it is, I would rather die comparatively young, having done all those things, than live to 100 having never done any dangerous sports.

A rule I try to live by is

"Its better to regret something you have done, than something you havent done"

It's really dangerous, that's why we do it

You can make it less dangerous, by riding with care and attention, within your own boundaries.

[fizzwheel]

Its as dangerous as you make it, I've been riding nearly two years and I would never ever go back to not being able to ride, its the best thing I ever ever did

Just try and bear these things in mind

1. The bike will only go as fast as you want it to ( my dad says its only as fast as your right wrist )

2. Assume everybody else on the road is a moron even other bikers

3. Expect the un-expected

Well I think its down to attitude...either you have it or you dont. Some people have it and lose it, specially if/when they have kids...some dont.
But when you ride you dont think about all the bad things that might happen...you think about the open road ahead, how free you feel, feel the adrenalin rushing round your body.

Yeah there are downsides, like other road users...car drivers etc. but so long as you ride aggressively/defensively - consider everyone as crap drivers you should be fine.

Unfortunately for most, offs and falls and accidents are part & parcel to biking, but if you work your way up thru the cc's, most of your silly mistakes will be made on smaller less costly bikes and by the time you get to your flashy expensive powerful sv650 then its more than likely you'll be a more competent rider. (no offence intended to those who hopped onto an sv as their first bike, or those lucky enough never to have laid their bike down!)

Yeah I've already layed the scooter down once.

I didn't care about the scratches on the bike, only the hole in my jacket shoulder.