Is biking safe?

[Dave20046]

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

Only two types of biker, those who have been down and those that are going down.

Anybody know of anybody with 50-100 thousand miles or more experience who has never fallen off?

In fairness ,I do, but do instructors count?

Originally Posted by Dave20046

In fairness ,I do, but do instructors count?

I didn't say 50-100k without an accident which police & instructors and even a few "older gents" probably do, I said 50-100k or more experience.

Instructors probably have 500k miles of experience.

The only people I've ever met who have never had an accident are those that have been riding a couple of years and have yet to have their first one.

Do you know an instructor who has never in his life fallen off? Even dropped his moped at traffic lights when he was 16? If so he's one hell of an exceptional case, and falling off is experience in itself, it's part of an essential learning curve. How can you truly understand the limits of grip, etc, if you've never taken a bike past them and hit the deck when you ran out?

[dizzyblonde]

My best mates husband hasn't had an accident/fall off in about 20 or more years of biking AFAIK, I seem to recollect him saying so when he took the time to give me some help when I first started out. However he is an ex instructor.

Are we including drops as offs here or just proper offs? I am getting a tad confused...

Ive ridden for 3 OTR and have had 1 accident that wasnt my fault, I was riding up a local road minding my own when a car that was parked facing me behind 2 others put the front of his car out to "see if anything was coming". Luckily i came off okay just done some damage to my left knee.

At the end of the day a bike is as safe as the Rider.

Remember it takes hundreds of nuts and bolts to make a bike, But it only takes one nut to take it all apart.

Ben.

Originally Posted by Milky Bar Kid

Are we including drops as offs here or just proper offs? I am getting a tad confused...

Don't think it matters, all are part of biking.

My off on the way up to the GM was a 20-30mph lowside on a hairpin bend, but caused minimal damage to me and the bike, picked it up and got back on it.

Most serious biking injury my brother-in-law has sustained in 20 years resulted in an operation to his shoulder and still causes pain, after he failed to put his VFR on it's side stand properly, tried to catch it when it fell, and ended up lying underneath it on his driveway.

Kilted Ginger lost his front tyre on a slippy patch under braking at 5mph and slid a few feet, but he and the bike hit the deck hard and he had some nasty bruises and the nose fairing practically exploded.

Which ones was a drop and which one was an off?

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

Don't think it matters, all are part of biking.

My off on the way up to the GM was a 20-30mph lowside, but caused minimal damage to me and the bike, picked it up and got back on it.

Most serious biking injury my brother-in-law has sustained in 20 years resulted in an operation to his shoulder and still causes pain, after he failed to put his VFR on it's side stand properly, tried to catch it when it fell, and ended up lying underneath it on his driveway.

Kilted Ginger lost his front tyre on a slippy patch under braking at 5mph and slid a few feet, but he and the bike hit the deck hard and he had some nasty bruises and the nose fairing practically exploded.

Which ones was a drop and which one was an off?

Calm down dear!! I was only asking because I have had 3 drops at practically stationary since I passed a year and half ago...

Originally Posted by Milky Bar Kid

Calm down dear!! I was only asking because I have had 3 drops at practically stationary since I passed a year and half ago...

I'm calm, I'm calm. Jeez, these women, you say something in a perfectly acceptable tone of voice and they think your having a go!

Originally Posted by Milky Bar Kid

Are we including drops as offs here or just proper offs? I am getting a tad confused...

I wondered that too. If we are then I've had two of those and a nasty bruise.

Oh....and do I count my highside that sheared the bike's mirror bolt? didn't fall off luckily - rode right through it somehow! That definately was a learning curve about wet roads and tar road repairs - could have been very nasty I rode the 30 miles home at 20 mph, badly shaken - said I'd give it up but that was 5 years ago.

Originally Posted by dizzyblonde

My best mates husband hasn't had an accident/fall off in about 20 or more years of biking AFAIK, I seem to recollect him saying so when he took the time to give me some help when I first started out. However he is an ex instructor.

Stick him on a lie detector, if he passes he's either got long term memory loss or he's just not trying hard enough