Be careful out there, (warning grumpy old man content)

[brimo]

Another couple of fellow cyclists killed in QLD over the weekend.
Seems like every day I see some dumb thing done by motorcyclists ( not saying those people killed had done anything dumb) and I don't spend a lot of time on the road.
I was just up the back of the Gold Coast on Friday and overtaken on double lines round a blind bend by a couple of Boy Racers, what are these people thinking? Can't they wait a couple of seconds? If only they'd think about the consequences of their actions, then they and their families lives won't be altered forever.
Dunno, been riding a long time albeit with a few years break just recently, but I'm sure I never used to see as many shorts and tshirt wearing kids on bikes,    maybe the Q ride course should include a slide show of injuries or a side trip to the intensive care ward.
Anyway, apologies for the rant and my sympathies to families affected by these personal tragedies.

[dragonworld.]

Couldnt agree more mate!!! Yep, I'm an official member of the "Old Fart" club

I did Instruction/Licence testing here in Victoria for around 10-12 years and you just knew that 90% of the students were there just for the Learners or Licence and just didnt give a shit about the skills training and the road craft aspects of the courses.
They didnt want to wear gloves and couldnt/wouldnt understande why they had to wear full body coverage clothing. (Not legally enforcable but was made part of the admission conditions to the course.)
And quite a high proportion of these auto driving numbnuts had the coordination of a housebrick and had trouble getting the idea of clutch/throttle/gearchange. Scary!!! But of course they were all Expert in their control of a motor vehicle (Mobile Loungeroom) and their roadcraft was second to none. Yeah Right!!
So you see these (Generally) part timers who will ride for a year or two until they find some other craze to spend their money on (If they survive unfortunately) and leave us long term riders to try and live with the grief and bad publicity generated by their actions.

It aint gunna change anytime soon!! While the attitude in this country ( Including Guvmint) remains that a bike is a toy and any dick can ride one these, problems will persist. I guess its up to us riders to show that we ARE responsible road users and its a pleasant experience to share the road with us.

[Spider]

the problem is that motorcycles are really easy to ride poorly. Any idiot (this means me) can throw a leg over and ride the thing, poorly. It takes determination, passion, intellect, thought, money (for books & courses) and so much effort to learn how to do it well, and let's be truthful - most people are happy going through life being mediocre (I see it everyday in banking).

then there are the guys that you're talking about, boy racers, great skills - but no brain! what's the solution to that?

DosVerde and I recently got swamped by boy racers - and even though I've only been riding a few months - I felt embarrassed to be sharing the orad with those turkeys, they may be able to ride better but their brains didn't work very well.

[loony888]

the qld government is largely responsible for the carnage on our roads involving riders, they don't want to hear it, and they're only interested in the revenue involved in bike sales, transfers etc as well as the subsequent fines generated from their safety campaign that offers radio scare tactic advertisements to justify the wallopers specifically targetting us. Qride is a joke, haven't they heard the term "conflict of interest"? i mean, they give the authority to train and issue licenses to shops that are out to sell their students thousands of dollars worth of bike, gear, insurance, loans!!!!! talk about lambs to the slaughter!. Poor training, easy finance, high disposable incomes for born again bikers or guys and girls going through a mid life crisis all add up to it being far too easy to get a full license. I would like to see the dept of transport testing students and a compulsory time on a limited license that the holder must actually use in order to progress to a full license and bike. At the very least that would limit the number of fools who buy a bike on a whim and when they fall off and break a collar bone decide this isn't for them and the rest of us are left with the cumulative leftovers, you know, bad publicity, higher insurance premiums, special attention from the cops etc.etc.


rant over,
paul.

[brimo]

Yes well, who is the "better" rider? The one throwing the dice every time they go out or the one that gets home at the end of the day and can cuddle their kids and say to themselves they had a fun safe time and knows that next time they'll do this or take that corner that way. There's nothing wrong with giving your bike a good handful we all do it, but shit.....your a long time dead.

[loony888]

the better rider is the one who is smart enough to learn from experience (their own, and other peoples), knows their limits, thinks about what they're doing and rides bikes cause they love it, not cause it's fashionable.
experience and skill are the biggest ingredients to surviving on a bike, and you need more of both to survive on more of a bike.


paul.

[dragonworld.]

Too many riders (road users in general) seem to rely on the law when it applies to others, eg "They must give way", "They must stop at the sign/lights", etc, etc, blah, blah. 
BUT, they dont do all these things themselves on a daily basis!! The problem here is that the rider with full knowledge of the possible outcomes of situations if other road users DONT do the right thing, blithely ride around and, when cleaned up scream long and loud about how "that dickhead" in the car "shoulda given way", but the question has to be asked , what did they do to avoid/minimise the situation?
I betcha not much!! Still hooking through traffic, quick lane changes, all the while relying on the fact that the law states what these others SHOULD do for them to stay safe! Ok, you are riding well within your limits, but what are the limits of the average coffee drinking, mobile talking, CD listening, hamburger munching car driver?? You do these things in your lounge room dont you?? So what brain speed and concentration level is required to do these things?? Now they are doing say 60kph with a practiced brain speed of probably half that or less!!
And we expect those ASPRO's to respond to us quickly and efficiently...............aintn gunna happen!!
Your response to these morons is in your hands, not theirs. And to survive unscathed on the road you must take into account all things and ride according the environment.

Puff, Pant, I think I need a lay down now??

[ducmeister]

Living in an area frequented by riders I've seen enough carnage and idiocy to make me quite conservative.  Once followed a rider and pillion past a couple of coppers pulled over on the side of the road.  A bent bike and covered rider's body lay nearby.  A brief discussion between the rider and pillion followed then they pulled out over a double white line and overtook a couple of cars around a blind corner over a crest.  Couldn't believe my eyes.
I've also seen a guy doing CPR on his young wife/girlfriend after he (experienced and on a large sportsbike) went around a bend but she (inexperienced and on a small 250) failed to get around.  Wouldn't wish that on anyone.
It's also an amazingly regular occurence on a nice sunny weekend afternoon, when everyone's out riding, to hear an ambulance go through town late in the afternoon.  The confidence is up but fatigue sets in and the end result is busted bikes and bodies.
Don't get me wrong, I love riding.  I enjoy nothing more on a nice sunny day than to ride with a bunch of mates over some great stretch of road.  Just treat your riding with respect and come home in one piece.

[loony888]

Living in an area frequented by riders I've seen enough carnage and idiocy to make me quite conservative.  Once followed a rider and pillion past a couple of coppers pulled over on the side of the road.  A bent bike and covered rider's body lay nearby.  A brief discussion between the rider and pillion followed then they pulled out over a double white line and overtook a couple of cars around a blind corner over a crest.  Couldn't believe my eyes.
I've also seen a guy doing CPR on his young wife/girlfriend after he (experienced and on a large sportsbike) went around a bend but she (inexperienced and on a small 250) failed to get around.  Wouldn't wish that on anyone.
It's also an amazingly regular occurence on a nice sunny weekend afternoon, when everyone's out riding, to hear an ambulance go through town late in the afternoon.  The confidence is up but fatigue sets in and the end result is busted bikes and bodies.
Don't get me wrong, I love riding.  I enjoy nothing more on a nice sunny day than to ride with a bunch of mates over some great stretch of road.  Just treat your riding with respect and come home in one piece.

very sobering words.......