Why do people think that the VFR will kill me

(hijack sorry) Stosh those helmets are friggin awesome even with the mohawks. Who does the artwork? Might as well spill the beans on your artwork on the bike too.

 

Canada to Central California via Nebraska.

 

Strangely enough, my son (with significant coaching from me) notices both squiddly riders and those who are riding well with good gear.

He is very clear - rider with good gear & a Mohawk on his full face helmet, way cool , rider in typical squid attire with a Mohawk (with or without a helmet :shocked: :der: ) not cool. :nerd: :wedgie:

I guess part of it is watching our friend (my age) who races AMA pro, and we see him in his gear (his leathers say "old age and treachery" :lol, and my son also sees me in my gear, and being a pretty smart kid, he has picked up on when riders are being smart in how they ride, and he is pretty clear in pointing out when they arent. My daughter and wife aren't too far behind my son.

I highly recommend everyone visit the "rock the gear" website. Rock The Gear

My parents, were they still alive, would be absolutely mortified that I now ride what they would see as a crotch rocket. They were nervous enough with me riding my old KZ - but at least it kind of looked like my Uncle's bikes, so it couldn't be that scary (even though it has been dropped more times than a puck in a little league hockey game :shocked: :doh

 

In general people don't like to admit to a mistake, so if a cager doesn't see us in their minds they've done nothing wrong. I think this adds to why they feel what we love doing isn't worth the chance we take.
A big part of staying safer on a bike is reading the minds of everyone around us, knowing what they might do before they do.

 

Want to stay safe and alive on a bike ? act like NO ONE sees you ( even if there looking right at you ) , always look in there mirrors when splitting lanes (in Cali) and never be a sitting duck and wait in the middle of an intersection. Oh and ATGATT---- and on surface streets always ride in the left lane( cars pulling out, people opening doors etc.------just my 2 cents

 

You are all right, I did take the MSF class (FREE in PA) and it was the best 4 weekends I have ever spent. I sware by all the gear all the time although none of my family wears anything other then maybe a leather vest and maybe a turtle shell style helmet. I teach people that they are invisible when on two wheels no matter how many lights or how loud your exhaust is, and EVERYONE wants to kill you because they think they are better then you.

Rock the Gear is a great site, and i'm really glad the she conquered her fear and is helping others learn from her mis-fortune.

 

Well you have certainly covered the bases when it comes to safety and (I hate to sound like a parent but heh, I am one - have a 5 and 3 year old) it certainly sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders. Keep safe and ride safe.

Oh as a suggestion, maybe if your mother were to read some of your posts she might feel better, knowing that you appear to have a good and safe attitude toward biking. Of course, you might want to hide your mantra at the bottom of your posts (that might be the cause of her disontent), especially the part about skidding across the line broadside. LOL

If my mother were to read your mantra she might be tempted to steal my motorcycle, bury it under her house, and replace my riding gear with a straight jacket. I certainly understand that you must live life to the fullest, BUT my mother would, well, let's just say, mmmmm, NO

 

I failed to say that My youngest son 17 is in his second season of street riding. Took a riders safety course was step one. Bought a Left over 09 250 Ninja for his first bike. Then spent hundreds on gear. Leaning the right way and not having bad habits is a key. You seem to have a level head. Stay aware

 

Thanks diVeFR. :high5:

I hate to disappoint but there's nothing special about those helmets,they're just plain old off the rack Shoei RF series Picotte Joker helmets.

The graphics on the helmets were originally done by Troy Lee Designs for Canadian motorcycle racer Pascal Picotte.







I believe Shoei doesn't offer any of these Joker helmet designs anymore but you can still find them up for sale every now and then on Ebay.

I hate to admit it but there's really nothing particularly special about the artwork on my bike either diVeFR.

The Screamin' Demon Joker designs were borrowed from an old J&P Racing sweat shirt that I have.




The waving checkered flag idea was borrowed from these fairing decals that I got from Cyclegraphics.




And the poker chips,playing cards,dice,and dollar sign design elements were all taken from this Suomy Spec 1R.

The graphics on this helmet were originally done by Bargy Design for Dutch motorcycle racer Jurgen van der Goorbergh.

Go ahead diVeFR,I dare you to say that name three times fast without getting a head rush. :lol:










A thousand pardons for jacking your thread Rustitution. :sorry:

 

My mom is 83 and still talks about the "stage" I am going through. She thinks I ride to tweak her and to exert my independence. Some parents never outgrow the teen years.

As for bike safety, every mishap on a bike can be major. In a car you may have a fender bender but not so on a bikes. I go though all my rides looking for trouble and trying to avoid it. I don't heal very fast anymore.

As for Harley vs VFR safety, I had a helmetless Harley rider tell me "I'd wear a helmet all the time too if my head was sticking out in front of my bike like that." His point being that because he was riding in a style reminiscent of a gynecological exam, he figured his head was far enough back not to be effected by a crash. I thought this was a hilarious but kept a straight face and just nodded wisely.

On the safety issue, we as parents will do anything to keep our kids safe. I can't imagine the pain of burying one of my children. We seek your safety because we are selfish and we wish to save ourselves the pain and the hurt. That said, my dad is 86. He has been a play-it-safe kind of guy all his life. He guarded his life with clean living and risk aversion and now his life is ending a little at a time. You cannot keep from dying. We are all headed there. You can live your life well and I think this is the most important thing..

 

The biggest dangers are an immature inability to control the throttle hand and poor judgement.

 

Stosh.... Challenge acctepted...


Jurgen van der Goorbergh, Jurgen van der Goorbergh, Jurgen van der Goorbergh.

Like a BOSS!!!

Thanks Stosh.

 

My Moms been gone 11 years now. Her voice in my head is starting to fade. I would give anything to hear her complain about my "Murdercycle" again!

 

my Mom was the same way.. dad didn't same much except to grumble under his breath... I went and bought a second helmet and borrowed a jacket from a friend and took my mother for a 25 mile ride...she loved it!!!! only thing I ever herd again wabout the bike was pleasse be cafreful and when can we go for another ride?

I miss my mom....

 

Lets put this in perspective on how non motorcycle riders interpret the difference between the crotch rocket and harley riders


This is probably what your family thinks of when they think of crotch rockets




This is how they want you to be on a harley




I personally prefer the coaster style.

 

No worries that was an excellent read regardless

It's true parents do whatever they can to protect their children i get it just I don;t get the mentality that a Harley is so much more safe then any other bike, your still exposed and Harleys weigh so much more then something like my VFR

 

I have to hand it to my mom. Once, years ago, she did get on the back of my BMW and rode around the block with me. I don't think I went over 20mph. On returning her to solid ground she said "I see what you love it so!" I can tell you right now she saw no such thing. She was terrified the whole time but she did it. She just knew she was going to die on that motorcycle. As it is now she will think nothing of getting in a car and driving, blind in one eye and with a reaction time measured in minutes. I told her that she was the biggest danger to motorcycle safety on the road today. She doesn't drive much, maybe twice a month, but be aware, we share the road with people that literately can't see us.

 

It's funny I would put her on the back of my bike and take her for a trip around the block but that wouldn't do anything because she rides on my dad's Harley all the time, with out gear, i'm chalking it off as she is just worried because that's what mothers do.

 

Moms do worry and Grandmothers worry enough for the whole planet! However, I think that the reason for her heightened concern may be in the text you just wrote. She rides with a bunch of Harley dudes and they generally don't have much nice to say about sport bikes in general. There are exceptions but IMHO, this is the case more often than not. If you rode in the yard with an 883 sportster, your dad would be thrilled and your mom less concerned.

Your challenge is to change that and make her a believer..:biggrin:

 

My mother loves my viffer and refers to it as "her bike" true story. Don't buy into all that "killer bike" shite, a moped can kill yah!!!!

It is a member of our family as it has been with us for around 18 years plus...gota :bolt: ride safe and think of yourself as invisable and everyones out to kill yah!