alt Hacker NewsI get it, I have over 60,000 miles commuting on two wheels (Most of them on my 2003 Kawasaki ZR-7s that I have owned since new and just rode to work on Thursday), in all kinds of inclement weather, primarily to avoid parking hassles and traffic. But I'm also lucky to be alive, because one day, I was waiting at a red light, and the guy who was stopped about 2 car lengths behind me was so drunk he hallucinated that the light turned green, punched the gas, rear ended me, and drove me and my bike into the 3 cars ahead of us. I was remarkably uninjured, but could easily have lost my legs or worse. There was nothing I could have done or forseen to avoid the collision.
My wife had a separate motorcycle accident on her Ninja 500r that she caused by turning left against oncoming traffic and getting T-boned. The car bumper hit her directly on the right foot, breaking most all the bones in her ankle, then flipping her over the hood and breaking her femur. She had to have bunch of bones in her foot fused, walks with a pronounced limp, and can't go to any event where she has to stand for more than 30 minutes at at time. We used to go to all kinds of rock concerts, now she has to skip the pit and is stuck in balcony seating.
Motorcycles can be convenient and a whole lot of fun, but do not underestimate the statistical likelihood of a life-changing accident, especially if you are in a position where you have dependents that you have financially and emotionally committed to. I have cats, they won't care if I eat it, so long as THEY get fed by someone.
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Rode one for 5 years in my 20s and sold it after 2 close calls. Kawasaki Ninja 550 and then 750. The 750 had a scary amount of power.
I consider myself lucky that I didn’t have a serious accident.
In the parts of Europe where I've lived, Western/Northern EU, the ERs nickname motorcycle as "donor-wagons".
> I was remarkably uninjured, but could easily have lost my legs or worse.
Same. Used to do MX (Yamaha 250 2 strokes) when I was below 30 y/o, as well as off-road/dirt biking, but it's on the road that I got one terribly bad accident (flew over a car than ran a red light while I ran an orange one), with an XR 350, where I ended up unconscious and woke up without being able to see anything (freaking scary and I did last about an hour maybe? Don't remember but I woke up in the ambulance and only started seeing while at the hospital).
I also another crash as a passenger on a... Vespa. Insanely dumb crash.
Both times I escaped mostly unarmed (broke a thumb requiring surgery to put some kind of a nail in it and then remove it).
My brother got a terrible tank slapper at the absolute worst moment: usually you can accelerate to lift the front wheel to get rid of it but there were cars in front of him... He literally flew over his own bike (a Triumph Street Triple) without hitting anything: just due to the tank slapper. He thankfully stopped gliding before hitting the cars in front of him (and nearly got hit by his own bike).
I love bikes but I don't do any anymore and they do freaking scare me. As a father now they're actually my nightmare.
My brother bought a new Triumph (once more a Street Triple) and he's got a CBR 600RR for the track but I just quit motorbikes altogether.
> I have cats, they won't care if I eat it, so long as THEY get fed by someone.
Your wife and friends will care. Don't eat it. Glad your wife is OK: could have been worse.
My sister and I used to wait after school at the ER for my mother to finish her shift. Back then we could wander in to the ER if we were bored (basically no privacy for the patients).
Because of what we would see, neither of us has ever ridden a motorcycle on the street.