The Top 10 Sad Realities of Riding a Motorcycle

[Alien]

I'll bet we can all relate to these. (There's a small amount of swearing, but it's done for comedy)

https://youtu.be/NBzcJkmcLCg

Ride safe,

Alien

[cookiedough]

your infinite wisdom and articulation of speaking the truth was done very well, good job.

I could not argue with any of what you said, but if I was in all your scenarios with idiots on the road trying to kill me, I would be moving outta California in a heartbeat.

I have only had 5-6 idiots (road rage) try to kill me either cutting me off, beeping the horn at me when I had the right of way, or pull in front of me, etc. can count on probably only 1 hand in 20+ years of cycle riding.

Besides my tipover on sidestand in the garage recently,  the last only other time tipping over any cycle was back in 1989 when I was younger and dumber age 19 or so and attempted to STOP my 1984 honda magna in my parents very uneven angled downward driveway and was unable to jump off quick enough on the LOW side to hold the cycle up when I came to a stop.  NEVER done that again live and learn for sure to stop on mostly level pavement.    Even a 550lb. bike is very hard to hold upright if at a near 45 degree angle  it will fall down but helped it fall down slower at least.

In my garage recently my 800lb. VAlkyrie was at a near 30 degree angle and even that had a hard time propping it upright took 2 attempts.  

[Alien]

I think it's a big city thing.  I live in L.A.  Years ago, riding across country, I was talking to another rider at a gas station in Alabama and he said "Man I haven't almost died once since I got out of Dallas!"  I totally understood.

[Oss]

Thanks for the grins and chuckles

Keep up the good work


Oss

[msb]

Well done, and entertaing... some of the analogies you use are priceless 
If the first several of your top 10 Sad Realities were meant to be factual though... then they're obviously from the perspective of a city boy. I think motorcycling has to be a 100% different experience  riding in the city... I've never lived  in or close enough to a city where I've had to ride through to get where I've wanted to go on a regular basis, so I don't have a lot of experience in that regard. I've been in more than a few fender benders and accidents in my 47 years of Driving and smacked my toes, knees, head countless times just walking down the road, but have never had even one accident or put a street bike down  in my 45 years of Riding (keep knocking on wood everytime I say this). Lucky? Yes, but then I can also probably count the number of times I've ventured into any city on 2 wheels using each of my fingers no more than once.
Lane Splitting.... now there's a practice invented just for the sole purpose of adding  oneself to the maimed motorcyclist data bank. That practice will undoubtably make your Sad Realty #1 a slam dunk for any rider who practices it on a regular basis.
I do like your last Sad Reality in particular... Nobody Cares. Probably a lot of those almost new bikes you see for sale all the time are being sold by folks who's inspiration for getting into motorcycling in the first place was at least partially driven by that very thought... that others would give a rat's a**. They don't.
Again, nice job on the video... keep 'em comin' 

[Oldfishguy]

Excellent!

Good job editing.  I can see your use of an outline before hand and then free wheeling is what you are good at; keep that format going forward.

The only thing lacking here is the lack of a motorcycle as a backdrop.  It may be tougher getting the lighting in a garage but it puts the viewer in context better with what you are saying.

Very good creative content.     

[old2soon]

        I've had Complete strange people come up to me when at a pee break or fuel stop and ask me-ain't ya too old too Ride? Say WHAT? I generally respond something like-I duz have an expiration date but fairly certain it Ain't today. Fairly certain most if not all of us at one time or another have had at leat one of the scenarios you presented. I've seen 8  10 year old M/Cs for sale with less than 4000 miles on the clock. Before my unload in 16 I was tween 12500  14200 miles a year. I Have slowed down some BUT I Still Truly ENJOY Riding.  Yeah-lotsa folks out there tryin to git us-M/C Riders-even if that was Not their thought when they left the casa.  Thanks-I Can and DO relate!  RIDE SAFE.

[Jess from VA]

Good video and story.  

Good delivery too.  I'm curious, did you extemporize the whole thing, or just use notes, or was it mostly scripted?  (The shades are MC culture, and also let you consult notes without being seen.)

We have a similar speaking style (including mild profanity used for color and humor), and both of us tend to speed up and bear down on the topic.  Speech is more effective when we fast talkers vary delivery speed and slow down a bit so the audience can keep up.  You do slow down more in the second half.  This is not criticism, just small advice from someone who made a living speaking in front of judges, juries and military briefings.  I've been called out on fast talking in my rides in the more southern states, where if you talk fast you are automatically deemed a #$%^& Yankee.  

One of my most embarrassing moments was in a gas station, where anyone who rides nice bikes knows that people will come up to you and compliment your bike and otherwise engage you in conversation about it and riding in general.  Long ago, on my dresser Hog, I pulled up a bit too close to the pump (I've always had centerfill tanks, always stay in the seat while filling to get max gas, so I need to be close).  So a small group come up and engage in compliments and conversation.  I'm always polite to folks and answer questions, so my departure is delayed and my mental checklist is interrupted.  

Hogs, unlike Hondas, don't have automatic kickstand and in-gear sensors.  I blip the throttle (which the carbs on that bike need to reliably start), hit the starter (but not the clutch), she fires right up in gear, and instantly flies off the pump hard (just missing grabbing my handlebar with a hanging hose), and heads for a row of concrete dead men I do not want to hit.  My good skills kick in and I lean it over hard, and head for the exit apron.  Looking over my shoulder, everyone I was talking to is impressed with my hot rod performance, some clapping.  It looked good, but it was not good, and only luck and skill saved me from an even much more embarrassing wipeout.  

[Tx Bohemian]

"racing to the sheep farm before the Viagra wears off..."

[Willow]

I can't identify.  We as humans tend to project our experiences onto others with a certain "it will happen" perspective.  It's often simply not the case and often leaves us with a mixture of reality and BS.

[Tony C.]

Very entertaining! Thanks for posting. 

[Bret SD]

Riding in San Diego..

The city's rated at 3rd worst for drivers in the country after DC and Sacramento. I've had people not see me, but an air horn blast lets them know I'm there, and they're very apologetic. People on the freeways for the most part don't mess with bikes, giving them a wide berth.

I don't ride super aggressively (most of the time) and have found no problems putting in several thousand miles in the area on roads and freeways.

It seems the worst drivers are in white SUV's, dunno why that is..

[scooperhsd]

defintely entertaining. Some truths, some exagerations, But overall a good video.

[Robert]

I can't identify.  We as humans tend to project our experiences onto others with a certain "it will happen" perspective.  It's often simply not the case and often leaves us with a mixture of reality and BS.

I dont agree with the, "it will happen" either. But one point, I did agree with, and that was the embarrassment. Of course nothing like that has ever happened to me. 

[DIGGER]

I do agree with "you will embarrass yourself " .   When about 16 yrs old I had an old beat up Ducati 90cc.   Kick starter was useless.    To start it you had to push start it.     Little 15 yr old girl that lived next door, who had a crush on me, was outside playing with her younger brothers and sisters and I got my Ducati out....gonna impress her.     I started pushing it real fast in 2nd gear with clutch in and jumped up in the air and came down on the seat side saddle to give it traction and popped the clutch and opened the throttle.    It didn't sputter....it didn't half fire.....it just took off wide open with me off balance and I fell over backwards off the bike and was layed out in the street as my bike ran down the road and crashed in a ditch.    She was real impressed.    I'm now 69 and she and I still stay in touch now and again via email.....occasionally she still kids me about that day.

[Jess from VA]

Digger, can you do that again (for us) on a Valk?   

I was out practicing wheelies on my dirt bike in from of my dorm (10 story tower)(18yo).

I could pop them right up easily, but I had trouble staying up and shifting to second. (like Malcolm Smith in On Any Sunday)

About the tenth time, I popped it straight up, slid off to my knees, and the bike kept going then dropped to two wheels and kept going, wobbly.  I didn't want it to crash (and bend something) so I was up like a shot sprinting to catch it before the fall.  I almost made it, but it fell over anyway.  A roar went up and I turned around to see many folks up that side of the dorm had been watching and now they were cheering and clapping.... and someone yelled cummon dude, do it again.  So I gave a formal bow.  I had no idea I had an audience.   

 

[cookiedough]

I think it's a big city thing.  I live in L.A.  Years ago, riding across country, I was talking to another rider at a gas station in Alabama and he said "Man I haven't almost died once since I got out of Dallas!"  I totally understood.

yep,  I think it is more (but not always) a big city thing when it comes to road rage and more accidents from cagers happen or piss you off while riding cycles is obvious the more vehicles on the road, the more trouble they can cause for us cyclists.  I drove once a car in Washington DC and me doing 55 mph in a  35 mph speed zone was getting passed by insane fast drivers doing 70 mph, who does that?

I did have once about 3-4 years ago though 8-9 miles away from my house on rural cty EE was on my 249cc black scooter car in front of me putzing doing 55 mph so blew by him doing 70 mph.  I thought nothing of it until I looked in my rearview mirror and he was on my ass about 10 feet behind me with me doing 65 mph.  I sped up to 75 mph near top speed and he kept riding my ass.  I was pissed went on for about 4 miles or so straight road,  really felt like pulling over to see if he would as well and confronting him with my twins,  Mr. right and Mr left fists.    Key is to leave your helmet on since with my riding jacket on fully padded, I doubt any punch he threw at me connecting would have hurt before I head butted him with helmet on knocking him out cold.  I am fairly mellow until you really piss me off then I loose control and go ape crazy on anyone who keeps harassing me.  My best friend in high school playing tennis kept loosing his cool me beating him all the time he kept tossing his racket at me.  Told him if he hits me with his tennis racket, I am going to come over the net beating him to a pulp.  he hit me with racket, it hurt,  went over tackled him to ground and kept throwing fists in his face bloody nose, lip, etc. until he cried all the way home to his daddy who called my daddy up and my daddy told him your kid started it, mine finished it, and then hung up on his daddy.     Haven't ever lost a fight one on one (no guns/knives thankfully) and do not plan on it ever.  In 8th grade I was standing toe to toe with bullies in my small school in my older brothers class them seniors never backed down.  Only time I lost was when 4-5 of them were on me at once.

[DIGGER]

Digger, can you do that again (for us) on a Valk?   

I was out practicing wheelies on my dirt bike in from of my dorm (10 story tower)(18yo).

I could pop them right up easily, but I had trouble staying up and shifting to second. (like Malcolm Smith in On Any Sunday)

About the tenth time, I popped it straight up, slid off to my knees, and the bike kept going then dropped to two wheels and kept going, wobbly.  I didn't want it to crash (and bend something) so I was up like a shot sprinting to catch it before the fall.  I almost made it, but it fell over anyway.  A roar went up and I turned around to see many folks up that side of the dorm had been watching and now they were cheering and clapping.... and someone yelled cummon dude, do it again.  So I gave a formal bow.  I had no idea I had an audience.   

 

Ha