Dumb Myths

[sandy]

No personal comment. Just an FYI:

http://www.bikebandit.com/blog/post/the-5-dumbest-myths-motorcycle-riders-believe?roi=echo3-34509987306-35175846-b06e045f3a000fd0b447b5181789bf6f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=bbnews&utm_source=Sat_050616_BBNews&utm_content=5_dumbest_myths

[..]

Dumb myths or dumb riders?

[Mr Whiskey]

Wow, I'll comment, I pretty much disagree with everything they jus' said!

1) Wearing gear is pointless because riding is so dangerous, you're gonna die if you crash anyway, so you may as well be comfortable while you're riding.
Never thought of it as pointless but.... restricting your range of motion, increasing weight thus reducing your reaction time, & gettin' overheated/dehydrated are not the answer.

2) Helmets cause more accidents than they prevent because they block your vision and hearing.
I wear a helmet under protest, I'm forced to for my own protection.
I only wear one that allows me my full range of vision & hearing.

3) Using loud pipes makes you safer when riding on the street.
Scares the forest rats back into the forest. Good enough for me.

4) Sometimes the best thing to do is "lay 'er down."
I'd rather use the bikes mass to try & change my trajectory than ride it in, if the situation affords me the time.
Simply put, if I can, I will, throw 800+lbs of machine away from me.

5) Using hearing protection is dangerous and causes crashes.
I don't use headphones, helmet intercoms, or ear plugs for exactly this reason. Ever had an ambulance sneak up on you, or heard tires screeching behind you? I'm not gonna reduce my chances of hearing these things. If wind noise fatigues you, stop somewhere.

I got a pretty thick skin so.....flame suit on, feel free

[ridingron]

  I got a pretty thick skin so.....flame suit on, feel free   

I have more fun ways to waste time. 

[Miker]

What's that old saying, "It's better to be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt."
Hey, don't take it personally, it's just an old saying!

[old2soon]

As to A T G A T T-comes anudder old saying-better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. BUT-again old saying-to each his own. RIDE SAFE.

[GiG]

Wow, I'll comment, I pretty much disagree with everything they jus' said!

1) Wearing gear is pointless because riding is so dangerous, you're gonna die if you crash anyway, so you may as well be comfortable while you're riding.
Never thought of it as pointless but.... restricting your range of motion, increasing weight thus reducing your reaction time, & gettin' overheated/dehydrated are not the answer.

2) Helmets cause more accidents than they prevent because they block your vision and hearing.
I wear a helmet under protest, I'm forced to for my own protection.
I only wear one that allows me my full range of vision & hearing.

3) Using loud pipes makes you safer when riding on the street.
Scares the forest rats back into the forest. Good enough for me.

4) Sometimes the best thing to do is "lay 'er down."
I'd rather use the bikes mass to try & change my trajectory than ride it in, if the situation affords me the time.
Simply put, if I can, I will, throw 800+lbs of machine away from me.

5) Using hearing protection is dangerous and causes crashes.
I don't use headphones, helmet intercoms, or ear plugs for exactly this reason. Ever had an ambulance sneak up on you, or heard tires screeching behind you? I'm not gonna reduce my chances of hearing these things. If wind noise fatigues you, stop somewhere.

I got a pretty thick skin so.....flame suit on, feel free

Wow! You wear a flame suit but no protective riding gear?!?

Man, you sound like one of those crazy guys that Would try to put a
car tire on a motorcycle!   

[Safety Steve]

I would like to comment on the ear plug statement, Ixwork in the Health & Safety field and what ear plugs are designed to do is reduced the background noise, such as wind noise, which means that u can hear other sounds better, do you wear sun glasses when you ride?  Do sunglasses make it harder to see or easier, in bright light yes when it is dark no you can't see as good with sunglasses on the sme holds true for hearing protection in noise envormoents it helps when I get off the bike I take my ear plugs out..I wear hearing protection most of my friends that ride don't....

[RP#62]

Its all just part of natural selection at work.

-RP

[Firefighter]

I believe that it should be your choice if you wear gear or not, your choice for seatbelts. With that being said I have seen it all in my business and without seatbelts, in a normal forward impact, when the airbag deploys the body goes underneath the airbag on the first impact and usually pancakes, which breaks everything. Then is discarded somewhere in the vehicle or ejected outside (without an ejection seat or convenient exit). Those wearing seatbelts in many cases are standing outside the car when we arrive looking like they just woke up. Every crash is different, some are horrific. Vehicles in my opinion if you wear seatbelts are so much safer now a days and sacrafice themselves instead of their occupants.

Motorcycles, many times the human head is like the head of a hammer. It slams down last during the first phase of the crash and without a helmet is also pancaked. I have used a three quarter helmet for years even though I know that the risk of me loosing my face is very possible. I have comfort trouble with full face helmets, but I am looking at them again now.

I agree with most of what was said in the above link, but I recently had to lay my bike down or hit a concrete canal. The cause of my wreck was my fault, but after that I think my decisions where correct.  Ride with awarness.

[Rams]

All I'm gonna say is that Darwin Awards await those who make bad decisions.

I'm sure at some point, I'll win my own................ 

[hukmut]

As always, ATGATT. Street pizza sucks.

BTW, just for grins, google the word   "motorcycle", and just see what comes up.


Ride safe....

[old2soon]

The surface of the road/highway has no/none/zero/nada pride. It WILL grind off or grind down ANYTHING that is slid across it's surface at any speed. Steel or metal of any kind and plastics and carbon fibers and fiber glass and it DEVOURS human flesh.  I drove an ambulance in East Texas when I lived there and those with a weak stomach need not do what I used to. While I will admit I'm NOT A T G A T T I don't pull out of anywhere on the scoot without my lid. When I KNOW I don't have enough gear on I also KNOW it are my fault. We as a group will NEVER change anyone's mind that is already set in it's ways. Mitigate what risk you can but at least attempt to ride safely and aware.  RIDE SAFE.