Is it just me?

[aussiekeeper]

I have been on this board longer before I got the 'Busa than since I've had it.
It seems like really too many are falling, crashing and loosing their lives. I have owned a LOT of motorcycles and have been riding for 45 years. I have been down once, when a drunk driver ran me off of the road. Yes, it hurt.
Have also been on many boards, sportbike and cruiser. The sportbike riders have many more mishaps than the others. And before you go there, I do know a lot of cruiser riders that can outride a lot of sport riders, while riding their cruisers. Is it the attitude that envelopes a person while on a sportbike?
Or are these bikes not as stable as a standard? Sure, other riders go down too, but not nearly as often. If anyone has some comment to offer, please do. I don't know most of you very well, but I sure don't want to see or hear of any of you getting hurt or maimed. Sorry for the ramble, but this has been going through my head for months now........Every time I hear of someone going down, it makes me cringe.

[MC MUSTANG]

Unfortunately, we hear about it a lot on this board. In many cases, a lay down or tip over is reported by someone new to the community - but the accidents? I think a lot of accidents are reported here because of how close many of the members are - and simply how big the membership here is. Factor on top of that the number of people who buy a large sportbike as thier first bike, people who don't need MSF training, aggressive throttle action, etc.,

As cAp said in the thread about Rayabusa, hearing about people getting hurt or killed is the worst part about this site.

MCM

[dadofthree]

I don't have any stats, but it is often reported here that other bikes have a higher rate of accidents and certainly death for obvious reasons ( lack of gear ). In your area there's a lot of guys on sportbikes and a lot of great roads to ride, and I think you do hear about a lot of accidents on those bikes because you are connected with those folks and this site.

Unlike Tim, Randy, and Dawn; I haven't been on a ton of rides with Don, but from the rides I shared with him; he was very conservative and very cautious. Obviously a good rider.

[brooke]

I friend of mine owns a towing company. He pulls quite a few bikes off the road or out of the ditch. The vast majority are sport bikes and almost all owned by young inexperienced riders. Cruisers go down too but he never tells me stories of picking up a Harley's.

[fastblackblur]

sportbikes will always have higher fatality statistics and it has nothing to do with bike stability or rider skill. It's because they attract the majority of the risk taking motorcycle public. How many thrill seeking motorcyce enthusiasts would settle for the performance a goldwing or street glide has to offer? Hence they buy sportbikes. Thus the perception that sportbikes are an ultra-dangerous breed of motorcycle. When in truth they are no worse off than any other motorcycle.

[thelakeshow2k]

imho.... i believe that many (not all) riders like to push their bikes to their potential. if they say that your bike can go 180 and can be leaned over to the point where you can touch your knee to the ground, then many people are gonna try it.... on public roads, highways etc. just because you can do something doesn't make it the right move.

i've ridden cruisers and sportbikes and i've noticed i've "pushed" on a sportbike many more times than my cruiser just because i could. i believe in those instances, i've dramatically opened up my chances to accidents. good riders can still go down when pushing in uncontrolled environments: speeding through traffic, excessive leaning on gravelly roads, etc.

i am going to practice more self control by "pushing" less on public roads and start doing some track riding to get my adrenaline rush in a safer and more controlled environment.

[TruWrecks]

Most sportbikes are cheaper and easier to maintain than most cruisers. They are not comfortable to most people over 35, so they attract newer, younger riders. Many of those riders are still working through the "I'm Invincible" stage of life. They think "It will only happen to someone else."

Many of the members here that have crashed, did so because they became complacent about one or two skills that mattered enough to make a difference. You can't avoid them all, but you can reduce the risk or damage in 99.9% of incidents. I know. I'm guilty too.

[neoBusa]

You dont see too many young riders dreaming of a harley as a first, second or probably even 3rd bike... it explains it bro... sport attracts young = danger since no eperience... also you are more likely to speed on a sports bike than on a cruiser... I said MORE likely...

[MikeSomething]

...and then there's the inexperienced young people getting on a Busa... ???

[smac]

It seems to me to be young people stunting, stopies, wheelies, ect. just because its cool, you don't learn that stuff without dropping your bike, even the pros still wreck. Mainly youth, inexperience, and riding beyound their ability, not beyound the bikes ability...

[Spudley]

Yes, it's just you........

[2hip]

Hayabusa, my dear seductress, who makes my palms sweat late at night as I remember carving the mountain roads at 1 am on the way home from work..she who made my nipples hard on the show room floor...she who has the burbling low throated voice whispering in the ear in the cool of the night...saying to me, enticing me, you can do it faster, more aggressively...I can take all you can throw at me...Is it any wonder that people crash on sports bikes. Isn't it one of the reasons we own this thrilling and well designed piece of machinery...to feel alive..to exhilirate..to feel that incredible rush when you pull through a corner with correct line and speed and flip her over onto to the other edge as you carve the next corner? Some of us go to our deaths because of being in the wrong place at the wrong time...some of us listened to long to the seductress and believed in ourselves too much...some of us haven't learned enough about the hard facts of life involving the physics of a crash and how fragile human beings are...but the simple fact is...we buy sportsbike for a reason..we didn't buy a couch called a Harley...we didn't spend 25K for an overpriced BMW. We Hayabusa-ites are depraved, wretched, and this side of deranged sports bike junkies and it comes with a heavy premium...or souls...ha ha ha...2hip

[mjrfd99]

There's more accidents because there are more a$$ hats on cell phones. They got 2 of my long time rider friends this season. Time to fight back.

[Jayhawk]

It's not just you. It's a simple problem, really.

Youth.

Once you have kids (and maybe grandkids) pics in your wallet, this guy has a bit more to say as he whispers in your ear: ==>

[Wag]

All good commentary. The Busa does, however, invite one to push the limits. Even an older guy like me will say to himself, "I could do that turn just a bit better."

I don't push it on the streets any more. I only had to do one track day weekend to cure me of that. It's just not interesting any more. It's still a blast, don't get me wrong, and I still extend myself to a degree, just not to my max.

Still, the way I do ride, while safe, is risky in the sense that it would be difficult or impossible to recover from a dozen different types of road hazards.

I'm more comfortable on a crotch rocket than a cruiser although I will say, on the few occasions when I've been on a cruiser, I was able to outride it a LOT.

--Wag--

[bazooki]

It's all about the single vehicle accidents. There is a reason a lot of younger/newbie riders can't even get insurance on a Busa and it's called statistics. You need some skills to get a sportbike/Busa through a high speed corner whether it has any hazards or not and that catches a lot of riders out in a place they shouldn't be. Then they're in the ditch/guardrail/tree.

New riders shouldn't be on high powered sportbikes/Busas. Period.

[thelakeshow2k]

i have a infiniti g35 car and it's kinda fast... my daughter will be getting her driver's license soon and i don't use the G35 that much so i'll probably let her drive it. i run into the same problem (of busas and new riders) with my car. if there was only a way to control (speed governor) the acceleration and top speed until she became more experienced ....