Alarming Facts for Motorcyclists Along with Sound Speculation — Why. By John M. Rossi, Founder, VivaDUCATI.com A rider on the VivaDUCATI.com forum wrote to me on a subject relevant to all motorcyclists and worthy of sharing here as an illustrated news story.
Chuck writes: “John. I was grateful you sent me the recent NHTSA findings. It did not surprise me to see that fatalities for the 40+ group are increasing in the US, as are the number of 1000cc fatalities, but I was very surprised to see the extremely high percentage--over 70%, if I am remembering correctly--of fatalities on 2-lane, undivided roads--precisely the kind of roads that I most love and spend most of my riding time on. I rarely encounter much traffic on roads like that around here. What is the cause of that extremely high figure? Is it mostly single-vehicle, i.e. rider error, i.e. going way too fast?”  Sport Bike Riders Push Beyond Their Limits on Public Roads >
Mr. Peg Dragger looks fairly proficient while pushing his 1000cc motorcycle at maximum lean angle down that country road. However, the continuous stand of Maple trees lining this road would be the least desirable object to hit in event of a fall or needed run off path. Worse, the rider meets an oncoming logging truck. If you need to ride like this, or can, it is best to do it on a closed course or race track — NOT public roads. A short list of Track Schools are suggested. Chuck, in response to your post:
YES mostly single-vehicle accidents.
YES presumably rider error fatalities.
YES most likely going way too fast!
. . . and these guys (mostly) are old enough to know better at 40 + years of age. Lets also factor that Motorcycle sales have been on the increase nearly 14-years in a row, more than 1M sold each year and 5.7 M registered vehicles in the US. An increase in injures and fatalities may not be too surprising since there are simply more of us out there but, the sharp spike with the 1000cc, 40+ year old, male riders is alarming.
The grim reaper wears many disguises, lurks behind many different doors, and there are people who won’t wake from their sleep tomorrow – so you just never know do you? I don’t mean to be trite or dismissive here. I spend a lot of time in hospitals tending to the care of a loved one whose medical requirements are constant and not by choice unfortunately. However, we are grateful that Boston’s hospitals are at the ready and that medical advancements are amazingly effective today to treat illness, disease, and injury. But in general, the hospital is still a place to avoid as are the accidents that can unexpectedly bring us there — particularly motorcycle accidents.
This subject really hits home in the context of riding ‘High Performance Motorcycles.’ It is risky business as we all know, some obviously know this more than others and others have learned the hard way. Doing it well is about being informed, gaining the proper experience, and using not just good judgment but, absolute precise judgment in almost all instances. This type of precision and skill also goes for many of the 600cc Sport Bikes as many now deliver 130HP simply incredible the performance from these machines today that anyone can buy today. Crash PhotosThe series of photos along with the 2900-word article awaits you. Login to gain full access to VivaDUCATI.com tests, articles, events, and exclusive V.I.P. travel to world class events. We welcome you to Login and be part of VivaDUCATI.com.
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