Who is a motorcyclist

[BlueMR2]

My fun comes out of riding on the commute.

Your life must be a living hellscape. 

There are very few things I would enjoy less than sitting in rush hour traffic on a motorcycle.

Who's sitting in traffic ;-). Lane splitting is legal here in Cali and the main reason I commuted by motorcycle.

Lane splitting is not legal here, but fortunately our roads are actually engineered for the number of vehicles on them.  :-)  The normal commute moves along quite smoothly.  We might end up running 5-10 under the speed limit, but it's pretty smooth flowing despite all the cars on the road.

[Uturn]

For me, it's not about saving money, or safety aspects.  It's about thoroughly enjoying the ride.  Anyone who has ridden for more than about 3 miles knows the dangers, and accepts them.  I love to ride.  My GF lives about 30 minutes away.  When I take the car to see her, I'm still happy to be going, but can't stand the drive.  When I ride, it's a two-fer.  I get to see sweetie and I get to ride.  I used to be involved in a political volunteer organization that required 200 - 300 mile trips.  I loved the ride, had to take the cage a few times and hated it.  Walk, bicycle, or drive to meet a friend for lunch is a whipping.  Ride 2-3 hours for that same lunch is glorious. 

I've buried three friends who died on motorcycles.   I have another friend who no longer remembers me due to a wreck.  I've been down myself.  I know the risk and would much rather go through life enjoying it than giving up a passion.  Even if it shortens my life.  I know bike tires are more expensive per mile than car tires.  I know that big V-twins are pricier than small/medium in-line fours.  I love putting miles on a big V-twin.  I can't tell you how many times I've been sitting at an intersection waiting on a light in the rain or cold, look over at an unhappy person all warm and dry, and think "you poor soul."  I love to ride!

[sol]

I know the risk and would much rather go through life enjoying it than giving up a passion.

It never even occurred to me that motorcycles would be the one and only source of potential joy in my life.  I loved riding, don't get me wrong, but I didn't love it more than sex, or sailing, or playing music with friends.  We each have more than one talent in life, and I wasn't prepared to risk losing all of them just to pursue one more.  I hear heroin is better than anything else a human being can do, but I'm not going down that road because my life is pretty damn sweet without it, and that shit will fuck you up if you're not careful.

But I know other people have made different decisions.  A friend of mine literally killed his wife riding, when he laid it down on the highway with her on the back, and even THAT wasn't enough to get him to give up riding.  Killing the only person he'd ever loved wasn't more important to him than a motorcycle.  She's gone, and he still has a bike.  I think that's selfish.  I mean I understand being reckless with your own life, but with your partner's life too?

[StartingEarly]

I ride, but I also gear up. I am basically never without a helmet unless it's under two miles to a gas station and I'm not going riding other than that, otherwise the helmet is on my head or if I have a backpack it is on their head. I ride a cbr600, it gets halfway decent mileage and the tires are about three times as much per mile as my suv tires, so it's not exactly cheap to ride it especially with maintenance. However, the cost of riding is well under $10 per hour and it's one of my favorite things to do. Probably put on about 10,000 miles this year since I really wasn't working at all during riding season.

I almost always wear 1. Full Face Helmet 2. Leather Gloves 3. Work boots, I have track boots, but they suck on the street. 4. Full leather one piece racing suit, yes, I wear it all the time, it is perforated so it's not too hot in summer and if it is really hot and muggy out I stop and get a cold drink at a gas station and put it on stomach and it cools me right down.

[sol]

ATGATT, except not really because I ride bareheaded if it's under 2 miles.

I was also fully geared up when I ran a little wide on that corner.  As it turns out, there are no human bones that can survive a 35mph impact with a stationary object.  My gear prevented road rash, but did nothing to protect all of my instantly formed new joints.

[StartingEarly]

Yeah, I'm well aware that gear can't always protect you. You fall a certain way it won't matter what you're wearing. If you do even a highside though and fall onto the road and you hit with your elbow and knee pads or hip pads instead you'll fare a lot better than if you hit a railing. It's all a gamble. I'm aware it could easily end my life and almost has at times even though I have never been down severely yet. I'm considering getting one of the airbag suits they have to improve my odds a little more, but I still know I'm worse off than in a 60s car in a crash generally.

[Uturn]

I know the risk and would much rather go through life enjoying it than giving up a passion.

It never even occurred to me that motorcycles would be the one and only source of potential joy in my life.  I loved riding, don't get me wrong, but I didn't love it more than sex, or sailing, or playing music with friends.  We each have more than one talent in life, and I wasn't prepared to risk losing all of them just to pursue one more.  I hear heroin is better than anything else a human being can do, but I'm not going down that road because my life is pretty damn sweet without it, and that shit will fuck you up if you're not careful.

But I know other people have made different decisions.  A friend of mine literally killed his wife riding, when he laid it down on the highway with her on the back, and even THAT wasn't enough to get him to give up riding.  Killing the only person he'd ever loved wasn't more important to him than a motorcycle.  She's gone, and he still has a bike.  I think that's selfish.  I mean I understand being reckless with your own life, but with your partner's life too?

Wow Sol, either my writing sucks or you missed my point.  Or maybe we are both on different ends of the spectrum when viewing this topic and it is clouding our interpretation. 

Riding motorcycles is not my only passion in life, but it is a big one.  I had some unrelated medical problems that took me off the bike for about 5 years.  I didn't mope around being all sad about no longer riding.  I accepted the change in my life, sold the bike, and enjoyed my memories.  But now that I can ride again, I'm enjoying the experience. 

I suppose the point that I'm trying to make is most riders know the risk and accept them.  I choose to mitigate the risks by wearing gear and insisting that any passengers wear the gear also.  Other folks feel that a baseball cap is sufficient.  As long as they are adults and have medical coverage, it's not my place to say anything. 

Life is risk.  We each choose what risks we take.  I like to ride, but you won't find me jumping off a bridge with a rubber band tied to my feet.  I'm sure some of those guys shake their heads at us fools riding over that bridge. 

[Metric Mouse]

I suppose the point that I'm trying to make is most riders know the risk and accept them.  I choose to mitigate the risks by wearing gear and insisting that any passengers wear the gear also.  Other folks feel that a baseball cap is sufficient.  As long as they are adults and have medical coverage, it's not my place to say anything. 

Life is risk.  We each choose what risks we take.  I like to ride, but you won't find me jumping off a bridge with a rubber band tied to my feet.  I'm sure some of those guys shake their heads at us fools riding over that bridge.

It's sad when people think riders don't know the risks. Most people can't handle the risks - some people can have a bad wreck and hop right back on the bike; because they knew the risks, and accepted them.  I wouldn't call someone selfish for doing what they love, just because someone else died doing it.

[accolay]

ATGATT, except not really because I ride bareheaded if it's under 2 miles.

I was also fully geared up when I ran a little wide on that corner.  As it turns out, there are no human bones that can survive a 35mph impact with a stationary object.  My gear prevented road rash, but did nothing to protect all of my instantly formed new joints.

Of any piece of equipment worn, I would strongly recommend a helmet at all times when on a bike. Some may say death is the worst thing that can happen. I don't agree.

At the very least, have a living will made before you ride so your family knows your wishes.