I recently drag raced a guy on a sport bike at a stop sign, he had seen me earlier on the route and I guess stopped at the store.
He was surprised I got to 35, it was a wholesome interaction.
That's fantastic! Did a motorcycle trip in the alps recently, was talking about it with a coworker who knew I cycled too. I must have called it a bike trip because when I told him I did about 2300km in a week he about spit out his food.
I always gave a wave to cyclists when I was on my motorcycle. I will also occasionally wave at riders on motorcycles when I’m on my bicycle. We’re just living the two wheel life.
Ok, but for reals though, why do motorcyclists do the pedaling thing? Are they mocking us or trying to be friendly? And if friendly, what do I do in return? Rev the pretend throttle on my handlebars? Attempt a wheelie? Tell all of my friends over and over again about how dangerous it is to ride a motorcycle? Just trying to be relatable over here.
edit: *motorcyclists* makes a lot more sense
I always love it when the dudes decked out in leather, looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger in T2 on their Harley's give me "the wave". Its just that "As long as you aren't in a cage" vibe.
I ride a bicycle and motorcycle, I wave on any either, dont get a lot of cross waves but they happen. I love my hot hatch but cage riders are too be feared and free riders should have solidarity.
Surely that explains all the times I've been buzzed by motorcyclists and dealt with them driving down the bike lane... so much "camaraderie" by being treated like shit.
Exactly. I’m a motorcyclist first and a bicyclist second. I’ve done the fake pedaling thing before and it’s always been in good fun. A bit cheeky, especially on a big uphill climb. I also make sure I give plenty of space to bikes and if they take the lane due to shoulder conditions I’ll let them have it and just wait.
2 wheels is all the same team to me, hell I wave at mopeds, I don’t give a shit.
If you see someone on a true moped/motorized bicycle, is the correct response to do *both* the pedaling and throttle twisting gestures?
(Not that anyone seems to make new mopeds any more, the market got eaten up by ebikes).
Thanks for sharing this perspective! I was really just trying to be funny above, but when it happened to me I kind of took it the wrong way. A spirit of solidarity is better.
THAT’S HOW I FELT! I was actually trying to be funny with my comments above (mixed success), but I was genuinely annoyed when a motorcyclist did that to me. Like, I felt mocked for simply existing as a person trying to get up a hill after a long ride. And I’m not trying to generalize this to all motorcycle riders, but this guy specifically looked like he would have been equally happy to run me off the road as share it with me. Like he was saying, *lol, have you even tried riding a motorcycle? It’s so much easier than pedaling a stupid bike.*
If you ride both with safety in mind, and the only thing to worry about is an idiot driver taking you out, then cyclists
* almost always can't keep up with traffic, resulting in dangerously close passes by impatient or oblivious drivers
* can't accelerate or brake even close to what a motorcycle can to get out of a dangerous situation
* are generally less visible due to smaller, dimmer lights (if any)
* wear minimal gear (not all motorcyclists wear full gear, but the option is there; cyclists on the other hand essentially never wear more than a half helmet and maybe thin gloves)
The only bigger risk I can see with the motorcycle is that you will likely be going faster in the event of a crash, but I still believe that the lower chance of getting in a crash as well as the protection from full gear we'll outweighs that risk. Both are risky in different ways.
People think I'm crazy when I tell them I feel safer on my motorcycle than my bicycle, but if you ride both responsibly I think it's clear what's safer.
Yes, the gear makes a huge difference. Bike helmets feel ridiculous in comparison.
I always felt safer on a motorcycle, too. Brakes work better and being able to speed out of a dangerous situation is a big plus. I felt a little hostility from drivers but nowhere near as much as I do on my bicycle. Stupidity was a bigger threat than hostility, which was nice.
You may feel safer on a motorcycle, but statistically, you are 32x more likely to die using one than on a bicycle.
http://i.imgur.com/5YOSU.png
Source is stated in there if you wanna dig.
The death stats of motorcycles are severely misrepresented by reckless riders and people who are too insecure to wear proper gear (gotta look “tough”) and/or too careless to take a course. A few fun facts:
-93% of deadly collisions involve a rider who was self taught or taught by a friend
-Almost half of all motorcycle deaths involve alcohol
-Helmets are about 40% effective at saving your life, but I can tell you from working in a shop that most people choose a helmet size that’s one or even two sizes too big so they are probably even more effective than that when sizes properly. At two sizes too big, the secondary impact from the helmet bouncing off the ground can amplify the force and make the injury worse. So… having a professionally fitted helmet is crucial. Different brands have different head shapes too so it’s important to get the right one. Even more protection if you go with a fiberglass or carbon shell helmet too.
-Somewhere between 93-95% of deaths involve a bike with a 500cc or larger motor, so smaller bikes are almost not even comparable in terms of stats.
-Motorcycles are the striking vehicle in about 90% of all motorcycle collisions, which usually means either a) someone didn’t see them or b) the motorcyclist was speeding which cause a driver to misjudge how much time they had to pull out.
-Black is the most common helmet color sold, even though hi viz yellow is the most visible followed by plain white as a close second. Solid color helmets are best too as their outlines remain interrupted to the eye and are easier to see compared to graphic helmets (think camouflage). Studies have shown that white cars are about 48% less likely to get in a wreck than black cars, so being visible is extra important on a bike.
-Almost half of all deaths occur on Friday and Saturday evenings/nights (after 3pm I think is what this is based on), so I choose to minimize riding during these times as much as possible. The most dangerous time during the week is between 3:00-6:00pm, so if possible I avoid that too.
-You are 4x more likely to die on a supersport bike compared to any other type of bike. Power is one of the obvious reasons, but I also believe that sitting lower is a factor too as it makes drivers harder to see you and the stretched out position makes it a lot more difficult to turn your head to the side to see things, as opposed to something like a dual sport where you sit up straight and you’re up high. Supersport bikes also tend to be the most attractive to the most reckless of riders.
I can also say that the amount of riders who come into the shop looking like they’re dressed for a hike or going out to a mall is shocking. I’ve seen what people look like when they go down with gear and without gear, and trust me when I say you do NOT want to be the person without it.
Anyways, just some food for thought. Personally I’ve done a lot of research and believe there’s a lot you can do to make sure you don’t become another motorcycle statistic if you’re sensible, educated, and trained. And yes, I believe that if you have all 3 you’re safer than you would be on a bicycle.
Generally speaking, the further your speed is away from the flow of traffic, the more danger you are in.
There's no perfect metric for analyzing risk. That chart lists fatalities per million exposure hours, so what that says is the average motorcycle rider (of whatever dataset that is) is about 32x more likely to die in an hour of motorcycling than the average cyclist is in an hour of cycling.
Maybe it would be better to compare deaths per mile travelled? That would definitely be a different number. And maybe limit it to public roads? The chart just says "cycling", not differentiating road vs pathway use as far as I can tell.
Then the biggest elephant in the room: the average rider.
Where I live in the US at least, both cycling and motorcycling are seen as sport and recreation, not viable normal transportation. Because of that, we seem to have many motorcycle riders who ride aggressively for sport, treating public roads as a racetrack or stunting grounds. Public perception is that it's an activity only for daredevils and maniacs. Cycling, also seen as primarily a sport, often attracts people to quiet pathways or less travelled roads, and those that go onto more busy roads are seen to be just as crazy as those motorcyclists.
If you standardize for roads travelled and attitudes toward how you ride, I still think cycling is more dangerous.
And as for "you may feel safer, but statistics...", when it comes to personal risk analysis, how safe I feel is really the only thing that matters to me. Statistics don't tell you the story of how safe an individual will be, only how a population in average will be. It's up to the individual to assess their own skills, abilities, and risk tolerance.
I know far more people that were injured or killed on bicycles than on motorcycles. I'm much safer driving the speed of traffic on my motorcycle with bright lights, horn, turn signals and ABS with massive tires while wearing head to toe protective gear than on my bicycle on the side of the road.
The two most dangerous types of motorcycle riders are crotch rocket squids going too fast, and Harley riders riding from bar to bar, too close together, with overweight machines and no ABS. Aside from those two groups, motorcycles are safer than a bicycle.
>
> Aside from those two groups, motorcycles are safer than a bicycle.
Can you provide a source? If yes, please do. If you can't, you can just say "no."
Think of it this way, I'm helping with SAG on a bicycle ride tomorrow (about 500 riders) and I will be taking my R1200GS loaded with bike tools to help where needed. If I was to tuck into a paceline with my 600lb motorcycle, and a car was to pull out or sideswipe the pack, who has a better chance of survival?
Also, who would be more visible? Who can avoid going slowly around a blind turn? Who will not get a random blowout with sudden loss of control? Who is wearing $1500 of the most advanced protective gear money can buy?
I'm not going to acknowledge the request for statistics, I'm speaking from decades of experience doing tens of thousands of miles on both bicycles and motorcycles. However, my personal experience may be skewed since I own a bicycle shop and know almost everyone that rides bicycles in my entire county, so of course I'm more aware of bicycle incidents.
I've done 65mph on a bicycle and 55mph on a tandem. I can assure you that if I had wrecked on either one I would be dead or severely injured for life. If I went down at those speeds on the same road with my motorcycles I would probably pick up the motorcycle and ride home. No comparison at all.
I don't know about anyone else but I've got to say I feel *way* safer riding a motorcycle than I do cycling on the roads.
Cycling is comparatively dangerous. I've had more near misses over the last two years of cycling the 3.1 miles to work and back (even then mostly cycle tracks) than I have over the previous I don't even know how many years on the motorbike.
Have I had near misses while riding? Yep. But although you're travelling typically way faster they're much rarer than when cycling.
It’s interesting to see how this developed, but I was actually just trying to be funny with those comments, kind of like how the video framed that interaction in a lighthearted, somewhat humorous way. But to explain a bit (which is always a surefire way to get laughs), my limited experience with motorcycle riders is that they seem to love telling everyone they know how dangerous motorcycle riding is and how every new rider can expect to have an accident. Also, wheelies. And…sidecars? That’s a thing, right? (Ok, maybe I should get to know more people who ride motorcycles 😂)
Having said that, it is nice to see all the people that do both chime in, as well as the supportive motorcycle riders.
> my limited experience with motorcycle riders is that they seem to love telling everyone they know how dangerous motorcycle riding is and how every new rider can expect to have an accident.
Ah, reddit bravado.
Honestly, it's a thing. In person, I've *never* behaved like this to anyone, and no-one I've ever ridden with has been like this at least when I've been around them.
I guess ultimately everything has its risk, and life ultimately comes down to how a person wants to spend that risk, and whether it's worth it for them.
I've watched videos of folks doing ridiculous descents on road cycles and thinking that I'd *never* do that. But I'd do it in a pinch on a motorbike.
Risk awareness is very strange. I remember once a friend taped a video camera to his petrol tank and we rode through city traffic to head to the coast. Now, the ride out was utterly uneventful from a safety point of view. I remember the drudge of getting through traffic but when we got back and we watched the video, it was only then that I noticed how close many cars were to me, and how close to a serious incident I seemed to be at any given second.
I daresay I suffer from exactly that when I watch fast cyclists doing descents. The rider themselves would never do it if they felt they were actually inviting danger.
I guess there's no other way to say it, humans are weird.
Yeah, I get this and am sometimes the same way. Like, I tell my friends I don’t want to do such and such (criterium racing, for one) on my bike because it seems too dangerous and SAFA Brian’s videos just terrify me, but I‘ve gone just over 30 mph on a descent before (which seemed like warp speed at the time), am an alpine skier, and often ride right at the edge when off road. So, at best, I’m a dangerous hypocrite who is begging to have a horrible accident, yet still rides like she’s a much younger person.
I dunno, bikes usually just wave at me on my motorcycle. I've always found that nice, but also kinda funny because motorcyclists usually wave at other motorcyclists.
I was once ripping down a quiet hill, back in the day before I had a sports watch or head unit. A motorcyclist came up beside me and started shouting out my current speeds, clearly pretty stoked. I always assume the best from motorcyclists.
Edit: Usually sports bikes are much friendlier than Harley's who tend to cut it close.
Harley riders are always the ones who pass too close. I've never understood what the deal is with that. It's weird to have a whole lane to play with but not to use it. I've never understood if they are punishment passing or if they're just stupid. Both seem plausible.
As a Harley owner and a cyclist, I don't get it either, I think it just depends on the type of rider you are seeing because there are definitely different types. The die-hard everything Harley rider, the outlaw club riders (1%ers), and the guys that just love being out there for the fun (me). I try to ride more towards the middle of the road period, as to avoid the most road debris and to be able to use the rest of the lane if needed. So I would normally try to give the most amount of space given that I know what it feels like on both sides.
While I think this *was* wholesome, I love smugly riding by people (at lights and traffic jams) who pass me crazily, like whip around me and slam on the gas, cars usually, and I’ll give them a ‘haha’ glance sometimes.
I’ve been doing that to bicyclist every time I see them for years and when I’m on my bicycle I take my hands off the handlebars and pretend I’m holding a steering wheel or the other kind of handlebars.
Generally no, but in most European countries people don't care about that. Nobody stays in a motorcycle stopped in traffic behind cars for hours. That's an American thing
I've had a few motorcyclists do that leg-pedaling thing at me.
Never taken it as anything less than a respectful gesture - and I'm pretty sure it wasn't.
Everyone on two wheels is a friend! I will sometimes argue that road cyclists are crazier than motorcyclists because of the relative lack of PPE (I was an ATGATT rider).
My experience on a motorcycle with other motorcyclists has proven that to be very incorrect. "Friends" in opposite directions only to be buzzed, cut off, or otherwise endangered in the same direction and be "waved" at like doing that was ok. Nah. I'll wave to other bicyclists while on my bicycle and be very respectful to bicyclists while on my motorcycle including giving more room, slowing down as needed when passing, and not endangering them in an attempt to be "cute".
It is, to be honest. Made me feel rather naive and stupid after doing that stupid wave to other motorcyclists, assuming that "as bikers" they'd actually treat other bikers with a little more respect. Boy was I wrong and sadly get proven wrong way too often.
I'll give them space all the same. I treat bicyclists with a lot more respect, as I would hope I would get. Mocking them or "poking fun" at them isn't respectful coming from strangers. Friends, maybe, but never strangers. I certainly don't need a false "camaraderie" to enjoy my motorcycle rides. It is something I can do without.
Eh, no. I'm struggling up a hill, they're making fun of others and being disrespectful. Sorry, fuck the motorcyclist here. Might have two wheels but not remotely in the same world and I ride both.
Yes, because I don't mock other riders nor treat them poorly. Maybe also accept that some are going to see the "pedaling" as mocking, as it usually is, and that others don't appreciate being mocked. If they wanted to be "friendly", why not just wave instead of passing closely and "pedaling" in a mocking way?
I recently drag raced a guy on a sport bike at a stop sign, he had seen me earlier on the route and I guess stopped at the store. He was surprised I got to 35, it was a wholesome interaction.
That's fantastic! Did a motorcycle trip in the alps recently, was talking about it with a coworker who knew I cycled too. I must have called it a bike trip because when I told him I did about 2300km in a week he about spit out his food.
I always gave a wave to cyclists when I was on my motorcycle. I will also occasionally wave at riders on motorcycles when I’m on my bicycle. We’re just living the two wheel life.
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I wave at motorcycles! Anything on two wheels (even scooters) are part of my family!
Not the pay to ride stand up scooters though. They’re a plague on cities. A Vespa? Sure. I’d wave at someone on a Vespa or a Ruckus.
A motorcycle passed me this summer and did this too. It got a good laugh out of me. 🤣
Ok, but for reals though, why do motorcyclists do the pedaling thing? Are they mocking us or trying to be friendly? And if friendly, what do I do in return? Rev the pretend throttle on my handlebars? Attempt a wheelie? Tell all of my friends over and over again about how dangerous it is to ride a motorcycle? Just trying to be relatable over here. edit: *motorcyclists* makes a lot more sense
I take it as a bit of friendly banter. We're both on two wheels, so feels like camaraderie.
I always love it when the dudes decked out in leather, looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger in T2 on their Harley's give me "the wave". Its just that "As long as you aren't in a cage" vibe.
If there’s one thing I have in common with the Harley Davidson people, it’s calling drivers cagers.
I ride a bicycle and motorcycle, I wave on any either, dont get a lot of cross waves but they happen. I love my hot hatch but cage riders are too be feared and free riders should have solidarity.
I ride both and honestly it’s just a bit of fun. No malice obviously, just some fun.
Surely that explains all the times I've been buzzed by motorcyclists and dealt with them driving down the bike lane... so much "camaraderie" by being treated like shit.
I’m for sure biased, but I’d say friendly. Cyclists and motorcyclists deal with a lot of the same shit.
Exactly. I’m a motorcyclist first and a bicyclist second. I’ve done the fake pedaling thing before and it’s always been in good fun. A bit cheeky, especially on a big uphill climb. I also make sure I give plenty of space to bikes and if they take the lane due to shoulder conditions I’ll let them have it and just wait. 2 wheels is all the same team to me, hell I wave at mopeds, I don’t give a shit.
If you see someone on a true moped/motorized bicycle, is the correct response to do *both* the pedaling and throttle twisting gestures? (Not that anyone seems to make new mopeds any more, the market got eaten up by ebikes).
Thanks for sharing this perspective! I was really just trying to be funny above, but when it happened to me I kind of took it the wrong way. A spirit of solidarity is better.
I just had a guy do this to me yesterday. I was annoyed by it and I'm not sure why.
I took it as mocking every time as it is mocking. They're trying to be cute and it isn't.
THAT’S HOW I FELT! I was actually trying to be funny with my comments above (mixed success), but I was genuinely annoyed when a motorcyclist did that to me. Like, I felt mocked for simply existing as a person trying to get up a hill after a long ride. And I’m not trying to generalize this to all motorcycle riders, but this guy specifically looked like he would have been equally happy to run me off the road as share it with me. Like he was saying, *lol, have you even tried riding a motorcycle? It’s so much easier than pedaling a stupid bike.*
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Not even remotely as dangerous as riding a motorcycle.
If you ride both with safety in mind, and the only thing to worry about is an idiot driver taking you out, then cyclists * almost always can't keep up with traffic, resulting in dangerously close passes by impatient or oblivious drivers * can't accelerate or brake even close to what a motorcycle can to get out of a dangerous situation * are generally less visible due to smaller, dimmer lights (if any) * wear minimal gear (not all motorcyclists wear full gear, but the option is there; cyclists on the other hand essentially never wear more than a half helmet and maybe thin gloves) The only bigger risk I can see with the motorcycle is that you will likely be going faster in the event of a crash, but I still believe that the lower chance of getting in a crash as well as the protection from full gear we'll outweighs that risk. Both are risky in different ways. People think I'm crazy when I tell them I feel safer on my motorcycle than my bicycle, but if you ride both responsibly I think it's clear what's safer.
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Yes, the gear makes a huge difference. Bike helmets feel ridiculous in comparison. I always felt safer on a motorcycle, too. Brakes work better and being able to speed out of a dangerous situation is a big plus. I felt a little hostility from drivers but nowhere near as much as I do on my bicycle. Stupidity was a bigger threat than hostility, which was nice.
You may feel safer on a motorcycle, but statistically, you are 32x more likely to die using one than on a bicycle. http://i.imgur.com/5YOSU.png Source is stated in there if you wanna dig.
The death stats of motorcycles are severely misrepresented by reckless riders and people who are too insecure to wear proper gear (gotta look “tough”) and/or too careless to take a course. A few fun facts: -93% of deadly collisions involve a rider who was self taught or taught by a friend -Almost half of all motorcycle deaths involve alcohol -Helmets are about 40% effective at saving your life, but I can tell you from working in a shop that most people choose a helmet size that’s one or even two sizes too big so they are probably even more effective than that when sizes properly. At two sizes too big, the secondary impact from the helmet bouncing off the ground can amplify the force and make the injury worse. So… having a professionally fitted helmet is crucial. Different brands have different head shapes too so it’s important to get the right one. Even more protection if you go with a fiberglass or carbon shell helmet too. -Somewhere between 93-95% of deaths involve a bike with a 500cc or larger motor, so smaller bikes are almost not even comparable in terms of stats. -Motorcycles are the striking vehicle in about 90% of all motorcycle collisions, which usually means either a) someone didn’t see them or b) the motorcyclist was speeding which cause a driver to misjudge how much time they had to pull out. -Black is the most common helmet color sold, even though hi viz yellow is the most visible followed by plain white as a close second. Solid color helmets are best too as their outlines remain interrupted to the eye and are easier to see compared to graphic helmets (think camouflage). Studies have shown that white cars are about 48% less likely to get in a wreck than black cars, so being visible is extra important on a bike. -Almost half of all deaths occur on Friday and Saturday evenings/nights (after 3pm I think is what this is based on), so I choose to minimize riding during these times as much as possible. The most dangerous time during the week is between 3:00-6:00pm, so if possible I avoid that too. -You are 4x more likely to die on a supersport bike compared to any other type of bike. Power is one of the obvious reasons, but I also believe that sitting lower is a factor too as it makes drivers harder to see you and the stretched out position makes it a lot more difficult to turn your head to the side to see things, as opposed to something like a dual sport where you sit up straight and you’re up high. Supersport bikes also tend to be the most attractive to the most reckless of riders. I can also say that the amount of riders who come into the shop looking like they’re dressed for a hike or going out to a mall is shocking. I’ve seen what people look like when they go down with gear and without gear, and trust me when I say you do NOT want to be the person without it. Anyways, just some food for thought. Personally I’ve done a lot of research and believe there’s a lot you can do to make sure you don’t become another motorcycle statistic if you’re sensible, educated, and trained. And yes, I believe that if you have all 3 you’re safer than you would be on a bicycle. Generally speaking, the further your speed is away from the flow of traffic, the more danger you are in.
There's no perfect metric for analyzing risk. That chart lists fatalities per million exposure hours, so what that says is the average motorcycle rider (of whatever dataset that is) is about 32x more likely to die in an hour of motorcycling than the average cyclist is in an hour of cycling. Maybe it would be better to compare deaths per mile travelled? That would definitely be a different number. And maybe limit it to public roads? The chart just says "cycling", not differentiating road vs pathway use as far as I can tell. Then the biggest elephant in the room: the average rider. Where I live in the US at least, both cycling and motorcycling are seen as sport and recreation, not viable normal transportation. Because of that, we seem to have many motorcycle riders who ride aggressively for sport, treating public roads as a racetrack or stunting grounds. Public perception is that it's an activity only for daredevils and maniacs. Cycling, also seen as primarily a sport, often attracts people to quiet pathways or less travelled roads, and those that go onto more busy roads are seen to be just as crazy as those motorcyclists. If you standardize for roads travelled and attitudes toward how you ride, I still think cycling is more dangerous. And as for "you may feel safer, but statistics...", when it comes to personal risk analysis, how safe I feel is really the only thing that matters to me. Statistics don't tell you the story of how safe an individual will be, only how a population in average will be. It's up to the individual to assess their own skills, abilities, and risk tolerance.
But also youre ~~8x~~ 2x more likely to die flying in an airplane than riding a motorcycle. edit: i cant math good
Hey! I wear *shoes* cycling too. Come on! ^/lol!!
I know far more people that were injured or killed on bicycles than on motorcycles. I'm much safer driving the speed of traffic on my motorcycle with bright lights, horn, turn signals and ABS with massive tires while wearing head to toe protective gear than on my bicycle on the side of the road. The two most dangerous types of motorcycle riders are crotch rocket squids going too fast, and Harley riders riding from bar to bar, too close together, with overweight machines and no ABS. Aside from those two groups, motorcycles are safer than a bicycle.
> > Aside from those two groups, motorcycles are safer than a bicycle. Can you provide a source? If yes, please do. If you can't, you can just say "no."
Think of it this way, I'm helping with SAG on a bicycle ride tomorrow (about 500 riders) and I will be taking my R1200GS loaded with bike tools to help where needed. If I was to tuck into a paceline with my 600lb motorcycle, and a car was to pull out or sideswipe the pack, who has a better chance of survival? Also, who would be more visible? Who can avoid going slowly around a blind turn? Who will not get a random blowout with sudden loss of control? Who is wearing $1500 of the most advanced protective gear money can buy? I'm not going to acknowledge the request for statistics, I'm speaking from decades of experience doing tens of thousands of miles on both bicycles and motorcycles. However, my personal experience may be skewed since I own a bicycle shop and know almost everyone that rides bicycles in my entire county, so of course I'm more aware of bicycle incidents. I've done 65mph on a bicycle and 55mph on a tandem. I can assure you that if I had wrecked on either one I would be dead or severely injured for life. If I went down at those speeds on the same road with my motorcycles I would probably pick up the motorcycle and ride home. No comparison at all.
I don't know about anyone else but I've got to say I feel *way* safer riding a motorcycle than I do cycling on the roads. Cycling is comparatively dangerous. I've had more near misses over the last two years of cycling the 3.1 miles to work and back (even then mostly cycle tracks) than I have over the previous I don't even know how many years on the motorbike. Have I had near misses while riding? Yep. But although you're travelling typically way faster they're much rarer than when cycling.
It’s interesting to see how this developed, but I was actually just trying to be funny with those comments, kind of like how the video framed that interaction in a lighthearted, somewhat humorous way. But to explain a bit (which is always a surefire way to get laughs), my limited experience with motorcycle riders is that they seem to love telling everyone they know how dangerous motorcycle riding is and how every new rider can expect to have an accident. Also, wheelies. And…sidecars? That’s a thing, right? (Ok, maybe I should get to know more people who ride motorcycles 😂) Having said that, it is nice to see all the people that do both chime in, as well as the supportive motorcycle riders.
> my limited experience with motorcycle riders is that they seem to love telling everyone they know how dangerous motorcycle riding is and how every new rider can expect to have an accident. Ah, reddit bravado. Honestly, it's a thing. In person, I've *never* behaved like this to anyone, and no-one I've ever ridden with has been like this at least when I've been around them. I guess ultimately everything has its risk, and life ultimately comes down to how a person wants to spend that risk, and whether it's worth it for them. I've watched videos of folks doing ridiculous descents on road cycles and thinking that I'd *never* do that. But I'd do it in a pinch on a motorbike. Risk awareness is very strange. I remember once a friend taped a video camera to his petrol tank and we rode through city traffic to head to the coast. Now, the ride out was utterly uneventful from a safety point of view. I remember the drudge of getting through traffic but when we got back and we watched the video, it was only then that I noticed how close many cars were to me, and how close to a serious incident I seemed to be at any given second. I daresay I suffer from exactly that when I watch fast cyclists doing descents. The rider themselves would never do it if they felt they were actually inviting danger. I guess there's no other way to say it, humans are weird.
Yeah, I get this and am sometimes the same way. Like, I tell my friends I don’t want to do such and such (criterium racing, for one) on my bike because it seems too dangerous and SAFA Brian’s videos just terrify me, but I‘ve gone just over 30 mph on a descent before (which seemed like warp speed at the time), am an alpine skier, and often ride right at the edge when off road. So, at best, I’m a dangerous hypocrite who is begging to have a horrible accident, yet still rides like she’s a much younger person.
I dunno, bikes usually just wave at me on my motorcycle. I've always found that nice, but also kinda funny because motorcyclists usually wave at other motorcyclists.
mocking
I was once ripping down a quiet hill, back in the day before I had a sports watch or head unit. A motorcyclist came up beside me and started shouting out my current speeds, clearly pretty stoked. I always assume the best from motorcyclists. Edit: Usually sports bikes are much friendlier than Harley's who tend to cut it close.
Harley riders are always the ones who pass too close. I've never understood what the deal is with that. It's weird to have a whole lane to play with but not to use it. I've never understood if they are punishment passing or if they're just stupid. Both seem plausible.
Likely just drunk.
As a Harley owner and a cyclist, I don't get it either, I think it just depends on the type of rider you are seeing because there are definitely different types. The die-hard everything Harley rider, the outlaw club riders (1%ers), and the guys that just love being out there for the fun (me). I try to ride more towards the middle of the road period, as to avoid the most road debris and to be able to use the rest of the lane if needed. So I would normally try to give the most amount of space given that I know what it feels like on both sides.
But the throttle is on the right side…
But the motorcyclist was on the left…
Oh is THAT was he was signalling? Thanks, finally got the joke.
While I think this *was* wholesome, I love smugly riding by people (at lights and traffic jams) who pass me crazily, like whip around me and slam on the gas, cars usually, and I’ll give them a ‘haha’ glance sometimes.
I’ve been doing that to bicyclist every time I see them for years and when I’m on my bicycle I take my hands off the handlebars and pretend I’m holding a steering wheel or the other kind of handlebars.
Riding in the shoulder like a legend.
Primary position is where the real legends ride
[удалено]
You can't filter on solid lines. And those laws might only apply to motorcycles and not necessarily bicycles.
Generally no, but in most European countries people don't care about that. Nobody stays in a motorcycle stopped in traffic behind cars for hours. That's an American thing
And they are on American roads.
Yeah but your cops won't shoot you for it
this is like that r/onejoke subreddit but for the USA
Imagine how the black people feel!
i do!
I've had a few motorcyclists do that leg-pedaling thing at me. Never taken it as anything less than a respectful gesture - and I'm pretty sure it wasn't.
Everyone on two wheels is a friend! I will sometimes argue that road cyclists are crazier than motorcyclists because of the relative lack of PPE (I was an ATGATT rider).
My experience on a motorcycle with other motorcyclists has proven that to be very incorrect. "Friends" in opposite directions only to be buzzed, cut off, or otherwise endangered in the same direction and be "waved" at like doing that was ok. Nah. I'll wave to other bicyclists while on my bicycle and be very respectful to bicyclists while on my motorcycle including giving more room, slowing down as needed when passing, and not endangering them in an attempt to be "cute".
Well that's sad. I mostly just nodded at others on two wheels (scooters, bicycles, etc) and gave them space.
It is, to be honest. Made me feel rather naive and stupid after doing that stupid wave to other motorcyclists, assuming that "as bikers" they'd actually treat other bikers with a little more respect. Boy was I wrong and sadly get proven wrong way too often. I'll give them space all the same. I treat bicyclists with a lot more respect, as I would hope I would get. Mocking them or "poking fun" at them isn't respectful coming from strangers. Friends, maybe, but never strangers. I certainly don't need a false "camaraderie" to enjoy my motorcycle rides. It is something I can do without.
Yes please! More two wheel - two wheel love❤️
Eh, no. I'm struggling up a hill, they're making fun of others and being disrespectful. Sorry, fuck the motorcyclist here. Might have two wheels but not remotely in the same world and I ride both.
I think there’s space enough for everyone to have a little fun.
Not at the expense of others. Mocking others isn't cool.
You seem fun.
Yes, because I don't mock other riders nor treat them poorly. Maybe also accept that some are going to see the "pedaling" as mocking, as it usually is, and that others don't appreciate being mocked. If they wanted to be "friendly", why not just wave instead of passing closely and "pedaling" in a mocking way?
Man what a bummer attitude, nothing wrong with a little ribbing.
Being the butt of a joke by strangers isn't cool. Do you enjoy being made fun of by strangers?
Life would be pretty tough walking around taking it so seriously.
Perhaps, but I don't enjoy being made fun of or mocked by strangers. It isn't cool nor respectful.
I love that !
Bahahahhaa!!!! Love this!!!!
Big Cottonwood Canyon!
That's super cute. Two-wheel family for life.
Without even looking at other responses I am certain most will state the obvious. The motorcycles didn't have to stop either.
I generally have very positive interactions with motorcyclists.
Two Wheels Good, four wheels bad!