Anyone who has ridden a motorcycle knows that it’s not the fall that hurts, it’s the sudden stop at the end. If you ride a bike, understand that eventually, you will fall off. For those of you who think it will never happen to you then you’re kidding yourselves. I’ve got loads of seat time on both the road and racetrack and I can tell you from experience that crashing on the street is much, much worse than a track crash. Odds are if you go down on the street, you and your bike have been hit or you have made a miscalculation and are going to hit something… it’s just the way it is.
Going down on the track however, while looking more spectacular, generally results in less injuries due to the amount of run off that you have when you go down. Yes the speeds are higher and lean angles are more severe but you are also in an environment that was constructed to be as safe as possible. On the street there are simply too many variables that one needs to account for to be truly safe. There are those of you who will read this and think I’m some kind of safety weenie. Keep in mind though that I’ve been riding motorcycles for 20 years and it’s because of my safety equipment that I’m still here to write about them today.
You may also be one of those guys who cries like a little girl when it’s hot outside. If that’s the case, then get over it and start to use that little monkey brain God gave you. Here in Queens, NY I see these jerk-off’s on a daily basis. You probably recognize them as well. Generally they’re riding some type of Gixxeryamasaki wearing nothing but a wife beater t-shirt, a helmet that’s unfastened, work boots and a pair of ripped jeans. They just bought the most powerful bike on the market, put no money down and financed it for 72 months so they’d look cool in front of their friends. They’ll also most likely be dead in a week.
I get passionate about this because I’ve seen too many young kids get killed because they were stupid, didn’t listen to the advice of more experienced riders or just wanted to show off. Guys, if you’re reading this PLEASE, do your research, take a safety course and be careful. While riding is still one of the best adventures on the open road, it can be very dangerous if you’re not properly prepared.