Quote:
Originally Posted by Ming
Time For a Smaller Car Standard?
By Ming
www.gminsidenews.com
5/12/08
You can speed down the freeway on a Suzuki Hayabusa crotch rocket,
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As a "sport-bike" rider I get a little irritated with the notion that anyone who rides a non-cruiser (ie: Harley) is a speed-demon. Can we get past this stereo-type that all people riding so called "crotch-rockets" are young men driven to speed, do wheelies and all sorts of crazy things?
I'm a 32 years old male who rides my Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R for both pleasure and commuting to work. I chose to ride a sport-bike instead of a cruiser simply because I enjoy the feel and handling capabilities compared to a heavier cruiser. In a normal year I put anywhere from 8-9k miles a year on my bike. Currently my motorcycle has 29k miles on it. I'll be putting heated grips on my bike to extend my riding season very soon. Another rider near me, who is a 60-ish male rides his ZX-9R about 30k miles year.
If anyone simply looks at the people riding motorcycles these days, who do you tend to see wearing protective clothing? Sure there are those sport-bike riders who wear insufficient clothing. However, you will see those who do! I've put serious money in my protective clothing to make sure that I have the best chances at surviving a fall, if it happens. Yes, I've gone down once due to road-grime (nope, speed wasn't a factor) but I walked away with NO injuries.
So it would be nice to actually get past this negative image that ALL sport-bike riders are crazy. I will fully admit that there are those who are, but not all. You might as well say everyone who drives a Mustang is drag-racer! I know that isn't the case, but if 1 out of 100 have drag-raced on the street it must be true!
As for safety on the street, it would be nice if people actually drove a little more careful with the knowledge that more and more people are actually riding their motorcycles. How about checking your blind-spots? How about not pacing the driver in the middle or slow lane on the expressway while your in the "passing" lane? How about not driving down the "passing" lane when NO ONE is in the middle or slow lane? How about using your turn-signals to let people know what you're doing? How about using your brakes to indicate that you're slowing down instead of just letting off the throttle? How about not reading/putting on make-up/shaving/etc etc while you're driving? If we as a people actually tried to be responsible for our driving maybe more drivers (of motorcycles, cars and trucks) would make it home safely to their families.