Introduction
I
would like to tell you something about my newest passion. I mean motorbikes and
my whole (really short) adventure related with this topic. I am not a typical
motorcyclist because my first time on a motorbike was during a driving course.
I had never ridden on any two wheels with a motor (even a scooter) before these
lessons. That is why, when the first day of my course came, I was pretty
excited and, to be honest, I am still excited every time I ride on my machine.
Oh, but maybe I should explain why I started so late… When I was a little
younger I thought that I was too silly for that, and definitely I would do
something irresponsible so I decided to wait till I would be a little more
responsible. Fortunately, when I turned 25 I realized that moment would never
come, therefore I decide to start my journey now. :)
What does
it look like?
My
course lasted one month and after that I lost another one month to pass the
exams (unfortunately I had to take it twice). I have had my driving license
since September 5th. Since then my kilometres’ score is about 2000 km and it is
still rising. But for me that whole course and exams weren’t the most difficult
part… Definitely it was shopping. What motorbike would be the best? Should a uniform
be made of leather or textile? Helmets -> wow such many options… Last but not least: why is it so expensive? Finally,
after reading many articles I decided to buy a leather jacket and textile
trousers. Also I bought an integral helmet by Shoei and
that treasure:
(Yamaha FZ6 600ccm 72kW@76kW,
akrapovic exhaust… Yes, I am proud:) )
Is it
safe?
I
had heard this question many times and I didn’t know the good answer to it so I
had to find it out. I decided to check the statistical data and here you have
some facts:
·
Over
one million motorbikes are registered in Poland
·
2210
accidents
·
2 075 wounded and 253 killed
·
In 967 cases motorcyclists
were offenders
To
compare those data I have checked the global statistics of accidents in Poland.
There we have nearly 25 million vehicles with an engine (motorbikes are
included) which have taken part in 36000 accidents with 3357 killed and 44059
wounded.
The probability (the number of accidents/the number of
all vehicles) of an accident is 0,00144, which is a little lower than the probability
of a motorbike accident (0,00221). Also the probability to be killed in an
accident is a little higher when you use a motorbike (0,09325 for all machines
and 0,12192 for motorcycles). Hmm so it doesn’t look so bad. Of course it
is only the statistics…
Causes of
accidents
As you can see less than 50% of accidents were
caused by motorcyclists. We have two main factors which are responsible for the
majority of accidents:
·
The speed
·
Forcing the right of way by cars
Personally I agree with these reasons. I have
had four similar situations since I received my driving license. Every time the
other driver wasn’t focused on the road and, what is more, his or her moves
were in a rush. As a result, they forced
me to rapid breaking. In my opinion this kind of behaviour is really dangerous
because it gives us short time for a reaction. Also we should remember the
police who unofficially highlights the fact that in many cases
motorcyclists drive definitely with too high speed. So maybe this is an answer
to a question why the society has such a bad opinion about bikers? What do you
think about safety on motorbikes? Do you have any experience related with it? Oh,
one more thing if you want to feel these emotions in real, check this video out. Of course it is a little exaggerated.
First things first... congratulations! It's very cool machine, especially for the first bike.
ReplyDeleteEquipment is very important. It's better when you spend less on motorbike but buy more safer equipment (btw. I reckon Shoei is one of the best brand - you made a great choice).
As we are with safety...
"What do you think about safety on motorbikes?"
As far as you have your head screwed on you're good. Of course there are so many external factors that can cause the accident. But on motorbike you have to be 100% focused. You have to predict almost everything. And the most important: limited trust to others.
"So maybe this is an answer to a question why the society has such a bad opinion about bikers?"
This question should be more detailed... OUR society... there is no problem about bikers in for example Italy. They use motorbikes entire year (it's true, they have much better weather conditions). All of them are very positive to bikers. In our country every year, when the biker season starts, people have to recall to be more careful on the street.
"Do you have any experience related with it?"
Yes, I have. But I have to prepare some picture :) So, I'll answer this question latter.
Thank you, for a long time I was thinking about choice of my first moto, but altogether thanks to your advice I decided to buy something stronger.
DeleteI completely agree with you in terms of safety. Both outfit and skills are extremely important. Moreover, like my instructor says "Motorcyclists are the one group of drivers, which improve their skills FIRST OF ALL for themselves".
Unfortunately again you're right, I meant our society. The advantage is, I personally notice the improvement in this case. Admittedly as the motorcyclist I don't have such a big experience, but as a driver I have noticed changes in a behaviour of other car owners. F.ex. making of a place for motorcyclists in a traffic jam. So it's a little bit better.
So now let's come back to last question. I've just prepared beautiful picture :)
DeleteTake a look:
http://www.img.pl/dqrg
I'm riding a motorbike of course (I'm honest, it's about 50-60 km/h). There is a huge jam on the opposite lane. Car in the middle decided not to stuck in the traffic. The guy is making a turn. I can bet, that if I had driven a car I wouldn't have been able to make right movement to avoid crash. Only because on a bike I'm 100% focused and all the time I value the situation on the road. In the car... come on, how would be thinking that some guy is going to cross the solid line?
@Przemek that’s a really nice picture, good job! ;) The situation which you described a great example of haste by car drivers. Say nothing about crossing the solid line without making sure that road was really empty… Anyway, congratulations for your reflexes and good skill.
DeleteSimilar topic was covered last term (http://konwersatorium3.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-dose-of-adrenaline.html) and I still do not have much experience in this matter. Last time I did not answer most of the questions asked, so I will share my opinion this time. Why the society has such a bad opinion about bikers? Maybe it’s generalization, but most of them ride too fast – it’s simple as that. You do not buy a machine like that, just to go under 50 in the city. It would be hard for me to recall the situation, when I did not see a guy speeding on a motorbike (the same goes with fast cars). I also do not get why people are buying Harley’s. Maybe this is the reason: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGyKBFCd_u4 ? Of course I’m now making ironic remarks, many people just enjoy the freedom, that motorbikes give, but I’m not a big fan – especially for the safety reasons. You attached many statistics, but very often motorbikes behave like daredevils – they think that they will make it, they adrenaline rush pushes them to the limit and sometimes their best is not good enough neither for them, nor for other people. We can say the same for sports car etc. But when I see biker outside the city, they’re way over the speed limit.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless I'm happy for you, that you have found a new interest, but I ask you - ride safely. You have only one life.
First of all thank you for your opinion. You have written that you didn't have much experience with motorbikes but I think you have never ridden it, am I right? A lot of people who haven't even sat on a motorcycle makes such a generalization. F.ex. Who in Warsaw rides under 50 km/h? People in a ‘normal’ car? I don’t think so… Of course some motorcyclists ride really too fast but in my opinion they are in the minority.
DeleteLastly but definitely not least You have a hundred percent of right! Ride safely is the most important thing so everybody should more think on (any) wheels.
Let me show you my machine:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.img.pl/Sprg
And some really nice video (using GoPro):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Notfu4akdX8
Nice motorbike. I guess it is a little more aggressive than mine;)
DeleteI can say just 3 things about that video: great rider, great machine and great views!
Motorbikes…. Ahhh i will be honest with you so i need to say that i don’t like motorbikes and bikers. It doesn't mean that I do something wrong or bad to them, quite opposite I try to life with them in harmony every day on the roads. Guess who I am? I`m a car driver and i see and know about wrong behaves but not only from our side. I always look to my mirrors in searching for bikers and I try to create some free space for motorbikes when I stay in traffic jam. I do a lot for bikers but what they do for me??? Fortunately the winter is coming…
ReplyDeleteI am a car driver too and to be honest I don’t get your opinion;) What do you(as a car driver) expect from bikers? Great to hear that you try to create some free space for motorbikers in traffic jam and I am sure they usually move their left hand up to say: thanks! Of course I don't think that every motorcyclist behave in a good way but when I have read your opinion I really didn’t get why you don’t like us ;)
DeleteTom, tell us about your top speed on your black arrow :) How fast it is? Around 3 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h? In my honest opinion "bikes" aren't as safe as cars, that's why I prefer driving a car. Something to watch:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCH18YmGtnk
My top speed was a little more than 200 km/h but only for few seconds ;) My motorbike type is naked(also called standard) what means It doesn't have any fairings or windscreens so the wind is very annoying on a higher-speed.
Delete0 to 100 km/h? Check this video out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDma1CtPiIA
I read this article with smile on My face. I have accident on motorbike three months ago. Brother My girlfriend bought a motorbike. Many times He was offered me a ride and finally I agreed. I never before ridden on a motorcycle, so He told Me everything about this. After this lesson I ridden seven meters and I fell down before turn right. I smashed the glass and My elbow. Brother My Girlfriend nothing said about this situation, but on His face I saw disappointment. To this day I'm afraid to get on the motorbike. This is My story with motorbike.
ReplyDelete@Piotr as the People say, "first pancake is always spoiled” :) I hope you are already all right and someday you will defeat your fear. I am curious: what motorbike?
Delete@Piotr, that wasn't an accident - just a learning experience :) I think your fear comes from the awareness of damaging someone's machine.
ReplyDeleteI started my little passion for motorbikes in almost the same moment as Tomasz did - at 24yrs, when i was eligible for the highest motorcyclist licence I decided to take the course as i was dragged into this world mainly by my older brother (who now rides only on circuits, never on the streets :) ). I've never ridden a bike before and in the first lesson my instructor sat me down on a 600cc Yamaha XJ6. It took me 3 falls on the training ground to get the feel and basics of controlling bigger bikes :)
Now I'm rocking with the 2nd gen Honda Hornet, heritaged from my brother and I'll be looking for something newer and more sporty, to test myself on the track, as for me the most fun in motorcycling comes from cornering, and it's devilishly stupid to practice that on the streets.
Regarding safety and road behaviours from cars and motorcycles, you can't generally blame one or the other. Motorcyclists often tend to bend road rules by mainly squeezing themselves between the lanes in all the wrong situations. Combine that with (still) huge unawareness of motorbikes within car drivers (whis is - not observing the surroundings and staying in their 'comfort zone') and the mixture causes accidents (more or less severe).
PS. Tomasz - why did you go with textile trousers? I heard stories and reports that in the event a lowside (knock on the wood!), textile clothing tend to heat up rapidly and burn into the skin (if you do not have any protective pad benath the material). I think the all-leather clothing is the most secure option between the two.
Honda Hornet is a very nice motorbike. My final choice was between FZ6 and Hornet but I decided to buy Yamaha because I had had an opportunity to test it.
DeleteTo be honest I have bought textile trousers because my wallet said to me ‘hey man! I can’t do it anymore’:) so as you can see it wasn’t a decision- I just had to choose a cheaper option. Of course I will buy something better and safer for new season but I am still not sure what exactly it will be(leather or just better textile).
First thing. Congratulations !!
ReplyDeleteNow lets get to the topic :)
Motorbikes aren't safe and they never will be safe. But it is not your fault. It is hard to talk about safety when full impact of car crushing your motorbikes or hitting a tree is going on your body. There is nothing that will protect you. Helmet ? Lets be serious, look how helmet helped Julies Binachi in his last accident.
BUT I know why you're doing this. You will never receive so many emotions and feeling of freedom sitting in the car. I know that from my quad bike. I just love it when I can speed through the woods ! :)
Dry safe my friend
Thank you! ;) I totally agree with you that emotions and feeling freedom is priceless and not comparable to anything else.
DeleteYou ask how helmet helped Jules Bianchi? Hmm He is still alive… this is really important, don't you think so? ;)
I always wanted to drive a motorbike as the american biker / rock'n'roller / troublemaker culture appealed to me. After my 18th birthday I decided to start taking driving lessons, as most of my friends were doing at that time but instead of learning to drive a car first, to get a taste of what it's like to be in the traffic I started from the A. category. That was my first mistake, as I now know that it's much easier to get used to driving when enclosed in a metal can. My second mistake was starting the course in late autumn, when it was raining and already cold as hell. I didn't have proper clothing so every time I finished my lesson I could barely stand up from the motorbike. I guess I was also unlucky with my instructor, as he just gave me the basics and locked himself in the trailer for 2h every time, leaving me to practice and experiment on my own, on the training track. I got to drive outside on the streets on my last lesson, it was raining and I had a helmed with it's glass missing. So I was cold, absolutely scared of big trucks passing me and blind because of the rain. Because of that, I didn't see the traffic lights and crossed on red one, barely making it before the cars came. That's how my adventure with driving stopped for four years :p
ReplyDeleteRight now I'm driving a car for almost a year now and maybe I'll try motorcycle when it gets warmer.
Congrats! It's always nice to hear about people fulfilling their passions.
ReplyDeleteI never tried riding a motorcycle but I do own a scooter and I'm very enhusiastic about it. Amongst numberous advantages of having the one-wheel vehicle the most significant is the convenience of riding it in the city. It's small so you can park it literally everywhere without paying a parking tax. Traffic jams are no longer a problem as you pass by all the cars stuck in it.
Also, riding a scooter is much more economic than a car. For about £5 you will fill tank and ride on it up to 200 kilometers! After reading statistics that you're invoking, I must agree that riding a motorcycle seems a bit dangerous. That's why it's good to get some experience before you start riding this machine. As a warmup for all beginners I would recommend a scooter.
I only rode a motorbike as a passanger on short distances, and it was a small bike, a 125ccm sccoter. My boyfriend was thinking of getting the A category driving license before the new law regarding 125ccm motorbikes had been introduced in Poland (it is now allowed to ride such motorbikes with B cat. driving license - if you held it for more then 3 years). He only wanted to ride a scooter, exactly a 125ccm one, and now the law allows him to do so, which was a bit of a (positive) surprise.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the possibility of convenient transportation in a big city thanks to the sizes of motorbikes, they also are easy to park anywhere and the mentioned scooter uses only around 2-2,5l of petrol per 100km, but personally I don't like riding a motorbike and don't have trust in Polish car drivers yet :)
Nice motorbike! Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteI'd like to have only such problems as what equipement to buy!
I'm not really into motorbikes (at least not yet) but I can spend countless hours surfing the internet and comparing various gear I need for my hobby. I think I like it too much because sometimes it takes more time than actual hobby activity.
Regarding safety on motorbikes. I thinks it is bsically the same case as with cars. As long as you have your head screwed on and you pay attention to the situation on the road everything should be fine!
Very nice bike! Sorry, your adventure with motorcycles is just getting started and you are trying to fight stereotypes:-) I've had motorcycle for many years, as a motorcyclist, unfortunately, I agree with all the stereotypes: D you will see... :-) The bike rides are mainly for pleasure and so is no common sense invited :-). If you choose a naked motorcycle sure you want do alot of wheelies :-) if you choose racing moto for sure you will want to feel its power and acceleration ... unfortunately it is true. I wish you luck, and at most upholstered elbow:-) just if you understand these stereotypes and admit to them, you will drive safer. Now that you know that you are perceived as a madman on the road and you're ofcourse one, you at least try to stop the madness where it can really hurt you or someone else.
ReplyDeleteLovely one, as for the first bike! To be honest I wanted to buy Yamaha FZ6 for myself as well because it's a good point to start your motorcycle journey which never ends! Changing standard exhaust installed in this model for Leo Vince's or Akrapovic's one is highly recommended as far as it modify and increases the sound of an exhaustion. Motorcycle users obviously love it but of course it attracts attention of other drivers what might occur handy and in some cases even save our life because we become more noticeable. If it comes to safety case it is always about driving consciously, road is a very dangerous place and we should considerately take every maneuver. Involving some basic rules plus common sense will maximize pleasure of going for a ride will be pure pleasure! Yet choosing clothes is a very difficult issue and in my opinion the reason for that is finding balance between quality of our suit and price.
ReplyDeleteFor now I'm just getting some experience and then when the time and self confidence will be appropriate I will probably change my current bike for either yamaha R1, or Suzuki Hayabusa.