Fucking motorcycles

The BBQ Pit
#1

Over the past year, I’ve been hearing a radio ad paid for by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation pointing out that the front drivers windshield support makes a good view blocker, causing many car drivers to make a left turn, hitting and killing many motorcyclists. The ad ends with something to the tune of “Don’t Live with a Lifetime of Regret” by hitting and killing a biker.

Fair enough, as a matter of fact, I have a good friend that was killed on a Harley this way.

Interestingly ENOUGH, this ad is running in Pennsylvania, a state where helmets are not required (which, by the way, my friend was not wearing).

Before I have to endure another lecture from the same friggin’ state that legalized riding these death machines without helmets, how about running THESE ads to . . . MOTORCYCLISTS:

  1. Tailgating motorists then passing them at 65 mph in a 45 mph zone, with an unhelmeted passenger riding bitch . . . at 10:45 at night . . . might be a LITTLE dangerous.

  2. Weaving in and out of traffic in a traffic jam to get ahead of cars is not the safest thing in the world.

  3. Just because you LOOK like a tough biker, without a helmet, doesn’t give you the right to ride up my ass in the passing lane when I’m going 75mph.

  4. You might think its macho, but not everyone at the open air restaurant appreciates it when your rev up your tough, manly Harleys, not only deafening the other patrons, but spilling noxious fumes into the restaurant itself. Sorry, gasoline vapors do NOT make good seasoning on a a steak fajita, and frankly, aren’t very good for the environment, either.

  5. Despite what YOU might think, the freeway is NOT a fucking MotoGP track, free for you and your wanna-be Hell’s Angels asshole buddies to be holding a 90-100mph sprint on, endangering not only your worthless asses, but more importantly, other motorists.

I’m not even going to get into the fact that just the vehicle itself leads to clubs that turn into gangs of criminal piece of shit scumbags like the Hell’s Angels, Mongols, or Outlaws, or Pagans or the Warlocks.

Or that every single friend I know that owns a motorcycle, not minus ONE exception, has been in at least one wipeout that sent them to the hospital.

Nor will I at this time complain about how a nice, quiet afternoon can be easily ruined by Evel Knievel Jr. down the street revving up his hog all day, and then riding up and down our street over the speed limit at 150+ decibels.

And I will hold my tongue at saying that if I had my druthers, I would dump every single fucking motorcycle into the sea, and have them wiped off the planet forever—because I’m sure some smart ass motorcyclist will point out one thing I do that annoys them, so I will continue to hold my tongue at saying that.

But Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, until you make motorcyclists wear helmets again, and start cracking down on these two wheeled assholes menacing our highways, please, please spare ME the fucking lecture.

#2

This is why lane-splitting should be legal in every state. It’s much safer than weaving in and out of lanes.

As for the rest… You know there’s a difference between ‘bikers’ and ‘motorcyclists’, right? Don’t lump us all together.

#3

I thought South Dakota was the only state that didn’t require helmets?

#4

We’ve had this discussion on these boards before, and come to the conclusion that loud pipes don’t save lives - they just annoy everyone, everywhere. I walk A LOT, and I truly hate it when a Harley drives near me. I think there should be a fitting punishment for people who drive loud motorcycles; maybe forcing them to listen to the sound of their own bike in their own home, all day, every day.

#5

It’s ignorant statements like that that make us law abiding riders look bad. There’s a reason the people you refer to in that stupid statement are called One Percenters.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I agree with plenty of your statements. I respect bikers when I’m in my car, but I feel many of them don’t respect the cars. Weaving in and out of traffic is never a good idea, cars already have a very hard time seeing bikes on the road and doing some of the things you describe make it even harder. But saying that owning a motorcycle will, for a fact, turn me into a criminal piece of shit scumbag makes you an asshole.

Wisconsin doesn’t. I wear one, but it’s not required by law.

#6

Lots of states don’t - I know none of the Four Corners states do, and I don’t believe Texas does either.

#7

Why would you say you’re not going to get into it and then get into it.

I’ll bet more of your friends ride then you realize.

And here you are complaining about it.

That’s the opposite of holding your tongue

Want to know something, a lot of drivers are assholes too, a lot of people on bicycles are jerkoffs, a lot of truck drivers are idiots, a lot of pedestrians are self entitles fuckers and yet you pin it all on the motorcycles. Why does it bother you so much. If we are the scum of the earth why are you so worked up over us?
You’re wound a little tight aren’t you.

#8

Can’t speak for the OP, but for me it’s the fucking noise.

A guy at work (who rides) was selling church raffle tickets for a HD. $10, so I bought one. He asked if I would ride it if I won, and I told him I would crush it. He didn’t like that, and thought I was crazy since it was worth over $15,000. I told him that if I won it, it was worth $10 and it would be totally worth crushing. One less fucking noisemaker on the street.

#9

Indiana and Kentucky don’t. I’ve seen many a rider tuck the helmet in a saddlebag the first exit into Kentucky from Tennessee.

#10

I am so not a fan of loud pipes. There’s some jerk who loves taking his motorcycle around my quiet neighborhood, and he’s got loud pipes. Outside, I find it very uncomfortable to painful to be out there when he rides past. Inside, I can hear his bike loud and clear, when I’ve got train tracks only a block away that barely register a quiet rumble when trains go past. Meanwhile, the only car I’ve ever heard inside my house was when my sister-in-law and niece lived upstairs, and the niece was dating some jerk with a tricked-out car that had what I’d be really be surprised to hear was a legal exhaust on it. He revved it up while waiting for my niece to come outside, and my sister-in-law went out to tell him this was a nice quiet neighborhood and he needed to keep it down.

I’m a bicyclist at heart, I know it’s dangerous to not be in a car out there. But man, loud pipes take away about half of my sympathy.

#11

Nor does New Hampshire. Live free and die.

#12

Or why not just wait in the queue of traffic like everybody else? :confused:

#13

South Carolina is another.

#14

Texas doesn’t if you have health insurance, or have taken a riders safety course.

#15

What’s the “philosophy” behind some bikers refusing to wear a helmet (i.e. something that could very well save their lives at some point in the future) ? Because they’re rebels ?

#16

Think “sex without a condom.”

Now, I’ve only put about 4 miles on my bike without a helmet, but it is more fun. Wind in your hair, you can hear what’s going on around you etc… But it makes my ears cold.

#17

several reasons.

One, because motorcycles tend to overheat when sitting still to long. Especially air cooled bikes, but some water cooled ones as well. Cars have a big radiator with a fan and can essentially run all day sitting still if in good condition. Not so with most bikes.

Two, around here, heat exhaustion/stroke can be a real problem in the summer. even in a non-air conditioned car you at least have shade.

Three, the biggest one. it’s dangerous as hell. In stop and go driving it’s very common for someone to not be paying attention and bump the car ahead of them. No big deal in a car, usually no damage done. On a bike this can mean a lot of damage/injury. I’ve had this happen to me on three different occasions while ridding a motorcycle. So many states allow lane splitting so the bikes can get out of harms way. In other states, the cops will often look the other way when a motorcycleist does this for the above reasons…i’ve had them tell me so.

#18

For me helmets kept the bugs, stones, and other road detritus out of my face, if I had a big monster windshield to protect me I might go lidless. I would also wear my leathers in summer, for the same reason to protect from road debris and of course road rash. But I’ve never fallen off in 10,000 miles of riding.

Motorcycles aren’t the problem it’s the inconsiderate riders who are the problem…

#19

As a motorcyclist, I just have one question:

*Where *did you find fajitas in Pennsylvania? I’m always on the lookout for good tex-mex.

#20

My emergency room doctor friends call unhelmeted motorcyclists:“organ donors on the hoof”.
Seriously, on nice summer nights, you are sitting in an outdoor cafe…and then some cretin on a unmufflered Harley roars up-and keeps revving the thing up. At those moments, my thoughts turn to gorey deaths…