Experienced riders VS posers

[steveknapp]

Everyone wishing to purchase a motorcycle (that is after they have the MC license that is) must take and pass an Motorcycle safety class before he/she could actually purchases the bike for themselves to ride.

 

So before I can go buy any new bike, as an "reasonably experienced" rider, I need to take a safety class? All to keep Johnny from buying a 'busa as his first vehicle and killing himself?

 

Uh, no. Sorry.

 

Waivers? What's wrong with it as is? Do the new riders sue the dealer (shhh...don't give them any ideas)? Do the dealers feel bad?

 

Hi, I'm Steve, and I take responsbility for my own life and the choices I make.

[Quint]

I can't see the humor in this... NOT! (ha ha)

 

[bobiverson]

OK... I admit... it's slightly amusing.

 

But now that I've seen it, I am interpreting it as just another Harley bashing thread and I'm going to quit this message board.

 

BOB

[Rags]

Personally, I'd like to see tiered licensing based on substantial training here in the US so that a 16 year old with no riding experience can't (legally) ride a liter bike home from the shop. That's a tragedy (or comedy if you prefer) waiting to happen. Training and experience are good things.

 

I just don't think the dealer is the right one to ensure that the rider's skills/judgement are basically adequate given a particular bike. Give that responsibility to somebody with no financial interest in pleasing the customer.

 

I agree.

 

With our current system, I would like to see the dealers at least ask to see that the buyer has a valid motorcycle license or learner's permit if they're buying a street-legal motorcycle.

 

Nobody has ever asked to see my license before I buy a bike.

 

Nobody asked me in '82, '92, & 04 when purchasing from a dealer. I rode for 15 yrs without a MC cert. (because they didn't have them - you just needed a drivers license).

 

A bar can be held liable for a driving impaired customer in an accident. The very least I would think to be prudent - would be the person (doesn't have to be buyer) driving the bike off the lot have a mc cert. They have to fill out paperwork its pretty easy to get it verified at that point.

 

I test drove a Vrod in CA and they wouldn't let me off their parking lot because I had a NV license.

 

That said, it doesn't mean it would have prevented that accident, it would just shield the dealer from a negligence charge.

[Quint]

Hey Bob... be very careful here. You just might start a mass exodus.

 

(By the way, I used to ride a Harley and loved it. But I didn't like the way peope who knew nothing about bikes whatsoever would buy a Harley - because it was a Harley - and then get all the weekend warrior gear, and beetle around with next to no skills, trying to look cool. They tended to be people who would follow a trend for a season or two, and then move on to the next trend. You know... fickle!) But hey, I didn't mean to go on Harley bashing spree.

[russell_bynum]

OK... I admit... it's slightly amusing.

 

But now that I've seen it, I am interpreting it as just another Harley bashing thread and I'm going to quit this message board.

 

BOB

 

I don't care who you are, that's funny right there.

 

[Gregori]

... But now that I've seen it, I am interpreting it as just another Harley bashing thread and I'm going to quit this message board.

 

Hey now - the guy RIDING the Harley bashed it first!

(And man, did he ever...)

 

G.

[Francois_Dumas]

Since these people head out onto the public streets it is clearly the task of the government to see to proper education, licensing and enforcement.

Oh, so maybe the government should take up the task of selling motorcycles, in order to protect people from their own excesses, like they do with alcoholic beverages in Scandanavian countries.

 

 

 

Don

 

Nope, that's not what I said and meant (and I think you know it )

 

The government is responsible for law enforcement - you elected them to do that for you - and SHOULD be responsible for protecting civilians (through setting rules and enforcing them) from each others possible irresponsible behavior.

That would include (it does here) riding, driving, flying, shooting equipment without proper training AND proper permits and licenses.

 

That is NOT the task of a dealer (although of course the GOOD ones will help a customer make the right decisions and warn of possible dangers and pitfalls)..... and it is of course not the task of goverment to sell anything.

 

I understand from posts here and elesewhere that in the good ol' US of A part of the picture is missing or at least incomplete as compared to Europe.

 

Just my 2 (common) cents (sense)....

[q2bruiser]

Good old America ! Lawyers, lawyers, Why is it everybody pointing the finger at the DMV, Government, Dealers etc. There is only one person to blame. The yo yo on the bike.

Sorry but everybody should be accountable for there own actions. So I will have to laugh and be thankful his actions didn't hurt anybody but himself.

 

I tend to agree with this line of thinking. We Americans have become so lazy such that we now want s "law" or the gov to do everything for us ... then we bitch about the gov or the latest law we asked for. Cest la vie I guess.

 

I believe in the good old system of personal responsibility. If I am stupid enough to do something like that, then "natural selection" is going to have a go at me. :-)

 

My $.02

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

OK... I admit... it's slightly amusing.

 

But now that I've seen it, I am interpreting it as just another Harley bashing thread and I'm going to quit this message board.

 

BOB

 

OK, in keeping with the thread title, let's even things up a bit. Anyone know where to find the video of the guy straddling a Suzuki and riding it across the street directly into a tree?

 

Or how about this gem? "C'mon honey, try it, it's easy and fun!" (I don't know what kind of bike it was, but I don't think it was a Harley...)

[Lawman]

OK... I admit... it's slightly amusing.

 

But now that I've seen it, I am interpreting it as just another Harley bashing thread and I'm going to quit this message board.

 

BOB

 

OK, in keeping with the thread title, let's even things up a bit. Anyone know where to find the video of the guy straddling a Suzuki and riding it across the street directly into a tree?

 

Or how about this gem? "C'mon honey, try it, it's easy and fun!" (I don't know what kind of bike it was, but I don't think it was a Harley...)

 

Someone please help me here!!!! If that's not funny why am I laughing my arse off now??

[WeirdHarold]

Since these people head out onto the public streets it is clearly the task of the government to see to proper education, licensing and enforcement.

Oh, so maybe the government should take up the task of selling motorcycles, in order to protect people from their own excesses, like they do with alcoholic beverages in Scandanavian countries.

 

 

 

Don

 

Nope, that's not what I said and meant (and I think you know it )

 

Yes, I know. I was trying (perhaps unsuccessfully) to be funny. But I was also trying to point out that there are limits to what government can do to encourage/direct/influence/control/coerce human behavior, and as it approaches those limits, things can get somewhat bizarre.

 

Skål,

 

Don

[Francois_Dumas]

Yes, I know Don I guess the limits in Europe and the US are somewhat (or rather a lot) different

[Albert]

I propose that known posers be required to register with local dealers in their area. This would allow dealers to protect themselves. This could be expanded eventually into a KPD or Known Poser Database that could track the movements of these miscreants so we could protect our local dealers before the problem crops up.

 

PC Disclaimer: the content of this message is meant purely to be humor. In the unlikely event that any person's riding, social, sexual preference (or any other preference for that matter), has been offended I apologize from the bottom of my heart.

[uk1200RT]

Thats OK, I was informed by a guy I met Saturday over at the local BMW store that the dealer in Jacksonville, NC sold a guy a ZX14 as his first bike. Total lack of responsibility on the riders and the dealers part.

It has nothing to do with the responsibility of the dealer. The dealer sells motorcycles. The appropriate legal paperwork is done and the buyer takes what he has bought. To say the dealer should pick and choose who he sells what to is crazy. What if you came in for your R1 and I didn't think you could handle it? So I didn't sell it to you? That would be okay with you?

One of the biggest problems in society today is lack of accountability at the personal level. If a person chooses to buy a ZX-14 for their first bike and the law permits it and they total it, it is THAT person's fault...no one elses. Maybe we should hold his dad responsible for not teaching him to ride...yeah, that would stick.

[jgrant]

I think that it is very smart for someone to move up gradually with motorcycles (or cars for that matter...although the first vehicle I ever drove on the road was a motorcylce followed by an M3 Bradley followed by an M151 Jeep...so there are exceptions to the rule) but I also am a firm believer that we should allow people to make their own decisions and accept their own consequences. I don't like it at all when someone decides for me what I can or cannot do based on their own experience and I don't think that I am alone in my sentiment.

I also think that the guy in the original video knew the dangers of riding. He was smart enough to be able to afford a $39k bike. He might not of exercised the best judgement in our opinion but that was his decision to make not ours.

 

Why is it funny to watch someone get hurt? I am sure that there are number of essays on this topic. I think there is a difference between watching a video like this in which a guy who should know better has an accident by himself and watching the same thing in which he hits a pedestrian.

 

My $0.0000002

[rfc1992]

Why do we laugh when people get hurt?

 

"Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you walk into an open sewer and die." - Mel Brooks

 

'Funny' is a point of view.

[andy45320]

At least he was wearing some protective gear.

Yeah, if he was warming up to play basketball he was protected. Looks like he just got off the bench for the 76ers

[MrHondamatic]

Looks to me like we was showing off just a tad. Based on my experience, showing off can and will bite back, no matter what you ride.

 

As much as I hate to see that happen, he has nobody else to blame.

[russell_bynum]

Why do we laugh when people get hurt?

 

"Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you walk into an open sewer and die." - Mel Brooks

 

'Funny' is a point of view.

 

"It's all funny until someone gets hurt. Then it's hilarious." -Mark Davis

 

[YamadogR1]

Thats OK, I was informed by a guy I met Saturday over at the local BMW store that the dealer in Jacksonville, NC sold a guy a ZX14 as his first bike. Total lack of responsibility on the riders and the dealers part.

It has nothing to do with the responsibility of the dealer. The dealer sells motorcycles. The appropriate legal paperwork is done and the buyer takes what he has bought. To say the dealer should pick and choose who he sells what to is crazy. What if you came in for your R1 and I didn't think you could handle it? So I didn't sell it to you? That would be okay with you?

One of the biggest problems in society today is lack of accountability at the personal level. If a person chooses to buy a ZX-14 for their first bike and the law permits it and they total it, it is THAT person's fault...no one elses. Maybe we should hold his dad responsible for not teaching him to ride...yeah, that would stick.

You are absolutely right in that it ultimately is the individual's responsiblity but I think it is also part of your responsibility as a human being to point out to this person that they ought to think about this decision before they jump on a bike like this. Nobody in his right mind would let a new pilot jump in an F15 and this is what you are doing by letting a new rider jump on something like the ZX14. I have a 19 year old son who just completed the MSF and in no way shape or form is he ready to jump on the R1. Fortunately he is smart enough to know this. In my 31 years in the Army I have seen plenty of people killed and maimed in violent manners and it is not a pretty site. To put people on these types of bikes with little or no training is just asking for it. Fortunately this guy only damaged the bike and his pride.

[Ralph]

Everyone wishing to purchase a motorcycle (that is after they have the MC license that is) must take and pass an Motorcycle safety class before he/she could actually purchases the bike for themselves to ride.

 

So before I can go buy any new bike, as an "reasonably experienced" rider, I need to take a safety class? All to keep Johnny from buying a 'busa as his first vehicle and killing himself?

 

Uh, no. Sorry.

 

Waivers? What's wrong with it as is? Do the new riders sue the dealer (shhh...don't give them any ideas)? Do the dealers feel bad?

 

Hi, I'm Steve, and I take responsbility for my own life and the choices I make.

 

Well, every dealer would know an old fart like you already has a few miles under your belt!!!

[Blake]

On the whole, I'd probably have gotten more of a chuckle out of the video if we'd seen this guy stand back up after the impact, but since there's a good chance that he, or someone he knew, sent the video in to AFV, I'm assuming/hoping he was fine beyond the bruised ego and wallet.

 

Actually, look REALLY closely, he did stand back up (by the car on the far left of the video, just as the guy running comes into view).

I'm not sure if that was a limp, but at least his dumb ass is up!

[Mike O]

...Or how about this gem? "C'mon honey, try it, it's easy and fun!" (I don't know what kind of bike it was, but I don't think it was a Harley...)

 

Folks...I'm headed home now, as I've got to go change my pants.

 

Regards,

 

Mike O

[BadAdam]

Good old America ! Lawyers, lawyers, Why is it everybody pointing the finger at the DMV, Government, Dealers etc. There is only one person to blame. The yo yo on the bike.

Sorry but everybody should be accountable for there own actions. So I will have to laugh and be thankful his actions didn't hurt anybody but himself.

 

I'm with Chugger. You guys are trying to fix a problem that can't be fixed.

 

The dude that wants to wreck a bike by getting on it while lacking the skill to ride isn't gonna be stopped by any of the paltry rules being proposed here.

 

The lame rules that we've created in this country are hypocritical in the 'land of the free'

[hANNAbONE]

OK...I am interpreting it as just another Harley bashing thread and I'm going to quit this message board. BOB

 

...wHAT tHE...

[Stir]

I hope he has a lesson learned here and becomes a good rider. Too often people that start off this way leave riding saying that it is too dangerous - this does nothing for our motorcycling interests.

 

I doubt it. The lesson he learned is motorcycles are uncontrollable and dangerous. It wasn't his fault.

 

M

[cranezilla]

If a man has enough money to go to his local dealer and buy an F15 and is dumb enough to try to fly it without training, who cares.

[timmr]

The kid manning the gas truck that he runs over taxiing to the runway might care...

The couple in the 172 that he shoots down on climeout cause he hit the wrong switch might care...

The airline captain might care if he had to take evasive action to avoid a midair, pissed off his passengers and endangered their lives...

I think the guys and gals cleaning up the inevatable mess would care.

[DBrochu]

He's actually lucky to have crashed in the parking lot. Based on what appears to be a lack of knowledge about how to operate a bike if he'd gotten up to speed he could have killed himself.

[SpaceKing]

Because all humor has its roots in pain.

Astute observation, Pilgrim. I know people's laughter isn't malicious, but like a couple of other posters here, the first thing that occurs to me is, is that guy/woman/kid/dog or whatever - ok. I don't care if he is fat, stupid, untrained, ugly, etc. Different strokes, I guess. Sometimes people don't want to get too close to the pain. I think this guy just got a few bruises. There was a post here some time ago of a video of a stunter who wiped out and practically severed his foot. It was just dangling there by some skin. I was horrified. And I couldn't believe how unaffected some people were by that tragedy and how callous their comments. I guess it's far enough away from their experience that it leaves no impact - though I personnaly can't imagine that. Like I say, it's not malicious, just some people are more sensitive to others' suffering.

cheers

Beno