Jump to content
IGNORED

Fear


JamesW

Recommended Posts

I'm thinking about giving up motorcycling and the reason is fear. I'm becoming genuinely afraid of my fellow motorists and their distracted erratic behavior behind the wheel of their two ton plus monsters. Where I live on the Oregon Coast I can absolutely say I've seen it all and no, moving is not an option. Recently I've mounted high intensity LED driving lights on the front of my motorcycles along with high intensity LED strobe lights connected to the brake light circuits but what good are such devices when it comes to impaired drivers? And what if such devices only serve to anger these mindless fools??

 

I wonder how many other two wheeled travelers may have begun, as of late, to feel the same way.

 

Could be I will soon begin listing for sale a couple of really primo motorcycles.

Edited by JamesW
Link to comment

You're questioning your own mortality as you age concerning the survivability of a motorcycle accident,....me, I'm still immortal ;)

 

If you are getting to the point that riding is more fearful than the enjoyment of the ride, you likely need to hop off the saddle and put it away. There is an natural fear in riding, yes, just as there is a natural fear when driving a cage, but when it's moved to the forefront, I think then, it will be more of a distraction than a natural fear.

Link to comment

Your question is one we will all have to answer some day. When is it time to stop riding? Fear will reduce your confidence and that is never a good thing. As I age, I have had to adjust to slower reaction time, poorer vision, loss of hearing among other things. Riding is, for me, all about managing risks. When the time comes that I feel the risk is more than the reward, I will stop. Each of us have to make the decision w/o regard to what others think or do.

Link to comment

 

I don't ride with fear, but rather an abundance of caution when riding in city traffic and around high volume tourist areas...which I try to avoid. Some people consider my track riding as dangerous, but because of its very controlled setting most of the highway/city type of danger is never an issue.

Link to comment

Anything you truly fear, you have 2 choices. Beat the fear or get away from what you fear. Anything else is useless BS!

Link to comment
You're questioning your own mortality as you age concerning the survivability of a motorcycle accident,....me, I'm still immortal ;)

 

If you are getting to the point that riding is more fearful than the enjoyment of the ride, you likely need to hop off the saddle and put it away. There is an natural fear in riding, yes, just as there is a natural fear when driving a cage, but when it's moved to the forefront, I think then, it will be more of a distraction than a natural fear.

 

Good advice there. I raced cars for 30 years and quit before it ever scared me (not to say a few incidents weren't scary..but also quickly forgotten), I knew you couldn't have any doubts in order to focus on the task. I've always viewed riding as similar and am probably lucky to have a trigger mechanism. Still, nearly very time I put on a helmet it reminds me of strapping into a 300-600hp racecar and going into battle. Riding on city streets in primetime isn't quite as intense but you better pay attention because things can go bad quickly.

 

For the most part and at nearly 70 I don't ride that much pavement anymore, unless like Dick Burleson says "it's to get to dirt", and especially not in primetime. Not only is it becoming increasingly dangerous, it's frankly somewhat boring except for being defensive all the time and that's no fun!

 

Link to comment

Howdy. FWIW.

A certain amount of fear is good. It motivates us to not do stupid stuff.

On the other hand, riding is not mandatory for most of us. Most ride because it is enjoyable on different levels for different people. If your fear causes more apprehension than riding causes joy, why persist ?

You owe no one an apology or an explanation as to why you choose to ride or not.

Being safety conscious can only mitigate ,not eliminate danger. Your comfort level is unique to you.

Hope whatever you decide you enjoy .

Link to comment

I occasionally have the same thoughts of quitting. They're out to get us, no doubt about it. But in fact I think the wary, defensive riding mode and the periodic rush of adrenaline from near-misses helps keep my old-timer brain from rotting (or at least less than it might otherwise).

 

These days we especially have to watch out for the texters -- they're everywhere and they can be pretty reckless about it but you can usually spot their drunken/drifting driving and steer clear of them

 

Riding is (overall) just too dang much fun to quit.

Link to comment

I think about this same thing from time to time. I have this compulsion to conquer my fears. Just a few days ago I hit a deer in my car on the way home. The next time I drove home from work, I went the same way although I don't have to just to revisit that fear. Today I took the bike to work and went home past the scene again and there was one of the forest rats standing on the side of the road not 50 yards from where the accident happened. It was just after dusk and I went to hit the horn to scare the thing but instead turned on my turn signal. (I'm still new to BMW switch gear). You have to do what is right for you. How long have you been riding? Did anything happen recently to get you thinking this way? Whatever your decision, I wish you the best.

Link to comment

I rarely use my RT for short local errands, anymore. Traffic and congestion take any fun out of it. What I like to do is head out to the countryside for a couple of hundred miles of backroad riding. There are dangers there, too, but fewer at one time. Then there is the long trip to somewhere, riding days on end in various conditions. Needless to say I put fewer miles on my RT all the time. As riders we need to keep constantly aware what is going on around us, not always easy with extraneous thoughts getting into our minds. Don't enter an intersection without checking the cars are actually stopped. Keep your bike prominate on the road easily seen; don't hide behind vehicles. Don't give drivers the idea that you are undecided what you want to do. Be decisive! Ride loose.

Link to comment

Thanks very much for the helpful and insight filled posts. Went for a 150 mile ride today in light traffic and bright sun with temp from 64 to about 73 and loved every minute of it. Was on the FJR with its new Russell Day Long. Next ride will be on the RSL.

 

I really liked mbelectric's post, "Ride until you can't. It's that simple."

 

I am going to take a motorcycle safety course in the spring at least.

 

To answer a couple questions: (1) I've been riding for about 45 years mostly BMW. (2) I'm 74 next month. (3) Little things seem to happen just about every time I drive my car or ride my bikes. Mostly I just see people do things that just blow my mind. The average age in Florence, OR is 65 so you can expect to see some pretty amazing driving. Then there is the summer tourist traffic which increases noticeably each year with this year being unreal. The road inland from here is considered to be the most dangerous in the state with bad accidents occurring weekly. Passing in blind curves over double yellow lines is just rampant and I'm not exaggerating.

Edited by JamesW
Link to comment

Yep. I ride 3-4 times yearly to the OR coast from Bend. You're spot on regarding bad drivers on E/W routes. And it's worse in summer meeting motor coaches and trailers mid turn with their wheels well over the center line. Glad that autumn has cleared the roads for you.

Link to comment
I just see people do things that just blow my mind.
A very telling statement. The good news is that you notice these things.

To ride or not is a question each of of will have to answer at some time. I just hope it is one that I make for myself and not one that someone or something makes for me.

 

Frank

 

Link to comment

I was traveling East on I-40 last week out of Albuquerque and went across the Pan Handle, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Tennessee. I needed to get to the East side of the country quickly so I took the interstate. I couldn't believe the semi traffic. Even on the weekend. You sure can tell the economy has picked up. The truck traffic was so dense, I had a hard time staying out of their blind spots. Of course they were in all 3 lanes with hardly any regard for faster traffic. I followed one truck for 20 miles as he hogged the left lane and just stayed abreast of another truck in the right lane. Anyway, I had 2 trucks come over into my lane and push me over into the shoulder. 2 cars did the same. I have Clearwater Darla on the front end too. Some stretches have very narrow shoulders from the left lane. Talk about stressful driving! I had bought a louder horn before the trip but didn't have time to install it. That was a mistake. The toot of an RT is anemic.

If had to drive in that stressful state all the time, I would quit. Next trip, I'm going to make sure I've got enough time to avoid the major highways.

Edited by LittleBriar
Link to comment
Yep. I ride 3-4 times yearly to the OR coast from Bend. You're spot on regarding bad drivers on E/W routes. And it's worse in summer meeting motor coaches and trailers mid turn with their wheels well over the center line. Glad that autumn has cleared the roads for you.

 

I have always liked to take a foray over to Eastern Oregon at least once a year but running the gauntlet on 126 over the hump has become a scary thing except in a narrow window in spring and fall. And then we have the overcrowded upper Willamette Valley all the time. When something becomes not at all fun it is time to think about maybe bagging it . Getting through Eugene on the beltway is also a challenge what with very, I mean VERY, frequent wrecks.

 

I bet the turbulence caused by all those trucks on I40 was absolutely exhausting! Gee, what fun!

Link to comment

I bet the turbulence caused by all those trucks on I40 was absolutely exhausting! Gee, what fun!

Yeah, it was really bad. I was also fighting a 25mph cross wind at the same time. I was being pushed all over the place. Not fun for about 500 miles per day. The beer tasted really good at the end of the day.

 

Edited by LittleBriar
Link to comment

I live in a coastal town and most of my driving/riding are on secondary roads surrounded by woods. I have hit at least 4 deer and one bear in my cars and trucks but have only run over a rabbit so far on a motorbike and that was 20 years ago. Many near misses in cars but I seem to see the wildlife in lots of time when I am riding. I have been lucky but also I rarely ride at night which is when I usually hit something and I will ride out of my way to go around city traffic. I ride faster than I drive but am much more alert when I ride. You just have to pay attention and expect the worst from people in cars and trucks because they don't pay attention. Just the other day I was almost cut off from a car pulling out onto the road just as I was almost in front of him. If I had put my brakes on I would have hit him. I had to hit the throttle and veer around him. A car coming the other way blew their horn at me and probably thought "frigging bikers" just as I was thinking "frigging drivers". When I think back I had a feeling the car might pull out in front of me and I should have slowed down at that thought even though I was not speeding and had the right of way. Follow your instincts!

Link to comment

So I'm not the only one! I rode dirt bikes in the 70's and 80's, and in the late 80's I bought a road bike. What happened is I felt fine while riding, but later, off the bike, I started thinking of all the bad things that could have hapened. Sold the bike and quit for 15 years. Then, I had parked my car, was walking a few blocks to a park, and walked past a Harley that was for sale. I walked past, then stopped and went back and stared. The thought popped into my head 'just cruze, take it easy'. Within 6 weeks I got my M/C license and had a new Harley. After 3 or 4 years that same old feeling started coming back, and I decided to quit again. One of my old riding buddies said 'I know you like the Feather River Canyon, let's ride it before you sell your bike'. We were buzzing along, 40 mph or so, very few cars, absolutely beautiful out, and I thought 'I can't quit this'. Sold the Harley, and bought a used RT. I made the decision to avoid city traffic, I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, and to go on longer trips. You can't believe how much I watch out. Every move is planned. There is plan A, plan B, and plan C. Always an escape route. Always looking at the condition of the shoulder should I need to use it. Never follow a gardeners pick up truck. On and on, and you cannot seperate it from your riding. I've saved my ass countless times. I'm similar to Florence boy, 68 years old. I enjoy riding so much I will do whatever it takes to keep getting out.

Link to comment

Littlebriar,

 

Maybe get an onboard camera of that activity. Pics along with a license plate # and time of day should be enough to take those operators off the road so they can have their day in court.

Edited by Red
Link to comment
One thing I've decided for sure which should increase longevity (mine) is sell the fast Japanese rocket (FJR) next spring.

 

Wow, that's really wonderful news!

Link to comment
One thing I've decided for sure which should increase longevity (mine) is sell the fast Japanese rocket (FJR) next spring.

 

Wow, that's really wonderful news!

 

Glad you approve.

 

Link to comment
One thing I've decided for sure which should increase longevity (mine) is sell the fast Japanese rocket (FJR) next spring.

 

Wow, that's really wonderful news!

 

Glad you approve.

Yes, I'm very happy for you.

Link to comment
Ride until you can't. It's that simple.

 

Well said. I hope that I have enough common sense to hang up my gear when the time comes. Fortunately, we moved to a rural area this year, where seeing 10 cars on the way to town is rush hour.

 

I turned 71 in June, and my 1999RT has been feeling bigger and heavier every year, but it sure is comfortable on a long ride. A Yamaha XT225 is my transition ride if the RT becomes too big too handle, and it's a total hoot on mountain roads. Picked up a Honda Grom (12" wheels) for my wife last week, and it's the first ride in years that allows me to do a U-turn on a narrow road without putting a foot down.

 

IjFQBG7.jpg

 

One more thing: the older I get the more frequently I need to ride to keep up my skills. Practice matters.

Edited by Selden
Link to comment
One thing I've decided for sure which should increase longevity (mine) is sell the fast Japanese rocket (FJR) next spring.

 

Wow, that's really wonderful news!

 

Glad you approve.

Yes, I'm very happy for you.

 

Ebay add starts tomorrow 6AM PDT.

 

Buy my bike and you can be even happier.

 

Link to comment
IjFQBG7.jpg

 

I know this is bad form, so my sincere apologies for this quick hijack but I simply cannot help myself...

 

Seldon - This pic gives me a severe case of garage envy. Nice and organized, everything in its place... I would be ashamed to let anyone see my garage. :eek:

Link to comment
Sena 10C is my riding buddy.

Maybe it is just me, but life seems too short to spend time video-taping people and then trying to hold them accountable for their actions.

Link to comment
I'm thinking about giving up motorcycling and the reason is fear. I'm becoming genuinely afraid of my fellow motorists and their distracted erratic behavior behind the wheel of their two ton plus monsters. Where I live on the Oregon Coast I can absolutely say I've seen it all and no, moving is not an option. Recently I've mounted high intensity LED driving lights on the front of my motorcycles along with high intensity LED strobe lights connected to the brake light circuits but what good are such devices when it comes to impaired drivers? And what if such devices only serve to anger these mindless fools??

 

I wonder how many other two wheeled travelers may have begun, as of late, to feel the same way.

 

Could be I will soon begin listing for sale a couple of really primo motorcycles.

 

When fear of riding is greater than the pleasure of riding it's time to hang it up!

 

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...