Dangers..

[Ryder]

Hey all...
I will be getting my first bike a ninja 250 here this spring. Everyone tells me that its too dangerous, you will eventually fall.. crash.. etc and get hurt.. I was wondering if you guys/gals could tell me your worst injuries sustained and how much experience you had at the time..

Not trying to be depressing or bringing up bad memories but would like to know what I may be getting into.. Thanks

[Flashmonkey]

Not sure what kind of answers you're looking for here...but riding a bike is like driving a car, but with less margin for error. Stupidity usually results in death.

So far my biggest injury was a butt cramp due to lack of hydration.

[Alex]

This is the thread you may be looking for. Riding can be dangerous, and there are people on this board who have sustained life-altering injuries, but with the appropriate training, diligence, gear, and a little luck, a rider can go a long way to minimize what risks do exist.

[scotty]

Ride safe, wear your gear, always keep your eyes open. Most of the time crashes are due to other drivers, unless someone on a bike is "showing off", then you can cause your own crash.

[scotty]

Just saw your from Cincy too, if you want to do some riding in the spring time hit me up! I am not far from you.

[fujimumu]

I bruised my hip going down once, my gear stopped me from getting scratched up by the dry leaves and rocks underneath (I went off the road, whoops).

People will tell you anything is dangerous, they're just jealous of how awesome you are! Make sure you take the MSF course so you know what you're getting yourself in to and protect yourself as well as you can.

[Ryder]

Yea thanks guys I will definately always wear my gear once I get it.. can't wait to start riding even though I'm a little late being 23 this August but learned a lot from everyday driving over the years.. @ Fuji I will definately be taking the msf course and @scotty it would be cool to do some riding this spring but I have no experience as of yet so don't k ow how much fun that would be for you lol

[bluepoof]

Obviously you could get hurt riding a bike, but you could get hurt falling out of bed or walking across a street, too.

Take a riding training/safety course and wear proper gear -- those are your best ways to minimize injury. In addition to the MSF course, I really recommend David Hough's "Proficient Motorcycling".

My worst injury was a fantastic bruise from going down off-road in a mudpuddle at about 25mph.

On a streetbike, hrm. I can't think of anything, really. I dropped my bike countless times when I was first learning (I was on my tiptoes and had LOTS of 0mph drops ) but never hurt anything more than my ego.

I was rear-ended by a car once at a stop sign but I wasn't injured. I twisted my ankle, but I was wearing good (armored) boots and so it was more annoying than anything else.

I've got well over 100,000 miles on bikes now, including commuting, cross-country trips, etc. and have never had anything I would consider a crash. That's not to say I'm immune forever...just saying that with good training and a reasonable attitude, it's not inevitable that you'll go down at more than a parking lot tip-over speed. Then, good gear helps for the times when it's the other idiot's fault.

[8gauge]

Pretty much everyone before me said it all. That's the great thing about Ninjette.org. There's tons of valuable information about riding skills, maintaining your bike, and even customizing to make your bike "you".

Any questions I had about something that I had no clue about, Ninjette.org and it's members were there to help me out.

If riding is really your passion, then the only thing holding you back is how much you want it. The more research I did about bikes, and what to do, the easier it was for me to get started. Also, having an experienced riding buddy helps.

of course, riding can be dangerous. But you can also choose to be responsible with proper gear, and be sensible when you ride.

I hope you do get a bike and share with us your experience.

[gfloyd2002]

I recommend reading this thread: The Causes and Effects of Motorcycle Accidents. It discussed a study on why accidents happen and how people get injured. Its an old study, and certainly parts are out of date, but it is still well worth the read. In short, if you are geared up, aren't an idiot, follow road rules, don't drink and drive, take an MSF course, and drive defensively you can eliminate many causes for worry.

I'm not looking at the actual study atm, but a surprising number of accidents are single vehicle accidents (i.e. driving beyond bike's limits on your own), involve young riders who haven't prepared themselves, involve drinking, etc. There are lots of risk factors you can control and eliminate by riding thoughtfully. And there are lots of injuries you can control and elimiate with proper gear.

Even if you do everything right, there are still risks - like people not seeing you and blowing a stop sign or turning left in front of you. But you can be ready for them and make the risks manageable. My wife is about as conservative as you can get, and always hated motorcycles, but in discussing the issues with her and taking it very seriously, she is now very comfortable with me riding.

So my advice -- study up, eliminate the risk factors through classes, preparation and practice, ride thoughtfully and gear up. If you have a nice long talk with the people who are raising concerns with you to show them you are serious, you can ease their concerns.

[CC Cowboy]

If you don't crash you won't get hurt, so don't crash.

[scotty]

Originally Posted by Ryder

Yea thanks guys I will definately always wear my gear once I get it.. can't wait to start riding even though I'm a little late being 23 this August but learned a lot from everyday driving over the years.. @ Fuji I will definately be taking the msf course and @scotty it would be cool to do some riding this spring but I have no experience as of yet so don't k ow how much fun that would be for you lol

More you ride, the more exoerience you gain! The MSF will do you well and teach you many things on safty and how to handle the bike.

[scotty]

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

If you don't crash you won't get hurt, so don't crash.

Haha

[cinjette10]

Always wear the proper gear and beware of your surroundings, motorcycles aren't dangerous it the people around you in the cages with screaming kids in the backseat, trying to drive well drinking their double lattes well trying to text their status on Facebook. That's what make riding a bike dangerous.

[nealt]

I'll repeat the same as everyone above, i've also crashed but it was minor with no other damage than scuffs on my leathers (pants and jacket) and some minor damage to the bike. If i was in jeans I would have the scars to show and the story of my pain in the butt recovery from road rash.

In my opinion riding a bike is great fun but requires your full attention all the time especially in traffic. Be realistic about the risks and do all you can to mitigate them then go out and have fun. Ride safe.

[GeneJunkie]

Originally Posted by Ryder

Yea thanks guys I will definately always wear my gear once I get it.. can't wait to start riding even though I'm a little late being 23 this August but learned a lot from everyday driving over the years..

Learning to ride a motorcycle at 23 isn't late. My friend's Mom decided to start riding a few years ago. I had guys in my MSF course that were new riders at over 40.

Take the MSF course, get good gear, always be attentive of your surroundings and don't ride beyond your ability.

[wyckedflesh]

Unforeseen events that can neither be anticipated, nor expected can happen in life. You can die in bed of undiagnosed sleep apnea...you can be run over in a tank on the freeway in California...or you can have a simple bracket break, taking away the support at the front of where the head pipe mates to the canister, taking the springs with it, allowing the front of the canister to separate from the header as you downshift and grab a fistful of throttle to pass that slower moving vehicile, sending you over the bars and down the road in your full gear...



That is what happens when you elbow dislocates, and the hard armor in the jacket goes with the forearm, leaving the upper bone to press the material into the road surface like a stick to a grinding wheel.

Moral of the story, even after nearly 20 years on the road, a couple of slides from bad road conditions, you too can unexpectedly have an injury accident.

[00NissanNinja]

Yes it is a dangerous sport. But you take risks in daily life as well that are also dangerous.

I had a lowside that was either due to gravel or those crosswalk markers (they are actually quite slippery). I wore all of my gear(armored leather jacket, boots, knee armor, helmet, etc) minus riding pants and only came away with a bruised a** and some abrasion from my clothing. I only had jeans on and they actually held up fine where they hit the road and slid. I was able to get back up pretty quick and I felt fine till I got home (at which point I felt the bruise).

[Toly]

You might want to check out that one... definitely worth the $2 subscription

http://hellforleathermagazine.com/20...-mega-gallery/

Welcome!

[Indy250r]

Everything everybody else said and always ride with rule number 1 in mind.

Rule #1: Everybody on the road is actively trying to kill you. Always.

[00NissanNinja]

Originally Posted by Indy250r

Everything everybody else said and always ride with rule number 1 in mind.

Rule #1: Everybody on the road is actively trying to kill you. Always.

Yep, or ride like you are invisible. Seriously people will just come into your lane, and don't expect your horn to stop them from merging either. Ride the ninja like you are a ninja