The statistics are what they are. If you understand all of them and do your very best not to do anything that will cause you to become a statistic, then you might live to be an old biker.

Get drunk, speed, blow through stop signs, take chances, don't pay attention, etc. and we'll read about you in the next survey.

 

I'll concede the OP sounds a bit like an arrogant *****, but so what. He understands the risks and has chosen his path. It's not always about making the smart choices for all of us. It's about making the choices we want.

 

There are some douchebags riding Harleys but there are doichebags riding Metrics, bicycles, a lot of them driving cars, walking down the street, in boats, flying planes, etc. they're all over the place really. Not everyone on earth is a douchebag but they're a vocal minority. I ride my FLH sitting straight up in the pogo stick solo saddle wearing a Harley Road Captain's Hat, a buttondown shirt tucked into my jeans, boots, and a smile on my face as I wave at every rider, bicycle rider, or pedestrian I pass whether I think they're going to wave back or not. I once picked up a hat that some guy had dropped out of his back pocket without realizing it and rode up the road about a quarter mile where he was still walking and gave it back to him. The look on his face was priceless. Who cares if no one waves at you. I was on the ferry the other day and they parked another bike next to me and I talked to the guy about bikes. He started the conversation but if if he hadn't I probably would have and if I did and he told me to go to hell, I'm would have had no problem with it. Do what you feel as long as you're not hurting anyone and I think you'll do just fine.

 

tell that to a good friend of mine. he was coming home one night, deer jumped out in front of him, he hit the deer. managed to survive that, but didn't survive getting run over by the truck that came up behind him and didn't see him in the road.

 

Are you really really sure the rudest people aren't the silly bicycle riders tying up the road so you have to slow down behind them?

 

Cross thread points