Times Have Changed
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Joined: May 2012
Posts: 82
Likes: 0
From: WV
It used to be if a car had any distracting things at all it was an AM radio. Now days they have touch screen everything. cell phones, and alot of them have TV's built in. I don't know about the rest of you but the last thing I want on the road with me is a teenage girl watching a Justin Beiber video while talking to her friends on the cell phone while rolling down the road with no concept of what she is doing. Back in the day driving was alot of work with most cars being manual shift, manual steering, and manual brakes, no cruise control or A/C. now days they are like 100 MPH 3,000 pound recliners
Cruiser
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 212
Likes: 5
From: Left Coast FL
It used to be if a car had any distracting things at all it was an AM radio. Now days they have touch screen everything. cell phones, and alot of them have TV's built in. I don't know about the rest of you but the last thing I want on the road with me is a teenage girl watching a Justin Beiber video while talking to her friends on the cell phone while rolling down the road with no concept of what she is doing. Back in the day driving was alot of work with most cars being manual shift, manual steering, and manual brakes, no cruise control or A/C. now days they are like 100 MPH 3,000 pound recliners
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 23,053
Likes: 12,327
From: Arkansas
Let's not forget to look through the other side of this windshield. These "Modern Conveniences" being talked about are not exclusive to 4 wheeled vehicles... look at the 2 wheeled vehicles riding around now a days. Stereos, CB radios, 2-way intercom, GPS, MP3, iPods, cell phones hanging off the handlebars, Bluetooth helmets, GoPro cameras mounted to the handlebars, drink holders, full compliment of dash gauges and on and on. Seen and rode with some of our fellow enthusiast that have had some close calls of their own making because they were pushing a button, grabbing a bottle of water, or just caught up in the music. Not only do we need to share the road, we need to share responsible driving.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,553
Likes: 13
From: Sussex, South of England
Let's not forget to look through the other side of this windshield. These "Modern Conveniences" being talked about are not exclusive to 4 wheeled vehicles... look at the 2 wheeled vehicles riding around now a days. Stereos, CB radios, 2-way intercom, GPS, MP3, iPods, cell phones hanging off the handlebars, Bluetooth helmets, GoPro cameras mounted to the handlebars, drink holders, full compliment of dash gauges and on and on. Seen and rode with some of our fellow enthusiast that have had some close calls of their own making because they were pushing a button, grabbing a bottle of water, or just caught up in the music. Not only do we need to share the road, we need to share responsible driving.
Road Captain
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 575
Likes: 0
From: Twin Cities
It is absolutely not just you, it's like combat driving half the time these days. There have always been jerks in cars, but now it seems to be more socially acceptable, so more people act that way. Pretty sad. Be safe.
Novice
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 18
Likes: 2
From: Frisco, Tx
This thread brings to mind a couple of things that haven't changed over my 49 years of riding. The first is that a lot of people's brains are programmed to look for cars, not motorcycles----maybe this is getting a little better. The second is the statement " it's not enough to ride defensive, you have to ride paranoid".
All that being said, as I get older, I try not to ride at night, when I'm tired, cold, hungry, mad, etc. living in the Dallas area, and being retired, I don't use the bike to go anywhere during high traffic times( or cars, for that matter). I can see that sometime in the future, I may have to give up motorcycling for other peoples sake. But, for now, I ride and love it and hope it doesn't kill me.
All that being said, as I get older, I try not to ride at night, when I'm tired, cold, hungry, mad, etc. living in the Dallas area, and being retired, I don't use the bike to go anywhere during high traffic times( or cars, for that matter). I can see that sometime in the future, I may have to give up motorcycling for other peoples sake. But, for now, I ride and love it and hope it doesn't kill me.
Road Captain
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 620
Likes: 61
From: Castle Rock, CO
I think it may have gotten worse, but I remember a guy in a pickup flipping me off and trying to force me into oncoming traffic...Spring, 1974 in Terrytown Nebraska. I was on a little 2-stroke. Only time someone has purposely tried to kill me while I was on my motorcycle. Was on a Honda cruiser in 1991 and was rear ended by someone who was reading a map.
I think that after 30 or 40 years of riding, we may get really sensitive to cager crap.
I think that after 30 or 40 years of riding, we may get really sensitive to cager crap.
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Road Master
Joined: Sep 2006
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From:
I think it may have gotten worse, but I remember a guy in a pickup flipping me off and trying to force me into oncoming traffic...Spring, 1974 in Terrytown Nebraska. I was on a little 2-stroke. Only time someone has purposely tried to kill me while I was on my motorcycle. Was on a Honda cruiser in 1991 and was rear ended by someone who was reading a map. I think that after 30 or 40 years of riding, we may get really sensitive to cager crap.
To make matters worse, later that day I got pulled over by a State Trooper who stuck his bayonet up my tail pipes to see if I had baffles and then gave me a warning for wearing "non-approved" sunglasses.