Motorcycle article rubs me the wrong way...
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 2,275
Likes: 149
From: High in the Colorado Rockies
You can cut and slice the data thousands of different ways. What is still disturbing is that 1/3 of all motorcycle fatalities involve riders with a blood alcohol content over .08%. Driving a bike under the influence is a disaster waiting to happen especially with all the challenges on the road (distracted drivers, etc.). You need all your faculties when riding a bike. SJ Ron 
Road Captain
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 742
Likes: 1
From: Down South Jukin'
These are the facts from my state, compiled by me from actual COLLISION Reports, looking for real data, nothing twisted.
Twist however you wish.
95 fatal mtc collisions
67 times the mtc was at fault
64 w/o helmets
27 were above the legal BAC
11 were above 80 mph
16 were <35 mph
30 were riding HD
4 involved striking deer
Number one for mtc is the same as cage crashes: running off the road and striking other object.
Twist however you wish.
95 fatal mtc collisions
67 times the mtc was at fault
64 w/o helmets
27 were above the legal BAC
11 were above 80 mph
16 were <35 mph
30 were riding HD
4 involved striking deer
Number one for mtc is the same as cage crashes: running off the road and striking other object.
Tourer
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 492
Likes: 0
From: Castle Rock, CO
From Kelly Blue Book:
"What is the average yearly mileage for a motorcycle?
Obviously mileage will vary from year to year and model to model. A simple guide could be to consider the type of bike you are looking at: If the bike is a sportbike 600 c.c. to 999 c.c., and since these bikes are traditionally weekend only bikes, you can expect to see lower miles, about 3,000 miles per year. Tourers or Sport Tourers usually see a lot of miles, but these are generally freeway miles, between 5,000 to 6,000 miles per year."
Now, these numbers have some built-in biases - multi-bike owners, miles on dirt vs street, track miles, accident stats count passengers who don't add miles per bike, etc - but I doubt they're off by an order of magnitude. That's not very many miles, made worse by the fact there are riders who don't ride half the year due to weather, or those who refuse to ride in the rain (love those threads...).
IOW, the average motorcyclist has less vehicle-specific experience each year than a typical teen-age driver - and likely doesn't have the skills to leave the parking lot safely.
Add in the refusal to mitigate risk by taking training classes, or wearing protective gear (the ultimate posers, afraid of what their riding buddies will say), or building up experience on smaller bikes before bigger bikes, and you have a dangerous mix.
No doubt in my mind that the average rider is his/her greatest enemy.
"What is the average yearly mileage for a motorcycle?
Obviously mileage will vary from year to year and model to model. A simple guide could be to consider the type of bike you are looking at: If the bike is a sportbike 600 c.c. to 999 c.c., and since these bikes are traditionally weekend only bikes, you can expect to see lower miles, about 3,000 miles per year. Tourers or Sport Tourers usually see a lot of miles, but these are generally freeway miles, between 5,000 to 6,000 miles per year."
Now, these numbers have some built-in biases - multi-bike owners, miles on dirt vs street, track miles, accident stats count passengers who don't add miles per bike, etc - but I doubt they're off by an order of magnitude. That's not very many miles, made worse by the fact there are riders who don't ride half the year due to weather, or those who refuse to ride in the rain (love those threads...).
IOW, the average motorcyclist has less vehicle-specific experience each year than a typical teen-age driver - and likely doesn't have the skills to leave the parking lot safely.
Add in the refusal to mitigate risk by taking training classes, or wearing protective gear (the ultimate posers, afraid of what their riding buddies will say), or building up experience on smaller bikes before bigger bikes, and you have a dangerous mix.
No doubt in my mind that the average rider is his/her greatest enemy.
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