ginger pom said...

cisco said...

Most drivers these days don't give a hoot about hitting other cars or pedestrians.

That's right.

No one is even slightly shocked after accidents nowadays. The average young person will hit four or five pensioners and war heroes, killing them stone dead on the way back from the pub and not even stop. They won't even think that it's wrong and they'll brag about it afterwards on twitter or whatever it is that they use these days...

Thats a bit of a radical generalization I think there pom.

Motorcycle Accident Statistics

More: Motorcycle Safety Page | Technical Articles Page


Motorcycle Fatalities Increasing: Read the October 2001 full report "Fatal Single Vehicle Motorcycle Crashes" (DOT HS 809 360) from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA); a study recently conducted on motorcycle accidents and safety

Here's a summary of NHTSA DOT HS 809 360
Single vehicle motorcycle crashes account for about 45 percent of all motorcyclist fatalities. More than 38,000 motorcyclists have died in single vehicle motorcycle crashes between 1975 and 1999. The report claims to provide data for insight into possible causes for these fatalities.

According to the report, from 1990 through 1999, there were a total of 11,038 fatal single vehicle motorcycle crashes. During that same time period, there were an estimated 294,000 non-fatal single vehicle motorcycle crashes. Of these, an estimated 39,000 involved property damage only and 255,000 involved injuries.

Motorcyclist fatalities in single vehicle motorcycle crashes decreased each year from 1990 to 1996, reaching a historic low of 937 in 1996 and again in 1997. In 1998, the fatalities increased to 1,042 (11.2 percent increase); in 1998 and in 1999 they increased to 1,140 (9.4 percent). The overall increase in motorcyclist fatalities from 1997 to 1999 was 203 (21.7 percent).

Report Conclusions: Findings from the FARS (Fatality Analysis Reporting System) data illustrate possible reasons for motorcyclist fatalities in single vehicle motorcycle crashes:

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Helmet use among fatally injured motorcyclists below 50 percent
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More motorcyclist fatalities are occurring on rural roads
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High blood alcohol levels are a major problem among motorcycle operators
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Half of the fatalities are related to negotiating a curve prior to the crash
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Over 80 percent of the fatalities occur off roadway
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Undivided roadways account for a majority of the fatalities
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Almost two thirds of the fatalities were associated with speeding as an operator contributing factor in the crash
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Almost 60 percent of motorcyclist fatalities occur at night
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Collision with a fixed object is a significant factor in over half of the fatalities
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Braking and steering maneuvers possibly contribute for almost 25 percent of the fatalities
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More riders age 40 and over are getting killed
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Almost one third of the fatally injured operators did not have a proper license

1998 Motorcycle Accident Statistics:

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2,284 motorcyclists died and approximately 49,000 were injured in highway crashes in the United States.
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Per mile traveled in 1998, a motorcyclist is approximately 16 times more likely to die in a crash than an automobile occupant. And 3x (times) as likely to be injured.
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Head injury is a leading cause of death in motorcycle crashes.
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In 1998, 46% of fatally injured motorcycle drivers were not wearing helmets at the time of the crash.
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NHTSA estimates that motorcycle helmets reduce the likelihood of a fatality by 29% in a crash.
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In 1998, 41% of all motorcycle drivers involved in fatal crashes were speeding.
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Nearly one out of five motorcycle drivers (18%) involved in fatal crashes in 1998 was operating with an invalid license at the time of the collision.
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Motorcycle drivers involved in fatal crashes in 1998 had higher intoxication rates than any other type of motor vehicle driver at 31%.
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In 1998, 500 motorcyclists lives were saved due to helmet usage; 307 could have been saved.

Just buy it Flysurfer and use it to commute to work as well as UFO spotting trips...I would.

I use a DR650 as my main commute into work, I like the upright postion of a dirt bike (mmh is a DR650 a dirt bike only just) for good viz, easy to throw around and zip between cars, and the best bit is its a 15-20min ride to and from work no matter what time of day.

ahh just saw the weight 270kgs is a fair bit for daily punting thru the traffic. So you will just have to buy it and another light daily ride...

No. Get yourself a good treadly. Girls love lycra clad bums.

hi fly surfer, typically everyone has answered your question and turned it into an out of context argument about their own war stories and moaning how **** everybody else is.
your question is should you buy this bike.
i have a mate who is a serious biker, just did a 8000k trip for the love of it on an old 916 and he wants to buy a BMW GS 1200 and get rid of his car. reckons he could jump on it and nip down to melbourne quickly for a concert then nip back, but still be nearly as quick on the twisty bits and also be able to take it off road. i dont know the weight of it compared to the tenere but if you only want it to do a once a year trip into the dirty stuff then maybe you should consider something smaller. In saying that, anyone who has ridden quite a bit knows that a well balanced bikes weight isnt really noticed when going slower if the majority of the mass is kept reasonably low.
just remember that the added power of that bike isnt necessarily an advantage in the dirt, quite the contrary.
i remember reading an article about guys that travel the world on bikes saying that their bike of choice for the ewan and charlie type missions is a suzuki dr 350!
anyway, go and rent one and then rent a gs straight after it and make a judgement based on that, either way, if you dont use it or find it inappropriate for your use, you can always sell it.........mmmmmmm new bike happiness ,...just like fresh tyre happiness multiplied by 10

doggie said...

ginger pom said...

cisco said...

Most drivers these days don't give a hoot about hitting other cars or pedestrians.

That's right.

No one is even slightly shocked after accidents nowadays. The average young person will hit four or five pensioners and war heroes, killing them stone dead on the way back from the pub and not even stop. They won't even think that it's wrong and they'll brag about it afterwards on twitter or whatever it is that they use these days...

Thats a bit of a radical generalization I think there pom.

oh my god Doggie. Did I need to put a in it?

FlySurfer said...


AND remember we're helping traffic be more fluid, not disregarding traffic laws.

Precisely flysurfer, you are the first person who I've heard mention this. I always believe when I filter at lights and other maneuvers where I use the superior acceleration of the bike that I'm making the roads more efficient for everyone. I suspect it's the ego reaction of being bested in a race that makes car drivers angry.

I love to see a bike rider, (a real one, mostly identifiable by a full face helmet) coming past me and feeding the bike some berries, makes my day better.

FlySurfer said...

hotballs: i've ridden both and the ST handles better than the GS, but the engine feels a little boring. Plus GS's are BMW and BMW = BadMotorWorks.com

Ur friend will be sorry sooner or later if he buys a BMW... just ask the guys here: advrider.com/f/threads/bmw-1-200-adventure-or-super-tenere-1-200-se-caste-your-vote-for-me-please.631883/


Triumphs are British/Thai made/assembled... I'm sticking with Japanese.

hey maybe so, but another mate bought a bmw k1300r and its gotta be one of the wildest bikes ive ever ridden. if you think the tenere is a little boring now then what about a yar or 2 down the track. what about the big ktm?

hotballs: Your friend owned a K1300R, wow sweet, maybe he would like to buy my panniers: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150527999201

They're really handy, seriously... I know, know... panniers? but once u get past your preconceptions and actually start to use them they're fantastic.

Truth be told those 127Kw, and the quick shifter of the K1300R were awesome, but they were only good for flipping off R1's and other would be show off's


BTW: (sorry about the quality my phone was to hand)




Ben, it's never too late; have a read of these posts www.advrider.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=5 , get an idea and go for it