Seriously. I'm looking for Stelvio videos on YT and find a video from a mountain elsewhere in the alps where motorcycles are literally racing up and down the mountain. Think togue battle, only with motorcycles, and a lot of traffic because this is happening in broad daylight. Meanwhile, in the USA, there is a biker gang that butchers Psalm 23 to say that they will fear no evil because they are "the baddest [BLEEP] on the highway", apparently ignorant of their own incredible vulnerability against even a small car. Why is it that motorcyclists, despite their chosen mode of transportation being probably the most unsafe device ever invented, think they can do stupid things and never get hurt? (Or do I have it backwards and motorcycles attract people who already think they're invincible?)
Falling off of motorcycles on pavement sucks dick, and believe me, I know what I'm talking about. I don't get why people ride them so recklessly in traffic.
That's a pretty crass generalisation. Same reason people jump off planes and ski next to avalanches. Some people just love the adrenaline rush from the thought of being millimetres from death. Don't forget, these people are the minority. There are a lot of sensible people out there.
I was gonna say, I ride my motorcycle like a fairly sensible person... every once in a while I might accelerate faster then I really should to hear the sound but that's about it... most times I am not even doing the speed limit.
Here's my theory: While it is a generalization to say what you have, there's certainly some truth to it. When you're driving a truck, say, you become aware of your large presence on the road, plus the limits of the truck are both well known and not very impressive. When you're on a motorcycle, it is an extension of your body; you are more nimble and able than other vehicles on the road, and the limits of what you can do is so broad that you are inspired to constantly push them. Combine this with the typical audience (adrenaline junkies) who buys sports bikes, and you can begin to see why some motorcyclists are always testing their limits and pushing their luck.
Its the same reason people go fast in cars. Its fun. A bit more dangerous on bikes of course but going of a mountain in a car isn't exactly fun.
Yeah, that can get very dangerous on the roads here, smaller roads with pickups driving around with motorcyclists (I'm one of those pickup drivers) on the middle line or leaning into your lane is not very comforting, especially on blind turns. I understand wanting to push yourself (and your luck) I do it in my truck every now and again, but I kind of wish they would stay in their lane better. (At least the ones that get too close to the line)
Oh believe me, that's a feeling I know well. I had an incredibly close call last night with a cop... an Army cop, because that particular road was technically on a base, even if it is open to the public and leads to a ski area. Only by the grace of God am I not nursing another multi-demerit-point wound. In retrospect, the next time I hear my brain say "you could probably get away with it here" I should probably just pull over, step out of the car, and slap myself until the thought goes away.
