questionthis

hard fall lol http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=be4_1329336279

LemondFanForeve

Not to mention ALOT less noisy

Dolamite02

Why did the moto driver head off-road?

vermilionx

As of this post...

Top speed on my bicycle - 40 mph

Top speed on my sportbike - 163 mph

Yeah, i would say cycling is a bit safer in my case. Lol

eippo1 

From the sounds that the cameraguy makes, I don't think he enjoyed that spill.

merlinextraligh

Fatalities per million hours of exposure:

Motorcycle: 8.8

Bicycle .47

http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/health/risks.htm


So Motorcycling is an order of magnitude more dangerous, persumably due to the higher speeds and forces.

Creatre

Yeah, that made me hurt just listening.

ColinL

Absolutely. It's far easier to kill oneself on a motorcycle, especially if you don't wear a helmet.

Both can be crushed by cagers, but if a car turns in front of a bicycle the cyclist generally impacts the car at under 20mph, frequently under 15mph, unless going downhill. Meanwhile motorcycles frequently broadside cars at 30-50+ mph, which does a lot more damage.

I've spent a lot of time on two wheels, many more hours in traffic on a motorcycle than a bicycle. (I try to ride my bicycles where I can avoid traffic, whereas a motorcycle you go where you want/need.) I feel far more in control of my destiny on a motorcycle because you get to act like all the other traffic on the road, instead of being constantly passed, honked at and encouraged to "GET ON THE G-D SIDEWALK!".

I'm safer on a motorcycle because I'm not stupid. I don't drink and ride (HUGE problem with older cruiser crowd!), and though I have a very powerful sportbike, I don't ride it like I'm on a racetrack because obviously the street is not a racetrack.

Commodus

This mirrors my experience. I certainly feel safer on my motorbikes because everyone just accepts that I'm part of traffic and I can keep up with the 'flow', whereas on my bicycle I am constantly at the mercy of the competence of people passing me.

mpath

Typical 41. Apples to oranges and someone makes a thread about it. And out comes the stats to prove it. Sheeesh. What's next? Playing Xbox is safer than playing basketball?

Commodus

Uh, well on my motorbike I ride to work.

On my bike I ride to work. Same route.

I don't think it's really apples to oranges.

ColinL

I don't take exactly the same route. I get on the highway on my sportbike and I'm there. I ride a MUP under that same highway on my bicycle, then have to ride through the hood for a bit, finally it ends up being about 2.5 miles more.

But I agree they're more the same than not.

Anyway, the OP was comedy but we took the opportunity to make a legitimate discussion about it.

Wesley36

Feeling safer ≠ Being safer. While there are, of course, all sorts of variables one can pull into this, greater speed = greater danger, any way you slice it.

g0tr00t

I think I am safer in my house if a motorcycle crashes into it while playing the Xbox than if I am playing out on a open court and a motorcycle hits me while making a slam dunk.

Nachoman

I bet a basketball game like Horse is safer than playing one of those Wii games.

Campag4life

Good post and I feel the same way. I believe the stats that sway the death toll against motorcyclists is...many don't have a clue how to ride...don't know how to brake, can't read the road, don't know how to countersteer if going into a corner too hard etc. Now there is a parallel with automobiles but a much different universe. An automobile isn't as fast or quick and has a protective shell around it.
I love motorcycles and have owned my share. I sold my last one last fall and am kind of looking out for another. Survival on a motorcycle is about position on the road and awareness...slowing way down thru intersections which few do helps...increases cager reaction time due to inattention. Yes...we can still be taken out by guys pulling out. That is my biggest fear. Many motorcycle fatalities are based upon guys who just can't control them and ride right off the road.

pallen 

yeah, but if you'd quit showing off with those slam dunks and just play regular basketball, that would change everything.

mpath

Well this is the 41, as I clearly qualified. Not the 20 (Commuting). So you're already making an apple to oranges comparison. And the OP linked a road race footage, not an MUP commute. I'm not suggesting that riding a motorbike is safer than riding a bicycle, or vice versa even, but everything has its risks and rewards. I'd rather be at the end of a bungee cord, than safely curled away on a Lazyboy.

mpath

Okaaaay. To each their own.

I guess you'll never appreciate the sound of a desmodromic V-twin at full chat, a Lambo V10, or.........you get the idea. But let me guess - you're attuned to the different "swooshing" sounds of carbon fiber road wheels, "That one's gotta be a Zipp."

vermilionx

Ah ducati. I guess they're the pinarello/cervelo of sportbikes.

ColinL

That would imply that poseurs flock to Pinarello and Cervelo.

Commodus

Pretty solid 1-2 punch guys.

duckracer

The sound of a Desmodronic V-twin at full chat on the track is pure heaven!!!!!!..Oh and not all Ducati owners are poser's!!!!!!...I don't do Starbucks, and I pitched a $20,000 2 week old Ducati 1098 down the track. I wouldn't call racing CCS with a Ducati posing...Expensive, but not posing!... But yes cycling is much more safe!

prathmann

Check that source again: the 0.47 fatalities/million hours is for car driving. The figure for bicycling is 0.26 fatalities/million hours.

Namenda

A motorcyclist lost control and dumped himself on I-95 in Waltham, MA this morning, slid across three lanes of morning rush hour traffic, and came to rest under my front bumper. I flat-spotted all four of my tires to keep from hitting him since I was doing around 75 mph when he went down and came sliding at me. Surprisingly, he was able to get up and, with my help, get his bike back across all the lanes to the breakdown lane, leaving several pieces behind, including his front brake lever and lights. I can't believe he didn't kill himself, or that I didn't hit him. It was a miracle.