I like 650 V-Twins, I have a Suzuki:
Posted on 10/30/2007 9:13:57 AM PDT by Incorrigible
By EDWARD WALSH
[Portland, OR] -- Geff Hinds remembers seeing the movie "Easy Rider" as a teenager in the 1970s and thinking, "Oh my, that's what I want to do."
Eventually, Hinds' dream of cruising the open roads faded, replaced by other preoccupations. But, he said, "I told myself I'd take up motorcycling when I'm old."
His time arrived last March.
Hinds, a 53-year-old Web designer from Tacoma, Wash., now feels "old enough" to resume his boyhood fascination with motorcycling. So he's the proud new owner of a black Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic.
Fueled in part by baby boomers such as Hinds taking up — or resuming — motorcycling later in life, the sport is exploding in popularity. Accident data suggest it's also becoming more deadly.
Nationally, the number of registered motorcycles rose 61 percent from 1995 to 2005, from 3.8 million to 6.1 million.
With more motorcycles on the road, it's not surprising there are more accidents and deaths involving bikers. But the fatality rate, as measured by deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles and per million vehicle miles traveled, has steadily climbed at the same time the overall motor vehicle fatality rate has fallen.
The number of motorcycle deaths nationally dropped during the mid-1990s, reaching a low of 2,116 in 1997. But the death toll has increased every year since then; there were a record 4,810 motorcycle deaths in 2006.
There are no simple explanations for why the motorcycle death toll has continued to increase, but in a 2006 analysis of the accident data, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said two trends are evident: Today's motorcyclists are older than in the past, and they are driving bigger, more powerful bikes.
In 1990, motorcyclists 50 and older accounted for 10 percent of all bike owners. By 2003, the 50-and-older crowd represented 25 percent of motorcycle owners. During the same time, the average age of motorcycle owners rose from 33 to just over 40.
Michael Durbin has been in a good position to observe this gradual demographic shift. He owns Paradise Harley-Davidson in Tigard, Ore., where a large showroom is filled with gleaming models of the iconic American bike.
Durbin, who said sales have increased every year during the four years he has owned the dealership, said his typical customers range in age from 40 into their 60s. Some first-time buyers are fulfilling a lifelong dream.
"I've had people say, 'I wanted one all my life and I finally made my kid's last tuition payment,'" he said.
Most of the bikes in the showroom today are equipped with larger engines than earlier-generation models. Durbin said that during the past two years, Harley-Davidson increased the engine size on most of its models from 1,450 cubic centimeters to 1,584 cc.
And it is not just Harleys that have gotten burlier. According to data compiled by Motorcycle Industry Council, bikes with engines of at least 750 cc made up 40 percent of the U.S. market in 1990 but now account for more than three-quarters of the motorcycles on U.S. roads.
But Durbin and other veteran riders say they doubt that the size of the engines or the graying of the riders can fully explain the rising motorcycle death toll.
"It's the motorcyclist," said Steve Garets, a nationally recognized expert in motorcycle safety. "It is absolutely not the motorcycle."
"It's the boomers that are fueling this," Garets said of the growing popularity of motorcycling. "They're not new to driving a vehicle, but they are new to riding a motorcycle. People get into motorcycling and don't really understand the risks that go along with the rewards."
Troy Costales, administrator of the Traffic Safety Division of the Oregon Department of Transportation, notes that there are about three motorcycle fatalities in rural Oregon for every one in an urban setting. The No. 1 cause, he says, is excessive speed going into corners.
"First and foremost, it is riders killing themselves," Costales said.
Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia have mandatory helmet laws for all motorcycle riders. Most other states require helmets for riders younger than 18 or 21. Three states — Illinois, Iowa and New Hampshire — do not have helmet laws.
But even a tough helmet law doesn't necessarily add safety. According to federal government statistics, between 2001 and 2004 the fatality rate, measured by deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles, was lower in Iowa and New Hampshire than it was in Oregon, where helmets are mandatory.
Hinds, the newly minted easy rider, says he was well aware of the risks when he bought his 650-cc motorcycle. He took a three-day course on motorcycle safety and approached his first riding experiences with caution.
Now, he says, he is more comfortable cruising the back roads around his home at 50 or 60 mph.
"That's pure beauty," he said. "It's a real joy for me. It's still a minor extravagance, but it's well worth it. All of a sudden, I break out in a smile."
(Edward Walsh is a staff writer for The Oregonian of Portland, Ore. He can be contacted at edwardwalsh(at)news.oregonian.com.)
Not for commercial use. For educational and discussion purposes only.
Oh No!
Nah, blackie has a nighthawk. BIIIIG difference...
Maybe they just want to live before they die.
I have nothing against motorcycles (or snowmobiles). I've just decided that everything else I have to live for makes the risk unacceptable. I've told my daughters that one thing I better not ever see is their butt on the back of a bike.
Actually, I blush to admit that despite decades or riding, I have come very close to not seeing a few when driving a car...despite what happened. I guess a driver is looking for "Cars and trucks" and gets fixated or something. I just observe that it seems to be much more common nowadays.
I rode bikes for years and You’re right only an idiot would drink and ride.These days my horse doesn’t give me any problems if i have a few beers however.
During the other weeks, I read about some guy who who goes sailing off one of the many curved and elevated highway entrance/exit ramps. Usually it's some young kid in his 20s on a rice rocket.
LOL! That's the first thing I thought of when I read the title.
carolyn
BUMP
I like 650 V-Twins, I have a Suzuki:
I see the idiots riding around here too...what a joke.
f no longer equals m(a)?
Agree totally with your assessment. We live in No. Virginia and gave up our bike riding because folks are in a hurry and don’t bother to look. Hubby had a bike since he was 12, and recently gave it up at 60. I had also been riding for a few years and gave it up to ride with him. Traffic spooked me long before it did him.
We now enjoy a convertable —Toyota Solara. All the comfort of home while still letting the wind hit your face.
BTW, no one under 30 should be allowed to own a bike. They are just not aware of their own mortality......
Make motorcycles illegal. Only the police should have them
In 1970? Yeah.
In 2007? Not so much.
Speaking just for myself, I’ve put a lot of miles on bikes, but there just came a point when I would put my foot on the kick-starter (yes, my last bike was old enough to lack electric start) and realize that what I was feeling was less and less exhilaration and more and more trepidation - there are just too many drivers out there not paying attention.
Last spring a friend offered my his very nice Gold Wing if I would get it out of his garage (carbs needed rebuilding).
I passed... and realized the thrill really is gone for good.
‘I ride a Trike.... sure it was expensive but Its more fuel efficient than my truck, it looks nice, and its way more visible that 2 wheels.’
I’ve heard they are tough to control, but never actually asked somebody that has one. Whats your view on control of a trike?
ping
(chuckle)
Its often been said Harley Davidson is a marketing company that occasionally sells motorcycles.
Big grain of truth in that comment. And there is no denying HD makes far more money on ‘accessories’ than they do selling bikes.
I’m a fairly good example, I suppose. I have a very nice heavy leather jacket, and chaps, courtesy of Harley Davidson.
I ride a Suzuki 1500cc Intruder. The 15k I save going with Suzuki made my purchase of the jacket and chaps easy to explain to my wife.....lol!
I think the author misses the point. Bigger bikes and older riders are not the problem, it’s bigger FIRST bikes that’s the killer. In the past, new riders were young and broke, and their first bike was typically something in the 125-250cc range. They had plenty of learning opportunities at slower speeds with lower mass to discover that mishandling a bike is No Fun At All. Today, the new riders are flush with cash and they learn on Harleys and Goldwings, and those are the ones who are wiping out.
Ha! At one time I had a t-shirt that said, “I actually OWN a Harley, not just this t-shirt”......
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