← Back to context

Comment by coldtea

16 hours ago

And you can be the best car driver and still sway off or have some idiot crash into you head-on or miss a red light...

At a minimum you're belted in surrounded by a cage.

More likely you're belted in your cage and surrounded by airbags.

Apples to orangutans.

  • >surrounded by a cage

    THIS is the major difference, protecting even the best motorcyclist's abilities.

    Some US highways are posted at 85mph [137km/h] – unprotected flesh doesn't stand a chance!

    • > Some US highways

      I'm sorry, but from a European perspective, this is the problem, not bikes. If your roads and driving culture encourage driving a tank for safety, that's a bit less than ideal.

      I commuted to work for 5 years on a moped. I never used a highway, almost never exceeded 50km/h, and had 2 accidents during that time; both resulted in just a few scratches and bruises.

      In another post, you said: "maybe speed was a factor" - actually, it's the only factor. If you never go too fast and never use roads where others may go too fast, you're safe - at least from life-altering tragedies.

      If, on the other hand, it's generally impossible to get where you want to without using highways, or the sheer distance forces you to step on it - then yeah, don't buy a motorbike. Just note that it's not the bike's fault!

      2 replies →