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Hobby Forum Index » Motorcycles » Why do people even bother?...
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| Ted Mittelstaedt... |
 Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 12:08 am |
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Listing a bike for sale.
Got a call from an "interested party" who lives about 5 blocks away.
Said he was going to walk over and look.
Guy show up, no helmet, T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops. Wants to
take a test ride. OK, I say, I have a spare helment here, you can
ride pillion and I'll just go around the block. I was informed that
this wouldn't be satisfactory - he had to ride it solo. Needless
to say I declined.
Why do people even bother?
Ted |
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| Twibil... |
| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 12:08 am |
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On Jul 12, 10:08 pm, "Ted Mittelstaedt" <t... at (no spam) toybox.placo.com> wrote:
Quote: Listing a bike for sale.
Got a call from an "interested party" who lives about 5 blocks away.
Said he was going to walk over and look.
Guy show up, no helmet, T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops. Wants to
take a test ride. OK, I say, I have a spare helment here, you can
ride pillion and I'll just go around the block. I was informed that
this wouldn't be satisfactory - he had to ride it solo. Needless
to say I declined.
Why do people even bother?
Because he thought you might be just as dumb as he was.
Good to hear that you're not. |
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| Bruce Richmond... |
| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 4:42 pm |
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On Jul 13, 9:26 pm, "David T. Ashley" <d... at (no spam) e3ft.com> wrote:
Quote: "Ted Mittelstaedt" <t... at (no spam) toybox.placo.com> wrote in message
news:newscache$t8ix3k$hqr1$1 at (no spam) news.ipinc.net...
Listing a bike for sale.
Got a call from an "interested party" who lives about 5 blocks away.
Said he was going to walk over and look.
Guy show up, no helmet, T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops. Wants to
take a test ride. OK, I say, I have a spare helment here, you can
ride pillion and I'll just go around the block. I was informed that
this wouldn't be satisfactory - he had to ride it solo. Needless
to say I declined.
Why do people even bother?
I bought my Honda after test-riding it without a helmet.
I think helmets are over-rated, especially on test-rides.
People tend to be careful with a bike new to them -- very careful. Plus,
there is only a small fraction of low-speed accidents where a helmet helps.
So, overall on a test-ride, it just isn't likely that someone will have an
accident where a helmet makes a difference.
I single-vehicled a motorcycle three times now ... the helmet never touched
the ground.
Dave.
Thirty six years ago when I was looking for my first bike I saw a
Kawsaki 500 triple for sale at a gas station. I asked about taking it
for a test ride. I was told that I could take it if I had a helmet,
gloves, and a MC endorsment on my license. I showed up an hour later
with the helmet and gloves. The guy didn't ask to see the MC
endorsment. Good thing since I didn't have one  I went out and did
things I had never done before. Yeah, I bought the bike, but it was
just shit luck that I made it back from that test ride in one piece.
Not sure if the helmet would have helped if I had wrapped it around a
tree.
I've never touched a helmet to the ground on the street but I sure
have on the track. I almost always wear one even though I am not
required to by law. None the less I am still glad that it is my
choice to do so.
Bruce |
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| Twibil... |
| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 4:52 pm |
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On Jul 13, 6:26 pm, "David T. Ashley" <d... at (no spam) e3ft.com> wrote:
Quote: I bought my Honda after test-riding it without a helmet.
Dumb seller.
Quote: I think helmets are over-rated, especially on test-rides.
Dumb buyer. |
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| Twibil... |
| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 7:39 pm |
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On Jul 13, 9:05 pm, "David T. Ashley" <d... at (no spam) e3ft.com> wrote:
Quote: I think helmets are over-rated, especially on test-rides.
Dumb buyer.
I took it around the block and reached a speed of no more than 25 miles per
hour. Even _I_ can't easily cause a serious accident at 25 and under.
Sigh.
*You* don't have to cause it. There are countless things that can
befall a motorcylist that aren't his fault but can still ruin both him
and the motorcycle.
Riding a motorcycle without a helmet is dumb under any circumstances,
but when you add that to riding a motorcycle that's new to the rider
and still belongs to someone else, the dumb factor goes right off the
scale. |
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| Timberwoof... |
| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 9:45 pm |
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In article <IvidnaWn4c2eMefVnZ2dnUVZ_iydnZ2d at (no spam) giganews.com>,
"David T. Ashley" <dta at (no spam) e3ft.com> wrote:
Quote: "Ted Mittelstaedt" <tedm at (no spam) toybox.placo.com> wrote in message
news:newscache$t8ix3k$hqr1$1 at (no spam) news.ipinc.net...
Listing a bike for sale.
Got a call from an "interested party" who lives about 5 blocks away.
Said he was going to walk over and look.
Guy show up, no helmet, T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops. Wants to
take a test ride. OK, I say, I have a spare helment here, you can
ride pillion and I'll just go around the block. I was informed that
this wouldn't be satisfactory - he had to ride it solo. Needless
to say I declined.
Why do people even bother?
I bought my Honda after test-riding it without a helmet.
I think helmets are over-rated, especially on test-rides.
People tend to be careful with a bike new to them -- very careful. Plus,
there is only a small fraction of low-speed accidents where a helmet helps.
I don't think you have empirical data to support that.
Quote: So, overall on a test-ride, it just isn't likely that someone will have an
accident where a helmet makes a difference.
I single-vehicled a motorcycle three times now ... the helmet never touched
the ground.
*That's* your data?
--
Timberwoof <me at timberwoof dot com>
faq: http://www.timberwoof.com/motorcycle/faq.shtml |
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| Anonymous... |
| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 9:57 pm |
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"Bruce Richmond" <bsr3997 at (no spam) my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:0fa379cf-8e5b-4fe7-a8c5-983822869ca2 at (no spam) d77g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
On Jul 13, 9:26 pm, "David T. Ashley" <d... at (no spam) e3ft.com> wrote:
Quote: "Ted Mittelstaedt" <t... at (no spam) toybox.placo.com> wrote in message
news:newscache$t8ix3k$hqr1$1 at (no spam) news.ipinc.net...
Listing a bike for sale.
Got a call from an "interested party" who lives about 5 blocks away.
Said he was going to walk over and look.
Guy show up, no helmet, T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops. Wants to
take a test ride. OK, I say, I have a spare helment here, you can
ride pillion and I'll just go around the block. I was informed that
this wouldn't be satisfactory - he had to ride it solo. Needless
to say I declined.
Why do people even bother?
I bought my Honda after test-riding it without a helmet.
I think helmets are over-rated, especially on test-rides.
People tend to be careful with a bike new to them -- very careful. Plus,
there is only a small fraction of low-speed accidents where a helmet
helps.
So, overall on a test-ride, it just isn't likely that someone will have an
accident where a helmet makes a difference.
I single-vehicled a motorcycle three times now ... the helmet never
touched
the ground.
Dave.
Thirty six years ago when I was looking for my first bike I saw a
Kawsaki 500 triple for sale at a gas station. I asked about taking it
for a test ride. I was told that I could take it if I had a helmet,
gloves, and a MC endorsment on my license. I showed up an hour later
with the helmet and gloves. The guy didn't ask to see the MC
endorsment. Good thing since I didn't have one I went out and did
things I had never done before. Yeah, I bought the bike, but it was
just shit luck that I made it back from that test ride in one piece.
Not sure if the helmet would have helped if I had wrapped it around a
tree.
I've never touched a helmet to the ground on the street but I sure
have on the track. I almost always wear one even though I am not
required to by law. None the less I am still glad that it is my
choice to do so.
Bruce
I got high sided/body slammed face first on a '79 XS1100,
that went loose in the rear during a corner.
I always wore a helmet, but only a 3/4 in those days. I did
receive some significant facial(nose/chin, etc.) abrasion(s)
due to the protection absence of the 3/4, that would have
been avoided had I been wearing the FF that I wear today.
I'm not really sure if FF helmets were prominent then, the
high side was probably '81-'82.
I agree that helmets(any style) are not a panacea for crashes,
but, I've had friends that've either been killed, or injured,
where I know a helmet would have avoided the injury or
death. I've also had friends that were killed or injured, where
all the helmets would not have protected the rider. |
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| Beauregard T. Shagnasty... |
| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 9:59 pm |
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David T. Ashley wrote:
Quote: "Ted Mittelstaedt" wrote:
Listing a bike for sale.
Got a call from an "interested party" who lives about 5 blocks away.
Said he was going to walk over and look.
Guy show up, no helmet, T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops. Wants to
take a test ride. OK, I say, I have a spare helment here, you can
ride pillion and I'll just go around the block. I was informed that
this wouldn't be satisfactory - he had to ride it solo. Needless to
say I declined.
Why do people even bother?
I bought my Honda after test-riding it without a helmet.
I would have expected that.
Quote: I think helmets are over-rated, especially on test-rides.
...while riding a totally unfamiliar motorcycle when your chances of an
accident are at their highest!
Quote: People tend to be careful with a bike new to them -- very careful.
I have witnessed several "test ride" accidents, including one by an
off-duty cop who said "Yeah, I can ride it" and promptly destroyed both
the bike and one of the gas pumps at the station where the bike was for
sale.
Quote: Plus, there is only a small fraction of low-speed accidents where a
helmet helps. So, overall on a test-ride, it just isn't likely that
someone will have an accident where a helmet makes a difference.
You just don't know, do you? I swear you sit around thinking of stuff to
make up.
Quote: I single-vehicled a motorcycle three times now ... the helmet never
touched the ground.
Dave - the luckiest man in Michigan.
--
-bts
-Friends don't let friends drive Windows |
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| David T. Ashley... |
| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 11:04 pm |
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"Timberwoof" <timberwoof.spam at (no spam) infernosoft.com> wrote in message
news:timberwoof.spam-738846.19453113072008 at (no spam) nnrp-virt.nntp.sonic.net...
Quote: In article <IvidnaWn4c2eMefVnZ2dnUVZ_iydnZ2d at (no spam) giganews.com>,
"David T. Ashley" <dta at (no spam) e3ft.com> wrote:
"Ted Mittelstaedt" <tedm at (no spam) toybox.placo.com> wrote in message
news:newscache$t8ix3k$hqr1$1 at (no spam) news.ipinc.net...
Listing a bike for sale.
Got a call from an "interested party" who lives about 5 blocks away.
Said he was going to walk over and look.
Guy show up, no helmet, T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops. Wants to
take a test ride. OK, I say, I have a spare helment here, you can
ride pillion and I'll just go around the block. I was informed that
this wouldn't be satisfactory - he had to ride it solo. Needless
to say I declined.
Why do people even bother?
I bought my Honda after test-riding it without a helmet.
I think helmets are over-rated, especially on test-rides.
People tend to be careful with a bike new to them -- very careful. Plus,
there is only a small fraction of low-speed accidents where a helmet
helps.
I don't think you have empirical data to support that.
So, overall on a test-ride, it just isn't likely that someone will have
an
accident where a helmet makes a difference.
I single-vehicled a motorcycle three times now ... the helmet never
touched
the ground.
I agree with your statement that I don't have data, and that it is _my_
data.
If I were test-riding a motorcycle, I would be careful for a lot of
different reasons. First, it is another person's property. Second, the
chances of accident are greater on an unfamiliar bike. Third, my only
purpose would be to ensure that the engine and its other bits and pieces
were working properly ... reckless riding isn't generally required for that.
But you are right -- my impressions could be WAY off. |
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| David T. Ashley... |
| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 11:05 pm |
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"Twibil" <jose.noway6 at (no spam) gmail.com> wrote in message
news:b14ee21d-08c1-447f-ba93-c93b2ec95b33 at (no spam) m44g2000hsc.googlegroups.com...
On Jul 13, 6:26 pm, "David T. Ashley" <d... at (no spam) e3ft.com> wrote:
Quote: I bought my Honda after test-riding it without a helmet.
Dumb seller.
I think helmets are over-rated, especially on test-rides.
Dumb buyer.
I took it around the block and reached a speed of no more than 25 miles per
hour. Even _I_ can't easily cause a serious accident at 25 and under. |
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| David T. Ashley... |
| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 11:13 pm |
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"Beauregard T. Shagnasty" <a.nony.mous at (no spam) example.invalid> wrote in message
news:g5efdt$7rr$1 at (no spam) registered.motzarella.org...
Quote: David T. Ashley wrote:
"Ted Mittelstaedt" wrote:
Listing a bike for sale.
Got a call from an "interested party" who lives about 5 blocks away.
Said he was going to walk over and look.
Guy show up, no helmet, T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops. Wants to
take a test ride. OK, I say, I have a spare helment here, you can
ride pillion and I'll just go around the block. I was informed that
this wouldn't be satisfactory - he had to ride it solo. Needless to
say I declined.
Why do people even bother?
I bought my Honda after test-riding it without a helmet.
I would have expected that.
Cheap shot.
Quote: I think helmets are over-rated, especially on test-rides.
..while riding a totally unfamiliar motorcycle when your chances of an
accident are at their highest!
.... and when anyone who is not an idiot is at their carefullest ...
Quote: People tend to be careful with a bike new to them -- very careful.
I have witnessed several "test ride" accidents, including one by an
off-duty cop who said "Yeah, I can ride it" and promptly destroyed both
the bike and one of the gas pumps at the station where the bike was for
sale.
I'm not doubting your truthfulness, but I have difficulty believing
"several". You'd have to be an idiot ...
Quote: Plus, there is only a small fraction of low-speed accidents where a
helmet helps. So, overall on a test-ride, it just isn't likely that
someone will have an accident where a helmet makes a difference.
You just don't know, do you? I swear you sit around thinking of stuff to
make up.
I admitted that my data was ... incomplete. Thank you for giving real-world
examples. My impressions may be wrong.
As far as making stuff up ... when I was a kid I was getting in BB-gun
fights and eating paint chips. There were some close calls with BBs and
eyeballs ... but I'm alive and so are most.
I'm not saying that test-ride accidents don't happen. I agree that you'd
have to be an idiot (with liability and all) to let someone test-ride
without proper gear.
But looking at it realistically ... seems the risk is low. |
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| Beauregard T. Shagnasty... |
| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 11:45 pm |
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David T. Ashley wrote:
Quote: I have witnessed several "test ride" accidents, including one by an
off-duty cop who said "Yeah, I can ride it" and promptly destroyed
both the bike and one of the gas pumps at the station where the bike
was for sale.
I'm not doubting your truthfulness, but I have difficulty believing
"several". You'd have to be an idiot ...
Several, as in about four. Do note that I was not the "seller" of the
bike in these test rides, if that's what you meant about being an idiot.
The gas station owner who allowed the cop to take the short ride across
the lot at full throttle into the pump was my father-in-law.
The kid who test-rode the new 500cc from the York PA Yahama shop, and
hit a telephone pole a half-block later was just another customer.
The guy who hit the brick driveway pillar at the end of a friend's
driveway was coming to visit on a bike he was testing. The owner was
following on another bike.
The other was a dirt bike incident and I've forgotten the details.
And I'm sure most shops have the same situations as my local Beemer
shop, where there is a test-ride incident at least once a year.
--
-bts
-Friends don't let friends drive Windows |
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| Howard... |
| Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 8:06 pm |
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On Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:05:55 -0400, "David T. Ashley" <dta at (no spam) e3ft.com>
wrote:
Quote: "Twibil" <jose.noway6 at (no spam) gmail.com> wrote in message
news:b14ee21d-08c1-447f-ba93-c93b2ec95b33 at (no spam) m44g2000hsc.googlegroups.com...
On Jul 13, 6:26 pm, "David T. Ashley" <d... at (no spam) e3ft.com> wrote:
I bought my Honda after test-riding it without a helmet.
Dumb seller.
I think helmets are over-rated, especially on test-rides.
Dumb buyer.
I took it around the block and reached a speed of no more than 25 miles per
hour. Even _I_ can't easily cause a serious accident at 25 and under.
You OBVIOUSLY have never been in the emergency medical field.
Howard 2004 Vulcan 750
DOD #2245
PGR Member
VROC # 18767
A zest for living much include a willingness to die.
R.A. Heinlein
MisterRNremovethis at (no spam) alltel.net |
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| David T. Ashley... |
| Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 8:54 pm |
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"Calgary" <actual.rider_remove_the_obvious_ at (no spam) telus.net> wrote in message
news:0fon741ncqc1edsm2retdnu5bqnr62jbvl at (no spam) 4ax.com...
Quote: On Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:40:20 -0700, Turby <turbosurfer at (no spam) beach.comber
wrote:
On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:26:20 -0400, "David T. Ashley" <dta at (no spam) e3ft.com
wrote:
I think helmets are over-rated, especially on test-rides.
Entering the charts at number 3, folks, with a bullet!
5 Stupidest Things David Has Posted to Reeky.
Not even close. With each post he out does the last one. And since he
is clearly far brighter than he displays in these threads, is it an
accident? I think not.
If you're proposing that I say dumb things by design ... not at all. I have
better things to do than torment y'all.
Seriously, everyone has got helmet hysteria. Yes, accidents happen. Yes,
helmets save lives. Yes, riding without one is a dumb idea.
But hell, people didn't have seatbelts in cars for decades. Most of them
survived.
The probability of an accident where a helmet would help on a single test
ride ... just ain't that great. |
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| Calgary... |
| Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 9:11 pm |
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On Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:54:43 -0400, "David T. Ashley" <dta at (no spam) e3ft.com>
wrote:
Quote:
The probability of an accident where a helmet would help on a single test
ride ... just ain't that great.
Well I rest my case.
--
See Ya On The Road
2000 Yamaha Venture Millennium
2004 HD Road King |
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