Here is an article from the Wall Street Journal talking about how sportbikes (and the trend toward more power) and older riders account for the growing number of motorcycle accidents...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119006164438830162.html?mod=home_personal_journa l_left

Number crunchers twisting the data again. :(

Here is the AMA response...

http://www.amadirectlink.com/news/2007/IIHS.asp

They have some very good points!

Why is it if you ride a sportbike, you are thought of as a reckless, irresponsible motorcyclist? Many of us are actually careful, thoughtful riders!

:moto2:

I think 16 year old girls text messaging her "IDK my BFF Jill" while piloting an SUV is more of a danger than someon squid on a 400lb bike and being on one wheel.

I get why sportbikes have that reputation. Just go to youtube and put in a motorcycle name and half the vids are of wheelies, topspeed, kneedragging or stunting.

But ironically go to youtube and put in "Motorcycle death, killed, fatal, etc" and most videos that actually involve a motorcyclist being killed or severly hurt are from car drivers with their cell phones stuck up their butt.

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"I think 16 year old girls text messaging her "IDK my BFF Jill" while piloting an SUV is more of a danger than someon squid on a 400lb bike and being on one wheel."
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I would totally agree. They talk a lot about motorcycle fatalities and how dangerous bikes are, but rarely do they compare that stat to the percentage of those fatalities involving another vehicle.

Most motorcycle deaths are form the rider being hit by another vehicle.

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Most motorcycle deaths are form the rider being hit by another vehicle.

You are right. The last three biker fatalities I saw were :

Biker hit by tractor trailer..... while trying to pass between two of them on a two lane interstate.

Biker hit by car at intersection..... while biker speeding through red light


Biker hit head on by car.....while tryiny to pass in a curve on a double yellow line

Face it, many bikers earn this reputation.

I actually saw some stats and most motorcycle fatalities (Notice fatalities not just wrecks in general so that can be different) are from rider error. But I think it's something like 40% is vehicle collision and 50% rider error with 10% other or unkown.

I did see some 2005 stats that showed all motorcycle fatalities in Georgia and had it broken down well. Not this isn't 100% accurate just rounded off guesses of what I remember. Not 100% accurate but close. I'll try to find the stats themselves if I can.

But in one picture they show a map of Georgia county by county and show how many fatalities and what kind of bike it was. They had it classified as Sportbike, Sport Touring, Cruiser, Dirtbike and I think Standard(I'm not sure about that one). Sportbikes had the most fatalities but not by much and I think it's just because Fulton County put it over the edge with 12 sportbike deaths (Though I think a lot where probably your custom sportbikes which act as sportier style Ameican Choppers more than race bike).

Then they broke it down by age group. 18-20, 21-29, 30-39,40-49,49-59,59+ or something like that. The age group that had the highest death rate at 34% was the 30 year old group. Your younger age bracket was 2nd highest around 20something percent and so on.

I'll see if I can dig it up.

Also with someone on a sportbike acting like a jackass how often do you hear of them killing another person? It happens I know but very rarely. Much rarer than another vehicle killing someone(s) in another vehicle.