Motorcycle Safety Primer

[Administrator]

Original Article:
Motorcycle Safety Primer

Please discuss the Motorcycle.com article Motorcycle Safety Primer in our Motorcycle Forums below. Use the reply button to let others know your comments or feedback on the article. Constructive criticism is always appreciated, along with your thoughts and personal opinions on the bikes and products we have tested.

[Sir_Angus]

So is this the first in a series on motorcycle safety? How about some how-to articles on counter-steering, emergency braking, etc ... ?

[backroadbob.com]

Great to see your interest in safe riding, but I must disagree with your statement, "All riders crash". I've ridden street bikes for decades and hundreds of thousands of miles without anything more than a few parking lot tip overs and a low-speed (10 mph) slide in the rain. My present ride has 140, 000 accident-free miles and those miles are almost exclusively on the most dangerous type of roads - two lane routes. It is possible to ride accident-free. Accident-Free Riding isn't by accident. It's the result of employing what I call the Five Factors of Accident-Free Riding. Those factors were outlined in an article I wrote entitled Accident-Free Ridiing and they will be fully explained in an upcoming book I will be publishing on Amazon to accompany the 23 additional titles I have in current publication under the Motorcycle Road Trips series. My advice to those riders seeking riding tips is to take your advice from someone who has ridden accident-free because the only thing you can learn from someone who crashes is how to crash. My advice to Motorcycle.com is to be certain the writer who pens the motorcycle safety column can walk the walk as well as talk the talk.

[Jeff Cobb]

Originally Posted by backroadbob.com

Great to see your interest in safe riding, but I must disagree with your statement, "All riders crash". I've ridden street bikes for decades and hundreds of thousands of miles without anything more than a few parking lot tip overs and a low-speed (10 mph) slide in the rain. My present ride has 140, 000 accident-free miles and those miles are almost exclusively on the most dangerous type of roads - two lane routes. It is possible to ride accident-free. Accident-Free Riding isn't by accident. It's the result of employing what I call the Five Factors of Accident-Free Riding. Those factors were outlined in an article I wrote entitled Accident-Free Ridiing and they will be fully explained in an upcoming book I will be publishing on Amazon to accompany the 23 additional titles I have in current publication under the Motorcycle Road Trips series. My advice to those riders seeking riding tips is to take your advice from someone who has ridden accident-free because the only thing you can learn from someone who crashes is how to crash. My advice to Motorcycle.com is to be certain the writer who pens the motorcycle safety column can walk the walk as well as talk the talk.

The actual statement I believe you refer to is, "Even the best riders crash."

This is a true statement – riders who could be called the "best" have crashed.

This is not the same as saying, "All riders crash." This statement you wrote is not in the article. You thus used an inaccurate statement to attempt discrediting the article and its writer and boast of your credentials all in one post.

If you are a writer, you know the value of research and getting quotes correct, right? And correct term usage too?

It is "titled," not "entitled" – (RE: "Those factors were outlined in an article I wrote entitled Accident-Free Ridiing ... ")

While you are entitled to your views, you might also want to make sure you know whether the one who "pens" for Motorcycle.com really does walk the talk.

I've been at it since 1980, have written around 20 other safety articles here. Am a former full-time staff writer here. Former club racer. Nothing I say was not backed up by experience.

Why am I bothering to answer you?

Because I wrote this article in kind of a light hearted, easy going style trying to condense a lot in because I care whether riders get hurt or not, and I hoped they would hear this genuine appeal. Please don't tear it down unjustifiably.

If you want to advocate safety too, by all means do it, but do it with a little more dignity and accuracy, please.


Cheers.

[Mollygrubber]

@ Jeff Cobb...
Well handled.

[Jeff Cobb]

Originally Posted by Mollygrubber

@ Jeff Cobb...
Well handled.

Thank you!

[A Star Ride]

Some people are too selfserving to work toward a common goal. I applaud your work Jeff & applaud how you handled criticism. I get too egdy & lose my professionalism when I feel I'm under personal attack. Keep up the good work.

[Jeff Cobb]

Originally Posted by A Star Ride

Some people are too selfserving to work toward a common goal. I applaud your work Jeff & applaud how you handled criticism. I get too egdy & lose my professionalism when I feel I'm under personal attack. Keep up the good work.

Thanks A Star Ride. This is high praise indeed. Much appreciated.

Regards,

Jeff

[Sir_Angus]

Uh, your article was crap because it didn't cover intergalactic landspeeder racing ... As a 10 time multiverse champion, and devilishly handsome I might add, I've never snogged a gronkel. Except for that one time I did but I was drunk so it doesn't count. Motorcycle.com should ensure its writers have slept with as many aliens as I have before "typing" an article about a topic that has nothing to do with my eventual post. What's the point of tripping the rift if you forget sunscreen ...

I woke up feeling satirical that's my only excuse for the above mayhem ... Good read, Jeff.

[cloud9]

Originally Posted by backroadbob.com

but I must disagree with your statement, "All riders crash". I've ridden street bikes for decades and hundreds of thousands of miles without anything more than a few parking lot tip overs and a low-speed (10 mph) slide in the rain.

My advice to those riders seeking riding tips is to take your advice from someone who has ridden accident-free because the only thing you can learn from someone who crashes is how to crash.

So a 10 mph slide is not an accident?

And according to you I couldn't learn anything from any professional motorcycle rider because they have crashed and that's the only thing they know how to do.