Disaster ! ! ! !

[Large Filipino]

When I ride and I see a cager about to get in my path not seeing me I let out a loud yell. When they do notice me I give them a wave of gratitude.
When they don't I slow way down.
Cars parked with the driver in the car I don't even mess with. I stay a good three to four feet from that door.

 

[darwin]

I want to keep this thing as simple as I can but after riding a few trips one of those mirrors Im finding is necessary, I havnt ridden in the dark yet but lights will be too. Before im done this is going to be a motorcycle but id rather be safe then end up getting hit by a car.

 

[Snax]

Definately get at least one good motorcycle quality mirror if not a helmet mount. The bicycle ones are pretty crappy, and without being able to hear approaching traffic from the rear, it's even more critical.

 

[Marktur]

I want to keep this thing as simple as I can but after riding a few trips one of those mirrors Im finding is necessary, I havnt ridden in the dark yet but lights will be too. Before im done this is going to be a motorcycle but id rather be safe then end up getting hit by a car.

Yeah, I'm having an ongoing struggle to decide Bike or Scooter....I keep dumping more and more money into this bike to turn it into a safer vehicle (ie. motorcycle). Scoots are painted in bright colors - much more visible because of the fairings, they have big lights that cars see, and they can keep up with traffic....oh, and did I mention COMFORTABLE????

The cons to the scooter is that I cannot race to the sidewalk if traffic is too busy. I will need to take the Motorcycle Endorsement course. I will need to wear body armor.

I dunno...prices are obvoiusly going to go up, and pretty quickly with the way gas is costing, which is also not a terrible thing, because more scoots and motorcycles and bikes will be on the street - maybe people will become more aware?

Tough call, because you can buy a very nice scoot for under $1000 for 150cc, and a lot less for nice 50cc models. My opinion is that if I'm going to do a scoot, it needs to be able to do at least 55-60 to keep up with local traffic. I wouldn't take it on the highway, that's for sure...

 

[crabdance]

Mark... don't go to the dark side. Not a scooter, lol. I know what you mean. After you get your bike you do more and more to turn it into a scooter or motorcycle. But that's the beauty of it. It's still a bike. Just a VERY neat bike. Well have fun with whatever you do. And stay away from the highway... very dangerous.

 

[ransrider]

Sorry to hear about your accident.

I'm curious about the legalities of the situation ( I just know that something is going to happen to me someday). is your bike registered? how might the fact that the bike is motorized affect her being obviously in the wrong? could you keep us updated on the legal situation?

as far as going with the scooter, i look at this way, except for welding a new frame, i can fix anything on the bike. i can build the wheels, replace any part of the bike and even fix the engine (Tanaka 2-stroke 40cc) but who knows with a scooter or if its chinese, if you can even get the parts.

get back on the horse er... uh ... bike soon!

 

[Marktur]

Hey Crab,
I'm not doing anything just yet...I think until I have this terrible burning desire and/or I get tired of the bike, I'll wait. Yes, the prices are going up, but then again, when there's more on the road, it "should" be at least a little bit safer.


Ransrider - parts are there...I've done a LOT of research. There's a Chinese Scooter forum much like this... (God, I'm such a forum junkee lately!)

 

[capturedbyrobots]

Bugeyes.com are the mirrors I use.
They work awesome, and attach to your helmet.
I can see anyone coming up behind me with just a tiny change in angle of vision.
I bought mine for only $11 or $12.

When I'm MB'ing,
I wear an armored Jacket (Tourmaster Jett, $89)
some motocross gloves, and a full face helmet.

It's what I wear whenever I ride any 2 wheel motorized vehicle.
Better safe than sorry.
It only took me one sorry moment and some road rash/broken bones
to realize that this gear is mandatory for my safety.

Really sorry for your war wounds, but maybe this is a sign to
get up on the protective gear.

As far as sit down scooters go, I think they are more dangerous.
Sitting low in the middle of traffic on one of those things makes me sooo nervous.
I prefer to be on the side of the road, with only 1 or 2 cars to worry about,
rather than worrying about every retard with a cellphone driving all around me.

I ride goped stand up scooters though,
and you have to ride on the side like a bicycle, so they feel as safe as a MB to me.

Wishing you fast healing.

 

[HoughMade]

Everyone is so quick to sue- it is not a simple matter....and that is all I will say as much more and I may run the risk of rendering legal advice. I can say this, talk to a lawyer if you feel like you want to pursue this and let him or her tell you where to go with this.

 

[sabrewalt]

Mirrors

I have Mirrycle Mountain bike mirror. I love it.. It works great. Still look over my shoulder before changing lanes but I always know what is there.

http://electricrider.com/accessories/mirrycle.htm

I think a lot of outlets have these. I just happened to buy from these guys.