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Sportbikes and the General Public -- Is a Clash inevitable?

Tourmeister

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Scott
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Howdy,

:tab Take a leak and grab a drink, this is going to be a long one!

:tab So I was recently in my throne room perusing the latest copy of Cycle World and checking out all the amazing new bikes for 2004. While looking at all the new 1000cc class bikes, it hit me that these things are barely a hairs width away from being full blown race bikes, yet they are street legal. These are bikes designed for use by riders with skills that I believe far exceed the average street rider. It seems like things are getting a little out of hand.

:tab Now before everyone starts in with the, "I have the right to buy anything I want..." responses, let me lay a little foundation. I am NOT in favor of any kind of legislative regulation of bike sales or tiered licensing procedures. If the manufacturers can afford to make these bikes and customers can afford to buy them, then I see no problem that requires the government to get involved. But let's be realistic here for a moment.

:tab I think most people would agree that choosing a GSX-R1000, Hayabusa, R1, etc,... style bike as a first bike is not exactly prudent. It is true that such bikes don't have to be ridden like race bikes, and just because they CAN go so fast doesn't mean you HAVE to go that fast. Nonetheless, riding a bike is not like driving a car. To ride a bike well requires far more skill than to drive a car well. The simple fact that you have half the number of tires on the ground to maintain traction demands more careful control over said traction.

:tab I see a lot of riders that mount up on a bike and they have done very little to educate themselves about what is involved with handling a motorcycle. The prevailing thought seems to be, "What's the big deal? You just get on and go!" I think any of you that have been riding for a while realize that this is not the case. Much of what is required to ride a bike proficiently is NOT intuitive and must be learned. As good as the MSF course is, it is just the first step in becoming a skilled motorcyclist.

:tab We seem to live in a culture that no longer values sound judgment and careful consideration. Impulsiveness, brashness and bravado seem to rule the day. I realize that I am making generalizations and that there are plenty of responsible riders out there. It just seems that more and more, these people are becoming less visible in the public eye and the squidly types are becoming more visible. The combination of unbelievably awesome bikes and the squidly behaviour is not a good mix. It's continued presence in the public eye with freeway wheelies, spectacular accidents, police chases on TV, etc,... is likely to end in a manner that is unfavorable to us all as motorcyclists.

:tab The general public and our legislatures tend not to be very discriminating when it comes to the motorcycling community at large. In their eyes, there are cruisers and crotch rockets. So you can imagine that if restrictive legislation is introduced it will be sweeping in nature and its' dragnet will catch all in its' path! We have already seen some of this in the Austin area recently as the result of the new Anti-Racing law that was passed not long ago.

:tab Several group rides have been stopped and cited for racing. While it is true in once case that the entire group was speeding excessively, they were not having a speed contest. They were cited for 70 in a 50 zone. Given the capabilities of modern sportbikes, this can hardly be considered racing. Nonetheless, all were arrested, bikes impounded, bails paid, etc,... As word of this spread, it immediately became obvious that participants of legitimate group rides were growing concerned about being unfairly and arbitrarily pegged as racing and having to deal with the stiff consequences. I have read the new law and it is incredibly vague and broad sweeping, leaving a LOT to the discretion of the officer on the scene without providing much in the way of definitions of terms or scope of application. We all know who is going to be believed if it comes down to an arguement over interpretation of the facts. :|

:tab So where am I going with all this? Good question, let me reread my stuff a minute and gather my thoughts. I'm sure I had a point in here somewhere.

:tab Simply being a skilled rider is not enough. I think that skill and good judgement should go hand in hand. While some riders may truly have the skill to handle a 150 HP bike, few seem to have the judgement to restrain themselves from doing really stupid stuff. This is not to say you can't do stupid stuff on a 40 Hp bike, it is just that the smaller and less powerful bike does not make it as easy or tempting. When the public sees stupid stuff happening and they can't fathom any reasonalble need for such bikes, it doesn't take much to convince them that such bikes should not be allowed and that such behavior should be severly punished.

:tab There are a lot of riders out there that have a "screw the public" attitude and they feel that they should be free to do whatever they like. This is understandable in our culture because the "do your own thing", "make your own rules", "be a rebel", etc... mentality is pushed in our media ll the time. So what should we expect? Exactly what we are seeing. However, such attitudes ignore the unavoidable reality of the need to coexist with other people. Frankly, when presented with a "screw you" mentality, most people respond with an "Oh yeah?? We'll see about that!"

:tab There is little doubt that the political power of the motorcycling community is a very small voice in a large multitude of shouting voices. Our cries of injustice will fall on deaf ears. Most people will think we are just getting our just desserts and offer little sympathy. It will be hard to argue with them.

:tab Don't expect the major manufacturers to step up to the plate to promote more responsible behavior. They are too interested in selling bikes and making a short term profit. If they could see down the road long term, perhaps they'd realize that it is in their best interest to do something now so that possible future legislation does not simply kill their market. Already the insurance rates have become so high on many sportbikes that the premiums are more than the cost of the bike. The cost of the premiums has become a major factor in a new bike purchase. Often times, the potential premiums for a sportbike will turn away a legitimate experienced and mature rider. This cannot be good for the manufacturers.

:tab I don't expect that the general attitudes of many bikers will be changing any time soon. The Stunta craze seems to be growing like a wildfire, which in and of itself would be fine if more of these people exercised even a little reasonable judgment regarding the time and place of their exploits. I am not holding my breath for the collective motorcycling community to suddenly wake up and smell the proverbial roses. It almost seems like legislation will be the ugly and unavoidable end of the road...

:tab So what can be done? Anyone got any good ideas? Should we start a huge media campiagn to edumacate the public? Should the manufactures launch a media campaign to promote more reasonable and mature attitudes? Should nothing be done? Let's hear it!

Adios,
 
Throne room

Man, what'd you eat to warrant being in there that long? Mexican food, perhaps? :angryfir:

While I agree with your points, I think technology always help with safety. Remember back when motorcycles were just motors with crappy suspensions and brakes? Talk about dangerous. While I agree supersports are getting closer and closer to full-bore sportbikes, sometimes it's not necessarily a bad thing.
 
Howdy,

:tab My thinking is not really that it is the bikes we need to worry about. I am more concerned with the attitudes of the people buying the bikes. It is sort of like the gun thing, "Guns don't kill people, people kill people." Hypersportbikes are not really the issue as much as the way they are used.

:tab On a side note, it is true that the bikes of old had crappy suspension, brakes, etc,... They also had a lot less power. Todays' bikes have far far superior suspensions, brakes, tires, etc,... But they make LOADS more power! Also, all of that technology makes the ability of the bikes so much more superior to the old, but at the same time requires a lot more from the rider. The average rider's skills and judgement has not kept up with the pace of the technology.

:tab So what do you think though about the issues of bikes and the public with regards to perceptions and possible legislation?

Adios,
 
Legislation

Well, I want to say I'm against legislation. However, when I keep seeing new bikes being wadded (sportbikes and alot of Harleys), it's makes me think we SHOULD have a tiered system for motorcycles, anyway. I know, I know, let the flaming begin.

However, honestly, whether you get a GS500 or a CBR600RR you can still hurt yourself on either. Yes, the CBR can attain 150 MPH speeds, but how many times are people killed at those speeds. It's usually the in-town riding where most accidents occur.

I guess the only thing that really pisses me off about people going out and buying bikes without any kind of training is what it will do to my insurance rates. Honestly, it's thinning of the gene pool as far as I'm concerned. But, if these untrained people that keep having wrecks make MY insurance rates go up, then that is upsetting. I have had formal training and I've been riding since 1990. I guess I'm a snob, but I know what I think is right for a beginner. Problem is, some beginners are surrounded by other beginners. What was the question?
 
Tourmeister, Maybe you could have killed the mold at your house with that marathon. I think the problem with the srew you I can do what I want attitude is a lot of these people also have poor judgement.This is why there is so much legislation aimed at stupidity.Too bad social Darwinism can not take care of this problem without raising our insurance rates.
 
I see tons of the mentioned stupidity around here. In Houston I could kind of stay away from it by not riding into town, but here, I live in town so it's everywhere. The bad part is, it's usually the unexperienced/underexperienced rider out trying to look cool that gets into trouble. This makes the local law enforcement EXTREMELY leery of other motorcyclists (expecially sport bikes) and I'm sure as more bikes get wadded up, the insurance here will go up as well. I won't go on group rides usually (except for Scott's :wink: ) because I'm afraid of what some squid in the group may do to get themselves or someone else hurt. It only takes one bad apple to spoil the whole bunch. What should we or can we do about it? I have no idea, I just try my to promote proper training and safe practice to newbies and experienced riders alike. I'm not the best or the safest rider by any means, but I can at least try to set a decent example so new riders and non-riders don't start off on the wrong foot or for the wrong reasons.
 
Squids, licenses and horsepower.

Scott,

As a person that makes his living training those in industry that say, "Common sense says these people won't do stupid things!", well they are wrong. :angryfir:

Fact 1 Common Sense ain't. People do stupid stuff because they have been trained to not think, just do. I have seen people have to be trained to climb a ladder. :shock:

Fact 2 Lawyers live because people do not think they have any personal responsbility. Therefore, if these squids get into a wreck and kill themselves, their family will sue the manufacturer's for making "Race Replicas" for non racers. :twisted:

That is how I make a living, training employees in how to keep from killling themselves, because it is cheaper to train them than to kill them. :headbang:

My stupid $.02 worth, we will have to go to a tiered license structure sooner rather than later, for cars, too. Why, because people cannot drive! That's why males under 25 pay the highest rates, because the statistics say so. Less skill, more testosterone, less experience. :shame:

And would it be so bad to make a squid show an advanced driver mc license to buy a 130 hp RR? :huh:

Or a teen to show an advanced driver license to get a 375 hp convertible corvette?

This doesn't say you can't get them, you just have to show you have the skills to get one, first.

As I say, my $.02 worth.

Larry
 
Howdy,

:tab I have thought about the tiered system but I see a few potential flaws. The concept is that riders should only be allowed to ride a bike that matches their skills. Thus new riders would be limited to something like 250 or 500 cc bikes. As rider experience, and presumably skill and judgement, increases, riders would be allowed to ride more powerful bikes. Sounds good in concept but in application I don't think it is really practical.

:tab If we make the criteria for moving up in the tier structure a time issue this isn't really fair. Consider someone that has maybe 1000 miles of riding under their belt but that has had their license for say a year. Are they really experienced? I'd say NO. What about the rider with 20,000 miles experience in less than a year, should they be forced to wait some arbitrary time? So the next obvious criteria would be mileage based. How do we go about verifying how many miles people have actually ridden?

:tab Now let's consider how the bikes would be classified. Would cruisers be split up the same way as sport bikes? Let's face it, how a bike is tuned makes a world of difference in how it performs. The new 600cc sportbikes are full blown rockets! However, a 600cc cruiser is typically slow, ill handling, and heavy. An 1100cc cruiser is a lot more tame than the high strung 600 sportbikes. Nonetheless, that 1100 cc cruiser can still get you into a world of trouble in the skip of a heartbeat. I don't really see a way to classify the bikes rationally and logically for restrictive purposes.

:tab What if we have some kind of skills testing? Perhaps we force people to take track days where they are observed by instructors and given more thorough training in proper riding technique. This sounds good, but it won't be cheap. If we make the bar of entry to riding too expensive, it will be the death nell of the sport. And you can bet that such classes would not be cheap!

:tab I think legislation or tiered licensing is a short term quick patch to a long term problem. I really believe the root problem is more an issue of people attitudes than it is the bikes. The problem is that people's attitudes are not usually easy to change. It is a bit like steering an aircraft carrier as compared to a jetski. There is no quick solution.

:tab Ideally, people would have the sense to realize that when they go out to buy a bike, they should get something tame so they can learn the basics. But no one likes to be thought of as a newbie. We don't want to put in the time it takes to really develop the skills to ride more powerful bikes. We want cool status NOW! This attitude is not unique to bikers, it runs across all levels of our culture. So we get people that really think they can handle the big bike and salesmen all to happy to sell them one. After all, is it the salesman's place to determine who is or is not fit to buy a GSX-R1000?

:tab The reason I am so piqued about this is that I believe the day is coming, sooner than later, where the tide of public opinion will rise to the point where they demand that something be done. The likelihood of motorcyclists being involved in the decision making regarding what should be done is slim at best. If history is any indication, the legislators will throw something together without taking the time to really think it through. Then they will parade it in front of the voters to show what a great job the legislators are doing protecting the voters from the crazy bikers. This can't be good.

:tab It would be good if the motorcycling community could come up with some kind of workable solution so that when the time comes that legislation is proposed, we would have something to offer in the way of input. Otherwise we are at the mercy of the non-riding public. :shock:

Adios,
 
I've no problem with the tiered system. Seems like the Euro-folk (gosh, but I admire the general moto-culture Over There) deal with it okay.

That said, I've no desire for additional regulations over/above existing traffic laws.

I believe that with power(/riches/freedom/etc) comes responsibility. If you have a Hayabusa, the itch to go WFO is a hard one not to scratch, but if one doesn't exercise discipline or at least common sense, one must pay the price.

On group rides, I'm really quite comfortable with staying around the speed limit, perhaps trying to keep that pace through the twistier bits.

With all due respect to the folks involved in the 1431 "racing" episode, wasn't this 70 in a 50 or 55 zone, at night, in a potentially deer-infested part of 1431? I'm sorry, but use...your...brain.

Same goes with soccer moms (NASCAR dads? ) doing 90 in a 65 in their Expenavihumrovers. I'd like to see a little LEO energy directed THEIR way, too.
 
buck000 said:
I've no problem with the tiered system. Seems like the Euro-folk (gosh, but I admire the general moto-culture Over There) deal with it okay.

I totally agree, after living, and riding over there for 4 years. The tiered system works, as does their system of rider training. You dont just go get a learners permit, and start practicing, its a formal training program, and, it takes some time to get a license. Now, I don't think THAT would ever fly here, as much sense as it makes, but, limiting a newly licensed rider to a 500, or 600 cc machine for 1-2 yrs, progressively upping, say maybe three stages, would be somewhat effective, IMHO. Besides, maybe that would bring back the 750 class!
TR
El Centro CA
(Arriving TX Nov 12 2003)
 
All in the name of mediocrity!

Howdy,

:tab Here's a dilemma. I started on a 750 Nighthawk and had no problems. Would I recommend this bike as a starter bike for everyone? Most definitely not! Does that mean it is not a good starter bike for some people? Most definitely not! For ME it was a good starter bike. I could easily reach the ground, it was not intimidating, it was not a high strung sportbike, it was pretty much perfect.

:tab Now of we had a tier system here in the states, I would not have been able to start on that bike. I would have had to waste a good deal of time and money on smaller bikes and training. It would have been even longer before I could have moved up to my current VFR 800. For me, this is intolerable that I should be forced to go through that extra time and expsense when it was not needed. And yet, there seem to be people out there that really need to start on something smaller but for whatever reason are just to clueless to figure that out for themselves.

:tab As with many things in life, it seems that the bad apple will eventually spoil the whole barrel. Because we have a cultural environment that does not promote personal responsibility, we get laws the seek to regulate such responsibility. If there were no speeding limits, most people would still probably travel at prudent speeds for given conditions. However, there would always be a bunch of nutcases that see the lack of a speed limit as a license to go as fast as possible regardless of the conditions. Thus to eliminate the dangers associated with those idiots, we have to create regulations to bring everyone down to a mediocre level. The same thing is happening when we talk about a tiered level of licensing. Because a portion of the cycling community is reckless and irresponsible, we are considering a regulatory system designed to bring those people in line but that effectively punishes everyone else who is NOT irresponible and reckless. This seems inherently unjust to me.

:tab Now it would be interesting if we had enough of a motorcycling infrastructure in our society where there could be full time training centers. Ideally, one could go to one of these centers, ride one of THEIR bikes and do skills testing. I am talking about more than just parking lot stuff like the current MSF. I mean things like having a certified instructor ride with you on the street, sort of like flying instruction is done. Regardless of your years or mileage of experience, if the instructor is satisfied with your proficiency, then you get cleared for the next level.

:tab Of course, no one has addressed the issue I raised about what exactly does it mean to graduate to the next "level"? Is that defined by CC's, HP, bike weight, the style of bike, top speed...what?!!? To talk of a tiered system without getting this figured out is mostly meaningless.

:tab I am going to head over to a UK based VFR forum and see if I can get someone over there to give me the skinny on their systems.

Adios,
 
I started on a CB 750 Nighthawk also, a 92 model I bought new in 93. I have owned several bikes since, including a CB450 I bought well used, in Germany. I learned more about riding from that bike, even after a few years on the nighthawk, and some time on a sportster. I had to learn to manage the power, plan turns better, and generally exercise a higher level of control, than if I had a ton of power to draw on to correct my bad habits. Maybe that nighthawk wasnt as good a first bike as you think it was, perhaps starting out on a 500, and learning to ride the bike, not the power, would have drastically improved your riding, no matter HOW good you may be now. Something I found in Europe, was, that those people can RIDE! They learn to use the whole machine, and do it safely, and profesionaly, almost like a road racer, even just to go out and pick up a gallon of milk. I'm not sure our instant gratification society can handle placing realistic restrictions on cycles however, or willing to invest the time, and money in a real rider training program, as is required in Europe. ****, it's hard enough to get most of these newbies to spend a few bucks on a helmet, and jacket!
TR
El Centro CA
(TX bound Nov 12)
 
Good topic, tough to solve though. It's a cultural thing and that is hard to change. Legislation (tiered license structure) would help. Parental input during those learning years would help. Sadly though, when we're young we feel immortal. good for fighting, bad for driving.

Saw 4 bikes cut through heavy traffic on Loop 610 Sunday afternoon. Average traffic speed was about 50 - so you know it was crowded. The bikes ripped through - had to be doing close to a ton. my first thought was that Darwin would get them, but then I saw a girl on the back of one - helmetless, her head buried in the back of the rider. I got real angry about that - kill yourself - fine - kill your passenger because of your selfish irresponsibility and you can rot in ****. OK - this is out of context - maybe she likes the thrill. But i thought about her parents at home, oblivious to their loved one in so dangerous a situation.

Hey - I'm a rider, i pay the rates, buy the gear, buy the mags, support AMA, etc. But when I see something like that I search my soul for what it is I am not doing. How can I help educate the new riders? How many times do our friends who are looking at starting to ride ask us for our opinion. I am proud of this group and all the anecdotal evidence that we advise newbies to "start small and get the right training". Keep it up! Talk it up in your club meetings or on your group rides.

Maybe we could also talk to the dealerships we frequent, ask them if they have a policy of selling "right sized bikes" and encouraging them to adopt such a policy as we are looking to trade with dealers who only do that. It's practically anti-American to suggest that a dealer should turn a sale away to another dealer, but social responsibilty is fundamental to their long term survival. We shouldn't have to have laws to encourage common sense.

I think about how I started riding a 50cc Garelli in Rome and a 90cc Yamaha in Jakarta, no training, no licensing. I was a wild child too, and I know I could have been killed just as dead on those little screamers as I can on my current bikes. I survived thank God, despite the odds against me. So selling a right sized bike alone is not the only answer. You also have to have training, and our dealers should not sell a street bike to a rider who doesn't have a license and nobody should get a license without attending an MSF course.

Maybe there is no single solution, but more and more we hear this discussion - which is fantastic in and of itself as discussion leads to change. We can apply peer pressure, we can vote our dollars to dealers who maintain social responsibility, and we can engage our elected lawmakers (with the help of the AMA) to encourage pro-training legislation (and funding!).

Keep up the good thoughts y'all. It would be great to hear from a new rider and get firsthand their perspective and introduction to the sport. Were you thrown to the wolves or did you have guidance from friends and your dealer. Did your training help you?
 
The insurance-cost aspect of this discussion has me thinking a bit. (bear with me - I don't do this sort of thing every day! :mrgreen: )

I have filed no accident claims (bike or otherwise) for over a decade, yet for the past 3 years straight, I have had to shop for a new insurer whenever renewal time comes around, because either the carrier was raising my rates to astronomical levels or they were dropping motorcycle coverage altogether. Let me repeat: I have filed NO accident claims in over 10 years, and it's been at least that long since I even had a speeding ticket or any other violation. It's almost gotten to the point where I don't know if I'll be able to afford full coverage from one year to the next. If this trend continues, there's a good chance I won't be buying new bikes anymore. I may be getting really cheap, second-hand bikes instead so that I can get by carrying only liability. This is where the dealers can help all of us by working harder at encouraging "appropriate" sales based on what they can determine is the skill level of their customers, and by promoting rider education as a part of every sale - perhaps with a substantial discount for MSF training thrown into the deal. If the dealers don't take more of a lead in this, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they start seeing their sales take a serious nose-dive within the next few years as a result of insurance becoming virtually unaffordable to the average rider.

The insurers could offer better "good rider" incentives as well, perhaps with discounts kicking in the longer a rider goes without making a claim. It seems that if they set their rates carefully based on the applicant's past behavior, it could result in a higher profit margin for the insurer who attracts better riders, even with cheaper premiums. No claims = pure profit. (or almost, anyway)

I guess what I'm getting at is that there could be a free-enterprise solution to the problem of reckless riders as opposed to the heavy hand of government regulation. However, I'm not such an optimist as to believe that it will happen this way. If there is a solution to this dilemma, it probably will involve some combination of peer pressure, pocketbook pressure, and government involvement, whether through stricter training/licencing or (shudder) horsepower restrictions.
 
I'd also like to add some insight.
I have found that alot of the riders(now consider ALL rider) are short term. Think about all the 1 year old bikes out there for sale that have like 1000 miles on them. I've only been riding for about 2 years, but I plan to continue to ride for years to come. Accidient or no accidents. People go out and buy a bike...say a brand new shiny R6. Great they go out break it in propperly (read baby it around). Then after it is broke in they take it out to REALLY ride it. Of course no training or experience...they wreck. Thier spouse gets pissed they miss time from work...blah blah. They sell the darn thing b/c they can't go out and look like Rossi. What? you thought it was easy to look this good :chug: :roll: j/k! Really though people think it is simple to lean way over and haul butt. I have tried to explain it to non-riders, and they seem to think I'm lying?!
The point I am trying to make is that the devoted (sporbike) community is pretty small. There are many more (cruiser) riders that are long term, but I think it is the sportbike riders that need to take the initiative. If riding is not your lifestyle & your passion in life..the possiblity of losing those privilages and freedoms will not bother you that much.
I myself have wanted a bike..more specificlly a sporbike since I was 18 years old. My parents forbid me to even speek of them in the house. Even after I moved out and was on my own; I honored thier wishes. WE all agreed that at the tender age of 28 yrs old I was probably mature enough to own such a machine. Now some may say grow a pair & once your on your own do what you want, but my reply is simple. You are not on your own..if you get hurt or worse :( it will impact many. Friends, coworkers & FAMILY; they rely on you and care about your safty. True you could die walking down the street, but concidering the people around you has to be looked at as well.
(sorry on a tangent) In summation people are going to get what they want & how they want it. I guess everywhere IS like Burger King (you can have it your way). Also unfortunatly the government loves to protect us from ourselves. People cannot be left to themselves. They are too STUPID(in general)!
I am leaving this open-ended b/c I do not have a solution. This is just a great topic & sparked a rant :chug: :wink:
 
Here's something different to chew on:

Unfortunately, there is something far more ominous than tiered licensing looming on the horizon. Something so Draconian, we'll long for the days when we had tiered licensing or horsepower limits.

I'm talking about speed-governed smart vehicles.

Imagine jumping on your bike on a fine Sunday morning for a quick blast down your favorite stretch of blacktop. You get to a straight section of road and feel like stretching your bike's legs a bit. Hey, it's early and there's no other traffic. You crank the throttle wide open and....

Nothing.

That's because your riding a "smart" bike equipped with a government mandated "super blackbox". A tamperproof device that houses front and rear proximity sensors, a datalogger that continously records, among other things, your speed and brake/throttle status. And one more thing- a GPS.

Here's the scary part. Using the GPS along with sensors imbedded in the road, your bike now "knows" exactly where you are and..you guessed it...what the speed limit is for your location. All of this data is fed into an onboard computer which electronically limits how fast you're able to go according to that speed limit and current traffic conditions.

Think this could never happen? Smart cars and smart roads are being beta tested in the UK RIGHT NOW! It's coming, folks and the safetycrats are gonna have a field day with this one. Squidly behavior will one day become a thing of the past.


So enjoy that "quick blast" while you still can. Oh, the horror!!!

Steve
 
:tab Yeah I read about that and it does really scratch my Big Brother paranoia button! The interesting thing will be to see if they try to force people to retrofit them to older vehicles. Or will they make not retrofitting such a pain that everyone will just go out and buy new vehicles? Bet the manufacturers would love that!!

:tab makes being a hermit sound appealing ;-)
 
super sportbikes

While I have read most of the responses to the initial article, I must agree with some of the ideas discussed.
What I would like to see instead of tierd licensing, or outlawing super bikes, is mandatory rider education, as well as at least one follow up advanced course, also mandatory. As a very long time rider (over 29 years) I recently went to the basic DPS approved course. If nothing else they beat into our heads the need to ride like everyone is trying to kill you while on your bike. The 2 second and 4 second rules were stressed over and over again.
We do however live in a society that has decided that we are all victims of someone else's negligence. With this prevailing attitude toward the other guy on the road some 2 wheeled and 4 wheeled drivers think they can blow through town with no regard to the other folks on the road. Sad isn't it?
Basically it comes down to what kind of person is in control of the machine a responsible one or............ an idiot.
 
Unfortunaly laws are made to be sweeping and undiscriminating. Therefore the responible riders will inevitably be hampered or infringed on by whatever laws are inacted towards squidly behavior.
 
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