Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

You think too much. Life is for living.

Saki wrote:..... but i often wonder is the thrill of riding worth the risk....

and that is the *only* question that needs an answer. If the answer is Yes, then ride on and enjoy every minute you are riding.

If the answer is No, then get a cage. If you are in any doubt, don't take the risk.

Personally, I *cannot* imagine life without a bike in the shed , ready for a fang at a moments notice. Every time you ride out your driveway, you are At Risk. Minimise those risks with a well-maintained bike, good riding techniques, proper safety gear, and a good attitude, and you should enjoy many many years of riding pleasure.

i think the best thing for you is to stop using the bike as your sole form of transport. that will reduce your odds of getting hit (you wont be on the road as much) and reduces the chances of it being stolen, damaged etc etc.

just use the bike for fun. i live in sydney and i usually dont ride my bike around town cause its no fun and its stressful and itmakes me not want to ride. i think if i had to ride it everyday in this town i would of sold it ages ago. luckily for me i dont have to ride it every day.

My opinion is that if you are in any substantial debt for that bike then you HAVE to have it insured.
Maybe an option to consider is buying an older/cheaper bike and just getting 3rd party on it. especially if you are using it as a commuter.

But like what has been said already. you gotta do whats right for you.

good luck with the deciding.

Saki wrote:I spose not riding would take that risk away, but being cautious also lowers the risk

... and takes away most of the joy of what we do... don't see the point of a life half lived... I still go gooey at the knees every time I see my bike let alone hit the hills at ridiculous speeds, not from fear but from lust for want of a better word if it ain't working for you, give it up -J.

Since everyone else has had a go, I will too.

1. I have a car and a VTR. My car sits in the garage for 2 weeks, then gets run around to pick up my kids, take them to the park, then it sits for 2 more weeks. I ride where ever I can. To make things easy carting around my gear I got a rack and a large bag. It holds all my shit (inc rain gear) and I just throw it on the back and away I go.

2. Do a defensive riding course. It will teach you how to be aware of your surroundings and how to avoid trouble. It may even bring DOWN your insurance costs. You may also want to do an advanced cornering course so you can learn how to ride that thing properly.

Only buy a car to supplement your riding, not instead of.

seraph wrote: I still go gooey at the knees every time I see my bike let alone hit the hills at ridiculous speeds-J.

You sure it's the knees ?

Gosling1 wrote: Every time you ride out your driveway, you are At Risk. Minimise those risks with a well-maintained bike, good riding techniques, proper safety gear, and a good attitude, and you should enjoy many many years of riding pleasure.

Well said mate.

I was reading this thread but it is too dangerous so I am going back to hug my blanket under the bed.

Saki wrote: I use a motor cycle as my only form of transport which at times can be a pain in the arse esp, when it rains. Also the hassle of having to put all my gear on then lug it around places with me.

All good advice from the crowd here .
Get the shit box cage and save the bike for the days when you just want to ride for the pure joy of riding .
And try a track day , a lot safer than mixing it up with all the knobheads driving around in their tiptops with blinkers on , and enjoy the company of like minded motorcyclists .
No UAV's coming around blind corners on your side of the road .
Get a rack too

I have 2 friends, both bike accident statistics, one at fault and one not. Neither are really supposed to be riding, but both would give their left nut for an "R" on their licence and a bike (any bike!) in their driveway.

And seeing my partner with a busted bike and broken wrist didnt make me think I should sell my ZZR. But I also have a car, because you cant tow a horse float with a bike (not even a Hardly).

However I am a *very* cautious rider, and ride to the speed limit, and also ride like everyone else is out to get you, cause they are! AND I still have fun. Get a car for the commuting crap if you can afford it.

I mainly use my bike as a toy, drive the cage to work and back, use the bike for everything else!

the only thing that makes me nervous on the road is police.

look out for the 'other idiots' and ride smart and you should be fine

I had a near death experiance the other day and when your numbers up theres bugger all you can do about it and I am a fairly cautious rider when i am working I just dont like anything trying to occupy my bit of space.

The short story i was toddling down my lane at 50kph in 5th minding my own buisness when a car going the other way doing about 60 kph decided he wanted to turn right still doing 60 kph ...into the very same space that i was occupying heading the other way and how he missed my rear wheel is beyond me.



At that very same moment i was contemplating whether or not i should have been wearing more body armour and how much this was going to hurt.

I should also add I generally punch the windows of drivers that try to run over me while talking on the mobile phone I think of this as doing my bit for rider awareness.


I ride in the city about 9 hours a day and often wear a silly grin.

Dont sell the bike till you have another one in the garage though just to be sure and if you fit a rack to the bike you will wonder how you did without one for all that time.

If you really want to stick with it go and do some training. Your mate got cleaned up and that's terrible but analyse what happened and think about what he could have done to prevent it.

A good thing to remember is that motorcyclists don't have accidents, we crash, and everytime we do no matter what the other bloke did there's always something we could have done to prevent it. Ride with that attitude and you'll feel a shitload safer.

After everything else though if you really feel that you don't want to get on the bike then don't.

One of my mates from High School.... Rhyse.... He woke up one morning 4 years ago with a sore side.... By 4pm he was in intensive care.... by 8pm he was dead...... You dont get a choice if you are going to die or not... but you do get a choice if you are really going to live...... What is the point of life if you cannot indulge your passion!....

My theory on riding is...... Everyone is out to kill you........ So if someone is stopped at a side road, assume they are going to pull out... If a truck is next to you on the motorway, he WILL move into your lane.... Its much safer that way.... Stuff road laws... Safety is more important.....

Having used various forms of transport to get to work over the last 14 months (driven, ridden, walked, and rode the pushy) I have this observation - you can only trust other motorists to be dickheads on the road. That's it.

I am guessing you aren't that old, and it will take you a while yet to develop decent traffic sense. But nevertheless, the whole issue is about risk management and how YOU control what you can control, and make allowances for what you can't. But seriously, it doesn't matter if you are on a bike or in a car, while governments continue to focus on speed as the Big Evil in motoring, the roads are gonna be full of twats, and dangerous.

As an aside, I really don't know how you can fork over $3.5k for insurance - add your excesses on to that, and you'll be lucky to get half the money back for your bike if you write it off. The economics nerd in me says that's plain nuts!

and takes away most of the joy of what we do... don't see the point of a life half lived

I kinda like riding bikes, spending time with the Mrs, and all that other "boring" stuff...so I think I may just do what I have to on the road to ensure I get to keep doing it all for a while longer yet...