Crown

Over the couple of past weeks, I had various (kind of) scary "encounters" with motorcycles.

1. Austria: During a short vacation in Austria, I drove up and down some mountain pass roads with the family in our Jeep SRT and I had to actively avoid a couple of motorcycles because the bikers would intrude my lane by 1/3 (no kidding) by leaning into it. Twice, I had to brake hard and move the car almost down the abyss because they bikers were entering or exiting curves in my lane. Absolutely crazy. I won't even start complaining about how they passed me and other cars, especially in curves where there was no visibility at all. To give you a perspective: I was driving 20-30 kph at times.

2. German daily driving: I was standing at a red light in my 991 Turbo S on the left lane out of two lanes. When the traffic light changed to yellow and then green, I accelerated. I saw a shadow in my driver side mirror and didn't fully accelerate, to my luck...and the one of the idiot biker who cut my way from behind, getting in front of me. It was a very old motorcycle, it didn't have more than 30 or 40 hp, one of those old-timers and if I would have fully accelerated in my Turbo S...well...do the math.

Then just last Saturday, red light situation on a country road. I was on the left lane, the motorcycle (some 1100 or 1300 monster) on the right. We both fully accelerated  when the light changed to green and up to 80 kph or so, we were head to head, when I suddenly applied the brake and stopped because the stop light on a big intersection ahead of us was red. Now guess what? The biker passed over red at a very high speed (at least 120 kph or so) and with the front wheel up(!), he just didn't see the red light in front of him. This guy must have had a guardian angel because the traffic had just started to enter the intersection.

3. Italy: I had to move my Jeep SRT to the faaaarrrr right in some situations, extremely close to the wall of rock on the right, to make room for these idiots. I was so close to the wall of rock on the right that my daughter started screaming. If I wouldn't have done that, the bikers would have crashed into my car or the car on the opposite lane (which unfortunately weren't clever enough to make more room for them). One Italian biker didn't have enough power to pass me and I had to brake hard, so he can enter the lane in front of me, otherwise he would have crashed into that truck on the opposite lane.

What is wrong with these guys? Lately, I had so many similar encounters that I started to doubt the sanity of some bikers. Keep in mind that I usually drive very attentive to bikers, I drive more to the right to leave room for them and I pay a lot of attention, I'm also not mad (like other drivers) when they pass me. This time however, I really think that all the crazy bikers were on the road, absolutely unbelievable.

What do you think?

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

Same problem here. These guys must think they are indestructible. Weaving between lanes on our motorways "undertaking"; the other day I was indicating to turn off to my nearside only to find a biker at the same time overtake me - on the inside.  Crazy. At 130 km/h on fast roads how many times have I had a biker, lights full on within 3 - 5 metres of the rear of the car. Brake in an emergency and I'd have a new back seat passenger.

And we have adverts here all the time - Watch for Bikers as if the accidents are always the car drivers fault.....Red traffic lights? Urban speed limits? Only for cars, not for some bikers....

Wrong to brand them all though, there are many very good and sensible bikers out there but the lunatic minority

Nought to Splat in no time flat.

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BMW 335d M Sport Touring estoril blue(on order) - Skoda Octavia Mk.3 daily drive

Totally agree. I have no doubt that the majority of bikers will drive sensible, but there really are some complete brainless morons on the road, that's for sure. (That applies to some car drivers as well by the way). I always try to anticipate when I see a motorcycle and give them the room, but some of them really think they are on a racetrack. Taking a blind corner on the wrong side of the road for example. Seen it too many times and fortunately it always ended up good so far (with a lot of luck and good anticipation of the other road users), but these people are simply too stupid do have a driver's license IMHO. 

A biker is completely unprotected and they should be aware of that, not us car drivers. Too many count on the other road users to be careful, but that's not how it is supposed to be. They are the ones that want to drive on a motorcycle, so they should be the ones that are careful and aware of the danger. If everyone on the road would think like these bikers, the road would be a big graveyard. 

Unfortunately it's only the bikers that drive like lunatics, that get our attention, so lots of people think that all bikers drive like that, which is certainly not true. But one thing is for sure... That 'small' group ruins it for the more sensible bikers....

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Suzy

2013 Porsche Boxster S (MT) | Basalt black metallic    [SOLD]
2014 Audi A6 Avant 3.0 BiTDI Quattro | Moonshine blue metallic
 

Depend of the country. in France for example, the bikers and the drivers, have in most of the time, a really fair behavior. when a biker come, the car slide on the side to let him pass. Switzerland drivers are starting to do that, not everyone but it's more and more comun.

Now if a biker push and become agressiv or arrogant, i don't let him pass because i just think that been rude is not a solution. road is to use for all but let's be fair and things will go smooth on the road.

Audi TT, Cayenne S, Go kart Birrel, John Deer

I personally don't understand why motor cycles are even allowed on medium to high-speed roads. It's a ridiculous and unfair liability on the part of car drivers. Where I'm from they don't even have mandatory helmet laws. It's absurd.

It is soooooo easy for someone a motorcycle to fall and get seriously injured from even the smallest of mistakes by a car driver. You could easily kill a rider by just nudging their bike slightly on accident. What would just be a case of broken tail light, a scratch, or even maybe just a honk of the horn could kill someone on a motorcycle.

The government and manufacturers are always, and with good reason, working to make cars safer. What are they doing about motor cycles? Well, nothing, because there is no way to make motorcycle safe. They say motorcycle accidents are 4x as likely to result in injury or death, and I bet that injury is a hell of a lot worse too.

noone1:

I personally don't understand why motor cycles are even allowed on medium to high-speed roads. It's a ridiculous and unfair liability on the part of car drivers. Where I'm from they don't even have mandatory helmet laws. It's absurd.

It is soooooo easy for someone a motorcycle to fall and get seriously injured from even the smallest of mistakes by a car driver. You could easily kill a rider by just nudging their bike slightly on accident. What would just be a case of broken tail light, a scratch, or even maybe just a honk of the horn could kill someone on a motorcycle.

The government and manufacturers are always, and with good reason, working to make cars safer. What are they doing about motor cycles? Well, nothing, because there is no way to make motorcycle safe. They say motorcycle accidents are 4x as likely to result in injury or death, and I bet that injury is a hell of a lot worse too.

You could add a special licence for motorcycle riders. Oh wait, no that was a different thread 

Interestingly, the concerns you have with motorcycle riders equally apply to the "high speed license" drivers in Cram's thread which were going to be so elegantly resolved with a licence. It would have similar effect on accidents and injuries when one guy drives 250km/h and the rest 120km/h...

2014 991 Carrera 4S | Dark Blue Metallic | PDK | S-PASM (-20mm) | PSE

2010 Audi S5 cabrio | Ibis White

bluelines:

You could add a special licence for motorcycle riders. Oh wait, no that was a different thread 

Interestingly, the concerns you have with motorcycle riders equally apply to the "high speed license" drivers in Cram's thread which were going to be so elegantly resolved with a licence. It would have similar effect on accidents and injuries when one guy drives 250km/h and the rest 120km/h...

+1 

Suzy

2013 Porsche Boxster S (MT) | Basalt black metallic    [SOLD]
2014 Audi A6 Avant 3.0 BiTDI Quattro | Moonshine blue metallic
 

I am a motorcycle driver ........ and the roads would be much nicer without all these cars taking so much of our space 

 997.2 C2S, PDK, -20mm

A bit different though because while higher speeds can lead to more severe accidents, cars are still rather safe at all the other, normal speed limits. Allowing people to speed wouldn't mean everywhere and it wouldn't mean they necessarily would at all times. Just autobahns of course, and it wouldn't even have to be 300. Could be 220 or something faster but not absurd. Unrestricted autobahns in Germany don't seem to have issues with cars going at drastically different speeds and not everyone takes advantage of the speeds at all times. I've drive 120mph on unrestricted parts and also at 80mph. It is dependent upon conditions, mood, who else is in the car, etc. 

A motorcycle on the other hand is very dangerous all the time. You're one small bump away from a serious injury or death, even at a stoplight. 1500 kg moving at even 10 mph can do tons of damage to the unprotected human body, and straddling your 150 kg bike can not only stop you from maneuvering, but it can actually make it worse.

A couple months ago some lady wasn't looking while I crossed the street casually, thinking she was far enough away to see me and slow down. She "bumped" me at a few mph, causing me to kind of fall over her hood and roll off to the side of it. Still on my feet of course, felt like someone punch me in the leg, but nothing major. Now, had I been on a 150 kg bike I surely wouldn't have been able to lean over the hood and could have not only had my leg pinned between car and hard place, but it could have fallen over on me as well.

So yea, license for speeding, but ban bikes. :) One can make accidents more severe but not necessarily more likely, whereas the other is just plain dangerous at any time.

Motorcycle laws in the States have become a mere joke, with many states having repealed helmet laws. Some make the argument that a helmet impeded vision and what difference will it make...

There are three types of motorcycle riders in the States: 1) Harley owners with straight pipes, 2) wannabe Harley riders and 3) crotch rockets.  Few exhibit what anyone would call mature behavior appropriate for an adult.  

Harley owners like noise, noise and noise, no matter what time in the evening and early, early morning.  Many have taken to the strange, and very annoying trend, of having stereos louder than their bikes.  Of course, they are inclined to rev their bikes' motor at every traffic light.  They also insist on riding two or three abreast with one's legs' splayed and over the center line.  

Both Harley and wannabes spend more time parked, probably because most of the bikes are unridable with ape hanger handle bars and no suspension, at bars.  They usually are involved in late night and early morning accidents.  Recently, near my other place, a 50 y/o Harley ride had an accident with a pony after 1:00 AM.  The biker was injured and the pony was not found...

The crotch rockets are typically driven by a younger rider, and many fail to make it past 35.  They race up and down the expressways and city streets at double or triple the legal speed limit.  They weave in and out of lanes and travel in packs.  Most fatalities are usually under the influence of alcohol or other illegal substances.  

However, there are also a small portion of responsible motorcyclists that are sometimes injured because of inattentive car drivers.  This is the exception and not the rule in the States.

I have yet to read a more near sighted and ignorant sweeping generalisation of bike riders ... spend some time with bikers of all types and then, maybe then, you will have a more knowledgeable opinion on the matter.

I have heard the same exact comments from minvan or stationwagon drivers about sportcar drivers 

Most bike riders are normal people who enjoy the most fun and exhilirating vehicles on the road, sportcars don't even compare to riding a sportbike for example, they don't have a death wish, they don't want to brag about anything, they don't want attention, etc in fact that mayority goes largely un-noticed by other drivers but a few morons (that are just as moronic when they get behind a car's wheel) do get a lot of attention because of their behaviour and therefore largely define the image for all riders.

Ironically the worst riders here are scooter rivers, which can't be called a motorcyle IMO, because usually they are bought by riders who don't care about bikes and are only interested in it as a method of transport and therefore do not care about driving properly, wearing proper gear, etc.

Not wearing a helmet on a motorcycle? thats Darwin's Law IMO, that may be cold but that's the truth. In fact you should not only wear a helmet, but also proper jacket and shoes, at least.

Also I never mess with a bike when driving a car, and always give itb plenty of space, much more than I give another car for example. You never know when there is a moron riding it and the dinamics of bikes on the road are very different than cars and do not mix well together at higher speeds of sportyr driving.

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Not ignorant or nearsighted but a representation of the biking population in the States.  Your experiences may be different in other parts of the world and my comments made above are restricted the to the States. Very few bike riders wear anything remotely appropriate for riding and I have seen an individual wearing flip-flops and talking on a cell phone while on a Ducati Monster.  He also had a 911 Cabriolet that was never driven beyond a mile radius in the city.  

Visit Chicago or any other city in the United States during the Summer and you will not the representations made are factual.  Bars and clubs will have rows of Harleys and faux Harleys waiting outside as their owners consume large quantities of alcohol, only to take to the roads in the wee hours of the morning, awakening everyone within blocks of their departure point.  

The expressways are no better with screams of Hondas and Suzukis driven aggressively through traffic.  Weekend crashes are almost an expected outcome during the warm months as craziness takes over.

As I stated before, not all bikers fall into the above categories; however, this is representative of the large percentage of bikers in States.

2 or 3 times a year I make a 3000km trip around the alps. Until now, on every trip I met at least one of those guys with a "death wish" - I have no other word for that. In 90% happens this in tight curves. Either they are completely driving on my side or they are with their tires on the middle line and with their head in the way of my windscreen.

Without extreme braking and evading of me some of them would have been dead. I simply cannot understand how stupid some must be to drive this way.

911 S Cabrio (2013), Panamera GTS (2013)

Agree 100% with what Carlos said.

If you want a sensible view of motorcycling in the states have a look at this site:  http://rideapart.com/

I can only confirm what RC is noting. Over here, where the driving is pretty bad as it is. No proper instructions or lessons for kids coupled with super slow speed limits.. Anyways, doesn't apply to some of these racer boys. I've had to make sudden and abrupt emergency moves to avoid bikers coming into my lane or passing me and then running out of room/space... Yes this can be said for any driver, but some of these moves just aren't possible with a GTR or any other car.. 

You are so so vulnerable on a bike.. why would you risk it  ANYTHING goes wrong, it's game over period. 

I've had a close encounter with a rider who apparently had a death wish also.. He cut me off and then fully relied on me not only braking and moving over but literally leaving my lane and going onto the shoulder so he wouldn't be finished by an oncoming truck.. Thankfully I did. At the next traffic light we came to a stop.. I just said "you're welcome" while gesturing that he is clearly is insane. You know what he said... "I fully banked on you moving over, you guys always do" So he was aware of the risks and decided to ignore them... I just politely asked him if he at least had an organ donor card on him 

1991 BMW 535i Granitsilber/White Leather

Ex: '91 BMW 318i, '89 BMW 525i, '74 Mercedes-Benz 280E, '87 BMW 325is, '86 BMW 325e, '05 Ford Focus ZX4 S, '85.5 Porsche 944

TomSilver:

2 or 3 times a year I make a 3000km trip around the alps. Until now, on every trip I met at least one of those guys with a "death wish" - I have no other word for that. In 90% happens this in tight curves. Either they are completely driving on my side or they are with their tires on the middle line and with their head in the way of my windscreen.

Without extreme braking and evading of me some of them would have been dead. I simply cannot understand how stupid some must be to drive this way.

Exactly. Whenever I am in Austria (passes) or in Italy (Lake Garda), I do not see only one biker with a death wish but many. Most of them are from Germany, Austria or the Netherlands, some Swiss and some Italians.

Speaking of Scooter drivers in Spain: I met a group of Vespa riders (8 to 10, large group) at Lake Garda, they were from Spain and apparently there was some sort of Vespa meet in North Italy at that time. What a disaster, they were riding their Vespas as if they are in a video game, between the cars, in front of them, left, right, amazing how they managed not to get hit. Even the calm Italians were honking and showing fists at them, one Vespa aficionado almost hit my Jeep and I thanked him with a loud honk right next to him and his female co-rider. These guys really had a death wish and they were so slow, just cruising around between the driving(!) cars, it was absolutely insane. After driving a couple of km behind (or "among"  )them, a Carabinieri car stopped in front of the group and made them leave the road. I just hope they got fined because I've never seen so much stupidity in one "biker" group. Btw: They were not very young, mostly in their 30s I'd say. 

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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

In California and I believe in others states they show driving age teenagers pictures of injuries sustained while driving a motorcycle. Many are gruesome. Sadly, in my line of business I have seen my fair share and NEVER would ride or drive a motorcycle even if it meant I had to walk several miles. 

The disadvantages far exceed any benefits when motorcycles are involved.  Every once in a while, I get the urge to purchase a Ducati but that is quickly thwarted when I observe the interaction between motorists and cyclists.  

Getting your first motorcycle as an adult is IMO a bad idea, and stacks ups the odds of having an accient that much higher than those that grow up with bikes before adulthood. Don't ask me why, maybe bike ridding is like languages, that you can't learn as well as an adult than as a child, or maybe when younger you gradually step into bike progressing into faster and faster bikes instead of an adult jumping straight into a sportbike for example which is crazy, but thats what I have seen and it never ends well, especially in regards to sportbikes.

I understand the risks and this is why I haven't followed my desires.

Carlos from Spain:

Getting your first motorcycle as an adult is IMO a bad idea, and stacks ups the odds of having an accient that much higher than those that grow up with bikes before adulthood. Don't ask me why, maybe bike ridding is like languages, that you can't learn as well as an adult than as a child, or maybe when younger you gradually step into bike progressing into faster and faster bikes instead of an adult jumping straight into a sportbike for example which is crazy, but thats what I have seen and it never ends well, especially in regards to sportbikes.

Agreed, you'd definitely need to build up experience on slower bikes etc... My dad always had a bike in his teens and into his twenties.. until one day that accident. Lost his thumb and right knee cap t-boning a car coming out of a driveway without looking. A couple of years ago, after 20 years without a bike he purchased a modded ZX12-R and we rode it together quite a bit.. It was a monster! One day the same thing, some driver pulled out of a side street without seeing us riding on the main road.. My dad narrowly avoided t-boning the car by swerving into the median island which was grass... somehow he held it together with me on the back through the grass and back onto the road.. sold the bike the next day without looking back 

1991 BMW 535i Granitsilber/White Leather

Ex: '91 BMW 318i, '89 BMW 525i, '74 Mercedes-Benz 280E, '87 BMW 325is, '86 BMW 325e, '05 Ford Focus ZX4 S, '85.5 Porsche 944

I made my license when I was 42 and I got my first bike then, too. Started with a small HD Sportster - 1200ccm.  I never been riding a bike before - but I'm very sporty and aware of high speeds on skiing / water skiing / down-hill biking, etc.

I never feel insecure on the bike! We normally cruise around 80-90 km/h - if the street requires we drive a bit faster, but on the nature of the high-riser you dont enjoy to long rides with higher speeds. 

I'm very happy to made that license and to got the bike. I enjoy it much and would recommend to everyone in the same situation.

My driving teacher said, that especially those people always driven bike since child hood might underestimate the danger once they are between 40 and 50. Also - statistics are telling that this is the group of bike involved in the most accidents.

....or that the mid-life crisis really kicks in??

991 (what a car!) XC90 - 120 Cab - 2 kids, 1 dog

Lars997:

I made my license when I was 42 and I got my first bike then, too. Started with a small HD Sportster - 1200ccm.  I never been riding a bike before - but I'm very sporty and aware of high speeds on skiing / water skiing / down-hill biking, etc.

I never feel insecure on the bike! We normally cruise around 80-90 km/h - if the street requires we drive a bit faster, but on the nature of the high-riser you dont enjoy to long rides with higher speeds. 

I'm very happy to made that license and to got the bike. I enjoy it much and would recommend to everyone in the same situation.

My driving teacher said, that especially those people always driven bike since child hood might underestimate the danger once they are between 40 and 50. Also - statistics are telling that this is the group of bike involved in the most accidents.

I think that Harley driver are different. We cruise most the time. I live in the Schwarzwald and we have a lot of narrow curves which we drive slow. Lot of other bikers passes us at very high speed even in curves where it isn´t possible to see 20m further. These guys seems to be loaded with adrenalin.  Talking about this bikers the same applies to sports cars drivers. Nearly every time I was driving at Hockenheimring we had have a few guys without brain. 

So it depends from angle you look at the situation.

AM
www.aldo-yachting.de

bridggar:

....or that the mid-life crisis really kicks in??

Dont worry.... I dont feel like midlife yet 

ALDO:

....

I think that Harley driver are different. We cruise most the time. I live in the Schwarzwald and we have a lot of narrow curves which we drive slow.

....

Same here.... living in the Schwarzwald and yes - we are cruising, thats different. Even though - still the risk that some idiot is crashing into you, but even for those situations you just have more time to react than when driving to fast.

Lars997:

I made my license when I was 42 and I got my first bike then, too. Started with a small HD Sportster - 1200ccm.  I never been riding a bike before - but I'm very sporty and aware of high speeds on skiing / water skiing / down-hill biking, etc.

I never feel insecure on the bike! We normally cruise around 80-90 km/h - if the street requires we drive a bit faster, but on the nature of the high-riser you dont enjoy to long rides with higher speeds. 

I'm very happy to made that license and to got the bike. I enjoy it much and would recommend to everyone in the same situation.

My driving teacher said, that especially those people always driven bike since child hood might underestimate the danger once they are between 40 and 50. Also - statistics are telling that this is the group of bike involved in the most accidents.

The ones that take more risks are the youngest riders by far, been there, done that...survived. Still there are a lot of thing you learn from experience that driving a car fires not give you, you need a different awareness on a bike like controlling all the bulbs spots of the cars around you, greater awareness of the characteristics surface of the road constantly, different breaking distances, different maneuverability when approaching situations, etc. And because of this riding bikes should always be done progressively from smaller bikes to larger ones, something adults that start riding don't do and jump to a big bike right away. "Cruising" bikes are different, they are easier to drive but specially are driven much slower or less sportier.

Still, there comes an age were I personally don't recommend driving bikes because you are still at the mercy of other car drivers no matter how good or experienced a rider you are, or how slow you ride, I have seen much. And at certain age you have a greater reliability, i.e. children growing up. That is why I hanged my leathers when my daughter was born and won't ride again until she or any other child I have graduated from college at least. That's my personal view though, others my not agree of course.

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bridggar:

....or that the mid-life crisis really kicks in??

He he... Funny that you mention it: The husband of one of my wife's best friends got a Harley, he has his drivers license since he is 18 (he is 47 now) but he never had a motorcycle. His wife is very mad, she already consulted a divorce lawyer (who to her luck didn't want to profit from her and gave her the advice to swallow it and move on with her marriage because he has many many who did the same and were happy again afterwards) because her husband didn't ask her for "permission" first. Truth is: I never ask my wife for permission when I get a car, I just (sometimes) consult with her but she also doesn't consult with me when she is buying her outfits and handbags, so... 

I would never get a Harley, this is not my style. A Harley is the Rolls Royce class of the motorcycle world, not really my thing. They also kind of remind me of the jokes a friend of mine, he is into Superbikes, made (and still makes) about Harley riders (bald, grey hair and beer belly), which kind of put me off too (but not really). I did some semi-professional motocross in my younger days and I would love to get a motocross bike again (there is a nice off-road motocross fun park in my region) but I won't do that because of my kids. I don't want my son (or my daughter) to get a motorcycle, it is just too dangerous. Two of my friends died in motorcycle accidents, other two were badly hurt, I gave up my desire for a motorcycle a long time ago and I compensate it with fast cars.  I know it is not the same but still, better safe than sorry. One idiot car driver hitting you is enough to scar you for life...or kill you. Not so much of a danger in a car. 

Superbikes? Well, they never fascinated me. I once rode a Hayabusa (in her early days) and returned the demo loaner after only ten minutes. I realized that I would kill myself with such a bike, especially the way I was driving my car(s) those days.

Recently, I had a so called "naked bike" as a loaner, my wife wasn't too amused but I accompanied a friend who was interested in buying a motorcycle and the dealer didn't give up until I tried one too. It was a Suzuki 750 something, don't remember the name but power was slightly over 100 hp. What a rocket and really nice, the dealer offered a special deal (6900 EUR, a bargain) and I almost fell for it until I remembered my kids and I said no.

The temptation never dies though... 

Speaking of kids: My son has an electric ATV (Quad) for our garden, this thing does almost 60 kph and he has it for almost two years now. A couple of months ago, a part of the frame broke and I had it fixed. Now the chain was ripped off because the frame fix wasn't really perfect (it moved too much and this resulted in the chain being ripped off). Long story short: I am happy it happened and I won't fix it again. In the beginning, my son was very cautious and of course he was always wearing a helmet, even in the garden. After a couple of months, he became reckless and if you would see him now how he rides this thing, you would be shocked. He always drifts in tight curves, even up to a point where the ATV almost turns over, he clearly enjoys this kind of driving and I warned him over and over again but I get the feeling that it is even getting worse. He is testing his (and the ATV's) limits and yes, he is only almost 11 years old and may not have the mental maturity to be aware of the dangers but I realized that this went way too far and the ATV must go.

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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

ATVs are much more dangerous than what they seem, they are very easy to drive fast without prior knowledge and allow a lot of drifting, and inspire a lot of false confidence until they react the wrong way (they don't behave like cars or bikes when they loose it) and you get hurt, and seriously hurt many times because unlike a bike/cars they can two your legs in the process or flip on top of you or run over you after you have fallen off. I have been riding sportquads for over a decade and seen very serious injuries in the mountain trails.

My daughter is 8 years old and she often asks me about bikes since she knows I used to ride them, and she lives quads since I often took her for rides since she was small (just a stroll to enjoy the scenery), and she says that she is going to get a bike when she grows up to which I respond that that is not a good idea because they are very dangerous and I don't want to (she is fearless for spotted on top of it), and she says that if they are si dangerous why did I have one and if I had bikes since young why cloud not she? Unfortunately I had no counter answer  ... it's going to be one of those "because I said so" when the time comes, but she is not getting a bike no matter what.

Carlos from Spain:

ATVs are much more dangerous than what they seem, they are very easy to drive fast without prior knowledge and allow a lot of drifting, and inspire a lot of false confidence until they react the wrong way (they don't behave like cars or bikes when they loose it) and you get hurt, and seriously hurt many times because unlike a bike/cars they can two your legs in the process or flip on top of you or run over you after you have fallen off. I have been riding sportquads for over a decade and seen very serious injuries in the mountain trails.

My daughter is 8 years old and she often asks me about bikes since she knows I used to ride them, and she lives quads since I often took her for rides since she was small (just a stroll to enjoy the scenery), and she says that she is going to get a bike when she grows up to which I respond that that is not a good idea because they are very dangerous and I don't want to (she is fearless for spotted on top of it), and she says that if they are si dangerous why did I have one and if I had bikes since young why cloud not she? Unfortunately I had no counter answer  ... it's going to be one of those "because I said so" when the time comes, but she is not getting a bike no matter what.

 I was thinking about enrolling my son into a local Motocross Club (they start at age 6 or 7 here) but we (me and wife) discussed it and we came to the conclusion that it is not a good idea. Doing motocross in a club requires a lot of time (and money of course) and we want to put the emphasis on our son's school education, not his driving skills.

For us petrol heads, it is a tough situation: We love everything with an engine, we understand the fun potential behind this stuff but at the same time, we want to protect our children. Not an easy task.

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)