SuzukiSavage.com - LISTEN UP......!!!!

raydawg

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LISTEN UP......!!!!
08/13/15 at 17:49:03

Just got home, had to stay over at work....
Just missed the ferry leaving, had to wait another 30 minutes to catch the next ride.
It put me up toward the front of the motorcycles, as they filed in behind me...
Had about 30 or so bikes load, so they loaded us 4 abreast once on the ferry, as the cars lining up were 2 hours deep ( wait time, normally we load side by side, motorcycles )
Anyway, this put me along side a young guy on a go fast yammie.
I have seen him before, but didn't know him personally.
He was joking it up just minutes before we disembarked, with a walk on passenger, they sorta fan through us, and get to walk off first.
Once the gangway is cleared of pedestrians, they let us go....
Here is where it gets stupid....
What is it about bike riders that they have to be first, the fastest, the loudest?
He rocketed out of there and weaved between other bikes to gain the lead as we entered hard land...
Up a hill, with a bend, and into a small commercial area of a few businesses....
Well of course an older man made a left hand turn in front of the charging bikes,,,,,,
The kid never hit his brakes...
He T-boned the SUV dead midside and the yammie launched him....
It was ugly, but most of all......AVOIDABLE!!!!

I watch this every fricken day, its russian roulette, and I think I know who is next....

Please guys, I believe for the most part, savage blokes ain't speedheads, its not our nature, and our ride testifies to that, but even this little beast, if ridden stupidly, can raise our exposure to consequences significantly....

I hate split seconds, not enuff time to really get another chance....so, give your self some more time to be able to adjust for the mental lapse, or mistakes, of others....
Our EGO ain't get'n stroked if we is laying on the pavement, not to mention we now just put the heart hurt on those who love and care about us....

Sorry for the rant, but I am made as helll right this moment.

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“The biggest big business in America is not steel, automobiles, or television. It is the manufacture, refinement and distribution of anxiety.”—Eric Sevareid (1964)

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Sonny

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Re: LISTEN UP......!!!!
Reply #1 - 08/13/15 at 18:20:45

Actuarial data is telling us something. My liability card in Texas is $100 per year (I am in my early 60s -- that figures in.)

The Savage is currently the 4th least likely to be in an accident of all M/C models sold in the US. That is a lot of different motorcycles to be near the top of, safety-wise.

Okay. It isn't because of having the best braking or handling. It's partly because its speed is limited. It isn't because it is particularly easy to see, because it isn't.

A lot of it must be because of the relatively older age and maturity of the owners compared to the crotch rocket class. And because of their different motivations and style of riding.

It is safer compared to heavy cruisers partly because of its light weight and maneuverability.

We may assume that a disproportionate number of Savage accidents occur on stripped, bobbed, performance enhanced ones -- not all of them but the ones that are ridden at the balls-out limits of their performance.

The rest of them, not ridden like today is a good day to die, would be by definition even safer than the #4 slot on the full list of bikes.

So, darn straight: let's be careful and be mindful of the liability of a relatively small, hard to see motorcycle when someone is texting, drinking a Big Gulp, applying makeup and making a left on red.

But if you ride a M/C, your safety odds on a Savage are better than they are on most bikes. And that's a good thing. Not worth being complacent about but still a good thing.

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'87 LS650, purt near stock, Raptor, seat mod. '07 S40, Raptor.

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Ed L.

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Sunny Florida
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Re: LISTEN UP......!!!!
Reply #2 - 08/13/15 at 18:22:24

Remember as a kid laying in bed at around 2:00 in the morning and heard a bike unscrew the road outside the house. Ran the gears till suddenly there was a thump and then silence. Found out the next day someone turned left in front of him, the bike and rider ended up in the passenger seat. Gotta be careful and ride sane.
We all have bad memories tucked in our brains. Sad

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Silver '02, clubman handle bars, Cobra headlight, Sportster muffler, K+N stock air filter, 152.5 main, Superbrace, oil cooler, 1/2 inch aluminium plate forward controls, spark advance, goes like stink

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Sonny

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Re: LISTEN UP......!!!!
Reply #3 - 08/13/15 at 18:57:05

Other safety factors at work:

A lot of Savages are ridden by women, who, as a class, don't have the testosterone issues of men, and, as a class, are probably more likely than young men to get MSF training and pay attention to it.

Even with guys, the popularity of the Savage as an entry level bike probably associates it with more rider training and a certain caution that comes with knowing you don't quite know what you're doing yet.

And as you build up experience, the Savage doesn't encourage insane riding but rather the development of smoothness and competence.

These things are wild generalizations, yes, but they are likely in the safety mix.

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'87 LS650, purt near stock, Raptor, seat mod. '07 S40, Raptor.

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springman

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Spring, Texas
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Re: LISTEN UP......!!!!
Reply #4 - 08/13/15 at 21:35:07

I'm right there with you guys. I love riding. Since I was a wee lad I wanted a bike, but never got one. I have been riding now for about 4 years, all on the S40. I always ask God to watch over me and to give me the discipline to not be stupid and let the pride or testosterone take over. I am always a bit scared when I ride and believe that makes me more careful.

I think you should love riding if you ride. Otherwise it is not worth the risk. This is what I tell anybody that asks me about riding. I actually discourage it.

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06 S40 seat mod, airhawk, HD muffler, Shinko 712 140-90-15 rear tire, Shinko 230 front tire, versy cam chain tensioner, Rotella oil, Volar brake pads, EBC clutch & springs

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Dave

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Camp Springs, Kentucky
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Re: LISTEN UP......!!!!
Reply #5 - 08/14/15 at 03:51:09

And the amazing thing about our "safe" bike.....is how many bent forks and broken Savage bike parts are for sale on eBay. It appears that most of the accidents on the Savage occur when somebody can't stop in time and hits something really hard while going forward.

Make we wonder if the problem is related to it being a bike that new riders buy to learn on....and they learn how to twist the throttle better than they learn to use the brakes.....or if like Raydawg's incident somebody just turned in front of them. (Most likely a few of each). I know when I watch the crash video's on YouTube the majority of the crashes come when bikers ride 2-3 times the speed of the normal traffic, and folks in cars never see the motorcycle that suddenly swoops around the other traffic.

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Someday I will be old......But not today!

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Kris01

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Tennessee
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Re: LISTEN UP......!!!!
Reply #6 - 08/14/15 at 10:44:59

I ride very cautiously at or very near the speed limit. If I rode a Hayabusa I wouldn't change my style of riding. Pavement is unforgiving. You always need to be a few steps ahead of everyone else on the road. Keep a lookout for anything that might happen. I don't mean to be pessimistic but expect a problem to happen. Don't cause the problem, just be wary that something could happen at any second.

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There's no problem that a full tank of gas and a sunny day can't fix!

2008 S40, Rotella T 15W-40 w/ZDDP added, Dyna, 140/90-15, Battery Tender Jr., Seat lift, #52.5/150/3 washers, Raptor

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justin_o_guy2

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What happened?

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East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.

Re: LISTEN UP......!!!!
Reply #7 - 08/14/15 at 11:29:18

Who is most likely to have a car turn across them?

If you're leading a line of cars, they focus on the cars and hurry across...
I didn't see him, officer.

Trailing the line of cars,
They're frustrated and losing patience and start looking for the rear end of the last car,,,

I didn't see him, officer.

Know when you're most vulnerable, be pro active,
Move around in YOUR lane, a straight line rider can be camouflaged by something moving behind it, change headlight, hit the Pass button, which flicks from low to high beam. IIRC, if you're on high beam, nothing happens.
Yeah, THEY should be looking for you.
No, you Shouldn't hafta do all that to not get run over.
The only thing worse than being Dead Right would be horribly, permanently crippled right.
Watch heads, people who want to change lanes or turn are signaling, subtly,
I watched front tires and heads in traffic.
It's cold comfort that someone else got the ticket when you are injured, dead, or maybe you walk away, but your bike is trashed.

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The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion.- Edmund Burke.

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Kris01 Serious Thumper Offline Eat, sleep, RIDE! Posts: 3767 Tennessee Gender:	Re: LISTEN UP......!!!! Reply #8 - 08/14/15 at 12:23:47 Exactly my point! I stare oncoming drivers right in the eye. It stuns them for just long enough for me to get by unharmed and also I can sort of read their mind and know what their intentions are.
Back to top	There's no problem that a full tank of gas and a sunny day can't fix! 2008 S40, Rotella T 15W-40 w/ZDDP added, Dyna, 140/90-15, Battery Tender Jr., Seat lift, #52.5/150/3 washers, Raptor IP Logged

Steve H

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Re: LISTEN UP......!!!!
Reply #9 - 08/15/15 at 08:22:29

I have to think the maturity of many of the riders is a big contributing factor to the low number of accidents. After you've ridden for a good while, you can just feel the stupidity around you.
Most times you can spot someone as far away as you can see them. I know they're going to pull on out from that parking lot even though they don't, yet. I know they aren't going to stop at that sign, they don't. You can easily see the one who's going to try to run through that yellow just as it turns red instead of stopping. Head and eye movements, body position, subtle movements of the vehicle, they are all clues. By the time you've ridden as long as many of us have, you just instinctively see it happening. My wife can't believe I'm almost always right when I tell her that car is going to do xxxxx and I am right.

If it's the 4th safest bike to be on, I'm also wondering where all these bent, broken and mangled parts on Ebay come from. Maybe they're backing over their bike with their cage?

Congrats to everyone for making the Savage/S40 one of the lowest accident bikes around!

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87 LS650, 2005 Ninja 250, 2009 Yamaha C3, 2001 Honda Reflex. On 2 wheels since 6/80.

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Serowbot YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline OK.... so what's the speed of dark? Posts: 28660 Tucson Az Gender:	Re: LISTEN UP......!!!! Reply #10 - 08/15/15 at 08:42:05 Steve H wrote on 08/15/15 at 08:22:29: Congrats to everyone for making the Savage/S40 one of the lowest accident bikes around! Yer' welcome... I also had a hand in bumping up the average,... by crashing every bike I ever owned except for this one... It's just too pretty to crash... ...
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Kris01 Serious Thumper Offline Eat, sleep, RIDE! Posts: 3767 Tennessee Gender:	Re: LISTEN UP......!!!! Reply #11 - 08/15/15 at 10:37:37 I almost skewed the average last night. I hit a very large sewer cap in the dark. It almost threw me off the bike. Thankfully I recovered and stayed upright. It had to be at least 6 inches tall! I saw it but didn't realize it was huge until it was too late!
Back to top	« Last Edit: 08/16/15 at 04:10:51 by Dave » There's no problem that a full tank of gas and a sunny day can't fix! 2008 S40, Rotella T 15W-40 w/ZDDP added, Dyna, 140/90-15, Battery Tender Jr., Seat lift, #52.5/150/3 washers, Raptor IP Logged

Serowbot YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline OK.... so what's the speed of dark? Posts: 28660 Tucson Az Gender:	Re: LISTEN UP......!!!! Reply #12 - 08/15/15 at 14:56:11 That'll jar yer' teeth loose... ...
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Kris01 Serious Thumper Offline Eat, sleep, RIDE! Posts: 3767 Tennessee Gender:	Re: LISTEN UP......!!!! Reply #13 - 08/15/15 at 15:39:06 Pretty much everything was shaken loose! No damage to me or the bike thankfully. ...or my ego! No one was around to see it!
Back to top	There's no problem that a full tank of gas and a sunny day can't fix! 2008 S40, Rotella T 15W-40 w/ZDDP added, Dyna, 140/90-15, Battery Tender Jr., Seat lift, #52.5/150/3 washers, Raptor IP Logged

justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: LISTEN UP......!!!! Reply #14 - 08/15/15 at 15:57:01 Sticking up like that is a traffic hazard. City, county, someone needs to know and you need to give the rim and tire a good check .
Back to top	The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion.- Edmund Burke. IP Logged