I do not know, Ken. I read about the S40 and its #4 position somewhere in an article about the S40. It is actuarial data, so NHTSA might have the full list buried somewhere, but the easiest way to find it might be to ask your insurance agent, because the ins. industry uses this info to calculate their rates.

When you get an insurance quote, they are crunching the overall safety record of the vehicle, your age, your driving record, the region and who knows what else.

That is why an 18 year old male in LA with 10 speeding tickets asking for a quote on a Ninja 1000 had better be sitting down!

I'm okay with young and broke.

Back for Kenny:

Across the board NHTSA says motorcycle riders are 30X more likely to be in a fatal accident that cagers. Now, if you consider that most fatal accidents happen when a motorcyclist is speeding, riding recklessly, drunk or drugged, or not paying attention him/herself, then you see that the 30X figure is heavily contributed to by those riders, and therefore skewed away from the cautious, disciplined and clear-thinking ones.

There's no accurate way to calculate the odds for the reckless or careless rider to be in a fatal accident -- the statistics don't cover enough variables --, but starting from the average of 30X, it could be 100X more likely than a cager, 1000X more likely... who knows?

At certain moments with fast wild riding it is easily 1000X. You can feel it. I think that is actually part of the thrill, part of the payoff, that makes people do it.

There's just no doubt that, beyond obvious things like training, experience and proper gear, there is a direct correlation between motorcycle accidents and speed. Watch any of the MC accident compilations on youtube. There are endless left turners and pull-out-from-the-righters and door openers and light runners in cars. But in almost every case the bike is going through an intersection at a speed where he cannot react to the offending car.

Our training is, slow to 25 when crossing an intersection. How many of us do that? What is at play are the simple, unbreakable laws of physics.  

It's cold and analytical of the insurance companies, but high and low rates are what they are for a reason.

Oooh GAAAWD,,

Rolavine, your point is entirely valid, too. Imagine a Sav with the brakes, suspension and handling of a good literbike. And a taller 5th gear... it would be a better and safer machine.

And it's also true that the weakest link in the chain, with any accident on any bike, is rider behavior.

I guess my idea is limited to, if you sell a machine gun to a monkey, you get a monkey with a machine gun... and when the cordite smoke clears you really wish the monkey'd had a single shot BB gun instead.  

Sonny wrote on 09/17/15 at 12:28:34:


Around here they tease the BMW folks - cause all their clothes match the bike!

Sonny wrote on 09/17/15 at 12:28:34:


rolavine...

I remember one day on my 50 mile curvy rural ride home from work I ended up behind a fellow and his girl, on a brand new BMW R bike with brand new shiny gear. He was incapable of keeping his rig on it's side of the road even though going pretty slow. I considered passing him on my Yamaha Majesty Scooter, but instead stayed behind while reviewing first aid and CPR. This friend of yours is prob a fantastic rider, and the K1600 is a hella bike, but the rider makes all the difference in the world.