Very unsettling incident

[p6x]

29 minutes ago, audiomick said:

I often think about whether we were more stupid than the the idiots these days. I'm not sure if anything has really changed in the mindset. The bigger problem is that the bikes these days are so much faster. Riding flat knacker in the early '80s (my time...) was just not as silly as riding flat knacker on a modern sports bike.

I think each era had its challenges. I was 16 years old when the Honda 750 CB came about, and of course, my dream bikes, the Kawasaki triples. I had the privilege to ride on a 500 Mach3, and this was my first real scare. This bike was just an engine with wheels, no brakes to speak of, a very wobbly frame but an acceleration that nothing else could match at the time. Then came the 750 H2 which nick name was the widow maker for reason. But again, the cars of those days were no match in acceleration or speed. And there weren't that many of them anyway. Speed is euphoric! it is so easy to let it take over reason and accountability... I think that has never changed. However today, you have many more four wheeled and eighteen wheeled vehicles that want to occupy your space of asphalt.

38 minutes ago, audiomick said:

All very nice, but one really doesn't want to be there on a weekend. Overrun from maniacs, and one can't help thinking "did they all leave their brain at home?"

However,  in "my" time I was in Melbourne. The meeting point was the Yarra Boulevard (has been mentioned here already...)

In 1972, they had a Grand-Prix near Paris, where the new general market had moved. Following that Grand-Prix, every friday nights motorcycle riders assembled there to race using the same track. There were injuries at each reunion. The police started to show up, but as soon as they stopped coming, the racing continued. To put a final cap, they put speed bumps on the straights.

I used to live 10' away from that market. I was there every Friday night, but I always remained within my limits and that of my bike.

 

[guzzler]

Unfortunately the idiots have more distractions for their hand full of brain cells nowadays....

Phones either talking on them or texting or browsing...

Music blaring in their ears...

Screens the size of an old style CRT TV back in the day on the dash...

I've even seen them shaving/ putting on make up/eating!

So very little left to deal with the task of operating a vehicle.

Nah get them off the roads....

[mikev]

23 hours ago, Scud said:

as well as my own luck in surviving doing stupid shit

hear hear