Is Adventure Riding A Middle Age Death Wish?
A 7 minute YouTube video asks this question and then tries to answer it by saying, “Dirt riding is not as bad as street riding.”
That is, riders who hung up their helmets because of career or family, and who now want to start riding again, must be too old and inept to do it safely. The narrator then goes on to state that dirt riding is much safer because …
Actually he makes no case for the safety of dirt riding other than saying that he has only broken his bones a couple of times. To make his point the background of his narration is a video, shot with a super wide lens and speeded up 25%, of riding through the woods on a dirt bike.
The fallacy of this argument is obvious. Riders in the woods get hurt and die just like riders on the street. Admittedly dirt riders don't have to contend with distracted drivers texting or surfing Facebook. However, jumps, cliffs, and gullies have claimed their fair share of rider accidents. The variable is not locale but rider training and awareness.
Coincidently, several people were visiting this evening for a holiday party. A few of them are riders and some of the others were interested in joining, or rejoining, the ranks of motorcycling. What kind of bike should they buy? How big should it be? Was one brand better than another?
Those of us who ride unanimously agreed that what they should do first is to go take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) course before doing anything else. MSF has courses for first time and returning riders. They teach the right techniques for riding safely. Throttle and brake control, scanning for traffic and other threats, are taught by instructors who know how to teach and correct rider errors on a closed course.
Riding safely is all about being aware of your bike, the environment, and your own ability. Paramount is Clint Eastwood's quote, “A man's got to know his limitations.”
A bike won't go any faster than the rider twists the throttle. This is true whether in the dirt or on the street. When I ride my mantra is, DBAJ, Don't Be A Jerk. It doesn't mean being a wuss, it just means weighing the odds and looking before I leap. It has kept me alive all over North America both on the street and in the dirt.
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