The dangerous GSXR article

The Houston Press' most recent issue contains an article about 'killer motorcycles'. The Suzuki line seems to take the brunt of the reputation with their Hayabusa, and GSXR 750 and 1000 line. Plenty of anecdotal content of a graphic nature to warn the unsuspecting parents of impending dangers to their children. Some really sad stories of tragedy, but just enough balance to represent the more responsible part of the sport bike world that it isn't just a blind blame game aimed at the manufacturers. Conspicuous in its' absence is 'sufficient' content about rider education and training, IMO, although a couple of quotes ("take it to the track") from an MSF instructor are included.

There is apparently a thin segment of our society in which parents go out and buy 'presents' for their kids in the form of 'first bike' R-1's and GSXR 1000's, and hand them the keys. THAT is crazy and irresponsible behavior. If my parents had done that when I was 18, I KNOW I wouldn't be here writing this. Perhaps that disconnected group of folks will be sufficiently shocked by this article to reconsider a move like that.

Be safe.

Many parents need a swift kick in the ***. An 18 year old does not generally possess the credit or cash to purchase these items.

I was thinking that when mom and dad come in to buy a crotch rocket for Johnny Pimple that they be given a bag of rusty razor blades and a cattle prod for the kid to play with instead.

Marcus McBain

You can credit picking up a GSXR 600 at 1/6th the original purchase value to that situation.

Graduation present: 2002 GSXR 600 with telephonica paint given to an 18 year old as a graduation present. 1 month later the remains of the bike are on ebay. Turns out it was 20 miles from my house. went and looked, made an offer and Bryan picked it up for a hell of a price. Turns out they didn't realize that when the tail was torn off that the TOS went with it and the bike would turn over but wouldn't start. Long story short, damn good bike and ran like a b***ch in heat.

The monies from the sell went to new rims and tires for the kid's truck.

He and his girlfriend suffered some minor rash from their "low side" and are none the worse for wear.

I've almost been run over in stop and go traffic because one guy saw a sport bike and when I used proper passing procedures, got upset about it. Regardless of the fact that he was in the left lane going 10 mph below the speed limit. I found a gap to the right, went around, no big deal, didn't wheelie past him while lane splitting or anything. Next thing I know, further up the road in traffic, I have a bumper about 6" off my rear to the right, the guy is trying to run me over. I about stopped right there and had it out with the little slime ball.

If I show a bit of irritation at how sport bike riders are treated, I apologize now. People can't believe that an "old guy" like me would be riding a sport bike and not some chromed out Harley or other cruiser style bike. "what are you doing riding that bike? You're an OLD guy." Actually said to me one time when I was getting gas and had my helmet off.

As with anything, age isn't the issue, perception is. I know kids that ride and don't do anything crazy, just enjoy the sport. It's a small (IMO) part of our community that people percieve as the rule that the rest of use are judged by.

I hope that one day there will be more bikes on the market than the "ninja" and the "harley".

I was coming back from Houston a few months ago and on a stretch of HWY 290 where there were concrete barriers on both sides of the road, and in heavy Fri aft traffic, I was passed by two GXRs lane splitting on the back wheel. The second rider made it by me about 100' and set the front wheel down and immediately went into a semi-vicious tank slapper. Amazingly, he did not come off the bike, but I thought I was gonna be testing my ABS under conditions that might result in a wait for the EMT's and or a justice of the peace. About 5 miles up the road, I see where they have pulled off, so I decide that I will "have a talk with them". OK, so I am a little pissed and I pull up in my excessive bubba disorder issued diesel pick-up truck, and I suggest that if they want to do wheelies and 100 MPH lane splitting, take it off the road or to a place where they won't affect the general driving public. Rider number 2 (Tank slapper) seemed to get it (I think he was probably still giddy from his most recent religious experience), but rider no 1 (Joe Rocket) wasn't gonna take any $hit off of no EBD'd redneck, and he asked me if I knew who he was? "No, who are you?" I queried.

"I'm Nicky "fu@&in" Hayden" he said.

I am not kidding you. I looked at his GXR and there it was....he had 69 painted on it. And his joe rocket leather jacket....well, it was a Nicky replica. And I was amazed because I guess he thought that the average red neck would: 1)know who Nicky Hayden was; 2)care; and 3) if they did, would instantly know that his scrawnny little a$$ wasn't Nicky fn Hayden. Then he kicked the side of my truck and rode away, hoisting another big minger on his way.

Well, there is no accounting for good taste. You can go down to the foyer of my building this time of year and get a flu shot, but they really don't have anything they can give you for being a complete dumbass (I asked).

My old man always said "help those who will help themselves". So I offer my advice to the street riders that go to A&M and hang out around here that the track is the place to go when they really want to wring it out. And based on my experience, about 10% are willing to help themselves to the advice. Most of the rest will get lucky, and some small %age won't. But just now, I wonder if Joe Rocket and tank slapper are still sharing atmosphere with the rest of us? It isn't directly my problem, and there is little I can do about it, but we all suffer from the indiscretions of a few. JMHO.

BTW David, I get that crap everyday about old guys and sport bikes. Worse in my case, it's usually about old, fat guys and sport bikes....

The online article

http://www.houstonpress.com/Issues/2...s/feature.html

Some interesting reading and a few good quotes.

"These bikes are made for racetrack use," spokesman Glenn Hansen says of Suzuki's GSXR line. "We have the image of being the bike to own," he says, noting that Suzuki has dominated races in recent years. Hansen says they're perfectly fine for street use, so long as the rider obeys traffic laws and wears the proper safety equipment. Clifton Burdette, director of the Texas DPS Motorcycle Safety Unit, agrees. "To blame it on sport bikes is almost an unfair thing," he says. "Sport bikes are extremely well designed. They handle very well. They have excellent stopping power. They just have to be used [properly]."

But proper use doesn't always come naturally for young riders. While the greatest number of deaths occurs among older riders who often aren't wearing helmets, those accidents usually involve alcohol or cars invading a motorcycle's space, Burdette says. With sport bikes it's different. Accidents and deaths are nearly always the result of a rider's loss of control, either at high speeds or in turns.

And John, I wasn't going down the fat guy road [img]/ubbthreads/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif[/img] I'm hoping to be a little more svelt by next season

I started hanging out with the group of squids in '91. I was old enough, however, to know that I didn't want to act like them, I just didnd't know anyone else that had a bike. I made some friends and we just kept going back to see the sideshow. I've never been around such bs in my life. I emember this one guy that said he was going to race with the CMRA. Like many racers, he didn't touch a knee during school, but the thought of letting people know he didn't was too much, so he took a rasp to his sliders. Only thing was he made the scratches go the WRONG way.

After I started racing, I stopped riding as much on the street, but would show up at the meeting spot every once in a while. I mostly taked to my friends there that raced. One of these was Efren Coronado. He was killed when hit head on by drunk driver on Memorial. You can drive by and see his cross still there.

I don't think that the new rider gets the r1 or 'gixxer' 1000 because he doesn't know any better. That's where I have to disagree with the article. He gets it because he knows exactly what it is. He's been reading bike mags and lurking on the boards. They get the big bikes for the testosterone pumping respect they get from saying they ride a liter bike. I can't tell you ho many times people would come up and look at my FZR400 and then say they thought it would be the perfect bike for their girlfriend. I still get it with my MZ125SM. 'hey honey, come see if you can throw a leg over this...'

It's the same thing at the track when the novice-wanna'bee says he's gonna race an R1.

If you wanna change what's happenning on the street, it's going to take euro styled laws limiting age to displacement. Maybe we could get some really cool bikes here then!

Edit for Efren, RIP.

I have to agree that the "bigger" stigma behind the sportbikes is one of the biggest draws to the street world. After years on a street bike I bought a ZX9R and begin riding with some squids. They automatically gave me respect for no other reason then I was the only liter bike in the pack. I was a decent rider but nothing exceptional but because my bike was faster in a straight line I carried more "weight" with the guys. Strange. I have now entered racing on a 600 and have learned how much I DIDN"T KNOW on the street. My street riding has calmed down SUBSTAINTIALLY because now I know that if I pushed the "Stupid line" on the street I'm only doing 65% of that that bike is capable of. I used to get a thrill from thinking I was pushing to the edge with my machine but as it turns out I was only THINKING it... far from doing. I agree that some European style laws would be a great idea.
One more idea to throw out there... When I got my motorcycle liscence I had to take a class. Maybe there should be a required sport bike class held at a track to teach the newbies how to ride and more importantly how to RESPECT the sport bike machines. Essentially I think it would be safer to make it a liscence endorsement. I know alot of people that spent 6-12 months on a street bike (usually 700cc and less) and they feel this qualifies them to ride a GSXR 750... Anyone agree that safety comes with education? The problem is there is no where to get that education now. I couldn't find it when I started on my ZX9R and it was very painful and very expensive.... if I had only known...

Pretty cool day yesterday... I was riding my 929 down I-405 in LA in the HOV lane. rode up on a few sport bikes... went by... saw a few more... went by... next thing I know I was on the interstate with about 300 sport bikes all in a group. Rolling down Sepulveda pass all I saw was helmets above a few car rooftops... Must have been some club ride, many had a big script B on the back of the jackets... So it was neat... hundreds of sport bikes just rolling... We need that in TX.

We need to do more track days is what we need to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think that if new riers just took the MSF class before they got on any bike, that would help.

The thing about the euro laws is that they know that it's all about controlling your primal self. It's rare to find a younger person that can do it, much less so with age.

Suzuki, I think, gave away a track session to new buyers. I don't know if they do that anymore. Honda gives you a discount in the amount of the MSF class.

Have you also noticed tht some of the bike commercials and ads are including the phrase 'for experienced riders'? That's a good idea but may open them up to implied liability. I'm not a lawyer, nor do I know much about the law, but saying something is dangerous and selling it to someone with that knowledge, may make you liable for their accident. That's the kinda stuff our litigeous society has turned us into.

I think the MSF course should be mandatory to all new riders, but just my opinion. It was one criteria that I set on myself when I started. The second was a helmet, and the third, gear.

In that order. Although I had a helmet and gear before the class.

it's all a matter of control. if you don't have the control or the attitude for it, then there will be more bikes for me to pick up at a cheap price.

if you do have the control and the attitude for it, then you will have a long and healthy riding experience.

at my age (yea, I'm old, 41 next month) I don't risk my body like I did at 18. I was invincible back then. Now, I have to show up for work monday morning :p

To say the parents need a swift kick is to also say the kids do.

Ultimate responsibility.

David

I'm still amazed at the number of people that buy 1000's as a first bike. Last weekend, a friend informed me that her son had bought a GSXR 1000 as a first bike 2-3 months ago and he crashed it on the road the day he bought it, and wasn't wearing a helmet. Road rash aside, he got lucky but the bike was totalled, so he traded in the wreck on a new 600 and a helmet. She was wondering what to get him for a birthday present this year. A lot of crass ideas came to mind, but I suggested the Keith Code books and video, a gift c ertificate for a local MSF course, and one or two track days.

Apparently, he's a computer geek in Oregon and his mom says she thinks he is fighting off the nerdy look and feel of his life in the mirror by taking on what she calls 'high risk' behavior. I told her to add some Trojans to the package containing the books and video.

What would have been a better answer for a worried mom?