Riding vs Flying -- How many here ride?

Kyle Boatright wrote:

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
oups.com...

Having just returned from a 3-day motorcycle camping trip, the riding
experience is once again fresh in my mind. (Alas, I don't get to ride
much nowadays; but there was a time when Mary and I rode
coast-to-coast...)

I'm always struck by the similarities between riding and flying.
Basically, riding is 2-dimensional flying, with similar handling
characteristics and risk factors. The geometry of banking into turns
is identical, and the camaraderie with fellow riders is very similar to
that seen among pilots.

And, of course, the risk of instant death caused by someone else's (or
your own) stupidity is always present. That heightened sense of "being
alive" is something both riders and flyers seem to crave.

It used to be that most pilots I knew rode motorcycles, but that seems
to be less of a correlation lately. Wot say the group -- do you
currently ride a motorcycle? Did you in the past?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"


Riding looks and sounds like such fun - probably as much as flying. BUT, in
flying, the "other" guy only causes a very small percentage of the
accidents. In riding bikes, the "other guy" causes what, 50% of the
accidents? I have a very hard time putting my life in the "other guy's"
hands. Especially when s/he isn't paying attention, is talking on a cell
phone, isn't looking for motorcycles sharing the road, etc.

I don't know the stats for sure, but, yes, it is the cage drivers I
worry about most when riding. I've been lucky in that I've ridden on
the street for nearly 30 years with nary a misshap. A few close calls,
but nothing that scared me off. My only serious motor vehicle accident
occurred last December when a drunk pulled out in front of my son and me
and totaled our minivan. Things like that are just really hard to
avoid. However, life has risk and I prefer to accept those risks to do
what I enjoy. Living a dull life has its own risk.

Matt