Common Sense Equals Survival

I'm a huge motorcycle fanatic. Having retired four KZ650s with more than 250K miles on each, plus five years racing at Sears Point and several cross-country trips, I think I can call myself an expert but I do use the term loosely. I currently ride a first-year Kawasaki Concours, 1000ccs of cruising fun with more than a little sporting excitement thrown in for good measure. And still it never fails that just when I think that I've seen everything stupid that can be done on a bike, someone comes along and totally blows the old record away.

So, I'm on Highway 85 north, exiting to Highway 17 south. I'm in the right lane passing the slower cars in the left lane and coming up on the cars merging from 85 south. I put my signal on to indicate I was changing lanes. Checked my mirrors. All clear and I start changing lanes to the left. Just as my tires hit the botts' dots that separate the lanes, this fool comes shooting pass me doing at least 100mph.

Now, if he had done that to my right, I wouldn't have cared. But no, he passed me on the left. As a matter of fact, he almost took off my driver's side mirror. Had I started my lane change a half a second earlier I would have killed him, for sure.

People ... motorcycles are not toys and the freeway is not your personal racetrack. When is the state of California going to realize that it is a bad idea for a 16-year-old, or anyone who has never ridden before, for that matter, to buy a 1,000 cc Crotch Rocket? There is a learning curve to these powerful vehicles and the DMV should institute reforms to reflect the complexity of riding.

Today the driving test consists of a person being able to maneuver his/her bike around what looks like a basketball key with double lines. On the two straight parts, cones are arranged so that you must weave in and out of the cones, drive around the big circle and weave in and out of the cones again on the other leg as you exit. Then, after returning the bike to the starting point, you must ride as slowly as possible, staying between the double line. You start down the one leg, go twice around the big circle and then exit out the other leg. Doesn't sound even remotely like anything you run into on the road.

The Japanese have the right attitude when it comes to testing applicants. First time riders are restricted to 185 ccs for the first two years, then they can graduate to a 400 cc bike, which is generally the largest around. If you want anything bigger, you have to take a special test and get a special permit. Along with the toughest written test on the planet, you must also take the driving test. They call it a test, but it's more of an obstacle course than any driving test I've seen. There is a very plainly marked course to follow but as you ride it, cardboard people pop up from the ground or shoot across in front of you. Now that sounds more like the real thing.

Ladies and gentlemen, motorcycles can be mounds of great fun if used properly and if you're paying attention. But the second you don't respect these powerful beasts, they will turn on you. As the saying goes, it's not whether or not you're going to fall, it's when. You are more likely to have an accident in your comfort zone, (about two miles around your home, on average) than you are outside. And the sad thing is that it will probably not be your fault, because four-wheelers don't look or care if you're in their way. Let's be safe out there, Okay?