Ah-nold

[xs650mike]

Originally posted by LoHo
Yep, Mike, it was a local. I have heard a story about several off-duty Fresno PD officers being pulled over on a Poker Run by CHP. The PD did the "brothers of the badge" schtick, but the CHiP told them that they should know better and gave all four or five speeding tickets. Might be BS, but the CHiP's father-in-law told me the story.
Apparently, this CHiP is famous for being a hard-ass; another time he pulled a bike over and the guy said that he wasn't sure how fast he was going because his speedo wasn't accurate, obviously hoping for leniency. The CHiP gave him a speeding ticket AND a fix-it ticket...

If you want to be absolutely sure to get a speeding ticket from a CHiP just come up with some excuse or story. When they ask if I know why I'm being stopped I always tell them exactly how fast I was going. Out of maybe a dozen stops over the years I only got 2 tickets. Most people tell cops that they don't know why they're being stopped and/or didn't realize they were going that fast. The cop then has to assume that the violator is either lying or has his head up his ass. Either way they're gonna write a ticket. They usually seem surprised if you don't try to BS them and are inclined to let you off with a warning or at least write you for a much lower speed than you were actually going.

[MAXIMAN]

Re: Re: Re: I passed

Originally posted by xs650mike
One guy I know actually cut the chin strap and put in a dress snap to hold it on thereby guaranteeing it will come off in a crash. He very proudly showed it to me. Considers it a defense of his Sacred Liberty!

As most of you Reno Rally guys know I am a hardcore helmet guy. I normally wear more armor than a Roman soldier as well. That's due to my vast experience wrecking two wheeled motor vehicles on streets AND tracks over the past 30 years.

However...in light of that truth...I am utterly opposed to the damned government treating people like their mommy and telling them they must wear a hat. If you are stupid enough to kill your self the governement has no freekin' biz slapping the back of your hand like a child. I am so sick of "Big Brother" telling us what is good for us I COULD SCREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One last point....and please do not miss this one. If....just if you are stupid enough to ride without proper head protection then you should be require by law to prove that you are sufficiently insured with major medical to provide for your OWN medical care. This is not to protect you from your own stupidity....but to protect ME from having to pay for your stupidity.

The cost incurred to the public for uninsured motorists is insane. The cost of head injuries from motorcycle accidents is even higher and in this state some 87% are due to wearing NO HELMET. The majority of these people are insufficiently insured and so guess who picks up the tab at the ER?

So in light of that ...I am utterly opposed to helmet laws...which do indeed trample individual rights. However I am way in favor of forcing people to pay for their own stupidity as this protect the individual rights of the collective taxpayers.

Thank you for allow me to vent my arrogant opinions on this forum.

[xs650mike]

Re: Re: Re: Re: I passed

Originally posted by MAXIMAN
If....just if you are stupid enough to ride without proper head protection then you should be require by law to prove that you are sufficiently insured with major medical to provide for your OWN medical care. This is not to protect you from your own stupidity....but to protect ME from having to pay for your stupidity.

You're heading down the slippery slope there Maxim. Using the same logic the rights tramplers could require massive insurance for all riders, even if helmeted, armored and leathered, who chose to ride these "inherently dangerous" vehicles. There are a lot of busybody killjoys out there.

BTW there are far more people who get massive head injuries in cage accidents but here in California it is actually illegal to wear a helmet in a car since a helmet restricts vision and hearing. We motorcyclists are singled out for all sorts of stupid laws.

About health insurance...we have great health care in this country but no health care system. My doctor tells me that for every hour he works his office staff works five hours on the billings because every insurance company has different rules about what they'll pay for and how much and each has different forms to fill out. This is massively inefficient and expensive and accounts for more than 25% of health costs. We need a single payer system but we ain't gonna get it because the insurance and drug company lobby is too powerful. We also currently have the most corrupt government in United States history.

Doctors often cite the high cost of malpractice insurance as one reason medical care is so expensive. My doctor refuses to add to his patients' costs by carrying malpractice insurance. So far no one has sued him for malpractice. He believes as I do that doctors as a whole have themselves to blame for the high cost of malpractice insurance. It wouldn't cost so much if doctors didn't malpractice so much. My doctor charges $50 cash on the barrelhead for an office visit for his uninsured patients. He recently was forced to raise his fee from $35 to help cover the cost of billings for his insured patients! Is this a system?

Thanks for letting me vent my arrogant opinions.

[Dan Hodges]

Re: Re: Re: Re: I passed

Originally posted by MAXIMAN


As most of you Reno Rally guys know I am a hardcore helmet guy. I normally wear more armor than a Roman soldier as well. That's due to my vast experience wrecking two wheeled motor vehicles on streets AND tracks over the past 30 years.

However...in light of that truth...I am utterly opposed to the damned government treating people like their mommy and telling them they must wear a hat. If you are stupid enough to kill your self the governement has no freekin' biz slapping the back of your hand like a child. I am so sick of "Big Brother" telling us what is good for us I COULD SCREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One last point....and please do not miss this one. If....just if you are stupid enough to ride without proper head protection then you should be require by law to prove that you are sufficiently insured with major medical to provide for your OWN medical care. This is not to protect you from your own stupidity....but to protect ME from having to pay for your stupidity.

The cost incurred to the public for uninsured motorists is insane. The cost of head injuries from motorcycle accidents is even higher and in this state some 87% are due to wearing NO HELMET. The majority of these people are insufficiently insured and so guess who picks up the tab at the ER?

So in light of that ...I am utterly opposed to helmet laws...which do indeed trample individual rights. However I am way in favor of forcing people to pay for their own stupidity as this protect the individual rights of the collective taxpayers.

Thank you for allow me to vent my arrogant opinions on this forum.

Protecting people from their own stupidity,like riding motorcycle's bare headed,driving with no insurance,driving without a license,D.W.I., wearing seat belt's,eating and smoking dope,possessing weapon's of mass destruction,trampling on the individual right's of other's and the list goes on.It's an unfortunate reality,but because the world does in fact have so many stupid people,there has to be all these stupid law's to protect them from their own stupidity and it's up to the goverment to enforce the law's,because lacking that we would have anarchy.Being completely free is a myth,nice thought though.I submit this as only a humble opion and I could be wrong.

[Erik the Red]

Personally, I think that it should come down to personal choice up until it infringes on other peoples' rights.

Helmet vs. no helmet or seatbelt choice- that could only harm the individual making the choice. When people DWI and make that kind of choice and it could harm me through no fault of my own, that's when I take issue with it.

People should only be penalized when they do something that could harm another person ...but then that opens up a whole new can of worms. Where is that line drawn? Surely driving 40 mph over the speed limit could be considered a danger to others. What about 15 mph? 5 mph?

The way I see it is that since the point at which other peoples' rights are infringed upon is so subjective, the laws have to be set up to protect everybody as much as possible. The law has to protect people from the others who make the choices that could hurt the innocent. But by doing it that way, the one law will dictate the most conservative approach. Therefore the rights of the individual may become compromised, and often times are.

While I don't necessarily like it, I honestly can't see how it could be done any other way and remain objective and fair to the most people.

Just one man's opinion- could be right, could be way off base, but that's where I stand.

[Dan Hodges]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I passed

Originally posted by xs650mike
You're heading down the slippery slope there Maxim. Using the same logic the rights tramplers could require massive insurance for all riders, even if helmeted, armored and leathered, who chose to ride these "inherently dangerous" vehicles. There are a lot of busybody killjoys out there.

BTW there are far more people who get massive head injuries in cage accidents but here in California it is actually illegal to wear a helmet in a car since a helmet restricts vision and hearing. We motorcyclists are singled out for all sorts of stupid laws.

About health insurance...we have great health care in this country but no health care system. My doctor tells me that for every hour he works his office staff works five hours on the billings because every insurance company has different rules about what they'll pay for and how much and each has different forms to fill out. This is massively inefficient and expensive and accounts for more than 25% of health costs. We need a single payer system but we ain't gonna get it because the insurance and drug company lobby is too powerful. We also currently have the most corrupt government in United States history.

Doctors often cite the high cost of malpractice insurance as one reason medical care is so expensive. My doctor refuses to add to his patients' costs by carrying malpractice insurance. So far no one has sued him for malpractice. He believes as I do that doctors as a whole have themselves to blame for the high cost of malpractice insurance. It wouldn't cost so much if doctors didn't malpractice so much. My doctor charges $50 cash on the barrelhead for an office visit for his uninsured patients. He recently was forced to raise his fee from $35 to help cover the cost of billings for his insured patients! Is this a system?

Thanks for letting me vent my arrogant opinions.

There are 49 million people in America with no health insurance and they use the emergency room when they get sick and the hospital is bound by law to treat them.The hospital's pass the cost on.People go to the doctor when they stump their toe,new life saving drug's keep coming out,you can go to the doctor when you are depressed and get medicine for it and the insurance has to pay.You can get a motorized scooter when you get so fat you cannot walk and the insurance company has to pay.Everybody in America is sue happy and the medical profession has to have mucho insurance to pay the lawyer's as Doctor's make mistake's like the rest of us.Bush tried to get a cap put on the amount a doctor can be sued for,but the Democrat's would not go along with it. If you believe we have the most corrupt government in the history of the United States,I suggest you read about the administration's of Wilson,Cooledge,A. Johnson,Andrew Jackson,Roosevelt (FDR),L.B.J.,Nixon and of course Bill Clinton.Clinton tried to get a nationl health care system going and he could not get it going either simply because it would break the bank.Health care cost is spiraling out of control,but it's more complicated than just billing problem's and the fact the drug companies have powerful lobbies.Who do you think pay's for the legal and illegal immigrent's medical bill's,you and I do because they have no insurance and they are coming into the country at the rate of over one million per year.Lastly,there are many more head injuries from so called cage accident's than motorcycle accident's simply because of the fact there are many more car accident's.

[xs650mike]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I passed

Originally posted by Dan Hodges
There are 49 million people in America with no health insurance and they use the emergency room when they get sick and the hospital is bound by law to treat them.The hospital's pass the cost on.People go to the doctor when they stump their toe,new life saving drug's keep coming out,you can go to the doctor when you are depressed and get medicine for it and the insurance has to pay.You can get a motorized scooter when you get so fat you cannot walk and the insurance company has to pay.Everybody in America is sue happy and the medical profession has to have mucho insurance to pay the lawyer's as Doctor's make mistake's like the rest of us.Bush tried to get a cap put on the amount a doctor can be sued for,but the Democrat's would not go along with it. If you believe we have the most corrupt government in the history of the United States,I suggest you read about the administration's of Wilson,Cooledge,A. Johnson,Andrew Jackson,Roosevelt (FDR),L.B.J.,Nixon and of course Bill Clinton.Clinton tried to get a nationl health care system going and he could not get it going either simply because it would break the bank.Health care cost is spiraling out of control,but it's more complicated than just billing problem's and the fact the drug companies have powerful lobbies.Who do you think pay's for the legal and illegal immigrent's medical bill's,you and I do because they have no insurance and they are coming into the country at the rate of over one million per year.Lastly,there are many more head injuries from so called cage accident's than motorcycle accident's simply because of the fact there are many more car accident's.

I have no quarrel with you about the illegal immigrant issue but that's just another example of how our politicians don't give a rat's ass about this country. I am taking into account all of the most corrupt governments this country has had and you didn't even mention the most corrupt ones. I still stand by my statement that this is the most corrupt government in our history. If you can't see that then you are most likely blinded by your particular political persuasion. When the scandal finally breaks (and it will) it'll make Watergate and Teapot Dome look like someone taking pencils home from the office. Just one man's opinion here. About the head injuries from car accidents, sure there are more cars, let us require them to carry enough insurance to cover any injuries they might receive in an accident a requirement for a license so we don't have to pay for them. My point was that head injuries from auto accidents are a way bigger problem than head injuries to motorcyclists. Why pick on just us? This is the same mentality that wants to ban guns because people are killed with guns. More people are killed with cars, why not ban cars?

Sure doctors make mistakes like the rest of us but it's the incompetent quacks that drive up the insurance rates not a few little mistakes by concientious doctors. The AMA actually protects the quacks instead of drumming them out of the corps. I was shocked to read recently that the number one cause of death in this country is infections contracted by patients in hospitals. The hospitals first reaction to these events is to circle the wagons not fix the problems. I say no limits on our right to sue, it's the only redress we have. Apparently our government puts more value on profits than human life and that goes against everything I was taught about right and wrong.

[John]

Here in Texas

They have repealed the helmet law...sort of. You have to wear one if you are under 18 I believe it is, but if you are older it is optional. In order to legally 'go topless' you must prove to the authorities that you have health insurance on your ass, and they will give you an orange sticker to attach to your license plate. That will tell a cop that you are in compliance. If you don't have the sticker, then a cop can pull you over for not wearing a helmet and you'll have to prove that you have the proper coverage. I don't agree with helmet laws either, but I myself won't leave the driveway with out my hat, unless I'm just riding up and down my street testing a bike. Fortunatly, I haven't needed the protection it offers, but just in case...

[CWilliamson]

hehehe...John, I used to make adjustments, replace parts and then take it for a spin wihout the helmet and one day it dawned on me that that was the most likely time the bike would throw me. Amatuer wrencher makes adjustments, bike no like, bike dies hard, brakes lock, etc...just when I'm thinking everything is cool. I go flying.

Clark

[trbig]

Helmet laws here are close to yours. Hat on if you are 18 or less. Over 18... your choice, and no orange stickers.. lol. I personally wear one, but that's my choice.
I think this all falls back on the ol' "You can't protect everybody from theirselves" thing. Same reason we need a frikkin warning label on a hairdryer saying not to use it in the tub. Some people are just absolute idiots.. facts of life. Too many people out to sue everybody else. People wanna not have any rules... then sue someone because they got hurt and there wasn't a rule to keep them from doing it. I mean... an idiot spills hot coffee in his lap at Mcdonalds.... because he's an idiot. Mcdonalds didn't push him... now he is a milllionare. But who can blame him... if you can get away with it... would you scald the family jewells a little for a couple million? *Raising hand!
Back in '92, when I was doing my clinicals for being a medic, the ER doc told me his malpractice insurance cost him a little over $100,000 dollars EVERY YEAR! And this is small town Oklahoma, 14 years ago.... imagine like New York now?
In closing.... If you don't want to wear a helmet... please don't. After they scoop up the grey matter... some bike salvage company will get the bike, and I can keep getting parts for mine!

Tod

[xs650mike]

Right on trbig. People are all too quick to try to hold others responsible for their own failings. A return to some sense of personal responsibility would sure be refreshing. If you publicly insult some guy and he punches you, are you responsible or is he? The answer of course is both the puncher and the punchee are responsible, even though the law will only punish the puncher. Of course the punchee has already met instant justice so that situation sort of evens out. Lesson learned I hope.

When I was young if someone got struck down by a streetcar or a train people would snicker as they read the news over morning coffee. After all what kind of moron walks in front of a train? No one would even consider suing. Today surviving relatives will actually blame the railroad, the streetcar motorman or anyone else but the fool who didn't notice an extremely noisy object larger than a house bearing down on him. People today also fail to understand that some things just happen, it doesn't necessarily mean it's someone's fault. Doctor Soandso was treating our little Jimmy and he died so we're suing the doctor. Wait a minute, Jimmy was suffering from a fatal illness, it's not the doctor's fault he died. No wonder modern doctors would rather give women fake boobs than treat the seriously ill.

Although I am totally against limiting in any way people's right to sue for redress or monetary compensation I also feel that judges should throw out any suit that a reasonable person would conclude has no merit. Most judges do just that and sometimes even punish the person bringing the a frivolous suit but that never makes the papers. A few judges do not which leads to the abuse of the process which is all over the news media. So, because some people abuse the system and some judges and juries go along with it, we are all in jeopardy of losing or having limited our right to sue. That, friends, is not right. I look at that woman who put a paper cup of hot coffee between her legs and drove away from McDonalds the same way as I look at someone who crossed the tracks without looking. What in Hell were you thinking? Judge and jury, what in Hell were you thinking?

[TopCatGr58]

7 most common ways young men die!

Below is an editted excerpt from the MSN article about how to cheat the grim reaper, it talks about the many ways young men 25-44 y/o die, and what you can do to avoid it. Monday morning stress, depression are several leaders, but they showed a photo of a biker as the "Eye Catching" lead in!! At the bottom of the list was due to MC accidents, interesting statistics!

Meet: Your house

Death toll: 3,651 heart-attack victims (Unless otherwise indicated, all death totals are for men ages 25 to 44, during the most recent year for which data are available.)

Death toll: 9,440 suicides

Death toll: 259,494 smokers (all men)

Meet: Multilane roadway=CARS= Death toll: 10,397

Death toll: 1,001 drownings

Death toll: 6,055 homicide victims



Meet: Two-lane rural road
Death toll: 1,366 motorcyclists

If Death went retail, he'd open a motorcycle dealership. With sales figures doubling since 1998, bikes are booming—as are visits to the E.R., where staff call the brain-dead Easy Riders "donorcyclists." Fatalities among motorcycle riders and passengers spiked 12 percent in 2003, continuing an upward trend that began eight years ago. In fact, based on miles ridden, a motorcyclist is 21 times more likely to die in a crash than a guy driving a ho-hum Elantra.

Surprisingly, the example they give is of a car turning in front of the bike, and how many bikers lock it up and lay it down. Metal slides much faster than rubber, keep it upright and use ALL of the brakes, or learn to countersteer and swerve to miss it!?

Notice, MC deaths are only about 1/10th of cars!!

T.C.

[JWSanders]

Originally posted by xs650mike
Right on trbig. People are all too quick to try to hold others responsible for their own failings. A return to some sense of personal responsibility would sure be refreshing.

Sadly, given what few choices we have in our governing, the current party in power is the only one espousing that philosophy, if not taking a bit of an extreme position on it.

The other side is mostly controlled by socialists hiding behind a thinly veiled veneer of democracy. No need for lawsuits when the government controls all of it.

Sure would be nice to have a viable alternative. Maybe one day, when enough people get fed up. All it will really take is an individual charismatic enough to convince them they already are.....

[xs650mike]

Donorcycle?

Funny you bring this up TC. I ran into a neighbor of mine at the neighborhood market the other day. He is 10 years younger than I am but looks 10 years older. He also weighs about twice what I weigh even though he's 3" shorter. He greeted me by remarking, "Still riding that donorcycle I see." "For the last 47 years" I said, "it's nice to see you too Fred." I couldn't help but notice the fifth of vermouth and 6 fifths of gin in his shopping cart. This alcoholic lardass is going to be dead from a heart attack before he reaches my present age yet he likes to think that I'm the one living dangerously. His remains won't be worth salvaging for parts either.

[xs650mike]

Originally posted by JWSanders


Sadly, given what few choices we have in our governing, the current party in power is the only one espousing that philosophy, if not taking a bit of an extreme position on it.

The other side is mostly controlled by socialists hiding behind a thinly veiled veneer of democracy. No need for lawsuits when the government controls all of it.

Sure would be nice to have a viable alternative. Maybe one day, when enough people get fed up. All it will really take is an individual charismatic enough to convince them they already are.....

Would that the party in power would actually live that philosophy instead of just espousing it. This administration seems to take an almost perverse pleasure in rewarding failure and punishing the competent. The President (who has never vetoed any legislation from congress) recently admitted to being wrong about something (finally), maybe he'll rethink a few other things. Let's hope they at least get around to securing our borders sometime soon.