3 motorcycle incidents & 1 revealing truth they all have in common 

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Firetruck passed me getting to accident, as I came upon traffic slowing ahead I found roadway wet from firetrucks foaming tank...SLIPPERY SOAP. Your voice in my head kept me calm and no crash! Blessings brother 🙏❤😎

This year I started teaching my wife how to ride and keep herself safe, she always complained about all of the safety gear she had to wear and how hot it got under layers of leathers. 2 weeks ago we were riding a road that we ride every week without an issue but this time there was an issue. In a left hand turn the rear tire decided to blow out, the road is on a small mountain and has no guard rail, she slid off the road and she ended up about 20 feet down the hill and the bike was about 30 feet below her. 7 injured ribs, concussion, separated shoulder, and a small hair line crack in her hip later she is now happy that the gear was required by me. She will be back up and riding soon enough and wants more training.

When I was first learning to drive a car, my father said “Everybody on the road is trying to crash into you. They will come at you from the front, the back and both sides. It’s up to YOU to avoid them because they will not avoid you.” That made my situational awareness very keen from day one and has helped countless times throughout the years. I brought that same mindset with me when I started riding motorcycles. Close calls are almost a daily occurrence, traffic, road conditions, weather, even the wildlife is out to get ya. The proper gear is everything. Situational awareness is everything. Slow down. No need for panic stops. If you miss your turn or exit, go to the next one and try again. There are no winners in a motorcycle crash, just survivors. 👏🏻 Good video MC.

One July 1 many years ago in the last century, I started my first rotation as intern in the ICU. Back in a corner room was a former motorcyclist. His heart, lungs, liver, kidneys were working but not his brain. We interns used the term "gorked out" (but not on drugs). When I finished there 6 weeks later he was still there. Now maybe his family was really rich or he had really great insurance but most such patients sooner or later become wards of the state. The worst situation is being permanent disabled in a major way but still having self awareness. The bill in such situations eventually for many ends up with the taxpayer. Broken upper or lower jaws, nose fractures, orbital blow outs (you know about that) are far from pleasant. Even road rash with embedded gravel is a problem. If one going to ride at all, always wear the best protective equipment.

Whenever I go out on my bike I always expect every vehicle is an accident waiting to happen. Get training with the Institute of Advanced Motoring. You will enjoy motorcycling a lot more.

Vince (uk rider) Hi, I was the rider who was rear ended in the first video, I had slowed to a stop to turn onto my drive way, there was a car on my drive way which stopped me turning onto it, this distracted me and I took my eye off the car behind, never again ! I now slow much sooner if I am stopping and keep an eye on what is behind me until I know they are stopping, I keep watching encase another vehicle behind them is not stopping, by the time I have reached the point of when I am going to turn I know the vehicle behind have seen me and know my intentions. I was riding a 1993 mint condition VMAX, unfortunately the bike was a right off, luckily for me I was not, riding with full gear probably saved my life. I now ride a 2011 c1800r intruder and will keep on riding.

I remember when I was about 20, long time ago. was riding my dirt bike beside the railroad tracks in fla. The loose gravel caught my front tire and my head became a shovel plowing through the gravel. It happened so fast I had no reaction time. Thank god for the full helmet with face shield. I had to take off the shield so that I could see to ride home. ran out and bought a new shield. Protect that head! Keep up the good work, you help save lives.

I've been riding for 27 years and this last Wednesday I had the closest call ever. I was on a surface street 4 lanes wide approaching an intersection. At the intersection lane #4 becomes a freeway on-ramp. I was in lane #3 as I entered the intersection and a car came out of the on-ramp straight into the intersection nearly brushing me from the side and then cutting in front of me. I did have the presence of mind to find the horn and initiate emergency braking without sliding. But I did have to pull into a McDonald's to thank God for protecting me and sit and calm myself with a cup of coffee. It took me 30 minutes to stop shaking. Since watching your videos I have become much better at finding potential threats. Thank you Kevin

Everyone knows that Lexus stopped producing vehicles with turn signals back in 1997. Along with Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz.

These are my favorite types of videos that you do. I learn the most from other peoples mistakes or incidents and your commentary about them. Keep up the great work.

One thing that might have been a contributing element in the incident shared by Vince... Vince may have slowed down using engine braking exclusively. One of the things I had hammered into me when I was learning to drive a stick..."Always use the brake when slowing down". When slowing down by letting off the gas (rolling off the throttle) or downshifting, your brake lights are NOT on. As a result, the fact that you are slowing down is not immediately and boldly communicated to the driver(s) behind you. Communication is key, and rate of deceleration that a manual transmission vehicle is capable of achieving without the use of the brake is something the majority of drivers are not going to be prepared for reacting to without being prompted to take notice. This is exactly why I try to be in the habit of always squeezing the brake lever enough to light up the brake light ANY time I am decelerating. About the only exception to this would be times that I am actually coasting (clutch pulled in), since the deceleration that happens when coasting is so very gradual that it highly unlikely to catch a driver by surprise.

A few weeks back I was ambushed by FOUR deer at 2:45 am while on my ride into work , unfortunately I still crashed. But because I strongly preach full face to my friends and wear one all the time , I still have my face intact. Proper gear is the name of the game.

When I was a kid, my dad was riding to work. Around 4 in the morning, on an empty freeway. At the time, there want much in that area. A random car decided to cut him off, and clipped the front of his bike causing him to go down. My dad was dressed for work. Slacks, buttoned down shirt, dress shoes, and a wind breaker. The only protective gear was good helmet. His clothes were shredded, and the skin on his legs and stomach was ground off from the pavement. He was lucky to be alive, and was severely scarred. When he finally got back into riding, he always had full protective gear. Full face helmet, jacket, pants, gloves. Even on an empty highway, where you should be perfectly safe, anything can happen...

I've been riding since 1972. I've had two drunken motorcycle mishaps, I say mishaps as they weren't accidents, I was just drunk. I learned my lesson and since I don't drink anymore I won't have that happen again. I'm glad Ohio is not a mandatory helmet state. I had a neck injury in one of those mishaps and after 41 years I still can't near the weight of a helmet on my head. I know I should wear a helmet but I'm willing to take my chances. I did learn another lesson I call 'anticipation' and keep very aware of my surroundings and try to anticipate what some cager might do and that lesson has paid off a few times.

Thanks for a great video. It reminds of my teacher when i got my bike license many years ago who said: "Remember that everyone else on the road are blind, they are deaf, they are probably drunk and they are all out to kill you. If you remember those four rules you may survive."

You're never too old to learn more about bike safety and riding techniques and McRider is one of the best channels on RU-vid for riders of all skill levels to learn, especially beginning riders. I'm 71 and have had 2 motorcycle accidents since I was 17 when I first started riding. The first one occurred on a Honda 125 when I was 17. A car pulled out of a side street making a left turn in front of me. I tried swerving around the car but couldn't avoid the crash and hit the passenger side front bumper, catapulting me over the bike into some grass on the side of the road. I was wearing neither helmet or protective gear. Luckily I wasn't going fast (20-30 mph?) when I hit and the only injury I suffered was a broken tooth and some scrapes. My second accident happened a few years ago while riding home from work on a KAW ZG1000. I was on a 2 way city street riding about 5-7 meters (15-21 feet) behind a car going about 25 km/h. Perfect sunny day. There were cars parked on the right side of the road. At some point a bright orange URAL parked in a driveway on my right caught my eye. I glanced at the URAL taking my eyes off the road for not more than a second. During that same one second a pedestrian stepped out from between the parked cars onto the road in front of the car in front of me. The car braked hard. At 25 km/h you cover almost 7 meters (22 feet) in a second. I hit the brakes hard and had to swerve left to avoid hitting the car that had already come to a stop. My bike went over as it came to a stop in the middle of the road. I was lucky and didn't get injured. Bike had a broken mirror and some scrapes on the fairing and clutch handle. I was able to ride home - a little shaken and kicking myself for not keeping my eyes on the road 100% of the time.

great video, as usual.... two things i learned when i bought my first bike.... 1- drive like you are invisible and nobody can see you, makes you very aware of whats going on around you! 2- when passing any vehicle glance at their front tire as you go by, if it moves toward the line you might have an issue. this is true in Darrel's video. thanks for the great work!

That first one is the scary one for me- You can't see everything all the time.

Anyone watching this needs to tell anyone else they know who rides a bike to watch this channel. Without a doubt it's saving lives. Very good well presented life saving stuff thank you so much MCrider. My 2022 Goldwing has a very unimpressive horn button and I have had to spend ages building the muscle memory to go straight to it in an emergency. Playing guitar a lot has taught me that muscle memory once developed properly can save your life on a motorcycle..

6/1/17. My wife was on the back when a cager ran a stop sign. We were going 45mph and I had to lay it down or go flying! Our gear saved our hides, not a scratch on our bodies, but internally was a different story. I've now got an implant replacement disc and my wife's neck has been fused, but we walked away from the accident at the time! DRESS FOR THE SLIDE NOT THE RIDE! That phrase has stuck with me!

I went back to riding last year on a 1400 cc size bike, after a 10 year lay off. I relearned a lot from all your videos, and really try to ride safely, as I live in a denser Metro area. There doesn't seem to be enough lights, horns, or loud mufflers to keep highway traffic aware of us cycle riders in general and specific. I really wanted to return to the joy of riding I used to have, but I am feeling it may be time to get off the road. It's been more like planning a combat mission with moderate chances of returning. Thanks for all your help and knowledge you are passing out to all the fans of two wheel travel.

I remember looking at a huge study some years ago showing that motorcyclists getting hit from behind was one of the least common bike accidents. The most common is failing to negotiate a turn, which doesn't involve any other vehicle, or cars turning left in front of the bike at an intersection. What I took away from that study was when you're on a bike most of the trouble you encounter will be right out there in front of you.

This was really good. Thank you, Kevin. Excellent protective gear is a seemingly big investment until you weigh it in terms of the life changing cost of trauma, financially, physically, emotionally, etc etc etc.

I have pretty loud Screaming Eagle Harley Sportster. Few months ago, I was riding in the left lane of two lane street. Car came from right side at the crossroad into the empty right lane, and immediatelly continued into left lane just in front of me. Since I was paying attention to him, I reduced the throttle, had to brake a little, and horned him loudly!!! All thanx to You!!! Again!!!

It's the same everywhere I think. 3 times yesterday someone cut me off entering my lane with no turn signals. Either the motorcycle is indeed invisible or a lot of cage drivers don't care so much because they are not in danger to get hurt so they are not paying attention. MCrider videos did help me respond accordingly. And I also restrained myself from giving them the finger! Nicely done MCrider! Keep up the good work! Greetings from Greece..

Another GREAT video and avices by Kevin. I wish more Brazilian riders would be English proficient so to take advantage of such a good treasure, the MC Rider channel. Many thanks, Kevin. And The Lord bless you and your family. One of my key safe motorcycle riding rules is always been Mentally Ready to Ride, which, amongst others, implies in NEVER riding tired (needing sleep), intoxicated (alcohol, drugs, medicine) or in any other way mentally impaired. One of the particulars of this rule is what I call The Attention String: Safe Riding demands Prevention, which demands Anticipation, which demands Calculation/Assessment, which demands Observation, which demands Attention/Focus, which demands Concentration, which demands Mental Energy, which demands Rest/Sleep. My only (thank God, light, not harmful) riding incident so far happened precisely by breaking this rule. Lesson learned (!) the hard way. Cheers from Campinas, SP, Brasil.

Great, thought provoking video Kevin, thank you! It’s not for me to tell anybody what to wear when riding a motorcycle, but I think, that unless there is some medical reason, it is crazy not to wear a full face helmet.

Awesome video Kevin. Your 3rd instance underscores the main reason why I never ride without a Full Face helmet. Many years ago, when I was an impressionable young rider, a seasoned veteran shared his story of a crash on the street, An old Kawasaki Triple,. Anyway the only part he remembered was opening his eyes and seeing the pavement pass underneath him as he slid facedown. Needless to say, he would have had horrific injuries and perhaps even a painful death, had he not had a full faced helmet. There are differences in helmets, so choose wisely

Good video! Even though you are moving forward - know what's going on behind you too!!!! Check your six..... ATGATT - All The Gear All The Time

All good advice, thanks. One thing though, the term muscle memory is frequently and widely misused and does not relate to our ability to perform previously practised activity quickly in an emergency situation, nor does it directly relate to any form of rapid activity such as playing Vivaldi on a violin or Rachmaninov on the piano, that is all 'nerve' memory, habit if you will (see Diadochokinesia). The muscle simply needs to return to it's original length after being instructed to contract by the motor nerve. Muscle memory relates to a muscle's resting length and it's propensity to return to that length after an activity. It's obvious effect is when a spasmed muscle is either stretched or massaged to a more relaxed state, but then spontaneously returns to spasm in a short period without outside input. Muscle memory is important and useful when it is optimal but is a real nuisance and a pain (literally) when the muscle is too tight or short. We develop good habits when we consciously practise them, we develop good muscle memory when we regularly stretch, get massaged and practise good nutrition/hydration and we motorcyclists survive when we make a practice of wearing the right gear and practising emergency braking. Sorry about all that, I just haven't found a local branch of Pedantics Anonymous yet!

I am not a motorcyclist, but I have been involved in a fatal bike accident a few months ago. I was in the passenger seat of a car. It was a very dark moonless night with very heavy fog in the area. A vehicle pulled out of a side road into the path of the cyclist and there was a collision. The vehicle then drove to the side of the road, leaving the cyclist and bike in the middle of a three lane road (Not the best decision but it is what it is and it was a decision made with a busted shoulder from the collision). Being dark and very foggy, all I could see was the vehicle on the side of the road with its hazard lights on. Another car overtook me and ran right over the top of the bike, and threw the rider about 30 meters down the road. When we arrived, I only saw the bike as we passed it on the left. It was only luck we missed it. I was looking for the rider as we were slowing down and only spotted him about a car length in front of us. I had time to say swerve, swerve, but the driver of the car I was in did not see what I saw. We ran over the riders leg. The bike was black, the riders clothing was black, and his helmet was black. I have since noticed that it is very common for riders to wear such dark clothing. I know it was not the bike riders fault for this accident, but I wish he had been wearing reflective clothing and had reflective tape on his helmet and bike. The reflective gear may have helped him avoid the follow up incidents. Please guys, if you must wear dark gear, please consider reflective tape wherever you can. It may save your life.

Wearing bright cloths helps. Neon yellow & orange stand out to drivers.

I have noticed everytime I put myself and bike in a near incident or a vehicle has put myself and bike in a near incident I always have the reflex of my MSF training classes and hours spent watching MCrider . Very great reflex tools to have at my disposal. Great Video Kevin. Keep up the great work Sir .

Years ago the government had to break into someone's residence install microphones to illegally wiretap them. Now Americans freelee purchase the device with their own money and bring it into their own residence. You do know that device is recording everything you and your family says.

This video reminds me of a crash that happened in 2016, the helmet protected the riders head and face, though his internal injuries were severe. Thank you for always providing us with valuable advise.

I am so glad you are killing bad rumours. Loud pipes saves lives are amoung the biggest. great video

Good gear is the difference between walking away and a hospital stay

Three classic examples of why the info you teach, is so important. Knowledgeable and crystal clear narrative too, thanks MC.

there is afew really good riding tip video channels out there but I feel the way you explain and talk you are number 1 for me. You also have a chat on any topic a new or experienced rider might be looking for an answer to...great stuff.Just a thank you

As a former trainer i used to push observation as the most important skill , know what is happening around you 360 degrees all the time know what your speed is with regular checks etc... , safe, fun ridding is all about knowing what is going on around you because the car drivers do not care so you have to , proper gear is a must and i would suggest a training coarse for your licence as they teach important accident avoidance skills you do not learn on the street .

Been riding 46 years and have to say that was excellent. Learned a lot of that stuff on the road and sometimes the hard way. Very good presentation and also some really good contributions in the comments. And I think it's time I went back to a full face helmet. Thanks Kevin and to your commenters

As a rider, these are situations that you must anticipate. Add to these the oncoming car that makes a left turn in front of you, and the car making a left turn out of a side street. It doesn't matter who is at fault if you are dead. This is especially true if you are filtering or riding the center line. Unless you are stopped in a parking lot and someone is backing into you, if you have time to honk your horn, you have time to avoid the accident. Honking your horn could just as easily make the situation worse. If you don't honk your horn, you can respond to what they are doing. Using your horn expresses your displeasure. Before you even think about the horn, you should be grabbing your clutch and brakes, and looking for a way out.

My Driver's Ed teacher taught me (not universal, but applicable here): "The most dangerous person on the road is the person behind you. You can influence everyone in front of you with your actions as a driver more easily than the one behind you"

If i knew i was going to have a crash i would not ride that day. Thank you for reminding riders road skills, road awareness, and safety gear combined help to survive a crash

Kevin, I'm a returning rider and did not buy a full face helmut, thanks to this video I think that will change soon, thank you.

Me: Alexa, should I go for a ride? Alexa: Watch MC Rider’s new video first.

In the second story, you comment the horn is a loud Airhorn, and it was heard by the car driver. Yet you then contradict yourself and say "Loud Pipes" do not save lives! Had that been a "Stock" horn, the driver may NOT have heard it and completely gone into the lane occupied by the motorcycle! They're on a Interstate and traveling at a high rate of speed... so the "Sound" from the pipes isn't heard very well by those in front of the motorcycle. Since most pipes are on the right side, the motorcycle blocks most of the noise from the car in front and to the left of the motorcycle! Loud Pipe save LIVES

When i go out on a long journey on my bike or even down to the local shops, i always wear all my bike safety kit. The most frustrating of all is the amount of bikers i see also nipping down to their local shops in t shirts , flip flops and no gloves. In my eyes if you ride your bike 50 miles in one trip is no different doing 2 miles. Great videos , keep up the great work.

I'm a dirt biker. Recently bought a Harley. The moment I realized I'm dealing with asphalt and sharing space with 6000 pounds of carelessness, time to go FULL GEAR!!!!!

Riding a motorcycle, forces you to realize how careful you need to be on the road in all situations. Yes , on a bike there are more hazards. That being said there are plenty of hazards in a automobile also. There are bad drivers everywhere, & we have to constantly beware of creepy cages.

Thanks again Kevin! I need your reminders and often new to me tips, every week! Crowded roads almost 24/7 here in Calif. Some drivers would rather kill you on a motorcycle or bicycle than let you slow them down one mph. I had one road rage woman with her young wide eyed daughter in the passenger seat, while riding on a narrow back roads on my bicycle, through a 15mph Z turn area, honked her horn, then sped up and braked at the last second 5 times, stopping less than a foot from me every time, then came up beside me with the window down yelling past her daughter "NOT ENOUGH ROOM ON THIS ROAD FOR CARS, YET ALONE JERKS LIKE YOU!!!" Then she sped up and turned in front of me and slammed on the brakes. I was traveling 15.5mph, and didn't hit her since I used defensive riding, but got her license number and reported her to the local police. They said they can only, but WILL send her a warning letter.

In my first slide down the road in 1973 (one of only two), I was wearing a full face helmet that I had borrowed 5 minutes earlier from my ride buddy. The chin piece of his helmet had severe gouging after I stopped sliding. That saved my face that day. Moving forward to 2019, I bought a helmet from my son who works for a Harley dealer. He didn't even show me an open face helmet. I asked why and he said something about seeing the result of an accident with the rider wearing an open face helmet. QED.

My advice: Don't go for the horn until you're completely out of danger. Use the time and thought to avoid the crash. If you go for the horn but hit the turn signal instead when a lefty-turner starts to pull out, they'll think that it's ok, you're turning left anyway. The only time I'll use my horn is to warn a pedestrian not to step out in front of me. Otherwise, the horn on my motorcycle doesn't exist.

15 months ago I was riding home at knight. I came out of a corner doing 100km only to find a group of cows across the road. With only a few meters I didn’t have any chance to really react. Needless to say I hit one still travelling at least 90km. The crash left me with a lot of injuries and surgeries still in and out of hospital. It has also cost me my business aswell as physical health. The financial cost has been extremely difficult which is something I never gave thought too before hand. So be safe when riding and have a plan in place should anything happen.

you do spend a lot of time editing, and it shows. great vids. good balanced audio to. and IMO not so long that you loose my short attention span. Quality.

For the second incident you showed us, I’ve come across this same situation at least 2-3 DOZEN TIMES in the 20+ years I’ve been riding. When I’m passing a cager, I do it quickly while watching their passenger side tires and covering my brakes. If the tires come within a few inches of that white line, I’m laying on my horn and braking. I just learned to expect cars to attempt hitting me. If I expect it, it does not surprise me when it happens.

My wife and I’s personal evidence of why we always wear our gear lives across the street from us. We call him Harley-Davidson, shaved head, prospect vest, t shirt, flip flops (sometimes), no helmet, Joe cool sunglasses, on a H-D with super short, super loud pipes, alway gave us that “you sissy’s” look as we let the Shadow warm up, zipped up our armored jackets, put on full face helmets, slipped on the gloves. All of a sudden we didn’t see Harley for a couple months? He was holed up recovering from injuries from a crash it seems. I don’t wish that on anyone. But don’t mind the condescending looks as we gear up. God help us if we go down, we at least dress right, don’t drink and ride, and use everything we learn here to try and avoid danger. Keep it up Kevin, good stuff. P.s. Dans helmet scares the crap out of me.

Wow, another excellent vid, thanks! Here are my thoughts to add. 1. The rider first chose to move to the rightmost position of his lane in order to better set up for the upcoming left curve and to see further ahead around that curve. Failing to recognize that this act alone puts him into a more vulnerable position, since he's now closer to oncoming traffic and he's also no longer in the direct line of sight of the driver behind him, because that driver is also now looking to the left, to see further around the bend, the rider then noticed the car in the driveway on the right with its back-up lights turned on, so the rider made the mistake of suddenly slowing down while staying in the rightmost lane position instead of speeding up and swerving to the left, which would have kept him out of harm's way within a wide margin. The car in the driveway was behind a fence, so the rider didn't see it enough in advance to check the mirrors and panicked. My strategy is to use the whole lane and be ready to jump on the throttle at any instant as long as the way ahead is clear, in preference to hitting the brake, which requires more time for preparation when among other vehicles. 2. I religiously follow a cardinal rule to never pass anyone on the right, and I'm always hyper-vigilant about checking and being ready to react instantly whenever there's even the slightest chance that someone might be passing me on the right. This rider was passing on the right, so he got into a close call when the car driver decided to enter his lane while the rider was in the car's blind spot. The rider took far too long to react, then fumbled to sound his expensive aftermarket air horn instead of simply slowing down and swerving to the right. Loud horns might be impressive, especially on a motorcycle, but their use might actually increase the hazard instead of mitigating it. Note, in this case, how suddenly the car swerved back into his original lane. To my thinking, this was bad, not good. If I was the rider in this situation, I would not have been passing on the right in the first place, I would have been covering my brake controls, I would have been watching the wheels of the car like a hawk, I would have instantly but gently slowed down and swerved easily to the right as soon as I saw the wheels beginning to move closer to the dashed line, and I would not have sounded my horn. I think both you and DanDan can be a bit more critical of the riders in crash analysis vids like these. 3. I have had exactly that model of helmet for the past 20 years, just bought a new one a few weeks ago, and, with my admittedly paranoid riding style, have, fortunately, never put it to the test as you or this rider have. I've also religiously always worn my heavy Aerostich whole-body riding suit, but recently run a few local errands without the suit. I figured I'm probably starting a new bad habit, so I went to my local Cycle Gear shop and got a light riding jacket and jeans with kevlar lining, and crash pads over the knees, hips, elbows, shoulders, and back. The jacket and pants are very comfortable, stylish, and very easy to put on, so there's absolutely no excuse not to wear them. Much thanks for your hard work and words of wisdom!

Re loud pipes vs Skills, Strategy, Gear - the best comment I have ever heard!

what i normaly do on the road while riding * adopting speed of traffic * adequate following distance *maintain seeing the mirror on driver's side *and of course a hawks eye view of on the road

Thank you. I'll be sure to keep watching.

You are so correct in the Loud Pipes don’t save lives, they also don’t grab drivers’ attention. I work in EMS and our DUAL siren speakers are on the front and we have flashy lights and drivers still do NOT see or hear us and our sirens are pointed TOWARD them, unlike exhausts which are points AWAY from cars ahead of you. You can also outrun the sounds of sirens at speeds above 50mph and the same with exhaust.

The beginning part with your back and forth with the Alexa was hilarious. My kinda humor

Good video and advice thanks. I can't quote the source, but a large amount of head and brain injuries occur from impact to the face. I wear BOHN lower body armour, the built in armour in my HD jacket, gloves of course, a Dainese honeycomb vented back protector and even an Alpinestars vented chest protector - the latter ones chosen after an amount of research - and kevlar lined Draggin' jeans. It's a habit now, don't really notice the stuff while riding (Road Glide). 'Course I wore all this before anyway on my many past repli-racers.

Yep rider strategy is by far the best way to go, save your money and ride awake and alert because as a motorcycle rider we don't just ride out motorcycles we have to drive the other motorists cars for them as well for our own safety. I've ridden along seeing people watching TV not only their sat nav but actually watching TV or video what ever it was it was a movie in the front while they were driving along seen this several times. Plus people nodding off to sleep while driving a common one, the odd thing is rather than giving these people a ticket they often are just let off right up until they kill someone. So we really need to watch out for ourselves on the road and help larger vehicles do a better job at their driving.

Watching this in mid-2021, as anyone who has driven a modern car knows, the vehicles are designed to keep out all normal road noises. The noise isolation is specifically designed to cut out low-frequency sounds, like engine sounds. At the same time, they are also designed to let through higher frequency sounds like horns and sirens. That is why a car driver won't hear your loud "pipes", but will more easily hear even a road-legal horn.

Excellent video, seeing other people's close calls is a great learning aid. I'd love to see more of these.

Loud pipes dont save lives. Thank you for saying this. Self defense in the forms of skills and being alert saves lives. Usually your own.

Accidentally stumble upon this video of yours Sir . Lots out there has same plot or storyline but i find yours VERY interesting, not boring. Thanks for sharing and yes, very informative.

Knowing how to handle your bike is the first barrier against dying or getting hurt. To know this, you need to push the envelope. Going slow because you are afraid of speed will cement your beginner level. This fall there was a first cold saturday morning after nightly rain and some drizzle during the morning. I was somewhat in a hurry on my GSF1200 on the highway, going 87mph in a 43mph-area of the highway with temporary pavement and rerouting, thereby som sharper turns than otherwise. I was going too fast for my skill and the rear broke out in a long slide. What I did manage was to not panic and to think ahead and keep on the gas and use the concrete barrier and the pavement as a 90° groove for my wheel pair and if needed use the concrete barrier as a banking. I've done it before on my Husky 93 610TE at lower speeds, on icy road, using a divider the same way. So it was easy and comfortable to do. I'm not a talented rider, I am at best slightly under average in talent, but I'm over average in willingness to practice and willingness to fail in front of others.

For crash 1: even as a car driver, I never trust the cars behind me when I slow or stop, and make sure I always check my rear, several times.

Being a Commercial Truck Driver for many years.. I check my mirrors non stop .. I would try to avoid letting a Moron Tail gate me.. I was driving a Chevy Chevette 5:00 PM on a Friday. It was starting to rain .. I notice a Cement Truck driving like a behind me.. I wanted to turn left into a business had my turn signal on 4 lane road.. I was slowing down .. I see the Cement truck bearing down on me .. I knew he could not stop. I had to floor it and speed up to avoid being creamed from behind by a cement truck . Another time same road but where it was 5 lanes.. . I am in the left lane the light turns Red I am breaking hard to stop for red light .. But I notice a bread Truck going very fast behind me.. I had looked both ways on the side road.. not a very busy street.. I could see I had no oncoming traffic from the side streets.. so from a Complete Stop I dumped the clutch floored it rand the read light floored it and ran the red light avoiding being rear ended.. Actually it was a Clark Food Service Truck .. I called the Company and told them they had a Moron Driver..

I had my full face modular helmet save my life years ago. I was riding my 1988 sportster when a truck in the oncoming lane, towing a broken down horse trailer lost his trailer when the hitch broke, and had no chains to keep the trailer attached. The trailer hit a guardrail in the oncoming lane, and swerved across the lane straight at me. I hit the brakes, and went for the ditch in an effort to escape, but I didn't have enough time, and the accident was unavoidable. The tongue of the trailer hit the ground, and upon coming back up, slammed into my bike on the rear swingarm just behind my left leg. The impact sent me and the bike into a street sign, and me head first into the ditch. My helmet absorbed the impact, and the worst damage I physically faced was some deep bruising, and possibly a fracture of my collarbone where the helmet compacted in amidst making contact with the ground. I walked away from the accident, settling the entire thing right on the side of the road with the gentleman who was pulling the trailer. And I still have that very same Harley, all be it on a different frame today. That day God protected me very possibly from possibly fatal odds. My helmet saved my life, and I'm very thankful for it, and committed to wearing it whenever I ride. Accidents happen, many of times by no fault of our own, so it's essential to practice safety, good habits, and to have good safety gear! Keep up the good videos, and ride safely!

I always have one "close call" every time I ride no matter how careful I am...I ride from/in a big city..

thank you Kevin for another great video. Thank you very much to Vince, Daryl and David for sharing so we can learn from those accidents. As fun fact: Our Canadian Alexa told my husband and I that we wont crash or have close calls with our motorcycles in the next 5 months as we live in Montreal Canada and winter season started. No riding until April :) hehe!

The Alexa joke made me laugh sooooo much. 🤣 It's the future thou...

The first issue I see with Vince's story is that he is riding on the wrong side of the road :) As for Darrell, it seems a loud horn was better than loud pipes. The third story reaffirms the belief my nose does not need to be shortened in that particular manner. Very good video, thanks.

I was on my way to teach a piano lesson and there was no traffic. Just unexpected sand I broke my femer and tibia and collar bone and have a touch of arthritis as a result. But I was in Seattle in a wealthy neighbourhood and imeadiately 3 or 4 neighbours were covering me with a blanket directing traffic and talking to me and calling 911 and keeping me from trying to get up and move my bike.❤👍

Ha, My Alexa answered you too. Different response LOL

I don’t have loud pipes but I do believe that they bring attention to your motorcycle. I think being seen is also important. Maybe just as life-saving as having a helmet. A driver that is not distracted completely with his phone or whatever is likely to hear a motorcycle around him. Like I said my pipes are not loud but they do get noticed because I see heads turn.

When a car is close I always look at the wheels rather than the car itself

Kevin. The audio is excellent. Thank you. Happy to be a patron. Keep it coming

Thx MCrider for the informative video. FWIW I'm a AGAT type rider with 50+yrs of riding experience, it works.

WOW: as a Motorcycle rider with over 38yrs of experience riding, and an owner of a "GEO METRO", I'm "ALWAYS" aware of people in front of/ on the side of/ and behind me coming up, (AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE), what a shame, but yes it could happen to any of us! At any time!

I know this is an old video but I'm just now watching and just wanna say thanks I appreciate the information.

Good thing the lady that rear ended Vince already had her phone in her hand. So she could call an Ambulance.

One thing us folks out there on bikes need to keep in mind is, to most drivers, we are not real people, we're just bikes.

But the biggest thing to learn as a rider is what some call counter-steering.. Rather than leaning your body push down on the handlebars in the direction you want to go.. I discovered because I had a very winding road on a commute... I had major issues trying to lean, but as soon as I shoved the handlebars down, it let me even split lanes in a turn with exact control (LA lets you split lanes)... It even lets not shift your butt on the seat if you have go left and then right...

A few months after buying my Versus 650, I had a close call. A Miata apparently parked on the opposite side of the road did a 180 turn, directly into my lane on a 50 km. city street. fortunately I used emergency braking and swerved right to narrowly miss a collision. I honestly believe the driver never saw me and I certainly didn't notice that he was pulling out. he probably didn't use his signals either. From that day forward, I wore a bright safety vest over my black leather jacket. Never had any more incidents in my next couple of years of riding before I sold the bike. i've watched videos that show the riders most visible area is their head/helmet, indicating that white or bright safety colors are best. The black helmet I wore obviously wasn't helping; hence my safety vest solution. Too many careless drivers on Vancouver Island don't understand the need for signalling every time they intend to lane change or pull out. i may not have looked cool, but I didn't want another close call like that. I also needed to reinforce to my daughters,how to stay alive if they chose to get into motorcycling.

I don't wear a GoPro but I've gone down twice in 7 years... I've had SERIOUS close calls on the freeway and surface streets... I definitely agree that if you're above 150cc ALWAYS wear at least a jacket... Full face helmets are the best choice but if you're not on the freeway a 3/4 with a visor provides a bit better protection than a shell... My second was the better example of protective gear... It was raining on the 405 in LA and I was riding at the edge of the lane to the right and all of a sudden a guy just jumps into the car pool lane... I've that happen before and can usually recover but it was so wet, I actually hydroplaned.. I tried to correct not realizing I was sliding and slammed to the ground... Had I had a GoPro there would be crazy footage of me sliding about 20 feet on my shoulder.. I was wearing my thick BILT jacket so I had no real injuries... It did twist my frame pretty good though... The interesting thing is that if it hadn't been raining I wouldn't have went down but because it was raining my jacket didn't even get damaged... I had ZERO damage to my pants or shoes but I did hit the bottle holder on my scooter when I flew off as it went down...

Good advice to follow. Loud pipes alone are marginal but with the other listed safety tips the pipes can add to them. They have often gotten my attention to bike riders when driving my automobile.

If noise level doesn't have any effect on roadgoers so why are there claims to have some sounds with electric vehicles? They could be almost completely silent... I have experienced that somewhat louder pipes cause beneficial effect approaching on pedestrians, bicycle riders and some animals, too... And what about visually impaired?

On of the local police departments posted a similar helmet pick from an accident last week. They said that helmet probably saved the guys life. I couldn't imagine not wearing a full face helmet

I've had three crashes. One about 5 mph when I stopped at a mini roundabout for a car and the car behind thought I was going on. One about 5 mph when I forgot to take off the steering lock and did a U turn in the road. One I slid on ice coming out from work and again about 5 mph. I had no choice but to cross over it. And no, I don't go everywhere at 5 mph you know! I've experienced the second incident, one I was able to brake and hold back but the other we were alongside each other when I was aware he was getting closer so I speedily accelerated out of it. I would always buy a full face helmet. Since getting the Harley I notice cars on side roads sometimes move out slightly then stop. This has happened so many times now, I do think the noise of the exhaust makes them think again. Bill.

Audible indicators are used for safety all the time… horns, back up beeping, and loud pipes. Many times on the highway I hear a bike (or other loud vehicle) coming long before I see it. I do believe loud pipes add to the safety factor.

Was wearing a 3/4 with a face shield when I hit a deer. My shield was badly scratched but it held my face off the asphalt. I did have a couple stitches in my chin but the point is good face shields do an excellent job.

I don't believe completely "loud pipes save lives" but, I have seen a difference in the city mostly. More than a handful of times where the louder than factory exhaust has at least made other drivers aware that a motorcycle is around. Especially if their windows are down. Problem is sometimes the cops are just as aware.. love your channel thanks for sharing the knowledge.

Over here in Nigeria, we believe in the ‘Loud pipes save lives’ slogan. This is due to our road conditions and the type of drivers we have here. Should you not rev, no one cares if you ride a bike as they don’t tend to ‘share the roads’ with bikers (on the other hand, as you rev, they are aware/ alert of you and kind of respect theirselves and make way for you 😆). I ride a Honda cbr300r with factory exhaust and this is really silent. I blare my horn to be heard/ seen by the distracted drivers. I’ve been advised to change the exhaust. What du guys think?

I rode for 50 years and never wore a helmet. I sold my Harley when I retired and got into Jeeping. Occasionally I'll miss the Harley, but Jeeping is just as much fun.