Topic: Crashes -warning! Graphically explicit material!!

[Gordon]

Has anyone else here fitted aftermarket horns to your bike?  That's always one of the first things I do when I get a new one.  Twin car-style horns that are LOUD!  The wimpy stock horn just doesn't cut it in traffic.  When I tap the button now, they jump back in their lane like a truck is barrelling down on them!

[Bob Wessner]

What horns did you install?

[SteveD CB500F]

Has anyone else here fitted aftermarket horns to your bike? That's always one of the first things I do when I get a new one. Twin car-style horns that are LOUD! The wimpy stock horn just doesn't cut it in traffic. When I tap the button now, they jump back in their lane like a truck is barrelling down on them!

FIAMM Air Horns in 1980. See pic in thread "SteveD in 1980"

The compressor was very exposed under the headstock (mounted where the old horn went) and didn't last very long!

Boy, were they loud though!

[rpyles]

One more -
In 1990 my nephew Dennis had just bought a new Camaro, and decided to sell his Kawasaki to help pay for it. He had just washed it off and was taking it out for one last spin. Some idiot sitting on the shoulder decided to make a U-turn right in front of him. Dennis t-boned him, and went over the car. He was conscious long enough to give his name and some phone numbers to call, but died later that day. His mother (my sister) lived just a few doors away from me, and I felt awful about riding my 750 around her. Because of his accident, (and the horrible traffic around D.C.,) I pretty much quit riding, and sold the bike in '99 - only to buy it back two years ago.
Richard

[SCJIM]

richard,

my heart goes out to you and your sister for your loss.

Jim

[Gordon]

Sorry to hear about that, Richard. 

Bob, the horns I have on now are called Freeway Blaster (I think).  I got them a while back at the auto parts store, they may be Fiamm brand, though.  They're not the air horns, so no compressor to worry about, but you do have to hook them up through a 12v relay.  It was pretty easy.  The horns came with all the hardware for mounting, and I put the relay under the tank on the front coil mount.

[Bob Wessner]

Thanks Gordon.

[Zeke]

I ride with my thumb on the horn all the time in traffic.

You know how when you're driving your car and someone's about to merge into you and you fumble for the horn button?

That ain't good enough.  You have to train yourself you assault people with it whenever necessary.  Y'all can hassle me if you want, but after nearly eating dirt I don't care anymore.

With that, there was a thread on greenspun I started last year about horns.  It was agreed that the FIAMM 130db horns were the loudest around.  John from Nova Scotia (where are you John?) said they were "pretty blatty".

I said "well, if that means that cell-phone yapping ladies would wet their pants and stay in their lane when I touch the button, that's what I want."  Or something like that. 

The traffic here in the SF Bay Area is brutal, because there are lots of foreign (no offense) drivers here that are really bad.  There no need for little "beep-beep" horns around here.

Now that I'm going to have my bike back on the road I intend to get a pair of FIAMMs one high one low.  And They're so cheap I might need three.

Don't forget to use the relay -- if you wire horns directly to the horn button you'll burn it out.  It's purpose is really only to run the relay.

[Spear]

Yes, you do detect a 'southern' accent. I mean, how much further south can y'all go than Australia. Actually, It's my little way of having a shot at the odd 'damn Yankee' who wants to have a shot at us Aussies. Y'all understand now, y'hear?

[Sandcast 2356]

Hey now, us southern guys gotta stick together, even if you are a damn aussie 

[cb750_chris]

I won't tell you how many crashes I've been in because I don't want to jinx it.....  Lets just say I'm knocking on wood right now. 

The best way to avoid an accident is not to learn how to ride from personal expierience or from you buddies expierience.  Even if they are SOHC4 buddies. 

Get yourself sighned up for and MSF riders course.  The DMV can direct you on how to go about this or you can find them on line.  I took mine over 10 years ago and it has saved me even in my car. 

I plan on taking another one soon as 10 years is about how often you should re-take the course. 

The best advice that I always give is when you come to a stop look for an escape path and leave yourself room to use it.  Leave it in gear so you can escape and look out behind you. 

I always cringe when a rider pulls up 12 inches behind my car at a stop and boxes himself in.....  Then they pop it out of gear and relax like nothing is ever going to get them from behind. 

[cben750f0]

i agree holeheartedly to the rider training... and b4 you say its not our fault... hear me out.... it dont have to be your fault to be dead... simple.. as i said earlier, i ams till off work from my last sudden stop with a car.... wasnt my fault... but he walked away.... so if there is anything that can make me 'MORE' aware .. then ill give it a go.... oh and by the way... i live in the SOUTH of 'new SOUTH wales' in the SOUTH of australia.... i think terry is the only guy who is MORE sSOUTH ..
      Peace

[bryanj]

Remember that you really dont want the front brake to worke when there is 3 inches of water on the road!!!! Bloody old dears who step off the pavemant (sidewalk) without looking

[Paul]

Our club have various runs during the year, The most suitable are the classic ones, they suit the slow sensible guys too. I was at one last season where there were all sorts, CBr's Dukes etc. I was traveling modestly along behind a car which in turn was going even more modestly. Looked in my mirror, Indicated, looked over my shoulder - Clear, pulled out, just as I was alongside the car i heard yyeaoooonnngggg That was the noise of a red blurr passing me over the ton. wait for this, all I felt was a breeze and my Right mirror (LHD) spun forward. The F***r hit it....nothing else, just the mirror. I "met" him later and he didn't even know he had come so close. So yes ...be carefull always but also be ready for the unexpected....I havn't a lot of miles up on bikes but I do realise they don't have airbags.

[Spear]

I mentioned in an earlier reply on this post that I'm involved in driver education here in Oz. During my sessions I show some very graphic video footage of the results of fatal crashes, the sort of stuff that can't be publicly broadcast because of that graphic nature. Well, I've decided to include a couple of photos here of a biker who came to grief. I was sent the photos by a mate who knows of my interest in driver/rider education. Some of you may have already seen them, I don't know. Either way, if you don't have the stomach for blood and guts I suggest you scroll back up the page. I'm led to believe that this guy was on a BIG bike (a 1300cc machine) and was riding it to the limit - until he came unstuck at some astronomical speed well in excess of 200km/hr. Hopefully the moderator won't see it as an unwelcome contrubution and wipe it, but accept it in the spirit it is included as an educational piece that just might stick in someone's mind when they are tempted to push their machine to the limit, and not do so to avoid ending up looking like this.  I leave you with it. Spear.

[Spear]

Now, how about a close-up from a different angle?

[Harry]

Very sobering.

I chose to leave these posts intact and to issue the topic heading with a warning.

Take care - statistically, some of us will end this way....

[Sandcast 2356]

I was very interested to see when I logged on that a topic I started had recieved a graphic nature warning. Thanks for that though Spear, that's why I started the thread.

[Bob Wessner]

I for one am not offened. Sometimes 'graphic' is the only way to convey the message.

[heffay]

   the images are etched in my mind... for probably quite sometime.  the friend i spoke of earlier in this discussion met nearly this same fate and i hate to believe in a thing called statistics but, there is no refute. 
now, everyone, if you have a significant other or loved one of any kind... if you value your motorcycling career... do not do this to yourself OR show these pictures to that loved one.
your motorcycle career will end right there!  heed the pictures, they are meant for us, not for the ones that are already scared out of their wits because we ride.  (spear, hopefully this comment does not offend, i simply think there is a reason the general public does not need to see these)

[Spear]

Heffay. No offence detected and none taken. I left it up to the moderator to vet this material and I'm pleased to see that he took it in the spirit it was posted. Thanks to the moderator for putting the warning on it.

[Sandcast 2356]

On revisiting this topic, I decided that my previous post sounded too much like I was offended. I agree with Heffay on the matter, sorry if anyone took it the other way.

[heffay]

i would also like to point out that in those pix from spear that the rider looks to have been wearing all the gear.  obvious, but there are limits to those too.

[cben750f0]

i came off at 90km/h... 2 tears ago, broke my spine and pelvic.. the only thing that kept me walking was the fact that it was a vertical brake... not a horizontal..... nothing like laying on the side of the road and not being able to move you legs... in my case luckily it was swelling....... and i am up and about ..... spear you are a courages man to take the initiative and show ppl what can happen when you decide to go that little bit further.... i am sobered, and i am sick to the stumach... alot has come back.... but by god if it stops someone else from thinking/....' i'll just whinde it on a bit more'.... i wake every day, thank the maker for another chance to be with family, friends, my bike, and to just ...BE.....  #$%* thats shaken me.....  be safe ppl cos it aint just you you hurt when you bingle... you hurt everyone around you... just ask my girlfriend.

     i have had a #$%* 3 years, of a 14year bike rideing spell..... my 90km/h spill was because of a bloke who thought he didnt have to tie down his wood load.... me , corner, lump of wood...... me, air, 5metre drop... broken...

   and 12 months ago  .... me   open highway, guy doing 40km/h in a 100km/h zone.... me checking traffic both ways.... indicate early... and when i am almost on him..... 'oh i need to do a U turn here'... me comming to a sudden stop.....

    PPL it dont have to be our fault, to kill us..... but if i can make my chances better by rideing at 80%.. then better that  than 110%.. and being very dead...... PEACE ppl ... PEACE

     P.S.... i am a bit of a mess..... that has shaken the bejeessus out of me....

[carsholduptraffic]

this one made me think about the way i ride a bike.
i am relaxed and thoughtful on the way to work, but a bit of a maniac on the way home. i get off on the rush of snaking the cars and letting the world know that i am a mighty SOHC4!!!
but then i think that i am soft and squishy, and that all those things rushing past at 120 are hard and unyeilding. i slow down.
the dude in the pics on this post has been grated into the road by the looks of it, and it is full-on stuff.
but that could be you or me.
poor fella. it bet he was having fun at the time.
i hope that this post has made us all think. it is a good example of the net used for good not evil.
vale the rider.