From what I’ve seen over the course of my life, if somebody rides a motorcycle fairly regularly, they’re gonna get smashed up in some way or other.
Yes, and I’m living proof.
I must confess however, I lost my nerve after being hit by a car with three or four punks in it. The driver had no license and was driving his mom's vehicle. Pretty violent hit. Threw the bike and me down to the pavement.
No helment...just my shades. Feeling good, feeling fine. Well, popped up off the pavement in a millisecond, lil bit of road rash on my wrist and knee...other than that, just fine. Praise God.
Not so for the bike. Seven grand worth of repairs.
Anyhew...the best vacation I'd ever had...the wife and I rode both the bikes out to North Carolina / Eastern Tennessee Smoky Mountains from Houston. It was AWESOME.
Getting back the hankerin.
A friend of mine once explained the danger thusly: sooner or later you are going to lay the bike down. Ride so that you can walk away from it when it happens.
I think there are plenty of riders who adhere to that philosophy. Unfortunately, there are also enough of them that don't to give the rest a bad reputation.
I have a Harley but I rarely ride it. People aren't watching the road now days. Cell phones are a major cause of motorcycle and car fatalities.