Why 1970s Bikers Are Impossible to Kill

Comments · 475

• VI

  @victorswenson5026 · 3 weeks ago

  motorcycling like submarining is very safe as long as you remember that it is very dangerous.

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• RO

  @robertyamashita7875 · 3 weeks ago

  I’m 80 , riding for 66 yrs. 158 bikes nearly 2.5 million miles. 3 accidents all at intersections. Still have 8 bikes all sizes nothing over 510 lbs.

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• MA

  @marcusrussell8660 · 3 weeks ago

  Driving a motorcycle in the early seventies tought me how to safely drive a car.

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• FL

  @flatcapcaferacer · 3 weeks ago (edited)

  In 1970 I went into our Kawasaki as a 16 year old with no formal training and tried to buy a Kawasaki 500 H1. The owner showed me three wrecked H1s in the garage and said son these riders were much better rider than I was and refused to sell me the H1. He saved my life but did sell me an A7 Avenger which was still quicker than I could handle.<br><br>Since then there have been 30 bikes from 20 horsepower to 200 horsepower. &nbsp; Besides street riding I&apos;ve done motocross, &nbsp;drag and road racing , finally land speed racing. I&apos;ve ridden a &nbsp;260 horsepower Rocket 3 on the Bonneville Salt Flats but the scariest bike I&apos;ve ridden to this day was a 1972 Kawasaki H2.<br><br>At age 28 the military got me involved in multiple Motorcycle Safety classes which really helped. I became a MSF instructor for a few years which helped even more.<br><br>I started riding legally in 1969 and own six bikes today. Triumph Thruxton R, T120 Bonneville, &nbsp;Tiger Sport 800, Tiger GT Pro, &nbsp;BMW R1200rt &nbsp;and a Royal Enfield 500.

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• RC

  @rconger24 · 3 weeks ago (edited)

  One thing we had to learn with were the smaller bikes. &nbsp;<br>Now if you go in, to buy a small &quot;beginner&quot; bike, they will show you an 850.<br>Began in 1969.<br>I&apos;m back to what I learned on. &nbsp;<br>Honda CT90. &nbsp;<br><i><b>It&apos;s enough.</b></i><b></b>

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• MA

  @mariodesmo · 3 weeks ago (edited)

  I was 15 1/2 years old in California when I passed my driver&apos;s learner permit exam in 1969. &nbsp;It was the first year an exam was required for motorcycles, 10 questons. &nbsp; That allowed me to ride a motorcycle all by myself 24/7. &nbsp;The lady at the DMV counter looked at me, down her nose and past her reading glasses, looked me up and down and said, &quot;I guess I have to do this&quot; &nbsp;and handed me my permit. &nbsp;LOL &nbsp;A lot of what was said in this video is true. &nbsp;We lost my cousin Frankie, right after he returned from Vietnam. &nbsp;He bought a bike with his combat pay, and a few months later an on-coming car pulled a left turn right into him, killing him on the spot. &nbsp;RIP Frankie!<br>I&apos;m still riding and shopping for another motorcycle now, in 2024.

  13

• DA

  @davidkent440 · 3 weeks ago

  A big factor now is that very few riders are introduced to bikes in the dirt. There&apos;s just no place or opportunity for it. Skills learned on unsure surfaces translate very well to control on the street when things go wrong.

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• SU

  @surfingtheapocalypse · 3 weeks ago (edited)

  I&apos;m 71 , I have a Widow Maker. Riding in 74 legally. Although I was riding as a kid on dirt bikes well before that.

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• RL

  @rl1443 · 3 weeks ago

  Started in 1977, riding a Honda CB-200. Today i ride a Yamaha Roadliner 1900cc). Experience has taught me to anticipate what others may do, and to ride defensively.

  6

• GE

  @gemshiddenhistories6575 · 3 weeks ago

  I started riding in the late 1970&apos;s. We used to have an expression for your first year of riding. It was the year of &quot;Nears&quot;, which stood for &quot;Near Fatal Collisions&quot;. I remember being pushed into oncoming traffic by a car merging into me and shoving me across the double yellow line; multiple left turns into me going straight; holding back at an intersection, even though I had the green light, because a teenage driver was turned completely around, talking to her girlfriends in the back seat as she blew thru the red light; and my first time rounding a corner on wet leaves. And you&apos;re right, our bodies learned those lessons and they got burned in.<br><br>But I think it is a lot more dangerous riding now than back in the 70&apos;s and 80&apos;s, because we didn&apos;t have to deal with car drivers talking or texting on their cell phones. Distracted drivers are killing a lot of motorcyclists and bicyclists these days.

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• AK

  @akcharlie1960 · 3 weeks ago

  I swear, this video was made about ME. I bought my first bike in 76 at 16 years old. A late 60s Kawasaki 250 dirt bike. Two years and no road experience later I bought a 74 Z1 900. Biggest bike in my highschool. NO FUCKING IDEA what I was getting into but........I managed to survive that beast and rode her for about 15 years including 2 tours in Europe in the Army. Everything this video talks about I learned on my own. Every intersection threat, every vehicle waiting to turn into my lane, every blind spot I DO NOT linger in, and sitting at a light in gear watching my mirrors. I&apos;m now 66, driving an 03 Kawasaki Concours and just bought a 25 Honda Transalp last month. Guess I&apos;ll keep riding till I can&apos;t. Stay safe out there fam and if you&apos;re ever in Alaska, make sure to wave. I always wave back.

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• BO

  @bobreinert4604 · 2 weeks ago

  I agree with most of this, I started riding in the 60’s. &nbsp; Close to 1/2 a million miles. &nbsp;I learned to ride a dirt bike before I hit the street. &nbsp;When you are OK with your backend sliding out, and get to crash in the sand (o grew up in Florida), you get to learn about yourself and your bike. &nbsp;Also was fortunate to have some good friends that were nationally ranked, 2 in short tracked and one in road racing. Watching a friend on the banks of Daytona was a treat. &nbsp;<br><br>One issue with your statistics. The current older age group has had allot of new riders, that one of my friends labeled the Harley Come Lately” crowd. &nbsp;<br>You can easily spot them, brand new bikes and brand new leathers they got from the Harley Boutique. <br>The mid life crisis folks with more $$$ than brains. They have very little training. &nbsp;A good friend was that way, decided in his 50’d s it was time to ride. &nbsp; He spent 6 weeks in the hospital due to his inexperience. <br><br>Currently not riding, I sold my Triumph Sprint ST Triple. &nbsp;I’m looking at 3 wheelers, I’m 75 and not confident in my 2 wheel ability now. Recent car crash left me with some vertigo issues. &nbsp;<br><br>Great video.

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