Sportbike riders beware

  • Published
  • By Scott Hagen
  • 45th SW Safety Office
Sportbike riders have a need for speed and this bike provides an inexpensive thrill ride that many people are not respecting.

With the rapid acceleration, agile maneuverability and quick stopping, this vehicle provides a motorcyclist with all the excitement and adrenaline rush one can ask for, making it a disaster waiting to happen.

For the same reasons mentioned, it also gives an operator the ability to avoid a disaster if used at the appropriate time. The ability to go from 0 to 100 mph in the blink of an eye with just the flick of a wrist makes this one heck of a ride.

If you want to test the ability of your bike and riding skills a closed course with a certified sportbike trainer is the only way.

Public roads are not a controlled environment and pose hazards that challenge riders on a constant basis. How you react when you encounter these hazards can mean the difference
between crashing and not crashing.

Male riders ages 18-25 are proven to be in a high risk category failing to understand the consequences of their actions.

According to Consumer Reports, "Sportbike riders have death rates that are four times greater than average for all motorcycle types." Why does this happen? Speeding and driver error were bigger factors in fatal crashes of sport bikes compared with other motorcycle classes.

In contrast, speed was cited in 57 percent of riders' fatal crashes in 2005, compared to 27 percent of fatal crashes among riders on cruisers and standards, and 22 percent on touring motorcycles.