Coming up on NBC Nightly News

[PitterB4]

TUESDAY, MAY 10
6:30 p.m. ET Motorcycles: They've always been dangerous, but now the death rate is skyrocketing. Are the new super-powered bikes the cause or are older riders to blame? We'll tell you what it means for your safety behind the wheel.

Don't ya just love the media?????

[tacoman]

The problem with the media today is attracting viewers/readers for ratings (more advertisers, more $$) is more important than the actual news.  Everything gets sensationalized.  In my area we have a local tv station that is always having these incredible, ground breaking stories.  You get these half baked truths to get a good story.  They did get slowed down on the cross-dressing transvestite who claimed to have won the lottery.  They broadcasted he/she was the winner.  When he/she tried to buy a new Hummer, the dealership asked to see the ticket.  No ticket, no Hummer.  Big embarrassment.

[PeteSC]

I rarely watch the local news, unless there's something going on locally I HOPE they may cover.  (Usually disappointed!)

 About a month ago, there was a 'teaser' about a dangerous curve in the area that is claiming the lives of motorcyclists.

  Not aware of any 'dangerous curves' in the area, I tuned in.

  The 'curve' turned out to be a slight turn in a local, lightly trafficed expressway.   I'm talking a few degree change of direction.   You'd have to take the slight bend at 150 mph on a bike to make it mildly interesting.

  Evidently, a couple of cruiser guys ran off the road there in a weeks period, and I think one died.
   The news people then interviewed a 19 year old Army PFC, in uniform, standing in front of a sports bike,  (Think it was a TLR) and he spouted some squidly effluent to the tune of something like this....
 "Wow, man, the first time you take that curve, you like hit it at 45 mph, if you're lucky, and you keep practicing until you can go really fast...."

  (I go through that 'curve' in my pickup with the cruise control set at 65, (It's a 55 zone)a cigar clenched in my teeth, and my Boxcar Willie CD at full volume....AND I STILL COULD could scratch my arse and whistle Dixie, pick my nose, and play dashboard bongos while gettting around that 'curve'!)

    What dribble will NBC spout tonight?

     There has to be some cruiser dude talking about 'freedom....'

      They'll probably feature some 'stuntah foolz'......

     Maybe they'll have a few second mention of an MSF course.....

     The majority of us, competent riders will be lumped in with a bunch of fools...

 

[PeteSC]

They did get slowed down on the cross-dressing transvestite who claimed to have won the lottery. They broadcasted he/she was the winner. When he/she tried to buy a new Hummer, the dealership asked to see the ticket. No ticket, no Hummer.

   Taco, he/she may not be able to buy a hummer, but I'm sure he/she has probably given some away.............



 

  (couldn't help it....)

[PeteSC]

No helmetless cruiser dude talking about 'freedom', but a glimpse of an older gold wing, while mentioning older riders buying high powered bikes, and lots of footage of the 'street stuntaz'........

  Typically, they barely mention the increasing rate of older rider fatalities, while mostly showing 'stuntah foolz'........

[txbanditrydr]

Lots of fluff.....  lots of stunts......  nothing you could say was inaccurate however the entire story was out of focus and had no real point.  Yes the over 40 crowd is dying more these days and  yes the bikes are more powerful but there wasn't any distinction in this "newstainment" segment.

You can bet a lot of non-riders will be saying tomorrow "did ya see the news last nite??"    

[PitterB4]

You can bet a lot of non-riders will be saying tomorrow "did ya see the news last nite??"    

Yup - that's what pisses me off about this kind of story.

[PeteSC]

Motorcycles push the limits of speed, safety
Government reports fatalities up 71 percent in just six yearsBy Kevin Tibbles
Correspondent
NBC News
Updated: 7:15 p.m. ET May 10, 2005CHICAGO - For thrill seekers, motorcycles have always been an adrenaline rush. But today's fastest-growing craze — ultra-powerful, super-fast sport bikes — have made motorcycling more thrilling and more dangerous.

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"It's like riding a roller coaster," says one rider.

"The speeds are unbelievable," says a law enforcement officer.

They push 200 miles per hour.

Dean Campa turned Los Angeles streets into a speedway on his sport bike. He was caught and jailed for two years.

"It's an addiction, that you got to learn to turn on and turn off," says Campa.

Others aren't so lucky. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says fatalities have accelerated 71 percent from 2,294 in 1998 to 3,927 in 2004.

But it's not just the young and fearless who are dying. More and more older riders are buying these heavy, powerful cruising machines and hitting the highway — even though many are inexperienced riders. In just 10 years the age of the average motorcyclist has risen from 27 to 41. And of the increasing number of fatalities, 60 percent are over the age of 40.

Margit Showalter's son, Michael, was 41 when he was killed on his bike.

"Just because he can have a Harley and doesn't get the proper safety instructions, he needs to realize that he's endangering himself and his family," says Showalter.

Chicago's "Number One Stunna's" club is more than 200 strong and has not lost a single member. The club says safety comes first.

"It's real easy to get caught up in the speed thing and trying to get a name for yourself out here in the street and wanting to test your limits," says president Reese Golladay. "But you can easily end up in what they call a 'panic mode.'"

But for many on two wheels, that cocktail of speed, power and youth still proves too attractive — despite the risk.

[jfudo]

They failed to mention how much riding has increased in popularity since 1998.  Show a ratio of registered bikes to deaths, then maybe there will be some meaning.

Hey, by the way, did you know that helicopter deaths have increased by 4350% since 1938?

[Red01]

Hey, by the way, did you know that helicopter deaths have increased by 4350% since 1938?

LOL!!   WHEW! Makes me feel lucky to have survived >1500 flight hours in them. Only scared I might die once.