Required reading

[Barbarian]

There's a good read in the NY Times today about the increase in motorcycle deaths.

They're up for the 9th year in a row, all out of proportion to the number of new riders.

[dgm0967]

This might be controversial but

The American dream is to ride a motorcycle without a helmet.

Wearing a helmet cuts the risk of death by about 37 percent, according to Ted R. Miller, a researcher at the Pacific institute for Research and Evaluation.

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation, which is allied with the industry council, does agree that returning riders can be a problem. Dean L. Thompson, a spokesman for the safety group, said that older riders should “not be in denial about their skills, which decline over time.” Riders should know their limits, he said.

Bottom line is ride safe. Wear the gear you've got and enjoy the fun while calculating the risk.