Beer and bikes
 

Hi all
It was last sunday that I heard of a rider that was involved in a crash and lost one foot. The police said he was riding after drinking half a liter of beer, the rider admitted that.
I found that the culture of motorcycle riding goes with beer all over, Beer producers sponsor bike events. bars are pointing to bikers in ads, and most of us rush to the cold beer the moment we stop.
Me, I'm never even smell a beer before riding.
Do you think different? Is there a way or a trick to drink and ride? what are the laws in your place? Can you defend this culture?

yoni

This is a very interesting post. Weather alcohol was a factor in the accident would be hard to say considering all the factors that come into play. How large was this person and what is his tolerance to alcohol? Was he exhausted and did it go strait to his head? Would he have crashed anyways and he hapened do have half a litre of beer in his belly? How much alcohol was in the beer he drank? Experience has shown me law enforcement is always quick to blame alcohol for accidents, even when used in moderation. I've seen people driving under the influence of pain killers and even caugh medicine, in far worse shape than their legal limit of alcohol would effect them. The bottom line, IMHO, know your own limitations and stay within the laws of the land your in, or take a bus http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif

Have to add my opinion on this. Drinking and driving is like eating mushrooms that you wild gathered with a blindfold on. You may get lucky but the cost of a mistake could be fatal or worse. I tell everyone not to drink even one beer and ride.

What is happening here? If you want a beer have one, if you crash while pissed bad luck. I think some post american puritanicalism is sneaking in....and Yoni I realise you are not american but shit 500ccs of beer isnt exactly rolling drunk. And if it was american beer he was drinking it probably the removed excess alcohol from his system.

long live the cold beer on a hot day, in fact I had one today, sorry three...oh my, then rode home at 130mph. Wowsers are taking over and frankly its getting boring.

alec

Check out this link:

http://www.soundrider.com/archive/sa...hol_sermon.htm

Think about this as well:

"Ran off-road crashes involve situations where the motorcyclist leaves the roadway and overturns or strikes some off-road object. This is the most frequently occurring motorcycle crash type accounting for 41 percent of the total. These are often late night, weekend crashes involving a motorcyclist who had been drinking. Off-road objects struck include: culvert, curb, or ditch (24 percent of the 857 crashes); posts and poles (11 percent); trees (10 percent); and guardrails (10 percent). This crash type, unlike the other crash types, most often occurs on a curve in the road (71 percent at curves versus 21 percent for all other crashes). Most are single-vehicle crashes though occasionally the motorcycle, the driver, or debris returns to the roadway and some other vehicle becomes involved."

While there isn't an exact percentage, it is wise to note that 41% of motorcycle accidents "often involve" a motorcyclist who had been drinking.

Simmo
I'm really happy for you. what is the trick? I mean: of writing such an opinion and calling it un boring?

Cheers mate
Yoni

what about sex and drugs on the bike and listening to rock n roll :-)))

Yoni, its about making a decision on risk. If you dont want to sniff beer and ride dont. But to suggest that those who do are being irresponsible etc is something else. It seems ok to have surgeons working 20 hour shifts in hospitals with no theoretical reduction in peformance at the end, yet having a beer is tantamount to rape and pillage. I think westerners have become somewhat accepting of revenue raising poll driven governments telling us how bad we all are.
This morning I began drinking at 8 am with a whole spanish town, then on horses and in dodgy old vans and tractors we spent 4 hours covering 5 kilometers to a feild for more cooling ales. I doubt the wowsers would let that happen, hell you could fall over and hit your head.

they will be banning stairs soon.

long live beer, and when you get the chance fast bikes.

alec

simmo
Liked your comment.
anyhow I think adventure has to do with making decisions on risk. I drink beer and quite a lot, we here are too on the edge of a desert. but drinking and riding?
What are you busy doing in life? and what is "wowsers"? http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif
Yoni

A wowser is someone who doesnt drink, tucks their t-shirt into their shorts,reads religious texts dogmatically and thinks due to their impecably good behaviour and sure place in heaven, have the right to try to make everyone else be the same.

They can be found running countries like Australia and the USA.

Joke....A presbyterian...or whatever wowser type religion you want to name... man and his son walking down the street on the way to church, the son begins whistling. Father looks at son then tells him to stop because people might think he is enjoying himself.

I am tryng to avoid the melbourne winter for a few more days in Andalusia on a borrowed CBR. Then I have to subject myself to the safety culture of my job.

http://users.netlink.com.au/~asimpson

alec

Here in South Africa, possibly the most civilized country south of the equator (including Australia) we are allowed the equivalent of two pints of beer in our system when driving. This amount is completely debilitating to some and insignificant to others.
Like Australia, South Africa lost a lot of teenagers and young adults to alcohol-related accidents in the past. We are slowly growing up as a responsible nation but a lot of traditions need to change first.
I agree with yoni that we should be more honest with our drinking-and-riding habits (I don’t ride my bike when I’m drunk.) but I for one hate it when others try to enforce their limitations on me.

Simmo is right… down with welfare states and their fascist control, long live beer!

Cyril

(this post should have been longer to explain my apparently contradictory statements but I can’t be bothered. I had too much wine last night…)

Interesting topic, but no-one has made the point that anyone who drinks and subsequently hurts or kills himself has only himself to blame, but if they hurt somebody else it's a very different story. It's fine to believe that you can handle your piss and will be alright making it between pubs on a quiet Sunday ride, but if you injure someone else then that will be on your conscience for the rest of your life. There seems to me to be enough time in life to enjoy beer and enjoy riding, but not together. Do to yourself what you want, just don't hurt anyone else.

My two cents,
JC

Hi all ...yep have to agree with jc... i myself don't drink and ride .... but we all know ..drink or smoking is blamed for everthing... you crash ...and they smell a wine-gum on your breath ...well thats enough???you get the flu.. and the first question is....do you smoke ...??have that cold beer after a long hard ride ... but !!!then call it a day ...'ride safe' ...trand

Have to agree with JamesCo. Get pissed and ride your bike you are likely to hurt someone else and thats not good. I suppose its lower down the scale of evils than driving a Mac truck through a kindergarden playground whilst hammered but still, I reckon every adult should take into account that round the next corner could be a bus load of toddlers and their expectant mother teacher on the way to the zoo, (its probably the disabled kids birthday for extra pathos). Or it could be a lawyer. Either way having a drunk biker come steaming through their windscreen follwed by his KTM/BMW or whatever aint their fault so you shouldn't do it. Just my opinion of course.
matt

I hear the new BMW has a breathaliser built in now and the new Goldwing has a heated one for winter nights!

Julio