Too many variable to prove there. Depends on who was at fault and was their death due to a closed head injury, its also tough to prove that a helmet may have saved them.

If the car didn't hit the guy, then nobody would have died... Pay attention.

It's like saying, 'well, he would have lived if he wouldn't have crossed the street'... NO, the asshat running playing Angry Birds on his phone while digging in his balls and eating a Big Mac should have been paying attention.

No, clearly the family of the person riding the motorcycle should sue the person that created Angry Birds, McDonalds and the hooker that gave him crabs....

/kidding

touche`

its the american way, its always someone elses fault

I didn't read the rest of the thread but this is exactly how it is done in FL.

No insurance required on bikes.

Over 21 and proper insurance = no helmet required.

Over 21 and no insurance = helmet required.

The cops can't tell if you have coverage or not without pulling you over but if you do get popped, a fine will result.

Under 21 = special plate, helmet required at all times.

Funny...why? I used to race the same little bikes as you...on a racetrack.

Memba?

Furthermore, I not only know how to change the attitude of a small, very reactive racing motorcycle with the carefully modulated use of the front/rear brakes, I know how to remap those very brake controls when transitioning to a larger street bike, where the rear moves from the left hand, to the right foot.

Brakes are brakes. Once you know how to use them well, where they're controlled from is not really important.

I "remap" almost instantly when going from bicycle (where the brake levers are in fact reversed), to a minimoto (where they are opposite, but still both on the bars), to a street bike, where the rear brake moves to your right foot, to a manual shifted car, where everything moves around; the clutch goes from left hand, to left foot, shift goes from left foot to right hand, throttle goes from right hand to right foot, and all braking is controlled by one single center pedal (which is controlled MOSTLY by my left foot...unless I'm heel-and-toeing).

I used to always set up my cornering line in racing by using the back brake, and tucking the front in, then transitioning out again under power to once again bring the back out on exit. No different than throttle steer in a high HP car.

Of course, I didn't call it "backing it in" back in the day...I didn't even know there was a term for what I did. That came only after Speed Channel arrived on cable, and I started watching 500 GP, and listening to the commentators. It's just how I learned to ride and drive. I know how to manipulate tires to my advantage.

Tires can do one thing at a time very well; corner, brake, accelerate.

If you ask of them more than one thing at once, they lose their effectiveness doing the other, and their grip dynamics change.

Once you know how to use this to your advantage, you can make the tires lose their grip in a controlled manner to change the attitude of a bike, as you enter/exit a corner, using brake, and throttle.

Maybe you forgot I used to race.

Maybe I forgot to say "I used to" when talking about backing it in.

My days of riding anything at the limit are clearly over. As you well know, my right wrist is frozen, and the only thing I "back in" now is the fucking car, into the driveway...save the occasional mind-clearing blast up and down the street on the old dirt bike, using my right thumb and forefinger to (barely) control the throttle.

Suffice to say, I still know how it all works, however...and I'm hoping you're instead laughing about the last line, as most people don't have the experience to start manipulating tire grip at the limit.

I agree here. I know one thing, I have learned a ton about control from riding small twitchy little bikes. Getting on my monster GS is just so much more controllable after riding a fiddy for a few hours.

Valentino still races minimoto every year at ZPF, where he got his start.

Small bikes are a well known "secret" among racers, for staying sharp. MUCH more reactive than a fullsize, and everything is amplified, in terms of dynamics.

Get on the big bike, and it just seems like slo-mo by comparison. It seems it can do nothing to surprise you, and you just feel like you're pushing around a motorhome.

If the fiddy flips your skirt up, you should try an Italian racing minimoto. It's even lower to the ground, and reacts just that much faster. Once you learn to dominate one, a big bike can only seem slow to react by comparison.

I have a shattered kneecap to illustrate that point.