They aren’t safe. Many athletes have ruined their careers or been killed in accidents riding on them. Athletes sometimes feel the need for speed but the truth is motorcycles, in the hands of an inexperienced rider, are quite dangerous. This is such a tragedy. Our hearts and prayers go out to Luc’s family and to his teammates.
Ted's Take
I agree with Ryan’s comment. Well stated.
Get rid of motorcycles?? Just because a few guys make poor decisions on them? What about all the guys who ride them responsibly and safely? Yes I ride… a lot. 40,000 accident free miles since last June (over 12k so far this year!), and over 120,000 in the few years.
Its NOT the bike’s fault Ted.
If you are worried about athletes ‘ruining their career’, then put a clause in their contracts… no motorcycles, no sports cars, no boats, no jet ski’s, no snow skiing… and the list goes on and on…
Ted, I always thought you were more open minded than this, and I’m going to assume that emotion is speaking here more than common sense.
If it wasn’t motorcycles, he’d have been flying down the road in a sportscar and likely injured himself just as badly anyways. The motorcycle didn’t kill him, it was his unsafe practices while riding said motorcycle.
The initial new reports have already said that police believe he was travelling well in excess of the posted speed limits.
It’s shame about Bourdon, but don’t blame the motorcycle Ted. Was Bourdon licensed? Did he have training? Was he wearing proper riding gear (helmet, jacket, pants and gloves)? Was he sober? Was he tired? Was he riding a bike he was familiar with? How was the truck involved? There are many factors that contribute to motorcycle accidents and deaths, but the bikes themselves are not to blame. In fact a good majority of motorcycle crashes involve unlicensed and/or impaired riders.
It is a tragedy, and it happens every day. On this day it happenned to hit the NHL family. Anytime someone that young dies, it’s tragic…
Roethlisberger was lucky to live. Contract stipulations against motorcycles in contracts wouldn’t surprise me one bit. Contracts to players, even the non-star role player, garnish ALOT of money in investment. A non-motorcycle clause instated in contracts not only league wide but pro-sport wide wouldn’t be much of a shock.
Accidents happen. We don’t know the specifics of this tragedy, and to condemn motorcycles in general because of it is narrow minded. Some people take risks others consider unnecessary. We should not be surprised that professional athletes, people paid absurd amounts of money to play kid’s games for massive stakes, seem to take more than others. Ridding the world of one outlet won’t remove the problem, it will only change its expression. Dany Heatley wasn’t taking his friend and teammate Dan Snyder for a motorcycle ride on that tragic night in 2003.