What about the overall risk on a motorcycle? I have two friends who were killed on motorcycles. Both were experienced, in neither case was it their fault, and I'm not sure if they could have avoided it. Seems unlikely. But what I do know is that if they were driving their cars, they would be alive today. I find people often correctly evaluate the risk of failure (low), but completely ignore the potential cost (your life) . I'm guessing they also have a different model for calculating reward, but it seems mostly an error in calculating risk and cost. BTW, these were IT guys in their 30s, not teenagers.
I've had an accident on a motorbike which ended up thankfully only with a broken leg and two months of immobility (the fracture was a bit complicated). It was not my fault and if I was in a car, I probably wouldn't have been hurt at all. Roughly a year after the accident, I started to ride the motorbike again, albeit not that often. I don't see anything I could easily improve with the driving style to reduce the risk. I think I'm already quite defensive both on the motorcycle and in the car and I try to always remind myself that I'm no expert.
Maybe I don't correctly evaluate the risk or I just assign too much value to the benefits I get. It's very hard to calculate with a cost of own life. Moreover this cost is changing. It can temporarily increase for example when you support a family. But how do you account for the fact that you have a finite amount of time here no matter what you do? There are much less risky things to do and also much riskier ones than riding a motorbike. Are all the people who take more than the smallest possible amount of risk crazy or unable to assess the values? Honestly, I still don't know.
Motorcycles aren't called "donorcycles" for nothing. The risk level seems to be intrinsically high, though it seems to be held up by bikers not wearing helmets:
The documented risk of dying from a serious head wound while riding without a helmet is so high, bare-headed motorcyclists are considered ideal organ donors: They're typically young, otherwise healthy and at high risk of brain death from sudden trauma.
Certainly riding a motorcycle is risky. Lots of things people do for fun have very large downsides (death or otherwise). Some of us feel the risk is worth the reward. I totally understand if you don't agree.
In terms of experience - I see a LOT of experienced motorcycle riders that have "1 year of experience 10 times". I'm not saying that I'm a better rider than other experienced riders, however motorcycle riding is something that requires constant discipline (moreso than other forms of transportation that people generally do).
edit: Please don't take this comment as any indication of your friends experience. I'm speaking in generalities.
Just how dangerous do motorcycles have to be before the fun isn't worth the risk? Twice as dangerous as cars? 5 times? Maybe 10x? Surely not 20 times more dangerous?
From Wikipedia's article on Motorcycle Safety: Per vehicle mile traveled, motorcyclists' risk of a fatal crash is 35 times greater than a passenger car.
Motorcycles are insanely dangerous. There are 23 fatalities per 100 million miles ridden in the US. If you ride 4,000 miles a year for 40 years, that gives you just over a 4% chance of dying. Compare to a 0.1% chance for doing the same in a car. And that's just the risk of death. It doesn't include risk of paralysis, brain damage, or losing a limb. Even if you are a perfect rider, half of all fatal motorcycle accidents are collisions with cars. Many of those simply cannot be avoided.
People would rightly call you insane for driving a car that had 35x more fatalities than average. I fail to see how removing two wheels makes it OK.
(Note: I've been riding for seven years and had no accidents. There are some good reasons for riding a motorcycle, but they don't involve recreation.)
Horse riding is about 10x more dangerous than motorcycles, according to stats I've seen.
Motorcycle touring is my primary leisure activity. It's what I do during summer holidays. A 300cc scooter is my primary means of travel in London. Riding on motorized two wheels is so integrated into my life that it would be hard for me to imagine a life without it.
It's almost a physical need. After a few days of snow, or a spending some time somewhere without a motorcycle, I start getting cravings. I'll frequently go out for a wander on weekends for no other reason than to ride.
Riding has a meditative quality. You can't think about anything else; you're forced to be in the moment, in flow, in a constant planning and reactive mode. Worries and concerns and any other busy thoughts disappear.
You are correct of course. I've ridden for 20+ years with only one fall in an empty intersection (gravel) and rode away with literally only a scratch. I'm pretty sure those days are over though as my wife is not a fan, and I recently sold my motorcycle.
