is it dangerous to ride a Honda Gold Wing motorcycle here, considering how bad the traffice is?

Its dangerous to ride ANY two wheeler here. It broke my heart when
I moved here to have to sell my Honda but after a couple of rides
I'd had too many encounters with death to continue. The locals here
have no respect for a motorcycle in traffic. They tailgated me constantly
and cut me no slack when passing. There's nothing like having a car
pass you on the left and give you two inches between your foot pedal
and the side of their car. After a while I realized that sooner or later
someone would hit me or I would wind up beating the living daylights
out of some idiot and wind up in jail. Lucky to be alive, but some people
ride them year round. Better them than me.

Hardly. I ride my Honda Valkyrie (Goldwing engine) until it snows. You have to be more careful, but it's still worthwhile to ride.

Ex-Biker is correct...these crazy motherfuckers around here will kill you on a bike. I definitely wouldn't ride regularly...

However, I lovingly restored a 1965 FL Electra-Glide a few years back and I simply must ride it a bit occasionally. Same goes for the '67 Corvette coupe (427/435) that my dad left me...it needs run once in a while also.

So, seeing that it's 2:30 in the morning, and most of the assholians are in bed or passed out.....I think I'll take both out for a run before the sun comes up.

G-night

tubby Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ex-Biker is correct...these crazy motherfuckers
> around here will kill you on a bike. I definitely
> wouldn't ride regularly...
>
> However, I lovingly restored a 1965 FL
> Electra-Glide a few years back and I simply must
> ride it a bit occasionally. Same goes for the '67
> Corvette coupe (427/435) that my dad left me...it
> needs run once in a while also.
>
> So, seeing that it's 2:30 in the morning, and most
> of the assholians are in bed or passed out.....I
> think I'll take both out for a run before the sun
> comes up.
>
> G-night


G-night Tubby
Pleasant dreams.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpnsIe7wBW8

This isn't any different from any major urban/suburban area - danger is about the same. There are small pockets of FC that will almost cause your bike to stall because you'll be driving so ridiculously slow - Vienna, and Fairfax City.

FYI the best time to ride is on Sunday mornings, where many people are not on the road, instead worshipping their imaginary friend...

I'm a long time rider, and the biggest danger in this area, by far, is people on cell phones. I've ridden in NYC and Boston, and am familiar with urban traffic, but people in the DC area driving SUV's (or any kind of car, for that matter), while talking on the phone and steering with one hand--not paying any attention to vehicles around them, especially motorcycles, are the greatest risk I've encountered.

Inside the beltway motorcycle = speed bump. It was bad before cell phones now you are just asking for 'death-by-Lexus' on a bike. I wont even drive a compact car. Head out on I-66, out to Harpers Ferry or Skyline drive. That is some fine riding for your big bike.