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Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2006 3:43 pm
by Aussie Ninja
Just sent this off. Not that it will ever see the light of day in their paper.
Never let facts get in the way of a good story. If your journalist checked their facts, they would know that sport bikes are volintarily limited to 299 by the factory and there are only a few models that can make it there anyway. Calling for a blanket ban on sports bikes is the standard scare mongering do gooder approach that is completely reactionary and made without putting any thought into the problem. While they're at it they should ban alot of every day cars too. Falcons and Commodores can top 200, a speed at which accident survival rates drop to zero. Education and training of all road users is the best way to avoid tragedy. Yes the more powerful machines can be dangerous in the wrong hands, but this problem can be solved by implimenting something like competency based rider training where a high level skill set and the proper attitude is necessary to pass. Rider deaths are more greatly represented in the accident population because when over a tonne of metal hits a basically unprotected human body the chances of survival aren't the highest. Next time you're running low on stories make up a celebrity sighting, don't beat up a story about motorcyclists that represent a tiny portion of the riding population and spoil it for everyone.
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2006 4:09 pm
by les2010
Just wrote this for a bit of fun, so F*CK 'EM
Dear Sir, as a person who has ridden motorcycles and raced them for over thirty years, I am concerned about the story your journalist presented on the front page of your news paper regarding 350Klm/ h motorcycles, having ridden motorcross, speedway, flat track, 1/4mile dragracing, track racing( similar to MotoGP), please tell me where can I buy a street motorcycle that can do 350Klm/h, there is not one production motorcycle produced in the world with the exception of possibly 1 or 2 that are not available in this country that could come close, the others are called GP race bikes and are not for road use, I don't think Valentino Rossi or Nicky Hayden are selling their GP bikes. Please print the make/ model of these 350klm/h motorcycles and even I would be willing to have them banned, the closest we came to this speed on a motorcycle was the Suzuki Hyabusa, Kawasaki ZX12R, the Hyabusa was fitted with a speed restrictor as per Australian Government regulations to slow it down.
To sum up, your paper has gone for a wow factor, your journalist has never seen a motorcycle or ridden a motorcycle, you yourself have no idea about motorcycles and their capabilities and you have chosen to use this story to sell papers.
This not the 1970's when people like you and your journalists branded all motorcyclists drug using criminals who would rape your daughter on sight. We are mostly respectable people who ride well within our limits and recognise our motorcycles limits and have not had accidents or if we have it has been of such a small nature it has resulted in only a minor paint scratch or a bruise attributed mostly by another motorist being at fault. Still I wonder how many are killed due to the car driver not giving way or running a stop sign or a stop light, maybe just NOT PAYING ATTENTION.
I challenge you to print the statistics of motorcycle deaths compared to car deaths, also comparing deaths by drug use, shark attack, smoking, alcohol related deaths, I think you will find we don't rate that highly compared to other road users, oh yeah, don't forget the deaths which are bicycle or scooter or pocket bike related cannot be included.
I know you will not print this as you do not have the bravery to do so.
In closing as you have your office christmas party and you and the journalist in question have your christmas drinks and get stinking drunk and risk the life of every road user you come across lets hope it's not some poor motorcyclist on his way home from an honest days work, unlike your pathetic attemp at being honest, and you don't F*CKING KILL HIM/HER YA MORONS.
Regards
Les Olasz
Member of the following
MRAA
Kawasaki Sports Riders Club
Ulysses Club
and many more than I can mention
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2006 4:51 pm
by mike-s
Rather well put together, but might i suggest be as frickin anal about your grammar, sentence structure and MOST importantly your spelling. Nothing puts a letter to the Ed in the discard pile faster than having spelling mistakes or having it scattered.
volintarily
voluntarily.
If your journalist checked their facts, they would know that sport bikes are volintarily limited to 299 by the factory and there are only a few models that can make it there anyway.
If your journalist checked their facts, they would know that sport bikes are voluntarily limited to 299km/h by the factory, and even then only a limited number of models exist that can make it to this speed.
Calling for a blanket ban on sports bikes is the standard scare mongering do gooder approach that is completely reactionary and made without putting any thought into the problem. While they're at it they should ban alot of every day cars too. Falcons and Commodores can top 200, a speed at which accident survival rates drop to zero
Calling for a blanket ban on sports bikes is the standard scare mongering do gooder approach that is completely reactionary and made without putting any thought into the problem. If they are going to continue with this logic, they should ban alot of every day cars too, despite the fact that a significant number of them are designed to be safe to drive when handled by a sufficiently skilled driver along high speed European freeways. For example the everyday Ford Falcons and Holden Commodores are quite capable of exceeding 200, a speed at which accident survival rates drop to zero.
Rider deaths are more greatly represented in the accident population because when over a tonne of metal hits a basically unprotected human body the chances of survival aren't the highest
Rider deaths experience higher representation in accident statistics often because riders are exceeding their personal skill limits. Or in the case of multiple vehicle accidents, when over a tonne of metal hits a human body (regardless of the level of safety gear worn by the rider) the chances of survival aren't the highest.
Next time you're running low on stories make up a celebrity sighting, don't beat up a story about motorcyclists that represent a tiny portion of the riding population and spoil it for everyone.
Cheap shot, yes, but i dunno how the editor would take this in deciding if to publish your letter or not.
(n.b. these are personal opinions expressed from viewing what gets published versus what some people rattle off, yet never manage to get it in print).
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2006 7:04 pm
by Aussie Ninja
If I thought any letters on this subject disagreeing with the paper would see the light of day I might have gone for a second draft or mabye even a third. I just thought I'd register my contempt.
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2006 8:38 pm
by Colette
You made some very good points there, Aussie

Hope you get a reply.
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2006 9:38 pm
by mike-s
just ofering some objective criticism in case you thought about it seriously
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2006 11:58 pm
by Jonno
Well well hasn't this caused a stir
I didn't like his reference to 11 motorcycle deaths in the Gold Coast area alone, I am pretty sure that statistic is for the whole of Queensland or at least for south east Qld?
That’s probably a tiny amount compared to hit and runs, cyclists, and pedestrian deaths put together.
It is a pity cancer, tobacco, alcohol, heart disease and many other leading causes of death wouldn’t even rate a thought in this so called reporter’s miniscule brain (IQ of a 11 more like it), like 11 rider fatalities? wtf......To make it worse people will gobble this up and blame the whole road toll on riders of these so called GP bikes/death machines
Really as sad as all that loss of life is it's nothing compared to the tens of thousands who die mostly from preventable diseases. How many sports bikes in Qld? must be a good 20 tho' or much more, only guessing, but going by this guys thinking that's 20tho' death machines on the road. well f%#k me and wrap me up in cotton wool and call me Aunty Jack you idjiot, I will rip ya bloody arms off
Sensationism at it's worst.
End’o’rant
Posted: Sun Dec 24, 2006 9:41 am
by Gosling1
It must have been a slow news day on the Cold Coast ??
remember this - todays Headline...............is tomorrow's arsewipe !!

Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2006 10:15 am
by blackninja
aardvark wrote:350km/h???? I gotta get me one of them! Can you find out which bike it is and let us know?
thats it he could have had sum nice pictures of bikes doing 350kph

those bikes look like they going nowhere
