A friend's son just announced on Farcebook that he's crashed his bike. Whereas when I was a young 'un, this would have caused me to hide from friends and family for a month, he actually seemed to think it was heroic and something to brag about, despite the video (he was wearing a helmet camera) showing that he stuffed up by riding too fast, on a damp road, using a very poor line and then getting target fixation.
But the principal cause, it seemed to me, was that he was simply showing off on camera. He was narrating his own video - talking as he was filming. Apart from being distracted, he was trying too hard to look like Rossi, no doubt imagining how bloody cool he would look when he posted the video online.
Made me wonder. With more and more riders using helmet cameras, not just to record stuff should some fool pull out in front of them (fair enough), but to impress folks with their video exploits. There are also many making their own online vlog or YouTube content, thinking they are sufficiently expert to provide us with their advice and reviews by making videos while riding (when most of them haven't much experience, knowledge or skill). While properly experienced riders would have little problem doing this, many of these vloggers are young and inexperienced, also too desperate to impress (like I was when I was young).
I can foresee a day when insurance companies will take a dim view of bikers doing this stuff. I wouldn't be surprised to find that using a helmet cam increases the chances of an accident, for the aforementioned reasons.
But the principal cause, it seemed to me, was that he was simply showing off on camera. He was narrating his own video - talking as he was filming. Apart from being distracted, he was trying too hard to look like Rossi, no doubt imagining how bloody cool he would look when he posted the video online.
Made me wonder. With more and more riders using helmet cameras, not just to record stuff should some fool pull out in front of them (fair enough), but to impress folks with their video exploits. There are also many making their own online vlog or YouTube content, thinking they are sufficiently expert to provide us with their advice and reviews by making videos while riding (when most of them haven't much experience, knowledge or skill). While properly experienced riders would have little problem doing this, many of these vloggers are young and inexperienced, also too desperate to impress (like I was when I was young).
I can foresee a day when insurance companies will take a dim view of bikers doing this stuff. I wouldn't be surprised to find that using a helmet cam increases the chances of an accident, for the aforementioned reasons.