Anyone looking for a good deal on a used motorcycle?

[Scooter]

Should be plenty to choose from going cheap 6 or 8 weeks from now.

Bikers descend on South Dakota for massive rally — with scant COVID-19 precautions

The coronavirus may be changing the world, but there aren't many signs of the pandemic at the massive annual motorcycle rally being held this week at a small city along Interstate 90 in western South Dakota.

The scene Saturday at the 80th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally was familiar to veterans of the event, with throngs of maskless bikers packing the streets.

Motorcyclist Kevin Lunsmann, 63, rode more than 965 kilometres to the rally from Big Lake, Minn., with several friends. Lunsmann said he has attended the Sturgis event every year since 2003 and didn't want to miss the 80th, despite being "somewhat" concerned about COVID-19.

Still, the crowds of people and rows of bikes surprised him. He said there was no difference from previous years "other than a few people wearing masks."

Lunsmann said he was avoiding the bars and nightclubs that line the city's main drag this year, but many others were not. They were filled with revellers as the sun set Friday.

"Everybody's still partying hardy," Lunsmann said.

Organizers expected the overall crowd to be smaller, perhaps half the size of a normal year, when some half-million people from across the country roar into a town whose population is about 7,000.

The sheer numbers raise the prospect that this year's rally could spread COVID-19 in a state with no special limits on indoor crowds, no mask mandates and a governor who is eager to welcome visitors and their money.

"Screw COVID," read the design on one T-shirt being hawked at the event. "I went to Sturgis."

Bob Graham, 71, was one of the few people wearing masks as he walked along Main Street. "We don't want the virus. We want to come up here a few more years yet," he said.

Graham made his 36th annual trip to Sturgis from Central City, Neb., with his wife, calling it "kind of like our therapy for the year."

For Stephen Sample, who rode his Harley from Arizona, the event was a break from the routine of the last several months, when he's been mostly homebound or wearing a mask when he went to work as a surveyor.

"I don't want to die, but I don't want to be cooped up all my life either," he said.

Sample was aware his trip to the rally could end in the hospital, which seemed to weigh on him.

"This is a major experiment," he said. "It could be a major mistake."

Republican Gov. Kristi Noem has taken a largely hands-off approach to the pandemic, avoiding a mask mandate and preaching personal responsibility. She supported holding the rally.

Daily virus cases have been trending upward in South Dakota, but the seven-day average is still only about 84, with fewer than two deaths per day.

Sturgis officials plan to mass-test residents to try to detect and halt outbreaks, but the area's largest hospital system is already burdened with the influx of tourists and bikers who inevitably need hospital care during this time.

Marsha Schmid, who owns the Side Hack Saloon in Sturgis, was trying to keep her bar and restaurant from becoming a virus hot spot by spacing out indoor tables and offering plenty of hand sanitizer.

She also scaled back the number of bands hired for the rally, hoping the crowds would stay thin but still spend the cash that keeps her business viable for the rest of the year.

"You've got people coming from all over the world," she said. "I just hope they are being responsible and if they don't feel good, they stay away."

[BoSoxGal]

Fucking insanity.

"I don't want to die, but I don't want to be cooped up all my life either"

All your life?! It’s ONE FUCKING SEASON!

[Joe Guy]

On CNN I saw an unmasked dumbshit biker at Sturgis who was asked if he was concerned that over 150,000 people in the U.S. have died from the COVID virus. His response was that he didn't agree with that number.

[Bicycle Bill]

Lunsmann said he was avoiding the bars and nightclubs that line the city's main drag this year, but many others were not.  They were filled with revellers as the sun set Friday.

"Everybody's still partying hardy," Lunsmann said.

Pardon the pedanticism, but isn't the phrase supposed to be "party hearty" ?
But I suppose it's no more than what I should expect from writers who will "aks" you a question....

-"BB"-

[Econoline]

viewtopic.php?p=294591#p294591

[Gob]

Posted about this in the Coronavirus thread last Saturday!

[Jarlaxle]

Crashing a bike enroute is a bigger risk than COVID19.

[dales]

From the CDC:

TOTAL DEATHS
162,407
565 New Deaths*


Only the terminally stupid believe there is no risk from COVID-19.

[BoSoxGal]

Crashing a bike enroute is a bigger risk than COVID19.

Sorry Jarl but that’s a dumb comment.

The lifetime odds of a motorcycle crash might be higher, but the short term odds of getting Covid19 and a very bad result (i.e., hospitalization and/or death) are very significant for most of the older riders who are also probably most of the safer riders.

It’s foolish to blow off the covid19 threat these folks are exposing themselves to by going to Sturgis this year - not to mention that they’ll share it with everyone they contact on the way home and at home.

[Big RR]

not to mention that they’ll share it with everyone they contact on the way home and at home.

That's the real tragedy; if they choose to gamble with their lives, it's fine with me (hell, that's why I oppose helmet laws); but they run a serious risk of infecting others, which is not defensible.

[BoSoxGal]

not to mention that they’ll share it with everyone they contact on the way home and at home.

That's the real tragedy; if they choose to gamble with their lives, it's fine with me (hell, that's why I oppose helmet laws); but they run a serious risk of infecting others, which is not defensible.

That’s a fine libertarian position, but my common good counterargument is that we all pay for folks who don’t wear helmets, because it’s the rest of us that support those who are profoundly damaged in accidents that they survive.

From the CDC:

Motorcycle crash deaths are costly, but preventable. The single most effective way for states to save lives and save money is a universal helmet law.

Helmets saved an estimated 1,859 lives in 2016.1
If all motorcyclists would have worn helmets in 2016, 802 more could have been saved. 1
Each year, the United States could save more than $1billion in economic costs if all motorcyclists wore helmets.2
Helmets reduce the risk of death by 37%.2
Helmets reduce the risk of head injury by 69%.3,4

Similarly, we all will likely bear the costs of much of the medical care and hospitalization that some of these bikers will require after exposing themselves to covid19, so even if they don’t infect anyone else, they’re hurting us all.

[TPFKA@W]

Covid is a Godsend at work. NO FAMILY MEMBERS ALLOWED IN THE BUILDING! (They visit through the windows so they do see loved ones daily) Yes the masks are irritating (sweating and panting through an KN95 mask is pretty exhausting) and making the residents who are quarantined stay in their rooms is a pain and having to constantly remind residents in the common areas to wear their masks is all work. But not having contentious family members rammed in your face while trying to do your job is golden. Viva La Virus! (At least this aspect of it)

ETA: I read that Sweden, the country which did nothing with regard to shutting down, has now nearly reached herd immunity status. These old biker people are tough old bastards, they might fare well, if not all hail Darwin.

[TPFKA@W]

not to mention that they’ll share it with everyone they contact on the way home and at home.

That's the real tragedy; if they choose to gamble with their lives, it's fine with me (hell, that's why I oppose helmet laws); but they run a serious risk of infecting others, which is not defensible.

Always in the market for organ donors! Ever seen someone who was on a cycle and was whacked good by a car? Sometimes barely a scratch yet they die from brain swelling.

[Scooter]

I read that Sweden, the country which did nothing with regard to shutting down, has now nearly reached herd immunity status.

You heard wrong.

[TPFKA@W]

I read that Sweden, the country which did nothing with regard to shutting down, has now nearly reached herd immunity status.

You heard wrong.

I already read that side too. I continue to wear masks privately and professionally.

[Big RR]

That’s a fine libertarian position, but my common good counterargument is that we all pay for folks who don’t wear helmets, because it’s the rest of us that support those who are profoundly damaged in accidents that they survive.

Your cost statements are undoubtedly true (I could quibble with your "libertarian" label, but then I guess protection of any rights of the individual against governmental interference might always be labeled "libertarian"), but then, following what the supporters of every military action we have taken (or even our enormous military costs) say over and over again, that is a cost of freedom/freedom doesn't come cheaply (and those costs are likely dwarfed by the military costs we willingly pay to "protect our freedom").

That being said, I don't want to derail this thread; if anyone really wants to discuss helmet laws, they can open a new thread directed to it.

[Jarlaxle]

not to mention that they’ll share it with everyone they contact on the way home and at home.

That's the real tragedy; if they choose to gamble with their lives, it's fine with me (hell, that's why I oppose helmet laws); but they run a serious risk of infecting others, which is not defensible.

That’s a fine libertarian position, but my common good counterargument is that we all pay for folks who don’t wear helmets, because it’s the rest of us that support those who are profoundly damaged in accidents that they survive.

From the CDC:

Motorcycle crash deaths are costly, but preventable. The single most effective way for states to save lives and save money is a universal helmet law.

Helmets saved an estimated 1,859 lives in 2016.1
If all motorcyclists would have worn helmets in 2016, 802 more could have been saved. 1
Each year, the United States could save more than $1billion in economic costs if all motorcyclists wore helmets.2
Helmets reduce the risk of death by 37%.2
Helmets reduce the risk of head injury by 69%.3,4

Similarly, we all will likely bear the costs of much of the medical care and hospitalization that some of these bikers will require after exposing themselves to covid19, so even if they don’t infect anyone else, they’re hurting us all.

So...following that to its logical conclusion, motorcycles should be banned.

[ex-khobar Andy]

So...following that to its logical conclusion, motorcycles should be banned.

Not logical at all. Helmets have a negligible cost. 'No motorcycles' has a major cost.

There are 13 million MCs in the US. Let's assume that 80% of rider miles are helmeted. (Guess, but based on observation.) Assume that a helmet costs $100. (Amazon; you can pay a lot more if you want.) The industry recommends replacing a helmet every five years. So a helmet costs $20/year. So 2.6 million riders are each saving $20 or a total of $50 million per year. According to CDC numbers, helmet wearing would have saved 802 lives in one year. If you value a human life at more than about $60,000 then a helmet is a no brainer. I should probably rephrase that.

'No motorcycles' is not a zero, or negligible, cost item. In other words, society benefits from motorcycles. Low cost transport for many, and much lower carbon impact than cars. Just on gas alone, if those 13 million bikes do 10,000 miles per year and have double the mpg of the average car, say 40 mpg vs 20 mpg, then the fuel usage is 13,000,000 x 10,000 / 40 = about 3 billion gallons. 13 million cars would use about 6 billion gallons. So these bikes save 3 billion gallons at $2 each (I'm trying to keep the arithmetic simple) for a net annual gas saving of $6 billion.

No contest.

[Jarlaxle]

So...following that to its logical conclusion, motorcycles should be banned.

Not logical at all. Helmets have a negligible cost. 'No motorcycles' has a major cost.

There are 13 million MCs in the US. Let's assume that 80% of rider miles are helmeted. (Guess, but based on observation.) Assume that a helmet costs $100. (Amazon; you can pay a lot more if you want.) The industry recommends replacing a helmet every five years. So a helmet costs $20/year. So 2.6 million riders are each saving $20 or a total of $50 million per year. According to CDC numbers, helmet wearing would have saved 802 lives in one year. If you value a human life at more than about $60,000 then a helmet is a no brainer. I should probably rephrase that.

'No motorcycles' is not a zero, or negligible, cost item. In other words, society benefits from motorcycles. Low cost transport for many, and much lower carbon impact than cars. Just on gas alone, if those 13 million bikes do 10,000 miles per year and have double the mpg of the average car, say 40 mpg vs 20 mpg, then the fuel usage is 13,000,000 x 10,000 / 40 = about 3 billion gallons. 13 million cars would use about 6 billion gallons. So these bikes save 3 billion gallons at $2 each (I'm trying to keep the arithmetic simple) for a net annual gas saving of $6 billion.

No contest.

Most motorcycles are not commuters...they are ridden recreationally. (Offhand, I don't ride mine to work.) The majority save nothing, because they are not being ridden to replace a car, they are ridden IN ADDITION to a car.

They aren't nearly as economical as you might think (a big touring bike will rarely top 40MPG, a hybrid car will usually match or beat anything but a 250cc), either. My wife's PC gets about the same mileage as her father's Mirage, and less than his old Jetta.

[ex-khobar Andy]

From the Daily Mail:

Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is responsible for 260,000 new cases of coronavirus and the healthcare bill to treat the infections will be $12.2 BILLION, new study claims

I've skimmed the methodology section of the study. They used cell phone data to track attendees at the event and then compared COVID incidence at those counties which contributed lots of visitors compared to similar counties which supplied only a few visitors. Seems reasonable to me. It will be interesting to see if the study survives - it will surely be challenged by S Dakota and those folk who believe that masks and social distancing is only for softies.