[michaelt]

Actually I've got 8 years of riding experience.

Let's be honest, nobody really believes doing wheelies, lane-splitting or being able to go at 130mph actually make us safer. That's just what we tell our moms when they're worried about us, and we know they won't be reassured by the truth - which is that we know what we're doing is dangerous but we're going to keep doing it anyway because it's fun.

[geddy]

There's also a huge difference between recklessly doing all of these things, and responsibly doing these things. Not necessarily 130mph wheelies, but lane-splitting is perfectly safe as well as practical, when done at a normal speed and practicing good distancing. It's far more dangerous to be sandwiched between two idiots staring at their phones in traffic.

Most if not all of the inherent danger of motorcycles is due to the existence of cars, driven by distracted people. You can mitigate just about all risk of riding a motorcycle. When I want to be an idiot on two wheels, I'll go mountain biking, or downhilling, or ride my dirt bike. On the street I keep my ass as safe as possible.