How much can you drink? | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

How much can you drink?

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Long ago, not too long after I started driving cars and riding motorcycles on Ontario's roads, I read a report of a provincial police study of 4,000 drivers stopped and questioned on a Friday evening as to whether they had been drinking before driving. Apparently 25% of the drivers had been drinking alcohol to some amount or other.
At that time there were only about 10,000 motorcycles licensed for the roads in Ontario. Now there about 230,000 motorcycles licensed. And probably 10 million -or more? - cars & trucks.
So I figure that, especially when riding on a motorcycle, at any time, there are a lot of car and truck drivers who are "loaded" maybe just enough to be a real hazard to me.
Lots of other reasons as well to "watch out for the other guy" as "smoking up", doing other things to addle their brains and making themselves a risk to others on the road. Or just gazing at their propped up cell phones - instead of the road.
AFJ
 
MacDoc said:
Was always a cheap drunk at the pub at uni - 2 beers and gone tho yeah riding eh :rolleyes: Only recall in uni riding mildly drunk down the QEW - bathing suit and sunglasses....completely legal at the time and the no shoes no shirt no service not invented yet....I don't recall wearing a helmet but apparently would have been needed mid 60s.

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In Ontario, mandatory motorcycle helmets special motorcycle class licences and other restrictions on motorcycles/motorcyclists came in force only in the late 1960's. I started riding/commuting in 1958 in Toronto. Gasoline was 9 cents a litre, basic M/C liability insurance was $32/year. Bought a 1 year old 200cc Ariel "Colt" for $325 - sold it a year later for $275. Bought a new IOM race-legal safety helmet for $23. The bike got better than 100 miles per gallon of gas. (35 km. per litre).

AFJ
 
When the kids were little there was no drinking or one of us drank and the other drove with0 drinks. If we go out for dinner now, we might split a beer, kids are grown, if we decide to drink too much, they can come get us :ROFLMAO: .
On the bike, never! I want to stay as sharp as possible. Even on a long trip by bike, when I stop for the night I am anxious if I have a beer with dinner in case I need to ride somewhere.
Tough question.

Edit:
Riding takes a lot of energy, both physical and mental. When you stop to eat, you might feel a bit sleepy, even at lunch, even more at dinner time and then riding in the dark. So you are tired and the even, ever so small drink, will push a bit more (it seems to be leveraged with fatigue now) towards "non-sharpness".
 
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In Ontario, mandatory motorcycle helmets special motorcycle class licences and other restrictions on motorcycles/motorcyclists came in force only in the late 1960's.
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Thanks so memory could have been correct riding just bathing suit and sunglasses on the QEW.

I also recall how annoyed I was when a fillup for a motorcycle cracked $5.
Worst was the ST1100 here in Aus when it $45 for a fill up...got me thinking ....that much for a afternoon jaunt. :eek:
CB300F gets me 350 km on 13l much more affordable on a pension.
 
Riding takes a lot of energy, both physical and mental
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Never could get partner to understand how tiring riding can be especially in the twists. 4-5 hours I'd come home knackered a sleep for a few hours. Seemed always a mystery to her.

Think I read somewhere that elite motocross riders are on a par with elite ski racers in energy and flexibility requirements but of course motocross races are longer.
 
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As others have said,
Why start now? If you have been able to get by this long without drinking then I wouldn't bother trying to start now. Even 1-2 beers.

For me, general rule is on a bike NONE. I don't even pretend to calculate the BAC.. I have been out once where I had a small beer at a pub while coming back from PA.

In a car, I try not to consume any if I am driving. At most, 1 or 2 over a long period of time.

I can't afford to loose my driving privilege's because I gave the officer a reason to second guess himself and slap me with a roadside test or worse.

BTW.
You are not loosing out on much by not drinking. I am not a heavy drinker at all. A few beers/drinks here and there. More of a social thing than a need. I hate getting more than tipsy or drunk as my nights are then spent driving the porcelain bus. It may happen 1-2 a year and that is too many.
 
bigpoppa said:
Your boy is not a drinker, never have been. So I have no baseline or idea how much alcohol is too much, or how it will affect me and my motor skills.

I’ve been in situations lately where people around me are drinking, and they look at me funny when I just have water.

Obviously you don’t want to be completely inebriated and riding/driving, but how much drinking is ok/normal?

How many drinks roughly gets you over the “legal limit”? (I’m 6’2 and weigh 200lbs)

Is it a terrible idea to have a drink or two and ride?

Mucha gracias
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Bad idea.

If you feel the next to explain your decision then just say; having a drink impairs everything i need to stay safe on 2 wheels.
 
Alcohol and drugs just don't mix with riding imo. You need all your focus, coordination and reflexes while on the bike and anything that dulls those is just asking for trouble.

As for cars, personally I won't even have one drink if I'm driving, I've seen what drunk drivers that belive they are sober can do, Uber and the missus are my go to when partaking in a few bevs
 
The old PSA guideline used to be 1 drink per hour. One drink being a bottle of beer (not a pint), small glass of wine or one ounce of booze. But that is pretty generic and there are many other factors involved, that can be well under or too much depending on the person.

Personally on the bike, I prefer zero. Driving the car I may have a single pint or a glass of wine but only with dinner.

Sitting at home or walking/taking the TTC to/from the bar I can easily put back two bottles of wine or 10++ pints.... Not necessary a good thing.
***
Edit, also keep in mind that 0.08 is the "criminal" legal limit but 0.05 gets a non-criminal suspension, AND 0.00 (zero) is the limit for beginner licenses (M1, M2, G1, G2) and below a certain age (below 21).
 
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You'll have to test things out yourself at home and start slowly to see the effect on you personally.

One of our go-to destinations is Creemore and a sample platter of their beers at the brewery there ... never felt anything at all from that personally. And if we're hungry instead, it'll be across the street at the pub, with a beer - again, no effect on me at all.

You may be missing out on something you'll enjoy so why not give it a try safely first.
 
LBV said:
You'll have to test things out yourself at home and start slowly to see the effect on you personally.

One of our go-to destinations is Creemore and a sample platter of their beers at the brewery there ... never felt anything at all from that personally. And if we're hungry instead, it'll be across the street at the pub, with a beer - again, no effect on me at all.

You may be missing out on something you'll enjoy so why not give it a try safely first.
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While I don't recommend or condone drinking and riding. Creemore is a great destination!
 
GreyGhost said:
If you want to take more years off your life than booze, try the croissant (or chocolate croissants) from YF Patisserie. Best I have found in Ontario. Expensive but oh so delicious.
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haha ....never popped into that place but will need to give it a try now ... (y)
 
What I CAN drink, and what I WILL drink are two very different things.

Motorcycle - zero alcohol simply due to the dangers involved and reaction times that are required at all times

Car - 1 beer. I don't drink as much anymore, and will not be jeopardizing my license, life, or those of others so I can get a buzz.

Plus with today's options, there are a LOT of good 0% beers available and it's the best option.
 
In flying the rule is eight hours bottle to throttle and zero BAC. Also M-1 and 2 need zero BAC. Not even a sip or .005% alcohol cooler. You lose your entire licence, not just the M part.

For me, on the bike, I'm bad enough sober so no poker runs. Soft drinks or better still, water.

Out for dinner one drink.

I've been tipsy once or twice in my life and I get silly. Some others get argumentative or want to fight anyone for any reason. Some do things that could get them in serious trouble legally. You may think she's cute but the feelings may not be reciprocal.

My wife gets tipsy on the first sip if she hasn't eaten. One amaretto sour is her limit.

An odd thing with wine: I've never bothered to become a sommelier so anything goes, preferrably a dry red Italian. I drink Niagara wines to the disgust of a Liberal civil servant friend. I'll have to ask her if, in keeping with ego boy's carbon concerns, she will eliminate imported wines to reduce the carbon footprint of the cross Atlantic shipping. Maybe I'll send her a couple of bags of Chateau Beamsville.

I've tried the WIne Kit home brews and they are good enough for me but don't keep well. I don't drink enough to keep them palatable. A batch gets you typically 30 1/2 bottles and since half bottles don't keep well I drink the half bottle soon after bottling. Literally aged in the trunk on the way home.

For some reason that half bottle is more potent. A glass from it gives me a buzz. I'm sure the aging process is to rid the brew of toxins.

Usually I never drink anything stonger than pop but pop drank just about anything.

One exception: I was riding through the Pennsylvania wilds and hadn't eaten anything but a biscuit for breakfast. It was mid aternoon. I was tired and hungry but every eatery looked sketchy so I opted for a few deep fried appetizers and a beer. I chose a place that I could see through the windows and figured the plates might be as clean. My logic was the appetizers would be sterilized by the frying and beer is 4-5% antiseptic.
 
MacDoc said:
Never could get partner to understand how tiring riding can be especially in the twists. 4-5 hours I'd come home knackered a sleep for a few hours. Seemed always a mystery to her.

Think I read somewhere that elite motocross riders are on a par with elite ski racers in energy and flexibility requirements but of course motocross races are longer.
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The brain uses a lot of energy. I once spent an hour with a psychiatrist as part of a job interview and at the end I felt like I had been at a gym for an hour minus the aching muscles.
 
MacDoc said:
Thanks so memory could have been correct riding just bathing suit and sunglasses on the QEW.

I also recall how annoyed I was when a fillup for a motorcycle cracked $5.
Worst was the ST1100 here in Aus when it $45 for a fill up...got me thinking ....that much for a afternoon jaunt. :eek:
CB300F gets me 350 km on 13l much more affordable on a pension.
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mimico_polak said:
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Plus with today's options, there are a LOT of good 0% beers available and it's the best option.
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Seriously? 2 years back my wife thought it would be good try zero beers. She bought an assortment, I now have a fridge full of Heineken, Becks, Corona, Coors, Grolsch, and a 6 pack of Guinness.

My beer fridge gets more traffic than the 400 on a long weekend, I think those zero beers will still be there when I die.

Outside of water, Isn't alcohol the only ingredient in beer?
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