Motorcycles are awesome, I'm looking into buying one. Except my dad won't buy it for me. Hah.

Anyone know any forums where I can learn more about them and hang with them?

SuperSportBike.com

a small community primarily of sportbike riders, but very friendly and full of levelheaded riders (no squids). has an excellent newbie forum, i'm there under the same name.

i wish i could get one, but my parents wont let me even if i pay for it.

i figure that listening to them is the least i can do after all the cars i've been given

i plan on buying an R1 or a GSX750 one day.
once again.
parents wont even let me ride one.

My parents don't want me to either, I was all set to get a used R6 from my dealer, but I decided it wasn't worth the little time I'd use it with the f'in insurance. So I'll stick to ridin in the dirt.

You know why all your parents don't want you to have motorcycles? Because the odds of getting killed or seriously injured on one is extremely high!

I stay away from motorcycles; they're death on two wheels. I've known a few people who were either killed or seriously injured in motorcycle accidents...but they would've been fine had they been in a car.

Plus, motorcycles has the wrong stimuli for me. Sitting down and goosing the throttle...dipping the clutch...spinning the steering wheel, stirring the shifter. Bikes just don't have that.

none for me thanks.

i learnt to ride motorcycles when i was in 7th grade .. but after slipping on loose gravel and nearly missing bashing my head on the road median i have learnt they are not my toy of choice.

Don't let the naysayers keep you away, anything worth doing involves risk. And like everything else, there are ways to reduce and manage that risk.

1. Take an MSF course. Seriously. It might sound like its a useless driver's ed type program, but the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's Basic Rider course WILL save your life. Learning the proper way of riding a motorcycle from experienced instructors is the only way to go, they can spot bad habits and correct them from the beginning for you, rather than you being on your own to figure out what went wrong after you wreck (which you will, eventually).

2. Start small. Don't let your ego or your friends talk you into starting on the latest and greatest 600 supersport (an R6, or a GSXR600, or a CBR600RR, etc). Any vehicle that boasts performance numbers similar to $100,000+ supercars is NOT meant for beginners. Stow the ego and get something smaller and saner. I ride a 250cc Kawasaki Ninja, something most sportbike riders will scoff at, but I have no problems keeping up with bigger bikes in the mountains and it still gets me to illegal speeds faster than most of the cars on the roads. You don't need 100hp to scare yourself shitless on a motorcycle. 25hp has been enough for me.

3. Wear gear. A TON of injuries can be prevented by wearing the proper safety equipment. A good helmet, leather/ballistic nylon jacket and pants, good gloves and good boots can save you a load of hurt. I've wrecked twice on my bike, and thanks to my gear I walked away with little more than a bruised ego. Even if people do call you a powerranger, isn't it better than having a skin graft?

There are a ton more ways to be safe and enjoy yourself on a motorcycle, but these are just the basics. Be smart, keep the rubber side down, and good luck!

^Agreed. But what if YOU get hit and it's entirely that other persons fault and you end up dead or paralyzed and would have been perfectly fine if you were in a car.

But then again like you said everything his risks.

Good advise milkmandan.

I got a GSX-R750 two years ago when I was 17 (and promptly crashed it a month later). I'd agree to get something 500cc or smaller for your first bike. It's still going to accelerate faster than Lambo.

I've tried driving a car and I was so bored that I just went back to the bike.

Just be careful

the actual odds of a motorcycle rider dying are 1 in 5....and yeah....i'm not a big fan of upping my chances of dying


just think if you smoke and ride bikes.......

That's a big thing that made me change my mind too. The reason I wouldnt ride much is because of people who drive cars.

My dad is reluctant to get me a bike.

I think I can get one by the time I turn 16.

misinformation like that is the cause of much of the negative reaction people have to motorcycles. while they are more dangerous than cars, they are nowhere near as dangerous as that 1 in 5 figure indicates. 3,600 riders died in 2003 (according to the NHTSA, but given the number of motorcycles registered in the USA (somewhere north of 5 million, according to this slightly out of date information HERE), that figure is nowhere near 1 in 5.

along with that, you have to look into the factors of these accidents. According to the Hurt Report (the single most comprehensive study of motorcycle accidents and fatalities conducted, unfortunately 20 years old but the findings are still valid. a summary of the findings can be found HERE), almost 92% of riders involved in accidents of any kind had no formal training whatsoever. even scarier is that nearly 50% of accidents involve illegal amounts of alcohol in the rider's body. by being a safe, responsible rider the risks from riding a motorcycling are FAR less than what most people would leave you to believe.

whew, can you tell i care?

I was thinking about getting like a ninja 250R or something small like that for when im in college. But that would be about all

My dad has mentioned it from time to time, I think I might like one for puttering around town with, nothing for highway driving or anything

Motorcycle certification is good to have, police officers like that.


<~~~ Never been pulled over.

As long as the majority of transportation are cars and trucks etc. etc. I'll be scared to ride a bike in a populated area. Now Vietnam where a car is a rare site and the main cities are all scooters, motorcycles, and bikes... that's a nice place to ride.

Here's my take.
Whether u drive a car or a bike, yes, there are some precautions u can take.
However, there's one thing.
There are stupid drivers everywhere!!
So by driving a car, u're not protecting urself from crashing into the road.
You're protecting yourself from those stupid drivers.

Like just a week ago, as I was exiting the highway, the car right to my left tried cutting into my lane, even tho mr car was RIGHT beside it.
Somehow, I managed to honk and swirve to the right.
Stupid lady talking on her cell phone. Almost crashed into me.
I stalked her car for a few minutes afterwards to give her a scare.

Are you implying you've done things but luckily haven't been pulled over?