Help me convince my parents to let me get a motorcycle.

Don't get a motorcycle until you are 30.

 

Don't forget that insurance for a teenager on a motorcycle is generally prohibitively expensive. Even on a little bike, if it has full bodywork expect to pay the price of the bike in insurance within 2-3 years. That $100+/month in extra insurance costs pretty much eats up your gas mileage savings argument.

A friend's kid (responsible Marine, 19 years old, rode bikes his whole life), bought a GSXR1000 for the street a couple of years ago. His uncle is an agent, he had a clean record but his insurance was still $200+/month. I live in the same town, but 35 with a clean record and I didn't have the heart to tell him full coverage with far higher limits on my 999 was only $31/month.

To what other posters have said, after having fast street bikes since '93, I can tell you modern sportbikes seem to be a paradox. When you are young they are expensive relative to most of our incomes, and you generally lack the skills to use all their performance anyway. When you are older you realize the danger and end up putt-putting around the street on them, watching your mirrors for every moron digging in their floorboard for the last McNugget.

There are old riders, and there are bold riders, but there are few old bold riders. Natural selection at work.

I really don't have any desire to do track days and wad up one of my bikes, so anymore I just putt around on weekend afternoons. Having a few close calls and realizing how a split second either way could have meant serious injury due to no fault of my own takes some fun out of them. Having a family and realizing that your kids might not have a dad (or worse, a vegetable) takes a lot of the fun out of it too.

For the past few years each winter I make plans to sell the bikes in the spring, but then get the itch and ride them all summer. This year is different (no real desire for the first time) and 2008 might actually be the first year I don't own a motorcycle since I was 13.

 

The 2 closest people i have known who were killed on bikes were commuting, i love them but i do a lot of driving and simply dont trust the other drivers enough to allow them to kill me so easily if they wish. A week ago a young lad (not that i am old) nearly smashed into the side of my car and would probably have seriously hurt himself, i was indicating but he decided to overtake me as i was turning right. Luckily he stopped and i spotted him and did too, i dont think he will do it again and it was a very lucky lesson for him not to even come off the bike.

I also have other friends who have had 'minor' accidents and have trashed knees for life, bad backs etc.

I have always wanted a bike badly, but will wait until i have the time and money to buy myself one to use on the track only.

 

Craigy knows what he's talking about.

I wouldn't want a bike when i was 17 since what do you do on dates?
So i suggest a large sedan with appropriate room in the back and non velour fabric.

 

have a bike license and the knowledge to ride a bike for back up purposes only. it's not safe at all. stick with a car

 

I have 22+ years racing motocross (most as an expert) and probably 10 years on the street. Now as I grow older and wiser I realize how insanely dangerous it is on a street bike. The paranoia has set in also, and I look in every direction to see where the threat is coming from: the old lady who turns in front of you? The teen driver on her cell phone (or even texting!!!) with her friends in the car? The man late for something who doesn't see me? The lack of anyone ever using a turn signal??? Sand in the road?
It's a jungle out there. I used to get on my RC51 knowing I may not come home, but now I don't like that deal. I feel very safe in my Porsche, no paranoia and no stress.
Your first bike should not be a street bike... and not when you are a new driver.

 

WOW!!! That makes you think! Great letter!!

 

I would say ONLY get a bike when you have a lot of driving experience. It helps you with situational awareness, knowing how bad situations develop. Do NOT learn to "drive" with the bike. You WILL do retarded things on a bike... however you won't have the experience to overcome them.

 

Let me say that as the owner of a few funeral homes I HIGHLY encourage all 17 year olds to buy motorcycles. I was a full decade older that you when I bought my first bike and was probably still too young to be riding it. Listen to the advice of those that have been there. You WILL do stupid things with it, and it WILL get you into trouble...whether it is trouble with the law or trouble with you health is basically a coin flip.

 

Tyler, Mark is exactly right. If you have not been riding dirt bikes for YEARS then you really have no business getting on a street bike. There are probably other here who will disagree, but the best place to learn to ride is on the dirt. You will fall and when it happens it probably won't kill you and certainly you won't get run over by a car! You will learn to control a bike that is sliding its front tire as well as its rear tire! It will make a HUGE difference.

I rode for 19 years before I had a serious injury. Unfortunately for me it was a Spinal Cord Injury, but it was on a Moto-X bike when I was doing some practice riding for an upcoming race series. I never got hurt on my Hurricane 600 street bike, but it was second nature to ride that bike for me and so I was able to concentrate on EVERYTHING around me rather than worry about how to ride the bike.

Get a dirt bike and ride the crap out of it for a few YEARS and then if you still want a street bike knock yourself out.

Good luck!
James
Austin, TX

 

So why do you want a bike? What are you looking for, the speed, the adrenaline, looking cool? You need to respond this question before anything.

All (and I say ALL, not 99%) of the people I know who have owned street bikes have had eventually some form of a serious acccident. From broken bones, to surgery, to a couple of them killed. Many of them are extremely talented riders.

The two guys I know who are the most serious about bikes do not ride on the streets, they race motocross and enduro. If you like the thrill of riding bikes, as others have suggested get your self an enduro motorycycle, get proper training, make some rider friends and go out there. You'll get into a great sport, endulge you adrenaline urges and learn to ride with out the hazards of the road.

 

The statement above and the fact you sound like you are looking at a beginner's bike (new ninja 250 perhaps?) make me think you are a good candidate. I have a few bikes, non larger than 400cc, plenty of fun and not too much bike to handle. Don't let people talk you out of it, just be smart about it and take the steps, MSF class, good helmet, and proper gear (motorcycle jacket, gloves and boots...jeans at a minimum too) at all times and you'll be just fine.

 

Gliding contusions, despite (or in part because of depending on how you look at it) a helmet.

 

I was in your shoes a few years ago too. But the difference is I had been riding my friends bikes for a few years (yes w/o a licence....the stupid way) and I had more then enough money saved up (that I worked for).

After years of wanting one and telling my parents that I was going to get one. All I ever heard was you can do whatever you want when you are old enough. Well I turned 18 my senior year and found a great price on a bike 200 miles away. So I cut school and drove to the dealer and got it. But had to have them ship it to my house since I wasnt about to drive on the highway with no licence. The rest is history.

My parents could have paid for my bike and I could have talked until I was blue about how much I wanted it and how "safe" it was. They never would have done it. In the end my parents think my bike is cool but they are scared cause they know the true danger. ****I lost a friend almost two weeks ago from an accident***** yes he was being stupid and he died because of it but that doesnt mean that other people dont get killed even while riding safely. Last summer I passed by one of my friends in my town. Well little did I know that 2min later he would get hit by a car that pulled out of a side street. Yes he still rides but even he wont ride without full gear now and he rides everyday.

My advice dont try and sell yourself and/or your parents on it being safe. If you really want to ride you will do it on your own 2cents, cause if something ever happens to you they will blame themselves. Im sure that if you wanted to you could find a way to make that money on your own. And btw I'm 21 and ride a cruiser cause I agree that bikes arent the place to be adventerous. So if you looking at a smaller and more relaxed type of bike you are on the right track.

 

I'd never want my kid to get a bike - no way. But I am a total hypocrite because I got a bike when I was 17 too, so who am I to judge?

The biggest fear your parents will have is that something will happen to you. So in addition to printing out the stats, you should also tell them you intend and desire to take some race-track classes. They will make you a better rider, give you experience on riding at the limits of your bike, and will seriously drain your desire to ride like a nut on the streets.

You should also tell your parents you want to take the MSF (motorcycle safety foundation) class - both beginner and advanced.

And you should pre-emptively tell them that you agree to let your ownership be conditional based on a few things, such as completing the MSF classes, keeping your grades up, not getting any tickets, and doing a few track days.

Having said all of that, you should still be prepared for a "NO" answer. If that happens, don't get angry. Your parents just love you and don't want anything to happen to you. It's got nothign to do with spite, just protecting the love of their life Just tell them you understand and thank them for caring about you so much - DON'T try to guilt them.

 

I agree about everything you said just not the part where they pay for it. If something happens they will blame themselves no matter what if they got you it. If you do it yourself and get hurt then your foolish not them. I would never want to know that I'm riding on something that my parents supported and might hurt the thing they care about most. If something happend to you and they paid for what did it I dont think they would take that too lightly!

 

Well, if your parents are against it, then there is nothing you could do to sway their decision. Most parents view bikes as death traps.
You'll have to buy it yourself.
Just because the bike can only do 90 mph, does not mean that it's safe. 38hp is not enough. A lot of people think those vespa scooters are safe, while in fact they're deathtraps. The little tires can't handle any road imperfections, and they don't have enough power to get out of a mountain bikes way.
When it come time to get a motorcycle, make sure you can get something that has enough power, has good braking, and handling. Personally I like sport bikes, as they're great in the real world. One the scariest things to be on is a road bike when you're entering a grated road. All of a sudden, you can't steer. Not fun.
17 is not too young. I started riding at 18. Just keep in mind, that most 98% of accidents on motorcycles are from the rider being stupid. You're more likely to kill yourself than anything. Make sure you take the MSF course.
My sister's first bike was a Harley Davidson Dyna Low Rider 1340 cc. She's had no problems.

 

I also raced M/X professionally. I was in the hospital several times from crashes during races. I understood the danger I was placing myself in. When I stopped racing and turned in all my race bikes, truck and equipment and Kawasaki gave me 3 cylinder street bike in appreciation I began to see the difference there was in street riding.. Within three months I had had to lay the bike down twice to avoid accidents, once riding out a laydown under the tank of a gasoline tank truck that had pulled out in front of me and then stopped. You may think you are a good rider, as I thought I was, but I could not predict what other drivers were going to do, road conditions and weather. I could handle that M/X bike and was fortunate that I knew enough how to ride out a laydown to help prevent life threatening injuries. But, for the unititiated rider the danger multiplies exponentially.

My son is 18 and has mentioned that he might like to ride a motorcycle. I told him my experiences and he gets to see the idiots on their "crotch rockets" daily riding their wheelies on the freeway at 80mph and cutting between cars and trucks with only inches between the handlebars and the sides of the vehicles on either side of them. One passed us on the right side of us yesterday at what had to be in excess of 100 mph when we were in the right lane. He was riding on the shoulder of the road and the traffic was bumper to bumper moving about 50 mph. My son now says that if he got a bike it would be to ride off-road.

If you must have a bike, I encourage taking all the classes you can in advance and perhaps begin by trail riding (which can be loads of fun) and enduro riding. Stay off the road as long a possible. Off road riding is a ball and even though you can get hurt there, it is usually not because someone driving a 2 ton vehicle cuts you off or pulls out in front of you.

These photos show some of the forms of off-road riding that can be fun and also shows that even this can be dangerous.

1. Enduro riding
2. International Six Days Trials riding
3. The bike I laid down twice in the first 90 days after I withdrew from racing professionally. This was before it was laid down.
4. My KX250 motocross bike
5. Me passing Tony Distefano at the Lake Whitney 250 Nationals in 1973
6. Me taking the Carlsbad downhill in 1972
7. Dirt riding crash.......ouch.......but the rider is still alive..........
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We have a similar history. I raced motocross on a Suzuki TM250 back in the early 70s. I also had a TS185 that I used for trail riding. I later got a Kawasaki 750 H2 wheelie monster and a 900 Z1 for the street. In college I had a Suzuki GS 750 and GS1100 before getting a Harley Fatboy and then American Ironhorse LSC chopper after law school. I now have a Suzuki Hayabusa which I ride every weekend. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND than any new rider take several riding courses first and start out with a dirt bike of some type at least a year before riding on the street. Honda has a good rider education program ... http://powersports.honda.com/the_ride/rider_education/ ... Even then, I would start with a dual purpose street bike rather than a high powered sports bike. Todays heavier traffic volume makes learning on the street much more dangerous than it was when I was a teen 38 years ago.

 

I know you hear a lot of horror stories but I really don't have any.
I've been riding since I was 18, and I have never had to lay my bike down becuase of someone. I've had close calls, but I always plan for an out when I'm riding. I've riden across the country twice, and I have had no problems.

Jim

 

You wont speed ?

LOL


I still say that to myself...and im 29 .

 

Id never let my kid get a bike. I lost one of my best friend because of a scooter accident. He was merely bumped into by a drunk driver and died on the spot, he was 19 yo.

 

A friend of a friend just died from an acccident on a bike last week. Wasn't doing anything stupid.

I am with your parents on this one. Don't get a bike. I know I \never want to see anyone I know on one.

 

I NEVER said that! Every time I got on my Hurricane 600 I found some place to hit 100+! Of course on that bike it took less than 1/4th of a mile and about 12 seconds! Another 2.5 seconds and you could be at a complete STOP! Simply AWESOME!!! That was back in '88 too, they are WAY FASTER NOW!

James
Austin, TX