I keep hearing from people that riding a motorcycle is way too dangourous

[Midwayman]

We had a guy give too much throttle when learning the walk with the bike motion when we took the class a year or so ago. I was slowly turning my bike around and practicing smooth clutch...I hear a vrooom and look to my left and the guy is on the ground with the bike next to him.

He was taken to the hospital and had a broken thumb, and I think twisted his arm too.

Did he go on to ride after that? I know in my class we had several girls who didn't show up the second day after how much trouble they had on the first day. I think some people go into the class not even knowing how to ride a bicycle.

 

[olds]

Well, think what you want but the fact remains that we really don't require any training at all in this country or even a valid motorcycle endorsement to buy even the fastest of motorcycles so the MSF is at least a good place to start and I highly recommend it for all riders starting out.

I had to get a class A license to drive a truck. I had to get a Haz Mat endorsement to haul Haz Mat.
We should have graduated motorcycle endorsements based on HP.

 

[sze5003]

Did he go on to ride after that? I know in my class we had several girls who didn't show up the second day after how much trouble they had on the first day. I think some people go into the class not even knowing how to ride a bicycle.

I didn't know him personally, started talking to him the first day outside since we were early for the class. I don't think he healed fast enough to take another class because they fill up quickly here since they are free.

I had not ridden a bicycle in a couple years but I was familiar with the bikes as soon as we began duck walking them around the lot. The biggest issue was the weight since I'm a skinny guy.

But after riding around on a ninja 250 for 1.5 years my SV is a lot heavier and I've gotten used to it with a full tank. Now when I feel it's really light I know I need gas because I only have a small light for fuel awareness.

 

[PricklyPete]

Life is about managing risks and the related opportunity cost (whether related to money, relationships, health, transportation, etc.). Auto accidents are one of the top death risks for adults. Driving a motorcycle is certainly less safe. I drive as little as possible as the "thrill" of driving does not offset the risk in my book. Of course I am a lunatic when it comes to mountain biking and snowboarding, so I wouldn't listen to me much.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

Of course I am a lunatic when it comes to mountain biking and snowboarding, so I wouldn't listen to me much.

Sucks when a big tree is too busy texting, jumps out, and splatters you across the hillside.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

I had to get a class A license to drive a truck. I had to get a Haz Mat endorsement to haul Haz Mat.
We should have graduated motorcycle endorsements based on HP.

Saving the stupid from themselves? Darwin FTW.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Maybe...but when's the last low speed accident you've seen that was the rider's fault?

Pretty much all of them, honestly.

In my experience over more than a decade and a half of riding, most low-speed incidents are single-vehicle crashes where the rider has the bike fall over because he lost his balance.

Maybe things are different in urban areas, but my experience has been that most low-speed (i.e. < 15 mph) incidents are caused by the rider with no outside interference.

ZV

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

I don't think it's dangerous. Definitely more dangerous than a car.

Take the msf and get your feet wet. All you really need for the class are boots. I think you can borrow everything else (helmet, gloves, eye protection, don't think jacket is required).

 

[Fenixgoon]

I had to get a class A license to drive a truck. I had to get a Haz Mat endorsement to haul Haz Mat.
We should have graduated motorcycle endorsements based on HP.

we don't have the same restriction for cars.

 

[JulesMaximus]

we don't have the same restriction for cars.

I'm not opposed to more training for motorcycle endorsement and/or a graduated licensing system in this country.

There is something wrong with a system where a 20 year old kid can go into a motorcycle dealership and ride off with a bike that is basically a race bike with turn signals and lights, capable of accelerating as fast a Formula 1 car and able to reach speeds of over 180mph with nothing more than $10k in cash.

I could literally take an MSF course and, with 2 days of training on little more than a moped, get my M endorsement and go buy a literbike with zero street riding experience in any state in this country and be perfectly legal. It's a joke... and when you factor in the number of riders in this country riding without a proper endorsement it gets even more ridiculous.

I could tell you how many riders have been killed this year in San Diego since Jan 1 but quite frankly I've lost count. Every couple days it seems there is another news story of a motorcyclist killed. Nearly all of them were under the age of 30 and nearly all of them were on sport bikes.

 

[Mai72]

Head on over to Live Leak. Type in Thailand and motorbike accidents.

You will see some gruesome sh*t.

 

[Fenixgoon]

I'm not opposed to more training for motorcycle endorsement and/or a graduated licensing system in this country.

There is something wrong with a system where a 20 year old kid can go into a motorcycle dealership and ride off with a bike that is basically a race bike with turn signals and lights, capable of accelerating as fast a Formula 1 car and able to reach speeds of over 180mph with nothing more than $10k in cash.

I could literally take an MSF course and, with 2 days of training on little more than a moped, get my M endorsement and go buy a literbike with zero street riding experience in any state in this country and be perfectly legal. It's a joke... and when you factor in the number of riders in this country riding without a proper endorsement it gets even more ridiculous.

I could tell you how many riders have been killed this year in San Diego since Jan 1 but quite frankly I've lost count. Every couple days it seems there is another news story of a motorcyclist killed. Nearly all of them were under the age of 30 and nearly all of them were on sport bikes.

at what point do you let people make their own decisions, though?

and what happens when mommy and daddy buy little suzy a 6000lb missile to keep her safe, and all she knows is "gas is go, brake is stop"?

i'm not saying buying a literbike after rolling out of MSF is smart, but at some point you have to let people make their own decisions, good or bad.

i don't have an issue with *useful* training. MSF and driver's ed for cars cover the very, very basics, without giving much insight into the whats, hows, and whys of operating a vehicle (bike or car).

i think more in-depth training for both cars and bikes would drastically reduce accidents and fatalities more than most technical innovations, but that is not liable to happen any time soon IMO, unfortunately.

 

[michal1980]

have we been trolled? has the op come back to comment?

 

[sze5003]

I think there should be more training and safety tests if you want a bigger bike. Sure you pass the msf and can get on and go up and down the street. They should have different endorsements for bigger bikes. Just like you can't drive a trailer with a class c license.

I remember when I was 16 and I had to keep a log book of hours I drove with someone or on my own. Bikes shouldn't be different.

I think the figure 8 part of the test is dumb. It would be harder to do with my SV than it was with the ninja 250. Besides I can't honestly say I've used it once. If I need to turn around on a small street it's usually secluded and I can waddle my bike around. Yea it looks dumb but who cares.

 

[Z15CAM]

This may be a Troll Thread but a Very Interesting one for a Motorcyclists.

I've been riding since I was 15 - That was 51 years ago. When I started there where no tests for motorcycles other then you said you wanted to ride a motorcycle and your drivers license was designated as a Class M. My 1st street bike was a 1965 BSA 650 Lightning. I use to have a Dump before getting on it and I still have one before getting on any motorcycle.

When I was 22, riding a Honda 550 4, a Belevader 440 hit me from behind while I was doing 50mph. He was doing 110. That was in April. Needless to say I was on crutches for the summer but was on ski's in November - Great to be young. I had to ditch several times over the years when motorists pulled out in front of me or acted like I didn't exist on the road. I paint my bikes Bright Red, use Big Head Lights and use Loud Horns as my false sense of security.

I owned and saddled many rides from RD 450's to Triumphs, Norton's and Suzuki Kantana's. The only bike I own and ride now is the 1st and only bike I bought New in 1971 and that is my 1971 Breganze Laverda 750SF.

She's a Sweet Heart and still no slouch on today's HWY's. Unlike today's Bikes, you can tare this one down and put her back together on the kitchen table.

I don't ride nearly 1/2 as hard as I did years ago and still have a Dump before getting on a motorcycle. There is nothing like the sensation of floating over the asphalt on 2 wheels.

I've lost 2 friends due to motorcycles Vs car accidents and know 3 or 4 more whom have permanent injuries either due to street or bush riding but I still ride.

Over the years, I've lost more friends and relatives due to Motor Vehicle Car related accidents.

No mechanic has ever touched my rides. I'm maybe Old School but I feel if you want to be a good motorcyclists with a will to survive you have to know your bike inside out.

 

[olds]

I am also all for making it much harder to get a license to drive a car.

 

[sze5003]

I am also all for making it much harder to get a license to drive a car.

We have a bunch of foreigners from Russia and Europe in my area. Look up on YouTube Russian dashcam compilation. They drive almost like that here minus the accidents every 15 seconds.

My 17 year old sister got her license this winter. It's only been a few months and she rear ended someone going to work. Since she lives with my mom who's going through divorce and doesn't have a lot of money she's going to hate not driving now because their insurance went up by a lot.

 

[z1ggy]

OP, F that MSF course stuff.. You seem like you'd be totally fine at riding a motorcycle. So, go down to your local dealer, pick up a brand new Hayabusa and let it rip. Just go to DMV first and get your permit, takes just a few minutes.



PS to anybody in this thread, OP is a known troll/nutjob... so.. Yeah..

 

[JulesMaximus]

at what point do you let people make their own decisions, though?

and what happens when mommy and daddy buy little suzy a 6000lb missile to keep her safe, and all she knows is "gas is go, brake is stop"?

i'm not saying buying a literbike after rolling out of MSF is smart, but at some point you have to let people make their own decisions, good or bad.

i don't have an issue with *useful* training. MSF and driver's ed for cars cover the very, very basics, without giving much insight into the whats, hows, and whys of operating a vehicle (bike or car).

i think more in-depth training for both cars and bikes would drastically reduce accidents and fatalities more than most technical innovations, but that is not liable to happen any time soon IMO, unfortunately.

They can make their own decisions. As soon as they put in the effort to learn how to ride a smaller bike and get proper training.

Would put a new Airforce recruit in the cockpit of an F/A-18 and catapult him off the deck of an aircraft carrier?

I am a member of the San Diego Sportbike Meetup group and there are a lot of military in that group. There are also a couple people who are contractors for the Navy and Marines who are paid full time to do nothing but train recruits on motorcycle safety which includes rider clinics. I know these people, they work hard and care about the people they are entrusted with. The military has a lot invested in this... why should civilians be any different?

BTW-That is your tax dollars at work. :sneaky:

The MSF provides you enough information to make good decisions, short of government sponsored rider training programs like the military uses, a graduated licensing system would go a long way toward making sure riders get at least some experience before they go out and buy a literbike.

 

[sze5003]

To actually have a bike on base you need to pass a harder training course. That makes sense, and if you get caught without a helmet outside, you get in big trouble. I have friends in the military who told me this, I don't see why the same rules don't apply to civilians either.

 

[pauldun170]

This may be a Troll Thread but a Very Interesting one for a Motorcyclists.

I've been riding since I was 15 - That was 51 years ago. When I started there where no tests for motorcycles other then you said you wanted to ride a motorcycle and your drivers license was designated as a Class M. My 1st street bike was a 1965 BSA 650 Lightning. I use to have a Dump before getting on it and I still have one before getting on any motorcycle.

When I was 22, riding a Honda 550 4, a Belevader 440 hit me from behind while I was doing 50mph. He was doing 110. That was in April. Needless to say I was on crutches for the summer but was on ski's in November - Great to be young. I had to ditch several times over the years when motorists pulled out in front of me or acted like I didn't exist on the road. I paint my bikes Bright Red, use Big Head Lights and use Loud Horns as my false sense of security.

I owned and saddled many rides from RD 450's to Triumphs, Norton's and Suzuki Kantana's. The only bike I own and ride now is the 1st and only bike I bought New in 1971 and that is my 1971 Breganze Laverda 750SF.

She's a Sweet Heart and still no slouch on today's HWY's. Unlike today's Bikes, you can tare this one down and put her back together on the kitchen table.

I don't ride nearly 1/2 as hard as I did years ago and still have a Dump before getting on a motorcycle. There is nothing like the sensation of floating over the asphalt on 2 wheels.

I've lost 2 friends due to motorcycles Vs car accidents and know 3 or 4 more whom have permanent injuries either due to street or bush riding but I still ride.

Over the years, I've lost more friends and relatives due to Motor Vehicle Car related accidents.

No mechanic has ever touched my rides. I'm maybe Old School but I feel if you want to be a good motorcyclists with a will to survive you have to know your bike inside out.

Beautiful bike.
How hard is it finding parts?

 

[tortoise]

let people make their own decisions, good or bad

Bad

 

[djnsmith7]

Here's what you do:

Take the MSF course
Buy a used Suzuki SV650 in great condition, low miles
Buy a cheap set of fairings on Ebay
Go to your local race track & do a track day with some friends
Start out in the C group & work your way up
Have more fun than you'll EVER have on the street
Meet a ton of experienced riders that will show you the ropes & help you become faster than you'd ever be on the street
After 2 years of track days, fly past the R1's, Gixxer 1k's, etc. on your tracked out SV650 & leave them scratching their heads
Repeat

You'll thank me later

You'll have more fun at the track
It's a controlled environment
No cars to pull out in front of you
No reason to lane split

We had 3 major motorcycle accidents this past weekend alone in my area
Just one of the many reasons I retired from the street

 

[Z15CAM]

Beautiful bike.
How hard is it finding parts?

I changed out all the Gaskets and Seals in her about 4 years ago. Replaced the STD Bore Pistons & Rings after a careful honing, tunched up the seats and valves replaced and replaced Valve springs for about $500.

Canada has about the Best Laverda Supplier in the World with Wolfgang Hearter located in B.C.

Other then that I've never had to replace Wheel, Frame, Carb or or Engine Parts. parts. She's build to last a lot longer then me ;o)

 

[sze5003]

I would not reccomend a sv650 for a first bike. It's a bit torquey for a first bike but I suppose if you have nice throttle control from the start it should not be an issue.