Will I make it as a future motorcyclist?

[Naer]

I'm based in NYC. Only drove a car twice in my life in HS

Is it really as dangerous as they say?

 

[JulesMaximus]

I'm based in NYC. Only drove a car twice in my life in HS

Is it really as dangerous as they say?

Yes, it is. I work with a guy who is an excellent rider, very safe and some woman made a left turn into him on his way home about a year ago. Pinned his leg between the bike and her front bumper which broke it of course. He was out of work for a week, had surgery on the leg, screws and titanium rods and a cast. Took him about 8 weeks to recover but now he is fully healed and back on a new bike.

I consider him very very lucky.

It's not a matter of if you'll get hit by a car or go down, it's a matter of when.

That said, can you ride a bicycle? If yes and you still want to pursue this I would recommend you take the MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) rider course. They are offered usually at a local community college and the cost varies but it is usually around $250. Well worth the money though as you will get hands on riding experience and valuable training on the basics of motorcycle riding. Even if you already know how to ride a motorcycle I would recommend this course.

 

[Zivic]

two kinds of riders... those that have been in an accident, those that will ...

Personally riding a bike isn't worth the risk for me. you have to make the choice for yourself.

 

[tortoise]

Is it really as dangerous as they say?

Scooter crash reports.

 

[Greenman]

If you're stupid, it's often fatal. I see riders everyday that are working very hard at being dead, and I assume they will achieve their goal. I also see a lot that are working as hard to not be dead, they seem to enjoy near equal success.

 

[papadage]

A friend got hit by a person making a sudden K-Turn out of a parking space and fractured his hip. This was in Queens. Another took a turn too hot and wound up in a ditch. He did not ride much except in the city and was not used to banked interstate exits. Another, in Dallas, got hit by an SUV that ran a light and wound up in the hospital for a year and needed cranial surgery as well as 30 other surgical procedures. All of them were wearing full gear and survived.

I live in Jersey City, a very urban environment as well. I have been riding for four years. After my first year, I got hit by a car that crowded through my lane to make a light I was stopping for. His mirror took off my handlebar and I wound up hitting a speed limit sign and got flipped into the street.

But, I was wearing full gear, so even though the bike was totaled, I just had bruises. I was riding my new bike a couple of months later, and have done thousands of miles of touring.

All of us also started off on smaller bikes so we could learn to ride properly.

Yes, it is a risk, but to me, it's worth it. Wear full gear, take it slow, on a small bike at first. Ride in the very early morning to get used to riding before trying it in real traffic, and get out of town as often as you can to do real riding. City streets only teach you a few things.

 

[pauldun170]

I've been riding for 20 years.
I stopped riding during normal hours years ago. I ride between 4AM and 10AM on weekends and during the week I don't bother anymore. Sharing the road with cars sucks the joy out of riding. It is VERY dangerous in NYC for a rider.

That being said, I'd get a dual sport to ride in NYC. Roads suck. They are potfilled uneven crapola ridden vehicle destroyers. Get something that can absorb the beating. Get something that can take a tip over or a bump.

I much prefer traveling among the idiots by motorcycle than in a car. I get a claustrophobic feeling driving a cage in NYC or even the LIE. Between the immigrant drivers, entitlement driven snobs in lease mobiles wandering lane to lane while on the cell phone, "riding dirty" scumbags running lights and stop signs...contractor vans\pickups you have to constantly be on your toes. Forget about zoning out to music or talk radio. You have eyeball EVERY intersection, EVERY car close to you, EVERY pedestrian looking towards the street. Potholes, oil slicks, loose gravel, sirens etc etc etc.

Keep in mind that motorcycles are not appliances like cars are. It is not a turn the key and go affair. Motorcycle ownership involves a lot more in the maintenance and upkeep. You have to be involved. You need to wear appropriate gear. If its your only vehicle you have to be prepared for all conditions. Rain, snow, heavy winds, cold, heat, humidity.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Honestly, I have no idea why anyone living in NYC owns a vehicle of any kind.

 

[Greenman]

I'm based in NYC. Only drove a car twice in my life in HS

Is it really as dangerous as they say?

To directly answer your question: For you, it's every bit as dangerous as they say. No experience behind the wheel, no experience on a bike, huge city with horrible traffic, lousy streets, and rampant road rage.
You'd be as well off playing two bullet Russian Roulette.

 

[WoodButcher]

Honestly, I have no idea why anyone living in NYC owns a vehicle of any kind.

Funny, I don't normally agree with your opinions Jules but this was a question I asked myself on many times. My wife and I visit the city once or twice a year. I'll drive to the train and ride the train to Grand Central.
Every single time I'm in the city and see people racing like fools from light to light and paying exorbitant fees to park I have to ask why?
I believe if I lived in the city I might rent a garage out of town somewhere on the rail line but no way in hell would I drive in NYC.

 

[Carson Dyle]

NYC is quite possibly the last place in this country where I'd want to ride a motorcycle.

 

[Midwayman]

I wouldn't even consider it inside the city. Too much risk. The ride every day would be stress inducing. I rode in and out of Chicago for a commute for a little while and that was a little nerve wracking. And its a lot better than NYC.

 

[_Rick_]

Get an electric bicycle instead, and ride it, wearing full motorcycle gear, on the bike lane.

It's still dangerous, but a motorcycle in town is a death wish.

Or get a foldable bike, and combine it with a train commute. That's way more sane.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

I'm based in NYC. Only drove a car twice in my life in HS

Is it really as dangerous as they say?

Do you have a MC license? Have you taken the safety course?

 

[MiataNC]

You need to have solid defensive driving skills and a hyper tuned situational awareness, if you want to have a long career as a motorcyclist.

If you don't have years, and tens of thousands of miles, of safe driving under your belt in a cage (car), you have no business riding a bike/scooter.

 

[jagec]

Get an electric bicycle instead, and ride it, wearing full motorcycle gear, on the bike lane.

It's still dangerous, but a motorcycle in town is a death wish.

Or get a foldable bike, and combine it with a train commute. That's way more sane.

As dangerous as motorcycles are, bicycles in the city are even more so.

With a motorcycle, you can actually keep up with traffic, brake properly, be much more visible to cars, and wear proper safety gear without tiring yourself out or dying of sweat. Also, you can ride in the middle of the road, instead of being crammed between a row of parked cars full of oblivious people about to open their doors in your face, and a row of moving cars rocketing by at warp speed, pausing only to whip a right turn directly into your ankle.