[NomadTurk]

Hello friends;

As much as I am getting closer buying my first bike, everyone around me started discouraging me. Everyone is opposed to me getting a bike. Some says it is childish, some says I do not need it, some says I need a car first, and I get this the most "IT IS DANGEROUS".

I am very sad and discouraged, unconditionally, I am having second thoughts.

Was everyone around you like that too???? Or is it a sign from God that I have been trying to ignore????

I actually have one friend that is as excited as I am; and he is the one who is also tryin to get a bike....

Not even my girlfriend is supportive, she says she would never ride with me..

So please brothers and sisters out there, tell me what's up with this..

But it seems like no matter what, I will get a bike, because I think there is nothing more enjoyable then riding a bike other than sex and flying jets....

Waiting for your replies..

Peace....

 

[79GS550]

well hers a quick story
no one wanted me to get it except my girlfreind and her dad so now they look bad... but everyone was like DONT GET IT im sure you knwo the routine but i told them I will take the MSC and get my lic. that way that seems to make them releiaze your responsible and your taking this with full precautions... also when i brought my bike home I should them it let them sit on it and everything after awhile they lightened up Its get better
USUALLY
Good Luck
PS take the MSC its very helpful

 

[MR. Ice]

Yes, everyone except my wife. Basically you have to weigh out how badly you want it. Don't deprive yourself. Most people get over it. But say for instance if your wife or girlfriend won't get over it, and you plan on staying with them, it may be hell not worth bearing. Only you know how your significant other will handle it.

Mark

 

[Phease]

My life was a lot more simple than everyone else's apparently. My parents forced me to get a motorbike (by forced i mean they barely had to grip my arm let alone twist it) because after riding bikes themseleves they reckoned (rightly as well) that riding a motorbike enhances your awareness and gives you a better respect for the road and what other less competent road users are likely to do (a 6th sense develops after 2 months of riding, usually when that BMW drive by an exec comes in your sights).
Plus the women love bikes :twisted: Your girlfriend just doesn't realise that yet, and will have to compensate accordingly :wink:
So..................
Get a bike, do the courses and ride safely to prove them all wrong and have the time of your life while doing it,

Have fun,
Nige.

 

[neu_sp8str]

NomadTurk,

Don't let this people get you down it is a temporarely set back an soon will dissapate in the back of your mind.

You are about to embark on an adventure that only motorcyclists will know and enjoy riding that bike beside sex and flying jets. Go where you're heart tells you and get the bike, do what keeps you happy and not what everybody or everyone thinks about it. Despite it all get the bike make you happy and make believers of those who oppose of you not gettin the bike and show them who is boss of there life....

"The truth shall set you free"......

Ride Safe... have Fun... :wink:

Merc... 8)

 

[jabroni]

Turk, I've had the exact same thing as you. I'd say about 85% of my friends and family say i won't make it past week 1. No one thinks I will be able to control myself and keep the bike at safe speeds. I tried explaining to them that I'm not even going to try to buy a bike until after I've taken the MSF course, and I tell everyone that I've seen pictures, read stories, and understand that there is going to be a certain amount of risk on a bike, but they still tell me I'm going to end up in a body bag. I've even debated with people why i don't want to buy a GSX-R or CBR as a first bike, because i think its to much power for a newbie, still they just say i'm going to die. A few people think its a good idea, as long as I'm responsible. My uncle and dad have both riden, so they understand why I want one so bad. I think its just propaganda that people have seen against bikers that makes people oppose them so strongly. I think its either parents that were raised thinking that motorcycles are bad, and pass this onto their kids, or they've seen the stunt riders and think that everyone on bikes will act the same way. The only debate I can use is that I know people die on bikes, but people die in cars as well from being foolish. Sorry this is so long, but I didn't realise how many people get the "you're going to die" speech so I wanted to get it off my chest.

 

[pitbull76]

Well, I didn' t hear much "you're gonna die" crap when I got my first bike, because I knew damn well my parents didn't want me to get one, so I didn't tell them until a couple months later. Now, after I've been riding a few years and they knew I wear all of my gear, it's not a big deal. My (soon-to-be ex) wife hated bikes and was always worried, so I quit riding until our relationship went south. My riding or not riding had nothing to do with our breakup, but I don't think I'll quit for someone else again.

 

[Louis]

I basically got the same thing, even from my boss!!! I can only take that as a compliment

 

[ChibbMD]

Nomad -

I think a lot of us have been through exactly what you're describing. I'm an adult and I STILL got all the speeches. i.e. "I had a friend/a friend of a friend/a cousin's uncle's brother who darn near killed himself on a bike." What can you say? It's probably true. I got down about it too, but not for long. It was a little scary but I just had to trust my own reasonable thinking, my training, and my gut feelings.

I'm not sure how old you are Nomad. If you are so young that you haven't gotten behind the wheel of a car yet, I probably would agree with some of your friends & family that say you need a car first. I can't imagine getting into traffic on a bike without the skills and awareness I learned in a car. But that's just my opinion.

Ultimately, you'll have to make the decision about whether or not you're ready for a bike. Just keep an open mind and try to be objective about your skills/abilities and whether you are prepared to tackle the challenges of riding a motorcycle. If you really believe that you can approach riding in a smart and safe manner, I'd say you can start thinking seriously about getting into it. Good luck.

Adam C.

 

[stevie c]

Sod everyone else mate!

If everyone was into the same things the world would be a boring place.

If you saw a CD you liked in a music store would you not buy it because someone else didnt like the artist?Well being into bikes is just a bigger version of that.

I personally would give you a big wave if I saw you riding towards me!

Do what you want to do,
Stevie

 

[Knives]

My Dad used to ride a chopped Honda 450, so he's actually been encouraging me to get a bike and listening to what I have to say, I tell him stuff about newer bikes all the time that I read. He's amazed that the Hayabusa can go so God-damned fast.

As for my Mom, she used to ride dirtbikes and quads in her teens (I think). So she's fine with it. Hell, she even said that if I worked my ass off doing volunteer work in the summer, that she'd put some cash towards my first bike!

Friends don't really care. We'd all had plans to get out G (car) licenses at around the same time, but that fell through seeing as I've gotten my G1 (first-stage) and it's been six months and none of them have either. As for bikes, some think they're awesome but don't share the same enthusiasm as me for them. They do stare in awe when I explain things about modern bikes though. Others think I'm stupid, not because they're dangerous but apparently "motorcycles are 'gay'." First I've heard of this.

My Aunt though, works for a government agency that regulates insurance in Canada. Every time I bring up motorcycles with her, or even when she's driving me somewhere (in her dog-box tranny Corolla...) and we see a motorcyclist, she tells me "I really wish you'd consider. I've looked at statistics and been involved in cases of severe injury, blah blah blah..." Never really discouraged me that much.

I think the only thing that's going to stop more accidents from happening is rider and cager responsibility. Riders are often reckless since they can accelerate, turn and brake faster than most everyone on the road. And cagers never bother to educate themselves on just how different a motorcycle behaves on the road. If everyone actually bothered to change this, we'd have no problems IMO.

EDIT: Today, I got into another argument with a friend of mine who likes to be right all the time. I told him that my parents would be helping me pay for a vehicle if I worked my ass raw over the summer at a volunteer job. I told him I'd buy a bike with it. My reasoning:
- I like bikes more than cars and I want to continue that enthusiasm.
- Fueling up a bike tends to be cheaper than fueling up a car and the bike I'm looking at is fairly fuel-efficient.
- I've only got my G1 (getting M1 very soon). Even if I were to get a car, I wouldn't be able to drive it without a stuck-up parent in the passenger seat.
- There's no need for me to have my own car (or bike) right now - there's no school parking, my household already has a truck and a van that I could use to drive to 'paintball' games on weekends - either way this would be a mostly recreational purpose. And again, I'd prefer a bike for recreational/personal transport use anyway.
- Once again, I love bikes and I'm serious about owning one.
Despite all these points, he still tried to convince me to get a car instead. Probably because he'd get to drive it too, I assume he thinks. If he does indeed think that, he's sadly mistaken. I'm not letting him near any of my vehicles without proper licensing and demonstration that he's competent and responsible (which, sad to say since he's my best friend, I haven't seen with regards to vehicles).

 

[Mike Burnham]

Getting a bike or not,

My parents actualy bought me my first bike. I had some riding under my belt but they truely bought it only cause they did not want to buy a car and did not want me using their cars to go to collage. I have helped many feinds gain a bit of confidence to stand up and take the perverbial bull by the horns.
If motorcycles is part of your passion, then anyone standing in your way would only be placing their interests infrom of yours. Keep inmind they are trying to protect you from a preceived danger, and it is cool, but, they would be the same people who whould tell you not to become a fire fighter, and would hate it until the day you showed up to save their life or house. Some how when they stand to benefit from you choice then it is alright.
If you cave in and do what they want then you will always have a feeling of denied self interest that would remain in the back of your mind, and you have failed to stand up for what you want. Only you have the right to make your choices, and unless other thying to force their view on you are willing to let you make life decisions for them, I would take it as suggestions. If a woman would leave me because I chose to ride a bike, then I would know who comes first in her mind, and love is suppose to be about thinking of the other person. I don't believe you would ask her to give up one life long dream, and perhapse she should not ask you to do the same.
I have known many husbands and wives who would not cruse with their spouse, and that is acceptable, but they never stood by and placed their love as a loosable commoditiy in their dislike of riding. With 85,000 deaths on Americam highways every year, and most of them taking place in cars and trucks, I would concider the facts. Life is not a permanent thing, and if you are able to extract joy from one machine then why not seek your right to persuing happiness. Anyone who would leave you because you bought a motorcycle will some time down the road either leave you because you make your own decition, or control your life from here on out. Either way, you will loose your love or life.
I ride and have for a long time. I have many who tell me that I need to stop, but they are not me. Your respect for your love, might make you cautious on the road, or have you take safety courses. A rider and their spouce have to have an understanding. Most people I have ever met whom bought a bike against the wornings of family, freind, coworkers, spouses, inlaws and so on, have always had the piont come that the other parties accept their choice. They may never come to like it, but they will accept it. You also win more preverbial brownie pionts the first time you do a charity run to raise money for people in need. I won most of the people who argued against me riding when I started doing the March of Dimes runs. Suddenly a whole difrent view comes out when survival of kids is helps by you riding, and it gives you a large circle of people to ride with, gaining more safety in numbers.
Sorry this was so long, but you need to have the full scope, to make an esducated decision.

 

[rteichman]

I always wanted to ride, but kept allowing myself to be talked out of it by first my parents, then my friends and neighbors, and finally my wife. Last year while unemployed (after 20 years of never even thinking that I would not be able to find work) and looking for something to cheer myself up with I decided to say "$%*%^&*" them all and I took the MSF class to learn how to ride. To put it mildly, my wife was not happy and I told non of my friends, or family members. Last summer I took ever opportuinity I had to drive about 90 minutes each way to a place I could rent a bike and rode. My wife begrudgingly let me do it.

In the fall I got another job and when the weather started getting better I realized that with the job there would be no way I could go to that rental place. So I decided to buy a bike. My wife was furious, and we had a big "discussion" about it. The compromise is that it remains a secret from the rest of the family and that I must keep the bike at a friend's house. My kids must never know I ride (so they can't say "well daddy does"). Its not a great arrangement but hey, its better than nothing!

The kicker is this. Both my mother and wife are vehemently opposed to riding. Yet my mom recounted stories from he youth when she rode with boy friends and how much she enjoyed it! Then my wife tells a story of how, before she met me, she was on vacation, met a guy and rode around with him and how much fun it was!!!!!!!!!

I tried every angle to rationalize bike riding. However the fact is that no matter how you analyze the figures it is more dangerous than driving a car. At BEST you are 8 times more likely to have a have a serious accident on a bike (read fatal) than in a car. Even if you take the MSF, wear all the gear and all that. If you didn't take the MSF the odds are much much worse.

 

[TL chris]

My mom bought me my first dirtbike, which was easy to convince her to do. My stepdad used to race motocross in his younger days and he said he'd teach me to ride safely on dirt roads before going on trails. That got the bike virus in my blood. And as everyone knows, once you get bit by the motorcycle bug, it's with you forever. When I wanted to upgrade to a streetbike several years later, I got some resistance from the usual sources for a little while. But my experience in the dirt helped convince them that I knew what I was getting into. I got the bike, they got over it. I still haven't had any serious accidents(knock on wood). So get it and most likely all those concerned will accept it, but they will still worry about you.

 

[revolution600]

My life was a lot more simple than everyone else's apparently. My parents forced me to get a motorbike (by forced i mean they barely had to grip my arm let alone twist it) because after riding bikes themseleves they reckoned (rightly as well) that riding a motorbike enhances your awareness and gives you a better respect for the road and what other less competent road users are likely to do (a 6th sense develops after 2 months of riding, usually when that BMW drive by an exec comes in your sights).
Plus the women love bikes :twisted: Your girlfriend just doesn't realise that yet, and will have to compensate accordingly :wink:
So..................
Get a bike, do the courses and ride safely to prove them all wrong and have the time of your life while doing it,

Have fun,
Nige.

best reply ever

 

[red7eb]

Adding my 2 cents... :wink:

This from a woman's perspective... First, I have been into bikes for many years, but REALLY into them for the past 5 years. I go a little nuts every time a sportbike zooms by (although I appreciate ALL types) and I'm stuck in my "cage". Sometimes I even play "chase" and try to follow, or if they're behind me I start cutting traffic to open up paths for them, and then of course I give them a wave or "peace" sign when they go flying by - from my cage no less - LOL! Corny, I know But I can't help it, I am just LOCO over bikes! The novelty never wears off. Before that, I just used to admire them, and it just built, and built until it became an obsession . I have girlfriends that are the same way. I also have other girlfriends that are the exact opposite and want their husbands/significant others to get rid of theirs. It literally hurts my heart when I hear that some guy's girlfriend (even if she is my friend) is forcing him to get rid of their bike! :evil:

And too from a woman's perspective, at least THIS woman's... Bikes ARE a turn-on :wink: I don't care if I'm on the front or the back, as long as I'm in a BIKE I am on cloud 9! But it's still nice just to watch a man handle his machine, and look like they were born perched in that seat...

My son naturally gravitated towards dirt bikes, and I couldn't be a prouder mama! I am so happy that he will be one of the many that started riding bikes at a young age.

As for the warnings... yes, I got all that too. Why? Please tell me WHY when people find out that you like or ride bikes, they feel that they have to tell you every horror story/accident that they've ever heard throughout their ENTIRE lives about motorcycles???!! I mean, PU-LEASE!! Do bikers go around telling every person that's about to purchase a new car of all the DAILY accidents that occur involving automobiles?? I've been rear-ended in my car 3 TIMES in 6 MONTHS! I don't know of anyone (myself included) that's been in bike accident in the last 6 months. My father even told me he was getting his "black suit" ready, and told me to make sure I had a good life insurance policy!!! That's so mean!

Granted, when you wreck a bike, you get a lot more instant damage to self and vehicle than you do with a car, but the risk goes with the pleasure. All you can do is don't act like an idiot, be smart, leave room for a quick exit, and watch out for the cars. Aside from that, it's in God's hands just like everything else.

8)

 

[Marcos]

My dad is a personal injury attorney (retired now) and never explicitly forbade me from riding a motorcycle. Over the years I have heard many stories (and seen pictures) of crippling injuries and fatalities of which he had direct knowledge. Motorcycle accidents basically paid my way through college. For this reason I have not, until now at age 40, given in to my desire to get a bike.

What's funny is that I was sure he would try to disuade me or warn me off, but he hasn't. I wouldn't say he encouraged me, but by not discouraging me, I think of him being supportive. Actually, scratch that. He actually gave me a ride to the DMV when I got my learners' permit. That's encouragement!

It's funny how, even at the age of 40, there is a little residual need for parental approval. He'll always be my dad, I guess.

Anyway, some of the people discouraging you are doing it out of genuine concern. Your best bet here is that you educate them as best you can about what the risks really are, and what you are going to do to minimize those risks. Study the statistics, such as percentages of accidents with or without the MSF course, especially so you can talk to your aunt.

On the other hand, some are just busy-bodies and it's not worth it to waste your breath.

 

[Hoomgar]

Get your bike man. You have to value the feelings and advice of those who love you but you don't have to allow it to cramp your style man

No one wanted me to get one either and my dad flipped when I turned 16 and bought a new bike instead of a car. Looking back, I'd do it again. For sure!


There is no feeling of freedom like riding!

 

[wavespy]

In spite of my fondness for eastern philosophy, I still believe that you only get one go-round at this life so make the most of it. The folks upstairs won't hand you a free return pass because you didn't do all the things you wanted to the first time around. So, that being said...live your life for you first! Regret has a bitter taste like none other my friend.

Be safe, ride smart, and live life!

P.S. Your girlfriend will likely come around once she sees all the other girlies asking you for a ride...and trust me, THEY WILL!

 

[Marcos]

P.S. Your girlfriend will likely come around once she sees all the other girlies asking you for a ride...and trust me, THEY WILL!

That might actually be the real reason she is objecting! :?