Thinking of buying a motorcycle. Anyone here have one? - General Discussion Discussion

[–] MonStar (13560) 4 years ago

Almost everyone I knew who rode them was seriously injured, including two cousins. They are easily lost in the blind spots of cars, and many motorcyclists speed and drive recklessly.

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[–] Eric56 (4580) 4 years ago

I'm not looking to be Evel Knievel or Steve McQueen. Just simple driving. Those motorcyclists were probably careless.

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[–] Quasimodo (16388) 4 years ago

" It'll never happen to me ! " - Famous last words.

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[–] mikethemartian (7005) 4 years ago

I’ve had a car back up into me while I was stopped in traffic in at shopping center and had their rear bumper roll up on my front wheel and tear up my front fender. Once I was at a stop sign and felt my bike being pushed to the ground because a car was literally driving in to me. Once when I was 15 I was making a left turn while riding a scooter and an ambulance (that was not running in an emergency) passed me on the left and came inches of running me over.

I don’t say these things to discourage you from getting a motorcycle. Riding a motorcycle is really enjoyable but even when you yourself ride carefully you cannot trust the cars around you.

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[–] Otter (24464) 4 years ago

When I was young, I was poor and liked speed, and I realized I could get a motorcycle for a lot less than a car. So I started talking about it with friends and co-workers...

And every single one of them had a horror story about an experience they'd had with a motorcycle! Some horror stories about injuries they'd heard about, like the guy who had his whole face scraped off on the highway, and their own stories about being on motorcycles and being in accidents, or being in cars where minor accidents involving motorcycles resulted in major injuries to the person on the cycle and a little dent in the car. And then, there was the guy who went motorcycling along the freeway with his shirt off and he rear-ended a bee at 70 MPH, which drove the stinger into his arm with such force that his whole bicep swelled up. Etc.

Don't do it, if you like your life and health.

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[–] Eric56 (4580) 4 years ago

Maybe I should take up skydiving again. Did it once before. That was alot of fun. If you think about it, skydiving does seem a hell a lot more safer than motorcycling.

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[–] Otter (24464) 4 years ago

You know what I want to take up? I think it's called a "powered parachute", where you sit in a chairlike thing dangling from a parachute, and behind your chair is a fan that blows you along and allows you to change direction. You just float along, tootling along in mid-air, and when you land, you land on the chair's wheels and not your ankles!

https://www.trikebuggy.com/images/markayers.jpg

Because I just broke an ankle two weeks ago, so skydiving and falling 20,000 feet and landing on my ankles doesn't appeal at all.

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[–] Eric56 (4580) 4 years ago

Ohhh. That looks like fun. Almost like paragliding.

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[–] Otter (24464) 4 years ago

A couple of years ago, I was riding my bike along a country road, no cars in sight for miles. Just a "powered parachute" buzzing along overhead, the guy was like 50-100 feet up in the air, and he buzzed around me in lazy circles for a while, as we were the only two moving things we could see. Or that I could see.

Honestly flying while sitting in a comfy chair? Beats the hell out of the more X-treme sports!

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[–] wrlord (1228) 4 years ago

Jesus. What a bunch of candy asses around here. Yes, bikes are fun. No, riding a bike WELL is not easy. You can learn to ride in a day; learning to ride WELL takes a couple of years.
And yes, you will have an accident.

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[–] McQualude (4231) 4 years ago

When I first started riding I met this grizzled old biker at a gas station in the middle of nowhere Washington state, and he told me that if I keep riding I will have an accident some day. It stuck with me and every time I swing a leg over the saddle, I thought 'today might be the day.' I've had some close calls: a dog ran out in front of me when I was doing 120mph, a pedestrian stepped off the curb in front of me when I was showing off and riding way too fast in town, a car that randomly made a left turn from the right lane of a 3 lane hwy and I slid sideways with my daughter on the back but didn't go down, a US Mail truck cut me off and I did go down but no injuries.

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[–] wrlord (1228) 4 years ago

I don't know how long you've been riding but you're on borrowed time.

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[–] McQualude (4231) 4 years ago

That conversation at the gas station was in 92 and I've been riding since I was a teen.

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[–] wrlord (1228) 4 years ago

Well you're the luckiest S.O.B. I've ever heard of.

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[–] chilone (18338) 4 years ago

I'd rather be a live candy ass than a maimed or dead tough guy. I used to ride. I got hit more than once and had more close calls than I could count. NONE of them my fault. Give me 4 wheels or give me death.

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[–] AndyKing1967 (39875) 4 years ago

The problem with motorbikes is the fact that there are so many poor motorists out there, meaning it doesn’t matter how good you are, some idiot is going to get you. In that situation, the biker always comes off worst.

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[–] rcrxjlb (130) 4 years ago

It takes a few hours to get used to using the throttle, clutch lever and brakes. You should practice in an empty parking lot before riding on the road. Wear a helmet, jeans and a leather jacket. Watch out for cars, don't assume they can always see you, and you'll be fine...

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[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

i would never get on one.

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[–] ShogunofYonkers (78628) 4 years ago

Agreed, I like 4 wheels and a seatbelt for travel

Motorbikes are super cool and badass but you are way more likely to survive a car wreck, walk it off and call your insurance agent after a car wreck

Cycles are cool but I knew a decent dude who is dead and an OG
that was nearly crippled in a hit...screw that

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[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

i would never get on a horse either.

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[–] ShogunofYonkers (78628) 4 years ago

I tried riding a horse a couple of times when I was a kid...I will never be a cowboy, horses are scary!

On a good trot you feel like you're going to fly off the damn thing

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[–] McQualude (4231) 4 years ago

Motorcycles feel like freedom, it's a wonderful experience. You do have to be careful, you are nearly invisible to traffic. If you've never ridden, take the safety course, your insurance might even require it.

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[–] Keelai (36182) 4 years ago

A jetski is as thrilling and safer than a motorcycle as long as you ride it responsibly.

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