how many have them? do your family and friends worry about you? ive been trying to get a bike for years. my brother has had his for about 2 years.(younger). a month ago he lost his cousin to a motorcycle accident and this past weekend lost his best friend on his own bike(he was riding my brothers bike) im finally to a point where i can buy one, and i plan on it. my brother is now begging me not to get one and my gf is scared im going to get hurt. does anyone else have this problem?

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have no worries.....President Obama swears "If you like your gun, you can keep it

Have been riding about 36 years now.

My (late) parents never liked 'em, but said it was my choice.

I came close to being killed 25 years ago, but (obviously) I wasn't.

I was also close to being killed in a car two years earlier, so I consider the score to be even.

My friends who didn't like them still don't.

I think it's fun to ride after all these years.

My choice, my ride.

Best of luck

P.S. I taught the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic Rider Course and its predecessors beginning in 1981 until 2002.

Go find a class and sign up.

It is the best way to learn.
Period.
End of discussion.

Have one, the Honda RC45, have been riding motorcycles since I was 13, have raced professionally as well, had few near fatal accidents but survived. Friends and family have given up worrying about me.

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99 Gurkha with OM616 IDI turbo

2015 Gurkha with OM616 DI turbo

2014 Rexton W with OM612 VGT

RC45 is a V-4, right?

Yep, its a V4, two of the cylinders under the seat do fry my testicles in summer stop and go.

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99 Gurkha with OM616 IDI turbo

2015 Gurkha with OM616 DI turbo

2014 Rexton W with OM612 VGT

if you want the safest bike on the planet,a bmw is the only way to go.they have had anti lock brakes for years and believe me they work,they didn't get the calif chp contract for nothing.

ABS and FI were on Honda Goldwing, one of the best touring bikes, BMW is not the only bike with ABS.

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99 Gurkha with OM616 IDI turbo

2015 Gurkha with OM616 DI turbo

2014 Rexton W with OM612 VGT

They are great fun in the right environment. Keep in mind almost everyone has some kind of spill that scares the crap out of them, and hopefully makes them more aware of their surroundings and what their machine is actually capable of.

Bikes and bikers have been getting bad press around here lately. "Bullet bikes" and "crotch rockets" have been blamed for some horrendous mishaps during recent weeks, including a guy who got completely cut in half when he hit a street sign at 100mph. As far as I'm concerned, they are all Darwin Award candidates.

I would not let my kid get a motorcycle living where we do. There are too many inattentive people in a hurry and they don't give riders the time of day.

But if traffic is not a problem, responsible motorcycling is one of the supreme joys of life. Ride defensively.

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1985 380SE Blue/Blue - 230,000 miles
2012 Subaru Forester 5-speed
2005 Toyota Sienna
2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible
1999 Toyota Tacoma

Kindly allow me to post this again- the statistics speak for themselves - riders who take the BRC are much less prone to getting in an accident than those who don't.

-John

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2009 Kia Sedona
2009 Honda Odyssey EX-L
12006 Jetta Pumpe Duse
(insert Mercedes here)

Husband, Father, sometimes friend =)

"Every man is a fool for 5 minutes a day. Wisdom consists of keeping the ratio down." If you do not consider yourself 100% switched on in the traffic, stick with the cage. Fear can keep you alive, but you can not slip up even once.
I have a suzuki bandit 1200. I hoon around like a maniac if I am in a screaming hurry. I am 42 and still have my legs etc. I love my bike, but I do not recommend it to anyone. That is a decision they should make on their own.

Like Jim H, I have been riding since the 70's. I echo his advice about signing up and taking a BRC. It will help you learn to ride, help you with getting your MC license/endoresement and may give you a break on insurance.
Since you are 19 yrs old, I assume your interest is in a crotch rocket. If you were my son, if I had a son, I'd advise you to get a used small to mid size v twin. A little more tame than a racer and a used bike will be cheaper.
Get something cheap to repair with adequate supply of replacement parts. Because drop it you willl. Be certain of that.
This link gives a whole lot of info on motorcycle fatalities. Sum it up: Alcohol and time of day play the biggest roles in MC fatalities. Don't even think of not wearing a helmet.

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/menuitem.d7975d55e8abbe089ca8e410dba046a0/

and this.
http://www.iihs.org/research/fatality_facts/motorcycles.html

This link will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about the physics of motorcycling. Read it often.

http://www.msgroup.org/TIPS.ASP

Good luck.

no, i do not like crotch rockets. im buyin an old bike from my friend. 83 honda nighthawk. i agree with you on the helmet. i wouldnt dream of riding on the roads without one

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have no worries.....President Obama swears "If you like your gun, you can keep it

Well, that Honda will keep you happy for a year or two. Then it'll be onward and upward.

Good luck, and remember:

"In the never ending struggle of the human body vs asphalt, asphalt has yet to lose."

Ride Safe.

I'm in kinda the same boat family- and friend-wise but I'm gradually wearing the wife down. I'd like to get an enduro for generally tooling around town, dirt road and ocassional medium trail riding. I've never been into crotch rockets but I could see getting a full-dress Road King in 5 or 6 years when the finances and time allow.

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

First bike was a "tuition payment" special...he needed $300.00 for tuition, I got a steal...1972 Honda 175XL - Re-geared it for highway commuting...got over 80mpg...also...

Got run off the road twice with it...both times, ended up upright, on the pegs, screaming inside my helmet so FR**KING LOUD, I couldn't hear myself think...The first F**k ended up with a "boot tattoo" on his driver's door of the Cadillac, the other F**k only has my death-wish following him to this day.

Dumped the bike once, in a trailer park, on a stone/asphalt street...meant to slow the bike down and the front tire "locked up" and slip out from under me...I was going about 5mph at the time and even though I didn't "go down" with the bike, I looked and felt pretty stupid holding my handle-bars down around my ankles...the positioning was all wrong...

I sold the bike in '83 after my FIAT "head-on" - I have a "rod" in my left femur that runs from the knee up to the hip. The doctor said, "If you ever bend that thing, we'll have to cut your leg in half to get it out..." That statement scared me "bikeless" for a few years...

Then, for my 39th B-day, the wifey gave me permission (You DON'T get a bike without consultation and permission!) to buy my present. The Yamaha 650...only one tip-over...otherwise, just idiot tailgaters that I "loogy" on when the opportunity is 100% in my favor for NO RETALIATION on their part...and I mean NO CHANCE THAT THEY'RE COMING BACK AFTER ME.

But, as has been pointed out here MANY TIMES, defensive driving and attitude is what will keep you alive and asphalt-free.

Know your road...
Know your bike...
Know your limits...
and...
Know your bike's limits...

Not knowing any of the above, or even thinking you know, will get you injured or killed.

Cars, trucks, trains and other bikes will always win...you end up the loser...all the way around.

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M. G. Burg
'10 - Dakota SXT - Daily Ride / ≈ 172.5K
.'76 - 450SLC - 107.024.12 / < .89.20 K
..'77 - 280E - 123.033.12 / > 128.20 K
...'67 - El Camino - 283ci / > 207.00 K
....'75 - Yamaha - 650XS / < 21.00 K
.....'87 - G20 Sportvan / > 206.00 K
......'85 - 4WINNS 160 I.O. / 140hp
.......'74 - Honda CT70 / Real 125
.
“I didn’t really say everything I said.”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ~ Yogi Berra ~