Possible new rider with some questions/thoughts

[SiG239]

Hello all,

I've been contemplating the idea of getting a bike for awhile now and have alot of mixed thoughts and opinions on getting into the sport and need some additional feedback. A couple of my friends ride and i've previously ridden a dirt bike and loved it. The idea of riding on a day like today is very appealing and also with the recent gas prices.

My main concern is safety and I understand that sometime I will lay it down. I do consider myself a safe person and am not out to bust 150mph wheelies down katy frwy. Of course with proper gear and just a simple collision there is a good chance of walking away from the crash, or am I mistaken?

Plan of action would be to take MSF and get possibly a GS500f or ninja 650r. Of course this would not be my main transportation, only a couple days out of the week and sunday rides. The commute to work is 7 miles and mostly on side streets and possibly 1 mile of westpark tollway. Seems as most fatal crashes I have heard about were from people pushing the limit and not respecting the bike, am I correct on this? Kinda wanted to get a feel on how long some of you on this board have been riding and if you have went down and the severity of the crash. When i mention the idea of riding to some I mostly get some horror story and it keeps me rethinking about getting into riding and take a step back. Any suggestions would be appreciated or just a STFU is fine.:thumb:

Thanks

[level5]

Welcome to the forum.

Everything you said is correct and then some. It is dangerous but if you are riding with your head and be alert of your surrounding, you'll do fine. MSF is the foundation of riding safety, you will learn a lot more when you actually riding on the street. some people on here that rides a long time either give up street riding, then there some still ride as a daily drivers, and there are some new one. I'd say it is 1/3 racer, 1/3veteran riders, 1/3noobs comprised this forum. What do y'all think?

[txgsxrbob]

welcome !!! MSF ! awesome cycles !!! approved by witchdoctor !!!

[MudBug]

I rode dirt for a while then finally got a street bike. Vuclan 750. Loved it. Rode that for a year and bought a zx7 (sport bike) love it more. Always ride the gear on, watch for others.

My wife hates it when I leave on the bike from some of the stories told. You really need to watch the cagers (cars) since the act like they can not see you. I always go with my gut when riding. if i think somebody is going to do something stupid I try to avoid before it happens...slow down, speed up, turn onto a different rode. There has been many times on my way to work I will go back home and drive the Jeep instead. I have a wife, 3 kids and bills to pay, I can nnot afford to hurt and don't have time to die.

Also buy a cheap used bike to make sure you like it. 2k is easy to get back 5-6k is not. There is a 250 for sale on here that I looked at for my wife. Nice bike but she changed her mind on it. I think his name is Seth.


Buy a bike, take the MSF, and be carfull.

[mightymouse1]

i have been riding now for 3 years and been down once due to poor bike maintence and being a noob. i work at utmb e.r. and for galveston ems. i see enough people die or maimed. the horror stories you here are 9/10 times the person on the bike was being stupid. IMO 98% of motorcycle crashes are avoidable. you here about the left turns( when people turn in front of you) those are 50/50. if you're doing the speed limit,most of the time you can get out of those. always wear gear. at least a helmet and gloves. like the above poster said, buy you a cheap bike to start out. if you can get 600 or less, that would be great. never ride past your skill level or out of your comfort zone.so what the pack is leaving you. better to get there late than to never get there. DON'T RIDE WITH PSYCHOS!!! i'm certain others will give good advice here as well.

[johnpatrick87]

been riding a year now, started on a Ninja 500. never layed it over, never crashed. Always wear your gear. Looking to upgrade now. Want a 600 because they are faster, but definitely MSF.

[Princess]

I've ridden for 2 years and 17,500 miles. Been down on the street twice. Both times it was my fault, and avoidable. Luckily I wear my gear, and it saved me a LOT of pain the first time, and more than likely saved my life the second time. Wear GOOD gear and try to keep the stupid shit to a minimum and your chances of survival go up tremendously.

[ag03]

only have a few thousand miles under my belt, but here's my experience:

Laid my bike down after a few hundred miles while riding in the hill country. Only injury was a pulled calf- The jacket took all the impact.

But yes- I have had too many cars pull out in front of me (Every time in Austin, but im sure it happens everywhere). Just gotta ride smart.

[sbfuller]

i've been riding on the street now for 9 years, about 40K miles... just use your head. to put something in perspective... you said 150mph wheelies... just use 150mph for example... that is about 220 FEET PER SECOND... at that speed and an average reaction time to see, think, and act of 1.3 seconds... you have travelled one football field before you even squeeze the brake lever... twisting that throttle is fun, but when put that way... it's pretty humbling.

the one thing i notice the most that people don't do that i feel they should... is anticipate every car from a side street to pull out in front of you... alot of times i'm on the brake and able to stop before i get to them until i KNOW they see me... as in, they are stopped, have been stopped, and are looking right at me, even then, still be careful.

I have gone down one... got hit from behind, keep an eye on whats behind you and alway have an escape route... you don;t need to stop right at the rear bumper of the car in front of you.

but have fun