QuestionHi there. I really, really, really want to get a bike and have ALWAYS been fascinated by them. Now I am looking at smaller, old hondas (79-82 or so) However, I am a 24 yearold female with a very worried boyfriend and mother that need to be convinced they are safe. Do you know of any website or anything that provides (hopefully encouraging) statistics regarding the matter? Or any words of wisdom for me to convince them I would be a safe rider. My boyfriend had a friend in a terrible bike crash years ago, and thinks I am just being stupid. Thanks so much. Elli
AnswerHi Elli,
Sorry for the delay in getting you an answer, I just got an email today (Tuesday) that your question was posted.
I wish I could send you to a site or recommend a book that would alleviate your mom's and boyfriend's concerns. I really don't know of any, and am not sure there actually are any. The reason is pretty simple: riding motorcycles is a high-risk activity. There's just no way around it. I'm not try to talk you out of it (quite the opposite), but I'd be lying if I said it was "safe". In my two decades of riding, I've pretty much divided the world into two camps in regards to motorcyles: those that love them (me and you and many others), and those that are scared to death of them (your mom, my mom, your fella, etc).
It's not that the motorbikes themselves are dangerous, they are no more dangerous than skis, boats, planes, rollerskates or the many other "crazy" things we do without thinking about it. They are just machines under your control. For the most part, it's the environment (traffic) you ride them in that contains most of the "danger".
It really comes down to personal risk assessment: for some people, it takes big courage to walk out of the house and drive a huge SUV through traffic to get some milk. Others, (you, me and like minded souls), think nothing of rocketing down the same roads as those "safe" SUV's with nothing more than two tires, a leather jacket, helmet and blue jeans between us and total disaster. When you consider it like that, people who ride motorcycles must be COMPLETE lunatics to take that kind of chance with their safety. Yet millions of people who ride think nothing of it. That's because they accept the risk and prepare for it (using the right gear, rider training and common sense), or they just ignore the risk and hope for the best (most of those people are dead). If you learn to ride correctly, understand the risks, prepare for them and be smart about it, you could ride motorcycles until you are too feeble to do so. Or, you could get taken out by a Hummer on your first ride out. It's the chance YOU take. And that's how you have to approach it: you are taking a measured chance some call foolish, and others call acceptable. You have to decide where YOU, in your heart, stand.
If you think you have the courage and discipline to ride a motorcycle, then you should try it. Life is short (cliche but true).
The nice thing is, you can "try" motorcycling without actually playing in traffic. If you are in the United States, you need to contact the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) at www.msf-usa.com. They offer a weekend class of basic instruction in both the classroom and out on small bikes, usually in a college parking lot (no traffic). You do not need a bike of your own, they supply one for you. Go to the site and take a look. The class will take an entire weekend. By the time you are done, you will either think "I was crazy to want to ride a motorcycle" or "time to go shopping for a vintage Honda!" Judging from the enthusiasm in your question, I'll gamble you'll love it. If you are not in the USA, your country most likely has a rider education program of some sort. I'm sure you can find it online.
I went through the same fight with my parents when I wanted to get a motorcycle- they thought I was nuts (still do, sort of). Back then there were no classes to take, so I learned the old-fashioned way- mostly wrong. I'm lucky to still be alive considering how unsafe my technique was. But I'm still here because at least I was careful and determined, and now that I've taken the MSF class (and many others), motorcycling is one of the most personally rewarding activities I do. Most other veteran riders will tell you the same thing.
Tell your mom you'll be really, really SAFE. Tell her you'll get a slow old bike, wear a full-face helmet and all the safety gear and never go over 30mph. You'll only be lying about the last part. Tell your boyfriend you are not stupid, and that you want to ride a motorcycle, and that you are sorry about his friend. Ask him to give you a chance, at least with the class. In other words, break him in easy. He'll give you a pass (we always do). Then don't let him ride your bike until HE takes the class...
I'm sorry I cannot tell you that motorcycle riding is "safe". It's risky. So is getting on a jet plane. At some point you have to say "I accept the risk and will take steps to manage it, and to hell with the opinions of others." We all had to at some point when we decided to ride. It may become the most fun you have outdoors.
Good luck!
Bill Roberson
