Hi Im 18 and planning to get a motorcycle... Is it good or bad?

Question

I wanna know the good points and bad points of having a motorcycle...thanks

Answer 1

When you get a bike, you have to respect it. My husband has a Yamaha XJR 1200, and my brother a 1973 Kawasaki 750. In 1975 my brother was riding pillion on the back of another Kawasaki coming home from Leicester, when the bike skidded on wet mud left on the road by a tractor and him and his mate came off. He smashed his knee in but fortunately was otherwise ok after having it pinned together. His mate though broke his back and has been in a wheelchair ever since.

Answer 2

I got my Motorcycle class drivers license when I was 18 and I am now age 45......I currently pay about $100 A YEAR for Motorcycle insurance....BECAUSE I have had my motorcycle class license a long time. There are many pros and cons to riding motorcycles, but my main reason for riding so long is because I HATE TRAFFIC, and here in Los Angeles California, it is legal to split lanes in traffic and use the carpool lane on the freeway.
The Gasoline mileage is much better than a vehicle, and parking is rarely a problem. Just dont forget that a motorcycle is NOT A TOY...and you can seriously injure yourself if you dont use common sense or try to be a show off. You will most likely spend less on repairs for a motorcycle than you would a car.
Start with 250cc's or maybe 350cc and work your way up to something bigger as time goes on or you lose interest. Riding a motorcycle is a way of life, and if you decide to become a rider,
it WILL change your life, there is nothing like it. Oh yeah, one last thing....if you live long enough to ride until your my age....
know this....every time I ride, Im no longer 45 years old....Im 21 again! Yeeeeeeeehawwww!

Answer 3

Motorbikes are great fun. I've been riding for 20 years now. Love em to bits. There are a few basic things about bikes that appeal to most riders:

1. Freedom - you don't get quite so bunged up in the traffic as evcryone else (although not all police appreciate filtering - you MUST be aware of the hazards!).

2. As well as traffic freedom there's also the "wind in the hair" sort. Lots of people love that biking lets them feel part of nature. You are much more IN the environment rather than removed from it as in some cars (cabrios excepted!)

3. After gaining some experience you can try higher performance bikes that will give you supercar beating performance (recommended you keep that to autobahns or racetracks!)

4. Bike dynamics are a bit different to a cars. basically you have to lean into a corner to make the thing go around it. This sensation is very addictive and quite unlike anything you'll get in a car. I love the smell of knee sliders in the morning!

5. Cars don't wheelie.

6. Chicks REALLY dig wheelies. (I mean a lot!!!)

7. Unless they're on the back at the time.

8. You won't be able to carry much with you so practicality is out.

9. The test is bound to get harder (in fact it definately will in 2012) so do it now while its easier.

10. You get to wear leather suits (which chicks dig too!).

But you know - you can sometimes crash. It hurts. So make sure you ride carefully and within the limits of your experience. Ride with others and always keep learning. The basic rule is to treat other road users as if they ARE going to kill you.

Assume that and you'll be fine.

Answer 4

Get it done... as with (almost) everything in life - if you want to do it, and it won't wreck anyone else's life, then get on with it. If you don't do it then every time you see someone ride past you on a bike you'll wonder what you're missing.

Good points...
1. Quick (especially in traffic)
2. Fun
3. Economical(ish - depends on the throttle opening!),
4. Looks cool
5. Parking's free, and best of all...
6. Those new face-on speed cameras can't catch you!

Bad points...
1. When it's cold and wet - so are you.
2. Most car drivers are blind and or stupid, and they're inside a steel box so don't care.
3. Gravel rash doesn't look cool.
4. Crutches do (for a while) but they're bloody painful to use.

The freedom, fun, and friendship you can get out of biking is unreal... and yes, like a lot of others have mentioned, it DOES hurt when you come off, so make sure you've got the right kit (and I say this as someone who has done plenty of T-shirt, jeans and desert boots riding, and can't believe I got away with it!)

Hope you enjoy it...

Answer 5

Good:

Cheap insurance if you're over 25, fantastic gas mileage, very fast, loads of fun, and there is always room to learn something new. MSF courses are effective, inexpensive and the easy way to get your license.

Bad:

Ego and lack of experience kills many first time riders. KILLS them, game over, no reset button, dead. Other drivers ignore you completely. Anything and everything in a car or on the road can take you down every minute of every ride, and no matter the cause the motorcyclist loses EVERY TIME.

You MUST wear gear, and it will run you $500 to $1000 out of pocket. Tires get replaced about every 5000 miles at $300 a pop. Insurance is OUTRAGEOUS if you are under 25; we're talking THOUSANDS-UH per year.

It sounds like the bad outweighs the good, but it doesn't. It's just that new riders have this incorrect notion that riding is easy- like a bicycle. It's not. It takes years of experience to even become competent. But if you are truly willing to learn the right way to ride, it is one of the best things you can do while wearing leather.

Enough that I am willing to commute in sub-freezing weather to ride year-round in Colorado.

Answer 6

do no longer purchase a clean bike. they at the instant are not a necessity. An 18 365 days previous making plans 5 years into the destiny sounds like difficulty to me. look on the financing heavily, maximum plans might have you ever paying little or no for the 1st 2 years then the pastime will leap very severe. i might save up and purchase used, this additionally will help with coverage because of the fact could get finished coverage for a financed bike and in case you dont you would be paying off a bike you do no longer even very own anymore.

Answer 7

I have been riding for more years than I can remember over 25 for sure.
A motor bike is dangerous if the rider is an idiot and wants to impress the local woman so does stupid things, if your sensible take and pass your test and then go out knowing your limitations, what the road is like, how people drive and aware at all times then you and your bike will be safe.

Also remember your not Valentino Rossi or aspire to be one of your hero's if that's what you want take track days and have a ball under supervision.

Your dreams of getting onto one of the faster more powerful bike do not come to fruition straight after the test.

All I can say is enjoy but beware a bike is not a fashion gadget babe magnet or anything else it deserves respect and requires looking after enjoy it.

Answer 8

I have had 4 dirt bikes, 3 Harley Davidsons, been around the great lakes , on just about every road in Florida and have loved every moment of it.
First take a safety course, and pay attention, learn and listen.
Now here is the deal on riding a motorcycle. You have to drive defensive at all times. You have to think that every car might pull out in front of you. Stay in control at all times. Rain is horrible to ride in. Keep the tires properly inflated and check the tread often. The tread wares out a lot quicker than you might think.. Loose gravel or sand on a curve can lay you down in a blink of an eye. I have had two friends get hit in the rear at stop lights. For some reason people driving cars think that they can pull out in front of you and they do it all the time. You really have to pay attention.Other than that it is a ride all its own.

Answer 9

Riding a motorcycle is a lot of fun, it is an extremely fuel efficient method of transportation. Motorcycles are generally cheaper to buy and to insure than cars.

The downside is there is less crash protection (wearing the right gear can help - http://www.motorcyclegiftshop.com/ ) and if you live in an area where it gets cold, you really can't ride year round.

Motorcycles aren't inherently dangerous - bad riders are dangers to themselves and others. Take a Motorcycle Safety (http://www.msf-usa.org) class and learn to ride the right way.

Answer 10

Good Points:
1. You'll have the time of your life.
2. You'll actually want to use the roads to entertain yourself and have fun.
3. Cheap to run.
4. Any other biker you'll meet will be like a mate.
5. Easier to commute on.
6. You actually improve your whole standard of driving as you will be paying more attention to the road and other vehicles on it.
7. Freedom.
Bad Points:
1. It'll feel like every car is out there trying to kill you. They're not, they're just not looking for you. (with the exception of truck drivers, they will actually move out of your way!)
2. If it rains it's crap.
3. If it's cold it's crap.