Should I be worried? Scared? How dangerous are they?

Question

Hubby just bought a BIG motorcycle! He's totally inexperienced, but is determined to ride it long distance this weekend. How hard is it to learn?

How dangerous is it to drive on interstate for 4 hours?

Am I being paranoid???

(I think I already know the answer to that one...........)

Wow! Great answers so far!!!

He will be riding in a group of about 6 other bikers. He wants me to go, too, but I told him he has to drive it for 6 months before I get on it with him!!!!

Answer 1

interstates is no place for a rookie to be. in ohio, it clearly says on the permit 'not valid in congested areas, on interstates, riding with passengers, or night riding.' if something happens, and he's on the permit, and ur state doesnt allow a permit rider on an interstate, in their eyes, it will be as if he didnt even have a permit to begin with.

the size of the bike isnt all that. what is all that is things can happen at a much faster timeframe on interstates than on city/country roads. cars are NOTORIOUS for failing to check their blind spots, and they can easily cut in front of u. if his bumper so much as grazes his wheel, down he goes in an instant. at 60 mph, he will be riding at a speed of 88 feet per second. at that speed, reaction time is extremely short. last summer, a rider in warren hog went down on an interstate after a car clipped an object sent it into his lane too quick for him to evade.
in another case last summer, a rider i knew in michigan was coming back from a trip while at night, came around a blind corner at michigan's speed limit.....70 mph.....and smacked head-on into a disabled car that was overturned in his lane just seconds before he came around the bend. he lost his left leg from the knee down, and other severe injuries.....his back-seater was killed on impact after being thrown for about 65-70 feet. i have pics of what's left of his bike, and by all rights, both should have been dead....its hard to even identify it as being an hd electra glide.

1 wrong move on an interstate either on his part, or on a car's part, will kill him. if he wants to take a long trip, the best ride he will have is on the back roads. interstates suck....they're boring, and u have too much to keep track of at once. paraniod? no. smart...yup.

*edit* group riding is an entirely different animal. rookies have a hard enough time holding formation on the back roads at a 'slower' speed than high speed interstate traffic. baaaaad idea for a rookie to start group riding on interstates. same goes for 2-up. in ohio, u MUST have the endorsement to ride 2-up, and i can tell u from experience, that the bike will handle way differently than when he's solo. he has to be able to handle the bike in almost any situation and not drop it before he should try to ride 2-up...and definately not start riding 2-up on an interstate.

Answer 2

A child riding a bicycle can be dangerous...even deadly. IE: It doesn't matter how "big" the bike is or how small you can still be seriously hurt or killed without the proper training and gear.
No clue about riding and wants to hit the slab for 4 hours....not very bright at all. Big trucks and RV's are a threat to riders and you either pass them or stay far back as possible. If you pass something large do it quickly...don't just roll through. Wind and drafts are good for sailboats, not motorcycles.
Your not paranoid...you care. Have him take the MSF Rider course and start out around town and work up to the freeways later....much later. Good Luck~

Answer 3

Dangerous? Sometimes. In the hands of a novice they can be scary however when ridden with some plain old common sense with the knowledge that he's a rookie and he should be alright. Paranoid? Yep....lol. Really the most dangerous thing about riding a motorcycle is other people in their cars. And no amount of experience will protect any biker if that mental midget in that car isn't paying attention. Life's a gamble....place your bet.

Answer 4

I wouldn't set out on a 4-hour ride without some experience in and around the neighborhood, then town, etc., to get comfortable with the bike first. It's not that difficult to learn to ride, especially if you go to a class first (lots of bike sales shops offer them - our local Harley Davidson shop does). But like anything else, you aren't going to be an expert the first couple of times you try it. It took a while to be comfortable driving a car, right? Motorcycles are no different in that respect.

I don't know how dangerous it would be to drive on the interstate for 4 hours vs. riding anywhere else for 4 hours. Depending on the bike your hubby purchased, he may find that it is just not that comfortable to be on the bike that long! (My brother doesn't like to ride his HD that long because of the vibration he experiences - says it makes his butt and other "parts" numb and achey for a while!). It would be better to ride with others on motorcycles, too - a group offers greater visibility to the cars on the road than a single rider would. It is all too easy to miss seeing one lone biker when changing lanes, etc.

I personally don't think you're being paranoid. I know bikes are fun - I understand the temptation to have the wind in your hair, nothing between you and the road, etc. But that's just the problem: there IS NOTHING between you and the road!! Or whatever else you hit or that hits you. So you can be doing everything right, and someone else can make a mistake, but because they're surrounded with metal and plastic and airbags, etc., they live, and you don't. I witnessed a motorcycle crash in my neighborhood just a couple of weeks ago. A kid on a bullet bike (without a helmet) was coming to the crest of a hill, probably going too fast, and a truck turned left in front of him - she couldn't see him because of a) the hill and b) the sun was in her eyes. The kid on the bike couldn't stop in time, and T-boned her. He died from his injuries less than 24 hours later. She walked away, but will be forever haunted by this tragedy. I still can't drive by that spot without thinking of that poor kid.

That probably didn't make you feel any better. I wish you luck -and for heaven's sake please make your husband wear a helmet!

Hope this helps.

Answer 5

So no experience and hes riding with 6 buddies that do have experience. They re not going to want to baby sit him, so they'll go their own speed and hubby being a male and competitive will try to keep up. Granted putting around on a cruiser takes little skill. I still see the videos of newbies panicking and riding them into the ditches.

Answer 6

Actually, driving on the interstate is pretty easy. It's getting on and off of it that's a lot harder. Unfortunately the number of motorcycle fatalities has skyrocketed the last couple of years. Mainly it's guys who are over 40, once rode a while ago, who go out and buy huge road bikes. They get on them without recent experience and think that since they once rode, they can still do it.

They can still do it, but it take some time to get used to maneuvering a heavy machine around. It takes time to get used to accelerating, leaning, braking and the handling in general.

Hopefully he'll be smart enough to take his time and not try and be Evel Knevil right away.

You shouldn't get on the bike with him for a good 6 months. At least until he has a little experience. Bikes aren't that difficult to ride, but they're like anything else. You need to get used to them.

Slow manuvuering is much harder than highway riding. Bikes have centrifical force to keep them upright when moving. Unfortunately when you're barely moving you don't have that force. When you lean 600-850 lbs. a little too far over, you can't correct. It's going to fall over. Therein lies one of the hardest parts of riding - maintaining the balance of the machine.

Answer 7

You are not being paranoid. Have him ride it over to a parking lot and get in as much practice as he can if he is determined to go on this ride this weekend. Also, make sure he wears a helmet and appropriate safety gear.

A smart rider will always have on a helmet, boots, jeans, long sleeve shirt at a minimum

Answer 8

I don't think you're being paranoid at all and commend you for staying off of the bike until he learns how to handle it. Lots of people bite off more than they can chew, and with motorcycles it can be very dangerous for a novice. I would highly recommend that he takes a motorcycle certification course and gets in many hours of practice around town before heading out especially if he's riding with people that he's never ridden with before.

Every group of riders has their own idiosyncracies and being able to react with experience can save a lot of headaches and road rash or worse. Lots of people overestimate their abilities and won't find out their weak points until it's too late. Sometimes God will give you another chance, sometimes not...

Answer 9

Smart choice for you but not for him ,if he is not experienced totally he should not be getting on the highway with a big bike ,he really needs to ride around town for a while and get used to his bike ,Are these other guys experienced ? Whenever we have a new rider with us the rest of us are even more aware of what hes doing and what hes going to do .I personally would not let a new rider ride with us on a 4 hour trip , Tell him to take it light now and live for road trips in the future

Answer 10

i really would not want to do it cause even though i guess motercycles could be a lot like a regurlar cars they are dangerous you are not paranoid. I think that is a little crazy for him to try to go long distance on a dangerous place like the highhway. The main thing is that if you do not want to go then don't the last thing you want to do is be forced into doing something that you dont want to do. in some states they say you don't have to wear a helmet because they think if you crash your going to die anyway.

Answer 11

i wouldnt reccommend driving the interstate for a new rider, is he licensed? did he take the safety course? i dont think the size matters as much as the way he would use it, as long as he doesnt try to max the speed out on it a big cycle isnt bad (if he can lift it)

why start right away on a long ride? he could ride around locally to get used to it first