KamuiShirou

It's pretty much a fact that dropping the bike is inevitable, and the greatest fear of many (if not ALL) parents is their child getting a motorcycle. We all know that the MSF course and other safety courses can help greatly and teach responsible riding, but the "scare factor" is still there. It's true, motorcycling can be a scary thing, but should people really be deterred?

with that, I'm interested to hear some stories on when you downed your bikes and if there were serious damages to you and/or your bike. I hope I'm not crossing the lines or anything by asking this, but I really do want more people to realize the joy of motorcycling... and I need some help

funcar

I dropped my dirt bikes like a million times. That's just part of it. I have broken my collar bone, a few ribs, dislocated my sholder, and tore the ligaments in my knee. All on dirt.
On the street I have only dropped a bike twice. Once I hit a dog and being a stupid kid I was wearing jeans, Tshirt, and my helmet was just sitting on my head not strapped on. So I hit the ground going about 45mph and proceeded to rip all the skin off my body. I looked like hamburger. The other time was a wheelie gone bad but nothing happend to me but it did scratch up the bike. I have not dropped the R6 and I am trying my best not to. Am I scared of ridding? No. I do know the consequences if I crash though. I still do things on the bike and think later 'that was stupid' but I still do it.

OnTheGo

It seems rather basic to me. Everyone knows their strengths and weaknesses, no one can honestly tell you what's right for you. If your'e afraid of heights, you probably won't be a great skydiver,etc.,etc. It stands to reason that if your not a competent, alert driver, motorcycles may very well be the way of nature "purging the gene pool".No offense meant to anyone, but know your comfort level. If you are the type of person that looks forward to learning and mastering new skills, enjoy the adrenaline rush, and are ever vigilant, it very well could be the sport for you.

Acceleratrix

I've wanted to get a bike for a long time now but after reading all of the posts on biking on this site, I'm really freaked out about it. It sounds to me like if you get a bike it's a matter of "when" you will kill yourself and not "if". The only thing keeping me on the fence about it is that it sounds like 90% of injuries are are caused by people doing something stupid. If this is the case then I still might get one.

suvh8r

I don't agree with that. It's good to be scared as it makes you more alert to whats going on around you. It's when you have that comfortable confidence (like when you drive a car on the highway) is when you get in trouble. You should ALWAYS keep in mind where you are on the road and what could possibly happen to you in any situation. Position yourself on the road where other cars cannot hit you and basically EXPECT them to try. I can't tell you how many times I had people merge into my lane on the highway last year. But I was positioned in a way where it didn't really matter as I was in the far left of the lane. I slowly applied my brakes and swerved controllably to the soulder and got in behind him.

Stuff like that doesn't even scare me anymore. I have had a bad habbit that I am trying to kick of just slowing down JUST enough to leave ~1-2 feet between me and the car when he merges, and then I flash my brights right at him. Of course I have the brights on during the day so it doesn't work, but a nice exaust rip will scare him a little.. =]

And it does carry over to your car driving somewhat. The thing you have to worry about the most is someone turning left in front of you on a main street. How you protect against this is to go through an intersection right next to a car. Use the car as a shield. If there is no car, then just be ready for anything. Slow down and get the breaks ready. Sportbikes can stop INCREDIBLY quick. You just have to have the right technique. If you slow down to ~30 mph, and someone crosses your path, you shouldn't need more than 15-30 feet to stop completely.

I could go on and on about motorcycle safety. But the problem is you have to get out there and practice it. Thats the hardest part about motorclycing. Being ready for anything and everything and knowing what to do in each situation. Of course regardless of how experience you are and how safe you accidents can and do happen. It's the first 6mo - 1 year that is the most dangerous for motorcycle riders.

Chipster

You know the one thing that scares me more than anything is being first at a light. I always flash my brake light hoping that the car coming up on me sees me. As traffic approaches I make sure the bike is in gear and I try to point the bike to a clear area just in case... Sometimes that is not an option. Seems like I have seen several bikers killed in the last couple of months in just this way. As small as a S2000 is... a bike is invisible to most cages.

StormBringer

I don't ride anymore simply because I lost a few friends to the sport and my parents feal that it is unsafe. I know that it is just as bad out there as they imagine but I don't ride simply because I now have to many people who depend on me. I still like to sneak a quick ride here and there on a dirt bike but street riding is out of the picture for me for a while.

Chris S

I was too scared to ride my first streetbike home from the dealership, but fear has never been a real part of riding ex. the few times I've had close calls due to my own stupidity and when I used to ride more aggressively on the street. Both situations have been cured through skills development and mellowing out.

I still get scared every time I hit a motocross track, though.

Triple-H

I completely disagree!
I will be the 1st to admit that I may crash the next time I ride, but I have over 50,000 miles under my but and the only time I dropped a bike was when I owned my first bike and I pushed too hard on it in the garage when I was washing it and the darn thing fell over .
Speak for yourself there KamuiShirou! Dropping the bike is NOT inevitable!!!
What is inevitable is that not everybody has enough of a focus to ride a motorcycle without hurting themselves.

KamuiShirou

I'm sorry you got so offended by my statement Triple-H, but being focused yourself doesn't mean that some idiot driver won't try to ram you off the road. Of course, being alert can save your ass in those times, but not everyone is so lucky. I'm simply speaking for the beginners that it would happen and is most likely going to happen, and no matter how much of a badass you think you are you can't control the actions of other people on the road... you can only do your part and be responsible.

All I'm looking for here is contributions of experiences so that we may all learn from them.