I’ve been considering getting a motorcycle…actually i could get one for free (or next to nothing). Primarily I would use it for driving to work on the days I don’t commute on my bike. My wife isn’t wild about the idea, but I said to her “I can’t imagine its much more dangerous than riding my bike to work…especially when I hit the crowded city streets”. My reason for getting one is simple…I just don’t feel like giving the oil companies any more money than I have to. So…are there any other motorcyclists out there? What’s your take on this??
In many ways, you are safer on a motorcycle than a bike. However, you are safer on a motorcycle only if you are equipped to the maximum, AND can keep your speed down and not take chances. I can not seem to do that. I went from Honda VR series, to BMW’s, and finally to Harley’s…all in an attempt to go slower and slower, as each bike got bigger, and had less HP (although the K1100 I had wasn’t much less HP than the Honda). I just learned to scrape the footboards off the Harley in tight corners. Not a good way to “be safer”! Finally, I just got out of it altogether…a man’s gotta know his limitations, you know!
Take a safety course, though. It’s a potential life saver. It can also make manuevering in a parking lot much less embarrassing (since you’re less likely to dump it in a tight, low-speed turn), as they teach you low speed skills that are really useable.
Funny you mention this.
I know an amazing bicycle mechanic. This guy is gifted and absolutely meticulous. I do 98% of my own work but take things to him when they are beyond my ability. Took my newly converted from my old TCR to new LeMond OCLV/steel to him yesterday. We got talking and it turns out that his original training was as a motorcycle race mechanic on the pro circuit. So when he got out of that and set up a bike shop he was a natural.
I asked him about the two and he said “they’re kind of similiar but bicycles are more fun and they pollute less”.
Actually, I almost bought a motorcycle about five years ago. Hadn’t had one for many years, but decided against it at the last moment. I do consider them dangerous but your point about riding bicycles being also dangerous is well taken.
I restored & rode a BMW motorcycle through college, then bought a faster Honda CBR before selling it & buying a good road bike… bets advice I ever got for safety was – “Ride like you are invisible.” You can od it on your bicyce too. If you pretend that nobody can see you, you’ll be much safer. You get heightened senses when you ride a m-cycle, you notice much more than in a car. You need to watch drivers & try to get eye contact if they are waiting to pull out onto the road, etc, like you would on your bike.
Best thing about the motorcycles I’ve had (particularly the BMW) is that you get 50+ mpg and your insurance is $250-$300 per YEAR !
I have a motorcycle that I use for recreational riding only.
I encourage taking a motorcycling safety course where you actually ride bikes with an instructor in the class.
Remember that 100% of motorcycle owners will have a wreck. 100%. Don’t let anyone tell you different.
Your driving habits can have a significant effect on how bad you get hurt when your wreck occurs.
I wrecked on my bike going about 10 mph when I hit oil in an intersection. Got up, was able to walk away.
When I see a guy on a sport bike pass me on the highway at 90 mph, he’s determining whether or not he will be able to walk away from his accident.
On the other hand, getting hit by someone else, just like cycling, is usually not your fault is there’s not a whole lot you can do about that.
I ride a sportbike, and have for years. I haven’t wrecked yet, but I know it’ll happen. It’s like a gun, you always treat it like it’s loaded. I always ride like I know that I could wreck or get hit anytime. If you buy an appropriate bike (not too much power for your skill level, the right fit and style, etc) you can be about as safe as a bike. Obviously a bike is smaller and harder to see, but a motorcycle is going to be moving faster, is holding a few gallons of fuel, and doesn’t stop running just because you take your feet off the pedals like a bike.
If you’re serious about the idea, see if you can test ride one and get a little time on it to see if you really like it. Tehn if you do, go ahead. Make sure you wear the right safety gear, pay attention, and ride safely, and you should be reasonably safe, whcih for a motorcyclist means, you will still probably wreck, but you’ll probably walk away instead of dying. For me, the fun factor is worth a little extra risk.
these are all very good suggestions. A friend and I were going to take a motorcycle safety course. I use the “ride like you’re invisible” tactics when I’m on my bike…I just assume people are going to cut in front of me at intersections.
The 100% accident rate is shocking. But, I’m willing to bet that 100% of cyclists have crashed as well, but at much lower speeds. I don’t know how many times I’ve crashed on my bike…but that includes a lot of Mountain biking and bmx as a kid.
In 1993 I had a bad motoraccident (broke some backbones, shoulders, right arm was paralised, etc…) I was in hospital for more than 1 month and for 7 months I couldn’t work. I’ll tell you from my experience : riding a motorbike is absolutely fantastic, but unfortunately daily traffic isn’t fit to it. You are going too fast (and I just drove a slow Honda CBC 750 Custom bike) compared to all these negligant kids, older people, sunday drivers, etc…
Just my idea, but I won’t step on a motorcycle again. I’ve learnt my lesson.
But, never say, never again…
If you buy one, drive safe and defensive. Enjoy the ride.
my car insurance is under $300 per year ('89 toyota wagon), so no big deal with the motorcycle rate.
can’t match your fuel economy on my car, but I can beat it on my bike (bicycle).
Sounds like your insurance is more than the worth of your car - a man after my own heart!
I was a professional road racer for a few years. When I rode a motorcycle on the street, I was always amazed at how poorly people handled their rides, akin to the “roadies” denegrating triathletes for their bike handling skills. I stopped riding on the streets. However, if you feel compelled to buy a motorcycle, take a safety course and force yourself to live by the skills they teach. A fall from a motorcycle or a collision with a car, truck, or stationary object, is not very much fun, especially when you factor in the potential for speed in such mishaps. Lastly, you can do everything right, but others may not. Do I sound discouraging? It’s for a reason. Someone in my neighborhood got a motorcycle a few years back. I watched him ride up the street and remarked to no one in particular “That guy doesn’t know how to ride. He’s going to kill himself.” That afternnon he missed a curve and hit a tree. This is not the only person I knew who met such a fate, and not all of them were the rider’s fault.
Ride if you must, but do everything you can to insure your safety. After all, you can’t deny yourself all pleasures in life. Just be aware of the dangers and assess if the risk is really worth it to you.
By the way, I felt it to be a LOT more dangerous riding between cars and switching lanes on the motorcycle in crowded traffic than riding next to traffic on my bicycle, which I also raced.
I raced motocross and flat track when I was in high school and then went to college and got married. End of my motorcycling days, or so I thought. I finally got the bug again, and, after talking it over with my wife (for the record, she was not for it!), ended up back in the saddle. I started out on an 800 and quickly found my skills to be too much for that bike. I now have a 1500 cruiser and ride it every chance I get!
Definitely take the safety course! I was surprised at how much I learned, even though I spent so much time on one years before! The suggestions by the others here are right on! Remember that NO ONE can see you and you always must look for a way out, just in case. Down here in Florida, they repealed the helmet law, why I don’t know. I wrecked while motocrossing and cracked my helmet right down the middle. That helmet is the reason I am able to respond to you today. WEAR IT! Also, don’t do anything that might egg on the road ragers! You are at a disadvantage!
Danger wise compared to a bicycle? Other than the speed differential, probably about the same. Depending on where I’m riding on a given day, I feel safer on the m-cycle than I do the bicycle. I too commute to work on both and enjoy both rides equally. Definitely a gas saver! It really does tend to boil down to how safe you make yourself and how aware of your surroundings you are. I say go for it and let us know how you like it!
Maybe I’ll compromise and get a moped instead 
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100% will have an accident? Sounds a little extreme to me. I rode for over 10 years with no accidents or a dropped bike. However, you should dress like every ride could have an accident, including a leather or cordura suit with armor, proper gloves, and boots. I will say the Motorcycle Safety Foundation class I took was invaluable for learning the basics of handling a motorcycle and how to think and stay alive on the street.
ha! I saw a dude cruising down the street on something similar. He was flying down a sidewalk with no helmet…an accident waiting to happen.
I no longer have a bike but I had three Ducati’s and even raced a bit. In December 2001, my best friend was killed while we were riding together – 2:00 in the afternoon, dry conditions, sweeping turn (in other words, a great day to ride). That said, it’s my view that if you want a bike, you should get a bike, but make sure you know what you are doing.
My buddy was an extremely experienced road racer who could do anything on a motorcycle. Accidents happen to even the best of us. If you decide to get a bike, I would suggest getting a cruiser or touring bike, not a sportbike. The reason is today’s sportbikes are simply not designed for street use. They have way too much power and going 60 on a highway feels like you are standing still. The temptation to twist the wrist and rip it is too great. Take it from me, things happen way, way too fast at 95 mph!!! Additionally, unless you are dragging your knee in a turn, they are about as comfortable as a plywood bed.
If you get a bike, never ride without AT LEAST a leather jacket with armor, a full face helmet and jeans. I see guys riding in shorts and t-shirts and I am just speechless. If you ride a motorcycle without a helmet, you deserve whatever you get. Here in Connecticut there is no helmet law, but I would never think about going out without my lid. Whenever I rode on the weekends and we would go “scratching” I would always have full leathers, racing boots, armored leather gloves and my helmet – even on 85 degree days!!
I don’t have a bike now due to too many other things going on (wife, kids, training, work, etc.). Notwithstanding my own personal tragedy, if I had the time, I would have a bike. You only go around once so if you really want a bike and think you can be responsible, get it. You can always get rid of it if you become bored. You can get injured crossing the street so I dont’ subscribe to the motorcycle=injuries POV even though I was the one carrying my buddy to the side of the road.
Take the safety course. Ride smart. Wear a helmet and leathers. Enjoy the experience and keep the rubber on the road.
Good luck.
Not only invisible but ride like everyone around you will do something stupid all at the same time, and know your outs. I had to get rid of mine, since I couldn’t keep myself from doing very stupid things on it, so I got rid of it. Turned it into a very nice kayak though, I do stupid stuff with that too, but it doens’t involve car traffic.
I had old Vespas and Lambrettas in college, and I had a Honda CBR 600 for a few years in my mid-twenties (not too long ago).
To be honest, I feel like I learned to be a very careful and skilled road cyclist from driving a motorcycle. Here’s why: 1) A motorcycle goes faster, so you must learn to be aware of what’s way ahead of you. Shit can go south really fast at 40/50/60 mph in traffic. I feel very comfortable in dicey situations (always involving cars) because I feel like the habit of being hyper-aware is deeply rooted. 2) A motorcycle is more difficult to handle, especially at speeds on windy canyon roads. Everything I learned on a motorcycle (weight distribution, counter-steering, clearance) carried over to cycling.
The drawback is that they are dangerous. For me, it wasn’t going 120 mph that was scary, it’s how safe I felt going 120 mph which really scared me and ultimately made me decide to sell it. They are fun, though.
All the comments seem to hinge on the same thing - if you can keep yourself under control. I just haven’t seen many people that can on a motorcycle.
You have to know yourself well and understand what you are going to do with more than 1 horsepower between your legs. When I was young and foolish I rode motorcycles but realized I was heading for disaster and quit. I don’t let myself have a car with any horsepower either. Hell I had a Pinto up to 95mph (in the fog at night no less) when I was in high school so I know I can’t be trusted with the temptation of speed.