The "Am I stupid AF for wanting a motorcycle" thread.

I owned a bike for the better part of 5 years (96 Yamaha FZR600), bought brand new, fucking got "bike fever" sitting on it while we were waiting on a buddy's bike getting out of the shop. Loved and enjoyed every minute of owning it. Having said that, I am a Dad now, 2 kids, I am the bread winner of the family as my salary is quite bigger than my wife's. Minimizing risk where you can is key for me, my wife made me promise to never buy a bike while we are married which I acquiesced.

Trust me when I say, when I see a bike pass me by, I definitely envy said person and wish I was out there with one as well, but then I remember I have 2 kids and a wife that need me around for the better part of a long time. I choose kids over my desire to own a bike. I had a lot of friends who rode without one accident, but I had large proportion of friends that rode that got into accidents, some because they were douches, and some because of shit that was out of their control. Keep in mind I lived in San Antonio which is a large city, and currently live in Houston (even bigger). Ultimately it is up to you, riding bikes is risky because you are at the mercy of vehicles around you and when you crash, you generally are walking away with more than a sore neck.

Tick_sl said:

Ok so all my life I have wanted a damn bike. I have zero experience but eager and willing to learn with lots of patience and a great regard for safety. Everyone and their mom save 1 or 2 people are telling me Im either gonna drop it or die. All I want is a little weekend cruiser! A Honda CTX700n to be exact. The damn thing is automatic ffs and has ABS ( great reviews to boot ). I am 33 years old, 1st kid is coming in 6 months, but have PLENTY of cash for the bike note and kid. So tell me....... am I stupid for wanting this for myself???

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Nothing wrong with wanting to ride. It's a lot of fun and there is a sense of freedom that comes with it. I had a bike, rode for a few years, but due to loved ones I got rid of it. YOU may be safe, but not a single car on the road is, as far as I'm concerned. It's rarely about the biker, but the other cars being complete fucking retards.

You WILL drop the bike, everyone does; it's ok. But, with a family and young kid, I'd suggest not getting a road bike and stick to off-road only, if that's an option. Only way I will EVER ride again, is off-road, or on a race track.

Stupid. Not worth the risk. It's not how good you are at riding, it's all the dumbasses on the road you have to worry about. And you cannot control that factor, so in my opinion, it is not worth the risk. You live everyday, you only die once...

I've known one person who died, one person who had to have their leg amputated from the shin down, and one person who had massive brain damage who's stuck at a home for the rest of his life. The first two fell victim to other shitty drivers (the latter was just a shit head who was riding drunk with no helmet). Do what you will, it's your money, but I never personally thought the fun was worth the risk. Plus if you have a kid on the way the money is probably best spent elsewhere.

Don't get one. You won't know what you're missing that way. Once you know the feeling of riding you won't want to give it up. I've been riding for a few years, had my minor accidents, and luckily walked away in each case with no one involved. But there's been close calls from stupid cagers not paying attention, being on their cell phones, etc.

Next year i'm seriously considering ditching the sport bike and getting a dual sport(there's no cars in the woods). Would keep me from doing 150+ on the street, draggin knees, etc. It's so easy to open a bike up and push it's limits, you may feel safe and in control but the street can be disastrous. I've been lucky so far.

I love my bikes. I have a 11 month old and don't get to ride much at the moment.

I'll never get rid of it though, I'm even looking at buy a couple more.

Other people on the roads will always try and kill you that's a given.....

It can be a very lonely way to get out and about if you have no one to ride with or you partner won't get on the back.

Barellron_sl said:

I knew a guy in his early 30s that left behind a newborn and wife after he got knocked off the road on his bike.
Safety doesn't mean shit unless you're always on the road alone. Take that as you will.

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Not so much a bike safety story, just a shitty bike wreck story. Buddy filed for divorce from his wife after years, she was abusive to him and his kids. A week later he gets creamed, in a chair for life. For the next few days after he regained consciousness his wife's family kept telling him it was karma for leaving their daughter and he had it coming.