Motorcycles tend to get better mileage than many cars, and with gas prices as high as they are, more people are riding. According to the Seattle P.I. article, 93 percent of the riders who were killed had no training. You know? Neither do I. But I started riding when I was five, and on the roads I have nearly 150,000 miles on motorcycles. I learned to ride in the dirt, and on small bikes; so my crashes were relatively non-dangerous learning experiences. I’ve got over 100,000 miles riding motorcycles on L.A. freeways, including lane-splitting. You learn to anticipate what drivers are likely to do. And I’ve still been hit.
Saving gas is one thing, but these new riders really need to get training. Or go back in time and learn on the dirt when they’re young.
I learned to ride on a 1984 Honda CM200T during the summers of 2006 and 2007. I lived in Michigan, so I never got to ride during the winter.
In March (or late February?) I bought my brand-new Suzuki Boulevard M50.
I took the MVD written test, rode the bike for about three months, then took the road test at the MVD office. I have not taken any MSF courses.
My bike is my daily ride to work. 50 miles round-trip, 30 of that on the freeway, and I’ve never taken the MSF class. I know I should, but the class is over $250 here in AZ, versus the $25 that it cost back in MI.
Part of the reason I bought a cruiser was that it’s slower, though. The CG is lower than a sportbike and it doesn’t accelerate nearly as fast as even a 600. The horsepower is manageable, and it is able to have saddlebags (important for a teacher!).
Still, this is all just rationalization. I need to take the class. I probably won’t take the beginner class (since I can shift and all that), but the intermediate class has been recommended to me multiple times.
Oh, and I’m averaging 53 MPG at 75-80 MPH.
Is not so eay out here in the uk
first its a provisional licence which if I recall only alows you two years to pass your test or you lose the licence for a further year.
Then you have to have and pass a compulsory bike test (CBT) which shows you are fit to take a small machine out on the road, which is any bike up to 125 cc and a power output of 11 kW.
theres a theory test to take as well.
then There is a practical test must be taken on a bike of between 75 cc and 125 cc
a standard motorcycle licence , is obtained if the practical test is taken on a bike of over 120 cc but not more than 125 cc and capable of at least 100 km/h per hour.
After passing the standard motorcycle practical test, you are restricted for two years to riding a bike of up to 25 kW and a power/weight ratio not exceeding 0.16 kW/kg. After this you may ride any size of bike
there are direct access courses but its no cheap option.
It’s ridiculously easy over here. I’m not sure if some states have different classes of motorcycle licenses, but I got mine on a 100cc when I was 15-1/2. Never had to take it again, and I can ride what I want. Basically the practical test is to ride between two lines while shifting up and down, stay between the lines in a circle, and weaving through cones. Low-speed stuff.
I was lucky my dad started me out early on a mini-bike, and then on an 80cc Yamaha. In the dirt.
Gosh, you should see how things are over here. Heck, my fiancee’s younger brother died on a motorbike accident last new year.
To give you an idea of how fucked up bikers can be here, I once saw two guys riding a motorbike, on a busy high speed road, carrying a 4 meter ladder on their shoulders with their heads in between the steps.
I have a motorcycle endorsement. The only times I’ve ever been on a bike in my life were the two days that I spent getting the motorcycle endorsement. I found riding scary and have therefore not tried again.
But with gas and parking, even I’m thinking that a scooter might not be a horrible idea. (I’d retake the class, though. On the scooter.)
Of course motorcycle deaths are up. I can’t imagine how many blithering idiots with too much money just up and decided that they were going to start riding a motorcycle with no training. I’m willing to bet a not-insignificant portion don’t even bother getting their endorsement first, much less take classes.
I’m perfectly willing to believe, too, that there’s people out there who have been riding for years, even since they were children, who don’t really understand the theory behind some riding practices that would otherwise be taught in a safety class, and so they’re at larger risk too.
This quote in the second link stands out to me:
In my MSF course in June, it was drilled repeatedly into us that you can never take a curve too slowly, but you can always take it too fast. If you’re going too fast around a curve, you’ll go off the road. If you try to brake to avoid this, you’ll lose traction on your wheels and you’ll crash anyway. Brake before the curve so you can start slow and accelerate through the curve as needed. We did not leave the class until we had demonstrated that we understood this completely. How many folks who skip the MSF course understand this? You only need to screw it up once to wind up dead or in the hospital.
I accept that I may get into trouble on my bike at some point. However, everything I’ve read on crash statistics strongly suggest that my chances of doing so are no worse than if I was in my car, because I don’t act like a damned fool while I’m riding.
Everytime I think of riding a motorcycle, I think of something one of my driver’s ed instructors said–“I’ve never seen a motorcycle accident that wasn’t fatal”. That line killed any thoughts I had about getting a motorcycle license–at least in a car there’s something to protect you if something happens.
I learned to ride on a 5HP Briggs and Stratton powered mini bike when I was 5. I progressed to a Honda CT70, then to an XL100, Yamaha 125 Enduro, then to a Honda CX500 Streetbike when I turned 16. Here in WI you have to take the Beginners MSF course to get your license if you were born after Sept of '78. I was born two month too late. And although much of it was beneath me (I don’t me that arrogantly - this class is aimed at people who have never ridden a motorcyle - I had 11 years experience at this point), I did actually learn a few things.
When I joined the USAF two years later, they required me to take another class in order to drive my bike on base. I opted to take the Experienced Riders MSF course. This I would reccomend to anyone who has more than a couple of years experience on a bike. It taught me skills that I use every day on my bike. Heck, it even made me more aware of my surroundings when I drive on 4 wheels.
Let’s see… I was hit by that truck doing the two-lane dash (didn’t go down), I’ve been clipped by a car (didn’t go down), making a left turn from a stop light my rear tire found a flattened aluminum can and the bike slid out from under me, just down the street from my house, my rear end slid out from under me as I was making a left from a stop sign (I’d actively looked for debris in the road – forgot my tires were wet from rolling the bike across the lawn), saw a guy get hit by a car (he was riding like an idiot), and saw the aftermath of a buttload of motorcycle crashes. I’ve seen one fatality.
Hmm. By that logic I’d never fly in a commercial airliner. I’ve never seen one of those crash where there weren’t fatalities.
I do know of three people that have died in motorcycle accidents. And I hate to say it since they were my friends, but they were all driving like jackasses.
One guy passed a dumptruck while going up a hill on a two lane road. The police figure he was doing about 80 (in a 55) when he hit head on with a bus that came up over the hill.
One guy was doing 70 in a 25 and a car pulled out in front of him. The driver of the car saw the guy on the bike several blocks away and would have had plenty of time to pull out if the guy was doing the speed limit.
The third guy ran into the back of a manure spreader that was being pulled by a tractor. He would have had enough time to slow down or pass if he was doing to the speed limit when he came up over the hill. But, as he as doing about 120 - without a helmet - there wasn’t much he could do.
If you drive safely and are aware of your surroundings, there’s no reason a motorcycle can’t be as safe as a car.
My learning was similar. Five horsepower Taco 44 mini-bike when I was five, progressed to an ancient Yamaha 80, then a new Yamaha 100 Enduro that was too large for me, Yamaha 250 Enduro, Honda CX500, Yamaha XJ600, Yamaha YZF-R1. Years of riding in the dirt were invaluable.
I’ve thought about taking an Experienced Rider course too. It’s always good to keep current. I’ve also thought about becoming an instructor, but I don’t have the time.
I’ve got you beat. I am licensed to ride a motorcycle, but have never ridden. Back when I was in my twenties, my renewal notice came in the mail, and had me as a car/motorcycle/small commercial truck driver. II never “complained” and the license endorsements are still there.
Not that I don’t believe you, but I’d still rather be in a car than on a bike. And unfortunately, I did have an acquaintance die while riding his motorcycle So the desire just isn’t there for me anymore.
That is one thing I have told many people over the years. If you have any street experience on a motorcycle, it usually makes you a better driver in your car.
I got my Texas Motorcycle license in about 1970, and have never had to retake the test. Back then it was a simple ride around a couple of blocks while the trooper followed in a car provided by the applicant and driven by a licensed driver.
In '88 when my oldest son took the test it was a bit more difficult, but not much.
As rider with close to 40 years riding experience, I tell new riders to take the safety course. I tell returning riders to take it also.
Some of the rise in accidents is attributable to the increase in number of riders as well as the lack of experience.
About 10 years ago a bunch of us guys where I worked all got the motorcycle buzz. I was one of the first so I took the MSF class before I even bought a bike.
None of the other guys bother to take the class.
One guy rear ended a pickup truck at a low speed and trashed the front end of his bike.
One guy decided he’d like to learn to do wheelies, practiced in a parking lot, trashed the farings and handle bars by falling off the back.
Another guy hit the front brakes too hard at a stoplight and went over the front.
They all assumed I was just “lucky” since I hadn’t trashed my bike yet.
Well, we are running out of oil, but certainly not people, so I say it’s working out just fine.
I wish North American cities were more friendly to scooters. I lied my way into the rental of a scooter in Greece, with absolutely no prior experience with bikes whatsoever, and was happily putting along just fine, even figuring out that the throttle was on the handle before the rental guy caught on. That probably wasn’t very smart but even I wouldn’t want to try it with a litre bike.
Bikes are a lot faster now too, than they were 30 years ago.
I was riding my R1 home from Seattle. Now, it’s over 100 miles and on that seat my butt is good for about 80 miles. Lane-splitting is not permitted here, so I had a lot of sitting in traffic. Cops are pretty strict about speed control, so I don’t ride as fast as I did in L.A. So my backside was sore, my damaged right knee was stiff, and when I got to Bellingham I was in traffic again. There were a couple of 20-something guys in a car next to me. One of them motioned to me that he wanted me to do a wheelie. Aiyiyiyiyi. First, I was in traffic. Dude, do you see that truck right in front of me? Second, I’m fatigued after a long ride. Third, a freeway is not the time or place for such monkeyshines. Finally, I don’t do requests. I shook my head and thought to myself that this is exactly the kind of person who would get himself killed on a motorcycle.
So the desire just isn’t there for me anymore.