Beginner bikes 2007 ??

[Clint]

Great post as usual, Tab. You're right... that is the challenge. But it's the same challenge we face with keeping kids sober, getting people to wear their seatbelt, and getting folks to stop smoking. It's the fine line between being tough and being talented. I'm not sure what the solution is, so I work at it here by trying to educate folks about riding. I really appreciate the experience you and some of the others offer.

[Tab B.]

Originally Posted by RowdyRed94

Great post as usual, Tab. You're right... that is the challenge. But it's the same challenge we face with keeping kids sober, getting people to wear their seatbelt, and getting folks to stop smoking. It's the fine line between being tough and being talented. I'm not sure what the solution is, so I work at it here by trying to educate folks about riding. I really appreciate the experience you and some of the others offer.

Hey, I know I'm not anything special, but I do certainly enjoy being a part of groups of people that have some honest concerns. Even if we do sometimes get carried away making faces at each other.

[Clint]

LOL. Point taken.

[Ext1jdh]

lol that's what she said lol

[smikail]

I Disagree with the "Big Brother" concept, Just to give you a little back ground. I learned riding on a 125cc dirt bike in a riding school(3 days). I was terrified as hell and I failed the first time due to confidence issues and when I passed the exam I had no skills or confidence or understanding of how to ride a bike.

I bought my first bike 800cc brand new, I had the common sense not ride it back from the dealership, I had it delivered to my home. I went to a school parking lot and got used to the bike almost for a whole week before I went on the road. Couple of months later, I gave the throttle a crank to see how fast the bike can go, I was holding the holly handle bars for dear life, this was enough for me to respect the power.

After my first year riding my insurance dropped by 1/3 (I guess the insurance company guessed if I lived the first year, I will likely live longer to pay more premiums

Going back to the point, a stupied rider with death wish will have it for sure if they do not learn quickly how to respect the machine (it is like a gun for those who have or used one). 125cc or 800cc will accelerate much faster than any car you have driven, the basics of handling a motor cycle is the same for all, getting used to handle a certain bike takes time and this is where all newbies forget to give enough time

In Canada, they have the graduate system for bikes and cars. your given a license to ride for 5 years (no booze allowed) , after which you get re-tested and if you pass (booze allowed) and if you fail they yank the license away.And here where it becomes a an industry and money maker for big brother, "how all of a sudden after 5yrs riding it is not safe for you to ride again?" so you are forced to do a re-test and may go to a course. of course the pass rate is not 100%.

motorcycling can be safe if your ride responsibly and wear your gear

Smikail

[Barbarian]

Which province makes you wait five years before being legally allowed to be stupid enough to drink and drive?

Driving is a provincial responsibility in Canada, just like it's a state job in the U.S. Every province has its own rules and regulations, and there are many, many loopholes.

Fr'instance, in Quebec, the latest set of rules (they change 'em so often I can't keep track) says NO DRIVER OR RIDER is allowed a drop of booze for 24 months, or until age 25, whichever comes first.

The only time someone needs retesting is if they let their license expire for too long (used to be 3 years).

[allan4169]

I once again thank everybody for their replys. Some of the replys have been from individuals who have talked about their experiences and how they survived without 'big brother' stepping in. Well I'm glad that they were able to enjoy their large bike and continue to do so. My concern is for the other young riders who don't have that self survival inspiration. There are a lot of us who took falls on our bicycles, skateboards, etc who realized that fall of a motorcycle at a higher speed is really going to hurt so maybe I need to take it easy for a while. So we did that we did survive. But what about the others who don't have that self survival instinct. Those kids who street race, skateboard off railing into the middle of streets. Youv'e seen them on Youtube. It's a sad fact that laws are there to protect the ones who don't have the brains to see what is reasonable and responsible. If we didn't have speed limits, most of us would drive responsibly (more than likely a small increase in speed ) but there would be a group that would have no concern for whats reasonable and responsible and drive way too fast and deaths would follow. So we have laws to set limits. Most of us accept those laws as we drive/ride around that limit anyway, but it is a way of setting limits for the select few that don't think. And that is what I think we need to protect those young new riders who think that they are invinsible, know everything about riding fast powerfull motorcycles and can handle anything out there on the road. I see it everytime there is a fatality up on the Angeles Crest Highway. Some kid on a brand new sport bike not thinking and either wiping himself out or worse yet involving an innocent fellow rider. Over the last four months I have seen at least five accidents with two of them being fatalities and it's very sad to see anybody being hurt. After these incidents the cops patrol the Crest sections and are very quick to hand out speeding tickets for any violation. I don't blame them but I wish they didn't have any reason to be out there.
I don't want to see any extra restrictions on established riders, but I want to see more restrictions on new riders so they can become established riders. Obviously any decrease in fatalities will make our mode of transport more accepted by the general population and by our loved ones.