Cheers Bonzo, I agree with you... we only get one attempt at living life well.

Nobby - do you mind PM:ing me your email as I haven't got PM-rights myself yet (not enough posts).

Interesting thread...

But, if you have to ask others what you 'should' do, then perhaps you're not really ready to do it. Just a thought...

Suffice to say, people make the decisions they want to and justify them however they must as long as they get to do what they want. But nothing changes the cold, hard fact that, for every kilometer driven, motorcyclists are about 16 times more likely to die in an accident than those in cages.

But if safety, or the illusion of it, is a guiding factor in your life, better to stay home and await the inevitable. All roads lead to darkness, some a little faster than others is all. The question of what level if risk one is willing to accept to pursue a dream, and whether or not that dream is really worth it, has no answer, at least no right answer.

But the legions of so-called hard core adventure riders who adandon their 2-wheels lifestyles at the first opportunity (usually in the form of a spouse, child, or really good job) is telling. When we have more to live for, motorcycling usually takes a back seat. Life is fleeting at a walking pace; at 60kmh on two wheels it goes by even faster.

Of course, the only answer is to do what you want and accept the consequences. But inevitably, as every motorcyclist knows, thoughts of mortality and safety come creeping inside that helmet with increasing regularity as the miles and year go by. Few admit it, most deny it, many run from it, some accept it, others give in to it.

There's no right path, I suppose, other than choosing what you can live with and living with it.

Biddy

Oh give it a rest GBiddy.
Firstly when did Toby use the word 'should'?Seems to me he asked for feedback on our experiences with the fun killjoys that swarm out of their safe 'insured to the hilt' bunkers,sternly wagging their peter perfect pristine fingers at us for having the temerity to break the mould.We're in a smothering fear culture from day one and I thank every god there may be whenever I see someone shoot off at a tangent in whichever way may take their fancy(unless it involves putting other people down to achieve their up)Three cheers for the base jumpers,nudists,free thinkers and sayers,dinosaur dentists(few left now)and especially those jammy sods who can wheelie with huge skill and balls(I'm envious!).
Secondly(I could go on all day but won't)quoting stats.like 16x mortality rates doesn't allow for the idiot under 21 mob making up most of that figure and the born again old farts doing a Darwin helping with the rest.Sure,in a prang it's a tough call on us BUT there's a thing called quality of life..........I know absolutely(even if I'm wiped out tomorrow)that I would rather LIVE for ten years than survive for 50.Life is mundane at walking pace.
Thirdly don't front brake on gravel

I think tobye,that if you look at anyone who takes part in anything thats potentialy dangerous e.g firefighters,stunt performers steel construction..list goes on, they all share the same basic skills that i think is needed when riding on the road.

They dont want to die just as we don't,so reading,understanding what youve read,understanding what your instructors are teaching you,practice what you learnt all plays its part in gaining confidence which i think is what you still need to gain?

Then where risk is involved,all of the above helps put the odds more on your side,you will be able see whats around you more rather than looking but not seeing,you need to bulid that sixth sence e.g "i wont go faster cause that car is about to pull out",yep,out comes the car with no indication!.

All of the above does help to keep you safe but it doesnt guaranty saftey, because nothing in life has a guaranty with it so why should riding a bike be any different?

Confidence is gained by doing,which we all need,but we all have a different speed in gaining confidence,so find your own speed and dont let anyone else try to change that!

Lee

Gonna try keep thıs breıf as lots of good poınts have been made:
1: NEVER let anyone stop you pursuıng your dreams. To me your lass sounds lıke the selfısh one. (Sorry, people dıctatıng to each other what they can and cannot do makes me madder than hell!)
2: My mum grew up 100 yds from the TT course (ıf youve ever been over to the TT you`ll know ıts lıke a warzone for a week, ambulances, choppers etc) and my dad used to be head of road safety for trunk roads ın Scotland. Both worry but wouldnt dream of askıng me not to lıve my lıfe how I wanted.
3: Bıkes ARE relatıvely dangerous (no matter what we tell ourselves), but so ıs sıttıng on the couch gettıng fat. The flıp sıde of that my dad (Head of road safety etc!) told me: The vast majorıty of bıke accıdents are `sıngle vehıcle ıncıdents` meanıng they`re usually down to rıder error so: Rıde safe and you should be fıne.
4: Get good protectıon ın terms of leathers etc. It makes a huge dıfference.

Matt,

__________________
http://adventure-writing.blogspot.com

http://scotlandnepal.blogspot.com/

*Disclaimer* - I am not saying my bike is better than your bike. I am not saying my way is better than your way. I am not mocking your religion/politics/other belief system. When reading my post imagine me sitting behind a frothing pint of ale, smiling and offering you a bag of peanuts. This is the sentiment in which my post is made. Please accept it as such!

My missus says "ditch the bitch" and do what you want to do!

Mines never slapped a ban on me for any thing except spending all the cash and "wandering"

__________________
Nostradamus Ate My Hamster

My girlfriend wouldn't get closer than 100 meters to a motorbike 5 years ago, now she's the one who annoys me every single weekend to have a spin around, she even wants to ride the 1150GS.

People are afraid of the unknown, but when they understand what motorcycling is about 99% of 'em love it!

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A lot of poeple who do not ride have a lot of misconceptions about bikes that make them more fearful of it than is really warranted. Here are some actual things that have been said to me from non-riders:

"One little pebble and you're going down."
"If you crash you will definitely get hurt."
"I guess you have to give up the bike now that you are getting married."

We all knwo that people fear what they do not understand. Some non-riders can not understand how this bizzare contraption can balance itself on 2 wheels at speed, or how one can survive an accident. With cars it is easy to explain away with airbags and cage talk. Bikes also have answers, but they require more effort. If you can get your gf to stop with the "inconsiderate" and "death wish" and ultimatums nonsense long enough, then maybe you can explain some things, if she'll listen.

I know whole families that ride bikes and make quite the friendly family time of it, from the father right down to the 4-year-old. Now that is quite a different image as compared to the one that may be in the heads of many non-riders.

Even though I've ridden a lot and feel very confident on a bike, I still find myself getting scared sometimes thinking about the "what ifs," usually when I'm not riding. Twice people have crashed while riding with me. I've crashed 3 times, fortunately always with practically no injuries. My mom's uncle crashed his bike and died. My little brother crashed his bike while riding with me and was in the hospital for 3 days - he fully recovered but has not ridden since. This all gives me quite a bit to think about. And after all this you'd think my mom is a wreck with 2 of her son's still riding bikes. But she doesn't seem too stressed about it these days. I guess she can see the other side, too. She's seen us Come back from long trips in one peice. She's heard me talking about bike safety just as my wife has and so they know that I really think a lot about it. They know that I don't do really stupid stuff like drink and ride. My mom sees the pictures of us on our bikes in all kinds of beautiful places, and can see how much enjoyment that brings us. My wife knows for herself how enjoyable it is as she rides on the back quite a lot. It takes some strength to put that over the fear. And that is why the ultimatums are so out-of-place. The people who love you should want you to enjoy your life. That may sound a bit manipulative, but it isn't when put together with a more reasonable understanding of the risk level.

You can use statistics to support either side of the motorcycle safety debate. The most determining factor of your safety on a bike is YOU, not other riders, and statistics are based on other riders. If you are an idiot, stick to cars, better yet, save the rest of us and don't drive at all. If you've got a brain, and use it, any vehicle can be reasonably safe. Unfortunately stupid people are too stupid to realize how stupid they are, as is evident by the driving behavior of most people on the road. We all have stupid moments. Anyone can make a mistake. There is always some risk. But use your head, seek out formal training, wear protective gear, ride within your limits and THINK AHEAD. Riding ability doesn't come from instinct and talent, it comes from training and thinking.

I can understand why people don't want their family riding bikes. My wife is really pushing to ride her own bike and yowsa that make me nervous!

I have similear experiences to fcasado. My wife didn't ride bikes before we met and now she is always asking to go on weekend rides as a passenger and is eager to start a long trip with me. We've been talking about the transam trail. And like I said in my previous post she also wants to ride her own bike. It is the same story with my older brother who is married with a kid and they both still ride their bike together. It is such a great experience to have together. It's a shame to be scared away from such a great experience by stupid people who rack up bad statistics or just simple fear of the unknown. That said I never really encourage anyone to learn how to ride motorcycles. It is one of those things that you really need to put the effort into learning about in order to be safe, not just take it on as a casual hobby.

some good advice here. Im lucky as my wife lets me do what I want.

Life is short and is to be enjoyed, my Mum never let me have a bike, so when I moved out I did the test and then bought a scooter, I forgot to tell he it was 800cc! She sort of got used to the idea by then.

Grant makes a good point that whilst accidents do occur many many accidents can be avoided, you will realise after good training how much is in your hands (athough clearly not all accidents can be avoided).

She´s your girlfriend so you have to work with her on helping her get over her problem (and it is a problem and it is hers and not yours). These days personally I just tell people straight what I think. I have to say im sick of being told by obese smokers about how dangerous bikes are.

welcome to the family!

bob

Hiya,

We'll I've read quite a few of the replies on this post and to be honest.... skimmed few some of the others.....

We are quite lucky as Trent and I had both been riding for a while when we got together at 20... Trent since he was aged 6 and I since I was 15 (we're from small town NZ!). Personally I think that by learning at such a young age we were able to bypass the "fear" that so many friends have gone through from learning, getting licenced etc at a later age. I wouldn't be keen to have to go through it all again now.

So, at 35 years old, about 10000km into our trip from UK to NZ (yep we took the scenic route) I had a bit of a spill in Turkey. Nothing major, but gave me a bit of a fright. When I was talking to my Dad about it a couple of days later I realised how lucky I was to have had parents who when I said at 15 "I wan't a motorbike" didn't try talking me out of it instead made me do the whole thing properly (as well as paying for it myself!). Good gear, extra safety courses etc... My Dad's attitude when I spoke to him from Turkey was if you're gonna ride halfway around the world then chances are then you've got to take to good with the bad. Once again though, I say this incident was nothing major.

We were just lucky that by the time the idea for our trip came around we were both already riders!!!!

It's a real bummer when people are held back by other people's fears. I still freak out when my husband and my brother are out on their roadbikes on a Sunday afternoon in south east England... But I'm afraid that is my nature.

You can't make someone live your dream as much as you can't make them live yours.

Just my 2 cents worth....

Jacqui

This is what most people think.

"Riding a motorcycle is bad. It's dangerous !
You should take up a healthy wholesome sport like horseback riding.
Those bikes are dangerous, I saw that on TV"

Below is part of an article about the "safe sport"
from http://www.hughston.com/hha/a.horse.htm

Horseback Riding
Injuries and Safety Tips

An estimated 30 million Americans ride horses each year. However, more than 2,300 riders under the age of 25 years are hospitalized annually because of horseback-riding injuries. The reason is that some activities, such as jumping and cross-country, are inherently risky because horses can weigh up to 1,500 pounds, travel as fast as 30 mph, and stand as tall as 3 meters high. Most injuries result from falling off the horse, which can lead to severe and sometimes fatal injuries.

Believe it or not!
Horseback riding carries a higher injury rate than motorcycle riding. On average, motorcyclists suffer an injury once every 7000 hours of riding. By contrast, an equestrian (horseback rider) may have a serious accident once every 350 hours.

I have really enjoyed reading all the comments to this thread and to hear a bit about other people's experiences. I am of course fully set on taking my license this summer.

I will never be able to convince my partner to ride a bike, however. She is quite a "girly-girl" and do not even now how to ride a bike . I just need to make her understand that motorcycling can be relatively safe; and I hope I will be able to. All your points about motorcycling as a lifestyle are very useful.

By the way, and slightly off-topic... I think motorcycles seem the perfect combination to an alternative way of life and something I am dreaming about doing, namely scaling down the way I live (less materialism and live-to-work mentality), instead I would only work for a certain number of months each year, saving up, followed by a few months of travelling with my bike on the cheap. This is something I'd like to do in a couple of years time... in the meantime I will try the life of a homeowner in London. Also - the thread http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...-lifestyle-458 shows there are a large amount of people on this forum that are already doing this to a smaller or larger extent.

Best ,
Toby

Hello all!
When my ex-girlie was out on her Ducati on her own, I was worried sick. Litterally. When we were out riding together, she always drove up front so that she could decide the riding pace.

The same goes with my brother, when he`s out riding alone, I can`t sleep. Literally.

BUT, I worry less when we`re out together because then you get to know their driving pattern and can keep an eye on them. Take your girlfriend out for a ride, on a road not too dense with traffic.
Ride very carefully and slow. 80km/h feels very fast for someone who`s never been on a bike.
She will then experience for herself that it is not a near death experience everytime you`re on a bike and she will worry less. Still worry, but less!

Good luck, hope everything sorts out well for you and your missus!


Regards
John