Is it okay for teenagers to ride motorcycles?

[adroit]

Eh, you don't sound ready from what you have written

1) An SV650 imo is too much power for a new rider. I have one and its still intimidating at times even though I started on a much smaller bike ( a 250r). I couldnt imagine starting on the sv650....i mean its just as fast as an r6 up until the top end and well past the legal speeds

2) 3 accidents in 3 years? That is not promising

3)Cheaper? not really. The gear is a pretty penny, the tires dont last near as long (around 4k-5k miles before replacing) and the mileage of a sv650 is not that much better than a car. Not to mention, the insurance I have on my bike is on par with my car's insurance (35 a month'ish) and i am 25 with a clean driving record (no tickets or accidents since 15)

4) Safety doesnt mean squat if other drivers are yapping on a cell phone or something. Even if it's their fault, who pays the price? you would. Motorcycles never win

5) A new rider SHOULD never be going 2 up. Horrible idea. I don't and never want to. If I crashed, I could never forgive myself for taking another with me

You sound as if you are trying to justify getting a bike....which i can relate to. If you do, fore sure take a MSF course, Best 200 you will ever spend

QFT

I have no problem with a teenager getting a motorcycle since I've seen some that are great riders. But based on what you've said, you should NOT get a motorcycle. Motorcycles are money pit, if you want cheap, get a used Honda Civic.

And 3 accidents? If you already have 3 accidents in a car, be prepared to be in a lot more on a motorcycle. Especially when your accidents were from you not paying attention. There are a lot more things that you will need to pay attention to when you ride that you don't need to in a car such as gravel, potholes, oil, other drivers not seeing you and turning on to you (and trust me they won't see you), lane positioning etc. You'll have to ride so defensively and you'll need to always pay attention to what other people are doing if you want to stay alive on the road since on the bike, it doesn't even matter if it is your fault or their fault, the rider will always be the one who end up with the consequence.

If you are easily distracted, you'll always find more things to distract you no matter what you ride/drive. But this time if you rear end someone on a motorcycle, instead of just dealing with insurance company to get the car fixed, you might end up on a wheel chair for the rest of your life.

I hope most of the people that think it's a good idea for the OP to get a motorcycle doesn't ride or live in N.A. Riding in Europe is different since drivers there expects motorcycles. N.A. drivers don't and won't see you.

 

[mizzouxc]

Um NO!

1. Oddly enough, I think it would be safer for me.
I have been in three 'accidents' since I started driving three years ago (only one went on insurance), one being in a parking lot (hit a parked car my first week in driving), and the other two were rear ending people at red lights. The cause of the first one was lack of parking skill, and the latter were caused by me not paying attention.

If you can't pay attention while driving your car, you'll surely hurt yourself badly while riding a bike. Riding a bike requires more concentration and coordination than riding a car. In addition, people in cars pay little or no attention to people on bikes.

I'm 31 and have been riding since I was 10. Luckily I have never been in an accident, but if I didn't have the experience that I have now, I'd likely be dead.

My big difference is that I started driving a bike first, on dirt, supervised and away from the roads. This made driving a car easier when I turned 16.

If you truly want to ride, get a used dirt bike and ride off road first. This way you can reduce your chances of accident due to other drivers or distractions. Give that a good year of riding at least twice weekly before you ride on the road.

Stay safe.

edit: Try enrolling in a MSF beginner's course before you buy a bike. They provide the bike and training.

 

[Disc Golfer]

In addition, people in cars pay little or no attention to people on bikes.

Age/responsibility aside, this was the biggest eye opener for me when I got a motorbike. You have no idea how far up their asses people generally keep their heads while driving until you're in traffic on a motorbike. Even years of bicycle commuting didn't prepare me for it as on a bicycle it's easy to stick to paths and trails with occasional and intermittent street riding. On a motorbike in city you're in the worst all the time, it's like a twisted version of marco polo.

 

[The ArchAngel]

Is it OK for teenagers to ride motorcycles? Maybe.

I've been riding since I was 16, and I believe opinions are like *******s, everyone's got one. So I may as well throw my hat in the ring and you are going to do what you want at the end of the day.

1.) Before you do anything or buy anything, go take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation basic course. They're a weekend, sometimes taught (if you're really lucky) by a local motorcycle police officer. So worth it, it blows my mind that more people don't take these courses.

2.) Get quality gear, including a helmet. If it is too hot to wear your leathers it is too hot to ride. You might think you're a bad ass riding in shorts, a t-shirt, and tennis shoes, but it won't be so cool when you're removing gravel from your skin (that's best case scenario).

3.) Find someone who has a ton of motorcycle experience and ask them to mentor you. My dad made me take motorcycle safety at age 16 and said I could ride if I wanted to after that, or at a minimum, I would be a better car driver and more aware of bikes on the road. He had been riding for 25 years at the time and his experience was invaluable in terms of making me a safer rider.

4.) Get a slow bike with a low center of gravity to learn on. You will probably dump it, so buying a new bike or one with a lot of body panels is silly. Don't buy anything that will tempt you to do something stupid.

Lastly, my dad took me to a motorcycle junk yard before he let me ride solo for the first time. I saw some scary and awful **** there, and obviously some evidence of severe injury or death left behind on some of the bikes. Ride defensively, and always be on the look out for cars because they are NOT on the lookout for you. If you say you've had 3 accidents, some because you weren't paying attention, then you should seriously re-evaluate whether or not riding is in the best interest of your health and future. People are not looking for you when they are driving cars, so your lack of attention could very well result in a bad outcome if a cage makes a mistake.

Good luck.

 

[ryan]

The somewhat ironic thing about this discussion is that the OP is the sort of distracted driver that makes riding a motorcycle so dangerous.

 

[Jaro65]

You can be as cautious as possible, but if a car/truck doesn't see you, then it is all for not.

Safety concerns aside, you only live once so do what you want to do if it fits in your plans.

I think you provided the best response I've seen here.

 

[steviem]

Being on two wheels - you HAVE to be so much more focused. A lapse of concentration can be all it takes to rear end a car, to let a car door open on you, to be merged into and sideswiped, to hit a pedestrian. Remember that coming off WILL hurt, and that protective gear can only help you to a certain degree.

Saying this, I had a scooter at 16.

I was in a hit and run 2 months into riding, but was lucky for two reasons - there were no road signs/barriers to be hit into and I was wearing good quality protective clothing. The other saving grace was that the bike I had was only capable of 55 mph (downhill with the wind behind me...).

But I knew fully the reason for me crashing. Apart from the fact the driver involved cut me up then slammed on his brakes, I wasn't fully paying attention, took too long to stop, hit his bumper, my front wheel turned and the bike slid out from under me and I slid along for about 15 feet on the front of my helmet.

It I was wearing cargo pants, some all stars, tshirt, a light jacket and open face helmet, I can't imagine the damage I would've suffered. I guess the skin from my face, arms, possible legs would be on the tarmac, along with a broken nose, broken jaw, maybe twisted ankles.

You can't really dwell on what would've happened, but I do believe I was lucky to come away from that with some bruising. It did reinforce to me that you need to be fully concentrating on what is happening. Yes another person can do something stupid, but you have a certain amount of power to decide your fate. Remember to ride safely, if you're liable to check your iPhone, put it at the bottom of your backpack.

I will say that riding made me a better driver and made it easier to get to grips with the concept of driving. All I had to learn were the controls and physical dynamics, so maybe you'll come out a better driver.

Don't think that protective gear will make you invincible too. I lost my uncle before I was born because he was in an accident, slid into a railing headfirst and the helmet could only give a certain amount of protection.

I'm only now considering riding again (age 24), but will need to do a course to get my license and only then would buy a Bandit 600 or something similar.

 

[Synchromesh]

I have some friends with 12-15 years of car driving experience and that are not teenagers that I've talked out of getting or riding a bike. I don't think it gets much more dangerous than that on the road short of going skateboarding on a highway. And a teenager who is still not used very much to a driving environment let alone a fast bike? Save your parents the hospital bills and buy a car. You can get a 2-seater if you wish. That should get you acquainted with the motorcycle etiquette on the road.

 

[Mhaddy]

I don't see a problem with a teenager getting a bike but for many of the reasons that many other posters have already stated, I don't think it's right for you. I'm a firm believer in doing what makes you happy as you "only live once" but there's no reason to expedite your expiry date.

I started riding when I was 21 for both financial and maturity reasons. My advice to you? Keep the bike on the back burner and continue driving for a few more years to build your experience. Then write your M1, take a motorcycle safety course to get your M2 and re-evaluate your awareness and skills on the road to see if a bike is right for you.