Why Motorcycling IS NOT for Everyone

4 wheels moves the body, 2 wheels moves the soul.

Sort of like being a musician. Playing a drum kit comes to mind not just because every limb is in charge of something different, but also because of the amount of multitasking and forward planning that has to happen every second you're on a bike.

I was almost killed on my sportbike back in 1999,and as I was busy healing back up,every single one of my friends and family said to me: "Boy,I bet that's the end of your riding days now,eh? ",to which I replied "ABSOLUTELY NOT! I'd rather DIE on my bike than die in my bed,an old man! ",and since that time,I've been riding ever since! TWO-WHEELS-FOREVER!!! : >)

All really good points, but the main reason I have seen people give up on motorcycles, is that they chose the wrong bike to start on. Harleys are pretty popular here and I have seen new riders buy big loaded up ones only to sit in their garage because they never felt confident riding it. I also know someone who bought a CBR600RR as their first bike (only 600cc you know?) low sided it, and never got back on. I bought my bike from a guy who went down on it and broke his wrist. He couldn't get rid of it quick enough. It's not super powerful (Triumph Speedmaster), but it is a bit heavy. My point is, that all of these people would have had a much better experience with some common sense, and a bike matching their skill level.

The lack of storage and the lack of passenger space is a big selling point. It focuses minimalism and ensures I don’t ever have to have a passenger, preserves my fortress of solitude to unwind and relax. I never ride two up and no one ever asks me to help them move

The hardest thing for me is I tend to judge people who don't ride or like motorcycles hahahaha.. I daily ride a motorcycle. Every single day. I don't drink anymore because I have to ride home. So I'm a lot less social too. I tend to prioritize riding more than anything. I do have a lot of other hobbies like martial arts, music, learning languages, comics and video games and going to places to eat but I go everywhere riding my bike. If I'm going anywhere and I can't ride there or find a decent place to park my bike. I'd rather not go usually hahaha

INB4 a 80 year old Grandma in Thailand is cranking her hog I think Americans struggle since, with our Infrastructure, most people haven't even ridden a bicycle, much less a Motorcycle, so we lose "Coordination/Balance" development in most youth now. Anywhere else in the world, I think anyone can hop on and ride and someday I hope more Americans try more motorcycle riding!

My cousin was on a bicycle and a drunk illegal went off the road and hit him and put him in a coma for a month and broke many, many bones. He was forever getting back to health. He's probably 85% back to normal now. He later told me he is looking to buy a really fast sport bike. So I said to him, "isn't your family going to object to you getting a motorcycle considering what happened to you?" He said, "oh no they don't mind me having a motorcycle, they just don't want me to have a bicycle." That really made me laugh.

I'm a car and motorcycle enthusiast. Most of the people I know don't understand the feeling you get when you shift your own gears, or when you ride your bike.

I taught MSF courses for 11 years and had several students who had never even sat on a motorcycle before taking the class. Most picked it up fairly quickly, but I ran across a few students I had to council out of the class after they fell over several times during the most simple exercises. A few of those were due to health conditions, but most were due to the student lacking the basic coordination skills to safely operate a motorcycle...even in a parking lot at slow speeds.

I have loved ones who don't want me to get a motorcycle, but I'm going to get one and take courses for my endorsement.

I have been a new rider for over one week and I bought a new 2023 Honda Rebel 1100 DCT on July 20 and it has 1,200kms on it, I love riding.......I wear safety gear all the time!

My fam ditched me entirely when they realised I got a bike. What's worse, they're a family that's been on bikes their entire life, owns a bike repair shop and basically lives on two wheels but they just wanted me to remain a dainty little princess. Too small to ride, too weak to do anything without them. So yeah it kinda goes all ways on the social stigma front.

Two takes on this. If you have zero grasp of some of the basic concepts of physics, as in what happens to a human body when it slams into an automobile at high speed, or what happens to the friction coefficient between your tires and the road when you're running over water, or leaves, or loose sand, motorcycling probably isn't for you. There is another aspect about motorcycling that probably disqualifies me. Motorcycles are uncomfortable. I mean if you wear full gear, on a hot day, and the radiator fan is blowing hot air on your leg, and the seat is hard as a rock, and so is the suspension, and you've got the wind blast in your face, not to mention bugs and rocks from passing trucks, it can be an ordeal. Then after an hour or so your bum goes numb, but it's they type of numb that feels like a dentist drill grinding against your teeth, except on a larger scale. But here's the thing, motorcyclists embrace discomfort - and that is nowhere more true than Harley riders, especially the type of Harley riders that like hard tails, extended forks and open pipes. And of course, if you happen to crash, even in a minor crash, you bang up your fingers, and you scrape a bit of skin of your knees and elbows, let alone the potential financial and legal consequences, and it just adds to the enjoyment of the experience.

When I planned on getting a bike, I went looking to get insurance. And I shopped around and found out my insurance company at the time was scamming me. Literally another $20 more than what I was paying got me “full coverage” with both my car and bike with monthly payments since I had defensive driving with both vehicles.

I picked riding back up midst of the pandemic and I had to first spend a month or so restoring my little CB250. My older brother who thought Id never get it running sees me out riding and decides hes gonna try and one-up my ass. Bought a new Harley on a whim and manages to pop his grape open whilst unloading it from his trailer. Another $4k tacked onto the price for dealer repairs and 4 years later, its still sitting in his garage doing NOTHING. Hes afraid of the damn thing now.

Here there was a girl that was super anxious and bougth a bike she got scared with a can driver and overreacted extremly bad and threw herself of a bridge ...thats why is not for anyone

I think a big factor would also be the weather. For us here in Canada, motorcycles are useless for half of the year because of snow. I've really wanted one, but I need a heated guarage to store it properly, not to mention an expensive 1000$ liscence.

Skydiving is pretty fun. Less risky than motorcycles too although an all or nothing kind of deal lol. Given that most people today are fat, lazy, and careless (at best) behind the wheel of their cars, that rules out most people as safe riders right out of the gate and young men riders are not exactly poster children for responsible riding either - that leaves a pretty small population! If you are a cyclist first, at least you'll have decent safety instincts and likely safer riding habits (and if a mountain biker too, your vehicle control likely to be pretty good as well).

I’ve rode for 17 years now, plenty of miles, types of bikes, crashed (once - shattered collar bone, split scapula, no feeling in the skin under my left knee) on the streets, on the track, and I still sometimes wonder if I’m cut out for it. 🤷🏻‍♂️