My Dad is also a motocycle rider and sent this via email:
"Apparently, some friends are suggesting that you consider a motorcycle in preference to a scooter. A big caution at this point. Every person I know who is a rider will offer this advice... start small (in terms of engine size) and work your way up. The bike I restored and ride (a Honda CL 350 Scrambler) has a 350cc engine and is faster than a bat outta Hell. More power than I would ever need. Unfortunately, a lot of folks who are entering (or returning to) the world of motorcycles buy one of the big ones (something over 650cc) because they 'wanna go fast.' And they do. Interestingly, the mortality rate has jumped considerably because of this market segment.
Smaller bikes (whether they are scooters or motorcycles) give the rider time to become familiar with traffic and handling while not overpowering the novice. Nimble, they will have plenty enough power for around town types of riding. Getcha up and down the hills of San Francisco without a sweat. And do know that scooters have plenty of 'oomph.' Some of those little guys will do 65 mph (and believe me, 65 mph on a bike is plenty fast). While it is true that a motorcycle generally has more power and versatility than a scooter, scooters are not powerless by any means. Don't allow yourself to be talked into something - go with what you feel comfortable.
Finally, this... Is riding a motorcycle fun? Definitely, yes! Is it all fun? Definitely, no. The one important lesson that you will learn in the MSF course is that you MUST adopt a completely different mindset from auto driving when you scoot. Concentration and defensive driving are the essentials of staying alive out there. Yesterday I had a driver nearly force me into the curb when he simply pulled into my lane. No warning, no signaling. Since I was small and nimble enough I could just pull over and let him in. I hit and held my horn. Even then it took him some time to react. When he did he just shrugged his shoulders and smiled. He then went back to talking on his cell phone and adjusting his radio. He, and a lot of drivers just like him are out there. Had I not being paying attention to him BEFORE he made his move, I may not have had enough time to react properly to his lane change.
The moral of this little story is that you really have to be 'ON' when you are riding. It is fun, but you cannot let the fun aspect cloud your personal responsibility to your own well being. In other words, be careful out there."
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3 comments:
Ahhh . . . always a teacher Mr. B! I have to agree though. My uncle just retired as the head of the Oregon motorcycle safety department so I've heard many stories. Be safe!
I agree. Your mindset is the most important safety equipment. You kind of always have to be thinking, "what is the dumbest thing the driver of that car could do right now?" and then make sure you could avoid them. As for the motorcycle/scooter thing, I would definitely not recommend you getting a large bike for your first one. My first bike was an '80 Honda CM400T with a 400cc engine. One thing to consider is that new bikes get a lot more power out of the same displacement engine. My '82 Yamaha is a 750cc, but it can barely go 80 and it sounds like it's about to blow up when it does. A new 750cc bike can probably go over 100 without complaining. Anyway, I would recommend something in the 250-500cc range. I'm excited for you to take the class, it's really fun.
can we get some more advice or something? anything?
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