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I’ve seen data (which I can’t search for or post right now) that suggest that the motorcycling demographic group that has the highest risk of accident is the mid-life crisis crowd (and I’m in that crowd by the way) who only rides occasionally. This data also suggests that those who ride all of the time are actually involved in fewer accidents.

As posted earlier, motorcycling is much more physically demanding than driving a “cage”. One is in the elements, must keep one’s head on a swivel, must be ready and able to shift one’s weight on a seconds notice to help control the vehicle and be focused on road conditions at all times. I have personally noticed that just like with firearms, muscle memory comes into play. When I’ve been riding a lot, I do the right things automatically without having to consciously think about doing them. If I haven’t ridden in a while, and I take my bike to work, I’m very stressed for the first few trips until that automatic response memory kicks in.

I have a friend who used to fly for the US Navy. He once told me that naval aviators must make a certain number of carrier “traps” periodically or risk being de-certified for carrier operations. He said that this was because the Navy had figured out that there is no practice quite like actually doing it. I truly believe that the same is true for a lot of other things including safe and accurate use of firearms and motorcycling.

My motorcycle will never be “driveway jewelry” primarily because I’d much rather ride it than polish on it. I tell my wife that this makes me happier and safer and she humors me.

I agree with Bronco78. When each of my sons started riding I had them take them MSF course and get their licenses, then I rode with them for weeks on uncrowded country roads. One of the things I emphasized every time we got on the bikes and again when we got off is this:

"When riding a motorcycle, you may well be in the right, but the chances are that you are still going to be the one who gets to be dead if things go south. And, it won't matter to you who's at fault if you are dead. The safe motorcyclist must take the responsibility for every other vehicle on the road and assume everyone else is trying to knock him down."

Some people have told me that they can't enjoy the ride if they have to ride with that type of attitude. I've always replied that they should probably rethink the entire idea of motorcycling...

Purplehood wrote:The whole "get a Harley" issue is simply a new take on the "get a 1911" issue.

Where I see an important similarity is how both preferences are tempered by a need for awareness and education on both.

Once again I find myself agreeing with Purplehood.

As I've said twice, there's a lot of preference involved. And, the perceptions of many people are formed from their experiences or what they've heard which often does not consider the fact that the manufacturers are constantly changing things.

For example, many percieve the Goldwing as being too heavy, difficult to handle and slow. They may not realize that the current generation of Goldwing is 20% lighter while having a 20% larger engine than the previous generation. Today's Goldwing is much faster, more powerful and nimble than any previous version. It's still not a sport bike. But it does have a bigger engine than Honda puts in the Civic car at about one third the weight. And, with the horizontally opposed engine, the center of gravity is very low allowing it to handle like a much lighter bike as long as one doesn't lean too much. And, everything that is high up on a Goldwing is plastic Tupperware which doesn't really weigh anything.

I find that the old adage about "it ain't so much the arrow as the indian" is also true with motorcycles (and firearms for that matter). I've never had any trouble keeping up with peg dragging sportbikes on very spirited rides. I'll always offer to ride tailgunner to "not slow anybody down", but often get worried looks when they notice how close those two big headlights might get in their mirrors. I don't do anything dangerous, and they may get around some curves a little faster, but I can generally make up the gap very quickly.

Having said all of that, it's still not a beginners bike. I still recommend the SV, or the dual sport version that Warhammer rides. Same basic bike but hung with frame and suspension for some off-road capability.

Like I said in my earlier post - it will boil down to preferences.

I haven't ridden everything ever made, but have been riding for over thirty years and have ridden at least several of every style of motorcycle out there. I currently have only one and my bike is a Goldwing. It's been said that if you're thinking about getting one, DON'T ride a Goldwing or the decision will have been made and you'll have to get one for sure.

I've never ridden a bike more reliable, more comfortable, as nimble (for a very large bike) or requiring less maintenance. The thing just goes every time I push the go button. And they run forever if you take care of them. I've taken it on long trips and also use it for a 40-mile round trip commute. I may own other bikes, but I'll always have a Goldwing in the garage until they tell me I can't ride anymore.

Having said all of that, I would NOT recommend getting a Goldwing for a first bike. If one gets into trouble on anybody's big bike things tend to go south very quickly. Most folks can pretty easily force a 400 pound bike to do whatever they want it to do. But, I don't know anyone who can "manhandle" a 1,000 pound motorcycle. Once the lean angle gets too great, gravity is going to win big time. It takes good technique and experience to ride a big bike safely.

Furthermore, as said in another previous post, there are only two types of riders out there, those who have been down and those who will go down. A Goldwing is a pretty expensive bike to drop - all that Tupperware is not cheap to buy or to replace. I strongly recommend starting out on something cheaper to buy, cheaper to fix, lighter and easier to handle and then move up when and if that feels right.

Both of my sons had Suzuki SV-650s for their first bikes. These bikes were relatively inexpensive (especially if you can find a lightly used one from someone who is moving up), easy to handle, very nimble, enough power to go pretty much anywhere and do pretty much anything but not so much that one has to fight it to keep out of trouble, relatively easy to work on, bullet-proof engine, a very linear and predictable throttle response, good low-end torque (for when you find yourself in the wrong gear) and good resale value when/if you want to get something bigger after a couple of years.

There are a lot of 600cc class bikes out there, but most of them have high revving in-line 4 engines that are either barely loping or are in blast off mode. That’s great for the racetrack but not particularly good for learning or for riding in traffic (even for an experienced rider). The SV, being a V-twin, has a more linear throttle response and more low-end torque (as well as not so much blast off). It has less high-end performance than some other bikes in its class, but if you’re a beginner intent on not becoming a statistic, maybe that ain’t so bad.

Motorcycles aren't any more inherently unsafe than handguns or chain saws or lots of other things out there. The level of risk involved all depends upon both the manner in, and the level of skill with which they are used.

Motorcycling means different things to different people. For some it's loud pipes and leather fringe dangling in the wind. For others it's scraping footpegs at g's only a Formula One car could do on four wheels. For still others it's economical transportation that still has some level of performance excitement. And finally, for some it's about unobstructed views and being in the elements on trips. Sometimes is a combination of several of the above factors. I've always felt an important first step was for an individual to try to figure out what motorcycling means to him. That will help decide a lot of things including type of equipment (bike and safety), level of risk, level of training required to appropriately mitigate the risk, etc.

Similar to choice of firearm, the choice of motorcycle depends on what tasks you wish to accomplish and even then, there will still be a lot of personal preference. And again, similar to firearms, one really needs to get appropriate training for the activities one wishes to undertake. That's the only real way to mitigate the risk.

Having said all of that, I'll leave you with a few additional thoughts about motorcycling:

1. + eleventy billizzion on the MSF courses. The Beginner Rider Safety Course is a great way to begin and get a good introduction with no real committment. You don't even need to own a bike yet to take this course - they provide the bikes. It might also be a good way to get your wife to see how serious you are about riding safely.

2. Always dress for the fall, not the ride.

3. If you are going to survive, you have to be on the lookout for "Get-There-Itis". Many motorcyclist, light airplane pilots and small boat sailors have died from this. There will be times when conditions are just not condusive for safe motocycling and only you can decide NOT to ride. It may be the weather, the traffic, how many beers you've had (any?), you may just not be feeling well, or some combination of the above. The bottom line here is that the margin for error is much more narrow on two wheels and sometimes the smart move is to opt for either just not going at all or going another way. If you get into the mental zone where you just have to "Get-There" you may well be in trouble before you even start the trip.

4. Motorcycles are the most manuverable vehicles on the road and they offer unobstructed view. These are your most important survival tools. Never allow yourself to be boxed in without a way out. The trick to survival is to simply no longer be there when the soccer mom who is applying her eye make-up while driving decides her Suburban needs to be where you and your motorcycle are.

5. I personally am not interested in the Spyder, if I was not going to get a real motorcycle I'd just as soon get a convertable. (Not hating on what you like, it's just like I said before, there will be a lot of personal preference.)