How can I convince my Dad that certain bikes are safe

[markk21]

I'm hoping in the coming months to get my A2 licence. I am looking at certain bikes such as the Ninja EX250, Ninja ER-6f and a few other A2 licence recommended bikes.

However the problem is that my Dad is so concerned about practically all motorbikes being death machines. Of course I am grateful that he want me to be safe but there has got to be a limit. Even though I have said that the DSA have a list of bikes that are suitable for the A2 Test such as ER-6f and that many motorbike media sources such as MCN recommend such bikes, he still is really hesitant that a 650cc bike is safe even though it would be restricted to 47hp and only has about 63hp unrestricted. I have explained that hp is more relevant that cc as the Yamaha R6 has 599cc but double the hp ( I am right there aren't I?) but still he seems unconvinced. He has asked me to send him stuff on the internet that backs up what I say but I was wondering if anyone knew of any sources of info that I can send to him to try and help him understand more clearly.

Thanks,

Mark

[kerr]

Just because a bike is slower, doesnt mean its any safer, biking is dangerous.
The only thing that makes it safer is the rider, you will probably get further with your dad if you convince him you are going to ride in a safe manner and ride defensively.
____________________
aprilia 125 Af1 Futura >> Suzuki gsxr 600 srad >> J1 zx6r >> cbr 600rr >> Speed Triple

[markk21]

[kerr]

Thats the thing, deep down im sure he's more worried about you being on a bike, regardless of its speed.
Maybe suggest to him your thinking about taking advanced rider courses.
____________________
aprilia 125 Af1 Futura >> Suzuki gsxr 600 srad >> J1 zx6r >> cbr 600rr >> Speed Triple

[cretin box]

There's no such thing as a safe bike.

He's right to be worried, but lots of things in life are dangerous. I used to ride everywhere in a bicycle when I was a teenager and thought I was invincible... I suspect I'm much safer now, age 34, on a motorbike on similar suburban roads wearing full kit, a helmet, with an appreciation of my own mortality and 15 years driving experience which has taught me to look around everywhere and expect that nobody else has a clue what they're doing.

Are you generally sensible and "steady now"? Are you willing to take some advanced rider courses and actually take on board what you're taught? Your attitude is a more important factor than the bike you're on, and your dad knows you well enough to know if you're going to be sensible or not.

My dad caught me doing 50 in a 30 zone in mum's car when I was about seventeen and a half... your folks aren't daft but if you can - honestly - persuade them that you'll be sensible that's the main thing!
____________________
1985 Honda Vision

[haroman666]

Perhaps a way to sway him is to mention that as a motorcycle rider you'll be more attentive to the road and be more aware of what events are happening on the road around you.
Because as a motorcycle rider you are allegedly more at risk of injury or death should it all go Pete Tong. Therefore your life preservation techniques are doubled in strength and overall you will become a more advanced road user than Chardonnay in her 1.2 Corsa, on the phone, fag in mouth and 4 screaming kids crammed in the back.

Another option is to bargain with him and say you'll run around on a 125 for 6 months. And if you complete said 6 months without incident then you get a bigger bike.

If he's got it in his head that bikes are dangerous then there's no real way of making him think otherwise. You're just going to have to give him the reality and say that if you spend your life being overly cautious then you'll never get anywhere.
____________________
The mistresses: 2000 Honda CBR600f, 2000 Honda VTR1000

[pinkyfloyd]

You are intending to go for A2 licence. That makes you at least 19 years old and you are still worried about what your dad thinks?

He's right, dont get a bike, stick to the car.

I'm an instructor and I hammer the lesson into my students on a CBT that this is one of the most dangerous things you will do and every time you put your leg over this machine it may well be the last thing you do. And thats on a 125cc bike.

We get people come here quite a lot saying pretty much the same thing you have done. Convince my mother/father/sisters dogs uncle etc. That biking is safe. They tend to tell us to "FU" when they do not get the reassurance they ask. Riding a motorcycle is dangerous. We cannot convince your father its safe or one kind of bike is safer than the other because they are all dangerous. Either do it and prove to him you are taking all the precautions by wearing the sensible gear and not buying a silly bike or dont do it and let daddy win.
____________________
illuminateTHEmind wrote: I am just more evolved than most of you guys... this allows me to pick of things quickly which would have normally taken the common man years to master
Hockeystorm65:.well there are childish arguments...there are very childish arguments.....there are really stupid childish arguments and now there are......Pinkfloyd arguments!
Teflon-Mike:I think I agree with just about all Pinky has said.

[c_dug]

This was me in October:

https://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee81/paddy2007dug/altAi8mw8PiU5NUSTxRl3-mZy8atptOsOh-RncF_ONm-fzj_zps654836cd.jpg

https://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee81/paddy2007dug/DSC_0053_zps95914235.jpg

Those were the pins that held the bone together for 6 weeks.

For the record I was riding this:

https://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee81/paddy2007dug/WP_000717_zps3b45aa7a.jpg

Which is a real old man's bike by most peoples reckoning.

My point is that the bike you choose makes very little difference, it's all about luck and attitude.

Personally somebody who insists on calling an er6 a ninja doesn't strike me as having the correct attitude, in that the ninja name is linked with fast sporty bikes. If your main aim is to achieve the sports biker image then you're probably starting off on the wrong foot.

What you need to realise, and then convey to your rightfully concerned father, is that bikes are dangerous and that you are aware of and understand the risks involved in riding and then explain what you are going to do to reduce the risks.

He probably still won't get it, parents rarely do!
____________________
I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[dydey90]

[daverave999]

The other option is to go on the angle that this is something you (as an adult) want to do and you'd rather do it with his support.

I got the same as you from my family but they eventually came round. I think it helps cement in their mind that I'm being vaguely sensible as rather than banging on about being fast I enthuse about my fuel consumption and not having to queue in traffic any more. I know, must be a laugh a minute round there.
____________________
2007 Versys 650 2001 Yamaha XJ600S Diversion
HT: Imagine a bike......A bike designed by way of crude polls, assembled by cretins using the finest hammers that Lidl had on offer.

[Aff]

I can only go by the stats that I have collected, I crashed twice on the ER6, broken shin and heel on the first one and collar bone on the second.

I have never crashed on the Fireblade.

Conclusion: The ER6 is the most dangerous bike ever built*. Buy a Fireblade.


*Supported by aforementioned statistics.
____________________
Current Bikes:Honda 929RR Fireblade, Honda CD200 Benly (Project), Stomp Z2 140
Electric Bike Project

[stinkwheel]

I'm sure Roger will be along shortly to suggest you point out it's twenty times safer than riding a horse.

That said. At the end of the day, the only valid argument for riding a motorcycle in your situation is because a) You want to. and b) You are an adult and are entitled to make that decision. That ought to be reason enough.

I had the luxury of having the argument that I needed to because I lived out in the countryside, needed to get to work and couldn't afford a car.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Skudd]

I have been biking for over 30 years and only ever nearly killed myself once. Some ride for 30 days and get killed.

If you ride long enough you will have an off, just how much of an off is down to many factors. Good training is the main reason your off will be slight.

Get any bike you want and treat it with respect.
____________________
Famous last words of Humpty Dumpty. " Stop pushing me "
Petty Anarchists look at "1984".............. The Visionary looks at "Animal Farm".

[Robster]

I can relate to this. I'm the only one in my immediate family who is into bikes, was never allowed even a moped/off road dirt bike when I was young, even though I wanted one badly. As my Granddad was a copper back in the 50s-60s and used to scrape up teenagers off the pavement, my dad and uncles were never allowed bikes, subsequently neither was I.

My dad found out I did a CBT the other week and his only words were, be careful.

This is coming from a guy with ironwork in one ankle, broken neck/vertebra, ex hang-glider/mountain biker/Aeroplane Pilot and is currently sailing around the world. When I crashed my car the first time - quite badly, he laughed it off when my mum blew a gasket. So needless to say I take his advice seriously.

End of the day, if you are an adult, and sensible, they are only concerned about your safety but they can't stop you doing what you want to.

Just be careful!

[Doovy]

You're going to die*, end of.


The only variable is how cool you look in the process of getting there





*eventually
____________________
Yamaha RXS 100 > Honda CD 250 > Honda Hornet 600 > Honda CBR 600RR > Yamaha RXS 100 > Kawasaki ZX6R J2 > Yamaha FZ1

[Ste]

It's the rider that can be dangerous rather than the bike. The cause of crashing might be other road users not seeing you, something slippery on the road, etc etc etc. Some people crash quite regularly and the blame lies with another road user so they claim from that persons insurance, buy another bike and then get knocked off by someone else.

Just because it's someone elses fault doesn't mean you couldn't have avoided it. That's why some people go for years and years and hundreds of thousands of miles without being involved in an accident.

Rather than concentrating on the bhp of the bike that'll mean you're safer, consider the idea of doing some advanced training after passing your test. The bhp of the bike isn't very relevant because people who don't ride defensively get wiped out on bikes of whatever power.

Would you be paying for the bike yourself?

[Doovy]

Train harder + ride smarter = be alive for longer.


A shithead on a 125cc can be more dangerous on the roads than a trained and aware rider on a Fireblade.
____________________
Yamaha RXS 100 > Honda CD 250 > Honda Hornet 600 > Honda CBR 600RR > Yamaha RXS 100 > Kawasaki ZX6R J2 > Yamaha FZ1

[Monkeypony]

No bikes are dangerous.

There are dangerous riders

and dangerous cagers

But the bikes themselves are as safe as houses.

Unless you drop one on yourself.
____________________
Current bike - 2018 H2-SX, 2004 SV1000s, 2016 Aprilia RSV4 RF, 2017 Sherco SERF 300, 2003 Suzuki DRZ400 (stolen - AY53 JUU)

[Rogerborg]

All of the above, bikes aren't inherently safe, although how they deliver their power may have an effect.

A Ninja 500 GPZ500S, for example, leaves you in no doubt that you've switched from "commute" to "hoon" mode at about 7000rpm.

I can't speak to a Ninja 650 ER6-f, but larger engines will get you to higher speed without fuss, so you could end up going faster than you intended. Your dad may have a point.

[dydey90]

[chris-red]

Family or not, I ignore anyone's opinion on Motorbikes/riding if they haven't actually ridden one in the last few years. Too many people think they know what the are talking about despite knowing fuck all about them.

Usually saying something like "I loving hearing about how dangerous motorbikes are from someone that has never ridden one" gives them the message that I'm not interested in their worthless drivel.
____________________
Well, you know what they say. If you want to save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs.
Skudd:- Perhaps she just thinks you are a window licker and is being nice just in case she becomes another Jill Dando.
WANTED:- Fujinon (Fuji) M42 (Screw on) lenses, let me know if you have anything.

[lihp]

[sidewinder]

The only way you can convince them is to stay in one pièce.show them you are taking all the proper training you can.buy the right kit no trackys and trainers.dont be a dick and talk about how you took that corner at 150 with your knee down.bikes in my eyes are safe.its the person in control of them.buying the little 250 it shows them your being sensible with your choice.and not buying a fire breathing monster which will eat you on the first lack on concentration .when I told my olds I was getting a bike they were the same.but when they knew I was being sensible they soon cae around to the idea.there you parents they just care about be you. 4 yrs riding and I'm still here be sensible use your training good obs forward thinking and you will be fine.

Ps parent let your boy buy a bike

[ws4936]

If your old enough to take a test and buy a bike, I'd say grow a pair...and do what you want regardless. It's your life....your Dad had his opertunity to live his life the way he wanted. It's your turn now, son.

Most of us, if not some of us here have partners who worry when we're riding, or didn't want us to buy a bike. It's because we didn't listen to them that this forum exists.
____________________
If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough.

[Aff]

I think we gathered from the other thread that daddy was buying the bike for him. I'd say in that case he can pretty much do what he wants.
____________________
Current Bikes:Honda 929RR Fireblade, Honda CD200 Benly (Project), Stomp Z2 140
Electric Bike Project