Danger! Death! Amputation! Disabilities! Brain damage!

[BenR]

[talkToTheHat]

As transport? It's risky. High risk groups are young people, those on just a CBT, those on small capacity machines and those returing to riding after a long break.

As an adrenalin sport? It's relatively safe and cheap (see horseriding, skydiving, surfing, sailing). Adv riders and grenelaners are underrepresented in accident statistics.

If you're worried, get training. Get licences, do bikesafe/ERS, join IAM, or pay big monies for offroad riding school.

I used to tool around on private land a bit as a teen and did some had a bit of training, it was loads of fun, I fell off loads but for the most part you bounce on wet mud.

Did Bikesafe when I was on 33bhp licence (pre A2 rules), really helpful, ERS not long after. Trying to IAM in the car (boo, hiss) at the moment but its a bit disorganised and i've been sabotaged by needing to lend car to my mum.

I was 27 when I got off my ass and started road riding. I'd just left achademia and was quite ill. Then the singer in my band headbutted a bus on the way to his shit job at a bank. He survived but that knd of brain damage rewrites your personality. It was the kick up the ass I needed to do a few things whilst i still could. And I'm losing friends to suicide, drugs, type 1 diabetes, cancer. You only live once. Don't live a shit life regretting all the things you didn't do.
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Bandit. does. everything.

[M.C]

[RAYK47]

For me (inexperienced rider just starting now in mid 40's) the fact that the OP feels he needs to ask these questions clearly shows he is very worried by whatever he had read or heard.

With this amount of uncertainty about safety it is likely it is going to play on his mind when he is riding. Distractions about crashing is not something you shoud have on your mind while on a bike.

[M.C]

[talkToTheHat]

Do it, just do it safely. With proper training and good kit.

I got hurt a few months in. If I'd have been wearing trainers and jeans, i figure being pulled along with ankle between bike chain and ground could have been messy. And there i was sat waiting for x-ray reading through the small ads in mcn. I could have stopped then. I'd have regretted it. I'd have been one of the people justifying giving up becasue it could have been much worse.

I was riding again a month later. Riding's kept me sane. It means I'll visit my mum or friends given the slightest excuse, becasue it's an excuse for a ride. Needed some artists' paintbrushes yesterday. Cost me a tank of fuel.
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Bandit. does. everything.

[eifion]

Will you die? Absolutely, one day, 100% guaranteed.

Will a motorbike have anything to do with it? Probably not. 114 deaths per billion vehicle miles for motorcyclists (2013 in the UK) Looks awfully high compared to the 2 for cars, but 114 / billion is one every 8.7M miles.

10k miles a year for the next 50 years is only half a million miles. Only 1/16th of the way to the point were you're starting to push your luck.

As Tef noted (if you picked it out of the wall of text), there's plenty of everyday things you do without thinking that are riskier.
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SR125 -> 6 year gap -> SV650 -> Deauville -> NC750X -> Vstrom 650

[Johnnythefox]

Much death and brain damage could be avoided if only 'the road ahead was clear'

[Ste]

[Jamieking86]

If your worrying about it this much already, maybe biking is not for you, although i do know where your coming from. I had been humming and aarghing for a few years before watching a program and seeing a guy riding round country roads and i thought, "I really want to do that" So the next day i booked my CBT.

3 month later in April 2018, I passed my test, had my full licence and i picked up my MT07 the same day. I don't have 1 single regret about any of it. It's probably the best decision I have ever made, my only regret if any, is that i didn't do it 14 years ago (I'm 32 now).

Most bike accidents from what I've seen on youtube etc, are bikers going too fast, either round corners or too fast in general. If you don't ride like an idiot, watch out for every car pulling out of junctions, roundabouts, don't stay in peoples blindspots on dual carriagways, motorways etc (which i know seems a lot, but you soon get used to watching everyone around you), and you will be absolutely fine. Get used to your bike first, It's far too easy to become over confident far too easy. I did this at a biker cafe with 1000+ bikers watching when i dropped my bike as my partner climbed on the back and i didn't have my side stand down, very embarassing moment but i learn't from it and i will never do that again.

Hope you have made a decision and ride safe.

[Kaya75]

OP Before you get all fecking smart arse with me, i can read and I can understand you pointless question, please understand the friggin variables are the same for all bikes once rider and bike have separated at any speed.. simple physics pal, so no point in pissing comps and scar comparisons is there? Google Guy Martin crashes not that hes the only rider but you can judge for yourself the recovery and the luck and the variables involoved in stacking anything.. my advice is;


Get a 125 on the CBT, commute on A roads, if you still want a "bike" do the DAS when you get you first 600 or vstrom you'll feel safe as houses! Lol

No fecker gets out alive mate, but we've all had days when we "felt" it wasnt our day... some even stay at home.

You can mitigate all the risks in the world, but can't mitigate the risk of a twist.

Adventure bikes, so are you planning on a lot of green lanes and tracks? Because I feel a more roadstar type bikes is better equipped to handle A roads and towns tbh. There is no safer bike, not like cars mate, less mitigation of physics available.

Remember its not the speed you stack this shit its the speed you stop that'll kill you.

Go for it, join a club, generally DAS centres and schools do ride outs and that, a good and well priced bike will not loose value fast, so if you sell give up you'll only loose the cost of you actual kit. Plus you will be able to say i did it but wasnt for me.. better then "I'd love a bike, but im just sooooooooo crazzzy id kill me self"..

A CBT and 125cc plus bit of kit will set you back less then a grand, 500 even if you got biker mates or go really basic. Cost may not be an issue to you but looking good cash should be an issue to all!

You can do you CBT on a schools bike and hire kit, at least you'll get a Day.. be warned though its not much of "real" experiance, but gets you using hands and feet together 👍

Goodluck and stay safe
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ybr125 Sold, GSF600 K1 Bandit (For Sale), FJR13000 gen2.

[Andy_Pagin]

Stop looking for excuses not to try biking and give it a go.

Yes it's dangerous, but so is walking down a flight of stairs.

A few hundred bikers are killed each year, a few thousand people die in accidents in the home. Therefore applying the principal that you can prove anything with statistics biking is infinitely safer that sitting indoors.
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They're coming to take me away, ho-ho, hee-hee, ha-haaa, hey-hey,
the men in white coats are coming to take me away.
Yamaha Vity -> YBR125 -> FZS600 Fazer -> FZ1-S Fazer

[Lo-Fi]

[recman]

Anyone wanna buy a bike?

[Bikeless]

Sock

[Ste]

[Kal]

[bhinso]

Learn to read.

[biker7]

I have been riding 50 years. Yep bikes are dangerous. Perhaps that adds to the appeal! Well actually, bikes are not dangerous, but throttle hands are! Still, better to have ridden and crashed than not ridden at all.
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Swansea area
Fat Bob (2019)

[Andy12345]

Thats so funny, ive been wondering what a teffing meant

[Travis Bickle]

[Travis Bickle]

Also would like to mention just for good measure, to answer your original question sincerely. A motorcycle in the hand of a MALE under the age of 21, preferably 25 or even 30, is a rank bad idea and you're guaranteed to kill yourself. I'm glad I waited until my 30s cos I know what I was like back then.
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Must Go Faster
1999 Yamaha FZS600 Fazer