Hey all. I am 16 years old, and just got my drivers license a month ago. And I also have this love for motorcycles . I have been riding dirt bikes and quads and snowmobiles since i was in 4th grade. Started out on an 80cc honda. But never had a chance to get a bigger bike so i used my dads DRZ 400 for a bit of easy trail riding. (I'm 5'11 , 130 pounds, so I'm a skinny kid, its not easy for me to manage the weight on rough trails).
So i was wondering about getting my motorcycle license! I have the ok from my parents, but Im scared that i will get into an accident. I don't really see my self as a reckless kid. Never once touched alcohol or drugs, never done a single wheelie in my life.(well once unintentionaly when i was learning ). If i wear all the safety gear, and try everything in my control to be safe, what is the likely hood of me getting into a crash? I would mostly be driving back roads, no highways. just a bit of driving to school and work and back.

 

Good to hear you want to move to the street, and do it safely. I learned, as did a lot of riders, on dirt bikes as a kid, and most of agree it has made us better riders. Don't be afraid of the move to the street, just do it with caution. Just remember that to car and truck drivers you are almost invisible (this is why street bikes have "always on" head lights and tail lights), and it's up to you to make your self visible to them. I ride all 4 seasons, and even though I live in Pennsylvania, I work in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California for 11 months out of the year, I can tell you what ever the season or area, drivers don't expect to see someone on a motorcycle in the rain, the cold, or let alone the dead of winter. Under those circumstances I ride wearing a hi visibility Mil. spec vest like what you would see a worker in a construction zone wearing. To me there is a difference between a crash and an accident. To me and accident is caused by many factors that you don't have control of, a deer jumps out in front of you, someone runs a red light, or you get rear ended (this happened to me at a stop light once). A crash is caused by a rider riding either A: riding beyond their abilities B: riding beyond their bikes limits or C: riding beyond what road conditions dictate are safe. As long as you don't do A,B, or C, you shouldn't crash. The best you can do to avoid an accident is always be aware of everything around you, and constantly formulate on "out" in your mind. As an example, your riding down that back road and you come up to a cross road. You don't have a stop sign, but you know the opposing traffic does. You see a car pull up to the stop sign and stop. The sun is at your back, and you can see the driver looking at you. Are you sure the driver can see you? Remember the sun is at your back and the driver is looking into it, even though you have your head light on, the suns glare my block that out. The car pulls out, what do you do? When you first saw the car, even before it stopped, you should think "What do I do if that guy doesn't stop?". And after he stops, you should be thinking about what to do if he pulls out in front of you. Go to a parking lot and practice panic stops. Most riders over use, and are overly dependent on the front brake, it does provide the majority of your stopping power. But in a panic stop, over use will unload the rear tire or even loft it, loosing critical traction, INCREASING the stopping distance. Worst case you lock the front, face plant on the pavement, and have your bike on your back. In a good panic stop, the bike will "squat" almost evenly, meaning the front and rear suspension will compress evenly, keeping maximum weight on both tires. Try starting by hitting the back brake first (compressing the rear) then equaling the pressure with the front brake (compressing the front), till the bike comes to a stop "squatting". Panic braking is different than normal braking, but with practice it will become second nature. You will have to learn to ride in traffic and the best way to learn to ride in traffic is to do it, start with Saturday and Sunday afternoons when traffic is light. In ending, your likely hood of getting into a crash is high if you don't follow the A,B, and C's. But the facts are I have just as much of a chance of getting into an accident as you do, and I've been riding street bikes for almost 25 years. We just have to practice to avoid them, and prepare if we can't (helmet, boots, long pants, long sleeve jacket, gloves). Hope this helps you, and sorry it's so long, but I don't like to scrimp when it comes to safety and education.

 

Welcome, Stealth. Yes^, yes^, and yes^, to Ty's post. Providing you use your head and skills when you ride, I think you'll be as safe as possible. Some of us would probably say we feel "safer" on a bike in some ways. On any given day, though, you may be in the wrong place at the wrong time; that's life, (and like Ty said) THAT's why we wear gear. Let us know how your decisions work out. We're here, and glad to give you straight answers.
Welcome, again.

 

Great advice thanks guys!

 

Welcome to the forums, as far as bikes go, you can't go wrong with the KLX...heheheh shameless plug.