278 thoughts on “3 Reasons Why You Should Ride A Motorcycle”

1. I peeled one of you morons off the pavement last Sunday. The man was going about 80, and rear ended a car. He was wearing a helmet but it was the type that only covers your head not your face. He laid in the middle of the road mumbling “aaaaaahhhhh” He was airlifted to Harbor View Hospital in Seattle. I don’t know or care if he made it. Happy Easter.
   Live your life as you see fit but nothing will convince me that Motorcycles or for anyone other than morons.

   1. Living life means accepting risk. But most people spend their day pretending that there’s zero chance they will die that day.
      Riding a motorcycle means openly accepting risk. It means acknowleding that yeah, shit can turn deadly in an instant, so you’d better pay attention.
      I’ll take the second option, and leave the sheep to their pretend safety.
      Realistically, if 100% of the United States rode on two wheels to work every day, the streets of this country would be the safest in the world, because there wouldn’t be anyone not paying attention to their driving.

      1. I see it as accepting risks with little reward; little different than Russian Roulette But, like I clearly said “Live your life as you see fit”.

         1. You clearly have never been stuck in city gridlock traffic with the legal right to split lanes if you think there are no advantages. Commute times in Los Angeles during rush hour are cut in half if you ride on two wheels.

         2. The little reward part is a wild guess on your part in regards to many other people. Going for a ride through the curvy hills in Northern California is one of the most enjoyable things I do every spring, and Im a middle class kinda guy that has many enjoyable things in my life already. Some people enjoy model trains, some people enjoy riding through forests highways on a streetbike, others enjoy riding dirtbikes through the actual forest.

         3. Since most likely car drivers don’t have to spend 2 months in a hospital with broken limbs (if you’re lucky), I say it’s time well spent.

         4. You’ll never know the absolute awesomeness and soul expanding experience of riding through the Rockies on your birthday with your father then. I on the other hand wouldn’t trade that experience for all of your “safety” if you paid me a million dollars hard cash.

         5. I wish everywhere had legal lane splitting. It does seem like it’d be a bit nerve wracking at first.

         6. It is definitely scary at first. However, you soon learn that there’s safe ways to do it, and very dangerous ways to do it.
            Best use:
            Being able to slowly move to the front of every stoplight, even when some stoplights are backed up so far that it would otherwise take you 3 signals to get through them. This is a major time-saver in large cities. It’s best to have a loud bike when doing this, the noise alerts people who would otherwise not be expecting you to move between them. I never go faster than 15 mph when lanesplitting in this fashion, sometimes I’m literally pushing my bike because I’m squeezing it through.
            Worst use:
            Riding between vehicles on the freeway at any speed greater than 30mph, especially when those cars are moving slowly as well. I’ve seen CHP officers do this, it’s insane, and I have to believe that there’s some people who just are not self-aware enough of the risk they’re taking. You can get away with this if the freeway is stop-and-go, or slow-and-go, and you keep the relative speed down, like <10 mph. But as soon as cars start moving faster than 10mph, their ability to turn into your space before you react is too great, and you should slow down and take up a lane.
            Even at these low speeds, riding a bike on backed up freeways or city streets with the ability to lane-split is a huge huge huge timesaver.

   2. Rear ending a car at 80 is probably the work of a moron.
      But then again, anyone who generalizes millions of bikers based off of one bit of anecdata has a 99% chance of being a half-witted faggot.

      1. “anyone who generalizes millions of bikers based off of one bit of anecdata”
         http://www.washingtonaccidentbooks.com/blog/motorcycle-accident-statistics-the-fatal-dangers-of-riding/
         http://www.usmedicine.com/agencies/department-of-defense-dod/fatal-vehicle-accidents-decline-in-military-motorcycles-remain-dangerous/
         http://www.washingtonaccidentbooks.com/blog/motorcycle-accident-statistics-the-fatal-dangers-of-riding/
         http://www.cdc.gov/features/dsmotorcyclesafety/index.html
         I wish you and your “life partner” nothing but the best. I’ve got the towels on your registry. Do you want “His and His” or do one of you “identify” as a women?

         1. doing something stupid for no other reason than that you want to is crucial to becoming a man.
            I don’t emphasize a bike myself, been there, done that, it’s not really all that… but do SOMETHING risky… You haven’t lived until you’ve spent some time with nothing between you and death but your own wits and mitts.
            veterans understand this.
            get a bike. skydive or surf. hang out in the wilderness for a while with nothing but your clothes and a hatchet. rock climb. drag race. sky or snowboard. Do SOMETHING that allows you to pit yourself, as a man, against the reaper mano-a-mano. You will understand when you do it, and will never understand if you don’t… There’s a good reason why pitting yourself against death is often the ‘coming of age’ ritual in more primitive societies… until you have spat in death’s eye, you do not know what it means to be mortal, and cannot value life, not even your own.
            Basically get off your ass and do something dangerous and fun for once in your life, is what this article boils down to.

         2. I’ll have to check with your mom first. I’ll get back to you.

         3. I was in the Army for 9 years before becoming a firefighter. I don’t have anything to prove.

         4. Maybe you don’t. A lot of guys do. and they should.

         5. Then stop trying so hard to prove it.
            Wait, Army, you’re the guys who put a whole base on lockdown like a kindergarten because somebody saw an airsoft? OK, man card ACTIVATED!

   3. Probably appropriate if you don’t care if he lived. Allows you to do your job. Take the emotion out, good policy. I drove up on a guy in a similar situation (in my truck) a few years back. 911 had been called, he was face down but his leg was fucked. He survived and is fine, but I’ll never forget it. Makes me extra cautious.

   4. I have investigated air crashes, and flown for years. Have you ever seen a victim of an air crash? Don’t fly either, don’t ride and don’t drive. I’m not sure about the men on this site. More like return of pussies (ROP).

   5. Your post points out that, once again, it’s the biker who was being stupid and not following common sense. 80 mph coming up on a car, that’s the act of a very stupid person.
      Which gets to the crux of the matter. All of the nervous nellies and yellow “men” here screeching on about motorcycles being death on toast have to realize that the people it kills are usually always doing something fucking retarded that warranted their removal from the gene pool. Not always, there are always exceptions, but nearly every time I read of somebody getting splattered it’s because he was acting stupidly in some way or another (drinking and riding, being young and stupid and craving speed, not being aware of his surroundings, not having sufficient skills for the level of riding he was attempting, etc).
      If every aircraft pilot were this reckless you’d hear about countless Cessnas falling out of the sky nearly daily. Treat riding with the same gravity you would in piloting an aircraft (I can’t decide if a pun was intended here, heh) and you’ll generally be fine.

2. A couple years ago I decided I wanted to learn to ride a motorcycle. Zero prior riding experience. I took the MSF course, bought a cheap bike, and took it nice and slow. Within 6 months, I low-sided in a turn and totaled the bike (due to inexperience turning). Luckily I had good gear, so walked (limped) away with a twisted ankle and road rashed knee. Then came everyone saying “I told you so.”
   The best thing I ever did was by another bike with the insurance money, and got back on the horse! I overcame my fears, overcame all the nay sayers, and I’ve been happily riding for 3 years.
   You may be scraping me off the pavement sometime soon, but I’m sure enjoying the ride until then.

   1. After a friend of mine wound up on the slab with surgeons spending 30 hours in an operation putting his liver and intestines back inside him….. and took 3 weeks to wake up from his coma…. all because a parked car opened a door infront of him on a side road at 40kmh….
      I decided that if I’m going to wipe out, get injured, run the risk of dying (or worse becoming quadriplegic), then it better be doing something more interesting than scooting about on highways on an unsafe vehicle….
      all of these cost less than some Japanese roadkill machine : extreme skiing, paragliding, base jumping, mountain climbing, trekking, kite boarding, and plenty more besides…..
      After I made this decision and bought a car, the first thing that happened was the national karate champion, broke his ankle on the fender of my car, while trying to jump a heavy traffic jam…. that was the end of his career…….
      motorbikes are for third world peasants…. whose lives are disposable.

      1. Well Lucky for you the world still needs cowards and weak males to do things we don’t want to.

         1. Oh for fucks sake that is a stupid comment.
            I’ve heard the same bullshit from multitudes of dudes trying to inflate their hobbies or skills.
            Is the trauma surgeon that puts the wounded riders guts and bones back together a weak pussy because he doesn’t ride a bike?
            Affliction shirts, mountain dew, tattoos, and flat bill baseball hats sure as hell does not make a guy “brave”.

         2. No, but the willingness to do things in spite of fear does.

         3. It is a big fucking stretch to say the mere fact of riding a motorcycle is a willingness to do things in spite of fear.

      2. Why was your friend going 40kph within reach of the doors of parked cars? That’s not safe. You have no reaction time next to parked cars, ZERO. Their doors can open at any moment. This means if you must ride that close, you can’t go any faster than a bicycle if you want to live.

         1. It amazes me how many “alpha males” here defend the thought process that says: I know/have witnessed someone do stupid thing X on a motorcycle and get crippled/killed, therefore motorcycles are for morons/peasants/idiots.
            By that logic, you could make the exact same statement about almost anything.

         2. “If you can’t ride a bike, you are forever gonna be part pussy.”…
            If THAT is how this dude and YOU define your “manhood” then you ARE a pussy….a real man wannabe….seeking validation from a machine…

         3. I witnessed a guy suffer serious injury sitting at a desk. In fact, it happens all the time but because the process of injury takes many years nobody realizes just how dangerous sitting is.

         4. Quite right, you shouldn’t drive close to parked cars. But I think his point is the severity of the injury relative to the low speed and light obstacle. If he made the same mistake in a car, he would probably be fine. The cost of mistakes on a bike is extremely high.

         5. the danger is in trying to mix general transportation with thrill seeking…. i am all for thrill seeking, i’ve spent a week helicopter skiing in canada – if the avalanches don’t get you, the trees and rocks might… but i’m not going to get nailed in traffic just to prove i have a pair of balls.

         6. That’s fine but different strokes for different folks. Heli skiing is great but whether you consider it “thrill seeking” or just a past time that involves risk is a matter of one’s personal background and skill set. Where I grew up back country skiing was a fairly mainstream activity. Not to say everyone did it or that it wasn’t dangerous but we didn’t consider it thrill seeking. It was something that involved a degree of danger but most people were competent and did it right. And occasionally people got hurt or killed, and that was part of it. It’s really the same with motorcycling.

         7. Most men are betas and risk adverse, and learning a bit of PUA game and commenting on “alpha” websites ultimately doesn’t change the internals that drive the Safety First mentality of betadom.
            As to “driving 40mph and got nailed by a car door opening”, dafuq? Anywhere, and I mean anywhere, there are cars parked alongside the road the speed limit is almost universally set at or below 35mph, usually 25 mph in the city. So a couple of mistakes jump out at me here 1) he was riding in a city in the *wrong* lane (you don’t ride in the lane where the cars are just next to it if at all possible). That’s just stupid 2) He was riding far faster than was warranted in circumstances that called for slower speed.

         8. Fine, but.. if he were riding at bicycle speeds near objects that can move out on him within his reaction time, and if he were wearing the proper safety gear, his injuries would have been *LESS* than that of a bicyclist.

         9. Depends on why. If you just don’t want to then it has no bearing. If you don’t ride a bike because you’re just too scared to then the statement is accurate.
            It’s true any time you let a fear stop you from doing something.

         10. +Rep for identifying one of the core issues that makes a Beta.
             If I had to pick one or two defining traits of Betas, the next one I’d say after their thirst for approval is that they are driven primarily by fear. You see it a lot with the guys who don’t want to get involved with women because they’re scared of what a woman might do.
             Don’t blame them too hard for it though. It’s the way mothers tend to think, and if they lacked a strong male role model then they never learned any other way.

         11. Yeah, it does smack of feminine conditioning. It’s hard to grow out of apparently and yeah, I don’t blame them too much. Given how few male role models are left for most young men it’s understandable that they’d internalize their mother’s “safety first” mentality. But they need called out on it too, which is a service that I’m happy to provide, heh.

         12. Been there and recognize it…..once you get blown up you tend to lose that mentality.
             I remember being worried about getting in a fight at the club. Now my attitude is that if someone picks a fight it would be the most fun I’d have all week.

         13. I knew two people from HS who were killed in a car crash, and one who was hit and killed while jogging, therefore only idiots use roads.

         14. If that quote gets your panties in a bunch, you’ll have to take it up with the person who said it.

         15. I believe he meant 40 kilometers per hour (“40kph”), which is only about 25 miles per hour.

      3. I actually don’t ride a bike to get from A to B, I do have my car for that. Riding the bike is an event in itself for me. The door example is terrible of course but often avoidable if you stay aware of that situation. The scariest thing to me is somebody simply running a red light and hitting me, and that’s the one thing that honestly makes me sometimes think about hanging up the helmet and sticking to dirtbikes or adventure riding where there are very few cars.

      4. Lol. If I had been into motorcycles I would have been dead a long time ago. We used to ride dirt bikes like maniacs after drinking beer. But Id never ride on a consistent basis on city highways or streets. Look how many idiots are out there.
         Cmon, Kings know better than this.

         1. I’ve found that I have less problems with the idiots driving while I’m on a bike. If you know how to look the part then people give you a much wider berth and will not aggress on you.
            Both Aggressive and careless driving can be handled with appearances, bad driving due to a lack of alertness is best prevented with vigilance.

         2. Aye, truth. I open carry my Ruger Blackhawk when I’m riding, assuming I’m not going to be drinking afterward. It attracts instant attention and there are zero aggressive drivers that try to hound me or kick up shit on the road. In fact it sometimes attracts the opposite kind of attention in a good way from the wimmin’ folk and the 2nd Amendment supporting drivers on the road. It’s always noticed though, which is the prime concern to me, being noticed when riding.

         3. You sound like someone who would be interesting to have a beer with.

         4. I wish we had open carry in FL. Here in central FL, though, a Puerto Rican transplant with a PR driver’s license (that requires basically nothing to get on their crummy little island) would probably slam into you eventually.
            I wouldn’t routinely ride a motorcycle here because I can’t control the behavior of other drivers. If they hit me in my truck (which they have, twice) they bang it up instead of me.

         5. Yeah, FL took it in the pants the last time y’all tried to get open carry legalized. Feel for you man. The “slam into me” thing can’t be accounted for, I was speaking only of deterring the aggressive types who do see you.

         6. Thanks man. If you ever get up into or around central Ohio give me a shout. First one’s on me.

         7. I’ll actually be in Ohio next week picking up my new motorcycle but it’s the Cleveland area

         8. Hey Wastelander, I forgot which thread I asked for your throwaway email on, can you post it again here for me? Sorry about that, these articles all start to run together, mea culpa man.

         9. Trailoring it back I assume? If you’re staying over night we can meet up half way, say maybe Millersburg or Winesburg?

         10. I’m not staying over night. Flying in, riding back. It’s going to be a long ride. Unfortunately it would add 3 hours to my trip and a 5 hour motorcycle ride is already borderline stupid. (I anticipate stopping a lot)

         11. Oh yeah.
             [email protected]

         12. “You have mail!” / AOL Cheesy voice from the 90’s.

         13. Does it have nice non-stock seats and a set of pegs on it? Or is it direct off a factory floor?

         14. It’s a used Triumph Street Triple. Not really a highway cruiser. It will be interesting but if I need to stop, I will.

         15. Heh, yeah, with one of those you’ll need to stop. Gas stops are great times to grab a bottle of water and a bite and walk around the station. They’re used to seeing bikers do that and generally won’t give you shit if they’re not busy.

      5. Scared, huh? If you’re stupid enough to be that scared, and childish enough to lash out at people who aren’t scared (like the “macho” little old ladies in my MSF class?), just keep your damn mouth shut.

      6. I guess this is a good time to point out that the medical community refers to them as ‘donorcycles.’

         1. What are you, some kind of Nazi?

         2. I wonder if the medical community is cognizant that deaths due to medical malpractice outnumber deaths due to firearms in the U.S.? Nah, they’re probably not that self aware, they clearly would rather spend their time making up funny labels for activities that others do.

         3. A lot more medicine is being practiced per second than guns being discharged at others per second. If you account for the different in these rates, you’d find that your adorable comment no longer holds true.

         4. It’s still too high a rate of speed when you’re driving that close to parked cars. The solution is to either drive in the left lane which voids that particular danger, or follow the speed limit which I’ll bet you was lower than he was driving. If he posted “kph” then I did transpose it unintentionally, my bad.
            The “rate of discharge” is irrelevant. Doctors kill a lot of people through incompetence, it’s a fact. That some of them then turn around and sneer at other dangerous things in life as somehow wrong is hypocritical and quite frankly shows a keen lack of self awareness.

         5. Hospital infections kill an estimated 60000 Americans every year

      7. Extreme sports is for people that can’t make it in a real sports.Anyone can do the stupid shit you just described and I have.It pales in comparison.

         1. I’ve always thought the same thing. Skateboarding and doing bicycle tricks is not a sport.

         2. How is extreme skiing or wakeboarding something anyone can do?

      8. So a guy does a stupid thing, intentionally, and that means that motorcycling is stupid?
         This is akin to saying that a stupid man shoots somebody, ergo guns are evil.

      9. “You wanna get from A to B… buy the safest damn car you can afford.”
         Past a certain year, a $40 000 car is only marginally safer than a $4000 one and bikers aren’t macho peasants. But you’re right, for the risk you take on a bike, there are far more thrilling activities.

      10. Finally, a voice of reason amidst the ersatz testosterone that dominates discussions like this. Maybe, just maybe, some might consider doing a bit of risk analysis here. It’s not rocket science, and some “image” one covets is a terrible thing to die or be maimed for.

      11. Ah, the voice of reason. When I was much younger, I rode and loved it. Until I crashed, of course. I would never recommend riding a motorcycle. They are death traps. But try telling that to younger guys. When I was younger, I could not be talked out of buying a bike. I don’t expect to talk anybody out of it.

   2. How come all the conversations are about road driving? I fancy learning to ride a motorbike but I’m only drawn towards dirt bikes and riding in fields/off road. The idea of riding on a road doesn’t really interest me and obviously other driver make being a biker hard work on the roads.
      Does anyone here just ride off road? I’m sure you can get as much of a buzz bombing across a deserted field as you would would weaving through traffic. And if you want the racer experience surely a track day is a ‘safer’ experience as the level of traffic is controlled and everyone is there for the same reason?

      1. Track days are by far the safest way to ride. Off-road riding features uneven terrain and often unseen hazards that can really fuck up your day. It is less dangerous than riding with traffic, though. I’m guessing you’re not from the US but here it is very common for people who would never even consider riding a road bike to be into riding dirt bikes. It just depends on what an individual is comfortable with.

3. I like the sport-touring bikes, I’ve basically wanted one since I got into riding. But, they all seem to have a fairly high center-of-gravity compared to the crotch rockets. Low center-of-mass is always safer on a bike.
   But, I haven’t looked in a while, someone may have tried to correct this trend.

   1. Er, what? I can scrape pegs on my dual sport with TKC80s and not lose traction. You’re worried about nothing.

4. The fear is a big part of it….but if you don’t want to ride there are other ways to learn to face your fear. Try skiing, jumping, or any number of other “extreme” activities if you just need to prove something to yourself.
   One thing I noticed when I started is that it seems to have drastically improved my motor skills. It made different parts of my brain communicate together in a way that no other activity did.
   I’d also recommend that you start by going to the class and get a bike later. It’s probably going to be best to start out on a low-end, lightweight cruiser like a Harley Sportster(I recommend buying an equivalent Asian brand bike to save money). They’re reasonably fast, lighter than the big bikes, and a lot more stable than crotch rockets.
   I can vouch for social disapproval. I’ve had many people immediately start lecturing me about how “dangerous” it is…..which it is as soon as you act stupid or let your guard down. If you look the part be prepared for stronger reactions than that. I remember wearing a run shirt during a late-night trip to the grocery store. People reacted strongly to the T shirt, and some even would swerve to the side to avoid walking near me.
   Edit: Also don’t try to act like a “biker” just because you bought your first bike either. That can get you educated.

   1. The guys I used to ride with are very polite to everyone on the road, never commit a crime, never take over a town (although we did take over the occasional bar) and usually wore ACH helmets as our ‘colors’. ‘outlaw bikers’ are a bit of a joke… most of even the mountain-man looking bikers are actually pretty decent guys.
      The worst that is likely to happen if you call yourself a ‘biker’ is a chuckle.

      1. I would love to see you tell some of the mongols in socal that they are a joke ahahah…

         1. I have. Being 6’4″ and scary looking has it’s perks 🙂
            of course, it has it’s downsides too… not being able to buy normal clothes, not being able to get into pilot training (devastated me, I grew up dreaming of Top Gun) and every drunken hothead has to be taught a lesson…. I lasted less than a week as a bouncer (apparently my size encouraged fights instead of reducing them).

5. What about something more street style for a beginner? I’ve been considering getting into bikes for the past few weeks, but don’t like the sport end of the spectrum as much as the street/chopper side of things.

   1. Be prepared to shell out more money.
      Even used cruisers tend to be more expensive than crotch rockets.
      You’re best bet is to use a dealership to research what size bike is best for you and then search for a used model that fits.

      1. Is there any advantage to going street early on, if you know that’s where you want to end up? I have money to spend, but what’s the point if it doesn’t matter what bike a beginner rides.

         1. just be prepared to put it on it’s side until you learn. basically, that’s why having a cheap rice burner is a good idea, because whatever you use IS going to get dinged to shit and beyond.

         2. Brigadon is spot on.
            If there’s any real advantage to learning on a cruiser, it’s being able to go on longer rides. Your body will get cramped and fatigued quicker on a sport bike. Especially in the beginning.

         3. Right. Seems to me like the best option is to just go low-cost initially. Thanks for the advice fellas.

         4. You can get a Honda shadow (used) on the cheap: $2500-3000. Real good starting cruisers.

         5. I just did a search on autotrader and there are a shit-ton of them available. I’ll definitely keep them in mind going forward

         6. ‘low cost’ in this case meaning more or less ‘disposable’. When you are done learning, get it fixed, and pass it on to the next person that needs something to wreck.

         7. My first bike was a Yamaha V-Star 250 (Virago 250)… cheapest bike they sell, and it’s a small-engine “cruiser”. I still have it. On good days it’ll get 75 mpg, of course it has almost zero acceleration worth a damn past 55mph, so it’s not safe on your average freeway (because you can’t escape if you need to), but you can’t easily kill yourself with speed.

   2. If you aren’t looking for new, there are beginner bikes of every category for similar money. If you want sport, you could get an R6. If you want street, you could get the FZ6. If you want street cruiser, you get the Vstar or something like that. All can be had for $3000 unless you want almost new. Also, I’ve been riding for 10 years all on sport and mild street, and I can’t IMAGINE riding a street cruiser or chopper, even from an ergonomics perspective. Check out the FZ6, that’s probably the best ergonomics for cheap you can get.

      1. bikes with 600cc 4 cylinder engines are NOT beginner bikes, they are super car fast and they will punish mistakes hard. A 650 twin is the biggest anyone just starting out should go, and even that is pushing it. There’s a reason just about every other developed nation other than ‘Merica has laws stopping people from getting on an R6 the moment they have their license.

         1. Yup. An r-6 runs 0-60 in about 3 seconds. Get a Ninja 250 or Ninja 300 or CBR 500. There are a lot of good articles if you google “Good starter motorcycles” too.

   3. You don’t need to spend a bunch of money. There are plenty of low mileage 80s Japanese cruisers out there, and contrary to the HD crowd bullshit, they’re very nice bikes if they haven’t been neglected. My first bike was a 1983 Yamaha Maxim 750, and I bought it for $1000 with only 17,000 miles in 2007. Other than a bit of rust on the exhaust it was in excellent shape. I have several friends that ride early 80s Honda CB650s that they picked up for under $1000-1500. I see older, low mileage bikes for cheap on Craigslist all the time. Don’t buy a project unless you have good mechanical skills, because working on a bike can be frustrating.
      If your front end is diving a lot when you brake because you’re heavy, replace the fork springs with stiffer springs. You probably will not have to do that.

6. My bike eats grass for fuel. LOL

7. I would amend one of your statements, given the last section: “In the Pantheon of Badass, there are exactly zero men who had access to a Harley and rode a Suzuki instead. Zero.”

   1. Barry Sheene.

   2. Clearly somebody that hasn’t experienced a Suzuki Boulevard. It’s a loot like a Harley in looks and raw CC’s, and differs only insomuch as it costs 1/4 the price AND it starts when you hit the button without fail.

   3. So… do you actually ride, or do you just watch Sons of Anarchy a lot?

8. eh, I figure this belongs in the main discussion, so I am reprinting from below.
   “doing something stupid for no other reason than that you want to is crucial to becoming a man.
   I don’t emphasize a bike myself, been there, done that, it’s not really all that… but do SOMETHING risky… You haven’t lived until you’ve spent some time with nothing between you and death but your own wits and mitts.
   veterans understand this.
   get a bike. skydive or surf. hang out in the wilderness for a while with nothing but your clothes and a hatchet. rock climb. drag race. sky or snowboard. Do SOMETHING that allows you to pit yourself, as a man, against the reaper mano-a-mano. You will understand when you do it, and will never understand if you don’t… There’s a good reason why pitting yourself against death is often the ‘coming of age’ ritual in more primitive societies… until you have spat in death’s eye, you do not know what it means to be mortal, and cannot value life, not even your own.
   Basically get off your ass and do something dangerous and fun for once in your life.”
   BTW, even though I have tried it, don’t go shark-caging… it’s one thing to rely on yourself to survive staring death in the face, it’s quite another to rely on a set of steel bars someone else made… There’s nothing whatsoever to be learned from a shark cage.

   1. yeah, but don’t buy a fucking macho machine motorbike so you can break a leg in a rainstorm in rush hour traffic… that ain’t taking a risk….. that’s just stupid.

      1. If you’re commuting on your motorcycle in rush hour traffic in a rainstorm, you’re not doing it right. You might as well phone in your last will. This is another thing that regular motorcycle riding teaches you, pay attention to the weather, it can literally mean life or death on two wheels.

         1. What Jeremy said. If you’re not hooked directly to a weather app/channel before you ride, or you think it doesn’t matter that you’ll just tough it out in rush hour traffic during a thunderstorm, you’re playing the game wrong.
            Riding in the rain is fine as far as it goes, for cross country trips (say, riding to Daytona or Sturgis), but you’re properly equipped for it, and you plan your time such that you avoid big cities at all costs if possible.

   2. I’d rather not. I’m not stupid enough to do something dangerous voluntarily.
      If you think taking unnecessary risks and risking your life is somehow “manly”, then you’ve got some issues.

      1. Sure I do, I am not a sheep, and I am one of those Americans that everyone hates.
         ”
         “We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our Sacred Honor”
         The last line of the declaration of independence admits that there are things worth risking your life. And unless you know what it’s like to risk your life, a vow is meaningless.
         Men risk their lives. This is a board for men only. Get out.

9. There is nothing like a bike to get a girl holding on tight behind you, excited, while the engine vibrates between their legs (several girls have admit they ‘enjoy’ the different vibrations through the rpm range). Now, I would not advise a guy who doesn’t want a bike to get one just because girls like it. But if you have always had the ITCH, then do it for yourself and enjoy the benefits. I’ve been riding for 10 years, one year in college as my only transport, and have been lucky. I honestly ride at just a fraction of the bikes ability, and half of what I could if I was fearless. But I just enjoy the damn thing. I also enjoy that it naturally makes me avoid chubby chicks because NOTHING looks worse than a chubby/fat chick perched up high on a sportsbike.

10. Getting a motorcycle is the most positive game changer I’ve ever found. I recommend it to all. It immediately makes you 10x more awesome in every aspect of life. Commuting becomes fun, you can park them anywhere, and when you walk tall into a bar with your boots, leather, and helmet, girls take notice.
    But beyond that, it is one of the most “real” activities a man can do. It is real because there are consequences for mistakes. It’s an addicting escape from the endlessly plugged-in, comfortable and protected, virtual world we live in. When you feel the acceleration and wind on your body, as bugs get vaporized on your jacket and helmet, and as the exhaust screams with every twist of your wrist, well, it’s an amazing experience. Plus, it’s just tons of fun to go really fast. I wouldn’t trade it for anything, and yes, I have crashed.
    The saying is true. There are two kinds of riders; those that have gone down and those that will. Going down is a right of passage even, and suffering such a beat-down has a way of putting all the BS of life into perspective. It makes you aware of what is important and what is not. In short, it makes you far less of a bitch, and that is a good thing in my book.

    1. I actually learned about how clueless most girls are to reality when I took many out in college on my bike. I’d ride them around, accelerate pretty hard when it was safe, take turns at a safe speed… and about 1/2 of them made reference to how slow or careful we were after… and I usually replied “Oh I was just trying to keep the chances of you needing skin grafts to below 50%” and after they asked if it was really that dangerous, I explained to them that yes, if we go at what most would consider ‘fast’ we are one mistake or surprise away from grinding away on the asphalt and finding out which roadside object stops us. They usually had a lot more respect for motorcycles after that. On a guy level, motorcycles are good because they teach you to overcome your natural fear instincts if you want to actually not crash (often what you want to do when you get startled is what makes you crash.. lifting off/jerky throttle, or ham-fisting brake when you need an emergency stop)

       1. I’ve done that once or twice to some cute girls. I won’t do it again unless they’re wearing leather.

       2. Girls are retarded and I don’t need their fat asses bogging down my HP or overloading my brakes. Granted, they LOVE going for rides, and taking them is a good move toward getting into their pants, but F them… my bike is mine and mine alone. It’s something I can always count on for fun, and I’ve come to a point where I don’t want to share that with some stupid, clueless, dangerous hag.
          So I don’t take any of them out on my bike any more. I even took off my rear pegs… to save weight. Maybe if I had a large, slow cruiser I’d think differently, but I don’t. 🙂

          1. Weird, I have a bike powerful enough that the pegs don’t matter, and when I take them for a ride in the city or back roads I usually forget about setting personal track records that ride.

          2. Lolololol this dude is a such a freaking loser. Beta AF. You don’t give girls rides because you’re super possesive over your crotch rocket, they don’t want them cause you’re a dweeb who thought it came stock with a pussy magnet. You’re daily routine is probably wake up, piss, ride to work, ride home, eat (insert fast food joint here), play DotA or something equally exciting, rage quit, masturbate to HGTV, sleep, repeat. Stop pretending you’re some badass just cause you’re on the Internet and none of us know you personally.

          3. I have a cruiser for “giving rides”. The sport bike is just mine.

       3. We don’t date the same girls, mines said it’s too fast even in the car.

    2. http://s29.postimg.org/qu6lad5iv/1000rr.jpg

       1. Step ahead of you guys was already at the dealership recently checking out this bike. Agreed. May bite the bullet and get one.

    3. It’s the ultimate REAL thing you can do. You will condition yourself to push your body and mind past discomfort/safe conditions and learn new things about yourself and your ‘limits.’
       It’s the antithesis of living life behind a protective screen- our whole lives are dictated by living behind some type of screen- computer, phone, window, car windshield, all of It’s the ultimate REAL thing you can do. You will condition yourself to push your body and mind past discomfort/safe conditions and learn new things about yourself and your ‘limits.’
       It’s the antithesis of living life behind a protective screen- our whole lives are dictated by living behind some type of screen- computer, phone, window, car windshield, all of which equals SAFE SAFE SAFE LET’S TELL PEOPLE HOW TO LIVE AND WHAT IS safe FOR THEM TO DECIDE WHAT IS GOOD FOR THEM

    4. I have ridden street bikes in California for over 20 years. Never went down even once. Dozens of close calls though. I pay a lot of attention to those close calls. I treat them as “going down”. And I treat situations where I was not fully aware of the situation (even though it was not a close call) as a close call. I cannot afford to go down. I am over 50.

11. Good article. Been riding for nine years and have owned several motorcycles. Started on a Shadow 750, went to a V-4 Magna, then a Harley Softail. Recently sold the Harley for barely less than I bought it for after six years of ownership and 20,000 miles. Also had a couple late seventies Yamaha XS650’s. Great bikes. Settled on my current bike, a Kawasaki W650, extremely rare in the states. They sold like free beer in Europe and Japan, but never caught on here. It looks like a late Sixties Triumph Bonneville and gets more attention than my Harley did. Plus it has kick and electric start. The women can bask in my Marlon Brandoness as I fire up my classic machine. Hehe. Cheers!

12. One thing to look for is buying a used bike with these words in the ad:
    Wife/GF/the “boss” says must sell.
    It’s a twofold benefit for you. One is you’ll most likely get a good deal because he’s desperate to get rid of it “or else” plus the joy and pleasure you’ll get knowing that you’ll have all the fun riding on the ball-less pussy’s former taste of freedom.

    1. I was going to go look at a bike last week that was on craigslist and before I could arrange a time the guy emailed me back “The wifes letting me keep it”

13. This thread is falling apart because of a few people thinking that getting a bike means commuting to work on one. I did that for a year in college in a busy town with no parking. It sucked. It was cold. It rained. It was a bit more dangerous. I wouldn’t ever do it again because there ARE very few benefits of spending 18k miles a year on a bike in traffic, other than saving some minutes of travel time and gas. That to me is NOT worth it. But taking the bike out on the weekend? After work? On a 2 day trip? On a famous road? Some of the most memorable times Ive had.

    1. I live near one of those famous roads. It is called the dragon. Several weekend riders come there and end up getting scraped off the road.
       Watching the typical harley riders lumber through barely doing the speed limit and patting each other on the back for such a gnarly ride is hilarious. At least they get to play dress up and look like they are going to gay pride parade.
       Then the sport bike riders go through in full racing leathers at mach 2 and get irritated at the harley riders slowing them down. Then a sport bike rider gets nabbed by the highway patrol and whines his ticket for 85 in a 35 is “motorcycle discrimination”.
       It is quite comical.

       1. Do you just hate everyone? Sportbike riders are too fast for you. And Harley riders are too slow for you (even though they do the speed limit). Is the perfect person a Harley rider in a Honda Accord doing the same speed? What is your point? The guys going too fast are risking their life, I agree. The Harley riders, or even sportbike riders doing fair speeds are just people enjoying a casual ride in a nice place.

14. If riding a motorcycle is so physically challenging and manly, why are most of the men you see riding in motorcycle clubs clearly overweight?

15. If you want to be a fuckin man then how about you quit your goddam job and daytrade for a living. Traders who can make money day after day make the toughest of the tough look like absolute pussies. With the exception of dudes going into combat on the front lines, I roll my eyes and say pussy. See a top MMA guy over there who looks like a bad ass? total pussy compared to a smart trader. see a dude on a motorcycle who hasnt crippled himself for life yet? a stupid pussy in the eyes of the wise trader. the financial markets are the supreme battleground of the fittest of the fit where the weak, stupid, and undisciplined are mercilessly slaughtered. People do not die daily playing professional sports, but countless men are killed daily in the markets. Wise the fuck up and stop posting ignorant shit about why you need to ride a bike to be a man. (I spent several months driving around thailand at 80km on one of those shitty small dirt bikes with no helmet and high off my fucking ass. Sure it is fun and it is a nice rush but fucking some slut without a rubber is a way better rush and much less risky 🙂

    1. Trading is a lot harder these days. Any blocks of shares over 100 usually go through dark pools. You can build positions and dump big blocks though over 1-2 day periods. Need to react quick and have great gut instincts. Video gaming helps your reaction time.
       I can make more in thirty minutes than some people earn in a month.

       1. There’s other things you can daytrade besides shares.

    2. Typical Wall Street type…..walking around in a cloud of narcissism so thick that you gag getting near him.
       There’s no “one way” to be a man. So you’re going to tell me that Dick Meadows wasn’t as much of a man as you because you trade? You’re going to tell me that the 1%er who has killed for and risked being killed for his club is a pussy? The few real mountain men that exist are pussies(who are REAL MGTOW types, not you nerds on here)? How about men with “latent badass” like the(true story) father of three in a white collar job who stepped up and tackled an active shooter?
       If you’re so much more of a man than bikers how about you finish up your next session of self-congragulatory mental masturbation, head into your local biker bar and tell them exactly how you think that they’re pussies compared to a day trader?
       And another question. What about those men who are full fledged(burly, tattooed, etc) bikers…..but who also are successful traders?

       1. A lot of folks have a lot of cognitive dissonance when it comes to bikers. If you ride, to them, you are either “compensating” or “pretender” or “look like you’re marching in gay pride parades!” and you also are, by definition in their mind, some low grade intellect Neanderthal. The ‘gay’ thing is particularly funny insofar as last check I don’t think gay guys have even tried the motorcycle leather thing in public since the 1980’s, and even then it was clear that they had no real idea what to wear (went more the BDSM leather fake biker look than actual biker look, but what do the haters know since they haven’t seen a real rider outside of a television show most likely).
          The notion that a real born and bred rider can be manly, self confident, have self defense skills and “look” the part and even sound the part (I’m very quiet in real life, believe it or not), all the while having a keen intellect and shrewd money making skills is alien to them. It literally doesn’t compute in their binary world view. Such is the life of the simple I suppose.
          And agree on the internet warrior thing they have going on. I’d love to once, just once, see one of these weenies show up in my local watering hole and proclaim loudly to the general audience that we’re all pussies. The line to beat his ass into a pulp would extend the length of the bar (kind of like that scene in Airplane where everybody was beating on the chick who was panicking).

          1. You are the very embodiment of a douchebag.
             You are ridiculous.

16. Stupid article. And that’s coming from someone who rides a motorcycle. I’m not more manly for riding one, its a fucking vehicle. Nothing more, nothing less.
    If your definition of manly is riding a motorcycle, you’re a jackass.
    My advice? Buy a motorcycle if you like it, don’t if you don’t. It would change your cock size one inch either way.
    I will mention that it gets me a lot of pussy though.

    1. Agreed. Get a cycle if you want, but poser’s with tiny peckers are just that. The amount of worthless gash staring at their calculators or applying pig makeup while driving a 3000-pound vehicle is way over the top, and not worth the paranoia.
       I suppose if one needs poon that bad, have at it. The midgets standing behind their crotch-rockets in full-leathers down by the lake need all the help they can get. Hehe.

    2. I took the motorcycle safety courses offered by my local Harley dealership two or three weeks ago. It was a lot of fun.
       Now I’m shopping for my first bike. I want a cruiser and not a sport bike.
       Currently, I’m looking at choosing between a Yamaha Bolt, Honda Shadow, and Harley Sportster 883. I’m leaning heavily toward the Shadow. I could go for either if they price is right.
       Any thoughts/suggestions for choosing your first bike?

       1. At the very least, the Sportster; and if you ever plan to take poon on that bike, go with the 1200. I can see an argument for a Victory/Inidian from Polaris, but the Sportster is the way to go, purely from a re-sale perspective. You’ll never get 100% of money out of selling that first bike for another, but you’ll get more of your money back out of the Harley than the Yamaha or Honda.

          1. The “resale value” argument is largely a Harley marketing ploy, and is only true of older model Harleys. Just because you see people asking those high prices for their used Harleys doesn’t mean they’re getting them.

          2. I have to disagree as to the HD older model only statement; any sale assumes a wiling buyer. I simply believe he will have better chances moving a Harley (either through a dealer or craigslist) and recouping value than he would a Vulcan or a Shadow. That said, My first bike was a Honda; and I loved it.
             Ride the bike, be happy doing it. Quibbling on this issue is pointless.

          3. There is a bigger market for Harleys, I’ll give that.
             However you shouldn’t choose “resale value” at all as your reason to buy a bike. You’ll enjoy it more (and be a lot safer) if the bike you pick is the one that is a good fit for you.

          4. Agree with Hell_Biker here MMA. For your main riding, non learning bike buy it as if you are going to ride it until it falls apart from being a bunch of rust held together with duct tape. Any bike you put 60k or more miles on will sell for pennies on the dollar anyway so resell value is rather pointless if you plan on riding the shit out of it. Buy the best value bike you can that fits you and your personality and ride it until it falls apart, fuck resale value.

          5. I’d way rather drop the Honda than the Harley. Buy used, give it a year or two, then upgrade to the nicer bike.

       2. Personally I’d get the Shadow. To be honest though, I don’t think you could go wrong with either that or the Sportster. Both are fine starter bikes.
          I’d only lean toward the Shadow because I’ve ridden it and I think it looks and feels sleek.
          Not a big fan of the Bolt. YMMV.

          1. The Shadow’s a better value for the money.
             For your “keeper” bike I’d recommend a mid-line Victory. Compared to Harley’s they’re more powerful, handle better, and have less maintenance issues.

          2. Been looking at the Victory line as of late actually. The Indian line is looking pretty damned good this year as well.

          3. I’ve got an old model and like it. I can’t afford it yet but the new ones handle amazingly well and are a smooth ride. All the guys I know who ride a Victory would never go back to a Harley. Even some of the 1%ers around here have Victory bikes.

       3. I picked up a Shadow a month ago for $3k. 5000 miles. Works great, and is big enough for trips to the beach.

       4. I would really love to get a BMW S1000RR but I was warned to get a beater bike first, because you’ll drop it, guaranteed.
          Also check out Keith Code’s California Superbike School for learning how to ride well, or at least get his books, “Twist of the Wrist, I & II”.

          1. If you get a S1000RR as a new rider, dropping it will be the least of your problems.

          2. Do all new riders go through the tempted by the sexy superbike they really shouldn’t buy? I know I did. I’m basically still a new rider

          3. Yeah, it’s fairly common, and most stores will gladly sell you a 1600cc monster with nary more than a learner’s permit. These are the guys most of those too worried to ride are mentioning when they say “I know a guy who….decapitated/dead/coma”. Not all, but a lot. If it’s a guy in his 20’s it’s usually the case though I’d wager.
             Get a year or two under your belt with a decent 600 or lower, get to know the machine, take more safety courses if you can and if they’re relevant, and don’t hot dog it like so many young bucks are nearly compelled to think they have to do.

          4. My dad just wisely talked me out of a Triumph Speed triple. (1050cc) because I don’t have enough time under my belt and it’s stupid fast. I’m not quite stupid and 20 but a ‘need for speed’ is genetic. My dad and I pretty much have topped out everything we own at least once with the exception of his Corvette.

          5. Thing is on a bike, even a 600cc standard, you can get up to 85 or higher depending on conditions. But those monster 1k+ cc beasts, they get you there at a breathtaking pace and can literally take the control of the bike away from an inexperienced rider. You think it will be cool to throttle back at a newly green light and end up throwing yourself or nailing yourself into a crash barrier because of the huge amount of power that makes the bike seem to have a mind of its own.

          6. Yeah, I know. Supercar fast. 0-60 in 2-3 seconds and quarter miles in 10. Shoot me an email at [email protected] and I’ll respond from my real email and if I’m ever in central Ohio, or you’re in chicago, I’ll buy you a round.

          7. Right, and beyond engine size we have to consider the engine design. My single cylinder 650 makes 50 horsepower, whereas a 600cc sportbike can make 125+ these days. 50 horsepower in a 420 pound bike is still enough that I can smoke 95% of cars and accelerate hard to 90 mph, with a top speed of 120 or so which I believe is electronically limited. If a new rider whacked the throttle open on my bike in 2nd they would likely go out of control.
             A new rider straddling 125 horsepower in a 360 pound bike is completely nuts, let alone the 160+ horsepower literbikes offer.

          8. If you handle it right and practice enough, a 250 can beat a 1000 or 600 in the hills, which is where your skills get a chance to shine…see ya later on the straights though. Just practice practice practice and while i would say don’t push yourself too hard yet, don’t be scared to push yourself a bit once you click. Don’t buy above your skill level because that’s how you die.
             However when you eventually get your superbike it will be the best thing ever!

          9. The instructor of my Motorcycle safety course, a former Motocross and Supercross trophy winner said that that is one of the biggest mistakes he sees. People buy their big expensive dream bike first and lay it down in a parking lot somewhere learning to ride.

          10. Exactly, as bikes are cheap and they often can afford their dream bike, so they want to. They keep the same mindset they had for their car “if I can afford it, it’s all good” while overestimating their abilities.

          11. 600cc… 2005 yamaha R6 goes ~130 mph. 2004 cbr 1000rr goes 200 mph with a power commander and full exhaust system.

    3. I’d like to learn how to ride but a couple of my relatives have been wiped out by idiotic drivers here in central FL. One is now paralyzed, the other almost died and neither accident was their fault.
       Maybe if I lived somewhere more rural.

       1. It’s worse in rural areas, people are even less cautious the speed is higher so even if you crash less often, those crashes are way more likely to injure you seriously.
          I rode a naked bike for years, and I can say my life was at far greater risk in rural areas.

          1. Not sure I see that. Live in central Ohio which is one big arse rural zone (except Columbus). They are faster on the back roads, sometimes, and others are way too slow. Old men in hats in a 1970’s car inspecting the corn fields or whatever the hell it is that causes them to drive at 31 mph on a 55 mph road. And then combines/tractors during planting and harvest times slows traffic to a crawl. But in summer, yes, they do go faster. That said, it’s nowhere near the danger of driving in a city IMHO. My biggest worry in the rural countryside is deer.

          2. Ain’t that right….
             As long as traffic moves at < 40mph, smashing into cars now and then really isn’t all that as far as life altering risk goes. Just ask any Mediterranean Scooter teen. Or urban bicyclist. Or motorcyclist.
             You still run the risk of an outright T-Bone or head on, but the higher traffic density in urban areas, also put some upper limit on how absent minded and unfocused a car driver can get away with being. Friday night in SF, or on the Sunset Strip may look like a bad time to be mixing it up with the drunks, but noone ever moves there, so “crashes” are more likely to be scrapes than deadly. While Friday nights in rural Montana can be flat out scary, with drunkards flying down two lanes at 90+, largely passed out at the wheel of their HD truck.

          3. They’re not the only ones to go faster, you do too, so if you are suddenly stopped by an unaware moron, even a slow one, injuries can be serious.

       2. <- Tampa Bay

          1. <- Whorelando

       3. Deer will fuck you up.

17. There is nothing like the life lesson of having your wife/girlfriend/fiance leave you after a serious motorcycle accident (every guy I know had it happen to them as well). Having to learn to walk again, needed help showering and going to the bathroom will humble you. Though body is broken and the daily pain I live with will always be a remainder of the fragility of life. My spirit and determination is indestructible; I know because it has been tested. Don’t ride unless you are willing to loss it all. There are far worst things than death.

    1. Yeah dude, that had nothing to do with the motorcycle. If a girl is going to ditch you when you’re hurt on a bike, she’ll ditch you if you’re hurt skiing, or even if you get t-boned by a drunk driver and are totally faultless. What are you going to do, never take a risk for fear of losing your girl? You’ll lose her anyway with that attitude.
       Adversity shows you who your friends are. If people leave you when you’re down, fuck em, they weren’t worth it anyway. Cherish the ones who stand by you. You’ll only meet a handful of friends worth a shit your whole life.

       1. Internet wisdom.
          I prefer Antonio’s real world variety. He’s actually lived it.

          1. weambulance wasn’t commenting on the motorcycle, but on the woman. It’s an accurate comment, a woman who will leave you because you’re broken doesn’t care *why* you broke, she just leaves.

          2. A friend of mine and his wife got hit head on by a drunk driver. She walked away from the wreck, but he was in a coma for six months. The doctors told her he would never walk again, so what does she do? She went and found another man. She also blew all the money that was raised for his medical expenses on frivolous shit while she’s fucking some other dude. A year later he walked out of the hospital and went home to find his wife and the dude shacked up in their apartment. Sucks big purple donkey dicks, but it happens that way a lot.

          3. Man that’s gotta suck the life out of him. And the shitter is, these kinds of stories are not uncommon at all.

          4. Well, Xavier, let me tell you a little story. Once upon a time, when I was a young infantry stud, I went on mid-tour leave from Iraq to see my family and my fiance. While I was home, my fiance’s crazy roommate, a childhood friend, tried to kill her. I broke into her third floor apartment via fire escape and literally saved her life.
             About 6-8 weeks after I went back to Iraq, we were in the middle of the surge which for us meant the insurgent activity had all moved to our city. We were the hottest zone in Iraq, getting hit all the time. I liked the action but it was stressful, especially dealing with people in my own platoon doing stupid shit that could get me killed. I made the mistake of being honest about how things were going with my fiance over a period of weeks, sharing my frustration and telling her the kinds of things that were happening.
             She decided that she couldn’t handle the psychological stress of ME being in combat, and not being able to tell her I wasn’t going to deploy again. I’m sure she thought I was weak for venting too. So this chick broke up with me, the guy she “loved”, who was being shot at or blown up regularly, who had literally saved her life–and who can say that these days?–for some chump who strung her along emotionally, fucked her for awhile, and dumped her. The end.
             What’s the moral of the story? Expecting women to stand by you in times of adversity is foolish in the extreme. All you can do is keep up the front of having no serious problems if you want to keep her around, and that’s not possible in a bad accident.

          5. Yeah, he was never really the same after that. He got married again and worked two jobs while his wife went to nursing school. She left right after she graduated. Believe it or not, dude got married AGAIN (so far he’s still married). Lucky for him, he doesn’t have any kids. That sort of shit should be enough to put anyone off marriage for good. Makes my skin crawl…

          6. Got attacked by 2 pitbulls walking down the street, The owners idiot son forgot to lock the backyard gate where they reside. Was in the hospital for 2 weeks. On day 3 in the hospital bitch leaves me without even saying anything.

          7. Damn, That’s crazy shit. Did you get a settlement?

          8. Not much. Only $8000.

          9. What unit were you with? I was there in 07-09

          10. B co 2-7 Cav, 1st Cavalry Division. Mosul 06-07.

          11. Er, that’s 4th BCT too. Haha I’ve been out for 5 years, can’t even say my own unit properly anymore.

          12. A childhood friend of mine got engaged to this cute girl when he was in the army and working at Wal-Mart. She was a cashier and he was a truck unloader. He got deployed and she quit to ostensibly become a stay at home wife. Saw her several months later and she was a few months pregnant. In such a way that it was definitely not his. He came home and ofcourse left her as he should. I remember talking with his mom about it. She said it was a blessing that it happened really. Her entire family was trashy that way.
              It is a shame and a waste that cute, attractive bodies belong to such trashy girls. What a waste.

          13. Is there any other kind of woman?

          14. Internet wisdom or not……weambulance is right…..in a “real world sense”.

          15. “Expecting women to stand by you in times of adversity is foolish in the extreme.”
              Research shows pre-menopausal women are repulsed and threatened by male vulnerability where they see it as a potential marker of present or future low-status – it triggers their limbic system’s disgust mechanism.
              Men respond to female vulnerability with a desire to alleviate the vulnerability.

    2. Was in an accident while on my motorcycle. Asian woman cut me off on the free way by swerving into my lane when her lane was slowing down. Could tell her hood was freshly washed as I was flying over it. Called my girl to tell her to come pick me up. Boy was she stressed and crying. But I never let her see my pain from my now broken foot and gashed knee. If you are going to ride a bike, you gotta accept the chance of going down. That is the risk. That is the adventure. If you get hurt from your choice to live on the edge, you better not whine about it.

18. Riding a bike is great fun! It’s how I met my boyfriend and we love riding our cbrs together. But don’t do it to be manly, it’s something thar should only be done if it clicks for you and you will know if it clicks for you on your first ride, whether that first ride is down your street Or when you go to get your training and license (talking about australia here…don’t know how licensing works in the US)

19. 3 Reasons not to ride a motorcycle.
    1. Loose an arm – good friend did that.
    2. Everyone I know who has a bike f—ks themselves up no matter how careful.
    3. Ride a wheelchair is no fun.
    Coming from a former bike owner….

    1. Opps lose an arm:)

    2. You must know some really careless people, Joe.

       1. In all fairness I have seen more auto accidents than probably everyone on these comments combined. The chance of getting seriously hurt or killed on a motorcycle compared to a automobile is probably a 100x’s higher.
          I have watched dozens of riders gurgle their last breaths laying on hot asphalt. It is not a pretty sight. It is true some of them were careless but some were not. The mythical “freedom” of riding a corporate mass marketed motorcycle is a creation of ad agencies and hardly worth dying over.
          It is just my opinion that it is not worth dying over but it is 100% FACT that riding motorcycles will greatly increase your chance of a life altering accident or death.
          I’m not dogging motorcycling as a hobby and I can truly understand the attraction but the astronomical risks associated with riding can not be ignored.

          1. My point wasn’t that riding isn’t dangerous, it was that in almost all cases I’ve seen or heard of, with only a very few exceptions, they were all due to the rider doing something stupid. I do understand that sometimes a deer jumps out on the country road and the rider cannot react fast enough, but most accidents I see or have heard of either involve youth-and-speed, alcohol or a basic inability to apply sound judgment that any other rider would have applied.

          2. The simple fact is for whatever reason you care to list bikes are far more dangerous than cars. This is undeniable fact.
             I don’t access the stats on a regular basis but at one time the number one cause of motorcycle related accidents was a failure of the car driver to SEE the motorcycle.

          3. Nobody is denying your “simple fact”.
             My ‘simple fact’ is that a competent rider knows not to count on a driver seeing him. Drivers that fail to see bikers are the ones swooshing through red lights while texting (for example) and the counter strategy is to assume that you’re invisible and when the light turns green to wait a second or two and check both directions before pulling out. If a car is not stopped, even if it’s just barely moving, assume it’s unmanned and aimed at you until it comes to a complete stop.
             And so on. Nothing makes one impervious to idiots, but good riding skills and alertness keep a lot of bad shit from happening to you that happen to the less fortunate bikers.

          4. Of course, good drivers do all these things in there cars too to avoid accidents. The mistakes don’t cost as much but they’re good habits to have. Don’t facebook and drive, don’t text and drive, watch ahead and figure out what people are doing before they do it. Most people can’t drive for shit.

          5. If you’re not riding a motorcycle as if you’re invisible, you’re a moron. One of the things you do on a motorcycle is pretend no one can see you, in every single situation. The moment you stop doing this is the moment you decide to throw your life away.
             Why ride this way? Because car drivers are stupid and don’t look. So who is really to blame here? The rider who chooses two wheels, or the driver who caused an accident?
             Which would you rather have, a world where everyone drives in steel cages with bubble wrap and wearing 5-point-harnesses and helmets so they can’t die… OR… a world where everyone rides 2 wheeled vehicles, and pays attention to what the fuck they’re doing because they know they could kill themselves if they dont?
             Seat belts, air bags, and all the safety measures put into cars made car drivers LESS SAFE as a whole, even though accident fatalities went down. This happens because the minute you remove the concern for death from the equation is the moment the masses stop using their brains and start trusting someone else’s engineered forms of safety.
             Freedom, true freedom, means accepting risk, and accepting responsibility for your own safety.

    3. My arms are pretty loose

20. I have no need for speed, but I do have an urge to plod and splash through the backwoods trails and maybe catch a few trout and fry them up. TW 200s; they call them the Unimogs of dual purpose.
    http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww89/jeeters79/P9120014.jpg

    1. Nice! That gun caddy is sweet. I ride a 2002 F650GS myself, though I’ve never taken it on anything more challenging than fire roads. I need to find a riding group; I don’t need to break my leg in the Alaskan bush and get eaten.

    2. Dude! That kicks ass!

21. This article should be called “3 Reasons Why You Should Ride A Motorcycle, and 99 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t”.
    Living in East Asia for over a year and seeing all kind of bike crashes every week, I say riding a bike is a good way to tell the world you want to die and you hate your loved ones. Most accidents on a bike happen because of other people’s mistakes so it doesn’t really matter how well you ride it.

    1. Most accidents on a bike happen because of other people’s mistakes so it doesn’t really matter how well you ride it.
       Maybe in East Asia. Accidents can happen because of other people, yes, but generally if you follow good riding rules and you have practical skills that you’ve honed over time, you anticipate the bonehead maneuvers of others before they happen and know how to counteract the idiocy of others before it becomes a problem. Can accidents still happen, sure no question, but it’s not like “tell the world you want to die and you hate your loved ones”. That mindset and statement is little more than cowardice backed by a lack of actual real life experience in doing something that requires real skill.

22. They are plenty of badass things that you can do that don’t have a very high risk of dying. My dad’s been in two motorcycle accidents. Have you seen how many people text and drive? People are retarded. Riding a motorcycle is taking a risk, and a manly one at that but it just seems silly to put your entire life on the line for the sake of riding a donorcycle. And saying a car can’t be fun is silly. It just means you aren’t driving a stick.

    1. Only way driving a car can be fun is if your off roading in a pickup or a jeep. Or if you own a ferrari, lamborghini, mercedes sls, Bugatti, BMWM3, Mclaren, Gt500, Camaro Zl1,Challenger SRT, Viper, Corvette or some other high end sports car.

23. Some of you guys crack me up. Riding a bike isn’t the safest thing in the world, sure, but a big chunk of accidents are because the riders are stupid or unskilled. I’ve been in plenty of dangerous situations that I escaped specifically because I was on a motorcycle rather than in a car. On a bike you can stop much quicker, accelerate much quicker, and you only take up 1/4 of the lane so you can simply ride around shit you couldn’t avoid in a car. The biggest danger is the cars on the road being piloted by retards, so ride like they’re trying to kill you. Anticipate dangers and ride defensively.
    Wear your gear, always. I wear a spine protector, a zipped and buttoned leather jacket, good gloves, White’s boots, and a good full face helmet. I usually just wear Carhartts or similar for pants, but I do have a pair of cordura rain pants for cold weather that would add significant abrasion protection in a crash. Don’t wear shit that doesn’t fit or wear it unfastened/unzipped because it’ll just get torn off in a crash.
    Riding in the rain isn’t a big deal. Be careful around railroad crossings (the plastic insert things get slick) and the very thick painted lines like crosswalks and similar. Your bike will still have good traction on wet pavement, but don’t ride like a moron. Same deal with gravel or dirt, stay out of thick gravel in curves and learn how to react if your rear tire starts to slide. It is correctable. I’ve ridden thousands of miles in the rain with no ill effects.
    I can not emphasize enough how much better off you are with a full face helmet than any other option. A high quality flip face is good too but they’re $$$. For one, it’s a lot more comfortable to ride when you don’t have shit hitting you in the face. The wind alone makes it uncomfortable for me to ride above 40 mph with the visor up, even with wraparound sunglasses. My eyes would be streaming tears at 60 mph. Being unable to see clearly is, obviously, beyond idiotic on a motorcycle. I’ve been hit in the visor by all kinds of big bugs, and it’s hard to stay focused on riding when you catch a bee or butterfly to the face. Last, something like 40% of motorcycle head injuries are to the face/jaw so even a 3/4 helmet isn’t a good compromise.
    I am personally a lot more comfortable and relaxed without wind noise, so I wear earbuds or earplugs, but YMMV.
    If you don’t want to ride, fine, whatever. Maybe it’s just not your thing, maybe you don’t see the risk as worth it, who cares. But if you’re going to call people like me morons because we choose to ride, first, suck my nuts, and second, fuck off, candyass. I’m not so afraid to die that I won’t live my life.

24. First, let me say I think motorcycles are cool. Now, let me say….everyone….and I mean eeeeverrryyyyyone I know that has ever, ever had a motorcycle has a ‘story’….more specifically an ‘injury/death’ story.
    Broken bones, legs, permanently messed up legs/hips, paralyzed for several years before dying, etc, etc. The bottom line is, if you ride long enough….the odds are very high you will be injured and in some cases gravely injured or worse.
    One important aspect of living a wise and ‘lucky’ life is mitigating unnecessary risk. I don’t mean eliminating risk as I am a risk taking individual with business, investments, some sports and also women. I just think the risk/reward to riding a motorcycle for the long term is not balanced enough….too high on the risk side.

    1. smartest comment on here

    2. And guys like Valentino Rossi, Carl Fogarty, Collin Edwards, etc. would disagree, at least to the risk/reward motorcycling offered them. It just comes down to personal skill, talent and founded confidence. Risk/reward of bombing down a mountain face at 90 mph on what amount to a pair of greasy sticks is different for Mel from accounting and Bode Miller. Of course, it’s all irrelevant because no one with any significant degree of skill, talent and founded confidence in any given area gives a shit what a half-assed opinion piece on ROK had to say about that area one way or another.

    3. Been riding since I was about 11 or so (dirt bikes in corn fields back then), am in my mid 40’s now. Never had an injury on one except a few minor scrapes (in cornfields, during aforementioned youth) that I walked away from. While a priori is not indicative of future results, the risk isn’t nearly as much as a lot of people assume IF you learn early, develop critical skills, don’t run down the highway at 120 mph while drunk in your 20’s (when most motorcyclists cash in their chips because they’re young, stupid and think that they’re immoral), keep your head on a swivel and consider yourself invisible to all motorists.

25. I got this one and I’ll be bragging.
    131,000 miles. That’s my mileage on my current bike that I bought back in 2004. Have I wrecked? Damned right. Last November I spent 5 days in the hospital with a shit-ton of broken ribs and my clavicle busted in two places. My left lung will never be the same. That was my only serious wreck in the ten years of owning this bike. I had no wrecks on previous motorcycles. For the last six years, I’ve not even owned a car. All motorcycle, all the time. The women loved it. The community of motorcyclists was excellent. It was a real brotherhood.
    Good gear and good skills are the key. Invest in the gear, learn the skills. Practice and don’t take stupid risks. For the record, I don’t ride anymore. It’s not because of my wreck, it’s because of my eyesight (cancer, don’t ask). I simply don’t trust my vision anymore. It’s part of risk mitigation. Yes, motorcycling is dangerous. What, you’re going to take the bus to work? Wait, never mind. I do that now.
    Regardless, the willingness to take physical risks is a truly masculine trait. Any spergy nerd-schmuck can pander for start-up money for some useless mobile app. Go ahead, cash in. But when you risk your body, you’re testing yourself, you’re overcoming the real risks. As every rider knows, the crumple zone on a motorcycle is the rider.
    As an aside, the bike in my avatar is what I own. It’s a 2004 Suzuki V-Strom 650. And yes, I really did put 131,000 miles on it and it still runs just fine, just not with me on it.

    1. That’s a fuckload of miles for a bike brother, did you have to overhaul it at any point or is it still the original from the floor?

       1. Nothing serious except I had to replace the stator and the regulator/rectifier because of the south Florida heat. Of course, I’ve been through a shitload of brakes, tires, oil filters, oil, and chains.

       2. That’s like having a car with 500,000 miles on it.

26. Consider a 250 until you master countersteering. Heavier is scarier. You need to get to “comfortable” tossing it around. Or be a cruiser fag who never exceeds 65 mph or 15 degrees of lean.
    You want armor over your joints, or should, but yeah, plain leather is better than squidding it in a wife beater. Google “road rash queen”. Shit happens.

27. Allright, this article completely let me down. Of all the many good reasons to drive a motorcycle, including the visceral joy of it, new perspectives (and pleasure to be taken) on travel, visceral joy again, and instant access to a new and interesting social group, the reasons the author gives are superficial and make me very mindful that this is a missed opportunity to discuss the very real advantages and disadvantages that riding entails. On balance, it’s a positive experience, as one might guess from the number of dedicated riders. Of the overwhelming caveats is the need for near-constant situational awareness (which is both positive for the effect it has on clearing the mind of minutia and negative in terms of heightened fatigue). Of course any rider who doesn’t have a heightened awareness of the dangers won’t be riding forever.
    Low survivability in accidents means low insurance costs, too. Also something to be aware of.
    I don’t ride anymore- I enjoyed it, but moved to other pleasures (bought boats instead)… still, of the solid advice here in terms of personal safety for those who do go riding, there was a real missed opportunity by the author to discuss motorcycles as a vehicle that also encourages taking the roads less traveled, in the figurative sense, and that’s the #1 reason to ride, after all.

    1. New motorcycle is about 10k. The new boats are 60k and you need a car than can tow it or a spot at the marina. I love boats but they’re expensive.

28. I like this article, except for the photo of the fucking mangina White Knight police officer. He’s learning how to ride his motorcycle so he can ride to your house and pull you out of it at your wife’s request.
    Having said that, one great thing about a motorcycle is that if you really know how to control it, you can outrun cops in cars. You can be gone so fast that they will not have time to call their other fucking mangina faggot colleagues to help chase you.

29. Motorcycle riding fatalities shot up in recent years because of baby boomers having “Easy Rider” fantasies and becoming first time riders.
    I’m not a boomer (parents are).
    I gave up the motorcycle a few years ago. After a particular close call but mainly because it’s just not fun anymore riding around here with so many stoplights. Used to be better before SoCal got overpopulated.
    Parents let me get a moto permit at 15 1/2 and I rode my bike to high school before I got the license and the car.
    The motorcycle experience helped me avoided getting rear ended a number of times in cars because I’m always checking my mirrors and acting like I’m invisible.
    I wouldn’t recommend riding just to “be a man” unless it is strong compulsion inside you.

30. This is terrible advice.

31. Motorcycle rider deaths were nearly 30 times more than drivers of other vehicles
    Motorcycle riders aged below 40 are 36 times more likely to be killed than other vehicle operators of the same age.
    Death by car is about a 2% chance. a 98% chance of not dying. Motorcycle fatalities are 30 times higher than cars. 30% x 2% is a 60% chance of death.
    Some sources claim that per mile traveled: “Motorcyclists are 51 times more likely to be killed than car drivers, this figure is considered per mile travelled, they are also twice as likely as pedal cyclists, the next most vulnerable group.”
    The only way to avoid death by motorcycle is risk exposure, Go out only on PERFECT days, when it isn’t busy, as a leisure activity. You WILL get heart disease, and cancer on a long enough time-line, and you WILL kill yourself on a motorcycle if you expose yourself to risks every day, (either that or you will get a nice injury that makes you quit riding). The key is just being smart about timing the road conditions, but it sounds like a pain in the ass to be honest.
    “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_causes_of_death_by_rate”
    *Although they are already starting to print new hearts using your own stem cells.
    “approximately 80 percent of reported motorcycle crashes result in injury or death; a comparable figure for automobiles is about 20 percent”
    So if you crash in a car, You barely get any injury, just to your soul because of insurance costs, whereas a small motorcycle crash has an 80% (4 x) chance of giving you a real injury.
    Conclusion: If you want a little excitement in your life, getting a motorcycle is just exchanging one problem(boredom) for another (Speed adrenaline rush and possible death).
    and…………this is what you end up with when you get men who don’t care if they die by speed. Pretty hardcore .
    

32. Lots of good comments on this thread. I commute daily by motorcycle on Los Angeles freeways, and I would only add this – if you are meant to ride, nobody can talk you out of it. If you can be talked out of it, you probably shouldn’t ride.

    1. Yeah. I’ve never had a fear of a motorcycle. Waited way too long to buy one because I was lazy about getting my M license.

33. No need for raingear? An absolute must in the UK. That said, I learned to ride in a hurricane in Virginia.
    But I didn’t not to follow through and buy a bike. I could not get comfortable with the potentially severe consequences of crashing. Yes I have friends who have had awful injuries, losing body parts etc. I must also say that the idea that riding a bike is manly is mostly in your head. Not everyone agrees. Also, you will physically be less of a man missing a leg as a result of a crash.
    If you are comfortable with the risks though, by all means buy that bike, it is your choice.

    1. I think the idea that it is manly is somewhat bolstered by the clear salivating lust certain women have for men on bikes. It does boost your ego a bit. That said it’s mostly an illusion otherwise. Riding is for expanding the soul and enjoying life in ways that Saftey First society clearly has no concept of these days.
       Funny thing is that a lot of the criticism (not all, but a lot) of motorcycle riding could easily be leveled at men who ride bicycles on the roads, but nobody really thinks it through and condemns bicyclists, generally speaking.

       1. Truth. My worst vehicle accidents have ALL been from mountain bike crashes. I’ve got scars from flying onto the pavement as a kid, and I took a spill two years back going 40 on a mountain bike.

       2. You’re correct about the bicyclists not receiving the came condemnation. I used to ride centuries and put in a lot of miles on a road bike (bicycle). I believe that I was at considerably more risk for serious injury or death on a bike than on a motorcycle (daily rider in metropolitan area 8,000+ mi/year). Riding on narrow, high pressure tires susceptible to blow-outs when forced to the ride near the shoulder of roads where debris collects, wearing nothing but lycra and a helmet that is little more than styrofoam, being passed by cars and trucks within a foot or two driven by motorists who do not consider that you my have to deviate from your line. Furthermore, consider a descent at 50+ mph wearing only lycra versus my racing motorcycle boots, knee/shin pads, padded gloves with knuckle protectors, a padded leather jacket w/spine protector, and a full helmet and visor. Look at motorcycle racers racers quickly jump to their feet after a fall, compare that with the bloody messes resulting from bicycle accidents, even it does not involve a car and Most motorcycle deaths are attributable to excessive speed and occur at/in intersections (usually a combination of both) and many, if not most, involve car driver negligence. There is also a a factor of inexperience and youth. Some people simply don’t have the combination of physical and mental skills. Unfortunately, they are the people gravitate to to cars, and SUVs weighing tons and jeopardizing the lives of the bicyclists and motorcyclists. (e.g. 16 year old kids distracted by iPhones and iPods, soccer moms and businessmen who believe that their text messages are more important than the lives of others, drunk drivers, octogenarians, who should have lost their license because of diminished skills, etc.). Do they criticize pilots as much? No. Because the barrier to enter into that space are much higher and do not jeopardize other pilots to any large degree.

34. A couple of game tips for when you get a bike:
    1. Logistics – several girls I’ve pulled when I show up on a date on the bike, give them a little ride, and then say “let’s swing by my place so I can leave the bike and then go out to have a drink – can’t drink while riding”. Great line to get them to your place.
    2. Easier to tell if a girl is into you – when you give them a ride, if she wraps her hands around you and holds tight => hope you brought a condom. If she says “where are the handlebars, how do you hold on to this thing, etc.” => might as well drop her off and go burn some rubber on your own.

35. I took the motorcycle safety courses offered by my local Harley dealership two or three weeks ago. It was a lot of fun.
    Now I’m shopping for my first bike. I want a cruiser and not a sport bike.
    Currently, I’m looking at choosing between a Yamaha Bolt, Honda Shadow, and Harley Sportster 883. I’m leaning heavily toward the Shadow. I could go for either if they price is right.
    Any thoughts/suggestions for choosing your first bike?
    I accidentally put this comment in the wrong spot. :/

    1. I’d still get a used Small Jap bike first. Ride for six months to a year then get your Bolt (sharp looking bike) or shadow. You really don’t want to put down a 10k bike. The small Jap bikes (Ninja 250’s and Ninja 300s) run 3-4k used and in 6 months, if you don’t drop it, will still be worth 3-4 k used. Used private party>used at a dealer usually for price.

    2. Go for the 883 sportster

36. Never gonna sit on one of those. I mean i’ve seen it man. I’ve seen it with my own eyes, bunch of young dudes in their twentires dying in the most stupid fucking ways you can imagine thanks to those machines. Starting from a drunk guy hitting them accidentally or crossing in their lane, or simply by hitting a hard object on the road and then going in the air and head down to the ground.
    No, if i’m going to die a violent death, let it be on a fucking battlefield.

    1. So you’re saying that if you would ride you would not be able to keep yourself from being drunk or speeding or paying attention to the road? I can see why you choose not to ride then.

       1. No buddy, Sober guys ended up with cracked skulls. They ride normally, like 50km/h, minidng their own business. All of a sudden, guy from next lane loses control, breaks the fence and crosses to his lane, also at quite moderate speed. What would merely cause a moderate damage crash if he was in a car, had killed the dude. And he was riding just normally.
          I’ve heard too many of the guys dying at young age thanks to bikes.

          1. Hear the same thing happening to cars where the driver doesn’t survive, usually brought about by a semi-truck driver with little to no sleep sweeping a lane, on a fairly regular basis. Life is risk, and I like to enjoy life, just one of my things. I respect your decision to guide your own fate, but there are no guarantees in life and ultimately we have to all tend to our own tolerance levels. I can tolerate the risk and know the odds and how to counter a lot of stuff on the road. Can I still be downed? Hell yes. But you assume that risk when you saddle up. If it’s not for you, so be it.

          2. “No, if i’m going to die a violent death, let it be on a fucking battlefield.” … That’s why he’s “Armchair” General. 😉 In the meantime, just experience life from a recliner (or an armchair) in an effort to avoid anything that might put you at risk. Could his use of a small “i” to refer to himself, have meaning? In order to avoid risk does he oppose riding them on a closed track as sport? Better eliminate, any auto racing, equestrian sports, cycling, climbing, scuba, swimming, boat racing …oh hell, get rid of all sports. That leaves board games. In Scrabble which is worth more points spelling “Coward” or “Mangina”? Is there a safer play? Exercise caution: Don’t choke on the tiles. 😉

    2. Amen to that. Only degenerate, knuckle-dragging, testosterone reeking cavemen love motorcycles, because they compensate nicely for their own minuscule penises.
       Oops, i think i jsut described most people in RoK, my bad lol.

37. Every time I read a “prove your manliness” article here, I just laugh and laugh. How pathetically insecure are some of these writers that they constantly have to ‘prove’ something? A real man doesn’t give a damn about ‘proving’ anything to anyone.

    1. Thread winner!

38. I’ ve been racing motocross for many years and have rode on the street and done NESBA TRACK DAYS up until a couple years ago.I gave up the street because I didn’t want to be associated with stunters.The whole scene became “BETA” if you will.Stunters and bike clubs.If you never rode before it is fun don’t get me wrong I’m just over the extended swing arm, mohawk wearing, stunting jackholes I was surrounded by.At my age it’s hard to find another crew to ride with anymore.We still race but not ride on the street.Thats the only time there wives let them play:(

39. Motorcycle riding is a PHASE for most guys. Did motorcross and then street bikes for years. Then, boating, and even airplane lessons. Done with all thrill seeking. Now all I want is good pussy.

40. Well i like this article because you actually get some practical advice on what to buy if you want to get a bike, which i do. I don’t think it makes you a “real man” but its definitely a masculine activity i don’t think that can be denied.

41. Riding’s fun, I started riding when I was 16 as I was living in Vietnam. Over there it’s the most effiecient way of transportation. I used to ride without a helmet too, well most people were as the law wasnt enforced, people wouldn’t because of the heat and damage to the hairstyle it does. Used to do illegal street races and was chased off my the cops a couple of times. Crashed around 7 times, looking back now I was sometimes reckless and I am probably lucky to have had nothing serious but bruises and small injuries. I’d say do it if you want to but don’t do it because it’s manly, the risks are real. The benefits include a better mental coordination, your brain does much more processing than driving a car and you develop a better mental/physical agility coz of that. I still ride but I don’t take risks when I do.

42. riding a motorcycle makes you feel cool and manly. it “looks” good on the exterior. i understand the desire for men to ride motorcycles, but clearly, you’re being a very irresponsible man to your own family and friends. not only are you endangering yourself but others. my relative was injured in a motorcycle accident. he was victim crossing the street. now men, if you guys claim to think logically then you will not ride a motorcycle. ROK men are always criticizing women for thinking emotionally, yet men who ride bikes seem to be thinking emotionally… hmmm… ironic

    1. Oh shove it up your fetid arse, cupcake “guest”.
       You want a risk free life? Fine, join the Democrat party, vote Hillary 2016, close your front door and lock it and never venture outside.
       Christ, to think men went to the moon at one time, and now their descendents are afraid to so much as take even the slightest risk.

       1. i’m a republican… never voted for a democrat and never will…

          1. Yet you lay blame on the inanimate object involved in an accident. If your relative was hit by a motorcycle just innocently strolling across in a crosswalk, the motorcyclist is a reckless moron who wasn’t paying attention. If he’d been in a car, your relative would probably be dead, so really, you should be glad it was just a motorcycle.
             Another possibility is your relative didn’t look and just ran into the road. I’ve had several people literally take off from a standing start on the sidewalk and sprint right in front of my truck on campus. Good thing it’s a 25 mph road or I’d have nailed them. My reaction time is only so fast, my vehicle needs time and room to stop, and if someone sprints in front of me and I hit them I am not at fault. I came within a few feet of hitting the last kid who did that.
             Most likely it was a combination of the two extremes. Regardless, you’re just like one of these people whose relative is shot so suddenly all guns are bad. Blaming the tool for the crime is a sign of someone who doesn’t understand cause and effect very well.
             I got hit by a car when I was about 15. I was on a sidewalk on my bicycle riding pretty quick, and the car turned left suddenly and hit me as I was passing in front of a McDonalds entrance. It was both of our faults, hers for not seeing me coming and me for riding so fast in an area with commercial driveways. My back was tweaked for several years. I was a little afraid of cars for a few weeks but never once did it occur to me to think “cars are evil, and the people who drive them are disrespectful and irresponsible and don’t care about their families!”
             Edited for typos.

       2. “Don’t go to the moon! It’s dangerous!”
          Also Chicks dig bikes BECAUSE they’re dangerous. (I still have to figure out how to leverage my bike to get girls)

       3. Shut up, dudebro, you’re getting your cheetoh-dust on my perm

43. Funny how “Fact Checking Emotional Propaganda” article comes out the same day as this one telling me how “manly” it is to ride a motorcycle.
    It’s like one step forward two steps back with this site.

44. Reasons to own a motorcycle:
    1. You want to “look cool” (despite being an obese manlet)
    2. You’re an anti-social asshole
    3. You want to show your individuality (by conforming to biker culture)

    1. You’re so wise. Please comment on every post; you really bring a unique perspective. You’re like my heroin, and I’m addicted after a single hit. I was going to go to sleep, but then I saw your insightful comment, and now I’m going to stay up all night meditating on the way my life just changed.

       1. Go fuck yourself, you consecending twat.

          1. Oh my, you’re incredibly self aware as well! I want to have your adopted babies. *swoon*

45. Why the hate on Harleys?

    1. I don’t think it is Harley hate. Consider the possibility, that many (not all) who buy H-Ds are not choosing it because it best meets their individual needs, reflects their preferences, styles, and personality, or on their performance, value, maintenance, etc. It is more a factor of them being influenced by the marketing and branding power of a Fortune 500 NYSE traded company. See the many case studies and books on HD’s reemergence in the 1980s. Ironically, for many who purchase a Harley Davidson, rather than showing a bit of independence, or rugged individualism, they reveal that they are willing to follow the pack, are a victim of advertising, a sheep. Many (not all) unaware of who they are, are trying to buy image. (see http://www.amazon.com/Rebuilding-Brand-Harley-Davidson-Became-King/dp/0983815216 ) When one see someone riding a Harley these days, (perhaps, especially in suburbia), one can easily can spot the sheep (sometimes a small flock) out for their weekend ride, before taking it in for dealer maintenance and buying some new logo merchandise). Like buying a Rolex, a Coke, a Budweiser, rather unimaginative. Do people really prefer those over all alternatives were it not for marketing?
       When wearing my motorcycle jacket (a plain black ergonomic fit (sport bike style)), I get two questions in immediate succession: What kind of bike do you ride? A Harley? Imagine people seeing a person with car keys, asking do you drive a Honda or Toyota? (Just go with the odds Accord or Camary). The people asking often know nothing of motorcycle styles, models, and have no real interest, but they are affected by advertising.

46. Buying a harley after my second deployment was one of the best decisions I ever made. Everyone said don’t do it – wait at least until you have a new car blah blah blah. You know what? I knew that if I didn’t buy one then it might be years before I did – or never. And I said “fuck that” and blew off everybody’s opinion and did it anyway. And I have NEVER regretted it – not for one second. Not when I rode 800 miles from Kentucky to Florida. Not when I laid it down. Not when I got soaking wet on a morning commute. Never. More importantly though, making the decision YOU feel is best for YOU is crucial – especially when everyone else is demanding you do something different.

47. Interesting article. Let me share my thoughts and experiences.
    I grew up riding bikes. I started out riding dirt bikes then racing motocross. I’ve raced in the desert, on 120 mile loops and on small tracks. I still ride dirt bikes to this day. I made a deal with my self when I turned 40 that f I was going to continue to ride I would have to stay off of the tracks. In 35 years of riding I’ve had a number of minor injuries and one big one–a broken hip I got racing when I was in high school. I blew out my knee when I was in my teens but I did that on a bicycle. My brother who’s 55 and I ride together with our sons every other week.
    When I was 22 I bought a brand new Softail. I never got any training–I didn’t need it. I loved that bike! I ride that thing everywhere. I got so much tail during that time it wasn’t funny. It wasn’t the bike, it was me. The bike was a great excuse for a lot of girls to break away. I can’t remember how many girls would ask to go for a ride at a party, it was an excuse to get away from their friends or orbiters to go fuck the biker guy at the party. Some of the best times of my life were spent by my self going nowhere in particular. After 2 years I sold the bike to get cash to invest in my career. I sold it for exactly what I bought it for–new. This isn’t to say I never had any close calls. There was a number of close calls I had that I saved because I know how to ride. It’s also important to be able to read the road and conditions. I never dumped that bike–not once!
    Everyone who wants to call themselves some type of Renaissance man should know how to operate a motorcycle. You never know when the skill could come in handy.
    Here’s my biggest disappointment reading this article. It’s not the article, it’s the comments. If there’s something in life you feel isn’t for you, man up and say it isn’t for you. This is The Manosphere for crying out loud! To say someone is stupid for doing something they love simply because you feel it’s a risk you aren’t willing to take is the most feminine/beta move you could pull. If you feel it’s too big a risk for you and you can accept that and admit some men are comfortable doing something that’s not for you, I can respect that. If you just dismiss it out of hand as being stupid because you had a bad experience or you’re just too much of a pussy, you shouldn’t be here.
    I do a lot of stuff for fun that people have said makes me crazy or a risk taker. I feel sorry for those people because most of them are already dead. There’s things I feel wouldn’t be for me. The thought of doing high steel work scares the shit out of me. I don’t think steelworkers are crazy or stupid for doing what they do. They perform a valuable service and if I had a need to do it, I’d give it a try but I’d never dismiss it or anything else that I felt wasn’t for me.

48. “You are going to drop the thing.” Too true. And probably during the first six months.

49. Surfing is the real test, not speeding down a suburban street in your Ducati.

50. Yeah, no. Getting distracted in a car means a lot less than getting distracted on a motorcycle, and both happen. Yesterday I drove past a bad wreck involving a motorcycle several
    times and they didn’t even call an ambulance because the guy was so
    fucked up and clearly not able to be saved. Most of my dad’s college friends are dead now because they crashed their motorcycles. I wouldn’t get on one without a ton of padding and I’d rather take the safer and less badass way to get to work.

51. Motorcycles are awesome. Until you crash. I’ve learned from experience to stay the hell away from these death traps.

52. The world becomes so black and white when you ride. This move will either lead to me safely getting there or getting hurt/killed. Very binary.
    Accidents can still happen, but you come to the mindset of owning your experience. No matter what other drivers do, you control the outcome of the ride as much as possible.
    You also become a better driver because you learn to read other drivers and anticipate their moves.
    And cannot recommend the MSF courses highly enough. Much better to learn the ropes in a closed parking lot vs the open road.

53. Pros: Women love them. A woman that will ride with you is almost certain to sleep with you. Riding in the summmer breeze is one of the great pleasures of life.
    Cons: Death or serious disability. Bikes expose you to much greater danger than skydiving, rockclimbing or flying with super lights.
    I rode a scooter since I was teenager and then bigger bikes. I had several falls, some because of me some because of the psychopaths behind wheels.
    Lost 1 close friend (fallen over a truck’s oil spill) and another one parallysed because of a drunken car driver. Both were excellent cautious drivers.
    I sold mine and never rode again after visiting the parallyzed friend a couple of times. This is a risk you don’t need. Even a a badly broken ankle will make your life hell and bring regret in rectrospect. A large perentage of people are totally incapable of sane driving and you empower these people to hurt you badly evertime you ride.
    Not worth it. Take up skydiving instead.

54. I sold my Bonneville a couple of months ago. I’ve ridden motorcycles for more than 40 years but last summer I was nearly wiped out on three separate occasion and each time it was by a teenaged girl on her cellular telephone. They were clueless and never even knew what they had done. I don’t think they even noticed. I figured that if I survived a crash at my age, it would take me too long to heal up and I would probably not heal well.

55. So I hope you were joking when you wrote this, “Ride a fast bike slow and you look like a fool, ride a slow bike fast and you’re a god.” – That seems a bit over the top. I’d say that acceleration is king – have fun at low speed, you’ll live longer. I ride a supermoto, you don’t have to break 35mph to get an adrenalin rush. Wear a helmet kids.

56. I’ve been riding since 06. I’ve witnessed my best friend crash and break his femur and shatter his wrist. He’s lucky to be alive – however he still rides. I still ride, and we still ride together. Personally I have never been in a motorcycle accident – and I will say with confidence it will not happen. Get a grip on your life, pay attention to your surroundings, and ride with confidence.

57. I really really want to buy a motorbike, but I am afraid of the texting idiots who will run over me with a Land Rover.

58. 
    there’s nothing better, girls will come ul to you asking for rides all the time.

    1. Dood, no offence, but you really need to get two fingers on the brake lever at all times and learn to throttle with the front brake covered, you’ll be two seconds faster.

59. As a motorcycle rider myself, I 100% agree with this article.

60. Real men ride mx

61. The author is right on the money with this article. That last sentence cannot be emphasized enough, but it should not be the reason one purchases a bike. Some simply do not have the skill set; take a course and find out. Ride within your limits. His bike guidance (e.g. Suzuki SV650) is near perfect. Consider Suzuki SV1000s (the V-twin is more forgiving than the typical 1000cc crotch rocket he mentions) recently reviewed as best valued used sport bike (search Cycle World SV1000s; I recently bought one like the one depicted in CW article: 2003 Copper, only with Holeshot exhaust- very cool.) I’m 50+, (military pilot in younger days), and have good skills, use it for year round daily transportation. A day doesn’t go by where I don’t get compliments on the bike from men and women. Attracting women, especially younger, did not factor into my decision to get a bike, and I’m bit shocked at the response on an ongoing basis. If you want to attract educated, intelligent women choose a stylish, understated jacket, (e.g. Icon Overlord Stealth, or maybe Alpinestar) and helmet; stay away from the Harley-type attire, skulls and wild graphics, or flash track stuff. For safety, I even wear track type (Sidi) boots, women often starts conversations when they see them. The SV offers the pleasant lines, and not an overly crotch-rocket midlife crisis look. Women (at least the non tattooed /pieced type that I favor) seem to like the more refined, but aggressive look. Added benefits: when I meet women for initial dates, it gives added reason to meet them there, to not pick them up, to keep it informal, and to limit alcohol. (If they ask…my Italian sports car is in the process of being restored (true) so I’ve justification to ride the bike, but it’s a preference anyway). After that on future dates if they drive, there are some strategic advantages…if they drive to their place 😉 , or if they drop me off and choose to come in :-), either one has some advantages. Owning and riding a motorcycle is a personal choice as is bike selection, so while it might say something about me, it is not a conscience image and I’ve no sense of camaraderie with others simply because of it. Be true to yourself. The average guys that I know who bought Harleys, are victims of advertising and branding, and bought into a mystique that doesn’t even match their personas, or needs and look foolish because of it. People, including women, see right through them. Also see http://www.match.com/magazine/article/6707/The-Allure-Of-The-Biker-Guy/ Lastly, I’d love to own a BMW1200GSA or a Ducati Multistrada, but $23,000 nicely equipped versus $3,500 for the Suzuki? Beer & Tuscan Red taste- Saki budget 😉 Some of the best money I ever spent; $230 /year to insure.

62. I have to disagree on this. Motorcycles are fucking badass. However, there is no way that I would ride a bike in this day and age. Literally 95% of the people in their cars are on their cellphones. In addition, I have never met a rider that has not been in a serious or near serious accident. My buddy just flipped over his bars the other day when I dude turned left. My friend’s client’s son was decapitated recently.
    I would only ride a dirt bike.

63. 16 years old. When I was 7, my mother died because of a motorcycle accident. Left me traumatized
    After reading this article, I decided to borrow my dad’s motorcycle. Cruised around our neighborhood. Felt so damn good

64. I use to ride in my early 20’s…I gave it up due to the fear and others opinions. I’m in my early 30’s now and I started riding again. I regret giving up riding to due fears and others peoples thoughts. I’m happier these days since I started riding. Yeah I get some heat from some friends and family…but guess what they don’t ride. You only live this life once my friends…do what you want…and do it for yourself.

65. Rode motorcycles in my teens. Started with a 2005 R6 in high school. I slid on oil in a corner and lost the R6, parted it out. Bought a 2004 CBR 1000RR, convinced my girlfriend at the time to come out with me. Stopped at a red light, we get creamed by an F150. Truck struck right in front of my knee. Launched the bike 2 car lengths away. We were like dishes with the tablecloth ripped out. We fell straight down suffering only minor injuries (helmets and leather jackets). Bought a 2007 GSXR 750. Parked it outside of a cafe. A woman backed over it, destroyed the bike. Sold it to her insurance company. That’s enough bikes for me. Maybe someday I’ll get a track day bike, another R6 I think. Until then my STI is actually more fun than the bikes since it rains here all day every day.

66. Bikes, yeah! I rode a Nighthawk S for 22 years and 90,000 miles and a cracked swing arm. Junked it to a guy that used the engine for a go-cart. Rode a 1200CC Suzuki Bandit for a while and now a Concours14, I’m well north of 140,000 miles on bikes and I can tell you, get good at it, you don’t HAVE to crash. Read Kieth Code’s book, Twist of the Wrist, learn good braking skills and enjoy. Many was the night we raced the Beltway Grand Prix around Washington DC’s Capitol Beltway’s 61 miles and we could do it in under thirty minutes.
    You can pull a lot of women on bikes, at 58, I’m still getting them on “just for a ride” in their twenties and thirties. Fellas, a day with their legs spread wide around you on a high-frequency, two-wheeled, high-speed vibrator makes them curious about what ELSE you can do to them. Don’t be a slob. I’m not muscle-bound, but to ride and control a bike properly, your long muscles need to be strong, even if you’re lean like me. Load up on liability insurance to a passenger, just in case and go enjoy. You DO owe it to your lady-passengers to be good at what you’re doing, but once you do, it’s the greatest single thing. All the chips are on the table every time you throw a leg over the bike, remember that. It’s you and your skills on the bike for all to see. And you do it well, or you aren’t any good at all (dead). And never, EVER put a fat chick on your bike. You cancel out any manly effect by carrying a fat chick.
    But there’s nothing like it, it’s the single greatest endeavor a modern (Civilian) man still has left to challenge him on a rhetorical “field of honor”. I was a flight deck guy for five years, riding bikes made up for the hole in my psyche after I got out of the Navy. Flight decks make a trouble-junkie out of you. Street Bikes and pussy filled the hole just right.
    Gentlemen, Good Luck, Gentlemen.

67. Bikes are the best thing ever. But until you have FULLY mastered your roadcraft and FULLY mastered the dynamics of the machine in all conditions, be ultra conservative. The great preponderance of motorcycle injuries and fatalities are from new riders on bikes that are too powerful. Nothing whatsoever wrong with just getting a basic Suzuki 650 naked bike until you are 110 percent comfortable on it in all conditions. I have never been in a crash or even an accident but have come close. And I do some some people who have been disfigured. When it’s Chevy Suburban vs. Motorcycle, I think you can guess who wins every time.

68. Ever notice that those that post on old threads are usually trolls trying build a history. This way, when they eventually attack a thread, it looks like they have been around a while. Sauron666 is one of these trolls.

69. Theres another great thing about riding that goes beyond “Overcoming Fears”: Accepting your mortality.
    Theres nothing quite like taking curves inches from the pavement at near 100MPH to permanently remind you that life WILL end and youll never know when. Once youve been down or narrowly avoided some idiot on a cellphone, you realize how silly most people are when they are worrying about the everyday bullshit.
    A great line in the movie “The Kingdom” is “You know, Westmoreland made all of us officers write our own obituaries during Tet, when we thought The Cong were gonna end it all right there. And, once we clued into the fact that life is finite, the thought of losing it didn’t scare us anymore. The end comes no matter what, the only thing that matters is how do you wanna go out, on your feet or on your knees? I bring that lesson to this job. I act, knowing that someday this job will end, no matter what. You should do the same.”
    The same exact thing happens when you ride for long enough. There is a great freedom gained from the realization that no matter what you do, no matter how safe you play it, you cant outrun the reaper forever. Your concern for the petty shit that most people treat as life or death will disappear.

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