[eon]

As well as learning the rules of the road, you need to learn about yourself. Most young drivers are susceptible to peer pressure and drive outside their abilities. I include myself in this and I was 22 before I started driving! I would crawl along safely but whenever someone came up behind me I would feel pressure to drive faster and not slow them up. Looking back, I was an unsafe driver and and I know I would have killed myself if I had bought a bike at that time.

Also, it is a bit of a myth that bikes are more economical than cars. By the time you buy your boots, pants, jacket, helmet, gloves (and all this in summer and winter versions), rain gear, safety classes, top cases, side bags, puncture repair kits, GPS units…..the list never seems to end. It is not quite a cheap as you first thought.

[nau_lax21]

I would say AT LEAST a year of manual transmission car experience before you hop on a bike.

[Munch]

GPS units… what!? .. lol man what happened to good ol fashioned maps for pre trip and knowing where your going… or caring not about where your going to find new places… geez I guess I am from an older school of thought. My list stopped at safety gear. You have the idiots on the road to worry about… not whether Garmin says to turn here or there.

Yesterday is a memory, tomorrow is a prediction, but today…… is a Bi**h

[eon]

Well, I haven’t got one yet as I would also need to get a RAM mount and wire up a power connection for it. This is for when i have a bit more experience and am off exploring NF roads. I want to know do I turn off at this unmarked road or the next one. Kind of important when the nearest gas station is 100 miles away. Oh, that reminds me. Need external fuel tank, sleeping bag, tent….

[Amoryl]

I’ve fiddled with maps while driving, which is clearly not safe…I’d kill myself and someone else, likely, if I tried to do that on a bike

[Rupmisc]

I think it was that book that said better to miss your turn than worry about going the wrong way. I’ve got a GPS, of sorts, on my iPhone, and will pull off the road to check it if necessary.

[Reindeer]

Vote for a car as well. I think the others make pretty good arguments about getting used to driving in traffic, manual tranny, morons, etc., so no real point in repeating them here.

There is good practical value in starting with a car as well… I presume your going to have girlfriends? Might be a little easier for the most part to convince them to go w/ you in a car than a bike, not to mention the… errr… intimacy prospects . Then there is just the ability to haul your stuff around too.

What about a scooter? Some places (like here) don’t even require driver’s licenses depending on the model and size. It would seem to me that many of the skills and lessons would be just as applicable to riding a scooter as it would a motorcycle. Eh, just a thought.

[TheAbomb12]

the most important thing about learning on a car first, is to really learn how people behave of the road, and how to respond to the dynamics of traffic. Its very easy for new car drivers to get into accidents, not because they drive beyond their skill, but because they don’t understand how to maneuver in traffic. The same would apply to new motorcycle drivers (where the motorcycle is the first vehicle), except there is a much lower margin of error.

A Manual Car is preferable (just to get used to shifting), but is not a requirement.

[cgill20]

thanks for all opinions and insights, i probably will get a car first. i’ve thought about a scooter but when i consider a ninja or a scooter its like not much of a contest! lol thanks for all help

Hoping to live and ride for a long time to come!

Chris

[smokeizfire]

Compact car? Hybrid? Mustang GT?Lol

HE WHO DIES WITH THE MOST TOYS WINS

[Reindeer]

Personally I would vote for a Fox body Mustang w/ a T-5. LOL! Performance is similar to a cruiser (on paper anyway) so a good way to get used to the power (and peer pressure), good way to get used to driving a manual, easy to work on and tons of mods available, and still is a respected ride. Insurance is going to be a little hard at 16 for a 302, but at that age, pretty much anything is.

Then again, I am a little biased!

[Author]

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