[Amoryl]

and when that doesn’t work, understand that nothing you say or do (not even the act of never dying) will change their minds that motorcycles are flying death traps of fiery explody doom.

My mom, for instance, simply hates the idea of anyone ever riding a motorcycle, and is absolutely convinced that every single person who even sits on a motorcycle (engine off, two burly chaps holding the bike upright, no gas in tank) is going to die horribly. every motorcycle accident, every squid who cracks his helmetless skull open on the interstate cuz he did a wheelie on the interstate at rush hour going 100+ through heavy traffic simply proves she’s right. the 70yr old harley rider who’s never been in an accident and learned to ride a bike before he could walk, isn’t even an exception, it’s simply not part of the equation (yay for seeing only what you want to see, eh?) and the thought of her baby boy getting on one of those evil death machines breaks her heart. even though I’m most likely more at risk of dying in my cargo van, simply because I’ll spend 10-20x driving it through all kinds of horrible traffic particularly durring the rush hours while horribly distracted by trying to find customer’s homes in poorly labled adresses and small maps, than on my bike, riding on my days off at hours where there’s little traffic in areas more devoid idiots (as much as thats possible anywhere) seriously, I drive like everyone’s trying to kill me, and every single day I spend driving all over hell and back in that huge eyesore, I’m at increasing risk of having someone smash me up good. sure I’ve got more protection in the van, but I’m FAR less nimble (and you’ve never seen blind spots till you’ve been in a laden cargo van)

honestly, I think the worst thing you can do is cave into their fears and give up riding (not that you’ve implied this was even an option) because then they’ll feel they’ve managed to “save your life” and will live in that bizarre dual state of fear that you’ll start riding again someday (and die) and the post traumatic state of having JUST averted your imminent death. the only thing you really can do is assert that you will continue to ride the bike, and that you’ll take every precaution possible, and not be a squid, and they can either accept that, OR it’s on them to try to ignore the fact that you’re out there right this moment….riding

[Amoryl]

oh, I agree that some people need to be beaten over the head repeatedly to learn even the most basic things. and it’s perfectly correct to expect that type. I’m simply saying ther’s a select group of people who learn more by instinct or intuition, or whatever you want to call it. and due to our bizarre minds that type of training actually messes us up.

[Amoryl]

why couldn’t he?

If I stood out in the street and intentionally caused accidents I could and WOULD be held accountable. kids, though, legally can’t be held accountable for much of what they do, however in those cases the parents are held accountable. so if lil suzy sunshine takes a baseball bat to every window in your house, her loving parents would have to pay for your new windows. they’re just like pets, if your dog bites someone, you’ve got to be responsible for the doctor bills.

[Amoryl]

I didn’t know that the 250’s qualified as “hooligan bikes”. even though they might resemble them in appearance, I think you’re safe

[Amoryl]

I’ve been wanting to upgrade to a Virago/Vstar 250 from my current bike which is a NilSport Zed

[Amoryl]

“what you need to do is get a yellow 60’s Cadet, I named mine Oliver….”

[Amoryl]

technically parents are responsible for the actions of their children, and as such any physical damage to property caused by them is the responsibility of the parents (another reason I refuse to have kids) so while I know it’s a fairly inexpensive fix, if you ghetto it, if you wanted to make a big stink over it, they’d have to pay it (legally, now in actual fact…who knows) but it’s usually easier for them to pay for it than for you to raise a huge stink and drag them to civil court and have the police involved over their children’s blatant attempts to cause traffic accident (and in fact DID cause a traffic accident) which then in this day and age often gets child services involved (little kids running around unsupervised…not like we didn’t run wild throughout the neighborhood unsupervised for our entire childhoods without issue, *shrug* it really only takes about 20 minutes of time to file a police report about it, or about 5 minutes to mention that to the neighbor when you ask him to pay for the repair.

[Amoryl]

then go for it

have fun, thats the most important thing.

[Amoryl]

also keep in mind that if you don’t have a place to keep it locked up and out of open view, downtown is the most common place to have your scooter, or bike stolen. though my experience in seattle is it’s less of an issue than in Chicago, there’s still a fair amount of theft.

that thing looks fun…personally I’m not entirely sold on it. if it was 3 or 4 grand maybe…but is it 10grand fun? only you can say for yourself

[Amoryl]

welcome, and congrats on choosing the ninja 500, most will say that the 250 is better for starting, but I can understand your hight making it slightly uncomfortable, but at least you’re not jumping straight onto the 650 or higher!

I don’t have winter riding experience beyond the several years I only had a bicycle as my mode of transportation down in central IL (yum yum blizzards) and I’ve learned an important lesson, layers layers layers! a few layers of good quality clothing will make the difference between you freezing, and being nice and warm. moreso than having a different jacket for every type of climate. have fun at the MSF. but man, I’d rather go riding through hawaii than new york

[Amoryl]

oddly enough I’m pro helmet laws, but anti seatbelt laws. well I should say against adult seatbelt laws, I think you should be required to buckle anyone under 18. but beyond that, I’m opposed to laws that would keep someone stupid from engaging in an activity that it’s logical conclusion results in only their death. an idiot who hits another car, or a building, mountain, sputnik, etc…without his seatbelt is likely to die. he might live wearing a seatbelt, but the lack of seatbelt will only kill him. oppositely, lack of a helmet can cause fatigue, can cause hearing problems, and something hard or nasty can fly into your soft unprotected face. all of these could lead to a motorcyclist losing control and crashing into another rider, or a driver, or even pedestrians if he’s in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[Amoryl]

sweet!

but how much does that really slow down the determained squid?

[Amoryl]

and if you’re not as into the motorcycle lifestyle near as much as the functional vehicle, and it’s going to be your only vehicle (and remember seattle gets REALLY moist from oct-jan) you really might be better off getting a super ecconomy class car, if you’re planning on dropping 10grand out the door.

[Amoryl]

I’m in IL a LOT (live right on the boarder, work puts me in both states every day…) and it’s very nearly as bad as wisconsin. neck and neck so to speak. I think, though, that I’ve got to give WI the edge in squiddy, but it’s by no measure a sure thing. I don’t believe that WI has a helmet law, I can’t remember if IL does either. I know seattle has a law requiring bicyclists must wear a helmet, so I can only imagine that motorcylists must also wear one..hey megaspaz, how’s the bay area Police in general on enforcing helmets?

[Amoryl]

you’ve gotta teach them ATGATT

[Author]

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