Kaladin said:

After watching this I'm not so sure. I had a cousin die a few years ago but he was riding his Harley without a helmet which is probably not a good idea

Fellow tPB members, what are your experiences with the motorcycles

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You should buy one and drive it really fast.

Jim14510 said:

You should buy one and drive it really fast.

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I’ll never get on one. Death wish.

Positives: get to ride really fast

Negatives: death, hanging out with dork Harley guys

Kaladin said:

After watching this I'm not so sure. I had a cousin die a few years ago but he was riding his Harley without a helmet which is probably not a good idea

Fellow tPB members, what are your experiences with the motorcycles

Click to expand...

I've had a few over the years. Harleys. Had one of the original crotch rockets. Triumph.

Sold my last one because work meant it sat in the garage too much. If you have self control and decent strength, coordination and balance, they're a lot of fun. Depending on where you live they can also be really dangerous to ride on. Not because of the bike, or even you, but the morons around you.

See if you can find a place in your area that rents bikes and try one out. Some people love the idea of a motorcycle, then figure out they're not really cut out for it....after they drop $25k on a Harley.

It’s an inherently dangerous activity so all you can do is minimize the risk. Wear protective gear, don’t drink and ride, don’t go too fast, don’t ride at night or in inclement weather, and try and ride at times when there’s little traffic on the roads. That’s what I do and I’ve put thousands and thousands of miles on the road and never even had a close call. I mean, I have gone pretty damn fast but only early in the morning on an empty highway.

Dr.DrakeRamoray said:

@LoudHogRider

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You rang?

Full disclosure for those that don't know my background: I used to run a motorcycle dealership (kinda sorta - I was President of the parent company and we had responsibilities for the retail dealership experience as well as the online parts & accessories side of the business - my bailiwick).

My only real comment to bring to the thread is if you're a new motorcycle owner - or haven't driven one is a while - please do yourself and the people you care about a YUGE favor and take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation training course BEFORE you hit the streets. I pretty much insisted on that as a condition of sale on our more powerful models, and those were the ones favored by the younger, thrill seeking crowd. My logic and appeal to them was simple: "You being smeared all over the pavement is bad for you and equally as bad for my business."

Still, nothing like being in the breeze ...

Rubber side down!

Kaladin said:

After watching this I'm not so sure. I had a cousin die a few years ago but he was riding his Harley without a helmet which is probably not a good idea

Fellow tPB members, what are your experiences with the motorcycles

Click to expand...

As long as you drive like the Georgia student in this video, you should be fine. I can attest to that myself. Still alive after all these years and have most of my fingers and some toes still.

Grew up on dirt bikes, motocross machines, etc. and then went into street bikes in my 20's and had Kawasakis and Harleys. Had all of my accidents on the dirt bikes, none major, and some close calls on the street rides. Loved to ride. Sold my CVO Harley 4 years ago, not because I got tired of riding, but because of the proliferation of selfish fucksicles that can't put their cell phones down (and other assorted distractions) when they drive.

Miss it some but these days my old ass doesn't need road rash or worse. My advice to @Kaladin is that you buy a bike to ride and enjoy it, however that's nearly impossible when you have to have your head on a swivel every second. If you have at least 4-5 or more peeps that you can ride with then it becomes significantly safer, as a pack of bikes has greater visibility and typically commands attention from even the most obtuse of motorists. If you ride solo most of the time though, forget it. IMO...

Based on what I've seen, the most important things about being a motorcyclist are popping wheelies on Dodge Street and passing side by side cars on the lane dividers.