Husband wants a motorbike

Dh has one, has for years and has been knocked off one. He has lots of protective clothing but also cycled on the road since he was a kid so understands being vulnerable and invisible.

Can you dh ride one? He will need to start on a 125cc and then take a further test to ride larger bikes and go on the motorway, he can't immediately jump on a massive ducati and ride off into the distance!

Get decent life assurance and personal accident insurance - life-changing accidents are more common than outright fatalities. And make sure he has a will, POA and that you know all the details of finances etc

All of this.

Also income replacement insurance if not included in the personal accident insurance.
And check insurance for any mortgage you may have.

Tht's a great question; I had that on my first ever driving lesson, my 17th birthday. He asked "Look at this car coming from the right. He's indicating into our road, what does this mean?"
The correct answer was "the bulb works". Nothing else.

Playing rugby and horse riding is as dangerous as riding a motor cycle. Lots of thing are more dangerous in fact but you don't hear people telling a rugby player they are organ donors. He's a grown man, if you can afford it and he's not going to neglect his family as a result then I don't see why you should object.

ah yes i remeber my EH wanting a motorbike too! what it did take a bit longer to realise was that he didn't actually want a motorbike... he wanted a divorce!

Hollowgast · Today 16:15

My Dad taught me that when I'm riding, I should assume that (i) i am invisible and (ii) other motorists are all total fuckwits. It absolutely makes you a better car driver, in terms of awareness and anticipation. I honestly think everyone should do it just for the experience.

Yes! My instructor said to me (gulp! 30 years ago!)

"That Audi coming off the roundabout is indicating left, what does that mean?"

Erm, he's leaving the roundabout?

"No, it means that his indicator light is working and he wants you to move onto the roundabout and kill you."

Speaking as a former motorcyclist with over a million miles under my belt (just not got a bike at the moment), my advice is let him but insist
a) he only ever rides his bike with full leathers which have armour and inflatable airbag, as well as bright/hi viz colours, ditto bright helmet. You have to assume other road users will not see you. .

b) he only ever rides his bike with leather gloves with knuckle protection
c) he only ever rides his bike with proper motorcycle boots with ankle protection.

Whatever the weather. No matter how hot and sunny. Even if a short jorney. No sleeveless anything. No shorts. No bare hands. Makes me cringe when I see it.

My worst injury was the very hot sunny day I decided to jump on the bike in shoes, not boots, for a 2 minute trip, and through no fault of my own ended up skidding down the road on my ankle. Luckily I had my leathers on, just wish I'd bothered with my boots!

He could also, after passing test if he hasn't already got his bike licence, take www.rospa.com/safety-training/on-road/motorcycle-training-courses/rospa-advanced-motorcycle-test

Urgh. This is so tricky I would be devastated if my DP got a bike but you obviously can't tell him 'no'. I would tell him how you feel and appeal to him to change his mind and hope he did.

My Dad taught me that when I'm riding, I should assume that (i) i am invisible and (ii) other motorists are all total fuckwits. It absolutely makes you a better car driver, in terms of awareness and anticipation. I honestly think everyone should do it just for the experience.

We've had that knock on the door from the police in the middle of the night saying to get to the hospital asap. I hate even the sound of motorbikes now and know just how dangerous they are. It's not even the rider it's other people on the roads that don't see them.

@LakieLady "If your DH isn't a twat, is a skilled and alert driver, is prepared to do a Bikesafe or similar course, and the money isn't an issue (bikes and all the gear are expensive), I wouldn't try and stop him. But if he's like my friend's DH, who got done for doing 130 in a 70 on a notoriously dangerous stretch of dual carriageway, then he's clearly not cut out for being a decent motorcyclist and shouldn't even think about it."

This is it. Motorcycles are capable of accelerating like nothing you've ever experienced (even a fairly middle of the road one like the SV650 I had, which would do 0-60 in about 3 seconds) however, just because it can, doesn't mean he will, and being able to get out of a situation quickly can be useful. In any case, the first stage is the CBT on a 125CC bike (max speed 60 mph) which gives you the go -ahead to ride on the road with an L-plate.
After that would be the DAS which if he passes he'll have a full license, but this is more involved that the car test as it includes a test of manoevres / slow speed riding, etc to test fine control. That would be on a 600cc bike, which sounds like a lot but I found this much more comfortable than the 125 as it's heavier and feels much more secure.
There's more to it than L-Plate > Hayabusa > Mortuary.

To start with he will only be allowed to ride a 125 motorbike and will have to pass his CBT test which is an online theory test and a practical one which is not easy nowadays gone are the days when you passed one test and could ride any size bike , then he has to wait a certain amount of time before he can take his MOD 1 which goes to a 500cc bike , so by the time he is up to the big bikes he will or should be a competent rider, we have a 7ft Honda cruiser and i love being on the back of it, OH Has been riding bikes 54 years

sanityisamyth · Today 13:16

Even my DS10 calls motorcyclists "organ donors". They're bloody lethal.

I'll reiterate what others have pointed out: bikes and riding are not inherently dangerous, it's everyone else on the road. You do need to develop a 6th sense for what other drivers will do and it'll make him a better car driver.

My husband rode motorbikes all of his life without any issues. He loved his bikes and his rides and I knew he was as safe as he could be around other road users.
Of course I worried about him when he went on long journeys, etc but I would never have tried to stop him.
His biker friends rode his bikes as part of the cortege at his funeral.

s
will tell you the numbers about death on a motorbike. Only death, not paraplegia or worse. Going 6 miles on a motorbike carries the same risk of death as going 15 miles on a cycle: 1 in a million. So a 600 mile m/c trip gives you a chance of 1 in 10,000 of dying. Doing 6,000 miles in a year: 1 in 1,000.

I should also add the the motorbiking community is such fun, our club has kids (obviously they don't ride) through to elderly former riders on mobility scooters, everyone is welcome. Lots of camping, drinking (not if riding!!!) live music etc.

Just get good insurance. And make sure you have fun doing what you enjoy too.

They are fun! We go all over Europe on the big bike

I have the best level of protection gear to stack into my favour but ultimately all of life is a risk, you have to weigh up whether it's a risk worth it for you. I would remind you that plenty of more risky hobbies

Assuming you’re in the UK OP. Does DH have a motorcycle license?
Has he ridden before?
Does he know the steps to get a license?
How is he as a car driver? Patient, in no rush ?

Has he looked at the prices of bikes these days?

Is heading into the winter the best time to be spending money on a bike?

They make leather bike suits with airbags inside them. In a crash, they inflate before the rider hits the ground. Absolute genius bit of kit.

Imo, motorbikes are not intrinsically dangerous, but a safe rider needs far more alertness, better peripheral vision, better reading of the road etc than all but the very best car drivers.

The late Mr Lakie rode bikes regularly for 44 years, including a few years as a bike courier and spells where he was doing a 50 mile motorway commute daily. Apart from a couple of spills when he was learning, he only had one accident, when a car pulled out as he was passing it, and never had another in his remaining 40 years. His brother, who used to race a bit and do track days, has a similar safety record.

If your DH isn't a twat, is a skilled and alert driver, is prepared to do a Bikesafe or similar course, and the money isn't an issue (bikes and all the gear are expensive), I wouldn't try and stop him. But if he's like my friend's DH, who got done for doing 130 in a 70 on a notoriously dangerous stretch of dual carriageway, then he's clearly not cut out for being a decent motorcyclist and shouldn't even think about it.

I was a big biker and a motorcycle instructor.
They legally need training these days.
Statistics show most accidents caused to bikers are by car / lorry drivers not seeing the biker... so being alert is most important.
Protective reflecting clothing always.

Unless you’re comfortably off he might find the insurance crippling. My dh did when he wanted a bike so he didn’t buy one.

It’s the other motorists that put me off and not just the fact that he only used it 10 times in four years.
In the end I persuaded him to get a (decent) sports car, instead, so we could both enjoy it.
He’s not looked back!

Agree. I want to start but I'm a short arse. So husband suggested a Honda grom 125.

My husband has 3 motorbikes (Adventure, dirtbike and 90s retro racing thing) and is currently looking for another.

I go on the back of his Adventure bike all the time and love it. He's 50 and been riding for 34 years.

Life is for living