to be fed up of people telling me how dangerous......

[starshaker]

riding a motorbike is. I am aware of the dangers and risks. I came off a few weeks ago during a lesson and i was ok because of the gear I wear. Since then all people tell me is how dangerous it is and how selfish I am when I have kids.

If finally found something I love to do and I bought a little 125 to gain experience and confidence before I go to try for my full license again.

I wrote my first car off and was told not to give up and the best thing I could do was get straight back out before the fear took hold. I hurt myself more in the car than I did on the bike

OP. Please ignore all the boring idiots on here telling you how irresponsible you are. Trust me, you're more at risk playing squash than you are on a motorbike. I have been riding motorbikes since 1982. In 1995 I rode a motorcycle overland from England to India in 24 days. As a 'lone' female, I crossed Eastern Turkey, then Iran to India. In 2007. I rode a motorbike to Timbuktu. crossing the minefields of the Western Sahara. In 2009, I did a similar route (Atlantic Route) to the Gambia. Indeed, I have written many a magazine article and contributed to several books about my experiences. I fully understand how riding a bike could improve your mental health. To reiterate, please ignore the boring suburban middle class housewives on here telling you how you're going to die. Honestly, what would they know? Good luck and safe riding.

😂😂😂😂

Have you come into contact with Ronnie Pickering?

OP. I meant to add, that in my opinion, those that are so against you, are actually in awe of you. Please ignore and do your own thing. For inspiration you should read about Lois Pryce and her travels.

As I am far more at risk than you statistically I will get the horses shot immediately. And start a campaign about cows being allowed outdoors unsupervised

In terms of risk of being killed or seriously injured (KSI), compared to miles driven by a motorbike, the risk is pretty much off the scale higher compared to any other road-going form of transportation, including pedal cycling.

I expect all motorcyclists who are KSI'd will say that they were aware of the dangers and risks.

I knew a few bikers. 5 are dead now, including 2 family members killed instantly by a lorry. The statistics are pretty shit. DS wants a bike when he's older but the thought makes my blood run cold.

YANBU - get on your bike and enjoy!

You can't stop living just because you have children.

I have many happy memories of when you could motorcycle in Spain with no crash helmet and you could feel the wind in your hair with every turn you took.

Plus you would just be in a t shirt and flip flops.

Happy days they were indeed!

So don't be discouraged even if you do have a few tumbles.

Keep at it.

xmb53, I expect the ones who are killed won't be seeing very much at all to be honest.

... and do take up user1492877024's reading suggestion.

Good advice.

*saying

Ride til your hearts content until you stop enjoying it!! Some people just see things differently. I'm hoping their opinions come from a place of caring rather than randoms or casual acquaintances?? If it's the latter the phrase 'fuck off nosy judgemental bastard' normally works 😂.
BiL has 5 bikes, goes away racing etc. My ds & kids are perfectly fine with it. He enjoys it, works hard for what he has!
Enjoy !!

Yes, you are being unreasonable. I was an avid motorcyclist once upon a time, then I had children. Motorcyclists make up around 1% of all traffic yet account for over 25% of all road deaths, not good reading.
I have lost two good friends and a cousin to motorbikes, two because an inattentive driver took them out at a junction and one because a lorry went over them.
Even if you are not killed, you will (the odds speak for themselves) be seriously injured at one point. It is not a matter of if, only when.
The sad fact of the matter is that our roads are overcrowded, people do not understand the road from a motorcyclist's point of view and you are just more likely to take risks when you can get around the traffic easily.
I am not saying "don't ride a bike", I am saying " people will tell you it is dangerous and question your judgement, and they are correct to do so", hope that's not to preachy.
Ride safe.

What a silly, incorrect answer.
There is a thing called statistics, I suggest you look it up.
Perhaps read Daniel Kahnman's "Thinking Fast and Slow ".
Walking and riding a motorbike are comparable risks like sitting on a sofa and extreme sports are. Your false equivalency just distorts reality and, worse, gives a false sense of security to someone who needs to think clearly.
You are entitled to your opinion, just as o am entitled to call you or on it's complete lack of reality or critical thought.

Samuelb. What a load of bollocks. You will, at some point, be seriously injured. Are you for real.

I have lost friends on bikes. I have had friends have life changing injuries. And I have a hell of a lot of friends who have never been injured. And they have been riding 30, 40 or even more years. And some of them have raced as well as ridden on the road.

Bully for you that you gave up. But your self righteousness about it, and your preaching at the OP show you as one of those who are always right. You do know that statistically more people will die horse riding. And that fishing is pretty dangerous too.

One of my closest friends breathes bikes - organised races, holds track speed records & builds & owns high performance superbikes and my best friend rides a motorbike rather than has a car. Neither would dissuade me from having a motorbike, in fact my close friend would love it if I did but would also be a nagging hen, worried for me. Their advice would be:

1. invest in the best (which means ££) biking gear you can. My close friend crashed only the once, at very high speed on a racing track with no kerbs or trees to plough into and gracefully slid across the smooth tarmac on his thigh & arse - it was his high performance leathers that meant he walked away - his leathers otoh went in the bin, shredded.
2. take an advanced motorbike course - it teaches you things the basic lessons don’t
3. I recommend this book - www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/0965045021/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ref=plSrch&keywords=twist+of+the+wrist&dpPl=1&dpID=51bN1Wo%2BQTL&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8&qid=1512341023&sr=8-2 ignore naff cover - it teaches many things again that the basic instruction doesn’t cover. It comes in two volumes, get both.
4. there’s no doubting the dangers - it’s about being cognisant of the risks, reading the road ahead, the conditions and the other road users and being confident in what you and the bike can do - but you can’t legislate for others on the road. It’s how my cousin died on his bike, hit from the side by a perfectly nice woman who simply didn’t see him. It’s part of the accepted risk and newbs are at the most risk as it’s when they make their most mistakes. If you have kids you owe it to them and to yourself to be properly insured, not only so they’re taken care of so they’re not suffering financial hardship on top of devastation if you’re killed/seriously injured but in the latter case that you’re taken care of too if you spend months out of work or needing specialised recovery. Good riders aren’t blasé about these things. Enjoy your bike

It's all the other things that you have to keep an eye out for like 4 types of weather in one day. It's seeing swans, deer, horses, sheep, dogs and other animals on roads. It's black ice. Its people crossing roads without looking. It's other people driving while using their mobile phones or being distracted by something else. However, there are other things that have risks too like driving, horse riding and other sports.
.

Do the things that you enjoy.

My son, now 46,had a motorbike accident 20 years ago, a low speed accident, going about 12 miles per hour, but a guy in car knocked him off his bike,which he tried to keep control of, but he was sent flying in the country lane, somersaulted into the road,and ended up severing two vertebrae in his spinal cord, so now paralysed from the chest down and wheelchair bound for life.

I always used to dread him getting a motorbike when he was young, but after he spent 7 months in the spinal unit at hospital,what did he do? he bought a racy sports car, and also a Harley Davidson trike motor bike, all adapted for a disabled person.He also had some flying lessons in a light plane, so, all in all, despite me always thinking things are dangerous, people do what they wish to do.

People who say it's dangerous and selfish are afraid of losing you. Yes, it's dangerous. Is it selfish? I don't know to be honest. But none of us get out of this life alive. My father passed away at age 45 (22 years ago today, actually) - he died of MND. My cousin passed away a couple of years ago, aged 34 - cancer. People die young all the time, and it's tragic, and awful, and loved ones are left angry and feeling cheated. I suppose it would feel a whole lot worse if they died of something "avoidable". But we aren't here to simply avoid risks, avoid doing something just because it might kill us. Of the people calling you selfish, how many smoke, or drink, or are over-weight, or drive a car in the rain/ice, or cross the road whilst distracted, drive when tired, drive a bit faster when late for work, or do a million other socially-acceptable things that are increasing the risk of death (no matter how small the increase)?

I have a child, and I ride a bike. I've ridden since I was 19. I learned to ride before I ever learned to drive. Riding a bike is not usually about transportation - it's a passion. I've been called selfish, but I just don't care. The people closest to me know that I'm not a loony rider - if I die on the bike it'll be an accident. Just that. And I would die doing something I love, living my life to the full.

However, I would say this to you. You are not an experienced rider (yet), so when people call you selfish and pretty much tell you that you're going to kill yourself - tell them not to fill your head with doubts, and stripping you of your confidence. You don't need to hear their voices filling your mind when you're riding your bike.

Best of luck to you, enjoy your bike, xx

Excellent post, Munchkinbug.

I recently went on the back of a motorbike of a gorgeous young man ( I am in my 50s) and he is about the only person who I would trust to do that with.

While it was exhilarating and a naughty thing to do (my dd was livid, my best friend who is a doctor was shocked and angry with me and told me in no uncertain terms that while in training she had to help scoop up the body parts of a motorcyclist who had been mangled and decapitated by a car who was turning into his path and didn't see him coming) it actually petrified me to feel how vulnerable you are and so it will be a one off.

Exactly one million percent what @Munchkinbug said!!

If I die on my bike my family will know it was living life and doing something I love.

And this....

Of the people calling you selfish, how many smoke, or drink, or are over-weight, or drive a car in the rain/ice, or cross the road whilst distracted, drive when tired, drive a bit faster when late for work, or do a million other socially-acceptable things that are increasing the risk of death (no matter how small the increase)?

Of all the PPs that have chipped with "it's dangerous/stupid/selfish" how many of you smoke?

I wonder if fathers get told they're selfish for riding motorbikes too....

I wonder if fathers get told they're selfish for riding motorbikes too....

They do. Regularly.