the in-laws have spoken

[jserio]

well, as you all know, i've been trying to buy a bike. found out from the local dealership today that if i want to buy a bike, i need to get a cosigner. i thought, well, i'll ask the wife, see if she has any ideas. apparently, her family is divided on the issue. half of them feel i should not get a bike because i have 2 young daughters,(ages 4 and almost 2) and my wife is pregnant with a 3rd child. they argue the whole, safety thing. you'll get yourself killed yada, yada, yada. i'm sure you all have heard the speech from somewhere from someone. now, my wife on the other hand, doesn't mind me getting a bike. the other half of her family probably doesn't mind either but if i ask one of them to cosign it is sure to strike up a huge family fight. so, i would like some opinions and maybe some tactics on how i can best approach this situation and still keep peace in the family. i'm sure there are some of you that have been in my position.

[galahs]

Get a mate to pose as family 

[ohgood]

1) tell the fam-unit nothing.
2) save two paychecks and buy used from craigslist.
3) get some life/health insurance.
4) play with the kids.

[Wrecent_Wryder]

Y3

[Bulwark]

I have a young son and got my license last year at the age of 37.  I bought my first bike an 07' GS500F in October (leftover).

Alot in my family didnt want me to get a bike either but once in a while a man has to be a man and say "BUT I REALLY WANT IT!  AND AND THAT MAN HAS ONE!"

Muhahaha

I riding to Ontario this Friday and Im getting the same backlash again.  Especially from my Mother.  I just tell her that its her job to worry and mine to make it so.  I want to ride so ride I will.

[spc]

The first words out of my mothers mouth when I came out of surgery to put my thumb back together.  "Are youo gonna quit this stupid motorcycle thing now??"  I said " f%$k no, Nurse can I have something for the pain?"
Anywau long discussion:
Eventually she concedes that if you back away from things the first time something goes mildly wrong ( and yes I consider this mild ) you never actually have fun or accomplish anything
Life is short, enjoy, tommorow @$$hole Iraqi's could be shooting at you ( that was another part of my argument, a bullet woulda done a hell of a lot more damage)

[hmmmnz]

definitely don't buy a new bike, don't finance it, save up for a wee bit and buy a older bike privately,
the last thing you want is a family member... especially from the wifes family, having something over you.
be aware you will crash at some point, its not something to scare you... its a fact.
but hell its better than getting stuck in traffic every day on the way to work
good luck with the bike search

[roosterbike]

You should buy the extra insurance anyway, I am. Dont want to leave my boy broke if i ride into eternity.
But I agree with these guys. I respect your familys attitude toward riding, we all have fallen friends, but dont we have fallen cage driver friends too.
I went thru the same talks, wound up being overly cautious, didnt react quick enuff, flipped the bike. I didnt wak for 3 days, couldnt even sit on a bike for around a year cause my back hurt so bad. So I bought junkers nd rebuilt what I could, did oil changes and etc. But I still had the bug. I listened to everyone around me for 2 years about not riding, I was miserible. My wife finally sat me down and told me it was ok if I wanted to ride. So now I own a 06 and 07 500F. And she let me start negotiations on a Busa.
Family, minus my boy, not too happy. But like I tell them, what I do is between me and GOD.
Get your bike, be safe, buy it used to start, then when the crap dies down, get the new shiny one.

[bombadillo]

First, I had a similar fight minus the whole cosigning thing.  And agreed as per above, don't buy a new bike as your first bike.  I just bought a 17 year old bike and I'm glad I did because it rides great and I paid 1500 for it.  I pay a whopping 10.67 per month for insurance and its a piece of cake to take care of that.  Just buy used, take it home, push it on its side once to get it over with, and ride it carefully after that!

[pbureau69]

get the wife a 1,00,000$ insurnace on your death... and get a bike... what I did, she said.. humm Okay... go ride.

[scratch]

Sign up for a motorcycle safety course, this will show them that you are serious about your safety.

Tell both families that you have done so, are interested in safety and that this course will give you better skills to ensure this.

Buy a helmet, this will show them that you are serious about your safety and buying a motorcycle.

Buy used.

[dchrist]

I don't think the cosigner has to be a family member. not sure about that but if you've got a friend with good credit I bet they could sign if they were so inclined.

just from my first experience with buying a motorcycle, I found that paying cash on craigslist was a very good thing. worth the relatively short wait. (although it didn't feel short while I was saving up). then I did have to do some work on it but I did it myself so it was cheaper. The only thing I wouldn't do on the cheap in the process of getting ready to ride was the msf (wish it didn't cost so much though, it was a lot of $'s) and the helmet. the first time I go down I know I'll be loving that piece of equipment.

just my 2cents

good luck man!

[ohgood]

This has to be one of the best opinion threads I've read. I'll post the quotes I _really_ like directly after this one. Kudos to the positive encouragement, and not flaming the guy.

I particularly like Wrecent_Wryder's comment, and think I'll search teh forum for more of his take on things. I'm assuming he's my elder, and definetly wiser.

Anywho, nice thread. I'll bookmark it for snapback.

and a 

[ohgood]

First, I had a similar fight minus the whole cosigning thing.  And agreed as per above, don't buy a new bike as your first bike.  I just bought a 17 year old bike and I'm glad I did because it rides great and I paid 1500 for it.  I pay a whopping 10.67 per month for insurance and its a piece of cake to take care of that.  Just buy used, take it home, push it on its side once to get it over with, and ride it carefully after that!

That my friend is an EXCELLENT suggestion. The wife was impressed with your thrift and humor (push it over) as I was.

Great recommendation!

[TheUnHun]

I think the confusion here is because he wants a motorcycle.  Any dad with a daughter can explain the REAL issue.   This may be harsh, but welcome to adulthood.

Succinctly: You've got 2 7/9 kids  and not enough credit for a $5k <insert ANY toy name here>, you've got a family to support with kids that will get more expensive and need clothes and tuition and medical care and etc that you can't possibly even almost afford with that credit history, and you want me to co-sign for a <insert ANY toy here>?

Any dad who loves his daughter would, and probably should, slap you about 600 times just for asking the question.  The dependents come first, the breadwinner comes last.  If the request were for a stereo or a guitar my answer would be the same.  The motorcycleness of it all is a red herring.  Once the family is secure you can buy all the toys you can afford to pay cash for, but not when baby needs new shoes.

Jeffrey
Full disclosure - Has a daughter marrying in August to a guy who CAN get a loan, and he's planning to buy a house BEFORE he upgrades his car.  See the difference?

[dchrist]

a sobering voice of reason.

[Wrecent_Wryder]

a sobering voice of reason.

Wow. Thank whatever powers that be that I'm only 54, and too young to have to behave like an adult.

Disclaimer: I take my responsibilities VERY seriously. That's why I take on so very few of them....

[dchrist]

well, when I read what TheUnHun had to say I realized he had a good point. the motorcycle really is a red herring here. even if someone can afford to spend the cash for a new toy perhaps its not the best idea with a young and growing family. and if you have to finance it then I think it really needs some thought....

I don't have any dependents though so its really not my place to say anything. I don't want to offend anyone or speak about life to somebody who doesn't know me at all, you know?

I'm sure its not what our friend wanted to hear but I've started to think it would be a pretty good compromise to spend 1500 or 2k on a used gs to learn on and to upgrade in a few years when the financial situation might be different. thats what I had to do. I really wanted a brand new bike when I started in this hobby last year but when I realized $5-7k was out of my reach I settled on a used gs and have had a very positive experience so far. its jut MHO and sharing of my limited experience. please take it for what its worth.

d

[jserio]

thanks for the opinions. let me clarify something. my desire for a bike is not a desire for an expensive "toy'.  for me this bike will not be for my pleasure although i will enjoy riding it. gas is outrageous. i want cheaper transportation back and forth to work. the money i will save in gas will pay for the bike almost and leave me more free money to spend on my kids. don't mistake me for a young dumb fool. i am not. i work hard to support my family. my wife and kids have all their needs met. always have. always will. this is not about me being selfish and just wanting something new. also, take this to thought. if i get a bike financed, well now, i'm certain that positive payments for a financed motorcycle would improve my credit.  so far the only problem being getting the financing.  i'm doing what i can to support my family and trying to make sure they have what they need. improving my credit not only helps me but helps them as well. you all may find my reasoning a bit off but oh well. you are entitled to your opinions. i appreciate them. keep em coming.  oh, and i have taken a motorcycle safety course. i have a helment, full faced. i've got a decent leather jacket. i'm not foolish. i've done my research. this isn't a spur of the moment thing for me. i was going to buy a bike with this years tax money but used the money to pay off bills instead.

[TheUnHun]

So noted, and well stated.  You sound like a reasonable guy.

Jeffrey