Ok, so as some of you know I am a new rider on my first bike. A beginner. Lot of my family members and friends oppose me learning a motorcycle. So everyday when I come in to my office and open my email, I see tons of emails from every joe shmoe that I know sending me news paper articles about how some sorry **** died gruesomely in a motorcycle accident! At first I use to think ok, so reading this kind of stuff will actually help me be more careful when I am on the road, now its getting frustrating. Its ending up making me more nervous when I ride my motorcycle. What I want to know is, do most riders go through this stage, where everyone tries to scare you from riding the motorcycle or is it just my strange family and friends? How did you guys deal with it?
I'm conjecturing, but either these people really don't want you to learn how to ride and are too scared themselves (have they ever ridden themselves? If not, they don't know what they're talking about), or someone knows you a little better than you know yourself and thinks that you genuinely will get killed.
It's really selfish of them to not deal with the concept of you riding. I also think it's selfish of them to not want to deal with the potential that you may die...happy, pursuing a pleasure, or hobby, that you might enjoy.
Ignorance is not a great learning tool, nor is it a good teaching tool either.
I was thinking the same exact thing...
When I got my bike last fall, everyone I knew told me that I shouldn't because it's dangerous. Only my friend (boss at the time) told me to be careful because he knows how I used to drive a car. I was a bit heavy-footed and such. Now, that is a true friend.
Go take lessons and tell them you've had proper training.
Get full body gear and back protection.
Show them you mean business.
Do they drive cars??? Start sending them emails about car accidents.....
tell them to f%$k off, i mean that, i have had so much flack to dodge with the famley they finaly got the picture when i got the cbr, (now sold) and they say be carefull. i am stilll tired of hearing it. what fun is it if you carfull all the time.
Quote from: ajgs500 on June 20, 2006, 05:12:29 PM
Do they drive cars??? Start sending them emails about car accidents.....
I like this idea.
I second telling them to F**k off. They are imposing their standards onto you. Not very healthy. I take my 9 year daughter on rides when there isnt much traffic out. She loves riding and we have a great time. One time we stopped in a stripped mall to get some sodas and some *sshole old man started to yell at me for taking my daughter on the bike. I told him "F*ck you, mind your own business you old fart! " He wasnt expecting that. My daughter is used to it, I rarely curse unless someone messes with me:-)
Chris
Quote from: Chris2P on June 20, 2006, 06:28:58 PM
I second telling them to F**k off. They are imposing their standards onto you. Not very healthy. I take my 9 year daughter on rides when there isnt much traffic out. She loves riding and we have a great time. One time we stopped in a stripped mall to get some sodas and some *sshole old man started to yell at me for taking my daughter on the bike. I told him "F*ck you, mind your own business you old fart! " He wasnt expecting that. My daughter is used to it, I rarely curse unless someone messes with me:-)
Chris
ROCK N ROLLLOn telling old people to go F*ck them selfs. Excellent choice of words
I bet if you yelled, "ROCK AND ROLL!!"", they'd be pretty suprised, too...or, "BROCCOLLI!!"
Quote from: TadMC on June 20, 2006, 06:31:03 PM
ROCK N ROLLL
On telling old people to go F*ck them selfs. Excellent choice of words
i have others words i use.
You know this may seem over the top but this is the way I deal with people who cant mind there own business. And im not trying to rub this in anyones face about my beliefs, its just part of the story.
So I have a very annoying shirt that say "This is what an Aethist looks like" . Yes I am an aethist, I got it in response of all the Jesus shirts. Any way, I was in walmart and I had honestly forgot I was wearing it. I generally wear it at the house. People are looking and gawking and being really annoying about it. So I go down the canned goods Isle to get some green beans, when this fat ass, house wife, something or other, looks at me and says, "Jesus believes in you."
Now normally Im a very high strung kinda guy. Like once i was walking down the street smoking a cigarette and someone walking by me told my "Smoking kills." I promptly replied, "So does being a fat ugly Buddha Loves You" She didnt like that.
Anyway, so I this woman was deserving my worst, for being a dork. But I held it in, but thats not the only thing I held in. See I had beans the night before as well, so my gut wassa grumblin'. So I walk to the other side the Isle and build up a huge amount of gestial surprise. I walk back to her and tell her, "Excuse me ma'am, I thought about what you said, and..."
Well I let out the loudest F*cking fart in the history of man, I think I ruined my shorts after that. And I continued, ..." and thats about how much I give a F*ck about what you said." And then I walked away laughing so hard at that fat F*$(**$(#*@*@$#(*#@$$
The End
That's pretty funny. Maybe I'll have to try that sometime...you're definitely not the only atheist on the board.
By the way, being fat may kill, but being ugly doesn't (thank goodness). :laugh:
Smoking kills
Quote from: Egaeus on June 20, 2006, 07:26:23 PM
By the way, being fat may kill, but being ugly doesn't (thank goodness). :laugh:
I dont know about that, I had an uncle who once asked a pretty woman out on a date. She maced him because he was hideous and she thought he was a rapist. Well blinded by the mace, he flailed out in the street in a panic and was hit by 6 different buses. So being ugly does kill.
Ok so maybe
that story isnt true
Man, we sure got some nice guys on this board.
I used to get these accident emails containing details and pictures of bike accidents too until I set up an email filter to block any email that contains the words
"motorbike" and "accident"
now I just get the ones with just pictures :icon_rolleyes:
Two Wheels Only (a brit biker 'zine) T.W.O. publishes something that kills more people per year than motorcycles in every issue.
The current one:
Lightbulbs.
Last month's:
Soap.
I won't lie, at first I was scared so bad I would shake thinking about getting on my bike, and in the face of my "extremely supportive" friend's and family's "I knew this guy who knew a guy who's head came clean off the second he touched a motorcycle! True story!" I asked myself quite a few times if I really wanted to do this.
I ride almost every day now. Don't let other's failed dreams and irrational fears hold you back.
Everyone dies, not everyone truly lives.
I just ignore them. Trying to push their own fears onto me only shows how little they understand them.
The first comments I got was:
"You'll be dead within a month"
Stupid ignorant people who have no clue what it feels like to jump on the bike and go for a ride. :flipoff:
Lets :cheers: :cheers: and chill - they can't help it that they're stupid! :mad:
[7
lol thats some funny shaZam!,
i had it a bit hard when i got my first road bike(an rgv 250 when i was 15) although i had ridden since before i was a primary school kid, i didn't get it as my mother used to ride and my old man still does, i got into massive aguments with her(being an angry teen probly didn't help) but i was determined so i kept riding. it wasn't till 5 or 6 years later that i found out that my mums first husband had died in a motorbike crash 3 months after they were married(i didn't even know she had been married before) so now i can understand why she didn't want me to ride,
but end the end she got used to it, and when i got a zxr600 she was the first person asking for a ride :D
so some people have reason to not want there friends and family to ride, (it is a risky business after all) but most don't
don't let it bother you... it will pass. people get used to it
be as safe as you can, and when you take your first fall hope that its a minor one. (im yet to met a rider whos been riding a decent amount of time who hasn't taken a fall)
good luck
Lets face it, riding a motorcycle is a calculated risk. We do as much as we can to reduce the risk of injury or death, but the possibility is always there. It's like skydiving - you know if everything goes as planned you'll have lots of fun and get home safe, but if your parachute fails to open you're not going to be around. Those who ride motorcycles are comfortable (to somewhat varying degrees) with this though process, while those who wouldn't ride are not. These are generally the same people who are afraid of taking any risks in life and confine themselves to their little "security buble" so they feel safe and secure from all danger.
Quote from: adam on June 20, 2006, 04:01:12 PM
when I come in to my office and open my email, I see tons of emails from every joe shmoe that I know sending me news paper articles about how some sorry **** died gruesomely in a motorcycle accident! At first I use to think ok, so reading this kind of stuff will actually help me be more careful when I am on the road,
My advice is to block/delete any email from these people until they can learn to respect your choices. If they ask why you're not getting their email tell them you're sick of their preaching.
C.
PS Most atheists know how to spell the word, especially if they wear it on a t-shirt, are you sure you're not an aesthete TadMC?
I'd rather go down doing something I love than sitting around waiting for death. Or knowing the last thing I did was walk outside to get the mail.
Try being none of those labels for a while. All they do is limit who you are.
Quote from: CirclesCenter on June 20, 2006, 10:20:20 PM
Two Wheels Only (a brit biker 'zine) T.W.O. publishes something that kills more people per year than motorcycles in every issue.
The current one:
Lightbulbs.
Last month's:
Soap.
Circles, I read that and laughed too! I love that mag, I read it every month at the bookstore, they have some friggin hilarious stuff in there... Good call>!
Yep! nice to know that this is common for motorcyclists, I think I am just going to ignore these people or emails until they get the clue! Now that I think about it, these people are not usually the risk taker kind and I am not sure how I got to be the rebel in the family :-) but i love it! Thanks guys.
I don't get much of it, because my dad rode bikes for years, he and my mom have done many miles 2-up, so my family are pretty understanding.
The thing is, whenever I do read articles about accidents, I can usually find something to point out that shows why this wouldn't happen to me.... like that the motorcyclist wasn't wearing a helmet, or was driving at an excessive speed, or in one case, was an 18-year-old with his licence for one day riding a 1200 cc bike. I can point out that I have taken safety training, bought a bike appropriate for a beginner, and that I don't drive recklessly and wear my gear all the time.
My mom got some road rash when I was 15 and I started riding about 4 years later. She is the only one I would listen to on the arguements. When she noticed the serious lvl of gear I was wearing at the time she quit. Back in the last 80's, jacked & pants had no armor or real protection. I purchased a pair of oversized pants & jacket & sewed my spare hockey gear into it. She has seen me take hits from some 200 lbs guys in full stride in that stuff, so she knew I was pretty damn safe.
no not really cause my famally love biking.... but my gf is dead scared of bikes and doesnt like when i ride but she wont try to discorage me from doin it she just wont get on it..... shes pretty cool with it tho cause she worries alot about me when im riding
my family's dead against the motorbike aswell - i've had all the talks for aunts, uncles, g/f's an even my "senior detective" cousin...
they just figure i didn't kill myself with my comp 4WD so i'll try it on 2 wheels.. little do they know i enjoy the freedom and thrill that comes with motoring... :icon_mrgreen: :icon_mrgreen:
needless to say my younger cuz is following in my footsteps - he just got his first bike so he's coppin the shaZam! now instead of me.. :flipoff:
Adam,
This coming August marks my 40th year of riding motorcycles, and I'm still alive and still enjoy riding. My heartfelt advice to you is 1) be careful, and don't ride recklessly, 2)wear protective gear, 3)enjoy the riding experience and prove them wrong by riding for many, many years to come :thumb:
Quote from: chrisalberts on June 21, 2006, 11:22:44 AM
Quote from: adam on June 20, 2006, 04:01:12 PM
when I come in to my office and open my email, I see tons of emails from every joe shmoe that I know sending me news paper articles about how some sorry **** died gruesomely in a motorcycle accident! At first I use to think ok, so reading this kind of stuff will actually help me be more careful when I am on the road,
My advice is to block/delete any email from these people until they can learn to respect your choices. If they ask why you're not getting their email tell them you're sick of their preaching.
C.
PS Most atheists know how to spell the word, especially if they wear it on a t-shirt, are you sure you're not an aesthete TadMC?
Im very dyslexic, seriously, and I know how to spell the word, but I dont pick up on errors in my typing because I know what Im trying to say and so i completely miss spelling errors, such as Atheist
Simply start looking for car accident stories and send them to your friends you will find more stories about car accidents then bike ones then say to them better stop driving a car there to dangerous (dont mention there are more cars on the road then bikes though) they will sooner or later get the message
Also look for pictures of car accidents espically expensive cars and say see all the money in the world wont stop an accident regardless of bike or car lets face it its always wrong place at wrong time regardless of fault :thumb: :cheers:
Tell them about T.W.O. magazine's list of things more dangerous than motorcycles.
I remember these:
Soap.
Lightbulbs.
Remember, the media wants to sensationalize everything. They pander to people's fears because that's an easy way to freeze them to that couch and keep them watching TV.
"Severe motorcycle accident! Could someone you care about be next? Keep watching channel 5 news and find out!" Yeah whatever. Chock that up to the reasons I don't have a TV. Or "Grizzily motorcycle accident! Two wheels of DEATH! Coming up on channel 7 news!"
Yeah, don't worry too much about the brainwashed zombies that keep sending you this stuff.
Just point them to this link as a demonstration that motorcycle crashes are 100% harmless to a rider.
http://www.jokaroo.com/extremevideos/motorcycle_vs_car.html
You simply get up as if nothing happened, walk off the anger and proceed going whereever you were going by foot.
Jenya
just trow them out thats what i would do...... and if you want to get to them well send it back with a note on the article about some thing that will piss them off......... then they will stop doin it or if they dont well i guess it wont stop
My family didnt really care all that much, my Mom was concerned but she knows I'm a rational person and thats why I took MSF. Most of my family/friends just wanted rides. Nurses are the worst tho, they always give me horror stories about bikers. I say ok now how many stories do you have about car accidents?
-ash
Quote from: TadMC on June 20, 2006, 07:08:04 PM
...
Anyway, so I this woman was deserving my worst, for being a dork. But I held it in, but thats not the only thing I held in. See I had beans the night before as well, so my gut wassa grumblin'. So I walk to the other side the Isle and build up a huge amount of gestial surprise. I walk back to her and tell her, "Excuse me ma'am, I thought about what you said, and..."
Well I let out the loudest F*cking fart in the history of man, I think I ruined my shorts after that. And I continued, ..." and thats about how much I give a F*ck about what you said." And then I walked away laughing so hard at that fat F*$(**$(#*@*@$#(*#@$$
The End
My god I just ripped the worst fart! I've been eating lots of hard boiled eggs lately and man they smell worse coming out then going in.
-ash
Quote from: TadMC on June 20, 2006, 07:08:04 PM
You know this may seem over the top but this is the way I deal with people who cant mind there own business. And im not trying to rub this in anyones face about my beliefs, its just part of the story.
So I have a very annoying shirt that say "This is what an Aethist looks like" . Yes I am an aethist, I got it in response of all the Jesus shirts. Any way, I was in walmart and I had honestly forgot I was wearing it. I generally wear it at the house. People are looking and gawking and being really annoying about it. So I go down the canned goods Isle to get some green beans, when this fat ass, house wife, something or other, looks at me and says, "Jesus believes in you."
Now normally Im a very high strung kinda guy. Like once i was walking down the street smoking a cigarette and someone walking by me told my "Smoking kills." I promptly replied, "So does being a fat ugly Buddha Loves You" She didnt like that.
Anyway, so I this woman was deserving my worst, for being a dork. But I held it in, but thats not the only thing I held in. See I had beans the night before as well, so my gut wassa grumblin'. So I walk to the other side the Isle and build up a huge amount of gestial surprise. I walk back to her and tell her, "Excuse me ma'am, I thought about what you said, and..."
Well I let out the loudest F*cking fart in the history of man, I think I ruined my shorts after that. And I continued, ..." and thats about how much I give a F*ck about what you said." And then I walked away laughing so hard at that fat F*$(**$(#*@*@$#(*#@$$
The End
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Awesome story.
..."My god I just ripped the worst fart! I've been eating lots of hard boiled eggs lately and man they smell worse coming out then going in."...
Nothing better than a good fart:-))
Chris
Every time they send you something like that, send them back some porno in a reply. Some anal fisting or something of the sort. But then again, they might like that sort of thing.
Tard farm, dead ahead!
Look you guys...motorcycles are dangerous. Eventually we'll all have accidents and go down. The seriousness of how hard we go down and what hits us when we're down is due to the god factor and the level of skill/handling we have.
I think to get on a bike and say that its as safe as a car is not a safe way of looking at it. At the same time thinking that you can cheat death completely by driving is also not a safe way of living. It really comes down to how much risk your willing to take and how much motorcycles mean to you.
I went through the same thing... Everytime something happened to a motorcyclist, I was the first to know. :mad: Mostly from my parents, I realize that they were just trying to make me aware of the dangers on a bike, but really it got old and I honestly didn't want to hear it. But I just grinned and beared it so as not to be disrespectful. My grandma used to ride for a few years when she was younger and she had a really bad accident that scared her away from riding. She got knocked unconcious and all of that but she wasn't wearing a helmet either. She said, "There was no helmet laws back then." To which I replied, "There is no helmet laws in our state, either, but I wear mine every time I go out riding."
I just started riding and I get the same thing from most people I know.
Every time, I just tell them how wicked the 100mph wheelie I did for like 3 minutes on the beltway was.
Then they sit there for a second, trying to figure out if I am making it up or not. Thats when I just kind of slip out of the room.
err i broke the news to my parents a month ago and they've been telling me to sell the bike EVERY SINGLE DAY. They know I am a safe driver, but they are worried I might die on the road. Well, I guess they'll have to accept the fact that I won't sale it. :) ride safe everyone
My dad and stepmom don't want me to ride as well. They constantly ask me to consider selling the bike (that I haven't even ridden yet :mad:). While I understand where they are coming from and I am scared of riding, it's too much fun for me to give up before I really even try it.
You should covertly fish for information on their pasts on something "risky" they've done in their lives and then when they mention your bike again you can bring it up. Also, it's always good to be able to show people all of your gear that you wear everytime you go out on the bike! :P While there's always that inherant risk of dumping the bike, we can do alot of things to help minimize the damage done to ourselves should that uneventful day come.
I only get crap from my ultra-conservative, Buick driving, super anti-risk Dad. My mom is all for it. She want's to live her dreams of riding vicariously through me.
I've already got about half the necessary gear, I'm signed up for the MSF BRC - and I'm still a ways away from even starting to actively look for a bike...but I must say, if a Candy Antares Red `96 GS drops into my lap, and I can afford it...I certainly will NOT pass it up!! O0