Let me say first that the need for and the moral of the story are right on but I think were looking at an urban legend here. Not to say this doesn't happen- I'm positive it does but it doesn't add up for me. First at sixteen, did he have a drivers license which would not enable him to ride a bike, or did he take the course? I'm thinking this way because when you buy a bike from a dealership near me they don't let you ride it out with out proof of licensce and insurance. Anyone care to estimate the insurance for a first timer at 16 on an R6. Probably a little shy per year then the cost of the bike. Seems odd to me, but it could just be a condensed verrsion of the story and the kid could have gone about everything the right way... I do see this thing a lot though on base-  19 or 20 year old kid w/money to burn runs out to by the sportbike all his buddies are getting bam down they go and the commander is talking about initiating a buddy system for young bikers...

I've come across guys that are in their teens with dad paying for everything, including insurance, on a sportbike. They get on the forum asking if an R6 is a good first bike then dont listen when no one validates their choice. I had a discussion with one kid that was about 17 in this same situation, so they're out there. MSF course in Ca is mandatory for under 21 y.o. but at 16 you CAN get a license and a motorcycle license.

I started riding when I was 20, my boss (who got me into motorcycles) recommended the GS500 to me.  I had been looking at the bigger bikes, and at the time, had the money for one.  I bought my GS instead, and stories like this make me glad I did.

Quote from: pantabloI've come across guys that are in their teens with dad paying for everything, including insurance, on a sportbike. They get on the forum asking if an R6 is a good first bike then dont listen when no one validates their choice. I had a discussion with one kid that was about 17 in this same situation, so they're out there. MSF course in Ca is mandatory for under 21 y.o. but at 16 you CAN get a license and a motorcycle license.

Yeah, my parents haven't paid a dime for me (which is the way it should be) it's made me appreciate it a lot more and, like my car, take extremely good care of it. My parents even made me open a separate insurance plan (17 yrs old, no parental sig. required) from theirs so they would not be in any way associated with my motorcycle endeavor. This resulted in my having to pay about $90/6 months more than if I could have been on their plan with their "multiple vehicle discount". But luckily, since I just turned 18, I got a $44/6 month discount on my insurance  

So basically, I was 17, got a license, a tag, insurance, and a motorcycle with absolutely ZERO help from parents. It can be done, and it is scary. Theoretically, as a 16 year old kid, I could have went down to a dealership and bought a brand new Hayabusa... thats borderline criminal if you ask me. And the MSF is NOT required in NC, all that you need to do is take a 20 question written test to receive a motorcycle license.

I also just converted one of those 18 yr old, never ridden anything, 600 s.s. guys the other day. He's a freshman in college (year older than me), and was planning on getting an R6. His excuse to me was "yeah but you weigh 150 lbs, I don't think a 500 can haul me around"... please note, he weighs about 185 lbs. After some convincing and my insisting he was a moron, he broke down and bought a not running GS to learn on before moving on like me. I have since helped him get it running and he should be taking the MSF course to learn to ride (I'm actually gonna ride his bike there for him) since he has NO idea how to do anything on a motorcycle... he can't even drive a manual car.

Sorry for the long post, this topic just hits home with me...

Scott

Quote from: Stime187

Sorry for the long post, this topic just hits home with me...

Scott

Good for you Scott. This hits home for me too. But you'd expect that a bit since we're on THIS forum. The guys on the 600rr forum are split between the very experienced riders saying what we're saying and the recent riders saying its okay to start on a repli-racer...boneheads.

I direct people to this link. It answers all the typical rationalizations for getting a bigger bike, like the one your friend had about being too big.
http://www.beginnerbikes.com/editorials/formequalsfunction.htm

use it-pass it along. do what you can to get people to change their minds. its all you can do, its all you must do for the sport, our public image, the safety of our brothers (sisters).