Its long. Im sorry.

So this guy I work with “Brandon” just got his MSF certificate and is looking for a bike. A few weeks ago he told me he is looking at a brand new bike. I told him since he has 0 experience other than the 250 at the MSF he should really buy a used bike for 1/2 the price. He asked why and i told him because no matter what mistakes happen and you will drop it. It’s just a matter of when and since you have 0 experiences it tends to happen within the first few months. He said “No i wont I’ll be careful”. I explained that no matter what you do chit happen. Another guy chimed in and said he has been riding dirt since he was 9 and street for a year and he has never fallen or dropped his bike. I said I doubt that because being a dirt rider I know I fell a few times when I was younger and even older. Now im on the street and ive dropped my bike once and layed it down once. I know it happens. Brandon takes this as a sign and says I know I wont crash because ill be careful. Now fast forward a week.

I was riding with a friend to go get lunch and in a left turn there was a streak of something. He didn’t see it and BAM he went down. 25mph his bike slid into the curb and flipped. His knee has some nasty rash but he is okay. So I get to work today and tell the guy who just got his MSF done and told him about the accident and he said “isn’t he the guy who dropped Chris’s bike when he first started to ride?” I said yes and then he said “well of course he is gonna crash again then if he dropped a 250”. I gave up at this point. I said “well man I just hope you take my advice and ride safe”.

Why can’t people take advice from others when they have 0 experience themselves? I even told him my favorite saying “When you start to ride a motorcycle you have an empty pot and a full pot of luck. Your goal is to fill the empty pot with experience before the pot of luck runs out.” He then said he has been driving a car since he was 17 and that he knows what happens on the road so that is his experience. I just wanna smack the guy but i guess you cant fix stupid.

Rant over

 

lol if someone says they have car experience i usually tell them well your cage has 4 wheels ur bike has 2. When I first started riding i was told all the time be careful and buy a cheap bike because you will drop it and me being young and dumb was all like i will never drop it. Well chit does happen you cant prepare for everything. I laid my bike down the first week i got it. Since then i take whatever advise i get.

 

Generally, in my experience, people only listen to advice when they ask for it...not when just offered up, even if you're trying to help.

People are going to do - what people are going to do. :\

 

CBR, help him find the most expensive bike you can, and offer no advice. I deal with stuff like this at work and I always say.. "I can lead a horse to water, but I cannot make it drink." Stupid Horse!!!!

 

Haha thats a great idea. That quote works perfect for this as well. Ill have to remember it. I guess ill have to wait for the day i can say "told ya so".

 

You should at least talk him into a 600RR, that way you might be able to scrounge a few parts off it when he wads it up.

 

You should also get him to check insurance pricing on a new financed bike (full coverage) vs just liability on a paid-for bike of equal displacement.

 

One of the bank teller that I always talk to wants to get a bike. Her "friend" has one and he is still new to riding too. I always tell her how I wear full gears, my experience with car pulling in fron tof me, my little crash, etc. She goes riding on his back many times with way too big his spare helmet with no other protection. And she told me last time with big smile that they encountered a group of sportbike riders while they were riding. And she told me how these guys were boxing in the cars and passing them going over yellow line in twisty road. And how she loved that experience. ugh. stupid . She is a biker groupie.

my rant over

 

my friend bought a 09 zx6r. 0 riding experience, no MSF. Took it out for his first ride ever, he took it real slow and made it safely back home in 20 minutes. Started to push it into his garage and dropped it.

Me: I ****ing told you.

 

Quote of the year, lol.