Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge The "class" of 2008...

With gas prices rising higher and higher, I have a hunch that this year there will be more people buying motorcycles.

If the 2 guys in this mindset where I work are indicative of what will be, it probably won't be a good thing.

Rider wannabe #1 is in his mid 20's, still immortal, single, and he has his heart set on a crotch rocket. Which one is still up in the air, but he wants something FAST.
He has never ridden anything with 2 wheels before.....

Rider wannabe #2 is in his mid 30's, married with 2 young kids. A big strapping farmboy type, think Jethro Bodine, both physically and mentally. He has a dirtbike, 250cc or so, I forget exactly. He wants a Harley. Not a Sportster, something BIG.
Naturally, all the HD riders are behind him 100%.

Now I know everyone who wants to learn to ride street has to start somewhere. But in talking to these 2 guys, I get the impression that they are totally clueless.
They might as well get "future statistic" tattooed on their foreheads.
I hope I'm wrong.

And I bet there will a lot more just like them on the road this year.
God bless 'em, every one.

+1 They probably won't listen, because of youth and bragadicio, respectfully, but I suppose the "christian" thing to do would be to give them all the advice you can about riding when they get their scoots. As far as gas prices, funny thing, for the people I know around here, nobody seems to be changing their driving style at all. My aunt is still driving her full size, chev suburban twenty miles to work every day, same for my neighbor, who just bought a full size, Dodge van to drive to work, alone.

Last week one of the new riders (2 weeks) where I work took a curve on his new $25K HD and lost it in some sand. Slid into the guardrail and left one of his fingers behind. I've got to give him credit though, he isn't giving up on riding, but after the nub heals, I'll bet he does it differently. Painful lesson.

Hopefuly they'll both get some kind of sense before buying their bikes and wannabe #1 gets himself a Thruxton and wannabe #2 gets himself a Speedmaster or America.

Soren

AND...take a motorcycle riding course....it wont make'em experts but those instructors can be brutally honest and possibly help give a basic foundation for a long riding career !

When I was looking at bikes last year, trying to decide, I was really liking the big Yamaha Roadliner and Stratoliner. I was concerned about the size & weight, but the salesman said no-one ever brought a bike back because it was too big an engine.
After, intelligently and thankully, settling on my TBA, I was really glad with my choice when I was trying to make the turns going up to Sunrise on Mt. Rainier last late summer.
I've also gone back and tried sitting on them as well. No comparison, they don't feel right at all. Phew!!!!
Steve

I have always said get what you want and drive according to your skill level not your bike size but those 2 seem to be a little extreme.

Well said, Deon. Before I retired, I used to run into these same kinds of situations at work every time the price of gas spiked. "These gas prices are killin' me. I think I'll buy a motorcycle and commute to work on it so I can save on gas money!", was always the cry from them.

And my response was almost always:

"Have you ever ridden before? No?! Well then, let me first say that I'm not going to tell you to forget the idea entirely here, BUT I want to tell you that you can learn EVERYTHING they have to teach you in those motorcycle training courses, which I definitely suggest you attend if you go ahead and buy a bike, but just like graduating from high school or even college, you still don't have a friggin' clue about how the REAL WORLD works without also graduating from the ol' "School of Hard Knocks", which of course you ONLY graduate from after many years of experience. And, they don't call it the "School of Hard Knocks" for nothin', ya know?! ESPECIALLY on board these suckers! And so, if you still think you'd like to take a crack at it, be my guest, Big Guy!"

(most of the time I'd see 'em a few weeks later pullin' up in the employees' parking lot inside their brand spankin' new Toyota Corolla)

I'd put my money on Jethro. If he rides a dirtbike, he knows how to control 2 wheels.
If he has a wife and kids, he stands a chance of being responsible.
Plus a Harley isn't exactly going to get him into trouble with it's mega-horsepower.