OK, i am 15, and i am going to get a motorcycle, what do i need to know?
I made an A in my Algebra II class, and that means that i get to get a motorcycle! So, i dont know the laws about it in Houston, or Texas. I have read lots of newbie stuff about riding on the internet, and all that fun stuff, but i am wondering what else i should know.
So:
Whats a good bike (street bike) to start with?
Do i have to have drivers ed to start riding?
What safety clothing should i get, and what kind of helmet?
How much am i looking for to spend on insurance?
How much am i going to spend after all the stuff is bought, 1 with motorcycle, and the other without it.
How often to i have to clean and maintain it?
How do i maintain it?
thats all!
thanks!
Edit:
I have been riding my bike (i have bmxed for about 2 years) and know how the roads work, and i myslef have had to dodge losers who arent paying attention. Even got hit by a car pulling out at 30 mph (totally sucked).
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Tagged with: algebra ii • dodge • fun stuff • helmet • insurance • losers • motorcycle • paying attention • riding my bike • safety clothing • street bike
Filed under: motorcycle helmets
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Here is a link: http://www.dmv.org/tx-texas/motorcycle-license.php
That may help you with requirements for a motorcycle licence.
For a motorcycle, I would suggest starting with a used one. While you are learning to ride you will drop the bike a few times for sure. And dropping a new bike is a really sad thing. If you are riding an older, used bike it doesn’t matter so much.
A good beginner bike is the Kawi Ninja 250. Up until the 2008 model they were all the same since 1988. This means there are a lot of used ones floating around, and parts are readily available. If you are mechanically inclined, this little bike is easy to work on.
As for riding, this little Ninja is very forgiving to a beginner. It’s one of the best learner bikes I’ve come across. And it’s not a weakling either. My son (who is also 15) has one and zips right along on the freeway with me.
After you have ridden the little Ninja for a while, you for sure will want to get a bigger bike. And, if you have bought a used bike, you can get the majority of what you spent back when you sell it to get a newer, bigger bike.
For maintenance you should obtain a service manual for your bike. It will tell you when to do periodic maintenance, how to do it, and what tools and parts will be required.
The service manual will also guide you should you need to perform repairs.
First and foremost, take a mc riders safety course!
Very Important… there are no "fender bender" accidents while on a bike. A great starter bike would be any bike you can safely handle, under 500 cc’s, preferably with an "upright " riding position.
You will need your drivers license to take a street safety course. Full face helmet, jeans or leather pants (no shorts!), boots (no sandals!), gloves. Depending on the year, make, model, performance of the bike, your grades, safety course, you’ll pay between $100.00 and $300.00 a month. Gas is the only cheap thing about a bike. A new motorcycle will give you a maintenance schedule in the owners manual. Maintain it yourself after you get a factory approved maintenance manual (some things will still have to go to the dealer)
Be careful and have fun… just remember everyone is out to get you when you ride, that will keep you in the right frame of mind. It is possible to ride safe, I’ve been riding for 30 years and have never hit the pavement. Good Luck!
Start with a Harley Davidson.
Good luck with the bike.
Yes, you do.
Leather or denim. Don’t forget, boots, NOT sandals or flip-flops! Get a really hard helmet.
Ride your bicycle a lot, just to get the feeling of the handlebars and how to control them, and how the seat feels under your butt.
15 and a street bike? homie, u wont be able to afford the insurance if u plan on riding a rocket that’s for sure. in ohio, those under 18 is required to pass the msf. i suggest u learn the art of situational awarness first in a cage…….there is no such thing as a fender bender…u just wind up with a totaled bike, and probably a trip to the morgue.
there’s more to it than just twisting the wick. alot more to it. there’s about 4 times more work involved than being in a cage….that is if u want to live to see the next ride. the first 6 months is the most lethal time for a rookie.
u want sound advice that will keep u alive, or are u going to ignore what i’m about to say and follow the crowd and get killed?
u want to live? avoid the rockets for awhile. u need a tame and forgiving bike, and 99% of the rockets is far from forgiving no matter what these ‘experts’ claim. just remember that the first time u slide into a guard rail at 65 mph will be the last time u slide into anything. a car slamming u from behind cause u wasnt watching the mirrors in anticipation of it will also take u out of the game. 500cc’s or under for water cooled, no more than 1200cc’s for air cooled….and there is a big difference between the 2. btw, if u dont belive me that u’ll get castrated by the cost of insurance on a sport bike, just give an agent a call, and tell them what u plan to ride, and see what u get when u tell them u dont even have the endorsement yet. that’ll put the sport bike idea on ice real quick when they tell u it’ll be over 2k a year or more. if u cant afford the insurance, u cant afford to ride….period.
i suggest u start here: http://www.dmv.org/tx-texas/motorcycles.php
i cant tell u how to maintain it till i know what bike u got, and i will advise…..dont get a brand new 1. u definately wont be able to afford full coverage insurance due to the bank loan, the bike payment, etc that comes with a new bike. craigslist has a ton of bikes, but stay away from the rockets if u want to live to see 16.
i’ve been in the saddle since 2001, and in that timeframe, i’ve lost count how many times i’ve had to dodge nimrods on cell phones that’s almost killed me from turning left in front of me, from running red lights, from running stop signs, from drifting over or just abruptly switched lanes on me with no warning. u dont get 2nd chances very often on a bike out there. u’d be safer learning how to scan, identify, and predict things in a car for awhile before getting a bike………that is if u want to see 16.
As you are 15 yrs old you are restricted to 250cc. Contact the DPS for further details.
bmx and street bikes are non-comparable so get that outta yer head right now. sorry, i dont belive u got hit at 30 mph. if u actually did, u wouldnt be alive to tell about it.
u are in for a rude awakening. wait till u start shopping around for manditory insurance. if u are thinking sport bike, u are in for sticker shock hardcore. do u have a job to afford the insurance? mention sport bike to an agent, and he is gonna crucify u.
dont bother with a new bike. u wont be able to afford the payments and the full coverage insurance either.
I been riding for awhile, I don’t even call myself an expert. For a 15 yr old, your parents should have a second opinion for your safety on a street bike. It’s a lot of disciplines and maturity that one require when you hop on a bike. I would not allow my boy to ride one after my first crash and it almost claim my life. I still ride and aware of the danger behind it.
You need to take an MSF course. So you can ride a BMX bike- congratulations. It is NOTHING like riding a motorcycle except for having two wheels.
At 15, you can’t legally DRIVE in most states, and you have to have a driver’s license before you can get a motorcycle.
You also have to have insurance, and I don’t know of many insurance companies that would write that policy at ANY price. You (or your parents) will be paying more for insurance every year than your motorcycle is worth; good luck getting that past them.
IF you manage to get onto a bike after your MSF course, conincing your parents, and paying for insurance, make sure you stick with a smaller bike to begin with. It will help with insurance, and you will simply smear yourself onto the pavement with a GSX-R-whatever. Try a GS500 or Ninja 500 first, preferably used.
But wait! There’s more! If you’re not riding with the proper gear, do the REAL riders a favor and forget about riding a motorcycle. you need a good riding jacket, gloves, boots, pants/overpants, and a FULL FACE helmet.
"WAAAH! It’s too hot in Texas!" Deal with it or go home, Junior. I’d rather sweat than bleed, personally, and even if you haven’t figured out your own mortality yet I promise you will be VERY unhappy WHEN you crash if you’re not well-protected.
So even if I doubt you’ll be on the road anytime soon, there’s your instruction manual.
Lot’s of good advice here. One other way is to get a dirtbike and learn how to handle, balance, manuever, brake, clutch, shift, gas, etc. where there are no cars. The skills you learn here will really pay off when you then go to the MSF course.
If you buy a bike and jump out in the street you are in a rush. Be more carefull- ghost was right- you only slide into a car or guard rail once.
hmmmm, so u think u are a rider cause u can ‘bmx’ it eh? not even close to being the same. u said that u’ve been hit by 30 mph cars. ummm, and i belive that arizona has prime oceanfront property also. what else….u are asking about: safety clothing, helmet type….and u should kinda already know what kind of helmet if u were a bmx’er.
u are basically asking us to do all ur ‘homework’ for u so u dont have to do anything. there’s a search engine called ‘google’. try using it for a change. it’ll find alot of things rather quickly. only u know what bike u want, but paying for the bike and for the manditory insurance is alot different. do u even have a job to cover even 1/4′th of the insurance?
no state will allow u to just walk in and get the permit without parent sign-off on it, and if u are not old enough for that state to drive a car, u wont be allowed on a street bike either.
i’m guessing ur male. well junior, peep this…….until u are over 25, expect to get docked the highest insurance cost for a typical car reguardless if u have zero tickets against u. also, it will be guarenteed that IF u can get insurance, if u even hint that u are getting a crotch rocket, u will get slammed with a rate that will make someone that got popped for driving drunk have a cheap insurance rate. the way insurance companies work is….if they are male, 25 or under…..severely high risk to be reckless. historically, crotch rockets (all because of the squids before u) are at THE highest risk of becoming a total loss, gettin stolen, or both gettin totalled and the rider dead.
it will be guarenteed u will decide not to get a rocket once u get the 3rd or 4th quote for coverage….and for u, even a ninja 250 will be higher than what even a new one will be worth, let alone a r-1, r-6, ‘bussa, gsxr-xxxx, zx-10/14…..dude u wont be able to afford any of those bikes insurance wise; i couldnt even afford them on insurance and i have a 17 dollar an hour job.
lets see here….ur asking if u have to clean it…..umm, that’s optional, but adviseable if u dont want the chrome parts to pit and/or rust.
u have no clue what it’s like out there on the street. not even an inkling. anything bigger than a kitten has a very high potential of taking u down if u hit it. potholes if big enough will do it, getting hit by a bird of any size will do it, hitting a road gator will definately do it. it doesnt have to be that moron cell phone driver drifting/turning left/blowing a red light or stop sign to take u down. do u even know what a june bug is? u will find out when u hit 1 at freeway speed….they hurt; they feel like u got smacked in the head by a rock.
other threats that will put u down: sand, gravel, wet leaves, fresh cut grass blown on the road, oil, anti-freeze, diesel fuel…they’ll drop u quicker than u can react. also expect to be hit by various objects that will feel like u got hit by a brick when at speed. wait till u get hit by the remains of a cup of whatever from micky d’s by some moron cager ur behind on the freeway.
also, how well will u react when…….u are on the interstate at the legal speed of 65 when u see in ur path, a object about the size of a desktop computer? fyi, u will be travelling at roughly 95′ a second at that pace. if u do the wrong thing, u will pay for it severely. for a very small sample of what road rash will be like, take a zester file (cooks use it to grate the skin off of things like oranges), and with some weight, pull that across ur leg or forearm. that is what it’ll be like when u meet the pavement with anything other than leather on.
a drop at a ‘slow’ speed of 25 mph will be capable of ripping u a new one; u will be introduced to an entirely new definition of pain.
quite a few state require those under 18 to pass an msf course also.