[SicR6]

After getting rearended on my motorcycle by some half-blind old man in a Toyota truck this past Saturday afternoon I had what I assume some people call an 'intervention'.

I was sitting in the corner at a table having a :beer trying to make sense of what just happened and what I was gonna do about my poor bike. I was surrounded at this table by my Dad, my uncle, and my uncle's girlfriend. One by one and sometimes all at once they started telling me that I 'really need' to just get rid of the bike. "It's too dangerous riding in southern California", "Too many drivers don't pay attention around here", "Next time you might not walk away from it", "It's just a matter of time before something worse happens" .... blah, blah, blah!!!

They started making me feel like a drug addict with an addiction that was sure to kill me some day. I will admit I'm a sportbike addict with an addiction to adrenaline but I don't have a deathwish. Needless to say I'm not quite ready to kick 'my addiction' just yet.

Anybody else have an 'intervention' at some point or another, before or after getting the bike?

 

[Mike_V]

Before. I'm about to purchase my first bike, and DESPITE showing that I am commited to safety, the mother will not allow it. Even though I'm at the age now where she can't stop me, I still feel like I'd rather not go against her in getting it. I have to decide by friday, I'm still thinking about it.

 

[PJFZ1]

I've never had an intervention, but have known people to... and it ticks me off - It's not like you're a crack addict!
I wish we could just as easily show the other people our side of it.

 

[hatred]

i agree... i think you should sell it... bikes are just too dangerous

 

[hozhead]

I had a few people tell me I'd kill myself on a sport bike (any motorcycle really) before I bought it. Never had a group of people gang up on me about it though.

Now that I've been riding for a while, I still get a 'be careful' but never get a lecture about it. My wife even knows I've been trying to learn the dark are of the wheelie and she's fine with it because she knows I'm doing it in a controlled environment, close to home, with NO traffic and nothing to hit (empty subdivision - paved but with nothing built).

 

[Rogue6]

I had the same realization with myself. I was riding like such a retard on the street that I just knew I was pushing my luck. I sold my street sportbike, picked up a cheap bike for the street that doesn't go so fast, a nice 600cc track only bike, and a slow truck to tow it (not all at once, but that was the progression).

 

[big_slacker]

"Before. I'm about to purchase my first bike, and DESPITE showing that I am commited to safety, the mother will not allow it. Even though I'm at the age now where she can't stop me, I still feel like I'd rather not go against her in getting it. I have to decide by friday, I'm still thinking about it."

LOL! I was 27 when I bought my first sportbike and my mom tried to tell me I couldn't. WTF? I got it anyway.

 

[hatred]

"Before. I'm about to purchase my first bike, and DESPITE showing that I am commited to safety, the mother will not allow it. Even though I'm at the age now where she can't stop me, I still feel like I'd rather not go against her in getting it. I have to decide by friday, I'm still thinking about it."

ok, Norman Bates

 

[Iluvmy929]

My mother still gripes at me for riding. She was like that when I only rode on the back with my bf. She tells me that I'm putting my life in my hands, had to remind her that my life isn't in my hands.

I think your family was just feeling affected by the realization that something scary could happen. I've never had a whole group gang up on me, but I've heard the terror stories.

 

[Anti-Hero]

It would be interesting to see an actual quantification, of motorcyclist fatalities. Statistically speaking x out of n riders will die at the controls. I bet that would scare the fearless.

 

[zx11_12]

I headed that stuff off at the pass. I hit a car head on at 55 MPH (me. He was doing about 35MPH for an impact speed of 90MPH). I figiured if I waited, it might be hard to get a new bike past my wife....not to mention that I didn't want to hear all the stuff from my family...so as soon as I was off the ventilator after surgery, I called the dealer where I do business and bought another bike on the phone. When I was relased from the hospital 11 days later, I made my wife drive me to the dealer to see my new bike and whar was left of my old bike before I'd let her take me home.

 

[OFFICER737]

Piled a ZX-11 into a curve once and my family just "advised" me of the risks. I stopeed riding for but eventually got back into it. Rahter die on bike than by some crack head on a Saturday night crack binge or some stupid crap like that.

 

[Punkwood2k]

Do the same thing with "interventions" that I do to Jehova's Witnesses.. Ignore them, and slam the door on them.

My family tried that before I got my bike too. And the next month, they tried "intervention" when I swore into the Air Force..

And skydiving

And marriage.....

Shit.. my family is a bunch of meddlers.. cant leave me alone..

 

[yellman]

i agree... i think you should sell it... bikes are just too dangerous

nfloor Thats too funny. The blatant sarcasm of that should tell you, we all love it too much to give it up. Do what your heart tells ya.

 

[Punkwood2k]

nfloor Thats too funny. The blatant sarcasm of that should tell you, we all love it too much to give it up. Do what your heart tells ya.

hell yeah.. All our parents told us not to have sex either.. we found out that was fun on our own.. so why should you listen about a bike too?

 

[murfnamedsmurf]

It took me quite a long time to convince my parents to allow the bike, and after I got a speeding ticket there was quite a bit of discussion similar to your intervention.

 

[greekpimpslap]

Do the same thing with "interventions" that I do to Jehova's Witnesses.. Ignore them, and slam the door on them.

My family tried that before I got my bike too. And the next month, they tried "intervention" when I swore into the Air Force..

And skydiving

And marriage.....

Shit.. my family is a bunch of meddlers.. cant leave me alone..

shit man, we must be related... your post made me giggle cuz i cant take a shit without a femily member tellin me im doing it wrong or bitching at me for the smell

 

[mikem317]

I had a few, they were more of a passive intervention. I don't leave my helmet or gear on my bike when I go to class. One or two occasions I got into a conversation with the instructor/professor and they told me a story or two about bikes and how inherently dangerous they are. One professor was a business analyst at Mass. General and saw first hand a lot of these accidents and repeated that fact several times in our 15 minute conversation.

All and all, it's like I'm convincing my parents again; which they never approved of anyway until I was 25. I usually wrap up the convo. w/ something about mitigating risk or something to that effect and talk to them about gear specifics/benefits. That wins them over sometimes.

 

[nitrotc3drifter]

i get the same problems with my family. everybody tells me i will kill myself, blah blah blah, and and i told them: you can die/get seriously hurt at any point in your life. the other day a lady was eating lunch at a picinic table at a local park and a tree just fell on her and she died, and just recently people were swimming at the beach and lightning struck the water and 4 or 5 people got hurt (not sure if anybody died or not). so whats the difference, if it happens to me on a bike or when im just chilling out.

 

[Fila_996]

I get it in class also......

Professors have some balls when commenting on bikes....

"Hey, he's still alive today"

Prof.- "Its 9:08, what time did you leave your house, 9:00?"
me- "Actually, YES! I did!"

"We didnt even wear that much gear testing airplanes in the war"

"Well see you tomorrow,..........well mabey not you"

I try to ignore it as much as I can.....Its hard though