I recently read this article detailing a rider's accident. The author details some specifics about motorcyclists' accidents and deaths and then relates it to his own accident. He received his motorcycle endorsement and purchased a new Harley Davidson Sportster 1200 a few months later. He crashed a few miles into his ride home from the dealership. It was a minor crash, he wasn't injured, and his motorcycle had minimal damage.
The statement that stood out to me in this article was that the author purchased a brand new Sportster 1200 only a few months after getting his license! If you've read my past blog posts, you know that I am a firm believer in riding a smaller bike until you are more confident in your ability. I may be wrong, but I'm assuming that this author didn't have much if any riding experience before getting his endorsement beside a motorcycle safety course. He should have purchased a bike under 500cc and ridden it for a solid year before upgrading to a Sportster.
Now a Sportster 1200 is no speed demon, but it is pretty damn heavy and awkward to handle, especially for a new rider. Honing in on your skills prior to getting a heavier bike is in every rider's best interest. Also, like I've said in other posts, if you enjoy riding a bike that's not as "cool" as the brand new one you're dreaming of buying, you'll know that you truly enjoy the sport of motorcycling.
Please don't take this as an attack on this author. I just want to use this example to strengthen my point. It seems that he used this as a lesson learned and still enjoys riding. I just try to give all of you my advice. In all reality, I'm just happy people are buying and riding motorcycles.
"People always call it luck when you've acted more sensibly than they have." - Anne Tyler
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