Quote:
Originally Posted by jkv45
I am a self-taught rider as well (in the '70s), but riding today is more intense than it was back then. More traffic and less attentive drivers.
I had 4 years of dirt riding before getting my cycle license at 16, and that helped a lot. Starting on the street from scratch without any previous cycle experience is a recipe for disaster. There's no time to learn the basics of riding on the street.
My 2 boys have been riding since they were 4, but were still required (by the state) to take the MSF basic course before getting their license because they were under 18. I'm fine with that.
I don't think driving a car and riding a cycle take the same amount of skill, so just because you have driving experience doesn't mean you can ride a cycle proficiently. I made my boys go 1 full year without incident in a car before they were allowed to get their cycle license.
Ticked them off, but I still think it was a good idea.
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I'm not putting down MSF courses. For some folks absolutely! But I'm pig headed. Wouldn't - won't wear a bicycle helmet. Didn't - wouldn't take a driver's ed course in high school. I have to admit that I learned to ride a motorcycle in a very rural area with lots of open country roads and little traffic. My home town two had two traffic lights on Main Street. And yes, things are different than they were in 1967. Hell, today the average driver doesn't know hand signal in lieu of turn signals. I also had different parents. I used to take my dad's 19' Chris Craft out by myself at the ripe old age of 13. I would run it, drive it back into the boat lift and haul it up out of the water. Today kids jump from Game Boys and Nintendo to their first motorcycle. At 15 I could hot wire a car and take it for a joy ride - and I did.
Different strokes for different folks.
Bill