What got you into the idea of getting a bike

[shalihe74]

My dad had a terrible motorcycle accident way before I was born but, hearing about it, I grew up thinking that motorcycles were "teh debil" and vowed to never ride one.

Then I became a rebellious teenager. One of my boyfriends had a bike (Honda Shadow) and took me on a ride once. Terrified me and reinforced the "I don't want to ride".

A year or so later, I was dating someone new and he had a CBR600 F3. It was my first encounter with a sport bike. That thing was sooooooo sexy, I had to ride on it. Still terrified me, but this boyfriend managed to convince me that it was less scary when you're doing the driving.

So he taught me to ride. And darn if he wasn't right. Haven't looked back since.

[Erg0n]

riding across off road terrain on my Philippine vacation

[KarateChick]

Nothing specific, had never been around bikes before and just decided it was something I wanted to do, something different to try, so I did... guess I've always just been a non-conformer too... if any naysayers show up, that just makes me more determined...

[Apollofrost]

I would have to say it was Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Ever since then the idea has just apealed to me.

[drevil]

Many of my friends ride and I got the itch to buy one about 5 years ago. Was married at the time and she put the kabosh on that idea but we got divorced almost 3 years ago and I bought one almost immediately. My new "wife" doesn't complain at all and is a lot lower maintenance.

[JC Viper]

Simple. I wanted to go fast. I wanted the freedom. For me, it's all about a mix of ridability and performance. And I got a bike that's fairly cheap to customize to where and what I want. If given the chance and money, I could easily drop $1500 on the Ninja and be about where I'd want it to be. Maybe $2000.

And you're an EMT... I would think statistics would put a damper on such things.

Besides, didn't you just drop a bit of money into a new Ninja anyway?

I want the new 2008 KLR, so much performance goodies and refinement for a low low price!

[Ninja Geoff]

Simple. I wanted to go fast. I wanted the freedom. For me, it's all about a mix of ridability and performance. And I got a bike that's fairly cheap to customize to where and what I want. If given the chance and money, I could easily drop $1500 on the Ninja and be about where I'd want it to be. Maybe $2000.

And you're an EMT... I would think statistics would put a damper on such things.

Besides, didn't you just drop a bit of money into a new Ninja anyway?

I want the new 2008 KLR, so much performance goodies and refinement for a low low price!

The bike came before the EMT. And I'm not one yet, though I'm so freaking close... And the ninja is financed, so it's a bunch of little bills for 5 years... For now. When the Ninja gets paid off, then the mods will start flowing in.

[scan]

Always loved bikes, never had the balls to learn, then girlfriend went and took the MSF course and bought her own bike. That was the last straw.

Related, but not the same, I didn't really care about bikes a whole bunch. Then Loonette decided to take the MSF course, and I didn't really want to miss out on a chance to get the endorsment on my license. I then fell in love with being on bikes.

[storysunfolding]

I've always liked bikes, but I was force fed the "OMG DANGER" speeches so many times I kinda gave up.

LoL- I feel you there

Dad- Orthopedic Surgeon
Mom- Nurse Practicioner
Stepmom- Reconstructive Plastic Surgeon/Hand Surgeon
Grandfather- Pediatrician

There's a trend there that exists almost everywhere in my family that doesn't have a JD or a MBA.

[Grendel_Sprite]

Two words... Gas Prices

For me, the decision was mostly a practical one. I got tired of shelling out 40-50 buck every week just to get to work, so I went looking for a better way. I ended up buying a 250cc scooter and it's working out great so far. The gas bill is down to 10 bucks a week and commuting is fun now.