You can here in Ohio. In fact, those under 18 have priority. Anyone under 18 gets into the class first, then the rest can register.Sweet Tooth wrote:1st get your drivers license.... because you can't even take a motorcycle driving class with out it, actualy I don't think you can even take the MSF untill you're 18.
Convincing my mom to let me get a bike
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t_bonee
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A dog had his chain reduced one link at a time, every few days, until his chain was so short he could barely move. He never resisted because he was conditioned to the loss of his freedom slowly, over time. Are we in this country becoming like the dog?
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kabob983
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If she's made up her mind it's gonna be hard to change it. My mom said no bikes till I was out on my own, although once I was old enough I asked for them to help pay for my MSF course as a birthday gift (which she did, I told her it was to keep my alive, not to buy a bike!).
I'd wait till your older if she won't budge.
Also, the "crotch rocket" that you so desire I'd steer clear of until you've learned to ride. That second word, rocket, is there for a reason. My dream bike, a 600cc sportbike of some sort (I bounce back and forth between brands like a pinball machine) is a heck of alot more bike than I can handle. There are bikes that will make transitioning from a learner bike to your dream bike easier though. I'm on a Kawasaki Ninja EX500 which is sporty, but has less than 1/2 the horsepower, probably 1/2 the torque, MUCH weaker breaks (possibly the most dangerous thing on a fast bike if you don't know what you're doing) and a much less aggressive riding position. Check it out, as well as the EX250 (which I often wish I'd bought instead, even the EX500 can be alot of bike) or the Suzuki GS500. These are the three learner bikes that we suggest most often for the future sportbikers.
Good luck!
I'd wait till your older if she won't budge.
Also, the "crotch rocket" that you so desire I'd steer clear of until you've learned to ride. That second word, rocket, is there for a reason. My dream bike, a 600cc sportbike of some sort (I bounce back and forth between brands like a pinball machine) is a heck of alot more bike than I can handle. There are bikes that will make transitioning from a learner bike to your dream bike easier though. I'm on a Kawasaki Ninja EX500 which is sporty, but has less than 1/2 the horsepower, probably 1/2 the torque, MUCH weaker breaks (possibly the most dangerous thing on a fast bike if you don't know what you're doing) and a much less aggressive riding position. Check it out, as well as the EX250 (which I often wish I'd bought instead, even the EX500 can be alot of bike) or the Suzuki GS500. These are the three learner bikes that we suggest most often for the future sportbikers.
Good luck!
2000 Kawasaki Ninja EX500R (Sold)
2006 Suzuki SV650S (Stolen 4/08, recovered 12/08, sold 3/09)
2004 Suzuki SV650S (Sold)
Being bikeless SUCKS!!!
2006 Suzuki SV650S (Stolen 4/08, recovered 12/08, sold 3/09)
2004 Suzuki SV650S (Sold)
Being bikeless SUCKS!!!
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Inquizator
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The "wait till your 18 and then do whatever you want, cause your parents have no more say" arguement only applies if you will be on your own by then. I'm 19 and my parents are helping me pay for college and still support me and such, and I know that as long as the money is flowing my way I still have to abide by their rules unless I want the money to stop flowing... So think about that before you just get it in your head that 18 means you can do whatever you want.
For me, I'd been saying for about 2 years that I wanted a motorcycle before I bought my first one (about 6 months after I turned 18). So, my parents had gotten used to the idea and when it finally came time for it to happen, there wasn't a whole lot of resistance.
My advice would be to take an MSF course and go ahead and get your full motorcycle license (most states the MSF course will give you a slip to get you out of the DMV riding test). And just keep throwing the idea out there that you want a motorcycle at some point. Start saving money and once you have enough money start looking at bikes and gear. That way, when you find one you want and the time is right with your parents, you can just say "This is the bike I want to get, insurance will be this much (I already checked), I'm gonna buy this helmet, this safety gear (gloves, boots, jacket, pants, whatever, etc.). Since I took that class I already have my license, and I've been saving money so I can afford it all too." If you're Mom is really against it you're gonna have to be very organized, logical about it, and pursuasive. And if you're unwilling to be patient and wait till the time is right, you're not going to appear logical or organized.
For me, I'd been saying for about 2 years that I wanted a motorcycle before I bought my first one (about 6 months after I turned 18). So, my parents had gotten used to the idea and when it finally came time for it to happen, there wasn't a whole lot of resistance.
My advice would be to take an MSF course and go ahead and get your full motorcycle license (most states the MSF course will give you a slip to get you out of the DMV riding test). And just keep throwing the idea out there that you want a motorcycle at some point. Start saving money and once you have enough money start looking at bikes and gear. That way, when you find one you want and the time is right with your parents, you can just say "This is the bike I want to get, insurance will be this much (I already checked), I'm gonna buy this helmet, this safety gear (gloves, boots, jacket, pants, whatever, etc.). Since I took that class I already have my license, and I've been saving money so I can afford it all too." If you're Mom is really against it you're gonna have to be very organized, logical about it, and pursuasive. And if you're unwilling to be patient and wait till the time is right, you're not going to appear logical or organized.
i think you guys misunderstood him. he is looking for ways to help convince his mother to let him get a motorcycle.
1) make sure that you get a small bike. if she doesnt want a crotch rocket then go cruiser, but if you want a rocket then you should explain to her that even though it is a crotch rocket it is nowhere near as powerful as many of the bikes she sees.
2) tell her you will get all the protective gear...then actually wear it.
3) remind her that she thinks you are a good driver. remind her that often accidents are caused by cagers not riders. make sure she realizes that having a sport bike doesnt necessarily mean you will be speeding.
1) make sure that you get a small bike. if she doesnt want a crotch rocket then go cruiser, but if you want a rocket then you should explain to her that even though it is a crotch rocket it is nowhere near as powerful as many of the bikes she sees.
2) tell her you will get all the protective gear...then actually wear it.
3) remind her that she thinks you are a good driver. remind her that often accidents are caused by cagers not riders. make sure she realizes that having a sport bike doesnt necessarily mean you will be speeding.
"Life's like an hourglass glued to a table"
There is nothing stopping him from getting a motorcycle. When I was 16 I was fully capable of showing up with a motorcycle... nothing anybody could say or do to stop it since at that point it would already legally be mine.
What he can't do is get a license without parental consent. He may or may not be able to insure it either.
Now, you can say "what's the point of a motorcycle without a license?" ... dirtbikes don't require licenses though.... nor do bikes that will be used exclusively on closed private property (e.g. racetracks and back yards). Beyond that, you can own a street bike and be fixing it up so that once you have a license you'll have a bike too.
But that isn't what he wants. He doesn't want a CBR in his bedroom or garage, he wants to ride it. That means parental consent to getting a license and insurance and so on.
What he can't do is get a license without parental consent. He may or may not be able to insure it either.
Now, you can say "what's the point of a motorcycle without a license?" ... dirtbikes don't require licenses though.... nor do bikes that will be used exclusively on closed private property (e.g. racetracks and back yards). Beyond that, you can own a street bike and be fixing it up so that once you have a license you'll have a bike too.
But that isn't what he wants. He doesn't want a CBR in his bedroom or garage, he wants to ride it. That means parental consent to getting a license and insurance and so on.
Ride it like you think owning it matters.
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Inquizator
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It depends on his family. In my family, if I had pulled a stunt like that, all of sudden all the cushy benefits I get from my parents (money to buy stuff, money for college, free roof over my head, free food, bought me a car when I turned 16, etc.) would have been long gone. So, yes, legally nobody can stop him, but for me it was (and still is, for now) a case of "don't bite the hand that feeds you". It may be like that for him too...dieziege wrote:There is nothing stopping him from getting a motorcycle. When I was 16 I was fully capable of showing up with a motorcycle... nothing anybody could say or do to stop it since at that point it would already legally be mine.
Sounds like an unhealthy situation...but I don't live with it so I won't say what I really think.
It all comes down to the same thing though... getting a motorcycle that obviously isn't being used isn't "biting the hand"... it's interior decorating.... and whether his parent(s) would complain is irrelevant because it isn't what he wants. He wants to be able to ride now.
Personally, I see no harm in such parental limitations ... if you aren't responsible enough to care for yourself you probably aren't responsible enough to ride... and if your parent(s) think you are responsible enough to ride while receiving their support, I'm more likely to believe that judgment than the would-be rider's.
It all comes down to the same thing though... getting a motorcycle that obviously isn't being used isn't "biting the hand"... it's interior decorating.... and whether his parent(s) would complain is irrelevant because it isn't what he wants. He wants to be able to ride now.
Personally, I see no harm in such parental limitations ... if you aren't responsible enough to care for yourself you probably aren't responsible enough to ride... and if your parent(s) think you are responsible enough to ride while receiving their support, I'm more likely to believe that judgment than the would-be rider's.
Ride it like you think owning it matters.
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I dunno, being able to go to college and just have to worry about my studies seems like a good deal to me. All I have to do to get the financial aid and such from my parents is follow their rules. There's no job that's so easy and pays so well, lol. (Though I am lucky to have good parents, so that as I got older they allowed things like motorcycles to fit into their rules.)dieziege wrote:Sounds like an unhealthy situation...but I don't live with it so I won't say what I really think.
All I was saying was just that for him it may not be a good idea to defy his parents even if he legally can. But, of course, that's his decision to make.
Yep... you pay in one coin or another... and the best trades are those where you don't miss what you give and you appreciate what you get. Sounds like you've got that covered. 
For the OP it still comes down to defining the problem... which isn't getting the bike... they said they could get a bike themselves without parental assistance if they wanted... it is being allowed to use it.
Practically speaking, parents are more likely to allow their kids to participate in sports that they enjoy.... there are many who bring their kids on blue water sailing trips and wouldn't let them ride an ATV because they like the sailing and they don't like ATVs... which in the real world comes back to having mom take the MSF course too.
For the OP it still comes down to defining the problem... which isn't getting the bike... they said they could get a bike themselves without parental assistance if they wanted... it is being allowed to use it.
Practically speaking, parents are more likely to allow their kids to participate in sports that they enjoy.... there are many who bring their kids on blue water sailing trips and wouldn't let them ride an ATV because they like the sailing and they don't like ATVs... which in the real world comes back to having mom take the MSF course too.
Ride it like you think owning it matters.