When the wife says "NO" ??

[MEB]

Ok, the gas prices got me thinking about a bike. Then the more I thought about it, the more I wanted one...not so much for the economy, but just for the fun. I had wanted one real bad as a young teenager (dirt riding) but my parents could never swing it. Now I'm 45 and can afford one. I'd like to have a dual purpose so I can commute to work and go off road (I'm also an advanced amature photographer and would like to pursue shots in the field).

Trouble is, the wife says NO WAY. I treasure my marriage above all and would never buy one without her buy-in. But I'd really like to hear some good pursuasion points so that I could begin to wear her down. Her arguement is the danger. She knows someone who knew someone who's brother was killed, decapitated, mutilated, etc., etc.

What should I do???

[dr_bar]

So, with the following as obvious proof, you might want to sell any cars or SUVs that you own, apparently, they are
always involved in horriffic accidents. Also apparent is the fact that they're particularly hard on famous
people. What's not mentioned below, is that Jane Mansfield was decapitated in that accident...

So get out those transfer papers and sell all those cages...



GENERAL GEORGE S. PATTON, JR died as a result of injuries sustained in an auto accident shortly after WWII.

Folk singer HARRY CHAPIN died in a bizarre 1981 accident on New York's Long Island Expressway.

Another freak auto casualty: STEVE ALLEN. The comedian and TV personality died in his sleep on 30 October
2000, apparently of a heart attack. But an autopsy revealed that Allen died due to a "hemopericardium" -- a hole
in the heart that leaked blood into the surrounding sac. Earlier on the day of his death Allen had been in a minor
traffic accident when another driver backed his SUV into Allen's car. The fender-bender bruised Allen's chest and
ruptured heart tissues, which caused the leakage that led to his death.

Comedian ERNIE KOVACS filled in for Steve Allen as host of The Tonight Show during parts of 1956. Six short years
later Kovacs was dead, killed when his Chevrolet Corvair skidded out of control and rammed a utility pole in Los
Angeles.

Another early-morning accident killed actress JAYNE MANSFIELD. The bleached-blonde celebrity was driving from
Biloxi, Mississippi to New Orleans around 2:00 am on 29 June 1967, rushing to make a talk show appearance in
New Orleans the next morning.

Actor JAMES DEAN was a race-car afficianado who actually drove in a few auto races in 1955. He was killed in a 30th
September 1955 highway wipeout in his new car, a Porsche Spyder, while travelling to a race in Salinas, California.

Some art lovers bemoaned the death of James Dean because they thought he was the perfect actor to portray
abstract painter JACKSON POLLOCK in a movie. Pollock had achieved celebrity status for his "action painting," a
process where he dripped paint onto a flat canvas to form abstract imagery. As it turns out, less than a year
after Dean was killed, Pollock was killed when he crashed while driving his Cadillac between taverns near his home
on Long Island, New York on August 11, 1956.


STEVE PREFONTAINE was (like Dean) 24 and at the wheel of a sports car when he died in 1975. The record-setting
runner flipped his MGB in the early morning of 30 May after attending a post-race party in Eugene, Oregon

LISA LOPES The popular singer for the R&B group TLC was killed on 25 April 2002 while vacationing in Honduras.
Lopes was at the wheel of a rented red Mitsubishi SUV when the accident happened near the tiny village of Roma,
Honduras.

PRINCESS GRACE The former Grace Kelly was a successful Hollywood actress before abandoning that career to
marry Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956. 26 years later while driving on a hilly Monaco road she lost control of her
car. It veered off the road and rolled down a cliffside, injuring the princess and her daughter Stephanie.
Stephanie recovered, but Princess Grace died the next day.

Like Princess Grace, Britain's PRINCESS DIANA became a favorite with her subjects after marrying into a royal
family. Diana and Charles, Prince of Wales, were wed in a much-publicized wedding in 1981. The marriage
was rocky, and the couple obtained an equally-publicized divorce in 1996. In August 1997, Diana visited Paris with her
new boyfriend, billionaire playboy Dodi Fayed. While speeding to escape paparazzi, the car carrying Diana, Fayed,
her bodyguard and a driver crashed in a Paris tunnel, killing all but the bodyguard.

[Shiv]

I would dare say that you have just as much chance of dying on a motorcycle than in a car.

As long as you drive safely. They chart all these figures for people dying on a motorcycle but they never say 'This guy died from being a crazy donkey and trying to pass with oncoming traffic" or "this guy died from trying to do a wheelie and failing miserably".

People just see the openness of a motorcycle and go "OH MY GOD! PELIGRO PELIGRO!" and never actually try to research anything.

As long as you don't do anything you wouldn't do in a car (aside from enjoying the wind against your body and wearing safety gear) you should be fine.

[Wizzard]

I would dare say that you have just as much chance of dying on a motorcycle than in a car.

Hell , ya got just as much chance of dying in your own bed . Of course dying in my sleep is my preferential choice...........
Regards, Wizzard
Who really hopes beds are never outlawed......

[Shiv]

I dunno.

If given the choice I'd probably pick the motorcycle.

Just because it'd be more fun. I mean who wants to die just lying there doing nothing?

It's the very last thing you get to do with your life, have fun with it.

[Ninja Geoff]

I would dare say that you have just as much chance of dying on a motorcycle than in a car.

Hell , ya got just as much chance of dying in your own bed . Of course dying in my sleep is my preferential choice...........
Regards, Wizzard
Who really hopes beds are never outlawed......

Eh. 120 mph + brick wall = instant death. Good enough for me. Though not til i'm venerable and my reflexes are shot to "poo poo" )like maybe 80?

And what she don't know...

What should I do???

Tell her about all the bad stuff that can happen in a car. Like going off into a lake and drowning, flipping the car and having the roof cave in and crush your head, etc. The roof thing happened to two of my friends... Ironically, they weren't wearing their seatbelts so when it was flipping, they slid into the foot wells and when it landed on it's roof, they just had a really uncomfortable landing. if they were strapped in, they woulda had broken necks at the least. They walked away only bruised. Not that i'm saying seat belts are bad, just don't drive like an idiot and flip your car into a ditch at 50 mph.

[TechTMW]

Educate Her about yourself. Many times the gut reaction is one of impulse, prejudice or fear. You need to study up on the subject, and get her thinking more logically or at least freely on the subject.

If you show her how interested you are, how you are willing to ride safely, and mitigate the risks associated with motorcycling, you may be able to win her over eventually. If your wife is like mine, she'll never stop worrying, but at least she'll realize that a motorcycle can be a part of your life. Be patient with her and don't argue or debate ... negotiate.

Some husbands on this forum have had luck with signing themselves and their wives up for the MSF course. You should at least take the course and get yourself licensed and educated. If the only reason for you not getting a bike is her fear, then do your best to mitigate that fear. She'll get used to the idea over time, especially if you show her how serious you are about the issue by taking a training course.

Living your life based on some else's fear is no way to be - even if that person is your wife.

[swatter555]

That was my wife's first reaction also. The thing is, I was able to show her how my brother has been sport riding for 25 years without a serious spill. She could talk with an example of an experienced and safe rider. My brother was still honest with her about the risks, but was able to assure her it wasnt a death sentence or anything like that.

On the other hand, some people wont budge and nothing you can say will change it. Hope your wife isnt like that. Good luck.

[sapaul]

Reading your post, you mention what you would like to do on the bike, that's the part that would be unacceptable to my wife. I spent most of my life in the dirt but once I went full time on tar, we had to compramise on how much time we spent on the bike. As it turned out we now spend 80% of our time on the bike together. She has really gotten into long distance touring and will even join me on track days. When we got the first BMW she insisted that I go to the Acadamy, which was OK cause she paid. Initially she would complain about going too fast but now has no problem with the 280 that we do on the K1200S. We are both insurance Brokers and see our fair share of peoples troubles and perhaps this makes us a little more cautious than most but we also understand that motorcycling is no more dangerous than any other speed sport or life in geneal for that matter. More people die from obesity and a sedentary lifestyle than from motorcycles. There are many forms of the motorcycling lifestyle as witnessed by the forum members here, good luck in finding the right one for you and your wife.

[ZooTech]

Trouble is, the wife says NO WAY. I treasure my marriage above all and would never buy one without her buy-in.

Just tell her you already have a mother. You're a grown man and as long as you're not breaking any marriage vows you're good to go. All she's doing is promoting resentment and animosity.