Is it safe to ride sport bikes?

[GustavoN]

I am 18 years old and I asked my father to buy me a Yamaha R6, but he keeps arguing that motorcycles are too dangerous. Anyway I was wondering if there are any statistics or data on motorcycle accidents

[luddrums]

No, not as much as a car, but if you're looking to buy a first motorcycle, better not buy an R6, because you WILL lay it down once or twice. But you're 18, do what you wanna do!

[kelly_f_1999]

more dangerous than a bike or a car or a skate board but them again your 18 dont have to ask just buy one yourself your a young man not a kid but then you have to ask your not ready

[DanW]

R6 is NOT a beginner's bike, It will allow you to kill yourself with a blink.
Take safe riding course (driver's ed for bikes)

Buy a used, naked ,GOOD bike and ride for a year then you can buy whatever you want relatively safely.

[Vatchy]

Before you buy your first motorcycle, go through a Motorcycle Safety Foundation beginning rider course. Then buy a motorcycle that you will not mind dropping a few times. Do NOT, under any circumstances, buy a sport bike for your first bike. For one thing, it will make you sick the first time that you drop it and that bodywork is very expensive. If you are planning to ride with friends on sport bikes then peer pressure will force you to do stupid things on a sport bike that you probably won't be tempted to do on a standard bike.

Yes, there has been research on motorcycle accidents - look up the Hurt Report. By far, the most dangerous thing you will run into when riding is an oncoming car making a left turn in front of you because of the "I didn't see him" excuse.

[PolarBear]

The answer to your secondary question is ,... yes; reams and reams of crash and accident data. There is so much information that it can be spun in any direction to support just about any position.
Its safe to ride any motorcycle..... its all about discipline, awareness, skill, experience and making the right decisions.

The R6 is obviously not a beginners bike. You need a used regular standard machine to learn on. -something you won't cry over when its time to buy parts...
Talk to your pop again and tell him you would like to have a bike that is inside the realm of sanity and start looking for a bike thats cheap to own (buy), insure and repair. By showing him a level of maturity he will trust you. -Its better than burying you.

[adallasfan]

I have been riding motorcycles for over 25 years and even after being very responsible and VERY lucky. I still have had a scrape or two. Before you commit to riding a bike, especially a sport bike, there are a few things you have to consider: 1. Insurance...for you and the bike. 2. Learning to ride, who is going to teach you and are they a responsible person. I love riding my Cruiser and wouldn't trade it for anything but, as I said, it is very dangerous and the faster you ride, the less likely you'll survive a crash. I ride very responsibly and still have had many close calls. Getting to know your bike, its abilities and shortcomings take time...DON'T RUSH it, you don't know how many second chances you'll get or even IF you'll get one. Good luck if you are able to get a bike, but never get to overconfident.

[Jonathan]

With the inherent risk of riding assumed, riding a motorcycle is as dangerous as the skill level and maturity of the rider. In most cases, a 18 year old man on a race bike like a R6 is extremely dangerous. Approach learning to ride like you did to learn to drive. First, take the MSF class, to get the basics of riding. Then, approach your parents with your Class M license and a request for a more reasonable bike (a R6 may look sweet, but they have a reputation of hurting noobs.). A 600cc sportbike is not for a beginner, look at ninja 500, suzuki gs500, or any cruiser under 1100cc. If you are looking for statistics, the most popular is the HURT study done in the 80's. The date from it has gone a long way in the training of riders and the effects of motorcycle accidents. Finally, after you have taken the course, and found a bike that any parent would find reasonable for a new rider (hint, avoid anything that looks fast, ie cbr600rr, zx6r, gsxr, r6, etc...) Word to the wise though, if you plan on riding for any real distance, 100+miles at a time, i would seriously consider a cruiser. a sport bike will be less than cooperative. Finally, when it comes to new and used bikes for a first bike. buy USED. Think of it this way, if you were a parent of a 16 year old kid, would you give them a ferrari for a first car? I think not. You get them a reliable beater that can take some abuse while they learn from, and listen close, 1000's of miles of EXPERIENCE! get 15k miles under your belt, then go for the r6. But what do I know, I was only in your shoes 2 years ago...