Should Government place restrictions?

[Zac]

Should the US Government place restrictions on motorcycle licensing based on displacement?

[AlanPelesic]

Should the US Government place restrictions on motorcycle licensing based on displacement?
Tell you how it works in Europe.
Up to 50 cc everyone can ride - no license needed.
50 and up license is needed and can be obtained once you turn 16.
When you get a new license, no matter at what age you get it, for a period of 2 years it will say "New Rider" on it and you are not allowed to ride a bike stronger then 27 HP (visible on your bike's registration). Bike can be 1800 cc if you want it to be but you have to bring it to an authorized dealership and they install some mods, restricting the power to 27 HP. Dealership endorses your registration and you're on your way. After 2 years you bring your license to the DMV and the bike back to the dealership and they remove the restriction and endorse your registration.
Done.
If you get pulled over, riding a bike above 27 HP with a new license - serious trouble, including mandatory license suspension!

At the time I was 16 I hated this rule. Fortunately, now I understand why it is that way and thank the smart government I was able to live this long in order to understand it!
The last few 16 years olds that were mentioned in recent threads weren't so fortunate.

I am for the idea!

[Mr. Fancy Pants]

reserved....

[PALMER]

Im tired of the man tryin' to keep me down man. :thumbdown

[jonsbandit]

Although I am not fond of the idea of the government telling me what I can ride or not. I feel that with the speeds bikes are capable of that some sort of restriction might not be bad. As a parent of an 18 year old I cannot imagine having to bury him because he crashed due to inexperience. I would feel that it was my fault for not finding the proper training. I also know that because I work in the industry that I understand how dangerous bikes are and maybe the parents who don't ride don't really understand this. Not sure there should be a hp restriction as much as mandatory rider training and a cc restriction for a couple years especially for younger riders.

[ARRRR1]

Although I am not fond of the idea of the government telling me what I can ride or not. I feel that with the speeds bikes are capable of that some sort of restriction might not be bad. As a parent of an 18 year old I cannot imagine having to bury him because he crashed due to inexperience. I would feel that it was my fault for not finding the proper training. I also know that because I work in the industry that I understand how dangerous bikes are and maybe the parents who don't ride don't really understand this. Not sure there should be a hp restriction as much as mandatory rider training and a cc restriction for a couple years especially for younger riders.

+1 minus being a parent now

[AlanPelesic]

HP restriction makes more sense. You still can ride a BUSA, GSXR 1K, R1, 1000RR or anything you please (to look cool) but your 27 horses will not make your rear kick out at full lean, nor will you have the urge to see how quickly you can run a 1/4 mile. CC restriction, in order to make any sense - you would have to restrict the bikes to like 250 cc, tops 400.
A 600 metric bike can easily come stock at 98 HP, making it as little as 1 and 3/4 sec. slower then a liter bike at 1/4 mile and about 20 miles slower on top. I don't see much benefit of that restriction.

[:) gixxer750 (:]

I totaly agree that spending seat time on a bike makes you a better or more aware of a rider,, But you can be responsible or reckless at any time wether your 16 or 36 or 56 yrs old. Just like that law with assult weapons.. they restricted who could own what .. but after time the stats say it didn't matter.. the reckless person will still be reckless.,.will that encourage new riders to run if there illegal.????? now that is dangerous .. I feel bad for the families that have been affected by the local deaths. ..But I don.t think you should punish everybody becuase of these few accounts...there are more accidents and fatalitties but there are also alot more riders now adays.. 2 yrs is a long time to be a new rider , if you have been ridding since you where 10. what about the people that take classes to advance there skill level. do they have to wait 2 yrs.?

[Mr. Fancy Pants]

People need to exercise COMMON SENSE. If they did, many issues could be avoided. However, the EGO gets the best of us. I don't need the gov't to tell me how to exercise my judgement. However, I do agree on new riders being more educated and not being able to buy liter bikes. So I guess I'm on the fence here. Is there any good solution to this? Ah, yes! COMMON FUCKING SENSE. LOL.

[charlieo]

less government is better government. motorcyles don't kill people. i don't need the government to baby sit me. the government already has enough programs they can't pay for, or know how to execute properly. know when, where, and how to ride your bike. know who you are riding with.

[probuzz]

we have enough government in our lives already. allowing them more say in how we pursue our pleasures will just put them a little closer to giving them more control over our freedom. i don't want to see a new rider on a liter bike crashing it or getting hurt,but believe you should be responsible for your own survival and well being. what i would like to promote is trying to help newer riders learn how to ride/build some skills before they go off and try to "run with the pack" ,and allow them to get to enjoy the sport and build confidence before becoming another squid destined to crash. think of it as passing on a gift you have and enjoy.

[Fireblade]

I agree with the earlier post, Common Sense is something a lot of people lack, especially the parents who buy their child, with no previous riding experience of any kind other than jumping their Huffy over a curb, a brand new 100+ hp missle for graduation or for getting their license. These kids do not know their limitations.
In one breath I agree with some form of governing the sales of bikes but I don't agree with penalizing the responsible people who respect their bikes and understand what they are capable of and actually realize that there isn't much forgiveness with a stupid move on a bike. Example: 100 MPH in a residential area with a 30 MPH posting. At that point you are asking for it.
Personally, as with watercraft now, a mandatory riders course prior to license issuance. God knows we pay enough in taxes, registrations and fees, it should be free to all motorcycle license applicants.

[CrazyChick]

We do not need the Government telling us what size bike we can ride.
It's called common sense! I also believe the term survival of the fittest applies here. If I am dumb enough to buy a liter bike as my first bike and I kill myself then, survival of the fittest. A smarter person would have started with a smaller CC bike, taken classes and work their way up to a liter bike if they felt to need to do so. If NY did not have a helmet law I would still wear one. Its common sense, what part of your body is almost certain to hit the ground in a crash? YOUR HEAD! Duh! I dont need the Government telling me to wear a helmet or a seat belt or what size bike I am allowed to purchase.

Also good parenting plays a role here. Be a role model, set an example, teach your kids, spend time with them. Even if your kid is 18 and can do what they want, they still look to you for guidance especially if you were there for them their whole life. You are the parent not the Government. Buy your kids good gear, send them to rider clinics, it is a small monitary investment in the life of your child.

[Mr. Fancy Pants]

I think gov't should handled us getting laid. If your in the bar at 1am and by yourself, you should get a free get laid ticket. It should be a progression series. If everyones getting laid, they won't be drinving and will work off their buzz.

Oh, nevermind. Wrong topic. Sorry.

[BigSexy]

Am i really gonna give the government something else to control?

I think not.

This is just a form of natural selection. My first bike was a katana 750 for just this reason, i was 18 and i understood that experience was necessary before i strapped on to a machine that was the equivalent of an indy car on two wheels.

[AlanPelesic]

Crazy Chick it's not survival of the fittest when an untrained rider on 100+ HP accelerates his bike to 100+ MPH and T-bones your car and you die ...

[Nickoli]

if putting restrictions on motorcycles would save 1 innocent life - it would be well worth it

[Walt]

Why does it have to be the government putting restrictions on the purchase of the bike? Mayeb it could be the Manufacturer stepping up and saying you can't buy a liter bike till you have had your license for 5 years or something (that was just an example). Just because it could be a restriction doesn't mean the government has to do it. Of course the manufacturer just wants to sell bikes but who knows...

[Nickoli]

better ideas would be that a rider has to pass different courses to get different cc licenses. if a kid who grew up ridin dirt wants to get a1k - he more than likely can ride it well and should be able to buy one. but a noob who has never owned a bike should not be able to get anything above a 600.

[silverandslow]

Less government...time for people to be responsible for themselves.

[Capitalcrew]

As much as I agree that education for new riders is needed and that they need to advance their riding skills before they make the jump to any super fast sportbike, I don't agree with government interference.

Awareness is more important than government restrictions. Responsible parents for young riders and just plain common sense for new riders who are beyond an age under their parent's control.

If some one wants to win the darwin award... who are any of us to stop them? Don't get me wrong, I'm not heartless. I feel for the families of fallen riders, friends, the riders themsevles. Some were lost due to their carelessness, and to them I just have to say, who do you have to blame?

Instead of restricting CC or hp limits, raise insurance. I know, I don't like it either. Raise insurance to a stupid high amount and make it so as soon as you take a sport bike riding course(beyond msf), your insurance drops to a reasonable rate.

Money speaks louder to most than anything you can say about danger. You could even offer rebates to the people who took the course to reemberse them for the money they spent for a set amount of time before they took the course.

I speak from experiance.. I wanted a sportbike for my first bike. After talking to my dad a lot and pricing a lot of bikes I took a different route. Not because my dad convinced me not to get a sportbike, but because my uncles cruiser was cheaper. Just making the decision to buy the cheaper bike which happens to be much safer(due to the serious reduction in temptation) has opened my eyes enough to realize that getting a gsxr600 is a poor choice for a first bike.

[papad4872]

As much as I agree that education for new riders is needed and that they need to advance their riding skills before they make the jump to any super fast sportbike, I don't agree with government interference.

Awareness is more important than government restrictions. Responsible parents for young riders and just plain common sense for new riders who are beyond an age under their parent's control.

If some one wants to win the darwin award... who are any of us to stop them? Don't get me wrong, I'm not heartless. I feel for the families of fallen riders, friends, the riders themsevles. Some were lost due to their carelessness, and to them I just have to say, who do you have to blame?

Instead of restricting CC or hp limits, raise insurance. I know, I don't like it either. Raise insurance to a stupid high amount and make it so as soon as you take a sport bike riding course(beyond msf), your insurance drops to a reasonable rate.

Money speaks louder to most than anything you can say about danger. You could even offer rebates to the people who took the course to reemberse them for the money they spent for a set amount of time before they took the course.

I speak from experiance.. I wanted a sportbike for my first bike. After talking to my dad a lot and pricing a lot of bikes I took a different route. Not because my dad convinced me not to get a sportbike, but because my uncles cruiser was cheaper. Just making the decision to buy the cheaper bike which happens to be much safer(due to the serious reduction in temptation) has opened my eyes enough to realize that getting a gsxr600 is a poor choice for a first bike.


There's plenty of dumb rich kids too

[Capitalcrew]

There are plenty of dumb kids who would just break the laws the government puts in place too.

There is no real way to effectively regulate this. I know people who ride without licenses, insurance, all of that. People do stupid crap and there is no way to stop them. You can give them incentive not to, but that is about it.

[Burrap]

regulating cc's will not stop accidents, it will only take the thrill away. pretty much any size bike can do 100+ into a corner but only the experianced rider with good road conditions and trustworthy oncoming traffic can bring the rider out. you can take a ninja 250 into a turn at 100 but that doesn't mean you have to regulate its cc's. our race designed bikes don't always hold up to the demands of the streets. we need more race tracks where we can go 100+ to get the thrill were trying to fullfill on the streets. riders are grouped by ability and taught the essentials of riding. keep the streets for cruising, parking lots for stunting and the tracks for racing.

[AlanPelesic]

regulating cc's will not stop accidents, it will only take the thrill away. pretty much any size bike can do 100+ into a corner but only the experianced rider with good road conditions and trustworthy oncoming traffic can bring the rider out. you can take a ninja 250 into a turn at 100 but that doesn't mean you have to regulate its cc's. our race designed bikes don't always hold up to the demands of the streets. we need more race tracks where we can go 100+ to get the thrill were trying to fullfill on the streets. riders are grouped by ability and taught the essentials of riding. keep the streets for cruising, parking lots for stunting and the tracks for racing.
I speak from experience. I know everyone hates the idea of government regulating anything and will be against it but see, in Germany, for example, you have roads where you can haul ass wide open for as long as you want. In USA the fastest you can go on the fastest roads is 75. When I moved to USA I said: WTF is this? 75? Government is telling me I got to drive 75?
Within a week I understood the difference.
In Germany, I saw a deadly accident every day (in some cases it was impossible to distinguish what color the vehicle was before the accident, left alone the make and model). In USA, in the last 10 years I haven't seen one. I have heard of them on the news but I have not been physically present at one accident scene where someone had lost their life. You think this is coincidence? I don't think so.
While I would be a wrong person to preach about respecting the speed limit (I crush it every day) I understand the idea and know that it contributes to general safety. I have seen it work.
Will that protect every bike rider? No. Nothing can. People die in 10 MPH accidents when conditions are right and nothing can provide 100% safety to everyone. But it would help reduce loss of life by giving new riders 2 years worth of time to get eased into the world of two wheeling among the road hazards that are preying on all of us. I am sure about that. Do you remember what kind of progress each one of us made in 2 years when we first started riding? Two years is enough time to make a novice rider into a intermediate and that is the whole idea.
So, while I understand that majority people here hates the idea of restrictions (as do I), it could save your child's life tomorrow, or mine, or your neighbor's child's and as such it would be worth it.

I hope this doesn't settle in your brain the day your family member's or friend's name shows up in the news about a motorcycle accident ....

[AlanPelesic]

One more thing! Ask any "New Rider" paralyzed from the waist down if two years of "New Rider" license would make sense or would 2 years be too long!

[Capitalcrew]

less government is better government. motorcyles don't kill people. i don't need the government to baby sit me. the government already has enough programs they can't pay for, or know how to execute properly. know when, where, and how to ride your bike. know who you are riding with.

Agreed completely.

[Capitalcrew]

Doh! I thought I was on the last page reading new replies. My mistake everyone. There is no edit button. :( haha

[sliplok]

One more thing! Ask any "New Rider" paralyzed from the waist down if two years of "New Rider" license would make sense or would 2 years be too long!
agree 100%:thumbsup

[Burrap]

so those of us who've riden dirtbikes our whole lives have to down size to a ninja 250 for 2 years. why stop there, lets regulate the hunting license so you have to use a BB gun till your 21. i could see regulating new riders to 600 sportbikes but not 27hp. they could make the road test harder and same with that course the colleges offer. i know a kid who passed the course at the community college and drops or stalls the bike everytime he rides it, doesn't make sense