So you visited Zecycles and want to buy your first bike but are being held by different stories you heard from your friends and family? Read on.
Learning how to ride on a two-wheel vehicle is hard especially for someone who doesn’t know how to ride even on a bicycle. But learning can be easy if you don’t listen to people who don’t even own a bicycle.
There are a lot of motorcycle myths and in this article, we are going to discuss the six top riding myths that you should avoid believing or even listening to as some of these may affect you when you start learning how to ride.
Riding and driving a two-wheel vehicle is dangerous and yes, that’s a fact. But believing in some of these myths can discourage you from pursuing your dream of becoming a rider.
Let’s take a look at the top six motorcycle myths and debunk them.
1. Motorcyclists don’t live long
Like all other vehicles, bikes and scooters have a certain serviceable age but to say blatantly that motorcycles don’t last or live long is a total myth. The life of bikes depends on many factors but the main contributors are mileage, maintenance, accidents, and the type of road where it’s always running. Rides that are always driven off-roads have a shorter life than those driven in the city daily. With all proper maintenance being observed, a scooter could clock 100,000 kilometers without an issue.
Like many other vehicles, there are choppers and cruisers built during World War 2 or earlier that are still running today. Without electronics, old vehicles tend to last longer than new ones because mechanicals often last longer than electronics. Most of the motorcycles that last longer are those owned by one person only compared to those that are passed to several owners.
If you search Zecycles, there are bikes that are 15 to 20 years older and are still running in good condition.
2. Falling off a motorcycle is inevitably associated with a serious injury.
Yes, scooters or any other vehicles are associated with accidents but again there are many factors why accidents happen. The severity though depends on many situations and causes. Falling-off an enduro can be fatal if the vehicle is running at high speed or if it struck something else but falling along like sliding on the slippery road at a low speed with full riding gear always results in minor scratches.
Like many accidents, motorcycle accidents can be nothing, serious, or fatal. It depends on many factors. In most cases, fatalities are associated with intoxication or high on prohibited drugs. This is no different from driving a 4-wheel vehicle. Injuries in bikes can be avoided by proper riding and defensive driving, with full riding safety gear, and by following safety traffic rules.
3. A motorcycle is very expensive.
Yes, a ride is expensive for people who, either have no money to buy or are not interested at all. Like any other things, bikes come in hundreds of models, types, and styles. There are high-end and luxury that cost more than $20,000 and there are also low-ends that cost around $2,000. The choice is yours. If you can afford to buy a bicycle that costs $3,000, you’ll surely afford to buy a scooter that costs the same if you want to upgrade and have a faster ride.
There is always a detractor especially when someone is jealous. If your parents tell you not to buy a bike because it’s expensive then save and buy using your own savings. Sometimes it’s just their excuse not to buy.
4. You can break traffic rules on a motorcycle with impunity and no one will catch you.
Did you buy a motorcycle because you wanted to commit a crime? Obviously not so why bother with this senseless statement? With or without a ride anyone can commit a crime and run away with it and it has nothing to do with scooters. And no, police are always there to catch bad people. Not because you are driving a speeder does not mean you are untouchable. The government is investing a large amount of money to maintain peace and order and to think that you can breach the system is laughable. This statement is not true at all.
5. Buying a motorcycle guarantees increased attention from the opposite sex.
Well, we heard this before not only in the US, UK, or Australia but even in Asian countries like the Philippines. This may be one of the most nonsense myths about scooters. People who believe in this are people who saw superbike ads with beautiful women back-riding on a superbike. This is totally not true. Most women who grew up in a conservative family will not ride on a motorcycle because they always think of the danger associated with it. Like men, only women who ride motorcycles are like men with bikes. The looks of a man have nothing to do with his bike or any vehicle unless he has a lot of money and he meets a gold digger.
On the contrary, though, most men are attracted to women who ride on bikes because it shows toughness. Most men are attracted to women who love riding but we can’t say otherwise.
6. Driving in the rain is uncomfortable and dangerous
Regardless of the type of vehicle you have, driving in the rain is more dangerous than driving during sunny days. But to single out scooters is totally wrong. In most cases when the rain is heavy, driving at normal cruising speed in the rain is actually safer because the tires are clean and then have a great hold of the clean concrete road. Unlike during sunny days, dust on the road can be dangerous causing motorists to slide.
There is danger everywhere but with proper precautions, driving on the rai actually can be an enjoyable and satisfying experience. If you drive daily, you could always bring your riding raincoat. There are specialised raincoats made exclusively for riders. They are comfortable to wear. You can find many of these riding raincoats sold at Zecyles as well as used motorcycles and spare parts.
