Limiting cc's to newbies

[Bob Holland]

OK, I agree, they should limit the CCs, in Canada and the UK.

My son started riding dirt bikes when he was 10 years old, got his first street bike when he was 15 1/2, in Southern Calif., I, the father, limited the size of his bike to a 450 cc Honda NightHawk.
If the goverment gets involved, we could see 250s for everyone not riding a Harley. If you are old enough to remember, we use to have a special tax on all imported mortorcycles over 700 cc.
Be carefull of all rights, or control, that we give over to the goverment, they do not give it back
very easily.
I do hate to see young people get hurt on these things though.

[rkfire]

Simple really. Under 50 years of age, limit to 500cc and 30 HP. That ought to do it.   

[Forde]

i dont think its practicable to restrict cc, but i do think it is good to restrict power like we have here in the uk.

it allows you to gain skills and work your way up, bikes do take a good bit of skill to ride and if someone who has just come off a 125 after doing their test just goes and jumps on a fireblade 999cc or a zx 14 or a busa or even a heavy torque monster like a sv1000 they are pretty much doomed to injure themselves and god forbid others.

its also good to restrict power and not cc cos then you dont have to sell the bike after your restricted period is up you can just take the restrictor out

Also, it was mentioned earlier that it is the governments job to protect us from others but not ourselves and we should be allowed to make our own bad decisions.

well to an extent thats true it isnt their job to protect us from ourselves, but by restricting power on new bikers they are protecting us FROM OTHERS as well because some inexperienced squid on a fireblade could easily take me our you out and leave us dead or maimed.

i agree with the restriction of power, i think its a fully good idea and i dont think theres anyone who should just jump on a huge power road bike straightaway without any experience, with the possible exception of someone who has raced bikes a lot before they got their road bike licence but then they do have experience so my first statement still stands lol.

[Heyu]

I didn't even know they sold restrictors until today when i saw a link to suzuki uk. what a concept. I restricted my son's choices of bike mainly cause I like the kid. It'll work out fine, in another year he'll be riding a 1000000 cc racer replica squid loving extraterrestial rocket and have the biggest grin I ever saw it'll be worth it.

[vwkaferman]

My first bike was an '89 ZX-10 Ninja, flirted with 170mph easily. I'm still here, and had enough sense for when to use the power and when not.

James

[PitterB4]

I think we should limit everyone, reguardless of age, to under 100 HP, and 100 mph top speed, on a streetbike

Do I hear a can of worms opening up?   I personally am trying to be realistic.  That would be like dearming the U.S.  Ain't going to happen...

And shouldn't.  Can people be permitted to take some responsibility for something?  Please?

[aussiebandit]

In Oz every state is slightly different.  Although all states put some sort of restriction on Learners and Probationary riders.

In NSW a learner/probationary rider is allowed to ride any bike up to 660cc with a power to weight ratio of less than 150kw/tonne.

Effectively this discounts the 250cc 2 stroke rockets like the RS250, RGV250 etc. 

NSW also restricts the maximum speed a learner and probationary rider/drive can do.  For Learners it's 80km. For first year Probationary Riders/Drivers its 90, then 100.  Once you are on your Full Licence you are permitted to follow the sign posted speed limit, which on Freeways is generally 110.

In Vic you are restricted to 250cc, but RS250's and the like are permitted.

[solman]

That would be an idea, limit the people with learner's permit have them keep it for 6 months to a year.

[B6mick]

I for one agree totally with restrictions, but what these restriction, should be, I haven't the foggyest. Because to put it very simply as soon as a government makes a law the big 4 and a few of the euro types, produces something that complies, yet goes like shyte off a shovel.

Way back when the Vic government come up with the 250cc limit for learners and probationary riders, Yamaha introduced the LC series. 250 rice rockets that in the right hands could blow away bikes 3 times their size.( I had 2 off them, loved them)

Just maybe, the NSW LAMS laws might just work, but I'm sure some clever dick will F*#* that up right royally.

Lets face it motorcyclists do tend to take things to the limits and then add 10% if they think they can get away with it. Sure as shyte I've lived by that for all of my 30 odd years of motorcycling love affair.

[solman]

It is often that a good honest idea gets taken in, add some @#$4, and then @$@$@$@$.  After all that, you have to please other people to get them to vote for it and the new bill ends up as something that resembles nothing.  It is a shame that they can't take a good idea and make it work.  I think that is why people don't like big brother stepping in.

[Bob Holland]

It is easy to be for restrictions placed on someone else, so you should always turn it around as if those restrictions are going to be on "me", and then see how you like them.

[rkfire]

Actually, I found a source that says large displacement bikes are UNDER represented in accidents, but have a higher rate of severity of injury when they are involved in an accident.

Another statistic claimed was, 92% of motorcyclists involved in accidents had no training. They were self taught, or taught by friends.

3/4 of accidents were with another vehicle, and in 2/3 of those, the other vehicle violated the motorcyclists right of way.

Alcohol was involved in almost half of all fatal accidents.

Despite the fact that motorcycles are required to have their headlight on, the vehicle driver did not see the motorcycle.

Seems to me, that getting a license should require training, not just a quickie exam.

Secondly, and no less important, is motorcycle visibility. I think the headlight on requirement has been diminished quite a bit by the daylight running lamps now installed on newer cars. I think it makes us invisible again. I strongly suspect headlight modulators ought to be standard equipment.

I'd rather see efforts be made to improve the skills of riders, and equipment installed to make bikes more conspicuous. I believe these 2 areas would make motorcycle accident and death rates to go down more than any other area.

I don't think it's a fellow motorcyclists duty to argue for engine size/horsepower limitations on ANOTHER motorcyclist. Frankly, motorcycles pose less a risk to OTHERS on the road. A motorcycle hitting a car is likely to kill the biker, but unlikely to injur the other guy. When gov't gets involved in saving us from ourselves, well, they might as well look at bicycling, parachuting, hang gliding, mountain climbing, skateboarding, skiing, boating, swimming, jogging, and other mundane things like what we had to EAT today.

Having said that, should motorcyclists lobby for licensing requirements, motorcycle visibility? Absolutely. For motorcyclist to be curteous to other motorists and especially our riding habits in residential areas, including noise levels? Sure, we should all be ambassadors to our sport in order to keep the nanny-crats at bay.

[Red01]

  You want a visible m/c? 

Buy a white BMW RT, put driving lights on it and put a red cover on one side and a blue one on the other. (NOT lenses, but protective covers), don't need to even have the lights functional. Put a little black trim tape on it to give it a little flavor... maybe even a gold star on the bags or side of the fairing. (Better yet, buy a used RT-P.) *

Wear gear similar to local motor officers.

I'll bet you have no problem getting noticed now! 
You'll probably have to deal with cagers driving at or below the speed limit everywhere you go though. 

* Check local laws.  Some places it's illegal to look like a police bike.

[TK421]

I don't think it's a fellow motorcyclists duty to argue for engine size/horsepower limitations on ANOTHER motorcyclist. Frankly, motorcycles pose less a risk to OTHERS on the road. A motorcycle hitting a car is likely to kill the biker, but unlikely to injur the other guy. When gov't gets involved in saving us from ourselves, well, they might as well look at bicycling, parachuting, hang gliding, mountain climbing, skateboarding, skiing, boating, swimming, jogging, and other mundane things like what we had to EAT today.

Exactly, and that's the point I was trying to make earlier.  Unless the behavior or activity affects other people in a significant way, we are starting down a slippery slope of the government regulating what it deems "risky" activities. 

I am not suggesting this as a blanket argument against any regulation.  By the same standard, I am in favor of strong restrictions on gun ownership for example.  I just don't like these feel good laws (mandatory helmets is another) that are designed to legislate personal risk.

[rkfire]

You want a visible m/c? 

Buy a white BMW RT, put driving lights on it and put a red cover on one side and a blue one on the other. (NOT lenses, but protective covers), don't need to even have the lights functional. Put a little black trim tape on it to give it a little flavor... maybe even a gold star on the bags or side of the fairing. (Better yet, buy a used RT-P.) *

Wear gear similar to local motor officers.


I'll bet you have no problem getting noticed now! 
You'll probably have to deal with cagers driving at or below the speed limit everywhere you go though. 

* Check local laws.  Some places it's illegal to look like a police bike.

I think you're kidding, but seriously, we're NOT seen by those left turning cars and you know it. I'm advocating a headlight modulator built into the bikes at the factory. They're quite aware of this issue as well.