[carguy138]

To the OP: Been there, done that. Don't bother.

I'd also like to add that the reason I tried street was because I liked riding dirt bikes so much. Didn't care about time savings or parking, etc.

I rode and raced dirtbikes for a number of years. Liked riding but it was always a hassle to load them up and drive somewhere to use them. About 8 years ago I found a great deal on a used 2001 FZ1 (great bike!) and picked it up. Figured I could ride it on country roads, take it easy and just enjoy the scenery. That summer I put several thousand miles on the FZ1 with no issues. It was fun and I got very comfortable on it. I ended up realizing that the risk to myself and my family/friends wasn't worth it.

There are a lot more nasty motorcycle accidents that you don't hear about. People frequently lose feet, legs, arms, get brain damage, broken backs, paralysis, get run over by other cars, etc. I've met plenty of people with permanent disabilites from stupid stuff on bikes. Some were complete morons but some were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Few examples:

One guy was riding on the highway and clipped by a car that didn't see him. He hit the guardrail and his lower leg was severed clean off. Another guy plowed into a mini van when the mini van cut him off to make a turn. Suffered permanent brain damage and can barely walk anymore. Another shattered his pelvis at a beginner HPDE. These are just a few off the top of my head but the list goes on.

I will say when you start riding, you are hyper aware to everything around you. As you get more comfortable, it becomes less "scary" until you have an oh shit moment. Oh shit moments vary from cars cutting you off, drivers making eye contact with you but not processing that you are there, deer jumping out, gravel in corners, cars passing over double yellows in tight corners, etc. In a car if you hit a patch of sand/gravel/oil, the car may slide a bit. With a bike, generally if you lose traction- you are going down hard.

If you have the bug for riding, pick up an enduro style dirt-bike (KTM/Husky/Yamaha) and find a local OHRV trail network. Single track riding is a ton of fun and generally pretty safe. It's mostly low speed 1/2/3 gear riding on tight and techinical trails. Mostly balence and clutch work. I stick to single track trail riding and the occasional MX practice day on my RM250. Way more fun and relaxing IMHO.