Hey guys, I have about 1 year of experience with motorcycles, (300cc dual sport) , a friend of mine (almost 18, Im already 18) also wanted a motorcycle, he basically convinced his parents to buy It when he'll be 18, but I am worried.

Once he learned about the Yamaha R3, he didnt even look at other bikes that I suggested him (he's extremely ignorant, he knows almost nothing about motorcycles in general) and he calls It "only a 300" or "slow because It only goes 180 kmh" idk how much that Is in mph, maybe 110? anyways, while I do know that it's not an untameable Beast as It has 42 hp, they're still enough for a seriously Quick acceleration and Dangerous speeds.

this makes me worried as I would love a friend that rides but his attitude could put him in serious danger, he also told me several times that he's scarse at the idea of leaning, scared because the Road sucks (true), and because other drivers drives like sh*t (also true), but given all of this he still doesn't even consider a dual sport (off-road Is safer and you also learn faster to control the bike), or every other kinds of bikes (naked, supermotos etc.)

am I worrying too much?

the only good thing Is that he already knows how to drive clutch in a car, I Guess

I saw it has that new chat function thing. I don't have any friends that ride locally so thought it could be a cool way to meet people.

I was previously one of the

"bikes are not as cool as people make them out to be, teenagers and young adults who buy them whilst burdening their parents with debt just to look cool for social media are just immature people who will regret that choice later down in life, after all, **ITS JUST A BIKE BRO, just a material thing, nothing more nothing less,** its just a tool that takes people from point A to B**"**

**At that point, only bikes that made sense to me were commuters** like splendor, platina, etc, bikes that give you a really high mileage.

**Still stand on people burdening thier parents and themselves just for social media clout. Most teenagers and people my age or Atleast the ones i see around in my college, friends of friends etc, think that just owning a bike is cool and act smug around people who dont. Especially that one guy who recently got a hunter.**

**Fast forward a few months, my brother finally gets his first bike, an rtr 310 which he had been eyeing since it came out.**

**I figured why not, and also convinced my parents to buy me a bike too.**

**Then i get into researching bikes, learning bike terms, youtube, reddit, teambhp and a few weeks later ended up with a CB350 Hness.**

**Got insurance myself, ended up making the dealership reduce nearly 6k off on road by making them remove hidden and overcharges.**

**Ive driven 1.5k km on the bike and just came back from a short night ride.**

**I let the bike rip, and man did that feel good. The high rpm, exhaust note flaring up as the rpm rose, the thrill, cold air, free roads, it was just i dunno how to explain... Freeing? In a sense ? If you get what i mean.**

**I just realized why people do biking from one perspective. It just calmed me down, i dont know how but when in all senses i should be panicked asf going 80+ on street roads, i felt completely in control, free even. Everything else just vanished, poof, no unnecessary thoughts, no anxiety, no worrying, just me the bike and the road.**

**Never would've expected id be saying this but damn, biking is fun.**

**Younger me would've never believed if i told him id have a bike, and would be playing the games he saw game playthru vids in his own gaming setup.**

**I didnt get the point of biking back them, still probably don't do now, but at least i think I've understood a part of the whole thing now.**

**Adding a few picks i took.**

**Idk if i anyone would read this but if you do, comment gah dahm.**

About to get my first bike and I would rather learn from someone else's mistake than my own.

I have been riding for about a week now, have put around 250 miles on my bike so far. I took the msf course and am now looking for some resources (books, YouTube,ect) for becoming a better rider. Both looking for tips on controlling the bike as well as safety tips for the street.

What do we all think about Royal Enfield as a whole? As far as my research went I found little things that can go wrong (but every vehicle car or bike, has its quirks). But for the most part the bikes are built surprisingly well for the price point. Just curious as to why here in the states there are so few on the roads. Also obligatory pic of my first/new bike.

I'm ~1 hr. North of Chicago and can't find an open basic rider course. They all seem booked, and nothing listed beyond September. Do these things fill up quickly? Are there private options or any alternatives?