<prompt> Human: Im 18 and after a couple months out of high school and having what I had saved in the past, I have around 4k ...that Im willing to spend. I have more saved up and am wanting to buy a motorcycle. Ive always wanted one since I was little and have rode them throughout my life, but am just now looking to get one of my own. Good or bad idea?  <response>: I got my first bike when I was 19 and rode it daily for a few years. I survived the experience but looking back I would say it was partly luck and partly temperament that got me through the first few months where riders are at the greatest risk. Since your safety is far more important than the other issues regarding owning a bike, lets focus on that. Its inherently dangerous but some factors will definitely mitigate the danger. First, what kind of person are you? Are you a sober and cautious person? Will you think carefully during the learning curve of riding a bike in traffic and how to not get killed by the incompetence of others or the momentary poor decisions you might make? Will you seek out experienced riders and listen carefully to their advice on what it means to drive defensively on your bike?Perhaps you are like most young men and very focused on your social life, and may have a certain sense of invincibility in the face of potential danger. Drinking and occasion drug use may at times be on the agenda and perhaps will lead to the odd drive home where you are slightly or not so slightly impaired. People do it, and I have seen it plenty of times. If you are a regular partier, please wait until you are a little older.Also, do you live in a very crowed urban area where you plan to commute on your bike? Will you be driving among the aggressive and speeding drivers who treat rush hour like a nascar circuit? If so, please consider not buying a bike. No amount of skill or patience can protect you from this environment on an every day basis.I regularly see people riding bikes who I like to call near future organ donors because of their constant risk taking in traffic. Weaving in and out of traffic, speeding, and generally creating situations where reaction time is too small to prevent disaster by unpredictable events in front of them. If you cant drive like all the drivers around are out to get you and every intersection is a looming danger requiring your full attention then dont do it. 