Me: A motorcycle writer, photographer, and instructor, whose life goal it is to recruit more people to ride motorcycles.

My mission with this article: To convince you not to ride a motorcycle.

Stay with me.

In fact, I do want to see more people riding motorcycles. Especially younger people, but if you exhibit some of the following traits, I'd suggest you take a moment to reflect before swinging a leg over any bike with a motor.

As a motorcycle instructor here in California, among the number of students I see come and go every weekend, a handful leave me worried as to whether they'll survive long-term on a motorcycle—and that includes those who pass the basic safety course.

Anyone can learn to be a better rider, and the reckless can learn to be responsible, but take this as a strong warning from someone who does this professionally: If you possess one or more of these traits, and also would like to live for a while yet, motorcycling may not be for you.

1. You Lack Self-Discipline

Riding a motorcycle is first and foremost about learning proper technique and control. Remember the whole wax-on, wax-off bit from "The Karate Kid"? Mr. Miyagi was using basic, repetitive tasks to teach muscle memory—because even though they're not as cool as sweet, ass-kicking karate, basic repetitive tasks are what's required for muscle memory. Likewise for riding a motorcycle: doing U-turns around a cone in a parking lot may seem devoid of practical application, and it's one of the least exciting things you can do on a bike, but it reinforces body and head positioning, plus clutch and throttle control. Doing it well requires understanding how to brake before a turn and then smoothly transition to the throttle, and how to lean into and counter-steer in the turn. It also requires dedication and practice. Failure to learn proper technique may not bite you in the ass right away, but that lack of commitment will certainly bite you eventually.

2. You’re A Know-It-All

You took the basic safety course and got your license. Awesome! But please don't think that means you know how to ride a bike now. There's no statistical evidence that the basic safety course makes you a safer rider. The only way to be a safer rider is by using this equation: Extensive Personal Practice + Advanced Riding Courses = a Safer Rider. If you think you can cheat or hack your way to responsible riding, you can't. If you think you're just super sweet and God's gift to the motorcycling art, you're not. If you refuse to believe me on this, please stay off a bike and ride the bus. In fact, you probably shouldn't even be driving a car.