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Good advice so far. I rode motorcycles and scooters for 10 years. Just stopped last year, at a ripe old 33 years old.
To me, the three most dangerous things to watch for are:
1) Deer, from dusk until dawn, when you're outside urban areas
2) Intersections. Most motorcyclists are killed here by left-turners. Make sure you stay in the right-hand side of the lane if you are approaching an intersection, so that you are visible to oncoming traffic around the guy waiting to turn left.
3) Entering a turn too fast or finding debris mid-turn and reacting wrongly.
The reason I quit riding was because of a crash. I entered a turn too fast and it was too late to adjust properly. Braking was not an option, as I was already using all my traction to lean over. I was running wide and was leaned over so far that the pegs were scraping HARD. It lifted the rear wheel off the ground and a spun out into the woods at 40 mph. If there was oncoming traffic, I would be dead. As it was, I only broke my leg in three places. My helmet saved my life. (again) My full riding gear saved my skin. I slid on the road for a bit before hurtling into the woods. I had a full face helmet, motorcycle specific boots, pants, jacket, and gloves.
3 years prior, I was out motoring in the countryside on a hot summer night. Suddenly, a deer appeared in front of me. With my adreneline-boosted strength and my Jedi-like reflexes, I locked up the front tire of the scooter (which had disc brakes) and went tumbling down the road at 45 mph. I was wearing a full face helmet, sandals, shorts, gloves, and a fleece jacket. I had all kinds of road rash on my legs and feet. It hurt like a b!itch for quite a few days. The helmet hit the pavement at least 4 times, and it saved my life that time too.
As my Mom put it: "Consider this a tap on the shoulder." I don't believe in God, but I do believe my luck would eventually run out.
Now, I'm walking without crutches again, but not able to run. I have arthritis in the leg and ankle at a ripe old 33 years old. I have a plate & 9 screws in it.
All that said, I don't regret motorcycling. It was really fun, and really hard to give up; even after the big crash last year. There is nothing quite like it. (for better or worse) Talking someone out of it who hasn't hurt himself badly is near impossible. Wives sometimes have luck with this... Being hurt is what finally changes the person's mind.
Do your best to mitigate your risks. Go fast enough to have fun leaning through the turns, but not fast enough that there is no room for "slippage."
I have since sold both my motorcycle and my scooter and bought a couple of sweet bicycles and a Miata. The Miata is nearly as much fun, much safer, better for sharing the experience with your partner, more practical, and doesn't require riding gear. I can drive it comfortably all year round, but choose not to expose it to road salt. Something to keep in mind for later.
Oh, perhaps most importantly, sign up for your local Motorcycle Safety Foundation course, and buy the book Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough. That training probably also saved me a few crashes.
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