I get respecting your Dad - but he was a biker until some recent decision changed that. We can't know what happened to him (you could ask), but he had his time. This time is yours. It is more dangerous to ride a bike than not to, but it is also more dangerous to leave your house than not to.
I think this is your life. Parent naturally want to protect you, but you must live it for yourself.
Good luck

 

This input has been fantastic. I should probably mention that I'm not looking for a decision to be made for me, I just like input and information, and this has been a wealth of it, thank you. I know motorcycles are going to be part of my life forever, that fact is already sealed, but someone here made a point about appeasement and that was sort of where I was leaning. It's 3 months without a bike. Is that tough for me? Yes. But my father has been highly supportive of me in most everything I do and I know that, at the heart of his issue, is the desire to see me safe. If I have to put what I love to the side for a little while in order that he (and my mother) can sleep easier, then perhaps it would be the mature thing to do. "Desire delayed is passion achieved" is what someone else posted, and I like that idea. How can I truly enjoy myself on the bike if, in the back of my mind, there is a constant nagging that my dad is somewhere chewing his fingernails down to nothing. lazn made a great point about ACTUAL statistics and not the blown out of proportion stories and anecdotes that people come up with. I agree, it's dangerous, but not as dangerous as people make it out to be. I think I'm going to wrench around on the SH a bit more, wait for my title to come in the mail, then see how I feel. I'm leaning towards making others happy at the expense of my passion (at least for the time being) and seeing where life takes me. It's too bad the SH is such a kickass bike, if it were a bit more lame this decision would be loads easier :P Thanks again for everyone's input, your opinions and perspectives offer me an excellent lens through which to view this situation and I grearly appreciate it.

 

If they're giving you grief for riding now, what makes you think they'll stop 5~10 years down the road?