You forgot the part bout hitting the curb and taking a flying leap other the handle bars into yon tree(s) of doom with al the fury of a limp missile. Then the broken bones, and torn ligaments, and crushed bike parts, etceteras.
Bikes are fun!
I never had any problems on the street, except for a couple SUV drivers that didn't see me rounding a corner, and tried to pull out (but slow down enough, and they'll eventually figure it out that moving light in their blind spot is a motor vehicle).
Then again, I have been driving everything from ATV's to bulldozers since I was 2 years old. I started trail and enduro riding when I was 12. It's so much easier to learn on a 4-stroke off-road bike (I rode a Honda XR 100, and then upgraded to the 200 when I started riding on beaches and sand dunes) because of the greater agility, smooth powerband (nice, slow progression in power and torque, up to the high revs), and their light weight.