Don't take this the wrong way as I'm not downplaying the importance of riding gear but absolutely NOTHING can help protect you more than having good Situational Awareness. Personally I think the guy wearing only shorts and a t-shirt with good SA is in a much safer place than the guy wearing the best safety gear in the world who is oblivious to what's going on around him.
You HAVE to teach yourself to have a kind of "Radar Sense" in that you always know what's going on around you. As others have already stated it is extremely important that you understand that people won't see you and you have to be prepared to react in these cases by predicting the other drivers' actions. If you can't do this then your chances of getting hurt or killed goes up dramatically.
When I was young and almost old enough to drive my dad would constantly bombard me with questions in the car... stuff like.. what kind of car is that? What are they going to do next? Simply put he taught me to be observant of other drivers' behaviors before I was even behind the wheel myself! I don't know if it's some kind of sixth sense or just keen observational skills but I've always been able to tell when a car is about to change lanes.. or do something stupid.. or what not.
But definitely... learn to drive a car first. You need to learn to obey traffic laws and to drive safely without having to think about it BEFORE you even start to think about riding a bike. Decisions on a motorcycle HAVE to be made instantly. Even a split second delay can mean the difference between life and death. You also need to learn to maintain control of a car under adverse conditions. Take the car out on a wide open area on a real wet or even snowy lot. Don't be afraid to get a little aggressive... you want to lose control and more importantly learn how to get control back. If you find yourself panicking every time the car does something you don't like then you're definitely not ready to be on a bike.
Also all of the safety equipment in the world isn't going to help you at highway speeds. If you wreck your bike at 70mph.. you're dead.. plain and simple. The good news is that at highway speed (on the highway) traffic is much more predictable. You typically don't get intersections or traffic lights at those speeds.. or oncoming traffic. Traffic with slower speeds however is much less predictable. This is where cars will come out of no where and this is where you're much more likely to get in a wreck. At 30mph if you get in a wreck there's a good chance you'll escape life-altering injury (and death) by having the appropriate safety equipment, HOWEVER learning how to avoid these situations is much, MUCH more important IMO.
And a few things to remember on a bike:
1> You NEVER have the right of way. Even if you have a green light and cross traffic is completely stopped you still have to be on high alert. NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING!
2> Car VS Bike the car will win EVERY TIME. Don't even try to get into this battle. Even if they are being a complete jerk you have to give in to them. Put your pride aside and put your safety first.
3> Learn where the horn button is and DON'T BE AFRAID TO USE IT. Since people have trouble seeing bikes it's important that you make them aware of your presence, however DON'T RELY ON THE HORN to save your butt. You still have to take evasive action. Never assume they are going to hear you either.
4> Don't ride if you're tired, buzzed, stoned, ill, or even if you're just not quite "with it". It's imperative that you be alert and on the ball when you're on a bike. If you're not feeling your best your chances of getting hurt or killed goes up dramatically.
5> Don't be stupid. Wheelies, burn outs, balls-to-the-wall speeds and showoffing is for the track and has no business on public roads. Yes we all know it's fun to get a little aggressive on a bike from time to time but please use common sense and good judgement here. Yeah I hit 90 on the intestate on the way home today. I "floored it" from a red light on the on-ramp just because I was in the mood for a little thrill. BUT at least there was very light traffic and no one in front of me. If there was any congestion at all or I didn't feel like the environment in front of me wasn't safe I would have ridden extremely conservatively.
Riding can be a very rewarding and fun experience but it's almost NEVER more cost effective than driving a car, and if you're in an extremely urban environment you may be better off with an electric bicycle or a scooter if you're looking at this from a convenience standpoint.
Get fluent with driving a car first. THEN take a course. THEN start small with a "disposable" used bike and once you outgrow that you'll have the experience behind your belt to handle something bigger.. and nicer. Also make sure you have insurance - not just for the bike but for yourself too. Many states require insurance companies to offer medical coverage with even basic motorcycle policies so make sure you take advantage of that as it's not that expensive.
Also it's inevitable. Even the best driver in the world can sometimes find himself (or herself I suppose) in an unavoidable situation. If (probably more like when) this happens you're probably not going to simply walk away from the scene. Be ready for that. The same is true with driving a car but the risk of severe injury and death is much much less.
