Motorcycle riders : advice wanted

In My Humble Opinion
1

Mr Goo and I have decided that within two years at the most, we want to get motorbikes.

Apart from doing a course (which I think is compulsory over here) we are looking for general advice. Not concerning which bikes ot get or anything along those lines, but the odd things that nobody tells you. The things that you are expected to automatically know, and the things that you only learn from experience.

So, what do you wish someone had’ve told you when you started your motorbike riding ? Words of wisdom, caution, funny illustrative tales, etc.

Thanks :smiley:

2

The first thing that comes to mind, back when I first started riding, and got caught in a rainstorm. I hadn’t the good sense to wear protective clothing, and being pelted by rain at 60 mph hurts.

So do birds, and bugs, and rocks for that matter.

Another thing to remember…you’re invisible.

3

I think the best “sum it all up” page I can give you is Timberwoof’s motorcycle FAQ page:

http://www.timberwoof.com/motorcycle/faq.shtml

There’s a lot of wisdom there. I’d recommend reading through the whole thing once at a sitting just so you get it all kinda knocking around randomly in your head. Then you can go back and look at it again when you have a question.

As for the very beginner stuff…

  1. First and foremost: Take a motorcycle riding course. Just do it. It’ll lower your insurance, it’ll allow you to learn and fall over on someone else’s bike, it’ll help keep you alive, and in some states (like Colorado where I live) it makes it so you don’t have to take the often difficult riding portion of the DMV motorcycle test to get your motorcycle license.

  2. Wear your gear. The minimum set I recommend is helmet, gloves, and decent jacket. If you’re going to be riding faster than 50 MPH for more than 45 minutes, I might recommend some earplugs. Though make sure you find ones that are comfortable and well fitting. I have no preference about leather vs synthetic. I choose leather because synthetic feels flimsy to me, but then I bake in the summer too, so…

  3. Ride as if everyone on the road is a complete moron who, if they are not actively out to fuck with you, are certanly completely unaware of your presense. Treat everyone like this ALL THE TIME. Cagers (that’s people in cars) are NOT your friends. Try and stay away from them. Try not to ride in traffic or in the city or anywhere there are many cars - it’s no fun anyway.
    I started with a Kawasaki EX-250 (250 Ninja) and I loved that bike dearly. It took me 4 years of canyon riding to truly outgrow it. It’s no good whatsoever for 2-up riding, and you have to learn to love revving the piss out of it for highway riding, but it’s one hell of a fun bike. I don’t know if you’re a sportbike person or not, but you could do a lot worse than the baby ninja for starters.
    -Ben

4

Road constuction sites are not your friend. Road construction = gravel; gravel = wipe out! Carefull taking turns when in areas like this.
Also when giving some one a ride on your bike, make sure they know to lean with the bike and not against the bike. And for the love of god, keep your feet (the passenger) on the pegs!

5

Goo, were we separated at birth or something? There are way too many things we’re both planning on doing…

According to my Dad, who has been riding for 30+ years, “There are two types of riders; those who’ve put it down, and those who haven’t - yet. Even the best rider can have a bad day, and you won’t be the best rider for years yet.”

And according to my mother who learned to ride only a few years ago, around her 50th birthday (thus proving it’s never too late to learn something new), don’t overestimate your endurance. Build up to long rides in a progression. And don’t underestimate how tired you can get or how much effect the elements can have on you, while you’re riding. You can be a lot more tired than you realise.

6

OP: Me too, I am doing my course/test this weekend (In QLD it’s the same thing)

All I can suggest is, find some friends who ride, get them to take you as their pillion for a couple of rides- it will really help you get the feel of how it all flows with respect to cornering and stuff.

Also, never ride on a dirt road unless you have the appropriate tyres.

Also, get a kidney belt… will help support your back, and will stop you from getting some injuries when you come off (i say when, because everyone does at some time in their lives).

Finally, do not ride, even on really hot days when you’re just going round the corner to get milk, in shorts, t-shirt and thongs. I saw a guy who did that and was sideswiped by a truck… he required very extensive reconstructive surgery and most of the skin on the right half of his body was ripped off.

7

Keep your knees in the breeze and the rubber side down.

8

Well I ride on any road with my Connie, which is 600+ lbs, with no problem. The best way to ride on dirt roads is at around 35mph and standing on the pegs. This isn’t going to help in deep mud but on a normal dirt road it’s fine.

Archive of Wisdom, while not really for beginners it does have some things that you might find useful. (It’s on the side bar second down)

Always wear your gear, even when it’s 100+ out because you can get dehydrated faster and get some nasty sunburns. I may get the funny looks and dumb questions when I wear my riding suit, but I feel much better at the end of the day.

The rear brake is not your friend. Yes you need to use it to stop quicker but the front is much, much more important. The front brake does 75%+ of your stopping. If you do happen to lock up the rear wheel ride it out. This is something I wish I had known and learned the hard way, ie the road.

9

Oh, and if you do ever take someone for a ride, practice this phrase before you go: “Goddammit, would you stop banging into my helmet everytime I shift!!!”

tavalla, you’re Dad is a wise man. I say the same thing, 'specially when I see somebody on a crotch rocket, wearing shorts, flip-flops, and no T-shirt…they haven’t had their wreck yet…

10

Never leave home without your emergency rain gear stashed somewhere on your bike.

Last month I got caught on a sunny clear day half an hour from home when the skies opened up. That fold-up plastic jacket saved me from having a sodden, chilly ride home over a bridge.

11

Holding a line – this is the thing I see most novice riders struggling with. They just don’t hold a line well when cornering. The key is to keep you eyes focused at a specific distance infront of you on the curve, but not focused on any exact spot.

Don’t get complacent; be aware, even behind you. A bike can stop a lot faster than a car, and some people don’t get it.

Braking – Your front brake is really what gets the job done. Your back brake will lock up very easy so try to keep traction.

12

Glad to hear that y’all will take the class.

This bears repeating. You will lose in any collision.

Also, use the front brake, like EtH said. most of your stopping power is there, and while the front brake will (usually) plant harder as you brake harder, the rear wheel can wash out when locked up.

13

Kakkerlak’s thought yesterday morning: “Oh, I won’t wear the boots. These shoes are fine. I don’t intend on falling off” (yes, I recall that actual thought going through my thick head).

Sure enough, I managed to ride through a grease spot at the gas station and dumped the bike on myself while merging into traffic. Crunched my left arch, dented my headlight assembly, embarrassed myself thoroughly.

Throw yourself violently on the ground at random intervals to remind yourself how much concrete hurts.

14

sn-man makes a great point; looking far enough ahead has been a continual bugaboo on highway ramps for me.

I have a bike without a kickstand interlock, and whenever I leave a parking lot I habitually perform a lazy ‘S’ to verify that the kickstand is up and won’t kick me out of my turn when I go to turn into traffic.

I think the greatest visibility device ever is the ‘Halo’ elastic band that goes around the base of my helmet. I find that I can see other bikes much better when they have reflective badging up high rather than lights and reflectors on the bike chassis.

15

Hey I know that feeling. I remember a few years ago I said the exact same thing, and promptly hit a deer. I’m still not sure if the boots would have helped or not because I ended up getting stuck under the bike and only came out when my shoe came off.

Then there was the time in August when I said to my self I haven’t done anything stupid in a couple of years. What happens? Well I’m at a 4 way stop, turn left into my apartment complex and fall over at about 5mph. I still do not know what the hell happened. There was nothing on the road, and I had taken the corner and much higher speeds before.

Never again will I say that I something will not happen to me.

16

Your first bike should be something that is moderately powered and easy to handle, this would exclude things like big touring bikes and crotch rockets. There are lots of machines out there that offer good power and great handling characteristics that don’t weigh half a ton and being able to go from 0-60 in 3 seconds isn’t for the faint of heart.

My friend is a riding instructor and he got to drive a number of new bikes that were provided by dealerships for the training courses. His normal ride was an 1100cc Goldwing but one day he was driving a 600 Ninja while he taught highway skills. He pulled out to pass a truck and thinking he was driving his Goldwing, dropped the bike down a gear and punched it. The students were really impressed at the instructor pulling a quick wheelie at 50mph and then going by the truck at 90mph.

Become intimate with how your bike feels and performs, if anything seems amiss have your bike checked immediately.

Maintainence is extremely important as having a mechanical failure on your bike can be much more dangerous than having a similar failure in your car. Make sure everything is working to spec before you head out.

Wear proper clothing, this is what will keep your skin intact if you have to lay your bike down. I agree with others that the guys I see riding in tank tops, shorts, and sneakers are guys who have never laid their bike down. Even in hot weather you’d never find me riding without my leather jacket, jeans, steel toed boots, and gloves.

Your helmet needs to be fitted properly, once your helmet is on it should not be able to slip or move from it’s proper position.

I would also suggest wearing a full face helmet with a face shield as bugs, rocks, and things like suicidal birds can cause a great deal of damage.

I used to ride an old Honda 750 Supersport with some serious racing modifications. It wouldn’t compete with any of today’s ultra light crotch rockets but it was a great machine to tour on and could cruise at high speed all day without complaint. It was equipped with a 3/4 sport fairing and a decent windshield that made long trips really comfortable and much safer.

So I’m doing about 70mph and since the road is clear I straighten up a little and open my visor a few inches to allow some air to circulate, this raised my head just above the level of the windshield. At this very moment a wasp comes over the top of the windshield which was level with my bottom jaw, it skipped off the bottom of my visor, and hits me right below my eye. The impact was still hard enough that I had to pull over and wait for my eyes to stop watering but had I not been wearing a full face helmet the big would have hit me dead on at 70 mph. I still loked like someone had hit me with a bat.

A friend of mine used to mock me for my safety issues, that was until he ate a bee while doing 70 mph.

Finally, treat everyone else on the road like they are out to get you.

They are. :slight_smile:

17

To add to the good stuff already said, you are never too good or experienced to not practice. Empty parking lots are the best. Early Sat. morning at a church or Sun. morning at the mall. Use the ends of parking space lines as “cones” for slaloms, practice your 90 degree turns at low and medium speed, quick swerves and stops, etc. I’ve been riding on and off for over 20 years and still do it about once every other week. Keeps you in great tune with the bike and it is also just plain fun. There’s a lot you can do without the worry of vehicles.

On the road, contrast whenever possible. If you are riding a dark bike and wearing a dark jacket and helmet, try not to get behind or beside a dark vehicle. If you do, give a lot of room. Vehicles around you will notice the dark van in front of you before they see you.

I learned long ago that you can usually get a bit of a jump on people in other lanes when you are anywhere resembling their blind spot by keeping an eye on the driver’s head. The little head turn to check a mirror can give you an extra second or so warning that they might zip into your lane.

When stopping behind cars, give a cushion and angle of escape and don’t relax until the guy coming up behind you has stopped. Watch him like a hawk and be ready to get out of the “squish” zone with a slip of the clutch.

As so many have said, you are invisible to most everyone. The few that do see you hate you and want to run you down.

18

Things you are supposed to know: Ducati kickstands are springloaded. Harley switchgear is JUNK! So are the mirrors. And most of the rest, too. The right-hand swithhousing on many Yamahas will consistantly dent the fuel tank. Poor design on the starter button. Bees, insects and small debris HURT LIKE HELL at highway speeds. Wear a neck cover of some kind. Never get off the bike on the right side. Never hang your helmet on the mirrors, it will fall down. Motorcycle salesmen lie. Insurance people are (mostly) ignorant about bikes. Beware the oily part of the lane, right down the middle. Chase Harper products are awsome. Arai and Shoei are the best. Kevlar is good, leather is better and leather-covered kevlar simply rocks! Kickstands sink in hot asphalt.

More as I remember them.

Fagjunk Theology: Not just for sodomite propagandists anymore.

19

Things you are supposed to know: Ducati kickstands are springloaded. Harley switchgear is JUNK! So are the mirrors. And most of the rest, too. The right-hand swithhousing on many Yamahas will consistantly dent the fuel tank. Poor design on the starter button. Bees, insects and small debris HURT LIKE HELL at highway speeds. Wear a neck cover of some kind. Never get off the bike on the right side. Never hang your helmet on the mirrors, it will fall down. Motorcycle salesmen lie. Insurance people are (mostly) ignorant about bikes. Beware the oily part of the lane, right down the middle. Chase Harper products are awsome. Arai and Shoei are the best. Kevlar is good, leather is better and leather-covered kevlar simply rocks! Kickstands sink in hot asphalt.

More as I remember them.

Fagjunk Theology: Not just for sodomite propagandists anymore.

20

Some others have touched on this talking about looking far enough ahead on an on ramp, but this is the way I learned it:

“You will go where you are looking.”

If you look further along the curve, you’ll follow it just right, and comfortably. If you look too closely in front of your tire, the road will seem to be rushing up at you, and you’ll start to lean into it too far.
Corollary: If you’re making a turn in the city, look down the street you want to turn onto. Under no circumstances look at the curb that’s outside your curve on the street you’re turning on to. You will promptly run into it. My riding buddy did this the first week she got her bike. Twice.