How-To-Ride

So you finally got your license or permit and are ready to buy your first motorcycle. Hopefully you have already taken the MSF course at this point and have a good idea of what you’re getting yourself into.

Your first motorcycle won’t be your last.

Way too many people bring up the idea that they want to get something that they can “grow into” and “won’t get bored with.” If these ideas are something you agree with right now, take a step back. Motorcycles aren’t clothes. You don’t “grow into” a bike. You find one that will suit your needs. As a beginner, it’s a really good idea to start looking into bikes that are more suited for beginners.

A few examples of the bikes you should be considering (but not limited to) are the Ninja 250, Ninja 500, GS500, Rebel 250, GZ250, and Virago 250. Do your research and look around. These bikes can generally be found for a fairly cheap price due to beginners selling them quickly. Which brings me to my next point…

Buying used vs. new.

There’s nothing stopping you from buying a brand new motorcycle right off the bat. It may be enticing hearing about the manufacturer deals that are going on that will offer you low monthly payments. Something to keep in mind is that you are a lot more likely to drop your bike in the first six months of riding than any other time. Would you care if you dropped your brand new bike while practicing in a parking lot? Would you mind if you lost your footing and tipped over your brand new bike in your garage? Mistakes are going to happen; all beginners make them. Do you want them to happen while on a brand new bike? If you answered “No” to any of those questions, you should probably go used.

You can save a TON of money by buying a used motorcycle. When I bought my first bike, it was four years old and had only been ridden about 350 miles. The maintenance had been kept up on it though and it was in perfect running condition. The bike was basically brand new. Because I got it slightly used, I saved myself about 2 grand.

If your one of those people who is afraid of ruining nice things, get something that has already been dropped. That way, if you accidentally drop it while learning, you won’t feel as bad. My bike didn’t have a scratch on it but I was prepared to deal with it if it happened since I paid so little for the bike in the first place.

You’ll still have time to change your mind about riding.

Many used bikes you find for sale are from owners who say that riding “just wasn’t for them.” Your first motorcycle will be with you when you determine if riding is right for you or not. Do you want to still have to deal with monthly payments on something that you just realized you don’t want to use anymore?

Don’t go overboard. Use some common sense. A 600cc supersport bike is NOT a good beginner bike, no matter what anyone tells you. The people who tell you “throttle control” or “responsible riding” are all you need to worry about probably won’t be there to help pick up the pieces of you and your 600cc bike when the inevitable happens. This topic has been debated back and forth between the smart riders and Darwin’s examples for many years.

All I will say is, put your ego aside and use some common sense when buying your first motorcycle. It is a very exciting moment but don’t let your emotions blind your sense of reality and safety.

This is an important question that you have to ask yourself before ever getting on a bike. Why do you want to learn how to ride? Is it for the right reasons? If you start off with the wrong mindset before ever even owning a bike, you’re going to be fighting an uphill battle. Meaning, if you are worried about trying to look cool in front of your friends or be able to show off, then it is going to make it increasingly difficult for you to worry about what really matters most: Safely learning how to ride a motorcycle.

Make sure you’re doing this for yourself.

Riding a motorcycle can be a great way to meet new people and enjoy the road with others. But, first and foremost, it is an individual’s lifestyle. Riding takes a lot of time and effort (not to mention, money!) You won’t see many self-taught weekend warriors heading down to Deals Gap and successfully navigating through it.

What am I getting at here? Experience is key when it comes to riding and if you are going to be waiting around for your buddies all day just so you can get out and ride, you might want to re-think why you are riding. Group riding is great, but it shouldn’t be the main focus of why you choose to ride.

The most obvious wrong reason to ride is to look “cool”. If you want to learn how to ride just so you can look cool in front of others, then look elsewhere. Riding is not for you. Go buy an expensive four wheeled machine and brag away. Two wheels are a lot less forgiving to those who aren’t serious about learning.

Another common one is when a significant other already rides and the person who is usually the passenger decides that they want to learn how to ride. This ties into the idea that riding is an individual’s lifestyle above anything else. If you go in thinking that it will be great riding with your significant other but never think about the vast majority of the time that you will be riding alone, you will end up being unpleasantly surprised. My current bike was previously owned by a woman who bought the bike to ride with her husband but sold it as soon as he stopped riding. She had only put 350 miles on the bike. Great example of someone who didn’t learn how to ride for the right reasons.

The bottom line is DO IT FOR YOURSELF. Learn how to ride because you WANT to learn, not because someone else tells you that you should or because you think someone else would want you to. Motorcycling can be a dangerous hobby, but for those who truly want to learn, it can be the greatest hobby on earth

Take the MSF course. No if’s and’s or but’s. Take it. It is the safest and easiest way to get your motorcycle license. One could argue that it is a little too easy. All it takes is 3 days of parking lot riding and a few short written tests and you have your full motorcycle license. You are now free to buy whatever bike you choose. Scary, huh? But I digress…

I have never ridden before, what will it teach me?

The MSF course will teach you the basics of riding as well as many safety tips along the way. Even the most experienced riders usually pick up a thing or two. Many riders say that they go back and take the MSF course as a refresher for their riding skills.

I took the MSF course not knowing anything at all about motorcycles. I had never ever touched a motorcycle before that class. After 3 days, I had my full motorcycle license. (Insert my argument for graduated licensing here.) I was legally able to now ride on the road with whatever bike I wanted to. But, I was only trained on how to ride around in a parking lot.

The MSF course will teach you everything you need to know to get you safely started with motorcycling, but it won’t teach you everything. The best thing about the MSF course is that the instructors will be there to break any bad habits that you may have. You will learn how to do things the RIGHT way so that you can practice doing things the proper later on.

The MSF course is too expensive. I don’t have time. My friend never took the course…

Many people make excuses on why they can’t take the course. Some say it’s too expensive I believe the current price in most states is about $275. If you can’t afford that, how will you be able to afford gear or a bike? If you already have a bike, how will you be able to afford new tires for it, or even gas it up? Not to mention, in some lucky states the course is completely FREE. In most cases, it will also give you a deduction on your insurance cost.

The course normally runs over the weekend, starting Friday evening, so it shouldn’t be too hard to fit around a person’s work schedule. You might have to sneak out a little early on Friday, but in most cases you probably won’t even have to do that.

If you know someone who got their license the old fashion way and never took the MSF course, congratulations. He/she just slightly bumped up the percentage of riders who have never taken a motorcycle safety course and are still around to talk about it.

Is the MSF course mandatory? Do I really HAVE to take it?

No. Absolutely not. Is it a good idea? Definitely. Some people hear stories of instructors who were harsh on new riders and get scared off. I would venture to guess that there are very few MSF instructors that will be anything less than helpful to you. In most cases where riders thought they were being harsh, they were only looking out for that riders safety as well as the others in the class.

You really DON’T need to take the MSF course. In fact, the MSF course is fairly new and didn’t exist when most of the older riders were getting their licenses. Statistics have shown that riders who DO take the course have a far less chance of getting into a serious accident though.

In short, take the class. There’s no reason not to.