[quote]coolnatedawg wrote:
[quote]Professor X wrote:
[quote]coolnatedawg wrote:
-Take the beginner MSF course.
-Most of YOUR knowledge about the bike will come from actual seat time.
-Sign up for some track days. You get to learn a lot about the bike through the course, can ride at a pace you deem acceptable (possibly pushing your limits a bit), and can ask the guidance/tips of an instructor.
-ATGATT
-Do your own maintenance or at least be present when maintenance is done
-Read Twist of the Wrist, Throttle Control, or Sport Riding Technique
Most importantly: HAVE FUN and BE SAFE[/quote]
You forgot the most important:
-ride with people more experienced as much as possible.
That one saved my life.
In that sense, riding a motorcycle isn’t that different from getting big in the weight room.[/quote]
Well… yes and no.
While I agree that riding with people more experienced can be helpful, it can also get you into a situation you just aren’t ready for. That’s where common sense needs to play into it all. Do not ride above your skill level! A better rider can help you push your limits a little bit, help you identify your mistakes, and also point out hazards along the way BUT they can also instigate you to ride harder than you should.
Experience on the bike doesn’t necessarily mean they should be an instructor.[/quote]
A better rider will understand that though…I didn’t mean he should go find the closest dare devil who wants to do wheelies down the freeway at 70mph.
When I first started riding, one of the guys I knew from the cycle shop taught me a hell of a lot that wasn’t exactly gone over in a class (…and we HAD to take one of those in the military to even own a bike on base). Simple things like not riding in the middle of the darker black line in middle of the lane from oil dripped from other cars (especially when drizzling), how to signal shit to guys you are riding with and just overall how to handle myself on one.
I consider shit like that invaluable. There are ten thousand more things to consider on a bike that you never have to worry about in a car…like RAIN (that shit hurts!), how leaves and sand can be WORSE than water on a road when on a bike, or how knowing the route you plan to travel ahead of time can save you from running into 5 feet of loose gravel from a construction site.
Learning to how to drive OFFENSIVELY will save your life and most people don’t seem to understand that. More times than I can count I see some guy on a bike casually riding in other people’s blind spots when they have an alternative…which to me always indicates either a new rider or a dumb one.
Happened to me, scared the crap out of me, but after I had a big o smile on my face cos it was fun. Oh, and ride in CA if you get the chance. Splitting lanes is the BEST!!! (It’s my favorite thing to do) I also love watching the pros on the mountains out here when they come down the hairpin turns and they aren’t even holding the handlebars!!!