Ten Things Every New Rider Should Know
Motorcycling is a fantastic sport. There is nothing that matches the experience of riding. As the ranks of riders continue to swell each year, it would be nice to pass along some riding wisdom to new riders. Here are 10 things that every new rider should know.
Training Does Help - Training courses are not expensive (many dealers will include them with the purchase of a bike) and will teach you basic motorcycle handling skills.
Don't ride angry/tired/cold/wet/hungry - Motorcycling requires mental focus. Anger, fatigue, cold, wet, hunger and other mental/physical discomforts reduce your ability to focus on riding safely.
Perform a pre-ride inspections - Making sure your bike is ready to ride is critical. Mechanical issues can range from nuisance to seriously dangerous so pre-ride inspections are a must. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation teaches an inspection plan called T-CLOCS. A complete checklist is available from the MSF at http://www.msf-usa.org/downloads/T-CLOCSInspectionChecklist.pdf.
ATGATT - All The Gear All The Time - Doesn't matter if you're riding 6 blocks or six hundred miles, wear your gear. All of it. All the time. Helmet, gloves, jacket, pants, boots; the works. You don't know where that fall is going to happen, so be ready.
You will fall - It is said that there are two kinds of riders: those who have fallen and those who will. If it hasn't yet, your day will come. Hopefully it will be a low speed drop in a parking lot with no injuries other than a bruised ego. Proper training, staying alert, and maintaining focus will delay that day as long as possible.
"Layin' her down" - At almost any gathering of bikers where the topic of crashing comes up you will hear the phrase, "I had to lay her down." What that rider is really saying is that he or she lost control of their motorcycle. Practice swerving and hard braking in a controlled environment. Ride alert and defensive. Know your limits. If you do, you will be ready and it won't be you "layin' her down."
Picking up your bike - Your two-wheeled baby is laying on her side. You need to get her back up on her wheels. Even a big cruiser can be picked up solo if you do it right. Check out http://www.pinkribbonrides.com/dropped.html for the step-by-step instructions and video.
Push left, go left. Push right, go right - Getting a motorcycle to turn involves countersteering. To initiate a right turn, push on the right handgrip. The motorcycle will lean to the right and begin to turn. If you need to tighten your line, push harder on the inside handgrip. If you need to widen your line, push on the outside hand grip. Try it.
The Pace - Published in 1991, Nick Ienatsch's landmark essay on performance street riding should be required reading for all new motorcyclists. From the article, "The Pace is a street riding technique that not only keeps street riders alive, but thoroughly entertained as well." Read it here: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/flashback/122_0911_the_pace_nick_ienatsch/
Group riding - Soon after you get your motorcycle you will likely be invited on a group ride. The MSF, publishes a two-page Guide to Group Riding that covers the basics including common hand signals. The most important thing to remember about a group ride is to ride your own ride. Don't let the group lead you into a situation that is beyond your limits. Better to fall back or abort the ride than to ride over your head and get hurt or worse.
John Davis is a rider and writer. His current ride is Victoria, a candy red Honda VTX1800 Retro. John writes for several web sites and blogs in addition to his own site, NorthwestCycleReport.
