Riding a motorcycle is getting popularity among young folks nowadays. Apart from having the feel of ultimate freedom on the highways, painful traffic on the roads is having an impact on the uprising popularity of motorcycle riding.
But let me remind you again that riding a two-wheeler is definitely dangerous than a four-wheeler. So, you need to take extra precautions while riding a motorbike. Skilled riders know it pretty well how to ride it safely. The danger arises when you just starting to learn it.
How To Ride A Motorcycle?
If you know how to ride a bicycle, things will be a lot easier for you. However, being a new rider, you have to be careful about some basics first. In most of the cases, it should NOT take more than 1 or 2 hours to learn how to ride.
But it’s not all about just the riding on your own, it’s something more. As a newbie, you will be more prone to accidents. You need to think ahead about some stuff.
Don’t worry, in this guide I will help you understand everything you need to know about riding a motorbike for the first time.
- Complete the Basics
Motorcycle riding is something you can’t do on your own. You need to take help from other experienced riders. You can go to any professional trainer or just seek help from your friend who can ride a motorcycle. I find seeking help from a friend is more helpful here.
Your friend will teach you which parts of the motorbike do what and how to handle them. He will ride with you keeping you be seated on the behind. He will let you use the brake and the clutch. Don’t forget to wear a DOT-approved helmet both of you! Now watch the step by step video recorded on GoPro camera!
Within just a few hours, you should be able to ride on your own. A retard can’t do it in hours, I believe you are not one of them (sorry for my language).
And before you start riding on the road, you need to have a license. So, when you are confident you can ride it, you need to take the test to have the license. Having the license is a very important step to be a skilled rider. When you get the license, you need to be more careful.
The license indicates you know how to ride and all the necessary laws applied to it. You just learned the short form of riding a motorcycle for the first time. It needs a detailed discussion to get the whole picture.
- Never Buy Expensive Bike First
Patience is the key! Buying a dream bike is hard to resist the temptation for a lot of new bikers. Until you get all the important skills of riding a motorcycle, you should never buy one. Don’t forget, you can damage it severely in the learning stage.
You can always hire a bike from any local store or your friend with a bike can help you there. If it’s really impossible to hire one, buy a cheap one. Because, if you damage the bike at the learning stage, you can always replace it with an expensive model when you get adequate experience.
- Take Safety Issue Seriously& Get Necessary Gears
The helmet alone will protect your head from any deadly accidents. But that’s not the end of motorcycle safety consideration. There are some other body parts that may get hurt severely. So, in addition to your head, you should think about your legs, hands, and the overall body as well.
Along with the helmet on your head, you should wear hand gloves, protective boots, and a jacket. When going for the gloves, choose armored gloves. If the bike has chrome grips, they will get hot under hot sunny days. Armored gloves can help you here.
If it rains a lot in your area, consider having a rain gear as well. It will not just keep you dry; it offers some safeguard as well. As always, don’t spend a lot on such gears.
You have to change these gears a lot during the learning stage. The interior of the helmet will get damaged too soon. At this stage, there is no point spending a lot of them. You can get second-hand gears or get cheap stuff from online retail stores.
- Check The Bike
A pre-inspection of the bike is a must; not only for the new bikers, but it is also a must task for every motorcycle rider. When the last time you check the chains of the bike? It may get loose, right? As a new biker, you must check whether the choke is turned off or not.
Every motorcycle includes the choke to help to start up the bike in case it gets too cold. But if you forget to turn it off, it will burn more fuel and deplete the reserve more quickly. Trust me, new bikers forget it a lot. If you want the bike to be in tip-top condition every day, consider having a motorbike cover.
Before you start the engine, check whether there is enough fuel in the tank. If required, adjust the mirror position accordingly. What’s the condition of the tires; do they need some air pressure? Make sure the lights are actually working. If everything is right, the bike is ready to be on the road!
- Safe Navigation on The Street
Let me share you an effective strategy to stay safe on the road. It may sound a little bit dramatic, but trust me it’s highly effective. All you have to do is to imagine that everyone else on the road is trying to attack YOU. This little dramatic imagination will keep your all senses alert while you are on the road.
Since you are just learning, you have to be in a defensive position on the road. No tailing, no stunt on the road. Four wheeler drivers don’t much about the two-wheelers.
- Going Slow
You are not a pro yet. Don’t be an idiot going too fast when you just learning it or the very first time. Like I said above, you can learn how to ride a motorbike within just an hour. Then you may feel the urge to go super-fast. Resist that dangerous temptation.
Go slow on the road and focus on the clutch, brake, and other stuff. The more control you have on that stuff, the faster you will become a badass rider.
- Focus On Hand Signals
Every bike has a different signal mechanism. Some bikes have hard to see switches, some have a tiny bulb. That might be confusing to other drivers. It’s better getting used to using the old school hand signals.
- Know The Local Laws
Different states have different laws for the motorcycle. Some states allow riding without the helmet (though you should never do that).
Whereas most of the states will allow a DOT approved helmet, some states require that for motorcyclists having age under 17. Some states have the age restrictions for the motorcyclists.
There are some specific regulations on the eyewear and mirrors as well. While you are just learning, you want to be trouble-free as much as possible. Learning local motorcycle riding laws will help you stay trouble-free.
- Getting Comfortable
On the early stage of your motorcycle riding, you will be doing this for hours out of huge excitement. At some point, the motorcycle seat will start to feel like a rock. There is nothing wrong with the seat itself; it’s just naturally happening to the butt on your seat on the tight seat for hours.
What you can do to solve this problem is to have a motorcycle seat pad. All you have to do is inflate it a little and the seat pad will make a perfect balance for the pressure point on the seat.
Conclusion
Look, riding a motorcycle for the first time is so exciting that you can make a lot of mistakes. Making mistakes is okay as long as they are not deadly for yourself or to others. Watching the video, taking help from your friend/instructor, and this guide will surely help a lot to make your first journey a safe one.