Take a motorcycle safety foundation course and by a dirt bike first. What I learned in the dirt and in the MSF class saved me on the street more than once.

Spend at least a couple grand on gear (helmet, leathers, gloves and wear it.

Here is a good thread for new riders: https://advrider.com/f/threads...cycling-n00b.563090/

All the gear; all the time.

How old are you? As much as I thought about trying to learn to ride later in life, I knew I'd never have the reflexes or develop the muscle memory I would have if I'd started in my teens or twenties.

Suzuki SV650. Ideal.

Learn how motorcycles (and bicycles) turn. You move the handlebars in the opposite direction of your desired turn. That is, turning the bars to the right makes the bike go left, and vice versa, a phenomenon known as "counter-steering." It has to become reflexive without thinking about it. I believe that, in the car-turned-left-in-front-of-the-bike accident, the riders sometimes contribute to their own crash, i.e., startled into steering the bike into the car.

quote:

Originally posted by Cookster:
...
Leather !!

Wear leather.

Thanks for all the info and tips.

I don't think a dirt bike is feasible at all for me. Nowhere around here to ride one and no way to get it to where it I could ride one. A dual sport just seems redundant if I had to ride on the road to get to the dirt. (That said, one of my long term goals is to get a real adventure bike and do some touring in the US and Europe.)

I am most definitely cautious at this age (41) and not in any rush to debilitate myself. In fact, I never even went through a "drive stupidly fast" stage when I was a young buck.

I also live close to the Revzilla storefront where they sell all the soft goods, so I plan on going there to scout out gear and try stuff on. Finding proper gear should be not at all difficult. Plus, if I do this like I do guns, I'll be a gear whore anyway.

I'm just under 6', so I don't think I'd have too much problem flat footing on most bikes. I'm in good shape and no bikes I'm interested in are that heavy.

One concern that dawned on me on the commute home today was how shitty the roads are. Generally they're fine for long stretches, but when we get potholes, we get potholes that will pop a tire. They also love to tear up our back roads to redo the water system in the whole area and then never repave (as one of my students found out yesterday when she popped a tire on an improperly installed steel plate and went into a telephone pole).

How do you deal with "shitty maintenance" hazards like that, aside from going slow enough to avoid?

Yeah, potholes...debris in the road...roadkill - Pro tip = don't hit them.

You might be able to negotiate a small one, but definitely best to avoid them. The good news is that most any bike is relatively nimble, so an attentive rider should be able to spot them in advance and navigate around them. Night riding or riding in bad weather may cut your reaction time, so plan accordingly.

One of the scariest rides I was on was a week long road trip/ camping trip to Atlanta. 3 of us on our bikes and one in our support truck. We were Southbound on I-95 and somewhere in South Carolina or Northern Georgia we hit a long span of road construction in which the pavement had been grooved. The construction barrels were out and speeds were reduced to around 45 m.p.h. and interstate traffic was bunched up for miles.

The grooves milled into the pavement aren't cut in a perfectly straight line and I quickly learned that bike tires have a tendency to follow the grooves, creating an un-nerving tug-of-war 'wobble' as the tires constantly shift into following the various grooves. To make matters worse, a long hard rain started falling, making the pavement slick.

One of my buddies was on a Vulcan and I was # 2 behind him and his big fat rear tire was kicking up one hellacious rooster tail, and I was catching every last drop of that tidal wave . On wet grooved pavement in traffic you do NOT want to change lanes so I took my hosing. After several miles we pulled under an overpass and waited for the rain to end, but after a good wait it was still coming down steady, and as 3 of us (even w/ rain gear) were soaked we decided to pull off the interstate and grab an early dinner at a restaurant. We sat at the restaurant for a couple hours before the rain lightened up and we made the decision to tough it out and get back on the road. We got to our destination hours after we had planned.

So, yeah, plan around dangerous road conditions and WX and be prepared for delays on a bike that you might not have in a car.

---------------------------------------

One other suggestion I'll offer, is that sooner or later, you'll probably find yourself stranded. Maybe the bike broke down, maybe WX related, maybe you're just transporting the bike somewhere before riding it. Whatever the reason or need, get comfortable learning how to load a bike into the bed of a truck and tying it down. Ramps, wratchet straps, loading/ unloading from hillsides or inclines or other advantages, figure it out before you need to know how to do it.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Modern Day Savage,

quote:

Originally posted by Oat_Action_Man:

One concern that dawned on me on the commute home today was how shitty the roads are. Generally they're fine for long stretches, but when we get potholes, we get potholes that will pop a tire. They also love to tear up our back roads to redo the water system in the whole area and then never repave (as one of my students found out yesterday when she popped a tire on an improperly installed steel plate and went into a telephone pole).

How do you deal with "shitty maintenance" hazards like that, aside from going slow enough to avoid?

Learn to swerve. Not being flippant. It's a skill. You learn the basics in MSF, but it's up to you to practice out somewhere safe, and at higher speeds. Same principles apply. Practice all the time. Every ride. Pick a thing to work on every single ride. Pick an object in the road (a paint splotch, an oil mark, dead animal) and imagine you have to swerve last second to avoid it.

If you can afford it, get a bike with ABS. It'll save your ass. Human nature is to grab a handful of front brake in panic situations (and you will have some).

Braking is probably the most important skill you can learn, and one can practice on every ride. Building muscle memory to apply progressive braking is critical (front and rear).

Ride with the mentality that you are invisible. You are perpetually in the blind spot. Even when they see you, they don't see you. Cars can't judge how fast you're going. Drivers have inattentional blindness (it's a real thing).

The data shows most riders that are seriously injured or killed are involved in a single vehicle accident.

Ride within your abilities, which means you have to find your limits and understand them.

Tires matter. A LOT. You are literally trusting your life to them on every ride. Keep them in good shape and properly inflated. Replace them at are the right intervals. Do not skimp here.

Full face helmets. Avoid modulars. D-rings only. A grasshopper to the face at 70 mph is the suck.

Get ready to have much less disposable cash. Spend the money on good gear, and replace it when it needs to be replaced. Helmets, jackets, gloves are consumable.

While your shopping for gear remember that whatever you buy may very well go sliding across asphalt at 40mph. Ankle bones, elbows, shoulder blades, palms, knees, your chin. Imagine all the parts that stick out being hit with a belt sander.

Gear up and go have fun.

Step 1: Full suit, motorcycle boots (not some steel toe bullshit at Wally World), armored gloves, full face helmet. ATGATT. Any issue with this, find another hobby.

Step 2: MSF

Step 3: Trackday (You’ll learn more in one day on the track than you will in an entire year on the street). The more the better. Trackday doesn’t mean you need a liter bike or a sport bike grinding down pucks. You can do a Trackday on a bagger, on a Goldwing, any bike.

Step 4: No commuting, ever. Ride it on the weekends for fun. Game the times of morning/day where it’s the least busy. Avoid holidays, and avoid riding at night. I don’t care if you live in the sticks. Someone is commuting on weekdays, and many of them are surfing on the phone. I’ve got a few decades of experience and countless track miles. You couldn’t pay me to commute on a motorcycle ANYWHERE. Weekends only.

Step 5: Ride like everyone is going to out to kill you. At all times.

Step 6: You will go down. It’s not if but when. Refer back to step 1.

I’d look for a modest sized used bike, Fall is a good time to buy. If not rural or woods roads around, no reason to get off road or an enduro.

My current is a CB-1100 Honda, dependable, lower maintenance.

As to safely riding, yes to the safety corse. You’ll likely need a ‘cycle endorsement’ anyway for your drivers license.

One needs to ride like you’re INVISIBLE, never counting on anyone yielding to you. Animals & road debris are a larger threat than in a vehicle. I adjust my speed, slow and anticipate hazards much more than anytime in an auto.

You can also chose your riding, I’ll often take ‘the back way’ that adds a few minutes, but less busy. I prefer it when no one’s round me, if not possible, wider gaps.

I know things can happen, still a lot of motorcycle accidents are from screwing around or drinking.

I recommend reading Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough

Silent

quote:

Originally posted by Silent:
I recommend reading Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough

Silent

That’s a great reference book. All new riders should read it.

I also suggest taking the MSF course. Skills like countersteering and proper braking procedures alone can save your bacon.

https://www.msf-usa.org/brc.aspx

I don’t know anybody that has or has had a bike that didn’t dump it at one point. It will happen. Thankfully mine was on a little Honda 200 I had in high school that didn’t have the engine guts to get to Hiway speed so I used it on surface streets to commute to hi school. The Monday after graduation a block from home and only going maybe 15/20 mph a dog ran in front of me and a swerved to miss it and laid it down thankfully only about 20 stitches in my leg and a bone bruise that hurt like heck for a few weeks.

Even with that wreck I have lusted for a bike since. Even got to ride with my next door neighbor to the Hollister rally in 2000 he let me ride his extra Harley. Now at 47 with kids and a wife, not sure I’m ready to add extra likelihood to the over under making her a widow and them orphans.

Have many friends and guys I know of that have laid it down much harder, some at freeway speed. Even with full Kevlar gear, people get busted up hard. I’m sure some of our LEO and other medical professionals here can tell hours of stories of bad MC accidents where it wasn’t the riders fault. Guess what the guy in the steel cage walks away and the biker doesn’t

Predictably there is some good and bad advice in this thread, but the last thing I'll say is this: if you choose to get a license and a bike, do yourself a favor and ride it A LOT. Get comfortable in all situations, weather and types of roads. Nothing beats experience to build confidence on a bike.

It can be done, I’m upper 50’s, on & off biker since 12. I’ve never done more than fall over in the sand as a kid. I’ve come close to wildlife, I’ve had people turn left in front of me.

I’m in the EXTREME defensive category. Yes, I can still enjoy the ride. Just saying, one’s gotta get beyond biking 101. Yes, maybe tomorrow is my day.

I’m just trying to provide some hope.

People laughed at me, but in 1973 I joined the motorcycle club on the Air Force Base I was assigned to 9 months before I bought a motorcycle. I attended meetings, discussed possible rides, and got to know if I really wanted to do it. Everyone was supportive and even allowed me to pilot a bike on one of their fun days. I decided to get a bike and bought one of the new 1973 Honda 350 twins. I lived in an apartment on a paved side road that was essentially a little-used driveway for the units and a business off the main road. I practiced riding on that surface a lot. Sumter, SC has a lot of nice paved back roads, and I rode those a lot, too. Fun, nice scenery, and a good way to get more experience. Those were the days.

flashguy

Rebel 500. Bulletproof, low enough to flat foot at stops.

There are 1000s of YouTube motorcycle safety videos. Spend a LOT of time viewing before you even start the acquisition process. It will be worth your while doing so.

Great idea to start on a 650 they are easy and forgiving on the throttle but still have enough power to be a forever bike if your choose.
While the CB650R is a spectacular bike I'd warn that it is a 4 cylinder and has a bit more power and may be a bit much for a beginner. The other 650's in the lineup that are twins with a better power band are:
Suzuki SV650
Kawasaki Z650 or Ninja 650 if you like the body work.
Yamaha MT07
Triumph Trident 660
There are a few more but these are the most popular.
I really like naked bikes or "Standards". They a comfortable for a few hours but are still very sporty and a lot of fun on twisty roads.
Here's mine.

'Nother noob question:

What do you do for winter storage? I don't have a garage. Cars are parked on a gravel driveway, which already strikes me as an unfavorable situation for a kickstand.

For the off season, would it be best to put the bike up on a swing arm stand and cover? If things continue as they have the last few years, there'd be at least one snow that dumps over 8".

Landlord might be paving the driveway, but for the moment, it's gravel.