ultimate noob questions

[amiles]

sorry if these are really stupid but i am a noob when it comes to this stuff. i have never riden a motorcycle but i am interested to learn. i have already looked into taking the riders course. one of my biggest concerns is shifting gears. i havent riden one or had much contact with them,. i know how to drive a stick but i wanna know how tough is it to learn. does knowing how to drive a stick even help? second, i wanna know what kind of bike i should start with. i want something that looks nice nice bbut still rides smooth. i will just be using it for cruising around town and to the beach. what type should i look at? how much power. sport bike or not? i will probably have a lot more dumb questions in the future but i am feeling it out now. thank you.

[Skier]

sorry if these are really stupid but i am a noob when it comes to this stuff. i have never riden a motorcycle but i am interested to learn. i have already looked into taking the riders course. one of my biggest concerns is shifting gears. i havent riden one or had much contact with them,. i know how to drive a stick but i wanna know how tough is it to learn. does knowing how to drive a stick even help? second, i wanna know what kind of bike i should start with. i want something that looks nice nice bbut still rides smooth. i will just be using it for cruising around town and to the beach. what type should i look at? how much power. sport bike or not? i will probably have a lot more dumb questions in the future but i am feeling it out now. thank you.

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) has a Basic Riders Course they offer in most, if not all, states. The course assumes you know how to ride a bicycle, and that's all. They'll explain everything you need to know to get started riding. I personally believe the course should be a requirement for new riders, so start looking into them, please.

Shifting gears is pie. Much, much easier than any stickshift car I've driven. Knowing how to drive stick probably helps a bit, but it's really not difficult to pick up on. You will do plenty of clutch control work in the MSF BRC.

As for a starting bike, we have several good threads about it, such as this one. Spend some time and read all of it, you should be able to learn a lot and come back with more specific questions.

[Wizzard]

Welcome to the forums amiles .
Regards, Wizzard

[macktruckturner]

Skier hit the nail on the head, and pretty well covered it. I'm one of those guys that loathes automatic transmissions - even in traffic (and I'm from Houston so I know traffic). The transmission on a motorcycle is, in my opinion, way easier than a manual tranny in a car, and quickly becomes second nature. I'd read over the thread Skier linked for the bike choices. Have fun, and be safe.

Anthony

[amiles]

thanks for the advice guys. another kinda stupid question. i want something quick like i said for cruising around town and beach, but i feel a little aprehensive about taking out on the freeway and gunning it like 80 or 90. how long does it take to get up to decent speed comfortably without feeling like your gonna kill yourself. again kinda lame but i wanna know. thanks.

[macktruckturner]

that's mostly up to you personally. If the bike is powerful enough to cruise at 80 - it'll get there faster than any car you can likely afford. It can also take as long as you want it to take. I'm not sure that answers the question you asked though.

[Mustang]

As mentioned before, the MSF class is designed to take someone who can only ride a bicycle and build the skills to master riding a motorcycle.

Personally I felt that by knowing how to drive stick...i.e. understanding how a clutch works, friction zone...etc definitely helped to pick up everything and understand what they were trying to teach.

What you'll decide to ride and how comfortable you feel with will be exactly like how you react to the higher speeds on a motorcycle. I went from a small Buell in the MSF class to my softail Deuce and when I first sat on it the thing felt huge!!!! Now my bike fits like a glove and I can't imagine riding a bike as small as the buell again.

Same with the speed, when I hit 75 for the first time there was some definite nervousness, but now I'm comfortable and certainly more confident with higher speeds (don't push it too much though:):) )

Good luck and welcome to an amazing world!!!