Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Now the big one: Don't let bravado get you in over your head. This is without a doubt the most difficult thing to suppress, especially for younger riders who are trying to keep up with their more experienced and better-skilled buddies. Your pride will heal a lot quicker than your body will, so let pride take the hit instead. Ride within your capabilities and live to ride another day.

This one's very difficult to do. I ride with two friends who have several more years of riding experiance, and I am constantly tempted to speed through curves to keep up with them. Luckily, my first attempt scared the hell out of me without any bodily harm!! Now I'm quite happy to ride my own ride, knowing they'll slow down a bit ahead to let me catch up.

The biggest difference you will feel on a sportbike, aside from the riding postion hunching you over with your feet farther back than your used to, is that the bike is not agile at all unless your doing 80 mph. At low speeds, the narrow lock-to-lock angle and frontend geometry will take alot of practice to get used to.

And trusting your tires.... it don't feel right to crank a bike over that far and not stick your foot out. But you really don't want to do that on pavement.....

Take a spin on a 'standard' with a more upright riding position, with you feet under your azz, instead of up it. You might like it better, specially to learn the street on.

And cruisers..... well.....