arktos08 wrote:The only thing that is irritating about the process here is that they limit you to 200cc bikes for your first year of riding, which virtually eliminates all the beginner bikes posted here.
There is, of course, a reason for the limitation on CCs. The main reason being that beginners tend to make mistakes. On a smaller CC bike, the result of such mistakes is much less.
For example, one common beginner mistake is to roll on the throttle while braking. Do that on a smaller bike and it will just go a little faster. Do that on a 600cc sportbike and the bike will launch the front wheel and land on you before you even have a chance to react.
I skimmed that review of the 150 you're looking at and that seems to be a good beginner bike.
Even being limited to a 200cc bike, you'll find that riding is a blast.
As for your countersteering/steering question: Yes, it's very similar to riding a bike. However, since a MC weighs more than you do (unlike a bike where you weigh more than it) the physics are slightly different. Something you'll get used to pretty quickly and nothing to be intimidated by.
And yes, when going very slowly (as in less the a few miles an hour) you actually steer the MC, not countersteer - just like your pedal bike. Slow turns on a motorcycle is the hardest skill to master. But most of your training course will focus on low speed maneuvers so it's nothing to get worried about.
Good luck and have fun.