Total Motorcycle Community Forums

As the title says, I am new to the motorcycle world. I am currently in college and interested in learning to ride a motorcycle. I have no experience riding one (though I am very experienced with a mountian bike if that counts for anything), but I believe riding a motorcycle would be cheaper and more fun for commuting around college (UC Davis).

From you experience, what steps should I take to begin learning how to ride a bike safetly?

I am 18 (I am more mature than my age implies though), 6'3, weight 150lbs and workout often. What bike would you recommend starting off with? I already own a 86' Porsche 944 so I would prefer not to pay more than 4000 for either a new or used bike. I'd prefer a sport bike that looks good, light weight, easy to handle and some decent performance (nothing over the top, but at the same time faster than a scooter).

Thanks in advance.

There is no "one size fits all" answer, but here is what I did, and it is great for me:
1) $300 - took the Riders Edge MSF class at the Harley-Davidson dealership. They use 500cc Buell Blasts. (Other MSF classes use 125cc or 250cc usually).

2) $2,500 - bought a used Buell Blast (same model as the class) with really low miles and is in excellent shape.

3) $250 for a flip-up helmet

4) $400 for Joe Rocket jacket and pants at motorcyclecloseouts.com
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$3,450 - complete.

I added a windshield for $225 but there are cheaper, and more for saddlebags and a tank bag, but you can use a sling bag or backpack..

The Buell Blast is an excellent learners bike and run about town.
It weighs 360 pounds and leans great.

It has LOTS of low-end torque, and is quite peppy. It starts pooping out after 70 MPH - I currently weigh 235 pounds. I think it would do 80 or 85, but I cannot legally do that here in Missouri. (Buell is an H-D subsidiary company. They used to use H-D engines, but they don't any more.)

The MSF is a fine alternative to rider's edge... and it is usually cheaper. They do use 250cc bikes, but you arent going more than 20mph anyway, and you are in a parking lot, so that is kind of a silly point.

I would suggest a Ninja 250 or 500, or a suzuki GS500F if you are looking for a sport bike. Read the stickies, there are some good suggestions all over the site.

Personally, for school I think a standard (like the blast, or a nighthawk), or a smaller cruiser (Vulcan 500, Alphasport 250, a Suzuki S40, or something like that) would be better for college. You will want saddlebags for your books and stuff (wearing a backpack full of stuff isnt fun while motorcycling).

A ninja 250 will get you to 60mph in 5.5 seconds for a 160lb person, and do the quarter in 15.5, and has a top speed of 115mph.. so you can expect similar results. Just keep that in mind performance-wise... a 250cc bike is not as slow as some people will have you believe (mostly people who have never ridden one).

The Ninja 500 does 0-60 3.76 sec, 1/4 Mile 12.73 sec, and that is still a parallel twin. Stay away from 4 cylinder sport bikes. Cruiser engines are not as crazy as sport bikes, so you would fine with a bigger engine, but you have to mind the weight... the cruisers I listed above are light and easy to handle.

Thanks for the replies.

Being in school, saddle bags would be convienent to carry around books and supplies. At the same time, I would still want prefer a sport bike.

Would a sport bike really be practical? I would use it as a daily driver, and would need a comfortable (to bring it up to school I would need to ride it 800 miles) bike. Also I rarely see motorcycles riding at night, or even in the rain. I am in California, but it does rain every once in a while, so how would a bike handle in the rain?

Regards,
Shayan

Rain: Take it easy into corners (less grip + too much lean = ouch), and keep your wits about you with regards to puddles. By this I mean, the earlier you spot it, the easier it is to deal with. Most of them you can avoid easily enough, but spot it too late, and it's usually best (in my opinion) to brake and go straight through, rather than swerve and potentially go down. Bikes are harder to aquaplane, due to the circular cross section of the tyres, but they are not immune to it. As you probably know the first 5 minutes is the worst, as all the oil in the tarmac comes to the surface before being washed away. watch out for "slippery when wet" surfaces, such as painted road markings, metal drain covers, etc

Light Drizzle: Is the worst condition you'll find, as it will bring all the oil to the top of the road, but won't actually wash it away, take it really easy out there. Ride as if you were on ice.

Night: Most motorcycles have really crappy headlights, and helmet visors tend to reflect light around the insides of them. This can be really disconcerting, and sometimes you'll feel like you're playing "guess where the road is" if it's raining too. However, once you've learned enough control of the bike, to avoid / brake for obsticles at short notice, it's also incredibly exhilarating. Watch out for the night time animals (mr bunny rabbit is quite common over here in the UK) diving out infront of you, trying desperately to get under your front wheel. Best tactic, is to ride with your visor open, when there are cars going in the other direction, and trail another car about 5-10 seconds behind, so if you do get blinded, the tail lights will give you the direction of the road, whilst you slow down till you regain your vision.

Bike type descision.
Whilst you can (and some people do) ride 800miles on sports bikes, I would recommend starting on a standard (upright seating position), and then once you have 5000-10000 miles under your belt, look towards a sport-touring bike, which will give you the style you like, with comfort, and practicality, as you generally are able to fit more in the way of saddlebags/paniers on the back

DivideOverflow wrote:The MSF is a fine alternative to rider's edge... and it is usually cheaper. They do use 250cc bikes, but you arent going more than 20mph anyway, and you are in a parking lot, so that is kind of a silly point.

My viewpoint is that I wanted to learn on a bike closer to the size and weight I would be riding.

Here in KC, the Rider's Edge (which is an MSF course) gives you more class time and time on the bikes than out other MSF courses. Riders Edge was $300 and the others $200. For me, it was worth it.

But, each person has to make their own decisions.......

The MSF course should be required, just listen what they have to say, really listen! I can honestly say that that course saved my life (at the very least serious injury) twice now in about a year and a half. Buy good gloves and jacket and the best helmet you can afford, pants are good, but they are what I would skip if you are short on cash.

I also agree with the point about buying a bike the size you intend to ride. I purchased a 1982 Virago XV920 and quickly learned that my "beater" would go much faster than I thought it would, and it has more than enough power to get me into and out of trouble. After you have ridden a year or so on a "beater", invest in a keeper bike.

You may find out that people making left turns in front of you and mini-vans deciding that they want your lane bad enough to run you off the road makes cycling scary.

After a year and a half, I still think cycling is scary, thats what makes it exciting every time I ride.