Total Motorcycle Community Forums

I really want to learn to ride and buy a bike! I am very upset though that I can never sign up for the safety classes though because they fill up right away. That is really a shame, there should be more classes offered. My main question right now is, what would a rough estimate for insurance be for a 21 year old? I am looking for an older bike, like the early 90's and nothing bigger then 600cc.

The best thing you can do is call insurance companies. It's so different from one place to the next that there's no way we can give you an idea of what to do.
In the yellow pages under insurance is where I found mine. Call as many places as you can, to get the best deal.

You should also be able to get on a waiting list for your local rider training course. Get your name in now for the first available opening. If you have to wait a couple months, then that gives you more time to do lots of research on what sort of bike you want to get and what insurance rates will be like. And if you find a bike that you want, and the insurance will be affordable for you, then get the bike. then you'll also have the time to give the bike a good going over to see how everything works, and maybe do some cosmetic adjustments to it (new paint, accessories, what have you) while you wait for your course to come up.

I am going to be put on the waiting list for the class but it does not guarantee that I will be able to take it, so we will see how it goes. I can't wait to start learning how everything works! I just hope insurance does not cost more then a cheap bike. Thanks for the input guys...

Sign up during the winter, as I did. I am in the first class in KC. 14 April......

I have been doing some reading and was hoping I could get someone to explain the manual transmission to me? I have driven automatic all my life. I am curious as to what exactly happens when you push the clutch.

When you squeeze the clutch, you "disconnect" the engine from the rest of the drivetrain. Then you can shift gears and let the clutch back out.

Also, when you are squeezing the clutch you roll off the throttle or your engine will over-rev since it won't be working against anything.

You cannot learn to shift from a book (car or otherwise) - it takes a lot of practice. Maybe you need to learn to shift a car before a bike? I don't know.

If you can get a smaller dirt bike like a 100cc you'll learn a lot about using the clutch and shifting. When you graduate to a bigger bike it won't be such a big jump then.

Derek

yeah, excellent idea. and one piece of mainstream advice: take everything slow. one mistake that a lot of people have is that they try and let the clutch out and change gears and everything too fast. just take your time, and get used to everything before you try and make a quick and snappy gear change. stress less is the key! hope you get everything sorted. regards - enoch

I learned to drive when I was 16 on a manual transmission, and most of my vehicles over the past 10 years have been manual. Learning to shift on a motorcycle is, for me, learning how to shift all over again.

I think whichever route you take (learning in a car before a bike, or vice versa) is going to be pretty subjective, depending on the individual, but if you do decide to go with a car first, don't expect to be able to jump on a bike and viola! you know how to do it. The two are totally different animals, though the basics of sequence will be the same. Something to consider - a car will be much more forgiving if you accidentally take off from a stop at high speed!

In any case, remember to have a lot of patience with yourself, and savor that feeling of triumph when you get the hang of it!