• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Things you wish you knew-motorcycle related

bmb73

bmb73

Aug 7, 2010
389
59
53
Back in the DMV
#1
Yep, another motorcycle thread. It's off topic, so I guess its okay to post.

I'm a brand new rider. Taking a MSF course this weekend and will have my license and bike next Wed. I was wondering if I could get some lessons learned from those who have ridden for awhile.
 
#2
bmb73 said:
Yep, another motorcycle thread. It's off topic, so I guess its okay to post.

I'm a brand new rider. Taking a MSF course this weekend and will have my license and bike next Wed. I was wondering if I could get some lessons learned from those who have ridden for awhile.
Click to expand...

I'm also wondering about the process, and some advice from more seasoned riders. I'm going to look at a bike Friday, and it's exciting but the prospect is sort of intimidating, too.
 
#6
Hi.

They won't carve "He Had The Right Of Way" onto Your tombstone.

ALWAYS give in, even if it's a tiny bird/cat/dog that cuts in front of You.
Barry Sheene was taken down by a earth-worm back in the day.


Always assume that the cagers are there to harass You, or do not see You, or do not care.

Most importantly though: ENJOY THE HECK OUT OF THE EXPERIENCE.

Regards
Sam
 
#7
learn to look at the road. Notice that it is lighter in color where car tires travel, and darker in the center of the lanes. The darker color is the oil dripping from passing cars. Don't put your tires there.
Roads are crowned for drainage. That means the center of the road is the highest, so water drains off either side. That is also where the oil is rinsed away first, when there is any rain or moisture on the road. Good place to ride, on wet roads

don't worry about who has the right of way. Always assume that someone is going to pull out in front of you. You can be right, but dead and right is still dead.
I have been riding for well over 20 years. I have owned all kinds and makes of bikes, worked on even more, and owned my own shop. I have even built my own frames, and done my own machine work on engines. I have seen a lot, and the stupidity of some drivers still amazes me
 
#12
Riding a motorcycle is the closest you will ever get to wearing an invisible cloak.
Keep this in mind at all times.

Roads that you have driven on hundreds of times in your car, will now seem brand new.
You will be seeing everything with "motorcycle eyes" now.
This is a heightened sense of awareness that is hard to explain.
MSF will teach you this.

You will be aware of every person in every car around you.
You will learn to avoid anyone on a cell phone, taxis, mini vans, trucks carrying a load, buses, and hit wagons.

You will enjoy a freedom that you have never felt before.

I have been riding since 2006 and I still feel like a super hero when I am on my bike.

Listen carefully to your MSF instructors and have fun
 
#14
I disagree with some of the implications here. A motorcycle has tires and wheels that hold it off the ground so weight is not an issue. A bigger bike is not more dangerous than a small bike. Both can go fast and having more mass, IMHO, can be more comfortable and safer.
 
#15
Yeah, here it is:
1.Pay attention to everything they teach you in the MSF class.
2. Practice it on your own, and remember it all the time, every time you ride.
3. After a year or so, take the Advanced Rider Course - that one will really open your eyes. And when you get another bike(or a new one), take the Advanced course again. All bikes are different feeling, and no matter how long you've been riding, the first 60 days or so on a new bike, puts you at the same risk level as a brand new rider (not my opinion- straight from the Hurt Study).
4. They will probably touch on it, but when I was an MSF Instructor, I always felt that it wasn't stressed enough: YOU ARE INVISIBLE. And, several studies done by universities seemed to prove that people didn't care if they hit you or not, 'cause they thought they wouldn't get hurt if they did.:rollno:
The MSF courses are (mostly) the distilled wisdom and experience of lots and lots of riders who had to learn how to ride like I did back in the Day; "Here's the brake and clutch levers; this is the shifter; this thing is the throttle. Have Fun!" Lots of us didn't live too long, or wound up crippled. The first time I took the course, it scared the p*** out of me; I'd been doing so much wrong, for so long, it was a miracle I was still alive. I got so much out of the courses, I became an Instructor; teaching people to ride was lots of fun. Anyway, pay attention, and have fun. I still do.:D
 
#16
When it first starts to rain after a good amount of dry,oils seep up out of the tarmac. Before the rain becomes heavy enough to wash them away,,,,Its like ICE. Be Careful.

Big plus one on the eyes comment above. NEVER look where you don't want to go.
 
#17
Lee H said:
learn to look at the road. Notice that it is lighter in color where car tires travel, and darker in the center of the lanes. The darker color is the oil dripping from passing cars. Don't put your tires there.
Roads are crowned for drainage. That means the center of the road is the highest, so water drains off either side. That is also where the oil is rinsed away first, when there is any rain or moisture on the road. Good place to ride, on wet roads
Click to expand...

There's a ton of good advice here. This in particular I never would have even thought of, but it makes a lot of sense.
 
#19
GIBrat51 said:
All bikes are different feeling, and no matter how long you've been riding, the first 60 days or so on a new bike, puts you at the same risk level as a brand new rider (not my opinion- straight from the Hurt Study).
Click to expand...

I am going to disagree with this.
it is my JOB to test ride bikes. Different bikes all the time. Often more then one a day.
after a while, jockey(hand) shifters no longer bother you, and bikes with the shifter on the right side are just a minor annoyance.


but back to productive advise... always look for an escape rout. Know how you will get away from a car that changes lanes illegally. keep in mind that using the brakes is not always the best response. Know where you will go in the event someone else makes a mistake
I ALWAYS look in people's mirrors. if I cannot see their eyes, they cannot see me. I have to assume they are completely oblivious to me. That is not where I want to be
 
#20
Ignore this, Smaller+ Leverage=Flickabilty. Under duress maneuver ability is a factor. Ultimately it's the rider.

etoncrow said:
I disagree with some of the implications here. A motorcycle has tires and wheels that hold it off the ground so weight is not an issue. A bigger bike is not more dangerous than a small bike. Both can go fast and having more mass, IMHO, can be more comfortable and safer.
Click to expand...
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back