Beginning Riders Start Here
Are you a beginning rider? Or maybe you’re just ‘thinking’ about owning [riding] a motorcycle. In any event, I understand how you feel.
I started riding again several years ago, and it was exciting, but frustrating:
- Which motorcycle should I purchase?
- What’s the best way to learn to ride?
- What’s the difference between: touring, sport-touring, standard, cruiser, dual-sport, and scooters?
- Which one should I purchase — based on my riding goals?
- Can I really reduce my risks of injury, or am I just a statistic?
- Who should I listen to… the loud guys on certain forums?
- Is 600cc too small… is 1300cc to large?
- Should I start with a small bike, and move up?
- Where can I turn for answers… from riders who actually RIDE… that I can respect!?
Let’s face it, finding someone with an opinion for these questions is NOT the hard part. Finding answers from mature riders that actually ride *more* than 100 miles [to the local pub] each year — now that’s a different story. Often times, the most vocal riders are not the most experienced and knowledgeable.
I read it all. Misguided advice on proper braking techniques… suggesting that you should avoid using the front brake at highway speeds, to misguided advice on how you should learn to ‘lay-er-down’ for minimum stopping distances — just to name a few.
“Who should I listen to?”
You see, this time around I was a bit older, a bit wiser, a bit slower to heal… with family that wants me [needs me] to stick around. I wanted to ride motorcycles — the right way!
My Motorcycle Mentors …
I was lucky. I found two riding mentors willing to help me through the process of purchasing and riding a motorcycle. Looking back on my first year, I realize they didn’t tell me everything at once. They waited until I was ready to process the information.
In one email to Fred I described an uncomfortable feeling I had when entering a corner at highway speeds. I wrote, “Fred, I feel weird when I’m entering a tight corner. I don’t feel confident and things look odd.” His response, “Are you keeping your head level with the road.” I said no.
He then emailed me pictures of motorcycle racers in tight corners. Guess what… they all had their heads tilted so their eyes were level with the horizon. I started doing this, and everything felt much better.
My relationship with them has been a major catalyst for this site.
My goals are simple: to bring experienced riders together with beginning riders … so both can benefit. Isn’t this the case for mentoring relationships?
If you are a beginning rider follow these 5 Steps — Now.
Step One: Sign up for our Riding Tips email Newsletter.
These free riding tips will help you get started the right way. Several rider coaches have volunteered to share examples from their coaching experiences. And it’s also the best way to stay informed about site news and upcoming events.
When you sign up, we will also send you a free copy of the MotorcycleMentor Beginning Rider Quick Start Guide. Don’t worry, we don’t give your email to ANYONE! And, you can easily remove your name from the list at any time. I promise. Simply put your first name and email address in the form [in the right column on this page under FREE NEWSLETTER] … and hit the “Sign Me Up” button.
Step Two: Send us a question.
Several motorcycle instructors have volunteered to answer your questions. Instead of doing this via forum, I’m asking riders to submit questions. I’ll post the answers on the site, so everyone can benefit. Over time, this will become a beginning rider FAQ of sorts.
And don’t worry, no question is ’stupid’… and no one will laugh or put you down. I’ve received all kinds of great questions since I started this site. But, I need more. We will use your first name, city, state in the article post. If you are more comfortable with a ‘made-up’ name, that’s fine too. What are *you* struggling with the most? Ask your question here.
Step Three: Tell others about this site.
A great way to do this is to post a link in your favorite forum, or send an email to your riding buddies. This site depends on beginning riders who are willing to ask questions. And it depends on experienced riders who are willing to share. One leg will not work without the other.
Not sure what to say? Copy the contents below and paste into your favorite forum or send via email or text.
Hey... I found a cool site that links experienced riders with beginning riders. MotorcycleMentor.com is for beginning and intermediate riders. They also need experienced riders to help out. They have a free Riding Tips Newsletter with exclusive tips. Sign up info is on their site: http://motorcyclementor.com
Step Four: Post a comment at the end of an article.
If you have a thought or opinion, we would love to hear it. Remember, there is always *someone* that is LESS EXPERIENCED than you… that could benefit from your ideas and experiences.
Step Five: Let us know how we could help.
Do you have ideas for articles? Do you have a topic that *you* would like to write about that others might find beneficial? Is there something you learned that might help others? Contact us here.
Learning to ride and experience the pleasures associated with motorcycling is not something that happens over night. Experienced riders will tell you they never stop learning. So, in that regard, this site is for all riders who take motorcycling seriously.
Thanks for stopping by, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
David Mixson
Founder MotorcycleMentor.com
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I’m a single dad, 37 years old, and pretty fit. I drive my car less than 10,000 miles per year, and am interested in making a motorcycle a part of my commuting. I’m interested in reducing the mileage on my car, using less gas, and experiencing the additional performance and good looks that some motorcycles afford. I enjoy mitigating risks, have taken flying lessons and love everything that goes, but don’t know if I could get really comfy riding. I thought I might sign up for a riders course to get my feet wet and see if I like it — some schools in the area use the Blast. I think starting small would probably be good, but I don’t want the total cost of ownership to be high, and don’t want to look like a weenie, either. I love the Ducati Monster series, but that is something I’d only get into as a second bike, and I am not sure that a Ducati of any sort would make financial sense, although I gather after about 2000 their reliability has taken an uptick, and they continue to work on extending the service intervals. I think I could learn to adjust the valves on my own — I used to own a ‘67 Beetle
I also like other “naked” or standard bikes from Triumph, and some from Harley Davidson. My car is a Honda, and I really appreciate it’s reliability and low cost of ownership, but don’t have an interest in sportbikes per se, and don’t get the emotional response from most of the Japanese standard/naked bikes I do with the others. So where do I begin? How much cash should I set aside for a first year of riding, and how long after that realistically would I wait before getting a big-ish bike? Being as how I intend to satisfy several requirements with a motorcycle I expect this to be a challenge, but is it realistic for someone in a metropolitan area like me to learn and feel comfortable riding on the beltway and back roads alike, and in a variety of weather, or is this something that will happen over some number of years before it makes sense? I don’t envision myself only riding in the summer on dry days. Should I abandoned these goals?
@Michael
Good questions. It sounds like you are methodically thinking through this process. Most won’t admit that ‘image’ is a factor in selecting a motorcycle. Fact is, Harley Davidson is in business today NOT because of performance or value, but instead because of marketing and ‘image’.
The Ducati has an image as well. I’m not saying this is good or bad. I wouldn’t mind having one or two in my garage. No, they don’t have the reliability of Honda, etc… but they have beautiful styling and good performance. Reliability wise… they probably don’t compare favorably to a good Japanese motorcycle. Your research is accurate.
I don’t recommend motorcycle ownership to save gas, or to save costs — over riding in a car. By my calculations, you won’t save much (if any), and every statistic I can find shows that riding on two wheels is riskier than riding in a box. It sounds like you understand this, and want to ride for the enjoyment and new dimension you will experience getting from point A to point B. Yes, that is the best reason to ride.
Re: Mitigating Risks. You are on target here. You CAN reduce your risks by taking an active role in improving your riding skills. Every time I ride I make a conscious decision to accept a bit more risk, for the pleasures riding brings.
Re: Riders Course: Absolutely! Take the beginning course. I promise you will not regret taking any motorcycle lessons. They are fun, and you WILL learn a great deal.
Re: Metropolitan Area. If you plan on riding in a metropolitan area, you might not need something very large. But, if you need to travel at interstate speeds, you will need something strong enough to keep up with traffic. Power doesn’t exactly correlate to engine size. A 600cc sportbike will carry you as fast as a bullet, yet a 750cc Honda cruiser will struggle at interstate speeds.
It sounds like you have a plan, and you are going through the process well. Don’t agonize about getting the ‘perfect’ motorcycle, because you won’t. Instead, focus on getting a used one (for less than $3,000) that will introduce you to the sport. You will either love it, or you will find that it wasn’t exactly what you thought it would be. Ride it for a year. If you love it, you will know so much more about what type motorcycle you want for bike #2.
Enjoy the ride… you will always remember your first motorcycle.
David
Great Site just started learning via Westside motorcycle academy cannot wait til I get my own bike and ride!
Thanks Damien.
Lots more to come here. Make sure to sign up for the Riding Tips Newsletter. I’ll let you know when the new site design is ready to roll out.
David