Is it hard to learn to ride a motorcycle?

Question

I would like to know if it is hard to ride a motorcycle. And shortly after you learn is it ok to get a powerful bike such as the 06' Ninja ZX 14? Or does it not matter how strong the bike is as long as you know how to ride it?

Answer 1

It is not hard to ride once you get your confidence up. You need to watch out for false confidence or thinking that you are a better driver then what you really are. You can usually get very comfortable riding after about 3 or 4 hours. I would recommend taking a class. Always remember to be aware of your environment. Road conditions, traffic, and the clueless driver that is busy talking on the cell phone and will cut you off or cause you to crash. I would not recommend starting off with with one of the most powerful bikes out there. It’s like would you give a Dodge Viper to a 16 year old who just passed his drivers test. If you make to your first bike you stand a very good chance of hurting or killing yourself. Start off with a used Buell Bast. It is very easy to ride and is about 500cc. Ride it for 6mounth to a year and then sell it and get the ZX 14 which is an amazing bike but way to much of a bike to start off on. ZX14 has so much power that it will mess up a newbie. I spend a lot of time at my dealer and they sold 4 of them this year. 1 to and experienced drive and 3 to guys with less then 1 month experience. 1 is dead. 1 tried top pop a wheel in the first hour of having it and totaled it and broke his leg and arm. The 3rd one decided to brush up his skills on a smaller bike after almost launching it into the back of a car. From personal experience I have found that the insurance is really high and you tend to get tickets. I'm 30 and when I went to price out insurance the cheapest quote for full coverage was $3800 a year with $1000 deductable and I have no points in the last 5 years.

Answer 2

Same question, same answer.

It's not hard to learn how to ride one, but it takes YEARS of practice to do it well. If you think you can handle rush hour traffic right after you learn the shift pattern, you're an accident in the making.

Like most people, you don't seem to understand the power-to-weight ratio that motorcycles have. Just because a 1000cc sportbike has half the engine that your 2.0L Civic does, remember that it still weighs about 1/5 of the Honda and puts out similar horsepower.

This means that a big bike will transport you way outside the limits of your ability faster than you can comprehend. The human brain is not wired to process information at speed, and new riders tend to "freeze" mentally when faced with an obstacle.

Take an MSF course and learn to ride correctly, then practice on a used bike that you can (and will) drop a few times. You want your first bike, not your last, so take this seriously.

Or go buy a ZX-14 and play Zip & Splat all you like. It's your life and your choice.

Answer 3

Most people think that motorcycles are tippy, they aren't unless you're going reeeeaaally slow. However as all the qualified folks on here have said, it takes years to be good at riding a bike. I'll agree with others here and say buy a SV650 or the like, and get some track time in. You'll probably need at least 30K miles to be a good rider and ready for a bike like the ZX14, and you'll still get better over time pretty much forever. The 650s will be more than fast enough, faster than anything you've ever driven unless you happen to have a 911 or the like. Dirt bike experience is excellent as well, and while I think the quality of MSF classes have declined, they're still worth the time and effort.
Wear protective gear every time you ride, a full face helmet, and jacket and pants with armor in elbows, knees, back etc. A one piece suit is even better. Practice emergency braking and evasive maneuvers. I've ridden about 800K miles and still went down in some fresh oil last summer (no signs on the road after a fresh application of oil!) and broke my arm. You will go down, the question is will you be well equiped for it.

Answer 4

It isn't hard to learn how to physically control a motorcycle - it is more of a challenge to learn to be aware of your surroundings and avoid bad drivers doing stupid things. The mental aspect of riding is what seperates good riders from organ donors. While the fundamentals of riding a high powered motorcycle are the same as any other, you have to have much more finesse. If you get too aggressive with the throttle of a ZX 14 your rear wheel will slip very easily or your front wheel will lift. There is very little room for error with a powerful bike.

Answer 5

Your going to want to start out with a bike a little more fogiving than a 1400cc Ninja. Find yourself a nice used 650 Honda GT or even a late model Suzuki SV650. Both are well more than a beginner will be able to use and will remain rideable for your first few years of learning. (fun little track tools too!)

As others suggested get yourself enrolled in a Beginners riders course asap after gettiing your bike.

Actually learning to ride a bike and use the controls isnt very hard. If you have driven a manual transmission car, in theory you know what everything does... just need to program yourself to do it.

As far as the ZX14 goes... its a rocket made for straight line performance. Find someone you know and trust who rides and get the right bike for your intended use...

Riding on the street is inheritantly dangerous... always wear proper gear and ride responsibly! If you want to get crazy... go do a track day at your local track and see what riding one of these things at speed is all about.

Word of caution... track riding is extremely fun and addicting!

Answer 6

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Is it hard to learn to ride a motorcycle?
I would like to know if it is hard to ride a motorcycle. And shortly after you learn is it ok to get a powerful bike such as the 06' Ninja ZX 14? Or does it not matter how strong the bike is as long as you know how to ride it?

Answer 7

honestly if you've NEVER been on a bike before a 600 might be a bit too much. get a 250 or 300 (ninjas are great to learn on) then work your way up cause if you go onto a 600 and give it a bit too much and pop the clutch u will end up on your ***... a 600 is still NO JOKE. the 636 ninja can do a quarter mile in just over 10 secs and do 0-60 mph in just 3.1 seconds... id recommend a 250R or 300 to start.... and yes take a motorcycle course they are a HUGE help and some insurance companies (state farm) will give you a discount if you can prove you've passed the course!

Answer 8

Riding a motorcycle is a lifelong learning process. One of the best places to start is taking the MSF Basic Rider Course. The BRC provides tne foundational skills a new rider needs to practice and develop the mental and motor skills iimportant for managing risk and safe street operation. Regardless of what type of motorcycle a novice rider purchases, the important thing to remember is to take time to develop control skills , practice in a non threatening environment, such as a empty parking lot. Operate the motorcycle at your skills level, as a beginner ride like a beginner, nice and easy. Give yourself a lifetime to learn or you may lose your life.

Answer 9

I learned to ride on a Honda Rebel 250. I was an "expert" after half a day. I bought a Kawasaki 454 a month later. I almost killed myself the first time I twisted the throttle on that 454. I headed straight for a parked car, with a death grip on the handles. Thankfully, I had room to turn. The power and torque differences between motorcycles is shocking. Learning to ride is relatively simple. Learning caution and respecting the machine is the hardest thing. You just have to respect the power that those engines can produce.

Answer 10

I am in the process of teaching my nephew how to drive stick and after watching him stare at his right hand on the shifter while moving down the road I want to add this-if you have never ridden before it will help you a lot to learn how to drive a stick shift car before you get on a bike. You don't need to know how a clutch works, but you should be very proficient with the principles of starting, shifting up and down, and stopping with a clutch. If you aren't you can easily pop the bike out from under you or stall it out suddenly.

Dirtbikes are generally narrower and lighter and run on potentially softer dirt, but they are also taller and maybe more difficult to prevent tipovers than a lower street bike. Despite what some other have said, you will kill yourself if your first bike is a ZX 14. Within a week.