What advice would you give a new motorcycle buyer?

Question

I've been riding for a few years...I'm just curious because I get this question a lot from friends

my top answers...if you don't know that you can get seriously injured or killed then don't bother..if seeing a motorcycle accident scares the crap out of you then don't ride....

Answer 1

The advice I give new riders is to assume no one can see you, or even better that they are trying to run into you.
I still after 40 years ride as though I'm invisible.
But ,damn-it the cops can still see me!

Answer 2

I think your top answers are WRONG! If you think motorcycle riding is some daredevil, death-defying stunt - you should NOT be riding. I hope you are just posturing. Only a show-off and a fool would ride a bike if he believed it was going to cripple or kill him. A motorcycle accident sure as heck better scare the pants off of you! That rider made ONE mistake. He is severly injured or dead. Sure, the car was at fault. But he should have expected the car to not see him.
Best answer: (Several already gave.) Ride like every car is TRYING to kill you. When you approach a light where a car is turning left, you must KNOW he is going to wait until the perfect moment to turn in front of you. Cover the brake, downshift, wear a blaze orange helmet, buy a flashing headlight, and when you reach the point of no return (where you could never stop or turn away in time- give it a little gas and don't dally in his path. Stop at lights where you always have an escape route ready to get out of the way of the old lady sliding up your backside with two tons of Buick. Never sit in a car's blindspot for a second. Speed up or (if traffic prevents) back off and stay out of the "empty" blindspot space. Always ride with two fingers covering your front brake. Defensive (to a ridiculous degree) driving like that means you get to grow up to adulthood (where you realize death/crippling injuries really CAN happen to you and stupid risks are just that- stupid.) Riding a bike is not a macho stunt, immature showing off riding IS. Remember the old hackneyed expression, "There are old bike riders, there are bold bike riders, but there are no old bold bike riders."
Oh, one more: turn your handlebars at anything faster than a human runs and the bike goes which way? The opposite! Go ahead, push the bar and see. This is how motorcycles really turn. This is also why so many dead guys steered INTO the accident.
Okay, another: FRONT brakes stop you. Back brakes are only about 15% of your braking power. They help you stop straight.

Answer 3

Gear, gear and gear! People always ask me "don't you get hot wearing all the crap?" My answer is always the same - sweat washes off. Road rash doesn't.

I agree 100% with the comment about riding around with the attitude that nobody out there sees you. You really do need to ride like you are invisible. Anticipate everything, always have a path choosen for those "what-if" moments, and leave yourself lots of room around cagers.

Taking a MSF course is a must in my book. So much in fact I wish it was state law that you had to take one before even buying a bike.

Answer 4

All of the items you mention are good. You might mention that all motorcycle riding is a sport, and it involves a certain amount of danger. Some of the danger you can reduce by proper training, technique, clothing, preparation and planning.
Some of it you cannot anticipate. Riders are willing to accept those risks for the rewards associated with the sport.
Some people will ride like fools, and their probability of injury is great. You can never completely eliminate risk

Answer 5

Take a MSF Motorcycle safety Course for riding. Self taughts learn by accident. Then buy a good cheap bike, ride it for a year and sell it to another beginner for about the same money. Cruisers are more user and insurance friendly and don't come with the expensive and fragile plastic.

Answer 6

Slight distractions will kill you faster on a bike. Also, don't get into situations where you're unexpected (like passing at too high a speed -- they don't adjust their perspective, and may pull into the passing lane right in front of you).

Traffic kills a lot more riders than riding (control issues), but don't set yourself up for either one, by riding over your head (or out of your head!).

Answer 7

When your times up, it's up, doesn't matter if you are on a motorcycle or not. I tell everyone to take the riders course and get a bike that they feel comfortable on, not just the bike that will get the most looks.

Answer 8

Take a safety course, don't bite off more bike than you can chew (start small and slow), ride like everyone else on the road is trying to kill you, and wear all the protective gear you can put on your body.

Answer 9

Wear full gear, because you lose no matter what and the concrete is undefeated.

But always remember that the best piece of safety gear is between your ears!

Answer 10

take the motorcycle safety foundation beginner riders course.