It's a balance thing, too, right?
2007-06-21 12:33:35 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Motorcycles
Nahhh... i don't think so. I find the only time that you need to use a great deal of balance is when the motorbike is at slow speeds and your trying to manoeuvre it through traffic. The difficulty in riding a bicycle is starting and controlling you momentum at low speeds. This is difficult because you are trying to pedal the bike and stay balanced in one movement.
A motorbike is far more stable at high speeds because the wheels act as gyroscopes and keeps you upright. IE If you get a bicylce wheel and spine it while holding the axle, it becomes very hard to tilt over and wants to stay on its vertical axis. So once you get going at speeds, balance is no longer an issue. And cornering is upto the riders confidence. If you steer the bike heaverly by its handle bars you'll have problems. Just tilt the bike into the corner and it will do the rest ;-)
If you have good throttle control and are confident of your skills, i can't see why you couldn't give a moto a go.
Good Luck!
2007-06-21 15:20:11 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes they do, I took the motorcycle safety class last month and the teacher said that only once they sent someone home because he could not keep the motorcycle up, he kept falling over. When they said "don't you remember how to balance from riding a bicycle" it turned out he had never learned to ride a bicycle...
For learning to balance, to steer in slow driving, and to lean in curves, you should definitely learn to control a bicycle before a motorcycle - it could save you from a lot of pain and embarassement.
There are plenty of people that have one or more bicycles collecting dust in their garages, just ask around and I bet you will find someone who would be happy to lend you their bicycle for free. Find a big empty parking lot (for instance, school lot in weekend or late afternoon/night) to practice. Have someone else there too, for in case you hurt yourself. Good luck and I hope you will learn fast and have fun !
2007-06-21 16:59:02 · answer #2 · answered by lily_21113 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It would be a good idea,however, I learned to ride a motorcycle at the age of 4 and I had never ridden a bicycle. I ended up a pro motocross racer. If your grown though I would get used to the balance on your bicycle as there is less chance of injury.
2007-06-22 05:24:41 · answer #3 · answered by Jason 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bicycles and motorcycles share nothing in common other than having 2 wheels. The handling techniques, physics, weight, and speed make them two completely different experiences. So, don't worry about it and go learn to ride a motorcycle!
Note: some of the survival techniques you would have learned riding a bicycle on the road in traffic would be applicable to motorcycles. But in a good course, like the MSF, they will teach you these techniques in addition to basic operation and riding of the bike itself.
2007-06-22 10:55:24 · answer #4 · answered by cmice 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
NO.. you do not have to be able to ride a bicycle, but it would help...
I taught a girl to ride a motor bike who couldnt ride a bicycle...
once she could ride the motor bike.. riding the bicycle was easy for her( go figure)...
the problem she had was the concept that a bike( bi or motor) steers opposite to what people expect..
if the bike starts to fall to the right you must turn the handlebars to the right to make it stand back up..(people tend to turn away from the direction they are falling)
once you understand this & can grasp the way the bike steers its easy because the gyroscopic affect of the wheels stop it falling over... (if you fall of a bike it will often keep going on its own).. try pushing a bicycle in a straight line down the road & letting go of it... the bike keeps going untill it hits something or slows down enough for the weight of the bike to overcome the gyroscopic effect...
2007-06-21 12:59:23 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Learning the basics of balance is much easier on a bicycle then a 300+ pound motorcycle. It is also less painful if you screw up.
2007-06-21 13:05:34 · answer #6 · answered by csburridge 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nope. I never learned to ride a bicycle, but I've been riding bikes for 32 years.
2007-06-21 21:54:47 · answer #7 · answered by strech 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think so. A bicycle will get you ready to drive a motorcycle.
2007-06-21 12:40:14 · answer #8 · answered by peanutbuterjellytime 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
no just full throttle dump clutch hang on never mind the brakes
2007-06-21 16:18:52 · answer #9 · answered by Nightrain 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
umm yeah. it helps to be agile, mentally alert and physically capable, have quick reflexes but not overreact.
2007-06-21 13:43:27 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋