Getting Motorcycle License, tips?

[jeff061]

I've never ridden a bike, not once. But the desire to get one has been at a low simmer in my head for a couple years now, I had a what the hell moment and decided to go for it.

From what I've read I can get a permit once I've passed a written test, which I'll try to do this week. Then in two weeks there's a two day bike course that covers riding and the licensing all in one, RMV accepts it as a road test. So theoretically I'll be licensed by the end of July.

Any obvious advice for first time riders? What type of a bike should I be looking at? I'm going the sporty route. I have a friend who's been in love with his gxr1000(maybe a 750, I forget) for years now, but I'm thinking I probably ought to not start out the gate with that.

I currently have a beater wrangler and a Mustang. I'm thinking of trading in the Mustang and getting a winter capable car and making the bike my new "fun" vehicle. Is it possible and/or wise to get like a 1 or 2 year lease on a lesser powered bike then move onto something a little more ballsy afterwards?

Or should I just keep my irresponsible self in something less prone to kill me...

[tarcone]

Wear a helmet

[jeff061]

Yes, never considered otherwise. Going to get a protective jacket of some sort too.

[Marc Vaughan]

Always wear a helmet, protective jacket, decent boots AND reinforced jeans when on a bike.

It scares me how many people in Florida ride about with no proper protection at all - as someone who rode lots of bikes as a teenager and came off a few times I can attest to the value of protective clothing .... and trust me I once was silly enough to wear jogging bottoms underneath jeans because it was cold, came off going around a tight corner and ended up sliding down the road, scapes and bruises nothing too serious ..... but when I get home I realise the jogging bottoms have MELTED into my kneecap where the friction burnt them off me, now ripping them out of my skin was not pleasant (although my sister who was kind enough to do it seemed to enjoy it ).

I've been considering getting a bike for the first time in years here, but the problem is its too hot too much of the year to use it and I simply won't ride unless I've protection (apart from not wanting to live life out crippled its a bad message to give my kids imho).

Finally if you're after a 'fun' bike and not sold into the whole Harley thing (which I really don't 'get' they're awful bikes to ride imho) then I'd recommend a SuperMoto bike - they're basically a cross between a moto-x bike and a sports bike. They handle nicely and you sit high up so you have good visibility in traffic (although as usual with any riding position like theirs they're awful long distance).

Something like:
Supermoto Bikes

[SegRat]

If you want a sport bike, check with your insurance company to make sure they cover it. I know mine doesn't. For your first bike I would look at a 600cc bike. That has probably more power than you need for a first bike. When you are riding, make sure you are defensive, you wouldnt believe how many people do not see cycles on the road. I usually had a half dozen or more close calls on the road in a year, because people do not pay attention like they should.

[Karlifornia]

Here's my motorcycle tip:

Make the exhaust on your bike as loud as humanly possible, and have a stereo system installed on the bike, so you can turn up your music just as loud as your exhaust. Then make sure to drive down my street frequently.

[stevew]

when did you become an old man Karl?

[stevew]

dola-

I'd probably just check on Craigslist for a starter bike. Someone else that thought it was an awesome idea, and then realized it wasn't what they thought it was.

[stevew]

tri dola-

Ever since they passed the non-helmet law, I get to see the faces of the assholes riding their big huge loud bikes down the road.

I'm so glad our local park kicked the Bikes out a few years back.

[Karlifornia]

Originally Posted by stevew

when did you become an old man Karl?

According to that fuckin test we all took, about 3 years ago.

[miked]

Hmmm...make sure you have your organ donor card filled out correctly. At Grady, we call them donorcycles.

Seriously, be careful. There's a reason motorcycle insurance is cheap, they know a good a chunk of the time they won't have to pay.

[Bad-example]

Originally Posted by miked

Hmmm...make sure you have your organ donor card filled out correctly. At Grady, we call them donorcycles.

*My new spleen came from a guy that liked to ride motorcycles. Vrooom vrooom!*

Yeah, don't forget to do a will and living trust as well. Darwincycles ftw.

[MizzouRah]

If you want a sport bike, start with a 600.. even a 500.. both would be plenty to start out and get you acclimated to riding a bike.

Helmet for sure, jacket, and always wear jeans and boots.

I would also take a motorcycle saftey foundation rider course, there should be a place to attend one around your area.

Be careful, always be aware of your surroundings!

[jeff061]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

If you want a sport bike, start with a 600.. even a 500.. both would be plenty to start out and get you acclimated to riding a bike.

Helmet for sure, jacket, and always wear jeans and boots.

I would also take a motorcycle saftey foundation rider course, there should be a place to attend one around your area.

Be careful, always be aware of your surroundings!

Good advice, kind of thing I was looking for. Specifically on the bikes, I'm not terribly knowledgeable.

I'm most likely taking this course: Training Wheels Motorcycle Rider Education in Metro West - Boston - Southeastern MA - Cape Cod

It's less than a mile from me, seems to be what I'm looking for and grants you your license if you already have a permit(which requires passing the written test).

[Sweed]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

If you want a sport bike, start with a 600.. even a 500.. both would be plenty to start out and get you acclimated to riding a bike.

Helmet for sure, jacket, and always wear jeans and boots.

I would also take a motorcycle saftey foundation rider course, there should be a place to attend one around your area.

Be careful, always be aware of your surroundings!

Good advice all the way around since you're just starting.

Originally Posted by SegRat

When you are riding, make sure you are defensive, you wouldnt believe how many people do not see cycles on the road. I usually had a half dozen or more close calls on the road in a year, because people do not pay attention like they should.

Amen, and the main reason I don't have the desire to ever buy another bike.
I used to laugh at parents that worried about their kids on motorcycles now at my age I'm glad my son never developed an interest.

[jeff061]

It's funny. I was reading the MA RMV booklet for motorcycles. It's pretty much 70 pages explaining how everyone on the road is an idiot, so be careful of them. It's defintely far heavier on defensive driving than anything else.

I used to laugh at parents that worried about their kids on motorcycles now at my age I'm glad my son never developed an interest.

My mom told me not long ago she was glad I never developed an interest. Yeah, I'm probably not going to be telling her .

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by jeff061

It's funny. I was reading the MA RMV booklet for motorcycles. It's pretty much 70 pages explaining how everyone on the road is an idiot, so be careful of them. It's defintely far heavier on defensive driving than anything else.

This was going to be my next post - on a motorbike you HAVE to drive defensively because you're small and manouverable car drivers will fail to notice you from time to time (simply put you fit into the blind side in their mirror much more easily than the average SUV does).

In 'general' expect people in expensive cars (BMW's and Mercs) and those known to be good in crashes (ie. Volvo's*) to be the ones most likely to cut you up ....

*There's a UK biker comic strip set in 'planet Ovlov'; Ovlov being the letters stamped in your body by a Volvo as it crushes you ....

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by jeff061

Good advice, kind of thing I was looking for. Specifically on the bikes, I'm not terribly knowledgeable.

I'm most likely taking this course: Training Wheels Motorcycle Rider Education in Metro West - Boston - Southeastern MA - Cape Cod

It's less than a mile from me, seems to be what I'm looking for and grants you your license if you already have a permit(which requires passing the written test).

I went with a 600 over a 500 for my first bike, just because it was more sporty looking Loved my Yamaha R6 and now I've graduated to an R1.. my buddy has a Suzuki GS 500F and loves it though.

[Rich1033]

Yea, check with your insurance before you buy anything. I was looking at a semi-new R6 or gxr600 last year as my first bike, I couldnt believe what I was being quoted at. The thing is, your first year of insurance on a bike will be a bitch and then it will go down a good bit each year. So the bigger and newer the bike, the bigger the hit your wallet will take to start off.

What I did was drop down to an '08 sv650s. It has full fairings and a 645cc 4 stroke engine instead of the inline4 on the true sportbikes. Less HP so it tops out at about 135mph or so(good enough for me), but still has the sporty look, very good pickup and handles great. The insurance was more than 40% less than the R6 for the first year. It then fell another 30% at the start of the second year. Thats was for a 26yo male with a good driving record.


Anyway, my advice would be not to go overboard and start out with anything too valuable/fancy. There is a good chance it will be layed down(even if its just in the driveway/garage) during your first year anyway. Bikes retain their value pretty well, you can easily upgrade after your first year if you really enjoy it and want more.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

As a person who has a family member who received two transplants from two different motorcycle riders, please make sure to fill out the donor information on the back of the card before your first ride.

[jeff061]

I've been an organ donor since I was a teenager. Though I do enjoy people licking their chops over my organs after I announce my intentions to climb on a bike .

I think my financial goal for my first bike is to keep it under 3k, then re-evaluate in a year or two. I like the suggestions, sounds like I should be looking at a 600cc, possibly 500, then?

Thanks guys.

[MizzouRah]

Yes...

If you can wait until Fall/Winter.. you'll get a much better deal.

[Rich1033]

Well if you want to help your insurance you will look away from the inline4 cylinder engines(gxr, r6/1, cbr). Like I said, call for a quote before you get your heart set on one bike. Its a big help to know what ballpark you are gonna be in. But yea, if you must have one look no higher than 600cc. Get a 500cc if you can find one you like. Also, I strongly urge you to take the class you referred to in your first post before you do much on your own bike. Or if you have a friend with an old beater, that works as well. Its much better to learn on their bikes and not damage your new purchase.

[jeff061]

Will definitely look into that. I like the look of the 650s, just not sure whether or not I want to get used to the more upright style.

Looking over prices briefly on Craigslist, not even insurance at this point, the 650s and R6 seem to be far more affordable than a GXR-600. So those two are really on my radar.

Also I'm not spending a dime on this before taking the course, other than permit and class fees. So I won't be riding.

[jeff061]

Another factoid I should have mentioned that I forgot to for some reason.

I'm a bit taller than 6'3". Which I'm told will limit my options. Which sucks.

[MizzouRah]

haha.. I'm 6'1" and at times, have to stretch my legs on long rides.. but I'll be dammed if I ride a nice comfortable upright!

[jeff061]

In case anyone's curious. Got my license and ended up buying a 2002 Yamaha YZF 600 in good condition with 12,500 miles for 3k. I started out looking at the sv650s(friend of mine highly recommended it as well), but ended up widening my range to any 600cc bike that seemed in good shape and was in my price range. I really wanted to get a bike ASAP this season to get experience on.

After all the talk I've seen about 600cc being close to or too much for a new rider I've found it surprisingly easy to control. Really wonder now what a 750/1000 handles like. Maybe I'll up it next year.

Also, it's very comfortable, my height is not an issue. Sat on a honda cbr 600, that thing was dreamy comfortable, but the only one I found for sale was beat to hell and stunted. But I'm going to take a serious look at a Honda next time.

[Maple Leafs]

Watch what Ben Roethlisberger does. Do the opposite.

(This works for picking up girlsat a hotel too, by the way.)

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Watch what Ben Roethlisberger does. Do the opposite.

(This works for picking up girlsat a hotel too, by the way.)

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by jeff061

Another factoid I should have mentioned that I forgot to for some reason.

I'm a bit taller than 6'3". Which I'm told will limit my options. Which sucks.

I'm 6'6'' and stuck largely to supermoto bikes because of it (they're BIG, handle easily, wheelie nicely (if you like that sort of thing) and are commonly used as getaway vehicles in Italian bank raids apparently ....) ...