After the BRC: Motorcycle Basics

Published by: 2Wheeltips on 16th Jul 2010 | View all blogs by 2Wheeltips

If you want to have a chance of becoming a good biker, you need to start with the type of bike you are on. Remember: it’s your FIRST bike and you are a NOVICE. You don’t have the skills yet to handle high end motorcycles.....yet. Just like your first car, it wasn’t the biggest baddest machine in the dealership so why should your first bike be? Here are some common mistakes you need to avoid:

Don’t get the biggest or baddest thing out there. It’s a very common mistake. If you do, this is what usually happens:

It’s too heavy for you and you drop it constantly, causing hundreds if not thousands of dollars in damage.
The power of the bike intimidates and scares you. You finally decide it is not for you because there is no way you can tame all that power. This usually happens when you release the clutch too quickly and the bike either pops a wheelie or lunges violently forward. Most of the time, these bikes are back on the market in under 4 months.
You get into an accident and get hurt. You break your foot, leg or collarbone. If it’s really bad, you may lose part of a leg, arm or hand. if you didn’t have on protective clothing, you need skin grafts and are permanently scarred. Everyone tells you that motorcycles are dangerous and you are going to kill yourself. You decide that it isn’t for you and give up. The bike gets sold (if it wasn’t totaled in the accident) usually for a big loss.

You manage to hang on but you are not really having a good time. How can you when you are trying to manage something that is outside your abilities? You don’t look forward to riding and the bike sits in your garage most days. Down the road, the bike gets sold, again usually for a big loss.

Your first bike should be something you can ride, have fun on, and use to improve your skills without intimidating you. This will not be a 2000 cc custom chopper, 1000 cc sportbike or a 800lb cruiser. It will not. So get over it.

It will probably be a 250cc - 750cc cruiser, or a 250cc - 500cc sport bike or a 400cc - 600cc standard motorcycle. Many newbies get on big bikes and crash them in the dealership parking lot....they don’t even make it to the street.

You will keep your first bike between 6 - 18 months before you are ready to move on. You can always sell it to another new rider.

Make sure the bike fits!! Now that you know not to get the biggest thing in the dealer, you need to make sure the one you get fits you. Here are some basics:

Make sure you can put your feet flat on the ground with a few inches of bend in your knees. If you are on a bike where you can barely put your feet on the ground, that is not good!! Why? Because not all real roads are level or smooth; that only happens in the BRC.

You will come to a stop on roads where one side is higher than the other. If you can not put your feet down flat to stabilize the bike, it WILL tip over and you WILL drop it. Also, you WILL come to intersections where there will be oil, sand, rocks or other slippery stuff on the ground. WHEN your foot slips you need to have enough leverage to keep your bike up. Also when parking and maneuvering your bike, how can you move it if you can't get your feet on the ground?
Make sure you can comfortably reach and operate all of the controls within a comfortable riding position. No way you can improve your skills if you can’t get to the controls!!
Make sure all the controls are adjusted to fit you before you leave the dealership. That includes the right foot brake, the left foot shift lever, the right hand brake, the left hand clutch lever, and the handlebars. The dealer should do this for you.
Make sure the bike is not too heavy! Even if you go with a small engine, you still need to have the strength to manage the bike. You need to do this to park it, turn it around and maneuver it. If you can’t get if off the side stand, you are headed for trouble down the road. You should either find a bike you can handle OR hit the gym to increase your strength.
You need to be comfortable on the bike. If the seating position is bad, or you feel cramped into a small space, maybe it’s not the bike for you. Likewise, if you feel stretched out or your body position doesn’t feel right, again....it may not be for the bike for you.