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Noob Rider Mentality

jeremiahmoto

jeremiahmoto

New member
Joined
Apr 1, 2025
Location
Ventura
Moto(s)
2024 Suzuki GSX-8R
So I am the 24 year-old idiot who bought a 776-cc sport bike with no prior riding experience. Here are a few things I’ve learned from my first 1000 miles:

1. Regarding maintenance, having a mentor will save you immensely in time, money, and heartache.
I completely underestimated how in over my head I would be when it came to simple maintenance tasks as an automatic sedan-driving bubba. Thankfully, I am friends with an amazing mechanic who has been able to run me through the motions. Bike ownership is expensive as is, and I’d much rather pay $8 and a couple of beers for a brake fluid change instead of $270 in labor costs. Yay for friends.

2. Faster bikes make it easier to put yourself into uncomfortable situations.
Honestly my first thought jumping onto the 101 was “...maybe I should’ve practiced in the parking lot more before jumping into this mess,” which isn’t ideal. I’d imagine that lower displacement bikes provide a natural barrier to doing dumb stuff like that before you’ve increased your seat time and confidence in your skills.

3. Road awareness is key.
I've had the opportunity with my job to drive in different states around the country for a few years now. Every road and highway is different: how fast the flow of traffic is, merge/exit designs, stoplight timing, et cetera. If I didn’t have that experience before hopping on the bike, things could have been much worse for me. Lack of road awareness + Lack of riding experience is probably a deadly combo.

My mentality has absolutely flipped 180 from before I bought the bike until now, I’m not sure that I was getting into motorcycling for the right reasons (way too focused on looking cool, not focused enough on not crashing). Thankfully I think I’m getting to a point where I’m more comfortable, I’ve been really enjoying learning and improving, and am making better calls on what I can safely manage on the roads with my skill level. Here’s to many more miles, cheers.
 
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Nice summary. Glad you have some help on the maintenance and the idea to go get it yourself.
jeremiahmoto said:
So I am the 24 year-old idiot who bought a 776-cc sport bike with no prior riding experience. Here are a few things I’ve learned from my first 1000 miles:


My mentality has absolutely flipped 180 from before I bought the bike until now, I’m not sure that I was getting into motorcycling for the right reasons (way too focused on looking cool, not focused enough on not crashing). Thankfully I think I’m getting to a point where I’m more comfortable, I’ve been really enjoying learning and improving, and am making better calls on what I can safely manage on the roads with my skill level. Here’s to many more miles, cheers.
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Good on ya. Sounds like you are getting it :thumbup

Glad ya got some support on the maintenance side and desire to learn it.

Many smiles with your miles Jeremiah. :ride
 
Thanks for sharing your perspective. I actually relate to the maintenance thing quite a bit. It's a lot to learn for someone without a mechanical background. The rabbit holes you go down when you have to google every other word while learning about moto maintenance is intense. Now my search history is full of dumb questions like "what's a sprocket?" :laughing
 
kawakakana said:
Now my search history is full of dumb questions like "what's a sprocket?" :laughing
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:laughing

That is so cool yet at this point so foreign to this Lifer Motoman.

My last was how to change the battery in my Ducati key fob.
YouGube is an amazing resource for DIYers,
 
jeremiahmoto said:
So I am the 24 year-old idiot who bought a 776-cc sport bike with no prior riding experience. Here are a few things I’ve learned from my first 1000 miles:

1. Regarding maintenance, having a mentor will save you immensely in time, money, and heartache.
I completely underestimated how in over my head I would be when it came to simple maintenance tasks as an automatic sedan-driving bubba. Thankfully, I am friends with an amazing mechanic who has been able to run me through the motions. Bike ownership is expensive as is, and I’d much rather pay $8 and a couple of beers for a brake fluid change instead of $270 in labor costs. Yay for friends.

2. Faster bikes make it easier to put yourself into uncomfortable situations.
Honestly my first thought jumping onto the 101 was “...maybe I should’ve practiced in the parking lot more before jumping into this mess,” which isn’t ideal. I’d imagine that lower displacement bikes provide a natural barrier to doing dumb stuff like that before you’ve increased your seat time and confidence in your skills.

3. Road awareness is key.
I've had the opportunity with my job to drive in different states around the country for a few years now. Every road and highway is different: how fast the flow of traffic is, merge/exit designs, stoplight timing, et cetera. If I didn’t have that experience before hopping on the bike, things could have been much worse for me. Lack of road awareness + Lack of riding experience is probably a deadly combo.

My mentality has absolutely flipped 180 from before I bought the bike until now, I’m not sure that I was getting into motorcycling for the right reasons (way too focused on looking cool, not focused enough on not crashing). Thankfully I think I’m getting to a point where I’m more comfortable, I’ve been really enjoying learning and improving, and am making better calls on what I can safely manage on the roads with my skill level. Here’s to many more miles, cheers.
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:newbie

Do you have someone with more experience to ride with?

Consider reading this.

91bQbpyjAbL._SL1500_.jpg
 
This all checks out, I had no clue about motorcycle maintenance when I got my first bike, I had a friend who restored it for me, but he did the work and just told me what I needed and I supplied him with beer. Between this and other forums and riding buddies I slowly figured out how to do most things myself (still haven't done valves or belts on the Ducati though). You can find places like moto guild or the classes at City college to ramp up faster.

Fast bikes are fast, no question, my lizard brain generally keeps me from getting into trouble, but I did have a bad clutch release in my first week in the street that almost resulted in me and the bike parting company.

Also good to not that early confidence causes crashes. I was having a bit too much fun four years into riding or so and wasn't paying attention to what I was doing close enough, I overlapped throttle and front brake and almost went off the road before realizing the problem amd pulling the clutch in. The resulting stoppie was probably pretty cool.

I still have to mentally slap myself from time to time to pay attention on long rides. Between years of cycling on the street and riding I like to think I have a good sense of what a car is going to do, but that only works if I'm paying attention and not thinking about where I'm stopping for lunch
 
I guess I was lucky when I first started riding. By that time I’d already built two engines, a modified flathead Ford for my ‘49 Ford and a highly modded, race prepped Porsche to run in my ‘73 VW bus.

Plus all kinds of other mechanical experience.
 
Here in merica we claim 650-900 are for beginners! (pretty stupid) though any sense of self control is of no issue. I started on a MT07 long ago which has been known to loop low sensibility noobs.
Welcome aboard, could always have more riders out. Ideally we should be like Taiwan or Japan! Hordes of people on 2 wheels and small vehicles/kei cars
 
Invest in a decent set of hand tools- Metric sockets + rachet set, wrenches, allens, star bits, a decent rubber mallet, hammer, cheap multimeter, pliers and a torque wrench.

They will last you a lifetime and you can do most of maintenance yourself.
 
. . . . and for balance (see the pun?) read Robert Pirsig's "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance".

Not about wrenching, is about perspective. The library will send it out for free.
 
I still find myself losing attention and going into corners too fast from time to time. That's my biggie.
 
senpai71 said:
I still find myself losing attention and going into corners too fast from time to time. That's my biggie.
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Happens once in blue moon to me too. Just lean and don't freak and the ride continues. :teeth
 
Long time ago someone told me to remember that the bike almost always has more lean than id think and in cases when the corner is tighter than anticipated to remember to press harder on the inside grip, it's saved me a few times, as has getting comfortable with trail braking and realizing how much I can actually brake in a corner as long as I don't surprise the tire
 
larry kahn said:
Are you riding with any electronic distractions?
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Sometimes. But mainly it's just that I'm tired or misjudge the sharpness of a corner.

After many years, I'm better about just keeping the power on, leaning/countersteering more and trusting my tires.
 
I'm no n00b.
I've been riding non-stop since I was 15 (I'm 63 now), but...
It rarely happens, but I'd be lying if I said I've never "overcooked" a corner.
 
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