Thoughts from a newbie

[Pushrod]

Can't add much except. . . build muscle memory.

Bicycling will do it, dirt bikes also, the trick is the hours on two wheels. Your body will develop coping reactions to repeated stimulation that don't require brain input to enact.

Bicycling kept my RT's alive when I couldn't moto.

 

[riskybug]

Hmm... that actually sounds like a really good plan! I can use a cheap pedal-powered bicycle in the meanwhile to practice my balance, techniques, and establish the habit of practicing in parking lots! Last week after running some more numbers, I started budgeting more consciously. If I already have the habit in practice, when I have the purchasing power for a motorcycle, then... all I need to do is swap the bikes and learn the differences from there!

Seat time is seat time!

Can't add much except. . . build muscle memory.

Bicycling will do it, dirt bikes also, the trick is the hours on two wheels. Your body will develop coping reactions to repeated stimulation that don't require brain input to enact.

Bicycling kept my RT's alive when I couldn't moto.

 

[riskybug]

More thoughts!

It's been strictly 16 days since I started looking into motorcycling, and it's changed a lot of my life. Even without riding yet, I feel like a motorcylist.

Though, somehow, in a sense, I've lost what I wanted initially by fighting for it.

I admit, a lot of the initial appeal for me was that I wanted to be seen as cool and attractive to others. But, somehow now, I've lost a big portion that desire. Sure, I think I'll still love putting on helmets and boots and hopping on a slick looking bike, but... the bigger reason I'll wear the gear is more because I need to now, for safety. I'll wear ugly gear and ride an ugly looking bike if it means I wear gear at all, or ride at all. I want to ride because I want to ride, for myself!

Time has become really precious to me. Every moment I spend doing nonsense is another moment I could've been practicing cornering. Every half an hour I sleep in on a slow Sunday is another half an hour I could've been reading about how to handle steering in atypical weather conditions. I fix my daily routines as much as I can every day, so I can be full of energy when I wake up, as if I'd want to actually ride that day.

My perception of safety and risk has been completely overturned. Actually, 4 months ago, there was an insane car crash at a concert I attended where the car's license plate ended up flying off. I jokingly posed with my friends with that license plate as if it was the Barbie movie.

I look back and feel a bit bitter about that. I really just... didn't know better.

And in monetary budgeting for everything in the short term (and consequently long term), I've become so keen on every unnecessary purchase. Especially since I have to decide what I can and can't get away with (namely gear, and in a sense, how much I value my life's safety in dollars).

When I learned that some fear is good, I came to realise the true danger is when I become bored.


Every day, every hours, every decision, I ask,

Is this a vote for me to be a good motorcyclist?

And even acknowledging the fact that one day I will perhaps lose that identity, I still go on to say things like:
"I'm being extra safe, because I ride motorcycles"
"I hate walking and texting because it takes too much of my attention, and I always end up tripping on a raised sidewalk tile. Imagine if that was a road surface hazard on a freeway."
"If I take up this club where we just sit and watch movies, the hours I spend are hours I can't be in parking lots. Hours I can't be learning what ABS does, hours that I work towards sitting on a bike."

Even just general advice for life, I can't help but look at it from the contexts of motorcycling I learned it under! Expect only yourself to do the right thing, get your advice from multiple people, hang out with the right group of people, etc. Ahh, maybe this is just "new riders jitters" or something.

God, I just feel that motorcycling, something because of its high cost of risks, price, time -- it feels like I get accelerated to go and fix up these parts of my life so I can become am a good rider.

Somehow, this "idea of motorcycling" is growing like a hurricane. I almost feel this hunch that the real thing won't match up to my idea of it, and I'm okay with that. I really think I'll be okay.

But hey, like the next close call, we never know. And in any case, I certainly don't regret this journey!

 

[riskybug]

Oh, also my MSF is in 2 weeks, and I'm excited as hell for it! I bet I could probably contest for dropping the bike the most.

 

[GPzPop]

Either way, take the Motorcycle Safety Course which gets you a learners permit.

You might hate it and thus answer your question early.

On the other hand.....

and typically the beginner motorcycle course at any CMSP provider loans you a bike for the class. small dispacement, easy to learn on variety of bikes. pick your favorite stylee.

a good persentage of class participants may not actually go on to buy a bike

but those that do ... I have been riding for 40+ years.

kinda like a drug pusher : "first one's free"

 

[GPzPop]

Oh, also my MSF is in 2 weeks, and I'm excited as hell for it! I bet I could probably contest for dropping the bike the most.

which school / location, may I ask?

 

[GAJ]

Oh, also my MSF is in 2 weeks, and I'm excited as hell for it! I bet I could probably contest for dropping the bike the most.

PM me your address and I will send you this.

A rider I mentored just returned it.

About the best book out there for you.

 

[motoproponent]

My wife studied a lot before and after her MSF. Proficient Motorcycling, Twist of the Wrist 1 and 2 by Keith Code.
She's way better at living successfully with a motorcycle than I am. I may be faster, and possibly happier when im riding than she is, but she is a lot better at applying the value of the increased practicality of motorcycle travel than I am.

Classes and drills are the most bang for your buck at having a "Fast Bike" compared to any engine, exhaust, or suspension mod. A trained and practiced rider will be faster and safer on a Ninja 300 than a knob on a turbo gixxer.

For gear, especially your first set, pants jackets and boots etc. are fine second hand. Check out Moto Guild. They may have used gear that is donated to get you started. But always, 100% of the time, buy a helmet new. Now matter how good the deal is, or how good it looks, never buy a second hand helmet. Also any DOT, ECE rated helmet will keep your brains inside your skull as well as any other DOT or ECE rated helmet. The difference between a $200 and a $700 helmet is the comfort and features. Does it have an antimicrobial liner that you can remove and wash? It is pinlock compatible? How good is the ventilation? How heavy is it? Do you need tools to change the visor? ...shit like that. I wear my helmet for 8 or 10 hours a day when I'm on a road trip, sometimes even more. Comfort features are important to me so I have more premium shit.

You're still figuring out if this is really something your going to be into. Dont blow your whole bankroll getting the most expensive gear you can afford trying to buy a greater level of protection. Gear that you may take a bath on later if you find riding is not for you.

 

[tzrider]

A thought on gear if you can’t do AGATT yet is that some items are more important than others. My own order of priority is:

1. Helmet
2. Gloves (you make your living with your hands)
3. Boots
4. Jacket
5. Pants

Numbers 3 and 4 might be debatable, but I rank boots ahead of jacket because if I protect my feet and ankles, I’m more likely to preserve my mobility.

All this said, you’re much better off with full gear. For MSF, look into their requirements, which will probably include everything but pants.

 

[two wheel tramp]

I've never done this before, but... gotta have a first for everything.


Hi, whoever's reading this! How's it going?

I'm a 23-year old art student who's fighting back his fears. I've always wanted to ride a motorcycle since I was little, but... I was scared because it's dangerous.

In a pursuit to try to not be scared of life, I've been pushing myself to talk to at least 2 strangers a day. One week ago, I mustered up all my courage and approached someone carrying a motorcycle helmet. I remember asking him, "Isn't it dangerous?"
He replied back calmly, "What isn't?". It set off something in me.

I've been fervent and diligent in doing what research I could -- a combination of both written posts and videos on whatever I can find -- safety, training, reviews on crashes, cornering, proper gear, and so forth. I set an artificial deadline of the end of the month to decide if I would try to get a motorcycle license or not. It's a lot to learn... but I'm not deterred! It felt addicting to find out more and more, curious questions bloomed into curious questions. I'm not a fan of reading, but I hear David Hough and Lee Parks have good books too...

In my pursuit of knowledge, it certainly wasn't the first time hearing about riders passing away, but seeing this specific photo made me pause.
View attachment 564892
To imagine that all would be left of me could be "a wrapper from a defibrillation system and some flowers". I think I understand this doesn't have to be me, but for me to choose to ride, I have to be able to accept this inherent risk. I repeated to myself "there's nothing wrong if you can't handle it."

I don't think I could swallow that yet. It takes time. I'm still workin' on it now!

Ah...

I have a gym bud I go with 6 days a week. When I told him about my ideas of riding, he understandably didn't agree, but did his best to try to support me. He urged me to learn to drive a car instead. I later realised that I wanted to get my motorcycle license to ride a motorcycle. Not because I needed a faster method of transportation than riding the bus everywhere.

I checked out the MSF course near me, I began filling out the form to join a class tentatively. Later in the form, it asks for my driver's license number. And, well, you see, I don't have one. And, well, even if I could get an M1 license without my DL, it made me hesitate again.

I reasoned it wouldn't be a bad idea to get my driver's license first. So I could be more familiar with driving on the roads, with traffic in my city, with how (some) drivers think. Even if I got my M1, I put onto myself to get my DL anyway, for these exact reasons. So... even if the order is flipped now, it's still fine, I think. The process to get a DL can take a while, and time would give me cushioning to tame and practice my mindset, make biker friends, process the possibility of becoming nothing more than flowers, and to ensure this -- riding a motorcycle -- is something I truly want. Though, maybe it is more commonly the case that riders start off driving cars, then transition to motorcycles?

Though, part of me feels like this is avoiding what I want, and putting off what I want to do out of fear, but... I can't help but agree this is probably the safest and smartest option. *Sigh* It's like arguing with a driver whose just done an illegal U-turn -- you can't win through logic because they're too emotional. When I feel scared lately, I say something like, "If I want to motorcycle, I can also do this." Or, also: "Even if I can't motorcycle, I can still do *this*!"

Overcoming the idea of being unable to do something I really want to do, because it's scary, because it's dangerous, because I don't have the skills for it, is a bitter pill to bite and gnaw on.
And well... if it ends up the reasons wash over me and I end up turning away from motorcycles, even in my one week of research, I feel like I've gotten a decent list of skills that can apply to non-motorcycle scenarios as well.[1] To say the least, I've seen risk in a new light.

1. Ride your ride. Trust your gut and ride how you feel most comfortable, in spite of what others choose to do.
2. Think 15 seconds ahead.
3. Position so great whites can't bite; have a safety cushion so others don't have a chance to hurt you.
4. The best way against an idiot is to walk away, and avoid staying near them.
5. Arguing against someone emotional with logic is not possible.
6. Expecting others to act a certain way is a doomed outlook.
7. Look out for yourself and trust yourself. Trust your own judgement in spite of others' bad decisions.
8. Assume "you don't see me".
9. Swallow your anger and ego after an incident.
10. Be honest with your limitations.
11. Find an alternate way home if you have an impairment. Extreme euphoria and depression are impairments, and you cannot drive under impairments. Fatigue, mental and physical, is also an impairment that appears faster than I expect.
12. Deal with hazards one at a time. Stay calm.
13. Get all your advice from multiple people.
14. Target fixation is real and dangerous.
15. Let others win, or leave the fight. You will lose fights, and by a long shot.
16. Even if you win, you won't change the other person because you're a stranger. The blind will not look no matter how visible you are, and the deaf will not listen no matter how loud you are.
17. Nature abhors a vacuum. If there's a big gap in traffic, something will want to fill it.
18. The best gear is gear you'll wear.

- Set yourself up to get as much information and vision as possible; look left-right-left, look front and ahead, flick your eyes towards yourself, look back front and ahead
- Look at where you want to go
- Side of a vehicle = treat as intersection
- Left turns are a dangerous pattern

[1] As advised by tzrider, I did my best to replace "don't"s with "do"s.

All of the above are tentative to change if needed; they're just notes I've jotted down before I've even felt a clutch.

I even considered just getting some cheap bicycle to practice in the meanwhile, even though it's not the same. Just... *something*. With enough speed I could probably practice countersteering, heh?

Ahem.

But anyway, these are my thoughts from a newbie, 8 days into this whole motorcycle thing. I wonder if the same pride to embrace what I like -- what I love -- that pride that makes me want to ride will be the same pride that pulls my last breath?


And to whoever may read this, stay safe and take care! I hope to meet at least one of you one day!

if you are in sf you sometimes hold meets where you can come and socialize with us moto nerds. keep your eye on the social sub forum.

i guess i better go post something now…

 

[riskybug]

which school / location, may I ask?

Golden State Moto at the Masonic Drive location!

 

[riskybug]

if you are in sf you sometimes hold meets where you can come and socialize with us moto nerds. keep your eye on the social sub forum.

i guess i better go post something now…

Haha, yeah, I've been peeking at that every now and then! I went to the moto social in SF this month, hoping I can make it to the one in September as well!

 

[riskybug]

PM me your address and I will send you this.

A rider I mentored just returned it.

About the best book out there for you.

Oh! I've been reading this actually! Once I finish this I was planning of reading Total Control, and then Hough's 2nd book on motorcycling. Now it's been mentioned twice to me, I'll add Twist of the Wrist 1 and 2 to that queue.

 

[riskybug]

You're still figuring out if this is really something your going to be into. Dont blow your whole bankroll getting the most expensive gear you can afford trying to buy a greater level of protection. Gear that you may take a bath on later if you find riding is not for you.

Ah, thank you for the pointers! And, definitely, I've been crunching numbers, and to afford a full set of new gear and a used bike would take me at least 4 months to save up for, assuming everything goes perfect. So either way, at least some time to really think it through. I was looking around a bit in the gear forum here to see what secondhand/free gear I could find that'd fit me, but I didn't know about Moto Guild! I'll definitely visit them after my MSF and when I feel ready to really take on riding.

I actually visited my first CycleGear yesterday and got fitted for everything except a 1-piece! But, the advice I seem to hear more and more is shop around, don't be hasty with decisions, and do your research. Funny enough, the employee who helped me admitted he's an ex-squid who didn't wear boots first time around.

When I was looking at gear, my priorities were as follows:
1. Safety
2. Comfort
3. Price
4. Visibility

And among the items themselves, the list was the exact same as this.

1. Helmet
2. Gloves (you make your living with your hands)
3. Boots
4. Jacket
5. Pants

Edit: I forgot to add earplugs. I would place it between boots and jacket.


I do totally agree that a trained rider on a "weaker" bike can still outperform. I've been trying to find a cheap pedal bike so I can pretend it's a motorcycle and just get the habit of practicing in parking lots.

 

[GPzPop]

Golden State Moto at the Masonic Drive location!

yay!

my $0.02 on gear is that : used is a good way to save money and should be perfectly serviceable EXCEPT for helmets, try to buy the best for your money NEW

 

[budman]

Good catch on the ear plugs. To me they are so automatic and cost effective I forget to include them.

 

[littlebeast]

Good catch on the ear plugs. To me they are so automatic and cost effective I forget to include them.

this is one thing that totally escapes me. my dude rides with them always. i never have and never will. no clue why, but i feel like i know what my bike is doing as much by sound as by feel. yeah, it’s loud, but it’s almost like music - the barely detectable changes in frequency and the feedback it provides WRT throttle inputs. i swear i can hear the engine breathing, and can catch it between breaths. it freaks me out to think of muting that.

i do have a vivid imagination though, so there’s that.

 

[tzrider]

FWIW, I’ve found that I can hear the engine just fine with earplugs, but they reduce fatigue and my sense of speed. Overall, they make it easier to concentrate on other things.

 

[riskybug]

I'm back from my last day of MSF!!! I failed my skills test!!
Ah but wait, wait, don't feel bad just yet, I think this is quite a good thing! I'm not giving up! I clearly know where I made mistakes!

So!
First drill: weave through 6 cones, make a left U-turn, shift to 2nd gear, speed up and execute a swerve
I knew my bike had issues with friction zone so it needs a little throttle to get it moving. I rolled on way too much and released the clutch too fast. My entry speed was faster than I anticipated, so I ended up skipping quite a few cones. The second half was great, I trusted the countersteering and it ended up swerving fine.

Second drill: execute a tight right turn from a gate
Actually, it turns out I didn't turn my head at all for this! My instructor told me I ended up hitting a boundary when I did end up cornering. This was something I've been working on: knowing where, when, and how to look. I was also advised not to overthink it -- another bad habit I intend to replace before my exam date.

Thrid drill: execute a road speed 90° right turn
I didn't look through the turn. I realize -- I don't *really* know what this means in terms of WHEN to turn my head, HOW MUCH to turn and WHERE to aim my eyes at. I kinda just move my chin towards the turn without being sure of what I'm looking at. I know I can't look DOWN at the ground in front of me, so my focal point was stuck between hovering in the air somewhere and towards the floor. I had problems with drills with looking too far ahead and turning way too sharply (and dangerously).
The 3 big questions:
1. Where eyes move before turn
2. Timing of head turn
3. Where the eyes move after turn
My answer during the test: I don't really know
My product: Bike either ran wide or turned too late

Fourth drill: Quick stop from 2nd gear. Stop when your front wheel passes indicated cone
This one I know is look up and look straight ahead. I managed to stop the bike within 3 seconds. I thought it was quite smooth, and I didn't stall the bike like I usually did! I didn't get any feedback on this drill in my post-eval recap, so I don't think it was a problem area. Just keep doing what I did with the smooth and gradual applications.

However! In spite of all this!

I feel like I got a breath of new redirection! I'm gonna call to reschedule to take the skills test probably as far out as I can (on account of my new tattoo) but I think this vision, focus, and looking up at the RIGHT things at the RIGHT time is something I can practice with or without a motorcycle! Throttle and clutch control, not possible without a motorcycle I think.

After I returned home and ate dinner, I was planning to sit on my pedal-powered bicycle for 2 minutes, and then head back inside. It's a part of a friendly "seat time streak" to build my habit of practicing riding, even before I have an actual motorcycle.

But then -- a revelation. A huge, huge one at that -- I think I can actually practice within the space of my apartment's parking space + communal driveway! I don't have to fear finding empty parking lots near me, at least for the time being. Since my apartment is actually undergoing construction, I ended up grabbing random scraps of wood and I built myself a little practice arena for my bicycle, practiced some drills, and recorded it to look back at.

I'm gonna practice and practice until I get this sight and looking thing right -- it's gotta be one the biggest thing skills you can train! And it's obvious on camera, you can see when your head moves!

The biggest difference is with how light in weight and slow in speed a bicycle is, I have to lean my body away from the bike, but at least that applies for slow, tight turns on moto as well


Though... I will admit, when I was feeling quite defeated about not passing, I thought about quitting and the consequences of that. For me right now, while I don't think I'll quit, I do think some time between getting my license and purchasing gear+bike will be good. (Also probably helpful for insurance.) I can still keep coming to moto meetups and all that, but I think I need a few months to set some other things in order before I get to riding my own bike, things like finance and habits and how I spend my time. I don't feel so rushed to get a bike now that I have a better idea of what I'm getting into. I'll be ready when I'll be ready.

And of course, breaking my habit of looking down.
In fact, I started looking up more today as I walked to my train stop to get to the range

I can't believe how much more I noticed despite taking that path probably over a hundred times over -- new traffic signs, shops around corners, decorations hanging on trees -- this is life changing!!

 

[riskybug]

Oh, as another positive note and to not discredit myself, I seem to do well on the knowledge frontier. I scored a 96% on my written exam and below were my takeaways from the two zoom sessions:

SESSION 1
1. Helmet EPS foam only compresses once! Then it's not safe anymore! I didn't know that!
2. When you ride with an impairment (such as fatigue or the flu), YOU are the road hazard.
3. You need to know both your bike's limits and your own personal limits at the time of riding. THEN ALSO, you need to ride within both of those, like a venn diagram. There are certain weather conditions that a smart rider is better off not riding at all in (ie storm)
4. For riding positions, tense your lower half of the body, relax your upper half
5. (*One reason) you mount from the left because of kickstand and because the exhaust is on the right. *You can mount from the right if you are careful too.
6. Blind hills are a thing in addition to blind corners. Anything you can't see the exit of is blind!
7. If you get into motorcycling, you end up hoarding gear, and having at least 2 of everything
8. If you wear a tinted visor by day, you have to carry around a nontinted visor for night. Exceptions exist.
9. Gear is (meant to be) comfortable while riding, not necessarily walking. *Keep this well in mind if you plan on walking a lot
10. All primary controls are standardized on US bikes (except very old ones)
11. When a driver shares eye contact with you, it is not for you. They are looking through you because you are invisible
12. A common (hazard) assessment is "that's going to make me lose traction"

Fun facts
- Airbags are required in MotoGP!!
- My MSF handbook is based on Total Control by Lee Parks, which I started reading this week!
- Ask your MOM!! (motorcycle operating manual)

SESSION 2
1. For the back brake, the application is light to lighter, as if "de-ccelerating". This contrasts the front brake which is smooth and increasing. The reasoning is because of how weight shifts forward as you brake (some may use intertia to explain this). The back wheel gets lighter and lighter, and the front wheel gets heavier and heavier!
2. Push your handgrip FORWARD* IN the wind direction if you are getting windblasted. Typically this happens on bridges over overpasses with constant wind. The principle is closer to swerving than turning. (*Some scenarios exist where you can also just ride it out)
3. More impairments I didn't explictly realize existed: ego, panic, hunger, thirst, drowniness, sleepiness, stress, body aches, new medications
4. Don't fight rain grooves or wobbles
5. Always back into parking spots (*it depends on where the parking slot and if it is slanted. Position so that gravity pulls ON the sidestand)
6. You can get tickets for intersections with traffic-actuated signals/malfunctioning signals despite other drivers granting you explicit right of way, it always depends on the locale you live in.
7. Lane splitting is only allowed if traffic speed are below 30MPH, and you can complete the split under 40MPH (*There is no specific number for this in law, so these numbers may be suggestions)
8. Motorcycles are allowed on HOT lanes if registered or carrying a transponder
9. By law you must have mandatory insurance for all motorized vehicles on roadways, even if it is not registered
10. Earbuds are illegal, while earplugs are not. Speakers must be in the helmet or motorcycle.
11. Alcohol impairs judgement first before anything else. *Don't ride if you've drank at all

Bonus facts:
- Water can hide bonus hazards
- Crack sealant (tar) binds to your tires and causes them to slip
- Moss and wet leaves are considered extreme hazards alongside snow, ice, and mud. *Gravel is extremely hazardous and common.
- Sidestand pucks exist. *You can use anything hard to substitute this, even a soda can or a piece of wood
- Motorcycles are exempt from emissions compliance testing in CA

But yeah! All the knowledge in the world can't substitute proper seat time on the real thing! And it can really cause overthinking when you overdo it!


P.S. If anyone has any more reading recommendations or YouTube channels to watch, below are what I have lined up to at least check out:
Proficient Riding by David Hough (reading)
Total Control by Lee Parks (reading)
Twist of the Wrist 1 by Keith Code (finished)

More Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough
Twist of the Wrist 2 by Keith Code
The Essential Guide to Motorcycle Maintenance by Mark Zimmerman
McQueen's Motorcycles by Matt Stone
Jupiter's Travels by Ted Simon
Why We Ride by Mark Barnes
The Razor's Edge by Jeff Hughes

Youtube:
DanDanTheFireman
MotoJitsu
SimonTheSquid
YammieNoob
*MCRider
*FortNine

Any recommendations or feedback is deeply appreciated! I aim to continue casting votes to be a smart rider!

Edit: added information