Thread: Learning to ride

My main Ride these days,48 volts of pure hell got her modded a tad,she can ramp up to about 22mph downhill.

Cool vehicle! and no worry of a speeding ticket!

Have fun, be careful & ALWAYS wear that helmet.
A helmut saved my life when I was 26.

I had an old friend who used to say "there are two kinds of people who ride motorcycles, those who had accidents and those who are going to have them". Yes it's loads of fun and addictive but very dangerous. I can think of a bunch of people no longer with us who lost their lives riding and it was not their fault.

One day my maker will call me, so when he does it doesn't matter. When I go, I just want to go doing something I enjoy, not laid up in a hospital forever and a day.

Originally Posted by Wullie

I think everybody with any time in the saddle has lost a friend or two.

Back when I really didn't care if I saw the sun come up, I did a LOT of stupid drunken stuff. Only reason I can think of that I'm not six feet under is that the good Lord had his quota of fools and idiots on the nights when I should have bought the farm.

That old knuckle I was riding in the picture above was headed for the bar when that pic was taken. My buddy that took the pic always said it was a good thing the bike knew the way home.

I still drink a little every now and then BUT, I don't drive or ride after drinking.

I'm a cycle noob. Years ago my brother-in-law asked me to pick up his Harley at the dealer and drive it home for him. I foolishly took it on LBJ and nearly died 3 times getting to Irving. People just don't see you.

My very good friend Gordon Keahey (KD5TEX) was killed in Rockwall last June. He was riding his bike when an oncoming truck hit his head on. The driver was TEXTING! That one hit me pretty hard.

Sorry for your loss Crotalus.


Glad to see/read so many old riders as well as so many new ones. Its been said, but enjoy it as much as you can and take some MSF courses if you can. Even experienced riders can benefit. Just dont let anyone dictate to you how to start... you have to be comfortable on a bike just like a blade. If you are comfortable enough for your first bike to have a larger engine, go for it. I started out taking an MSF class as my first time on a bike. Once I graduated it, I went out and bought a brand new Yamaha R1. I actually felt more comfortable with a motor that wasnt so twitchy at low speeds, and learned to finesse the bike more. Within a year I was at the track racing.... and dragging knees through the mountain roads. There's been plenty of time's ive had "oh S***" moments, but being aware of everything around me and how to react with my bike made the difference and kept me from ever laying it down.
Sadly... I moved to Colorado and found cops at every corner making sure we werent misbehaving, roads in disrepair, and sand through out the year in all the corners. There were also much more oblivious drivers here that made me decide to hang up my helmet for now and sold my bike last summer. I do seriously have the itch for it though... and I miss it fiercely.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

A quick Google on counter-steering is essential.

It's actually impossible to ride a motorcycle, except one with a sidecar attached, and not counter-steer. However, it is useful to be aware of the fact that you are, in affect, pulling the bars in the opposite direction from the turn. Keith Code, amongst others, has written some good books on the subject. I started on very small motorcycles, starting big has a lot of disadvantages in terms of learning the ropes, and no real advantages.

Originally Posted by welshwizard

starting big has a lot of disadvantages in terms of learning the ropes, and no real advantages.

Really? The guy who taught me said that after the Sportster, anything smaller should be really easy to ride. I'm inclined to believe him, as he's been riding for about 35 years, and I've known him for about 15.

Originally Posted by welshwizard

It's actually impossible to ride a motorcycle, except one with a sidecar attached, and not counter-steer. However, it is useful to be aware of the fact that you are, in affect, pulling the bars in the opposite direction from the turn. Keith Code, amongst others, has written some good books on the subject. I started on very small motorcycles, starting big has a lot of disadvantages in terms of learning the ropes, and no real advantages.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

Really? The guy who taught me said that after the Sportster, anything smaller should be really easy to ride. I'm inclined to believe him, as he's been riding for about 35 years, and I've known him for about 15.

Id have to agree with Holli. Not to mention that at slow speeds, you can manuever without countersteering... but the rarity is quite high. I also would argue that the smaller engines have a steeper torque/hp curve and tend to be more difficult to control than the larger more "subtle" bikes, unless you are referring to bikes like the Ninja 250 which has almost no power curve.