Riding a motorcycle is certainly an exhilarating experience. It’s almost as if you’re flying through the air at top speeds, knowing that no one can catch you. You’re all alone with the road, and your thoughts, and for some people, it’s as if you’re having a spiritual experience. If you’ve just started to ride bikes, and you don’t feel like this about riding whatsoever, don’t worry, you will soon. Riding a motorcycle can seem tricky when you first get on one, but with these tips, you’ll feel like you’re flying with the best of them.
Beginners Guide to Motorcycle Riding
First Things First
The most important thing to remember when you get on your bike is to strap on your helmet. You may think that all motorcycle helmets for sale on the market are good to use.
Helmets don’t look too cool, even though there are some pretty wicked ones out there, but they can truly make a difference between life and death. So make sure you’re wearing your helmet, or you might have to worry about something other than looking cool, such as having your brains smeared all over the concrete. Now let’s get to the fun stuff!
Learning to Turn and Lean
While you’re riding a motorcycle it’s important that you understand how the turning works. The faster you’re going, the more you, and your motorcycle, need to lean into the turn. It’s also important for you to understand that different bikes lean differently. For example, sports bikes make sharper turns, so you have to lean into them more. If you’re a bit nervous about leaning into a turn, then perhaps you should consider taking a class for motorcycle riders.
Out-In-Out
If you want an easy technique for going through turns, which you most definitely do, it’s important for you to smooth out the radius of the turn. This means not making extreme changes in the turn, and making sure that you keep a steady radius throughout the first half of the turn.
Keep this in mind: you want to approach most turns from the outside, with the bike on the inner side. As the turn ends, you’ll want to gradually widen your track.
Do NOT Brake on a Turn
Braking hard during a turn can cause you to crash your motorcycle. It’s better to just go with a slower speed, until you get used to how your bike rides, and how you should properly take turns.
Be a Defensive Driver
As you already know, riding a motorcycle can be extremely dangerous, especially if you’re not paying attention to your surroundings. Watching the other vehicles around you will prepare you for any dangers lurking around the corner. A lot of cars simply don’t pay attention to motorcyclists, so you have to pay enough attention for everyone. Just be mindful about your surroundings at all times, and you could prevent a major accident from happening.
Choose the Right Clothing
When it is time to talk about the clothing for riding motorcycle, jacket comes first. In order to be effective, that motorcycle apparel should come with a CE safety rating. You want it in the elbows, shoulders, and back. Some jackets also fit chest protectors to protect your ribs, heart and lungs – again, look for that CE rating.
Follow the Two-Second Rule
This rule refers to the amount of distance you should be behind other drivers on the road. This means that your bike requires two seconds to catch up with the other vehicles. If you’re closer than two seconds away, you need to back off a little bit. If a car in front of you stops short, then you and your bike are going to be in the back of their vehicle.
Keep Your Heels In
If you ride a sports bike, you’ll notice that there are small diamond-shaped metal plates. Use these! Putting your feet on these plates can give you better control and more stability while riding. All you need to do is move your feet closer to the bike, until your heel is pressed up against the plate. You’ll see the difference in your riding immediately! Also Motorcycle exhausts system should be up to date.
Tight on Bottom, Loose on Top
This means that you want your legs and thighs to grip the bike. This will help you stay on the bike if you accidentally ramp a hill going 70 mph. You also want to keep the top half of your body nice and loose at all times. This will give you better control of your handlebars if you start to lose control in a turn.
Keep Your Visor Closed
If you’ve already ridden a motorcycle before, then you know how uncomfortable it can be to have a bug fly into your face at 80 mph. Having face protection not only saves you from constantly getting smacked in the face with bugs, but it also prevents dust and and other things in the air from getting into your eyes, which could cause you to become impaired because you can’t see.
Motorcycle riding is an amazing experience, and an even better hobby. Just remember to go slow with it at first. You’re not going to be an expert rider when you first get on your bike, so don’t get discouraged if you’re not as good as you’d like to be. Don’t push yourself, or your bike, and you’ll do just fine!
