Most Important Things to Know For a Motorcycling n00b.

how many miles do I have left?
Just so I can budget my riding

Each time we throw a leg over the seat we're noobs. We see shit we haven't seen before. Bad driving, bad biking. Adjust to the condition, add to memory bank.

Riding in the eighties when most cages couldn't get outta their own way is far from the cages zipping around today.

Drivers are not being trained. DMV safety is a joke. Most training happens in parking lots by bad drivers training new drivers. The stupid testing is beyond a joke. Just sayin......not to mention deer management by wildlife experts.

So, dress for the occasion. Fall back a bit when anticipation radar goes off. When things clear out a bit you can maybe sniff the air, scan for wildlife and take a deep breath.

No one seems to give damn, or give anyone a break. Part of the chaos that's been a long time a-brewing. Take care cuz it's not getting better before it gets worse. IMHO.

The way things are going I want to take out my riding suit foam padding and get it kevlar coated or maybe ceramic armour.

Learning how to use your eyes is vital in m/c riding. Scanning constantly, always looking far enough ahead, and not fixating on any one thing. Seeing, not just looking.

Yes, I always liked the MSF mantra , SIPDE ... Scan, Identify, Predict, Decide, Execute... The MSF has changed it a little nowadays ... Your vision is key to staying out of trouble... Just ask a racer like ,

Mark Marquez... He had eye surgery for double vision, from a bad crash in 2012... And it seems to have helped him pretty well I would say

In the words of Han Solo; “Great kid, don’t get cocky.” I mutter this one to myself a lot.

Smoothness with all inputs, whether steering, throttle or brakes is a must.

By looking ahead and thinking ahead, one can achieve this smoothness, and great joy will follow.

Riding as smooth as possible should be on the agenda for every ride of a newbie.

I'm constantly playing a "what if" game. Always considering all the potential "what if's" around me, and ensure I have contingency plans. Once I've accumulated too many what if's to monitor, or cannot decide on a survivable contingency plan, it's time to bug out.

Ride your own ride.

Do your own checks and maintenance if you are capable (and DON'T if you are not - get someone experienced to do it and this doesn't always mean your best mate).

Like some have said, assume everyone on the road wants to kill you. Make yourself visible and don't try and be a hero.

Don't stop training and practicing and getting advice, no matter how old your are or how long you've been riding - you can always learn something.

Just because you can do a wheelie it doesn't necessarily mean you're a good rider. Stay humble.

If it's raining - watch some decent training videos and aim to do them over and over when you next head out.

Get some trials training, it's probably my top tip. Best way to learn balance and control and help you feel confident tackling more technical terrain.

Always carry a tool kit or ride with some who has tools that fit your bike!

Don't skimp on helmet or tires. There is a MASSIVE difference in helmet quality (get it fitted correctly! Firm everywhere and should squoosh your cheeks in. There should be no pressure points anywhere, and the only way to really test this is by wearing the helmet for as long as you can in the shop. The cheeks will pad out a little over time. Pressure points are definitive sign of a bad fit.) Just don't by a cheap helmet. Shoei do their own independent safety testing that is more thorough than standard safety testing. But there are a good handful of quality brands. Tires you will never agree on with anyone! haha But you can learn as much as you can about them and get advice and read reviews (non-bias ones like these: adventure tire reviews) and test them. The more tires you try the better you will get at knowing what you need and what is best for what terrain etc.

Someone above said "Don't get cocky" - I have to tell myself this a lot when I start to feel over confident. It's usually a good sign you're about to crash or have a near miss.

Interesting u mentioned helmets. My own felt like the pads were getting soft so I just ordered a new liner set.

Realize that to on-coming and turning traffic, you are a single point of reference for their depth perception, and they cannot easily judge your speed (if they actually SEE you). This is really important if you like to push the speed limit. For example, if you're doing 75mph in a 45mph zone, you will arrive at the scene of the accident 67% faster than the left-turning driver expects you.

I saw the aftermath of a left-turning car/MC accident on TV last week where a young guy and his girlfriend on the MC were injured. The cage driver said yes he saw the bike, but thought he had plenty of time to make the turn.

This should be a must-watch for every rider.

I relied only on the MSF course which did not really get into: 1) The more modern metrics (over the DR, KLR etc.) provide insufficient room to work easily and no extra length to wires and cables to manuever parts, even during basic maintenance. The adulation media hardly gets into it; never saw a review mentioning how to get to the V_strom's air cleaner. The service manual is NOT a substitute for motorcycle mechanic training. 2) Assume every intersection has loose gravel. 3) See https://advrider.com/f/threads/centerstand-getting-it-up.1345186/page-2#post-38393683

I would suggest this be modified to include "Assume every turn has loose gravel". At least out where I live. Not to mention road kill, pile of wet hay that fell off someone's wagon, horse crap, sticks 'n such.

bull shit

Maybe you should re-read..."At least where I live".
There is gravel in turns on the way home that wasn't there in the morning when I went to work. Usually from someone dragging their trailer axles down into the ditch. Its not uncommon to come around a turn and find a pile of wet hay (wet from morning dew) that fell off someone's wagon. When the corn is up, every turn is a blind turn. I could go on, but that would just be a meaningless task of proving to you that I know my own roads where I live.

And where I live there is sometimes bull shit on the road. The last bull that crossed the road in front of me was a giant of an animal, that thing was huge.

Ah...used in that context...LOL! I've been lucky enough to not run into any bulls while on the bike. I did pass one up on the road a few years ago that made my Subaru look like a wind-up toy.

As someone who commutes daily through Amish farm country, yes sometimes there's actual bull shit on the road. You owe the man an apology.

Edit: or I owe you one...I just saw the clarification on the intended humor. I tip my hat.