I just got my license to ride but I'm not sure where to go from here, in regards to equipment and purchasing a motorcycle.
Does anyone have any tips (other than, 'don't drop it)?
OK.. being that you are new I highly recommend taking a motorcycle riding safety course (if you haven't already). It will save you on insurance costs, and will teach you invaluable information about how to ride safely. As for gear.. I don't know guys... flame all you want, but while I DO take some common sense precautions (Boots, Jeans, Helmet, Eyegear) I really do think that some people go overboard. For instance... a full body biking suit on a 100 degree day in my opinion is more dangerous than it is safe. It's hard to stay focused when you're sweating your BA...um... BACK off and while I know they've come a long way with that stuff over the years, there's no way you can tell me one of those suits is cooler than not wearing one at all.
Same thing with helmets... I use a half-helmet (
Scorpion EXO-100) that has a fold-down front visor... It's pretty nice, solid, cool, and light, and it keeps bugs off of my face. I've tried full face helmets in the past and I just can't do it. I lose my sense of positioning and distance, and it really takes away a lot of my SA on a bike. I feel this is much more dangerous than the few benefits having a full helmet would give.
I also believe in riding warm when it's cool/cold out, and taking the necessary precautions for rain... but come on.. overkill is overkill. Personally, I believe that if most people spent the amount of money they spend on protective gear on defensive riding training, then there would be 90% fewer accidents. Yes it's my opinion... but still a viable one. Someone who has poor riding skills is at much more risk with all of this gear, then someone with good skills without.
A few tips for a new rider:
1> Start with something small and expendable. You can find a 250-400cc 'regular' bike to ride used for under $2000 (sometimes much cheaper than that). Ride this for at least one year to get the necessary experience, before moving on to faster/bigger/heavier. Also, if you drop it, it's not the end of the world. The LAST thing you want to do is spend $10-15k on a nice fast bike only to drop it two weeks in because it's more than you can handle.
2> RIDE RESPONSIBLY! Judge cautiously, and err on the side of safety. Basically, if something doesn't look right THEN ASSUME IT'S WRONG. Also there's no need to try wheelies/burn outs/drag racing/etc just yet.. and even when you DO have to appropriate experience, you do so under CONTROLLED CIRCUMSTANCES... i.e. race track. Plan for the worst, but hope for the best.
3> Develop RADAR! Seriously... to bike safely, you have to know everything that is going on around you at all times. Do you see a car going a bit faster than it should in the next lane? Maybe it's trying to pass the car behind you and then come over in front of it WHERE YOU ARE and he's so focused on that car that he doesn't see you!? You have to keep an eye out for these sorts of things. I have to avoid incidents on my bike MANY TIMES MORE OFTEN than when driving a car. Why? Because PEOPLE DON'T SEE YOU. After I upgraded from an old Honda to a loud Harley, these incidents decreased dramatically because people hear me now and know I'm near... but it's still no reason to let my guard down.
4> RIGHT OF WAY DOES NOT EXIST ON A BIKE! Never ASSUME anything, ESPECIALLY that since you have the right of way no one is going to get in your way. Also, never assume that anyone sees you... EVEN IF THEY MAKE EYE CONTACT. Just like crossing a street on foot with a WALK sign.. you still look both ways before crossing. Never go through a green light without assessing the situation. Never go through a green arrow without judging the oncoming traffic. Never assume someone is going to turn because their turn signal is on, and never assuming they will go straight because it isn't.
5> Practice emergency maneuvers during controlled conditions so you know how your bike is going to handle. Try panic stopping, and avoidance techniques in an empty parking lot. Pretend cracks in the road are pieces of debris, and swerve around them when no one else is around. Heck, I still do this quite often... I get a kick out of it! They'll also teach you all this during a riding course.
When I was a kid, my dad did me the biggest favor by conditioning me to develop this kind of radar sense. Even before I was driving he'd point things out like... "That car is going to cut off that other car"... or "That car is going to cut over at the last second" and you know what? He was right 90% of the time! And when he was wrong, he was prepared for these things to happen before they happened. When I got my driving permit and would drive around with my dad, he'd bombard me with questions... "What color is that car to your 5 o'clock" or "What do you think that car 6 cars ahead is going to do?"... even sometimes asking me questions right down to how many people are in the car, and describing the driver. I'm sure part of this stemmed from his 'offensive' driving techniques learned back when he was a cop... but the vast majority of this teaching I still obey today.
