Most Important Things to Know For a Motorcycling n00b.

He is from South Africa, they talk funny over there.

missed that. Second language at 11pm plus two glasses of JW black will do that to you...

this may have been covered; but, ride in the left tire track of the lane you are in whenever possible. it will put you more out in the field of view of drivers on side roads or drives getting ready to pull onto the road.
also, in my sportbike days, i learned to not only look through the turns where you want the bike to go, but also, hold your head so that your line of sight is paralelle to the horizon or road surface, not leaned over with your shoulders.

Kiss the mirror, and reach for the concrete with your elbow.

nOOb advice??? Maybe AMA sanctioned race nOOb, but hardly new rider advice

The guy who posted this would seem to be in the 'banned' category, & I didn't read back to find out what got him banned (seems to be an easy thing to do on here!) BUT, what a great sign that just about says it all for n00b riders!
PS, the Cat & Fiddle is a famous pub in the heart of the Peak District in England which is on one of the best ever "speed freak" sections of road in the UK, which also is one of the sections of road that gets the most 'biker fatalities!!
http://www.maccinfo.com/cat/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-24717857

Woops sorry.


Well um.....I guess....

Don't forget to put down your kickstand guys.

Fixed it for you!

Decide to be a student - invest your time and money in the classes, books and videos to fundamentally understand what is going on and revisit them often.

One piece of the puzzle is interacting with other vehicles and how your behavior contributes (positively or negatively) to the overall situation. (i.e. Really understand what causes most two vehicle collisions involving a motorcycle and what you can do to reduce your exposure)

Another piece of the puzzle is the physics of your motorcycle. (i.e. Really understand WHY applying a brake or rolling off the throttle mid turn may cause you to crash)

Being a prudent rider is the name of the game, but you can't be very prudent if you don't even understand the environment you're operating in. Incidentally, I believe the motoGP racers exercise prudence throughout a race, so you can surely be fast and prudent - if you appreciate what's going on around you.

+1 - for every rider, IMHO minimally once every ten years. Better to do it once every five years. Riding theory changes, skills get rusty, new (to the rider) instructors focus on different areas, and different classes focus on different skills.

There is a reason motorcycle cops train under competent teachers as much as they do.

I got banned. I called someone's family member an insult popularized by Monthy Python, something about elderberries and hamsters. Never thought it would be taken seriously. But then again, you never know... It was the right call and I shouldn't have done that.

see this all the time on dirt roads. if they can't pass on you on the straightway, they will on a blind rise or uphill or at a turn. i just slow down and let them take my line before an innocent rider coming from the other direction gets a head on.

pass on the left, stay in your line for at least 20 yards (debatable) and get back on the right lane, otherwise the rider you just passed will get roosted with dust and rocks which put that rider at risk.

I thought roosting the passed rider was the whole point of passing.

There is one piece of advice I give to all new and experienced students (and I try to remember it myself...):

"The part of the motorcycle that fails most often is the nut connecting the handlebars to the seat."

To hard to read every one of the 93 pages of posts so apologies if some or all already covered.

Most important things to me that I've learned over the year, probably:

* ride with the balls of your feet on the pegs, especially inside peg when cornering.

* practice shifting weigh across seat whenever possible so it'll be instinctive when you come to that fast decreasing radius turn

* get your inside knee out easier and further into a corner by shifting the ball of your foot onto the end of the peg (knee naturally points where toes are pointing).

* practice keeping the bike as upright as possible in corners so you do it without thinking.

not sure if thats right.?

as i was told to lean with the bike so if you come in to hot for a corner just lean the bike over more and you will be fine

Not sure if I'm doing it right, but if I feel like I am going into a corner too hot, I will lean it as far as I feel comfortable, then add more throttle. The bike will go lower into the lean, it will tightens the turn, and the turn feels more controlled. I still consider myself a noob, but this tip has worked for me.

What you have been told is fine, to a certain level. However, the next level is rather than lean your body and bike as one, practice leaning your body into the corner and keep the bike as upright as possible (the bike will be still lent over, but not as far). The more upright the bike the bigger the tire patch in contact with the road, and the less likely to catch a peg or your feet on the road. That's the main reason racers do it. For road riding a perhaps even more important reason is that it is much easier to alter a line going through a 'hot' corner with your weight out the side and pushing the bike upright, than being in a tight tuck greater lean angle position. You have much greater control to avoid that massive pot hole, loose gravel, or tightening radius corner that you didn't expect.

I'm at work right now (obviously not working) and when I get home tonight I'll post up some links that explain it far better than I can.

Here's a couple of video's that explain the concept of keeping the bike as upright as possible in a turn. While at least one for certain is part of a track day course, the basic idea is still applicable to road riding. The only difference is how much of the technique you apply. Not for a second is anyone suggesting you should scrape your elbow let alone your knee going around a corner on an adventure bike like Marc Marquez on a MotoGP bike. But there is value in understanding the concepts and applying then to some degree where applicable.

As I indicated in the previous post, I think the ability to more easily alter a line in a corner is worth it alone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znU_fyFZBRQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ODL2iqVG9Q

Go try it yourself and decide. Find a sweeping corner and ride around it at a safe fast pace staying upright to the bike and just leaning. Take note of what your speed was. Ride around the same corner at the same speed but this time shifting your weigh across and forward dropping your shoulder and knee into the turn and trying to keep the bike as upright as you can as you give it some gas. If it doesn't go around much easier either (a) your probably not doing it correctly, or (b) ever pro racer in the world is doing something that doesn't work.

Like anything it takes a fair bit of practice to become fluid at it. Remember, lot easier to do if you keep the balls of your feet on the pegs. Good luck with it whatever you decide.

Even if the above is not helpful, perhaps there's a lesson for everyone in this lot. Every one of the front end wash-outs looks like it has one thing in common.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55HaKeDDqT4
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