Motorcycle Riding Tips for Beginners

These are just a few tips I've picked up from other more experienced riders and personal experience as a beginner.

You don't have to start on a 300cc bike.

My first bike was a 650cc 2006 SV650s and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect bike to start on. It had all the power I needed to feel safe on a highway while not feeling like it was actively trying to kill me.

Enter corners late.

One thing you're probably doing wrong if you are new is entering corners too early. Try entering a corner just a few milliseconds later and your lines will improve.

ABS and Traction Control can save your life.

Prioritize ABS and even traction control on your first bike if you can. These safety features should not be underestimated. Read the statistics for yourself.

You can always lean more until you can't.

This one has saved my bacon many times. As a beginner you always feel like you're leaning like Rossi trying to take first in a GP race. Until you ask the person following how far it was and they say: "You were leaning?"

If you find yourself having entered a corner too fast and you haven't yet learned how to drag a little rear brake your best bet is going to be to try to lean more and power through the corner.

When people pull up to the road to turn right or left across you, don't look at the person. Look at the tires.

People will look directly at you and then pull out. Don't trust that they saw you even if you think they looked dead in your soul. The tires will be the first things to move and will let you know exactly where that giant chunk of metal they're piloting is headed.

Screw wet leaves.

First real drop where I had to replace parts on my motorcycle was from wet leaves pulling in to my driveway.

Never trust brick.

Brick is very slippery. Trust bricks as much as you trust wet leaves.

Screw tar snakes.

I haven't been down on tar snakes but I have been spooked more than once in wet weather gliding over some tar snakes.