Advice for New & Returning riders

[matjam]

So, the sun is starting to shine and the weather is getting warmer and you're either thinking of learning to ride a motorcycle, or you're thinking to brush off the cobwebs off that bike that's been gathering dust in your garage for the past 5 years.

Every year, this time of year, the number of crashes that involve new & returning riders jumps considerably. It breaks my heart, every time I hear about a crash that ends in death or serious injury.

There's a lot of resources on the BARF about learning to ride. New riders should visit the Newbie forum and read the various stickied threads there and especially read New Rider Basics 101.

If you are wanting to lane split, read the most comprehensive guide ever written on the subject.

Returning riders should also read this stuff - there's a lot of things to remember when you're coming back, and it's worth just going over the basics you think you know, to make sure you've got everything covered.

My personal pro tips for new and returning riders:

• Spend less money on the first bike and more money on decent gear. A used bike first for a year or two, then upgrade later.
• Don't be afraid to ask stupid questions, but do search the forums first. There's a good chance someone has asked your question, but we're always going to do the best we can to answer it. And we'll only mock you a little bit.
• Don't split or follow someone splitting in traffic until you've got basic bike control skills. It takes a lot of concentration to split and if you're also learning/re-remembering how to ride, there's a lot that can go wrong fast.
• Go on newbie rides as much as you can. I run them, there are others running them in south bay regularly, and if there's no ride scheduled for a weekend - make a thread and see if you can get some experienced riders out to help.
• No, a 200 horsepower motorcycle is not a good beginner bike. Please, don't go and buy a Panigale V4 or an S1000RR for your first bike. Please. I will mock you mercilessly.

For those returning, make sure your bike is in good mechanical order.

• If you are mechanically minded, do a full service and check all of the parts that need checking. Chain, tires, brake pads, etc. Do an oil change.
• If you're not mechanically minded, take the bike to a service shop, and get everything checked over/serviced and make sure it's safe.
• Old tires that are beginning to crack need to be replaced. The rubber is perishing and it is losing traction. Whats your life worth to you?
• Check the chain is not rusted and is still well lubricated.
• Make sure your headlights work. Seriously, replace the bulbs. Same for rear light, brake light and turn signals, it all needs to work - it's actually important.
• Make sure you have enough fuel for your journeys. The amount of guys that wheel their bike out after a 2 year hiatus and forget that it only had 1/8 of a tank and end up stopped on the bay bridge boggles my mind. And you probably don't want to run that old gas anyway.
• If you're gonna split, then check your mirrors. If someone is behind you, pull in and let them go. Don't assume they are happy to do your pace. If they were happy doing your pace they wouldn't have caught up to you, kapisch? And, it's not a signal to ride faster than you are comfortable with, either.
• Check the chain. Did I mention, check the chain? Check the chain.
• Just because you learned to ride when you were 18 and you are now 48 does not mean you have 30 years of motorcycle riding experience. Piloting a motorcycle is like piloting an aircraft; you need a certain amount of recent saddle time to keep your skills sharp. If you haven't ridden in a while you are going to be rusty and it's going to take time to get back into it. Take your time, don't rush, and if another rider tells you to slow down, take their advice.

This post is a work in progress. Does anyone else have anything to add? I wanted to make something short an digestible to get people started in the right direction; rather than being a giant post that nobody reads.

If nobody sees value in this then we can blow it away but it's been itching in my head for a while and wanted to put it down.