Ive been looking at the ducati monster 696, but I have no motorcycle driving experience whatsoever. Is it that much diffrent then driving a car? HELP!?
very different. In riding a motorcycle you must use both hands and both feet independently to control the brakes, transmission and clutch as well as use balance to steer and stay upright. You are at the mercy of the elements and anything that can come off other vehicles plus you are on a light vehicle that can be influenced by the wind both natural as well as from the wind created by other traffic. People are unaware of you, ignore you or simply do not respect your rights on the road. My suggestion is to take the MSF safety course as well as think of a different motorcycle to start with if you decide to ride after the course.
The biggest difference is steering. In a car, you turn the wheel and the car instantly follows. On a bike, you lean the bike, and the wheel follows. To lean the bike, you torque the bars - in the OPPOSITE direction you want to turn. Braking: also, braking is a bit different. There's less margin for error. Have you ever slammed the brakes so hard that you couldn't steer? Well, if you were on a bike, you'd have probably eaten asphalt about 1 second later.
Big difference. You need to develop more driving/situational awareness and always think that drivers can't see you (they don't!). On the mechanical side, riding a motorcycle is a big difference. All your extremities are involved. You've got one foot handling the rear brake, the other handling the shift. The hands control the throttle, the front brake, and the clutch, plus the minor stuff like turn signals and horn. If you can drive a manual transmission car, you can probably handle a motorcycle. But if you're like a friend of mine I tried to teach to drive a manual transmission car, he never could figure it. No co-ordination. He'd never make it on a motorcycle. My personal comment - if you're a first time rider, I'm not sure I'd recommend it for first time rider and it's fairly pricey too boot.
