I‘m about to learn how to ride a motorcycle so I can get my motorcycle license in the spring. Any tips for a nervous 19 year old???
Motorcycles are a lot of fun. I tell everyone all drivers want to kill you. Keep this thought in mind and be cautious around vehicles. People will pull over into your lane. They will cut across the road in front of you. If you keep a close eye and expect them to do something stupid and be prepared to take evasive actions, you will have a great time.
Good for you!! If you know how to ride a bicycle, you already know quite a bit. But one thing that you should learn how to do is using a hand clutch and putting your bike into gear. Then it's a matter of throttle control and braking. But one thing that you should consider is how much motorcycle you're going to ride. If you can't pick the thing off the ground after it falls over, you have too much bike. BTW, find a good fitting helmet.
Some good advice so far. Be sure you can sit on the bike with both feet flat on the ground. I only mention this 'cos you're a girl and they tend to be shorter. But on the other hand girls are much safer so that's good. If you can ride a bicycle and drive a car with a clutch, it will be easy to learn to ride a motorcycle. If you haven't dealt with clutches and gearshifts, you will have to learn that. Don't worry, you can do it. Ride around a quiet neighborhood first, ride slow, like 20-25 mph. Get the feel of the controls, and sort out the controls in your mind, so you don't have to think fast 'Which one of these is the brake? Which one is the headlights?' That has to be automatic. Once you think you have it, then venture out into traffic. Ride slower than you think you need to. This gives you more time to react. I think this is one place where girls are safer than boys, boys just wanna go fast. Finally, as others have pointed out, the most dangerous thing for bikers, by far, is the idiots in the cars. They don't see you. They'll pull into your lane, back out of driveways in front of you, they'll make left turns right in front of you. So you learn to be paranoid. Someone sitting in a driveway up ahead? EXPECT him to pull out at the worst moment. Don't drive beside a car on the freeway for long periods of time, stay out of his blind spot. Be aware of what's going on around you. Motorcycling is a lot of fun! I'm sure you'll have a blast. Congratulations, and good luck.
