By beginner I mean driving on the streets. You can leave out safety gear like helmets and such as I‘ve got that covered as well as basic operation of a motorcycle. I‘d like to know stuff like: How do you pass a semi on the freeway? Will their be a large air gust like in a car when I do so? and What part of the lane should I get in to pass the semi? Tips on quick braking would be helpful too. As well as ant experiences you may have learned the hard way. My bike is an 1978 Suzuki DR 370 enduro.
No worries man, the only time a semi is gonna blow you off the road, is at high speedjust ride the outside of the lane, and you'll be ok. Like the other post said, dont brake into the corners, and use engine braking as well instead of just brakes and downshifting multiple gears, it will make your brakes last 5x longer.
I personally would recommend an older bike something from the early to mid 80's to start out with. They can be had for about $1000 US dollars all day long in good running condition. The bikes are the Honda CM400/450, the XS 400 (Yamaha) and the Kawasaki EN450. They are good reliable, bullet proof little bikes that with proper maintenance will run forever. As for operation of a bike-well that takes practice. Like all worthwhile things in life, practice practice practice. None of us came out the womb riding and we all have spent many hours perfecting our co-ordination of right hand-letting off the front brake, right foot letting off the back brake, gently rolling on the throttle while gently letting go of the clutch. find a school parking lot, empty level field etc and practice with what ever bike you get. The great thing about a 25 yr. old bike (mid 80's) is that WHEN you drop it, you will not feel so bad (as oppossed to a new bike) the old bike will already have it's share of nicks, dings and scratches in it. Besides the only thing likely to happen is perhaps a broken turnsignal on the old bike, vs a new bike like say a 250 ninja which can scratch it, break the body plastic and damage a turn signal or two.
