Beginner Motorcycle Guides

How difficult will life be if I get rid of my car and only have a motorcycle?

That is a question that I remember asking about 4 years ago after I bought my first motorcycle, a 2002 Suzuki GS500. At the time I had a 1989 Chevy Suburban as my secondary vehicle, but I rarely took it out because of the stress of driving such a large (and gas hungry) car. Eventually the suburban broke down and I sold it thus starting my foray into living without a four wheeled cage. Sure, things might be a little tough, but it can't be THAT hard to get around with only a motorcycle right? Here is what I have learned being car-less for the last few years.

Motorcyclists often have to communicate with other people on the road much more often than people who drive cars. Whether it is warning other riders of potential hazards coming up or telling a car that is getting too close to you to back off. These are the basic hand signals every rider should know.

In these tough economic times people are trying to find any way possible to save money. If you do it properly, riding a motorcycle can save you a ton of cash while at the same time being a really fun way to commute. We all know riding a motorbike is a lot cooler than clipping coupons!

The following is an article written by the BBM user MegaSpaz.

October 5th, 2008. A day I won't forget about. It was a great day for a group ride on a new road in California. Nothing much different than previous Sundays, except for the route. The main, fun part of the loop was Highway 132 to Highway 49. The day was sunny and dry and both highways are known for having good road conditions. Highway 132 is a fast road with long sweepers. Highway 49 is an slower, uphill road with decreasing/increasing radius, tight L-turns, and level/camber changes. Sounds like a fun ride, no? It was until... I crashed.

1. You'll Learn Faster Than a 600cc
Riding a motorcycle is hard for most people. Sure, put someone on a motorcycle for a few months or a year and it will eventually become second nature. Until you build the muscle memory that you need to properly operate a bike, you need to stack as much in your favor as you can. One of the easiest ways to do that is by choosing a 250 as a first motorcycle.

This is the story of Chris Young who suffered a really bad crash and survived. I think it is a good example of a lesson learned, although a painful one at that. Enough description, on to Chris' crash!

There are a few things that it will take you a few months to learn once you finally get your motorcycle and you start riding regularly. If you are lucky you will have a riding mentor with some experience help guide you and tell you some of these tips, but if you don’t then feel free to study this guide. This is a lot to remember at first so when I started riding I would only concentrate on doing one thing really well for the whole ride, like looking through the turn for example. Eventually this becomes automatic and you can concentrate on building other good habits.

When you crash on a motorcycle there are a lot things that can happen, all of them are bad. Unlike when riding in a car you aren’t protected by safety belts and a roll cage, instead you are ejected from the vehicle. Here is a list of some of the things you can expect if you crash on a motorcycle, especially if you don’t wear protective gear.

A lot of people when buying their first motorcycle spend every cent on the bike itself, but leave barely any left to buy some decent motorcycle gear. This article will show you that you can get some good gear for only a few hundred bucks.

After some nudging from Sam I decided to write this little article about who I am, why I made this website, and why you should listen to me and not your buddies. Feel free to post your comments after you read the article with any other questions you might have!