Motorcycle help, beginner right here lol Options

[SeverX13]

Hey guys. So im thinkin about buying a crotch rocket in the near future. can any of yall help me out with some tips on learning how to ride? i never have b4. not even a dirt bike haha. also a decent starter bike. I was thinkin about pickin up an older kawasaki ninja or something.


thanks!

~Brent~

[AMCMoe]

razor7 is right. Joe Rocket, Icon, and Alpinestars are the brands I've bought in the past. I have a leather Alpinestars jacket and LOVE it. Perfect fit, heavy leather, armor in the elbows and shoulders, etc. I have an Icon helmet and like it for the most part, but unless you're willing to spend the $$$ for their higher end ones, I'd go with a different brand as theirs aren't cheap for the 'features'. Shoei makes great helmets, there's a company called Scorpion that makes good and cheap helmets, but I'd go with their highest end helmet if you were buying theirs. I know about them from a friend's friend who owns a motorcycle shop.

Go to a good motorcycle shop and try things on, thats the best way to figure out what you like and don't like. I thought I'd really like Icon's helmet and ended up buying it online and then it came and I wasn't as impressed with it as I thought I'd be. Others that I tried on in stores were better IMO.

As for other gear....boots, I'd go with any that cover your ankles. If you wipe out, your ankles are going to take a beating unless they're protected.

For pants, you can either go all out and get leather (HOT but the best) or get some textile or mesh pants. They also make heavy denim jeans for motorcycle riding, but that isn't going to be your best bet if you drop it at a reasonable speed, and would probably be pretty hot. Textile pants are my favorite, they're not too hot and are fairly protective.

Gloves...I just have a pair of those Mechanix leather gloves that are made for working on cars. They're light and breathe well but probably aren't the greatest for riding. My favorite gloves are made by Icon, they have a perfect fit (for me at least) and aren't stiff at all, however they're a little pricey (for any of their stuff). Joe Rocket makes some nice gloves too.

As for the motorcycle, go with something small or you'll just be tempting yourself. You might be able to handle a bigger bike, but if you don't have any experience riding, that's just asking for problems. A 250 or 500cc is plenty. I had a 500cc Kawasaki Ninja that I started on and it's more than enough. Best thing about them is parts are easy to find (for the 250 or 500 ninja) and they're not expensive so if you drop it...no big deal. The 500cc does 0-60 in 3.x seconds...that's plenty.

Also, sit on some different ones, they all have different seat heights, so find one that you like.

Definitely take the Rider Safety Course. You'll probably get a discount on your insurance too.