The ONE piece of advice...

[patch308]

I actually saw this topic on another forum and thought it a good idea. There were some gems on there as I imagine there will be here, to be shared with people who just may not know otherwise (like me!). So, if you had received only ONE piece of advice when you first straddled your bike, what would it have been?

 

[Silver Penguin]

Great question. It will be interesting to see the answers. Hard to narrow it down to just one thing. I'll have to give it some thought and get back to you.

 

[FastJoyRide]

ATGATT - I was 15 and made of indestructible, extraterrestrial materials (I thought). I had no idea the ground came up so hard - and so fast - when you step/fall/are thrown out of the operator's station (and neither do any of the other newbs based on what they use for "riding gear" these days...)

Turns out I was only human after all (who knew?) and - repeat after me - Stupid Hurts! :lol:

 

[Silver Penguin]

ATGATT - I was 15 and made of indestructible, extraterrestrial materials (I thought). I had no idea the ground came up so hard and so fast when you step out of the operator's station (and neither do any of the other newbs based on what they use for "riding gear" these days... Turns out I was only human after all and: Stupid Hurts! :lol:

Good point - the only reason I wore ATGATT was that I lived in fear of Dad finding out that I'd done otherwise. He knew the real reasons for wearing safety gear, over and above the fact that your parents insisted.

 

[Happy Rider]

Kick starting a CR250 with flip flops on is not a good idea when your foot slips and your shin finds the foot peg. :shok:

 

[SacramentoMike]

Buy Microsoft.

 

[S76]

Read a book!

Someone told me to get a book like Proficient Motorcycle Riding or something similar and read it. I did, and several others, and there was so much information in there that I had never even thought of it was amazing. I can't really say it made me a good rider, but it at least made me a more aware rider.

 

[dunhamg]

Electric gear is worth every penny!!!

 

[Geofizz]

AGATT and scan,predict, act!!!

 

[fjrchooser]

The concept of motorcycle invisibilty.

 

[dustyrains]

Don't ride faster than your skills allow.

 

[FJRK]

Take your time and don't give in to pressure to keep up.. Basically the same as above. If you are riding with someone that has less experience than you, let them lead.

 

[Patriot]

Learn your skills riding dirt bikes through the woods (with ATGATT); oh, and buy FedEx...

 

[exskibum]

Well, since I was 13 when I started riding in '65, I probably wouldn't have listened, but if it had been later when I would have, probably something like this:

ALWAYS treat the road and obstacles in and around it as the playing field and the bike and its controls like the instrument of a sport you love being good at, one in which you ALWAYS focus, ALWAYS pay attention and ALWAYS do your very best to perform at the top of your game. Just as you'd never go to bat half assed, or to a ski race without trying to make every gate, take pride in being the best you can be and enjoy everything about the sensation, accomplishment and perfection of carving your tires across exactly the line you intend. Like pitching a perfect game, the perfect ride is one in which you never made a mistake, never crossed a yellow line you didn't intend to cross, one in which you didn't survive just because you were lucky no one was coming the other way when you blew that corner.

 

[TheAxeman]

Don't eat at McDonald's if you have hours of riding ahead of you.... :blinksmiley:

 

[phroenips]

(now that it's Friday)

don't die.

Seriously though, for me it would have to be "don't buy an underpowered cruiser as your first bike only to sell it and get something with more power three days later"

 

[Wee Willy]

Learn to ride off road and do it while young (things tend to heal better & faster ). Acquire and polish your kinesthetic skills out there first. This brings you to quick mastery of the ability to integrate/differentiate and otherwise manage the machine and its trjectory.

Cheers,

W2

 

[Randy]

only ONE piece of advice when you first straddled your bike, what would it have been?

Ease into the gas and let the clutch out slowly.

Maybe I did get that advice...I dunno. I was 6. I did neither and about 10 ft of my very first solo motorcycle ride was on the back wheel with my feet dragging off the back. I did save it :yahoo:

 

[BwanaDik]

Take a riders class of some sort to actually SHOW you the basics of how to do it.