The Beginner's Guide To Motorcycles

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In most U.S. states, obtaining a motorcycle endorsement on your driver's license is about as easy as filling out a magazine survey. Almost anyone — regardless of motorcycle experience — can pass the written test without studying, march down to the nearest Suzuki dealer and lay a stack of Benjamins down on a brand new 1300cc Hayabusa, only to blast it into a ditch up the street. It happens all the time. That’s the reason why the U.S. has one of the highest motorcycle crash rates in the world. In Japan, it takes years of training and experience on smaller bikes in order to finally be licensed to ride the monsters, and that’s the way it should be.

Just because our motorcycle licensing laws are preposterous doesn’t mean there isn’t a safe way to bust into the coolest hobby in the universe. We think this guide is the best strategy for beginners looking to get the wheels in motion.

ATGATT

You may have heard the term “all the gear all the time” intoned by experienced riders, and those are six essential words to which any novice rider should take heed. Once you have committed yourself to the electrifying world of motorcycling, the first step is to outfit yourself in the proper gear. Whether you borrow it from a friend or invest in a head-to-toe set of quality riding apparel, gear is mandatory. In fact, all Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) courses require full gear, so it’s best to meet this need from the beginning. Although gear is not required to ride a motorcycle in the U.S., and some states do not have or enforce helmet laws, these are not good reasons to neglect to suit up. It will literally save your ass, as even Rossi can attest to. The last thing you want to be is a “Squid” (rider with no gear), no matter how cool you may believe you look without your gear on.

When we talk about proper gear, we mean helmet, jacket, gloves, pants and boots. A decent helmet will be DOT certified, though the highest safety rating is both SNELL and DOT approved. Shoei and Arai are two of the best helmet brands on the market, and we can back that up with years of experience riding with both brands in the dirt and on the street. A decent leather jacket should have CE-certified shoulder, elbow and back protection. Proper riding pants will have hip and knee protection, and boots should be full leather, extending past the ankle. Different gear is available depending on where you do most of your riding, and you can easily find gear with all of the safety credentials for nearly any genre of motorcycling either online or at a local dealer.

Training

Now that you’re properly equipped to ride a motorcycle, it’s time to understand one. Before you even book an MSF class, take some time to study the mechanics of a motorcycle, from the throttle to clutch actuation to the fuel delivery system, and so on. This will help you understand certain aspects of motorcycle control before you actually hop onto one in class. If you’ve ever driven a car with a manual transmission, a parallel can be drawn to motorcycling, as you are performing the same task, only with a clutch lever and foot shifter. Also, if you have a chance to practice on a dirt bike with an experienced rider, learning in the dirt is a fantastic way to learn to tame a street motorcycle.

Next, you're gonna need a bike...