Activities for New Riders

[celestus]

How do new riders best enjoy their riding experience?

I would love to hear some background, the type and displacement of your bike, age you started, and what you or someone else did with their new bike they found enjoyable.  What activities would you suggest for new riders?

For myself I am 24.  I purchased my first bike at 20 was a cruiser - '82 Virago XV920J bought for basically nothing, high kms but I could not fix it and didn't get it farther than around the block.

My second (well, first I could use) bike is a cruiser - '06 XL883C Sportster 400km used.  I have a few thousand kms riding with friends and family as well as commuting but I find myself without true satisfaction.  Business friends have victory/harley/boss big displacement cruisers but I am not comfortable with the tight formation and acceleration.  My personal friends have sportbikes and enjoy some twisty segments that I of course cannot keep up with.  I do not consider time with large groups comfortable unless everyone is willing to be accommodating.

What activities can you suggest for new riders interested in enjoying their bike and possibly have quality time with others.

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Welcome!!!

It sounds like you're experimenting with what's out there - good for you! Something that I might suggest is to find one of your riding friends (just one) who is patient and a good rider and invite him to ride somewhere for lunch. Be sure to emphasize that you're going to ride YOUR pace and ask him to match it. Make it a "most of the day" sort of ride, taking it easy and just enjoying the scenery along the way. Have a good, relaxing lunch, talk about the ride there and what you liked/didn't like and then the return trip home. This gets ride of the "tight formation" riding, as well as the need to "keep up" with other riders.

This is the kind of riding I like to do if I'm going to ride with someone else; I'll be curious if it'll work for you.

[Orson]

I may be in the minority...but if you want to be with groups, take up golf  

so many times we hear of group rides where somebody crashed because they were riding over their heads.

Take dante's advice and find one or two riding friends willing to ride with you at a pace you're comfortable with.

[bogfro]

I actually got into riding exclusively riding solo.  I could always go where I wanted, when I wanted, at the pace I wanted.  I'd suggest trying some solo joy riding to places you've never been via some back roads.  That's what really got me into motorcycling.

[Lacessit]

I started at 31, picked up an '06 Ninja 500R because I wanted something light (388 lbs dry) to learn on, and cruisers don't really appeal to me. As a bonus it was CHEAP. I've spent the last three years trying to become a better rider, and customizing my "sport" bike to be more tour oriented. Over the last three years I've only occasionally riden with another rider- a buddy that has a HD sportster. Honestly, aside from the good lunches we have, I'm usually happier riding solo.

I'm currently working on setting up a cross country ride. The grand scheme will be to ride until I "run out of money", get a job for a while (until I can buy a couple tanks of gas and a few good times) then head out for another destination. I expect this will take  around 1 year+ before I return (if all goes well, could end much sooner than that).

[MolinTorch]

As a new rider, one great activity is Rider Training... Rider Training... Rider Training!!


A little background... I am 38 and 6 ft, 250 lbs. In '96 I rolled a Toyota MR2 tail over head (Long Story), resulted in a bad back and bad hip, followed by attending driving school and many years of autocross & road-racing. I had been wanting to try riding motorcycles for years, but was afraid to try riding for two reasons: One, didn't know if I could ride safely with a bad hip. Two, I was also concerned about the possibility of more hospital visits if I tried to teach myself  


Everything changed last year when a good friend introduced me to "Basic Rider Training" class provided by Team Oregon. I figured BRT was a great way to learn the basics, receive formal instruction, and get an overall understanding of what is involved. What I didn't expect was the bonding and friendships that could also grow from BRT. Of the 12 people in class, only 1 had ever ridden before. We all learned together, and had a blast. I have kept in touch with several people from class. We never really look to ride together, but it is good to chat a times about what's been going on since class.

In additional to the above mentioned, the class also helped me really refine my list of "first bikes". I quickly realized during class that if I could barely handle a 250cc, then maybe bikes like a Honda ST1300, Kawasaki Concourse, BMW R 1200 RT, Yamaha FJR1300, etc don't really make good starter bikes!! Lets just say I learned a bit of humility during the class.

Coming out of the class, I went and bought all my gear, then found a 250 I could spend some time on. Recently I have stepped up to my Ninja 650r and totally love it. The 650 has more than enough power for what I want, and yet 6 mths ago would have been way more bike than I ever could have ridden. Based on my experiences, I've convinced three friends interested in riding to take the class so far. In all three cases, none have never ridden, and all were looking to buy 1000cc super-sports as a first bike! Once I started explaining everything you have to focus on to ride, I watched their eyes glaze over as they asked "how do you learn to do it all??"  

I really do think that rider training is a great activity for new riders. Yes, its more about safety at times than actual riding skills, but in the end, what fun is riding if you cant make it home at the end of the day, right??

[Zerosum]

I got into riding 5 years ago, when I was 26.  After I took the BRC and got my license, my Dad let me ride his Suzuki DR350, which is a single-cylinder dual sport.  For my first 1000 miles or so, we'd go on "supervised" rides where he'd follow me on his Gold Wing, and give me critiques and pointers at every stop.  That was very helpful for me, because it reinforced good habits and extinquished bad ones before they had a chance to develop.

One of the first and foremost things he stressed was "Ride Your Own Ride."  Meaning, don't try to keep up with someone who's going faster than you want to go.  Don't let other people fluster you and force you to make a move before you're ready.  Etc.  For that reason, I'd recommend that you avoid riding with groups for now.  Find an experieced rider that you trust and have him follow you.

After you've done a few tandem rides, start riding solo.  You need to define what your individual "comfort zones" are regarding speed, corner entry, lean angles, etc.    I'm not sure if you're looking to replace that Sporster, but if you are, I would recommend getting something much ligher and easy to manuever.  Something like a Ninja 500R or maybe an SV650.  The SV is a pretty fast bike, but it sounds like you have the base level proficiency necessary for it.

As for group rides, I do them very rarely.  When I have, it was in a small group (5 or 6) and we were all on the same page regarding how fast we wanted to go.  But for the first few years, I just rode alone or with my Dad.  Riding is, for me at least, a solitary activity.  I usually like to use my GPS to explore random back roads in rural MD and PA.  I don't do "destinations" much... I just like to burn gas and enjoy the ride.

[MK96xj]

Find some roads in your area that you are not familiar with. Get lost in you area.

Schedule some Meet and Eats with riders in your area.

I seldom ride in groups. Don't like it. I lose attention to what I'm doing when droning along

And as other said it is a recipe for disaster.

I started on 75cc dirt bike as a kid. First street bike was a 400. Rode a HD 1340 and now have a 600. I find no need for anything larger at this time.

[UHOH]

For myself I am 24.  ...
What activities can you suggest for new riders interested in enjoying their bike
 and possibly have quality time with others.

do some overnight rides to places you've not visited.  
be outgoing.   stay in small hotels, hostels, B&B's where you will meet poeple in the course of staying there (motels don't work).

go to established bike nights / functions in your area.   if you go on a group ride, just ride at your own pace and bring up the rear if needed.

mostly, get social.

[jamesgino]

As a new rider, one great activity is Rider Training... Rider Training... Rider Training!!

I completely agree with this statement. I'm 27 right now. I learned to ride dirt bikes when I was 10 up in the mountains. I did a lot of trail riding. I never spent the money on my own bike until about four years ago when I bought my Magna from my brother.

When people talk about buying new big sports bike and learning on them I always cringe. I dropped dirt bikes all the time while I was learning, little 100cc bikes, then up to 250cc. I can't imaging taking an expensive heavy bike and trying to learn on it.

I joined the army and to ride on my post I had to take a riding course. They offered two, a beginners and an experienced course. I took the experenced one and I learned a lot. They taught me useful skills and I plan to take it again when I get back from my current deployment.

My wife is also learning how to ride motorcycles. She started on a 200cc dirt bike and of course dropped it a few times. Now she is riding a Honda Rebel and learning more about street riding. When I get home I'll see that she enrolls in the beginners safety course as well.

Start small and work up. Sometime in the not so distant future I plan to upgrade to a 1000cc or higher bike. At that point hopefully my wife will be comfortable enough to handle the 750 Magna. Just start small and stay comfortable with what you are doing. No need to rush into something and make a life altering mistake.

As for riding in groups - I ride alone most of the time, or two-up with my wife. I have ridden with army buddies, but I mostly enjoy just exploring the back roads around whatever military post that I'm stationed to at the time. Finding the little pizza joints, diners, and coffee shops are what makes me happy.

Enroll in a course though. Even if you have to pay for it. It's worth every penny. (Oh and you save on insurance) Oh and last, always spend the money to keep good tires on your bike. I didn't and before I knew it I was driving down the road when the back tire went out. My motorcycle class taught me what to do and guess what, the training actually kicked in. My wife, myself, and the bike were unharmed. (Well my pride suffered, but I learned my lesson and my pride doesnt matter like our lives).