Step 1: An Introduction to Motorcycling.
"Hey... Where am I? What is this place? Who are you?"
I'm here because you're curious about Motorcycling and how to get into it so I thought I would make you a guide. I surely can't explain everything, but I'll do my best to get you started out on the right foot. From learning how to ride, to purchasing your gear, to buying your first Motorcycle. I'll even throw in some links and resources at the end. How does that sound?
"Oh Boy Oh Joy Oh Fuck Yes, I can't wait! I can already feel it! The wind in my hair! The open road! A pure connection of man and machine as you cruise down the highways, fly around curves, skim across trails and ride off into the sunset! Yep, I'm sure of it, this is definitely something I want to get into! So where are the keys?!"
Woh now, hold your horses partner. Motorcycling is pretty fantastic in many different ways, I'll admit. But before I head you off on two wheels and a motor, we need to make sure you don't get yourself killed, injured or just generally have a bad time.
"But wait a minute... Isn't that what motorcycling is all about? Getting ourselves killed and injured? They call us organ donors you know..."
Yes, "they" do and "they" are idiots, always have been and always will be. Motorcycling doesn't have to be dangerous, in fact, with the proper safety measures, skills and training you'll end up better off cruising down the road on a bike than you would be in a car.
"Oh wow, that sounds great! So I won't die?!"
You might. I never said you wouldn't. You might get killed, injured or disfigured but what you and most other's don't realize is that this can happen in a car, on a plane, in a boat, crossing the sidewalk or sitting at a restaurant. Humans are delicate creatures and we are always taking risks in life even when we don't realize it. But with that being said, you can actually minimize your risks and make motorcycling a pretty damn safe thing, it's not easy but I'm going to try to help you there with this guide.
"Alright Alright, fair enough, but what about having a bad time? I sure don't want that."
No one does really, but unfortunately some people are quite stubborn. If you don't start out with the right gear, on the right bike doing the right things, even if it doesn't end in a catastrophe you'll only be holding yourself back and limiting your fun, perhaps to the point that motorcycling is stressful and frustrating instead of rewarding, relaxing and fulfilling.
"Oh jeez, I never thought about that. I guess there's a lot I need to learn. I definitely want to do this right and enjoy it. Maybe I'm getting a bit ahead of myself and need to look closely and assess if getting a motorcycle is right for me, do you think it is?"
Well now, that's something you'll have to answer yourself. It depends on how dedicated you are and what kind of funds you have to work with.
"Oh I know I'm dedicated! Well... Maybe not dedicated enough to ride through a storm, what do I do then?!"
Generally speaking, it's best to at least have some type of a car before buying a motorcycle. Life demands it and I recommend it, that being said you can always do what a lot of us do and buy a cheap car for those situations that call for it while having a nice motorcycle.
Although personally, unless you really know what you're getting yourself into I don't recommend having a motorcycle with no access to a car.
"Oh don't you worry about that. I've got an Econobox with wat stickers all over it parked out back. I'll use it for those rainy days and the dates I'll never have, so I should have some money for a bike."
Sounds good. Being as you have an Econobox covered in wat stickers though, I'm going to guess you're not exactly rich, so we need to find out how to get you riding down the road both safely and on a budget, all while having fun. But don't worry it can be done.
One thing you'll need to keep in mind however, is maintenance costs. Motorocycles require more of it than cars, for example, your tires will need to be changed every 10,000 or so miles, your oil every 5,000 or so miles and your chain will need to be cleaned and lubed every 500~1000 miles, periodic valve adjustments, seal replacements and more. These are just some examples and of course there are exceptions, I just want you to know what you're getting into.
"Well shit, that sounds like a lot... I'm sure it's possible to do though, right?"
Absolutely. Not every well maintained motorcycle is owned by a wealthy person. Honestly, it's perfectly doable, just be sure to take care of your machine and it will take care of you.
"Okay okay, I've given it some thought and consideration. I've done my homework, my research and filled this tiny little brain of mine with as much knowledge as it can handle. I'm ready to do this! What next?"
Head on up to step two and we'll take it from there.
I'm here because you're curious about Motorcycling and how to get into it so I thought I would make you a guide. I surely can't explain everything, but I'll do my best to get you started out on the right foot. From learning how to ride, to purchasing your gear, to buying your first Motorcycle. I'll even throw in some links and resources at the end. How does that sound?
"Oh Boy Oh Joy Oh Fuck Yes, I can't wait! I can already feel it! The wind in my hair! The open road! A pure connection of man and machine as you cruise down the highways, fly around curves, skim across trails and ride off into the sunset! Yep, I'm sure of it, this is definitely something I want to get into! So where are the keys?!"
Woh now, hold your horses partner. Motorcycling is pretty fantastic in many different ways, I'll admit. But before I head you off on two wheels and a motor, we need to make sure you don't get yourself killed, injured or just generally have a bad time.
"But wait a minute... Isn't that what motorcycling is all about? Getting ourselves killed and injured? They call us organ donors you know..."
Yes, "they" do and "they" are idiots, always have been and always will be. Motorcycling doesn't have to be dangerous, in fact, with the proper safety measures, skills and training you'll end up better off cruising down the road on a bike than you would be in a car.
"Oh wow, that sounds great! So I won't die?!"
You might. I never said you wouldn't. You might get killed, injured or disfigured but what you and most other's don't realize is that this can happen in a car, on a plane, in a boat, crossing the sidewalk or sitting at a restaurant. Humans are delicate creatures and we are always taking risks in life even when we don't realize it. But with that being said, you can actually minimize your risks and make motorcycling a pretty damn safe thing, it's not easy but I'm going to try to help you there with this guide.
"Alright Alright, fair enough, but what about having a bad time? I sure don't want that."
No one does really, but unfortunately some people are quite stubborn. If you don't start out with the right gear, on the right bike doing the right things, even if it doesn't end in a catastrophe you'll only be holding yourself back and limiting your fun, perhaps to the point that motorcycling is stressful and frustrating instead of rewarding, relaxing and fulfilling.
"Oh jeez, I never thought about that. I guess there's a lot I need to learn. I definitely want to do this right and enjoy it. Maybe I'm getting a bit ahead of myself and need to look closely and assess if getting a motorcycle is right for me, do you think it is?"
Well now, that's something you'll have to answer yourself. It depends on how dedicated you are and what kind of funds you have to work with.
"Oh I know I'm dedicated! Well... Maybe not dedicated enough to ride through a storm, what do I do then?!"
Generally speaking, it's best to at least have some type of a car before buying a motorcycle. Life demands it and I recommend it, that being said you can always do what a lot of us do and buy a cheap car for those situations that call for it while having a nice motorcycle.
Although personally, unless you really know what you're getting yourself into I don't recommend having a motorcycle with no access to a car.
"Oh don't you worry about that. I've got an Econobox with wat stickers all over it parked out back. I'll use it for those rainy days and the dates I'll never have, so I should have some money for a bike."
Sounds good. Being as you have an Econobox covered in wat stickers though, I'm going to guess you're not exactly rich, so we need to find out how to get you riding down the road both safely and on a budget, all while having fun. But don't worry it can be done.
One thing you'll need to keep in mind however, is maintenance costs. Motorocycles require more of it than cars, for example, your tires will need to be changed every 10,000 or so miles, your oil every 5,000 or so miles and your chain will need to be cleaned and lubed every 500~1000 miles, periodic valve adjustments, seal replacements and more. These are just some examples and of course there are exceptions, I just want you to know what you're getting into.
"Well shit, that sounds like a lot... I'm sure it's possible to do though, right?"
Absolutely. Not every well maintained motorcycle is owned by a wealthy person. Honestly, it's perfectly doable, just be sure to take care of your machine and it will take care of you.
"Okay okay, I've given it some thought and consideration. I've done my homework, my research and filled this tiny little brain of mine with as much knowledge as it can handle. I'm ready to do this! What next?"
Head on up to step two and we'll take it from there.