Words of Wisdom

[Itchytoe]

I am anything but a well seasoned biker. Though I have over 16,000 miles under my belt, I'm just barely reaching the 1 year mark. I've learned so much that short time, and it's mostly things I never thought of before riding a bike. For instance, if I'm paying attention, I can feel that my tires are a few PSI lower than normal. The tires actually ride differently at 30 PSI vs 35 PSI. Speed bumps feel different, pot holes feel different, etc. I've never been able to feel a 5 PSI difference in car or truck tires. Heck, I'd have a hard time feeling a 25 PSI difference in my big old dually pickup. Another example is temperature. I'm very comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt at 60 degrees outside doing yard work or hiking or just hanging out. 60 degrees on the bike is cold! I've got my leathers all zipped up, an extra layer, and I'm considering the thermal liner in the jacket in case it gets a few degrees colder. Heck, anything under 70 degrees warrants me considering where and how long I'll be riding so that I can determine what I need to wear to stay warm.

If you could give new riders any 1 word of wisdom, what would it be and why?

Mine is simple. Relax! The more relaxed you are, the easier riding becomes. The bike might move in unexpected ways when going over tar snakes or through gravel, but that's just the bike keeping itself upright. Bikes are inherently stable. If you fight it, it can't do its job. Loosen up that death grip, enjoy the scenery, and let the bike do its job.

 

[Uncle Meat]

My advice would be -
Always assume everyone else is an idiot and can't drive/ride for shit.
Expect the unexpected!

 

[EnglishBikerDan]

Think waaaay ahead and slow down unless you can see what's around the corner. Ok so that's two. Well here's a third. Buy the best helmet and protective gear you can instead of that new exhaust. It may save your life.

 

[Underworld Taco]

GATT=gear all the time, im riding with full gear with 35º C(95ºF) and oh boy, i have no more places to sweat, and still dont have exhaust, but is the price you have to pay, if you fall without gear a little hard, you dont ride for some months, you can't hear the exhaust how you should, no point buying it without making sure you have your "airbag" equipped, and ye, assume you're invisible, and i see my dad, @EnglishBikerDan and @Uncle Meat are friends xD, because he gave me those advices too

 

[Entropy]

GATT=gear all the time

The common acronym is ATGATT... All The Gear All The Time. For me, if it's too hot to wear the gear, it's too hot to ride!

Great advice so far.

 

[Devilsfan]

Well stated, Itchytoe!

Stay within your comfort zone, don't try to be a show-off and arrive home in one piece!

Maybe swaying away from the original subject but my story is this:

As a young rider back in the 80's-90's I always kept things local (work and back, around the town). It wasn't until 2003 when I bought my first brand new motorcycle, a 2003 Suzuki Volusia. From there, thanks to this thing called "The Internet" I was able to join my first motorcycle forum, the now defunct Volusia Owners Group. They organized the first Volusia Owners Rally in the Eureka Springs, Arkansas. I was just starting my career in the business world but I took a few days to ride over from Nashville, TN. I met a fellow rider in Memphis and we rode the rest of the way there.
What a blast! 3 days in the mountains, 120 Volusia owners and their families, my first 100-motorcycle group ride, one bad wreck where the guy a few riders in front of me hit some gravel and my front wheel, literally, stopped touching his helmet...but I was "christened" into a new world of motorcycling! From that point on motorcycling has become a passion like no other. Before then the only rally's I was familiar with was Sturgis...and that was for Harley Owners (at least in my mind!). But since then I've had too many to count rally's, multiple-week journey's and everything from local group rides to "Bike Week's"! I've also made some great friends along the way that I continue to meet up with all over the country! (And some friends I've never even met before!)
The point? Take a few multi-day trips and the things you can learn while riding a motorcycle are invaluable and self-rewarding for the next trip! And every now and then...take a road you've never been down. The things you may find could be memorable!

So, one word from me..."adventure"!

 

[Rafe]

Ride to your ability.

It's all too easy to go for a group ride and be sucked into riding outside your comfort zone to keep up with faster riders (or the ones that are happy to take more risk).

Don't feel bad for riding slower and within your ability. If they're friends of yours then they'll wait up down the road. Your safety is paramount!

 

[miweber929]

One word: Trust.

Trust your tires, trust your bike,trust your ability to make it, trust your skills even if they are limited, and most importantly trust yourself. Most crashes can be avoided if you trust in yourself, your ability, your tires, your bike and yourself to make it.

But also don’t trust other things: other riders even if they seem skilled, other vehicles, other drivers, stop signs or traffic lights (people run them all the time), the road, whether the corner ahead will be clean, if the blind corner ahead is clear, the weather, group rides, even mechanics. Be prepared. Most crashes can be also avoided if you are aware of how unpredictable others and your environment can be.

 

[Underworld Taco]

Ride to your ability.

It's all too easy to go for a group ride and be sucked into riding outside your comfort zone to keep up with faster riders (or the ones that are happy to take more risk).

Don't feel bad for riding slower and within your ability. If they're friends of yours then they'll wait up down the road. Your safety is paramount!

ahahaah, i just remembered one day, me and 2 friends decided go for a ride, one with a R6 and the other with a grom, the r6 guy decided give some beans, i was in the middle just chilling, and the poor grom guy was redlining it to keep up with me xD, had to slow down, few min later, i see the R6 guy doing the roundabout over and over xD

 

[Enrico]

As far as gear goes I find a waterproof 'breathable' textile jacket with zip vents front and back and a removeable thermal lining caters for most weather riding conditions.
Always wear protective gear when riding, there shouldn't be any bare skin exposed.

 

[baugustine]

Saw this recently, I thought he did a great job of addressing new rider questions. He’s the first person I’ve heard who was very opposed to group rides. Interesting take

 

[Rafe]

Saw this recently, I thought he did a great job of addressing new rider questions. He’s the first person I’ve heard who was very opposed to group rides. Interesting take

I watched that video the other day and I tend to agree with the group ride thing. It is good fun but it comes with a lot of risk, especially if it's a group of 3+ riders. I've seen plenty of videos on YouTube of it going very wrong with riders piling into each other.

There's risk every where in life. It's about mitigating that risk.

 

[mako]

INVISIBLE

Ride like you are and get to where you want to be.

 

[ray]

ride like you're invisible...
and you won't be surprised when boxes try to kill you.

 

[Uncle Meat]

NEVER overtake approaching a junction!

 

[Underworld Taco]

Never stop behind a car in transit, it's not fun get sandwiched, position 1 or 3 for the stop, never 2!

 

[Redline Rossi]

When riding with others try to ride in a staggered formation.
When approaching a left-hand bend, position yourself to the right of your lane to open up the view of the road ahead. Obviously reverse this for a right-hander.
Always remember to remove your glasses before putting your helmet on. Jesus it hurts 🤣🤓