Riding Motorcycles...For Beginners

It is important not to "cover" the handle bar brake with your right hand...as applying this break in a turn without always disengaging the clutch can cause a nasty "high side" fall...and you will drop your bike at best... As a rule bikes break best when handle bars are straight...aggressive braking in a turn can be dangerous to new riders...

Also be careful...when applying the right hand brake...that you do not 'accidentally' roll the throtle toward you...causing more engine RPMs...at a time when you obviously wanted to be breaking...

The throtle and the right hand break are right next to each other and your right hand glove may be in contact with both...squeezing the brake lever...can result in accidentally moving the throtle to a more open position...ie turning it toward you...

So by pulling in on the right hand break lever...accidentally you can also be pushing the throtle toward you...and to a more to open position...causing even more "mysterious" RPMs...and possible panic.

Be aware that "finding neutral" on the left foot shifter can be a problem...and the neutral light on the dashboard is not often reliable... Some bikes "force" you to shift up to second gear then down to "neutral"....

This action is always a so called "half step" action...from 1st or 2d gear positions...as neutral "lives" half way between 1st and 2d gears...! But determining if you did a 1/2 step or a full step can be a problem on some bikes...so push up hard from 1st to 2d...there is no danger of going to a higher gear since each gear shift action is "one off"...and a separate motion....

Be aggressive when shifting up from 1st to 2d...so you don't "ACCIDENTALLY" go into neutral and think you are in 2d gear! ...With a shocking and immediate loss of forward power...even as you are rolling on the throtle in a panic falsely assuming you are in 2d gear...and that will get the bike moving again...

This will result in a quick slowing of the bike and a nasty reving up of the engines RPMs on an ever slowing bike... NOT A GOOD SITUATION...

The bike oddly is STOPPING...because you are in neutral NOT in 2d...! And you are getting more confused by the second...!

Of course now... you are also reaching for the right hand brake to stop the bike and gain some stability on this slowing bike...perhaps while even adding RPMs accidently with your right glove next to the throtle and opening it...! A nightmare scenario for the newbie biker...!

And never let out the clutch if you don't know what gear you're in...if its 1st...you could get a bad lunge forward...if its above 1st you may also get a lunge and stall...