Tips for Effective Motorbike Training

[lorehew]

Hi everyone,

I’m new to motorcycling and am looking to start my training. I’m planning to take a basic safety course but wanted to get some advice from more experienced riders.

Are there specific skills I should focus on during my training to build confidence and handling?

What’s the best way to get comfortable with cornering, braking, and managing different road conditions?

I’ve heard a lot about the importance of body positioning, so any tips there would be great too.

Also, how long did it take you all to feel fully confident on the bike?

 

[lorehew]

Hi everyone,

I’m new to motorcycling and am looking to start my training. I’m planning to take a basic safety course but wanted to get some advice from more experienced riders.

Are there specific skills I should focus on during my training to build confidence and handling?

What’s the best way to get comfortable with cornering, braking, and managing different road conditions?

I’ve heard a lot about the importance of body positioning, so any tips there would be great too.

Also, how long did it take you all to feel fully confident on the bike CBT training near me?

thanks in advance for any help

 

[Kev250R]

Hi everyone,

I’m new to motorcycling and am looking to start my training. I’m planning to take a basic safety course but wanted to get some advice from more experienced riders.

Are there specific skills I should focus on during my training to build confidence and handling?

What’s the best way to get comfortable with cornering, braking, and managing different road conditions?

I’ve heard a lot about the importance of body positioning, so any tips there would be great too.

Also, how long did it take you all to feel fully confident on the bike?

First-off, welcome and congrats for wanting to do this the right way!

I'd ridden dirt bikes and Quads in the dirt since I was a child, but when I decided to start riding on the street in my late 20's I also took a three-day MSF class held (at the time) in the parking lot of an empty warehouse not far from where I lived at the time.

I found the class really helpful. The Instructors I had were patient and gave good directions; I got a lot out of the class. At the time I was married to a woman who had ridden street bikes most of her adult life. She had never taken any sort of MSF class and scoffed at me for doing so. She was a good rider but after taking the class I realized how many bad riding habits she had. Pointing those out to her didn't go well LOL!

The MSF Class should help you learn how to tell the limits of cornering, braking and shifting gears appropriately. Road conditions, for me are more about paying attention, which is an important skill to learn as you'll always want to ride with your head on a swivel. I live near a high school filled with teens who can't seem to focus on anything other then their phones and I'm also near a poorer part of town where some residents may or may not have a valid Driver's License; I've had close calls with people near both spots. This is something which is even more important when riding a smaller, quiet bike which can easily be missed in traffic.

Fully-confident on the bike? I think that varies. My small bikes I can get on and ride with not much more thought then I give driving my Pick-up truck; it's like second nature but I try to be more aware of my surrondings whenever I'm on a bike. I also own two large Motorcycles (a 990 KTM and 1200 Honda VFR). Those bikes I never feel fully comfortable on. After a few miles I relax but I always seem to be on-edge so to speak. To be fair I ride my small Motos a lot more often then the larger ones and when I do ride the larger ones I'm generally on the highway, something my smaller motos only get to experience in the back of my truck!

I hope that helps and good luck!

 

[Ben The Scorpion]

Are there specific skills I should focus on during my training to build confidence and handling?

Find an open parking lot that has little or no traffic. Practice everything slow speed. 1st and 2nd gear only. Starting, stopping, quick stops, right and left turns, u-turns. Shifting up into 2nd and down into first. Work on balancing during slow speed maneuvers. Most of the intro MSF permit and endorsement courses go over these. Even on the Trail 125 I rarely went into 3rd gear during the MSF courses. It is a lot of slow speed. The test may vary state to state, so look into the MSF course you're taking. A lot of them have .pdf's available that show what the practical tests will cover. Practice those things especially. Watch some YouTube videos on slow speed maneuvers and proper braking techniques.

 

[Kev250R]

Another tip I can offer is don't move-up to larger bikes until you're ready. The street bike I first started riding when I was working-on getting my license the street bike I had to practice on was a H-D Sportster 883. Not really a large bike but at the time, to a newbie it felt huge, heavy and clunky. I hated riding it. At the MSF Course I took they had Yamaha TW's, I liked those and felt comfortable on it, so a week after my class I bought one and let my wife at the time have the H-D (It was her's anyways). We did look like the odd couple though when we'd go for a ride though; not many H-D's ride with a odd-looking Dual-sport MC's LOL!

 

[dmonkey]

If you have an opportunity to ride dirt bikes, I've always felt that is the best place to start. An open field can be a fairly forgiving place to learn controls on a lightweight bike without many obstacles or distractions. I'd also recommend the MSF Basic Rider Course if it's not already a part of your learning plan, and I'll echo what was said about starting on an appropriate and approachable motorcycle. You'll gain confidence much easier on a lightweight bike that is ergonomically approachable and less intimidating in terms of performance.

Becoming a new rider in the year 2025, there are some great free resources available to you online from actual rider coaches, and if you're looking for online advice on technicals or things to practice, I'd recommend looking to those pros. Lots of videos walking you through parking lot practice plans, how to use lane positions to manage risks on the road, mindset advice, and explanations of how protective equipment works and what to look for when buying it. Getting your saddle time in is probably the most important thing, but learning good habits is important too. Once you learn bad habits it can be hard to unlearn them.

Here's a few folks with good content out there on YouTube:

Motorcycle Training Concepts

Motorcycle Training Concepts is the most innovative, inclusive, and effective online motorcycle training organization designed to save the lives of riders all over the world.

www.youtube.com

CanyonChasers

Professional Rider Coach for 25 Years, Champions Certified Coach and USMCA Certified, Helping motorcycle riders get safer, faster and more precise!

www.youtube.com

ChampSchool

Welcome to the Yamaha Champions Riding School. We aim to change your riding life by introducing you to Champions Habits: The techniques, approaches, skills, and the mindsets of the best riders in the world. These Champions Habits are the foundation of safety and consistency to whatever speed you...

www.youtube.com

Ride Like a Pro Jerry Palladino

Jerry "Motorman" Palladino began teaching the Ride Like a Pro classes in 1999 and has expanded to 22 franchise locations throughout the U.S., Japan and Indonesia, owned and operated by fellow motor officers and civilian instructors that have gone through the police motor officer training and are...

www.youtube.com

MotoJitsu®

Thanks for watching! MotoJitsu.com Ride at your own risk. MotoJitsu® disclaims any liability incurred in connection with the use of the concepts outlined on this channel/app/books/videos, etc. You alone are responsible for your own safety.

www.youtube.com

MCrider - Motorcycle Training

MCrider - motorcycle road skills and road strategy. Weekly motorbike skills and strategies to help you become a better rider. Hosted by Kevin Morris former MSF and Total Control instructor in Dallas / Ft. Worth LEGAL Disclaimer Visitors to MCrider should always seek training in person from an...

www.youtube.com

 

[Pittsburgh_Bob]

It takes some skill to be a good motorcycle rider. Has anyone ever called you clumsy or have you ever fallen off anything with two wheels? I ask because not everyone is comfortable on two wheels. Nevermind being on two wheels going down a highway at 75 mph and having a semi pass you. IMO the best thing is the local mc safety class. Here in PA they put you on a 250cc lil bike. Say you drop it in the parking lot. ABANDON your hopes at that point. Anyone IMO who drops a 250 in a parking lot during the training should stop. Actually I believe that here they do just fail you on the spot. There are literally hundreds of tips I've learned over the years riding big bikes. I'll share one however, and I don't care what anyone thinks about it. I ALWAYS ride with my high beam on. I added two very bright LED lights to the front as well.

 

[bryanchurch06]

It takes some skill to be a good motorcycle rider. Has anyone ever called you clumsy or have you ever fallen off anything with two wheels? I ask because not everyone is comfortable on two wheels. Nevermind being on two wheels going down a highway at 75 mph and having a semi pass you. IMO the best thing is the local mc safety class. Here in PA they put you on a 250cc lil bike. Say you drop it in the parking lot. ABANDON your hopes at that point. Anyone IMO who drops a 250 in a parking lot during the training should stop. Actually I believe that here they do just fail you on the spot. There are literally hundreds of tips I've learned over the years riding big bikes. I'll share one however, and I don't care what anyone thinks about it. I ALWAYS ride with my high beam on. I added two very bright LED lights to the front as well.

I respectfully disagree, I have been on two wheels most of my life, and the amount of wrecks on bicycle, mini bike and dirt bikes we had in the 70s would make parents today head explode. Started riding street at 18 legally, non legally from about 14 and I've had 2 major wrecks on the street, so by your definition I should have stopped riding 50 yrs ago? Now let me say every time I've dropped a bike, any bike it was because of 1 of 2 things. Riding under the influence or riding beyond my capabilities on the terrain. The most important skill a new rider needs is awareness of himself and his environment. Skills change with environment, I ride different in town than I do on 2 lane country roads, I'm more aware in town I expect people to try to kill me, in the country with no one around I'm safer right? Wrong, your mind wanders, you start falling under the spell of the bike and the road, your humming old 70s rock music and the next thing you know the curve is to tight, your speed to high and your laying in the ditch. You lost your awareness. As a new rider on the street, don't put your cellphone on the handle bars, don't play music, minimize your distraction, check your mirrors a lot especially at stop lights. Your going to drop your bike at some point and your awareness and reaction time to the event will make the difference in the hospital or worse, ride your bike, enjoy your time on it without worry be as safe as possible stay up to date on your insurance and prayers and have fun. Hell everything will kill you eventually

 

[dmonkey]

MSF Basic Rider Courses will typically fail a rider if they drop the motorcycle during the final skills test. It's anticipated that riders may drop the motorcycle while becoming familiar with it early in the course and while building skills out on the course prior to that. It's a practical learning environment, riders are expected to be making mistakes, reflecting on them, and figuring out or being told what they did wrong so can do it differently next time.

There are certainly people who do not have the coordination, balance, or environmental awareness to operate a motorcycle, often related to cognitive, vision, or hearing issues and there's no shame in that. A good, but not perfect, skills test for that is just riding a bicycle or ebike. If someone can do that proficiently, it's a good sign for being able to move up to a motorcycle.

 

[Kev250R]

It takes some skill to be a good motorcycle rider. Has anyone ever called you clumsy or have you ever fallen off anything with two wheels? I ask because not everyone is comfortable on two wheels. Nevermind being on two wheels going down a highway at 75 mph and having a semi pass you. IMO the best thing is the local mc safety class. Here in PA they put you on a 250cc lil bike. Say you drop it in the parking lot. ABANDON your hopes at that point. Anyone IMO who drops a 250 in a parking lot during the training should stop. Actually I believe that here they do just fail you on the spot. There are literally hundreds of tips I've learned over the years riding big bikes. I'll share one however, and I don't care what anyone thinks about it. I ALWAYS ride with my high beam on. I added two very bright LED lights to the front as well.

I also disagree. I'm clumsy and though I've thus far managed to avoid any serious two-wheeled calamities, I have taken a few minor spills off-road. Given enough instruction and a willingness to lean I'm pretty sure I could teach my cat how to ride a Honda Trail LOL!

Give it a try! Admittedly riding, especially on the road isn't for everyone but start right on a small bike, like a Trail, ride smaller roads and work your way up to faster ones. Keep your head on a swivel but most of all...relax! Most of us ride motorcycles for relaxation and to see cool things easily missed in a car.

 

[Bronson]

Hi everyone,

I’m new to motorcycling and am looking to start my training. I’m planning to take a basic safety course but wanted to get some advice from more experienced riders.

Are there specific skills I should focus on during my training to build confidence and handling?

What’s the best way to get comfortable with cornering, braking, and managing different road conditions?

I’ve heard a lot about the importance of body positioning, so any tips there would be great too.

Also, how long did it take you all to feel fully confident on the bike?

It is just like the day they took the training wheels off your first bicycle. You get on and take it slow for a couple of days. If you fall off, get back on.

Hi everyone,

I’m new to motorcycling and am looking to start my training. I’m planning to take a basic safety course but wanted to get some advice from more experienced riders.

Are there specific skills I should focus on during my training to build confidence and handling?

What’s the best way to get comfortable with cornering, braking, and managing different road conditions?

I’ve heard a lot about the importance of body positioning, so any tips there would be great too.

Also, how long did it take you all to feel fully confident on the bike?

 

[CTExplorer]

Worth a mention, with all the winter weather freeze and thaws, salt, plows etc in many areas keep your eyes out for new pot holes, especially on your normal routes where you're not looking as much for surprises.

 

[Cpd419]

Always expect other vehicles to do what you don’t think they should. Anticipate the pull out in front of you, merging traffic to not see you and get use to scanning your mirrors when stopped in traffic. The classes are great too.

 

[Cpd419]

And always gear up.

 

[Pittsburgh_Bob]

just FYI I never wrote that someone who is clumsy shouldn't ride a motorcycle. I guess my only point is that if you don't feel comfortable on two wheels, stick with a bicycke.