How To Learn Motorcycle Riding? [Complete Guideline]

Motorcycles are fun for those who know how to ride it. If you want to learn motorcycle riding in a safer way, then you’re in the right place. Because in this article I’m going to provide you with a complete guideline on how to learn motorcycle riding.

So, sit back and read the entire article. This article will make you a hero from zero on motorcycle riding:

Learn Motorcycle Riding In 4 Stages (Zero To Hero)

I have a long time of experience riding motorcycles. From my experience, I learn motorcycle riding can be both fun and dangerous. That’s why it is very important to learn motorcycle riding in the right way.

In this part of my article, I’ll help you to learn motorcycle riding in simple 4 stages:

1. Wear The Proper Safety Gear:

Before starting your motorcycle riding, make sure that you wear the proper safety gear. The risk of falling down and minor clashes are very high when you are newly learning motorcycle riding. Without safety gear, you could be injured very badly. Hence, go ahead in your learning with the safety first policy.

Below I make a list of motorcycle safety gear:

• Helmet:

According to the law, wearing a helmet is mandatory for motorcycle riding. It protects your head from any serious injury. Buy a high quality DOT approved solid motorcycle helmet while learning the riding. 

• Boots:

In the market, you’ll get specific boots for motorcycle riding. A pair of motorcycle boots protect your feet and ankles. It also added some additional heights which give advantages during riding.

• Gloves:

A pair of gloves protect your hands and fingers during riding. Buy waterproof gloves for wearing in any weather.

• Guards:

You can also use different guards in your shin, elbow, and knee.

• Eye Protection:

You should use goggles to get a clear view while riding. It is very effective when the condition is hazy and foggy.  

Body armor, pants, jacket, suits, etc. are the other safety gear that you can also use while learning motorcycle riding.

2. Know Your Motorcycle:

In this stage, you’ll know where the controller is positioned and how they work. It is essential because without knowing them you can’t go forward with practical motorcycle riding lessons. 

• Clutch: 

The clutch of your motorcycle is generally positioned on the left side of the handlebars. Clutch supplies the power to the engine during transmission in proportion to the gear shifting.

• Gear Shifter:

By using a gear shifter you’re able to change the speed of your motorcycle. If you want to ride it faster, then up the gear. And down the gear for slower riding. It is positioned under the side of the left foot.

• Throttle: 

The main task of the throttle is to accelerate. It is located on the side of the right handlebars.

• Lever:

It is positioned on the right side near the rear brake.

If you think it’s a bit difficult to remember the position of all the controllers, then just keep in mind that the right side of your motorcycle controls braking and acceleration while on the left side you’ll get gear related settings.

3. Learn How To Control A Motorcycle:

When you’ve basic knowledge about the controllers of motorcycles, move forward to learn motorcycle control. Place your motorcycle on the stand and tries these:

• Sit on the top of your motorcycle and do a rehearsal of pressing the controllers.

• Make sure that your body is well positioned and you have comfortable reachability to all the controllers.

• Practice shadow riding.

4. It’s Time To Start Your Motorcycle Engine:

From here your practical learning part is started. Let’s discuss what you need to do in this stage:

• If you use a motorbike, most probably it has a kill switch that is positioned on the ride side of the handlebar. It is generally red in color. Just on the kill switch for starting your motorcycle.

• For the old model motorcycles, you need to use kickstart for starting them. It is located on the ride side behind the footpeg.

• Dice the key to the ‘ignition’ position. As well as ‘on’ the gauges and lights.

• Find the neutral to start your motorcycle. You can easily do it by downshifting it to the first gear and then shift up on time. Here is the video tutorial on how to find neutral on a motorcycle.

• Under the kill switch you’ll find ‘Start Button’. Push the button with your right thumb.

Now, your motorcycle has started. With that, your practical motorcycle riding learning begins. Try to spend more time in the practice session to quickly learning the riding. By using front and rear brakes you can easily stop the motorcycle when your riding is over.

5 Things To Consider When You Learn Motorcycle Riding: 

You’ve to consider a few things for making your motorcycle learning process safer and smoother. Here I point out such 5 things that you should consider when you learn motorcycle riding:

1. Buy A Beginner Friendly Motorcycle:

In the market, you’ll find several brands that make different types of motorcycles. Among these motorcycles, you can easily choose a beginner friendly one. But it is ideal to purchase a second-hand motorcycle while you’re going to learn motorcycle riding.

This is because dents, potential ticks, and scratches are very common during learning, and in most cases, they cause extensive damage to your brand-new motorcycle. That’s why I recommend a second-hand motorcycle for the learners instead of a brand-new one.

2. Invest On Premium Quality Safety Gear:

Without wearing proper safety gear you’re not allowed to ride a motorcycle. Because these safety gear will protect you from being injured. 

Invest your money on purchasing a premium quality helmet, gloves, boots, goggles, and other safety gear. The safety gear will keep you safe and boost your confidence when you start learning about motorcycle riding. 

3. Don’t Start Your Learning Without Insurance:

Motorcycle insurance works as a safeguard for the riders. If an accident occurs or any damages done, then the insurance ensures financial aid or repairing. 

During the learning, the risk of accidents and damaging the motorcycle is very high. Therefore, consider suitable motorcycle insurance before starting the learning.

4. Always Check Before Starts:

Before starting every practice session, make sure that you check the tires, fuel level, and other functions of your motorcycle. This regular checking keeps you updated about the motorcycle’s condition. If you find anything wrong, change or repair that in a shorter period to avoid big damage.

5. Ride Your Own Ride:

During the learning, you should always think about your own ride. Don’t look at how others are doing in the practice session. Because it puts extra pressure on your mind. Just focus on your riding and personal improvements.

No need to take others as your competitor. Never hesitate to give congratulations on the success of your motorcycle riding mate.

5 Common Mistakes You Should Avoid When Learning Motorcycle Riding:

More mistakes help you to learn more. But for motorcycle riding, there is no scope for doing any mistake in any level of riding. Because here a silly mistake can cause serious damage to both your body and the motorcycle.

Anyway, below I list such 5 common mistakes that you should avoid when learning motorcycle learning:

Harsh With The Clutch:

Most beginner level motorcycle riders struggle with clutch control. You already know how important clutch control is while riding the motorcycle. Learners should focus on the learning of appropriate clutch controls.

In the practice session, don’t be harsh with your clutch, be gentle with the use and not treat it as a switch. For the learners, my suggestion is don’t go for street riding until you’re a pro on clutch control.

Not Remember To Cancel The Turn Signals: 

Well, this mistake is often made by beginners and intermediate level riders. Even after being a pro rider, I occasionally forget to cancel my turn after completing a turn. So, nothing to worry about, it’s always happening with all of us.

In the car turn signals will automatically turn off when you finish the turns. But this feature is not used with motorcycles yet. Motorcycle riders need to manually off the turn signals. For the learners, my recommendation is from the beginning to make the habit of canceling the turn signals after every ride.

Wrong Parking:

Learner riders generally do not have the proper knowledge about where to park their motorcycles. If you park your motorcycle in the wrong place, the situation could be awkward. Further, wrong parking is also illegal by the laws. 

In most places, you’ll find the board about parking. If ‘no parking’ is written on the board, you can’t park your motorcycle there. Always park your motorcycle in a wide space. And don’t forget to use the motorcycle lock while parking. 

Run Down Of Fuel:

It may be difficult for the learner motorcycle riders to identify when the fuel is run down. Just think, you went on a trip and suddenly noticed that you ran out of fuel. It’s very frustrating, isn’t it? 

However, it’s a very common thing that happens with the learners. Even in my learning periods, I also faced this same situation quite a few times. You can use a fuel gauge to track the fuel level of your motorcycle. After a few rides, you will get a clear idea about the fuel consumption of your motorcycle engine.

Out Of The Box Thinking:

In the learning stage of motorcycle riding, riders need to be humble and less ambitious. As a learner when you are going to ride your motorcycle on the streets, just follow the basics of riding.

Don’t try to do anything out of the box because now you’re not capable of doing that. During riding out of the box thinking and overconfidence could be dangerous for the learners. These are the reasons for most motorcycle accidents.

Which Is Easier To Learn By Bike Or Car?

The honest answer to this question is, learning to drive is much easier than riding a bike. In-car driving you just require one of your feet for braking and the hands to control the steer. Your car driving learning will be almost done when you finish the chapter on braking, acceleration, and steering.

On the other hand, you’ve to spend a few weeks just learning how to keep your balance on a motorcycle. In-car driving you can do most things automatically, but for motorcycle riding, you’ve to do all things manually. You are required to use all of your body parts for controlling a motorcycle.

For these reasons, I think learning motorcycle riding is indeed more difficult than car driving. However, with hard work and dedication, you can be zero to hero on both motorcycle riding and car driving.

Last Few Words:

I agree that learning motorcycle riding isn’t an easy task. You’ve to go through a bed of thorns to learn it. Anyway, don’t be hopeless. In this article, I explained everything in detail that will surely make your learning process easier and quicker.

Click the link, you’ll get a youtube video tutorial on how to learn motorcycle riding, and follow it in the practice session. Don’t forget to read other articles on this site that are also written on the motorcycle.