Learning road awareness is crucial to your comfort on the motorcycle and your survival out on the road. The level of concentration and road awareness required to comfortably and safely ride a motorcycle is about four times the necessary amount to drive a car, especially in traffic.
Unfortunately, this skill can only be mastered by riding a motorcycle in traffic and practicing. Depending on the traffic and road conditions you ride in, this may be one aspect of motorcycle riding that will take you the longest to become comfortable with.
You will be building this skill during your learning curve to becoming comfortable on the motorcycle. You should have developed this skill within a month of riding if practicing regularly, or up to miles of riding if practicing less frequently.
You will constantly be learning and adapting to the traffic and road conditions in which you ride. Being aware of other vehicles using the road can never be an aspect of motorcycle riding that you can afford to let slip, not even for a second! You will constantly have to be vigilant whilst riding a motorcycle and ride defensively, as many times other road users will not be aware that you are there.
Riding defensively means that when out on your motorcycle, you will be watching what other road users are doing, being ready to take evasive action at all times to avoid any potential accidents. Defensively riding a motorcycle will take a lot of practice, especially in the rain or other adverse weather conditions. Getting to a stage where a motorcycle rider feels comfortable riding a motorcycle in this way can take a few years, depending on how often they ride the bike in these types of conditions.
If you ride your bike daily, you will become comfortable with the motorcycle much faster than if you only ride on the weekends. This is why the estimated time taken to become comfortable riding a motorcycle is sometimes calculated in miles spent riding on the road instead of time.
This is for riders who do not ride daily to be able to estimate their progress. Riding daily will make you familiar with the bike controls much faster and establish the muscle memory you need to perform these tasks as a reflex action rather than thinking about them.
The quicker you master the motorcycle controls to the point that you can devote most of your attention to road awareness and other biking skills, the faster you will feel comfortable riding your motorcycle.
Riding daily, you can probably get to this level in three weeks. If you only ride periodically, it will take longer than this in time, but you will reach this level within to miles of riding a bike.
Motorcycle riding is huge amounts of fun, but there is no question that the activity is fraught with dangers and pitfalls, some of which could be none of your own makings. The faster you become comfortable riding a motorcycle , the safer the rider you will become, and the more you will enjoy your bike and the riding experience.
Even if you are only a weekend rider, persevere with your learning experience. Oftentimes the problem will be the lack of confidence of beginner riders and them not knowing where to look. You have to trust your motorcycle and watch in the direction where you want to go. At first, you will probably be shaky and scared that you will drop the motorcycle. Being worried like that is normal, and you just need to know what you need to do and build your confidence.
If you are too nervous about riding a motorcycle, I recommend going over the tips I share in my article about how to overcome the fear of riding a motorcycle. Overall, learning how to ride a motorcycle is not an easy thing to do and should not be underestimated. But nonetheless, it is not as hard as it seems to be.
In fact, some motorcycle riders have taught themselves how to ride a motorcycle. See article: Can you teach yourself to ride a motorcycle? Learning to ride a motorcycle is a process that never ends. Every day you will be learning something new. Ask around, and even older motorcycle rides with more than 40 years of experience under their belt will confirm it. You may have been riding your motorcycle for more than 40 years, and you will still be learning.
One of the things that some people may struggle with is situational awareness. For many people riding a motorcycle will be a completely new experience filled with many new mechanics and techniques. Now, top that with the need to be exercising extra attention and stay constantly focused, and you have a recipe for some very difficult times.
Many new motorcycle riders may need a week up to a few months to get comfortable with the motorcycle before being able to get out in the traffic. It is also worth noting that heavier motorcycles are harder to ride. Some riders may also find some of the finer-touch techniques of riding a motorcycle more difficult, like properly rev-matching, for example. The fastest and by far, the best way to learn how to ride a motorcycle is by taking an MSF class to get your license.
An MSF course is irreplaceable even for more experienced riders that need to brush up on their skills. In combination with that, it is worth reading books, watching videos, and overall getting more educated on the topic. Reading books and watching videos will not necessarily make you better at riding a motorcycle; however, they can serve a valuable role in widening your knowledge and understanding of what happens on the road and what you can do.
But all your efforts will be fruitless if you do not ride your motorcycle often. You will not forget how to ride a motorcycle , the odds of this happening are pretty much nonexistent, but you will not feel comfortable while riding, and you will need some time to refamiliarize yourself with the motorcycle.
Hello, two-wheel enthusiasts! My name is Mike, and I am the person behind motorcyclebrave. I am ready to go for a ride at any time of the day or night. There is something about motorcycles that nothing else compares to.
Here I share everything that I learn about motorcycles. How long your motorcycle tires last is no doubt an important question. Not just that, but also how long they should be lasting is also worth looking into. Tires are easily one of the Arguably, one of the very first questions any beginner has is about what cc motorcycle they should get. There are just so many motorcycles, and many numbers are through around, making matters very Users browsing this forum: Bing [Bot] , Google [Bot] and guests.
Privacy Terms. Total Motorcycle Community Forums 22 Years. Skip to content. Quick links. How long before I feel comfortable? I've been so excited I can't stand it. Now I've never even rode a dirt bike much less a motorcycle, so I took the class and did pretty well! So, excited! And I've now been out on my bike 5 times in traffic no freeway and have had no incidents. But, damn I still am so nervous I always have to take a minute to stop and breath just to relax!
My boyfriend doesn't understand it. Should I still be feeling this nervous or is it normal for new riders? How much practice is normal before feeling at least a lil comfortable. I should mention when I'm done I feel great, but it starts all over again the next time I gear up Jennifer Michelle.
Of course you should be nervous! You experience level is very close to nil. If you weren't nervous, then you should be worried. I can't say exactly how long it will take you to get comfortable. It's different for different people. Once you have ridden enough so that basics like shifting, stopping and starting become automatic i. If you are a car driver, remember when you used to have to concentrate on how much pressure to put on the gas pedal and brake?
How about concentrating on steering to make sure you stayed between the lines? Experienced car drivers don't really think about those details anymore. They just do them automatically. When you reach that point, driving down the road no longer makes you nervous. With the bike, it's the same concept, just a different set of skills. It's a great reaction. It'll teach you the important skills and techniques you need to keep the shiny side up.
My Blog Grasp life by the handlebars. That's a pretty heavy motorcycle for a new and female rider. I'm not trying to sound sexist here, there are plenty of female riders that ride big bikes, but even the "smaller" Sportster is a lot of weight to hold up at a traffic light. Re: How long before I feel comfortable?
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