>>1291021Take a class. If you've never been on a moto before, they're absolutely worth it.
Starts off assuming you know nothing... "you sit on the seat, hold onto the handlebars, this is the clutch, this is the brake, here's how you start it". Stupid simple stuff.
When I took the course, there was one guy who moved back state-side from Saudi Arabia (worked in the oil business). He was away long enough that his license lapsed, so he had to go through the MSF course again. He'd been riding for years, knew all the shit. Buddy and I both had a couple years dirt experience, fairly skilled riders but new to street riding. One other guy had "been on dirt bikes before", but it'd been a while. A couple people had zero experience. Instructor has to teach to the lowest common denominator.
Just answer the questions, do what they want you to do, don't try to show off, and get the endorsement.
Definitely worth the money to do. I keep kicking around the idea of taking one of their advanced rider courses.
Bikes aren't "hard to ride", but they're not like bicycles and not like cars.
I'm also a big advocate of learning to ride in the dirt, where you learn throttle and clutch control till its second nature in uneven terrain where you don't always have good traction. When you move to the street, you get to deal with morons who aren't paying any attention to anything/anyone outside their cage, but with dirt experience making quick line choices and handling the bike in a skid comes second nature.
MSF class does provide a helmet if you don't have one already. If a moto is something you're serious about, pick up some gear first and use it in the class. Basically helmet, eye pro, decent jacket (armored moto jacket is best), pants (jeans are fine, overpants or motorcycle-specific pants also work), and solid "sturdy" boots. Any motorcycle boot with meet their needs, but a work boot is more like what they're looking for.
t. engineer
>and fuck that bearing 