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How to Ride a Motorcycle

Posted By devilriot On 11th August 2006 @ 14:31 In Motorcycles | No Comments

The best way to learn how to ride a motorcycle is to have someone who knows show u how to ride.

Now lets ride the Motorcycle. Like others i wont tell u the motorcycle is a two wheeled machine with a motor and Blah Blah Blah Blah!! Lets see what u need to ride Motorcycle and how to ride it.
RIDING GEAR :-

Before u start riding ur machine u need proper riding gear. Crashes can be very bad even a minor crash @50kmph can be fatal. Now lets see what u need.

A.) HELMET:- In most places riding a Motorcycle without a helmet is illegal. A good helmet should fit ur head well and u should be comfortable in it.

B.) GLOVES AND RIDING BOOTS:- Ur legs and ur hands need as much protection as ur head. So u will need a good pair of riding gloves and riding boots.The trick for getting the best gloves for u is to not to buy a pair that fits snugly on ur fingers they should be a little longer than ur digits. When u are on ur machine, and opening the throttle, u will know why.

U should get some good riding boots if u dont want a broken ankle if u fall from ur motorcycle. Motorcycles are heavy and they can break and crush ur leg bones if they fall on ur leg. So better get some good riding boots.

C.) LEATHER JACKET:- A leather jacket is the symbol of a real biker. There are synthetic jackets that give u good protection from weather and the road.

U can also buy full riding suits.

READY TO ROLL!!:-

Now ur all set and looking awesome in ur new riding gear. Now lets roll this machine .Sit on the bike, raise the side stand, and start the engine. It is a good practice to leave the bike in gear when parking it; so make sure it is in neutral. Develop a routine - side stand up, clutch in, gear neutral, engine on.

Let the bike warm up, and check that the strap on your helmet is done up and Are the mirrors positioned so that you can see behind you?

There are four levers and one throttle to be manipulated. The clutch is on the left handlebar and the front brake lever is on the right handlebar. The gear lever is often on the left side of the bike, in front of your left foot; and the rear brake lever is on the other side. Some bikes like Royal Enfield have Gear lever on right side of the bike and and rear brake lever on the other side. The gear lever should fit above the top of your foot, with your arches on the foot pedals, and you should be able to click the gear lever up or down easily. You should also be able to easily compress the rear brake lever with your other foot with minimal movement.

A word of caution - don’t try clicking the gear lever and depressing the rear brake lever at the same time when you’re not moving!
The throttle is on the right hand side, and needs to be twisted towards you to accelerate.

RIDING THE MACHINE:-

With the engine running and the bike in neutral, pull in the clutch with your left hand. Click the gear lever into first gear (whether you have to click up or down will depend on your bike). As you release the clutch (slowly at first, speed will come later), wind the throttle towards you gently - not much! - just enough to keep the bike from stalling. As the gear catches, the engine revolutions will drop, and you will need to wind the throttle on a bit more. Now you are moving… if you haven’t stalled. Pull the clutch in, at the same time pushing the throttle forwards (really it’s letting it spring back to zero throttle, but don’t let go of it); and, with the fingers of your right hand,

pull in the front brake and stop. Practice starting, moving off, and stopping. Remember to keep the clutch in when the bike is in gear and you want to stop. When moving, grip the fuel tank with your knees and keep your upper body relaxed, so it can move with the bike.
Once you feel confident, you can increase your speed and use more gears. Keep your head up, be aware of your surroundings, and don’t look at your hands to see what they are up to. When slowing down, ‘blip’ the throttle when the clutch is pulled in and as you change down a gear; this will help the gears mesh, and it sounds good too (listen to bikes changing down gears and you will hear that blipping sound). When braking, apply more pressure to the front brake than the rear. The rear brake is really only to keep the bike steady, and to assist the main braking of the front. In wet weather, you usually need to apply a more balanced front and rear brake combination.

LETS LEARN CORNERING:-

Cornering

Cornering is one of the main joys of motorcycling; a good corner is great fun. Try it and you’ll see what I mean. When approaching a corner, make sure that you are in a gear that will give you enough acceleration out of it. Slow down, keep your head up, and look through the apex. Don’t be afraid to lean when cornering - go with the bike, keep your head vertical, but don’t try to sit up when the bike is leaning over… unless you want to pick it up and change direction. That could be a foolish thing to do mid-corner, unless you are avoiding an obstacle. Point your chin and inside shoulder where you want to go and keep your arms relaxed, forearms parallel to the ground. Position yourself so that you won’t run wide, or cut the corner. It is strongly recommended that you study cornering. Cornering is something of an art, and it is important not to get into bad habits, such as looking down at the road directly in front of you, a common error.
The principle of steering a bike through a corner is known as counter steering. Essentially, it means that when you are turning right, you push the handlebars as if you were trying to go to the left, and vice versa. Sounds odd, but it is very important to do. As you go through the corner, accelerate out of it.
Sliding the tyres is something to learn from an expert; but don’t worry if the back tyre slides a little, just apply constant acceleration out of the corner and look to where you want to go, remembering to counter steer.
LETS LEARN BRAKING:-

Braking

There are some fundamental rules to braking. The first, as described above, is to brake mainly with the front brake. The second is to use only the back brake when you are moving and manoeuvring slowly, say at walking speed. If you use the front brake, and the front wheel is not straight, you will topple over. A slow speed crash is particularly very embarrassing.
Braking in corners can be quite important. Applying the front brake will cause the bike to sit up, and applying the rear brake will bring the bike down into the corner; some riders use the rear brake (gently) through tight, fast, corners religiously.
If either wheel locks up because you have applied rapid, hard pressure to the lever, just release the lever slightly and the wheel will catch again.
Practice stopping quickly, by placing a marker on a nice quiet bit of road. Ride towards it (not directly at it) and, as you pass it, brake hard. See if you can shorten your braking distance.


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