First time biker ...How do I go about it?

[eggman]

Hi Guys

Here's my situation.

->My friends have taught me how to ride bikes , so I have some experience of how to ride one. But no road experience and it was 2 years ago.

So anyway, I've enrolled into a driving school.
It's a 10 hours course , so by the end of it I think I should get some hang of it.

How do I go about it after the course?

-> Which bike should I buy, something which is easier for first time rider?
I don't wanna buy a 2nd hand.

-> I'll be getting my LL tomorrow.
When should I buy a bike?
After the course, or should I go ahead and book one now?

->How do I practice after the course?
It's not possible for me to get a pavilion rider with DL .
Is it safe to practice in roads, and avoid the main road?

-> I know it's subjective, but how hard is the leaning curve(no pun intended)?
How many hours should one practice before he is confident of riding in main traffic, specially Bangalore traffic.

Thanks for your inputs.

 

[doomgiver]

start small. get a basic, 100 CC bike (125 will have more power, but for now, focus on handling).


no auto start, nothing fancy, should be COMFORTABLE.


now, ride around as much as possible.


pay attention to the bends and curves. play a game : keep the bike on the divider (dude, only do this on empty roads). learning how to turn is one of the most important lessons, and its rare to find an indian biker who can turn well.


learn the proper riding position : the arms should be slightly bent at the elbows, the torso should be bent forward a bit, and the head MUST point in the direction you want the bike to go. (adjust the handlebars as needed).


speed in a bike is not important, its the skill. many a time, i beat the pulsars and yamaha fx's at the green light on my 8 year old hero cd-dawn, coz i know how to take max advantage of my bike (sadly, they catch up to me within 10 seconds and overtake, coz i NEVER ride my bike above 50). If you know how to gearshift properly, brake, and accelerate, then you can be 10x safer than the idiot next to you.

also, ALWAYS assume that the other motorists are fools who dont know an iota of how to drive anything. this will save your behind many times.

remember, brake>>>>>>accelerator. learn braking before accelerating. when braking hard, downshift gears and release clutch, the resultant engine inertia will slow you down further, and decrease chances of slipping.

NEVER BRAKE WHILE TURNING. again, say it with me, NEVER BRAKE WHILE TURNING. its of to brake as much as you like BEFORE entering a turn, but dont apply brakes as you turn, its dangerous as fvck. theoretically, you can brake in a turn, however, doing that will send you into the opposite traffic, resulting in an accident. trt to minimize use of the rear brakes. you should use the front brakes more than the back brakes. like 60-40 split.

oh, and STICK TO THE LEFT SIDE, when you drive, i HATE slow bikers who occupy the middle/right lane, stopping me from overtaking (if this was gta, i'd have them taken out with a missile launcher, and then trampled upon by a tank, and then washed away with a water jet from a fire truck.)

thats all i can say atm, which covers the basic mistakes 90% of the indian drivers make.

post if you want more advanced stuff.

see, mate there is no "course" or curve of learning.

I wouldnt trust my younger brother 100% while driving, yet he learnt to ride a bike before me. Its not about the time spent, its about the skill you have.

just practice on empty roads till you can drive without randomly veering in a direction, and can balance the bike, and have successfully learnt to keep the bike in control, so that it does not shut off randomly (due to wrong gear, or something). then you can slowly go around and drive in open roads, have someone, prolly your dad or friend (who knows stuff, dont take on a stuntsman or dhoom-fan kinda guy) whose driving you trust (i learnt from my dad, i totally trust his driving, infact, i take naps while he drives)

good luck on your quest!!!

obligatory :

its too dangerous to go on your own, here take this!!!

 

[Gollum]

If you can ride a cycle, you can ride a bike to>>>>Provided you can handle the weight. FOr starters a bike of the category of Splendor is okay.
pulsar and above is for those who can handle the speed and have a correct state of mind on-road.

Apart from that all I can say is, Practice makes perfect.

I have been driving the same bike - splendor, for the past 11 years. and I started just like you. Back then I used to be so thin that I couldn't lift the bike even if it fell from its stand lol. Mind it splendor is a 100Kg bike.

 

[doomgiver]

Gollum, mate, a motorbike is a different beast than a bicycle.

However, there are some similarities, so, if you just want some practice, or want to scout out some roads, get on a bicycle and ride. Its neither recommended nor forbidden. Do what you think is best.

 

[Samarth 619]

-> Which bike should I buy, something which is easier for first time rider?
I don't wanna buy a 2nd hand.

If you can replace it later on, or you can be satisfied with a 100cc bike for all your life, get a Discover 100 DTSi (4 gears version).

But, if you want somewhat of a performing bike with a wish to keep it for long term, the best Indian premium bike for a beginner according to me, is Yamaha FZ16. It has good city level performance/ handling combo and has good tyres and well tuned brakes for safety reasons.

->How do I practice after the course?
It's not possible for me to get a pavilion rider with DL .
Is it safe to practice in roads, and avoid the main road?

Try colony roads for a start.

-> I know it's subjective, but how hard is the leaning curve(no pun intended)?
How many hours should one practice before he is confident of riding in main traffic, specially Bangalore traffic.

Within a week, you can get hold of the machine. But good riding sense comes in a lifetime.

Keep headlights on at night time, take right hand corners rounding the circle from the left properly, brake early (so that brake light appears soon) but do not brake too hard (people behind you might crash into you), etc. I learnt all these things by experience and a constant desire to learn & improve.
Also, don't ever be too confident, even after 5 years from now.

And no matter what: always wear a full face helmet and a pair of good shoes (with no exception to this rule), and if possible, riding jackets, knee guards, etc. Don't listen to people speaking against helmets and protection, because they haven't seen anything. Ask me: I've seen & heard of guys getting crashed and killed, riding at 40 kmph, which is considered a normal speed.

 

[Hrishi]

Do w/e you like buddy but just be patience(it will come gradually and with experience), but don't hit someone or vice-versa.
And most important : Stay away from lady drivers/riders on road and Auto-Rickshaws(extremely deadly.).

 

[Anish]

Confidence.
I regretted biking since the gear system was little tricky for me. But now, i am mad at driving.
The greatest astonishment to me is that i learnt to ride cycle (5th grade), bike(12th grade) myself.
IF you have confidence, you can learn it yourself. Believe me if it became your passion, it will be difficult separate you from your bike

 

[s18000rpm]

when you brake, dont apply clutch till the bike slows down enough, downshift gears accordingly, this is very effective braking. read more (wiki) about 'engine braking'.
dont remove the 'mirrors' for style or have them faced towards yourself. learn to use it in proper way.
always think of safety, not just of yourself, but others on road too. when you approach turns, be careful of vehicles/kids... + dont overtake vehicles at junctions if they have slowed down , especially buses, because they might have slowed down to let other vehicle cross through.
wear helmet.

 

[koolent]

I say, its the desire to ride with pleasure and improve! And the, the time you spend with your bike will decide how you ride.

Practice on the empty roads thoroughly and for 2 weeks then take a friend with you whom can drive good (good is not fast) and ride around with him in those empty roads. Let the pleasure and fun of riding come to you and your graph will have a dramatic increase!

If you find riding a burden on you, you will never learn to ride!

I learned to ride a bicycle at the first grade, basic gear less 2 wheeler driving (TVS Scooty PEP+) at 5th grade and Just bought a geared two-wheeler (TVS Apache RTR) on 11th and am in 9th grade. However I learned biking in the 7th grade. Improving ever since!

So, the desire and the pleasure are the keys!

 

[Faun]

Dont listen to music while driving and don't attend calls while driving. Good advice from shin chan.

And never take sudden turn or swerve on a straight road.

Auto start is good during rush hours.

 

[doomgiver]

And keep distance from autos, buses and trucks.

If you see them, behave/drive as if they are filled with terrorists out to ram your vehicle. Not far from the truth, actually, if you think about it.

 

[RCuber]

@eggman.. do you know to ride a gear less scooter?

do you only want to go for a bike.. or is scooter a option..

cause I have driven in Bangalore traffic from past 12 years and now I prefer scooter over bike as its more comfortable and easy to manage in Bangalore traffic.

in any case.. you should first try a gear less scooter for couple of hours to get comfortable with riding (take it from one of your friends) then you can start learning the bike

 

[Gollum]

@eggman.. do you know to ride a gear less scooter?

do you only want to go for a bike.. or is scooter a option..

cause I have driven in Bangalore traffic from past 12 years and now I prefer scooter over bike as its more comfortable and easy to manage in Bangalore traffic.

in any case.. you should first try a gear less scooter for couple of hours to get comfortable with riding (take it from one of your friends) then you can start learning the bike

best reply ever


although OP should know, a two wheeler is the most dangerous mode of transport.

If you can spend a lakh on a bike then get a tata nano, good for rainy weather and saves you from dust and pollution, robs you of all your dignity

 

[Hrishi]

And keep distance from autos, buses and trucks.

If you see them, behave/drive as if they are filled with terrorists out to ram your vehicle. Not far from the truth, actually, if you think about it.

He is right , stay away from them as much you can. Specially when you are in learning mode.

 

[RCuber]

and FYI.. Bangalore traffic can only become worse.. I had used my Splendor for about 5 yrs or so .. then one day I took my bro's Activa to my workplace and I was like dang.. no gear changes ..

 

[eggman]

@eggman.. do you know to ride a gear less scooter?

do you only want to go for a bike.. or is scooter a option..

cause I have driven in Bangalore traffic from past 12 years and now I prefer scooter over bike as its more comfortable and easy to manage in Bangalore traffic.

in any case.. you should first try a gear less scooter for couple of hours to get comfortable with riding (take it from one of your friends) then you can start learning the bike

Yes. I know how to ride gearless scooty. But again I never rode in traffic.
I only want to go for an bike.

I have also rode bike for around 10 hours, but not much in traffic.

But it was about 2 years back.

Even then , I never got very comfy with with stopping and starting bike at will.Had hard time in taking a U turn , stopping without shutting off the bike .
Gonna start training again this Thursday. It's a 10 hours course, after that I'll start practicing on my own.

Problem is, all my friends stay very far from where I''m staying . (Indiranagar). So asking for a spare bike is not an option.
I don't even know how I'll get the bike from showroom to my place. Probably gonna bribe some friend for that.

 

[Faun]

RCuber can give you lessons for a small fee

 

[Hrishi]

I don't even know how I'll get the bike from showroom to my place. Probably gonna bribe some friend for that.

 

[doomgiver]

best reply ever
If you can spend a lakh on a bike then get a tata nano, good for rainy weather and saves you from dust and pollution, robs you of all your dignity

well, and truly said. HEAR HEAR!!!!

 

[aloodum]

NEVER BRAKE WHILE TURNING. again, say it with me, NEVER BRAKE WHILE TURNING. its of to brake as much as you like BEFORE entering a turn, but dont apply brakes as you turn, its dangerous as fvck. theoretically, you can brake in a turn, however, doing that will send you into the opposite traffic, resulting in an accident. trt to minimize use of the rear brakes. you should use the front brakes more than the back brakes. like 60-40 split.

Good honest post i must say, but i differ on this point.

You should use your rear brake (tapping action and not a slamming one) to control the curve radius..If you enter a corner/turn too fast , use the rear brake only to correct your course..The use of a front brake on the other hand is not advised.

Another few tip for a first time biker:

1. Watch the surface on which your moving- slippery , sandy, rocky- even a seemingly harmless braking, done improperly, can cause you to lose control so fast before you can what the fruit!!

2. Learn to use both mirrors- they are not for show, they have a purpose. Always check the mirrors when ever making any lateral movement- be it left or right.

3. Dont be a racing monster on the road- Control the urge to race with egg heads. These short spirited burst of speed are very very unpredicatable, and you may end up in a hospital rather than reaching your destination or if ur real unlucky-in a jail . Better to be safe than sorry.

4. Keep a very cool , level head when driving. You will run into autorickshaws that turn without a signal, or indica cabs that change lanes without warning or goverment bus that overtakes on your shoulder without a horn or the proverbial pesky pedestrian who will cross the road as if he born to cross the road .....do not get all ruffled up..
Since your starting fresh , you may end up making mistakes on road..like a stalled engine with ppl honking behind you, again dont get nervous and act stupid

5. Anticipate - Related in someway to Pt 4, Anticipate the actions of ppl around you...kids on side of the street may suddenly dart across..Crossings will have a few errrant last minute high speed dashers....the auto infront can suddenly make a turn.etc etc .keep your distance and maintain a speed such that you have full braking confidence.

6. Before starting for the day, always inspect your vehicle for basic functions - brakes, clutch, lights, indicators.

7. Common sense- a rare quality in most motorost that pky the road.

And please use your helmet...you can show off the hair when ur stationary...and if you feel stiffled, go ride a cycle.

Cheers!!