I'm relatively new to motorcycles. I was only exposed to the motorcycle "bug" only 2 years ago when my one of my brothers decided to get me involved in motorcycling when he bought a 1997 BMW motorcycle, a F650ST, from a person that he knows from work. It was gracious of him... getting a free motorcycle and all, but you can imagine my trepidation. I have never been on any 2-wheeled powered vehicles let alone a 300 pound, 650 cc, BMW motorcycle!
"It'll be fun", he assured me.
"It's like a cross between riding a bicycle and driving a manual, 'stick shift' car in terms of clutch." "You already know how to do both so I'm sure you learn quickly," he re-assured me.
"You could sign up for a motorcycle riding course later but in the meantime you can try learning how to ride it at your own pace at your place."
Needless to say, the BMW F650ST motorcycle sat in my storage unit for a long time. I would get in the seat from time to time and practiced "dry" gear shifting. After a couple of months of procrastination, I finally squared away all the legal paperwork while also realized that it wasn't good to let my motorcycle sit in storage: the battery needed to be charged, etc., still I let it sat...
I guess my brother sensed my reluctance, then one day called up and said that he and some of his riding buddies were planning a motorcycle riding BBQ baptism at my place. They will help "easing" me into the saddle, he said.
At the BBQ they went over some very basic stuff like getting used to the weight, clutching, friction zone, balance, etc., before I even started the BMW's engine. And once the motorcycle's engine had fired up they patiently walked along side and gave tips. I must say the weight of the motorcycle was something to get used to. It was scary at first but not as bad as I thought thanks to my brother and his buddies easing me into my first motorcycle riding lesson.
Learn to ride a motorcycle
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