101 things I wish I'd known before I started riding...
 

It started several years ago, i saw/heard an SV650, yellow curvey iirc, and then and there decided one day i was going to have one. at the time i was a student who already had a car so couldn't afford it, plus my parents hit the roof and told me i would kill myself

step forward 6 years or so, been on the road pretty much since i turned seventeen, the fact that on my birthday instead of a shindig i had a driving lesson shows how much i love all things internal combustion (or how sad i am perhaps?). now after almost 6 incident free years behind the wheel i've got a decent job and have the cash to get my bike license and get going on two wheels. what's more, my parents were right (as ever) - if i'd have got a bike years ago i would have crashed and burned within minutes:smt120

the thing is, i'm a bit green when it comes to motorcycles, not having any family members to coach me from a young age, i know how everything works but haven't had any real experience, so want to know what is says in the title of the thread, if you could do it over what would you most like to know before you got involved?

oh, and hi btw:cool: outside the interweb i'm just mark (the same mark who kitesurfs if anyone was wondering;))

Re: 101 things I wish I'd known before I started riding...
 

Buy the best kit you can afford from the cheapest place you can find.

Hein Gericke are good and cheapish.

Suzukis and neglect don't mix.

Never buy Italian:p

Back Protector...always always wear....

Re: 101 things I wish I'd known before I started riding...
 

If you crash a car it tends to cost money,but on a bike you get hurt.You need a slightly different mindset to allow for this.Assume everything on the road is there to kill you.

Re: 101 things I wish I'd known before I started riding...
 

Still learning:rolleyes:

Re: 101 things I wish I'd known before I started riding...
 

If you're going to wear protecetive gear, get hip armour. More exposed than your shoulders and more useful in day to day life :) I was wearing all my armoured textiles when I fractured my hip- no hip armour or pockets for same. I'd have bounced otherwise :)

Re: 101 things I wish I'd known before I started riding...
 

And do you want to enlighten us how you did that then??? Well you have said before but its still funny.

Re: 101 things I wish I'd known before I started riding...
 

The main thing probably is never ride the motorcycle without leathers on (or the very least textile motorcycle gear). See Bigape's 'always wear your leathers' thread in the photo section.

As BB said you're very vunerable on a motorcycle. Take things easy at first.

Oh, you never stop learning. ;)

Re: 101 things I wish I'd known before I started riding...
 

Remember to always, always, have fun.

Re: 101 things I wish I'd known before I started riding...
 

It turns out to be a wee bit more complicated than first thought :) But since TSM asks, I slipped on a patch of ice in my driveway, on my way to the garage. So don't do that.

Re: 101 things I wish I'd known before I started riding...
 

I could not have put it better myself, but wear decent protective kit just in case of an unforseen moment.