Getting a motorcycle, what do I need to know?

I'm thinking of getting into motorcycling. I have a good idea of the kind of bike I want: a late 70s/80s UJM like a honda cb 350/400/450, Suzuki xs650, etc. I'm 5'8" and 155#, so light weight is more important than power, also I really dig the cafe racer style. My plan is to take a few motorcycle university classes before getting spendy, so I can learn me some stuff and see if I really like it.

My question is, what do I need to know? What equipment do I need? Where should said equipment be purchased from? What are some things that you know now, o wise ones, that you wished you had known when you started?

The one thing I would say is that when you first start you need to understand that you have all the wrong instincts wired into your brain. The way you react naturally to impulses (fear) as a way for your brain to protect you are what will put you on the ground or worse pretty quickly. It takes time and practice to defeat these instincts.

Since Kieth Code already explained this concept really well... drop a couple bucks on the kindle version of "Twist of the Wrist II" and read it twice. He is concerned with racing but everything he says is directly applicable and even more so when you consider where you end up when cars are coming the other way.

Good luck, have fun and ... save money for good safety gear.

Motorcyclegear.com (formerly NewEnough) was always cheapest cor decent gear. Buy a decent helmet - it will make your life better. I liked my high-end Bell at the time.

Buy a cheap bike first. You won't lose money and it will be easier to learn. Mine was a Suzuki GS450.

Don't ride with buttnugget squids who like to show off or you'll end up one yourself. Don't drink and ride.

The best thing I did was took the Basic Rider Oregon skills class. Three days of classroom and riding range safety, awareness, and control. Your state or your local MSF probably has something similar. It answered many of my questions, gave me essential skills, and it was fun!

I also had good luck with starting with some used gear (cheap compared to new, but in decent shape) to get an idea of what works well for me. I haunted Craigslist and the flea market at advrider. I like my textile 2-piece, with waterproof zip-in liners. Cool enough in the summer, and warm enough with the liners for most cold days I actually ride. Two pairs of gloves (warm and cold) full face helmet, and sturdy boots covers 95% of my riding situations. I may have to get some leathers at some point if I want to get out on the track, but haven't gotten in that deep yet.

Just remember that you have to take it seriously and be careful when on the bike! Have fun!

In order to get good, ride a lot, and ride all over the place - everything from dirt driveways to Texas World Speedway.

Get a good, full face M2010 helmet (M2015 is just about the same but with better enforcement). Buy most of your other gear used.

A Ninja 250 is as quick as most old UJMs, handles better, and has easier parts availability.

Take the msf class. It's around 25 dollars and is an excellent refresher or starting point. Also looks great for your insurance.

Gear. Get gear. Full face helmet, gloves, jacket minimum. It's amazing how painful a simple dump can be without it.

Advrider.com flea market is a great spot for used gear.

Listen to people who ride often vs weekend warriors.

I'd say you have the right idea with the small displacement ujm bike. Low power, inexpensive, and can be fixed with a Phillips screwdriver and duct tape along side the road.

Other beginner bike ideas. Kaw ex500, Suzuki gsf500, Honda crf250. Tw200 and Buell Blast

All good info so far. Unless you want to tinker and replace 30 year old parts I second the idea to get a Ninja 250. You should be able to just hop on and ride. When you're ready to get something bigger you can sell the Ninja 250 for what you paid.

Take what ever you think you are going to spend on a bike and then remeber that you have to buy good gear.

For example my KLIM jacket and pants combo, new Helmet and a set of discount Spidi gloves still ran ~1700$. Good gear is 100x cheaper then skin grafts.

MSF before you buy anything and read everything that you can then find a place to practice.

Don't get too hung up on brand names for gear. If they meet Snell/DOT/ice requirements, they'll protect you. Concern yourself with comfort. Don't buy an HJC helmet because its cheap when it hurts your head, buy the more expensive Bell or Shoei because it fits right. Conversely, if the HJC fits and you like it, don't buy the Arai just to have the name. If its comfortable, you'll wear it, nei, WANT to wear it all the time. Try on all sorts of gloves, jackets, helmets. You'll never be quite sure you like then until you do.

Cycle Gear is a good place to start

Buy and read this book: and take the MSF course.

Start with the class and see what you think of the experience. If you find it fun (and you many not), consider shopping then.

Books are great, the two above are quite good, and don't cost much. Many times the libraries have them for free.

Got friends with bikes? Go for rides on them. Experience different types of bikes before you go deciding to buy. Statements like "I really dig 1970's cafe types" don't often stand up to the experience of riding said critter.

Go to dealership and shops to try on equipment. Mail ordering helmets and jackets and such tends to be a fools game unless you know the specific size and model fits you and your head. So try on the gear and see what seems to fit and feel comfortable. There's a heck of a difference between makers and styles. Gear that doesn't fit or worse hurts is gear you won't wear.

Go to dealerships and sit on bikes. Especially if they've got a bike in a style you like on center stand. Spend some time on one. Like 10+ minutes. Still comfortable? Don't be surprised to find you're not. Lots of us have had bikes we thought we liked, but a half hour into the ride we're finding out how much we really didn't like it. From ergonomics that don't work to vibration.

I'm shorter than you. Light weight per se isn't nearly as important as you think. Far more important is seat height and bike balance (mostly height of the center of gravity).

Thanks for all the advice guys! I'll get the kindle of the books you recommend. Definitely going to try a class first. One equipment thing that I'm wondering about are gloves and shoes? Do I need special equipment for hands and feet? Any recommendations?

In reply to jrubins:

You need a good leather boot that goes above the ankle and laces so it won't come off in a wreck. I'd say IMO a MC specific boot with sliders designed for the job is preferable but a good pair of tall work boots is better than nothing and much cheaper. I rode in tan k-mart work boots for years but ... never tested them.

Gloves. YES. You need them. I prefer motorcycle specific gloves with a full gauntlet, palm and knuckle protection. Even if you don't need the sliders in a get off - IMO you need the gloves for cold days, big bugs and rocks/debris flung off trucks. I've never fallen (mtn bikes, skiing, etc) where my hands weren't the first thing on the ground so I lean toward never doing anything without wearing gloves. Well, except maybe rubbing one out.

I'd also advise a full face helmet for debris and bug protection (as well as not disfiguring yourself in a faceplant).

EDIT: Lots of people will disagree with me - I am admittedly ATGATT and maybe a bit preachy in my old age. I see people ride all the time with no lids in t-shirts and sneaks. I'll even admit to having done it when I was in my teens. Assess the level of risk you are comfortable with and buy what you need. But... watch some youtube of road rash before you rock a pair of shorts ;)

GPS is spot on in my opinion on all counts. I've had a low speed down (parking lot) and put a hole in a pair of cheap gloves. Thankfully, not to my hands.

For boots? I usually ride in a pair of Caterpillar work boots, again covering the ankle.

Armored Mesh jackets are cheap and actually cooler on hot sunny days than nothing at all. They will keep the sun off you and allow LOTS of air flow.

Don't let the weather be reason for not wearing gear.

In reply to Giant Purple Snorklewacker:

I won't ride without at least a jacket, helmet, gloves, and boots.....I do have kevlar jeans, but god damn do those get toasty in the summer.

I've got another +1 for a Ninja 250r while saying screw the older bikes. I prefer to be able to corner, stop, and accelerate well. Oddly enough, a 250r is actually pretty fun to ride. I'm tempted to buy my friend's since she is moving....I'll get 600cc power out of it somehow.

In reply to yamaha:

I had been using Bohn mesh armor under draggin' Jeans and they are instant swamp ass at anything over 60F. I just squandered a small fortune on a pair of Klim Badlands Pro pants so I can unzip them and let my seeds breathe free. Right now it's 5F here so I'll not be able to answer whether they work or not for a while yet but people who ride in the south and in the desert give them props. They are certainly better protection. I feel like I could take a sword attack in them.

jrubins wrote: Thanks for all the advice guys! I'll get the kindle of the books you recommend. Definitely going to try a class first. One equipment thing that I'm wondering about are gloves and shoes? Do I need special equipment for hands and feet? Any recommendations?

To take a motorcycle riding class, you'll need over the ankle boots and leather gloves. Generic work boots will do fine, as will generic leather work gloves. Start there and take the class or classes. If you find you want to go further, then consider special motorcycle specific wonder gear.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: I feel like I could take a sword attack in them.

Damn, a sword attack to the testicles? Sounds like they must be made well.....

One thing I did not understand prior to buying real gear is that motorcycle gear is tailored to the riding position of your body and hands. The gloves are cut in such a way that fabric doesn't bunch up in your palms and the jacket is pre-bent in the arms at just the right shape. Uncomfortable to wear as a normal piece of outerwear but juuuuuust right for riding a bike. It really makes all the difference if you want to ride any distance.

GPS makes a statement that boots should have laces; while I would generally agree, I have a pair of Alpinestars boots that are all velcro and zippers and I love them. Easy on/off but when everything is closed up they are locked on my legs and not going anywhere. Added bonus is they are nearly waterproof because of the lack of open seams.

If it was your "fault" or not, You're still dead or in a wheelchair. Get everything you've been taught about right of way, only the laws of physics really keep you safe. If they can't physically hit you, then you're safe, until then, leave yourself an out or slow down enough to stop if they go.

And be situationally aware enough to use the things I just said.

I guess I'll add my two cents.

I've found that finding the right gear requires actually test fitting the items. I tried on every single jacket at my local CycleGear. I had a style that I wanted and knew I was looking for a textile jacket. I tried all the major names in different sizes but none of them really fit me. I've got big long monkey arms and the sizes that fit my arm length where way too big in the chest and around the waist. I finally tried on one of the cheaper brands in a style that I didn't like all that much but it fit me like a glove, still just a tad short at the wrists but the shoulders, chest and elbows are perfect. I bought it and have been very happy with it except for the days when it's over 90, which is often here in Texas. So now I'm on the lookout for a good mesh jacket for the hotter days of the summer. I guess the short of it is, it's worth it to drive around and actually try on the gear to find what fits you, every brand and style fits differently. When you're on a motorcycle you need every bit of your attention for situational awareness, a good fit means your not loosing some of your concentration worrying about ill fitting gear.

I've found earplugs make a huge difference in my riding comfort. I don't even put my helmet on without earplugs now, even for the short trips.

I definitely recommend an MSF course. But the timeline they have to teach you is limited and they hit you hard and fast with a lot of information. I read this over and over again until I basically had it memorized. I let Octavious here on the forums have my copy when he was talking about getting a motorcycle. If he still has it maybe he can forward it to you? Either way I highly recommend finding a copy somewhere.

And buy good gear, wear it every single time you ride.

Do you have to have a bike to take the course? I haven't ridden in probably close to 20 years, and the only street bike I put any miles on ended badly. Haven't even really ridden a bicycle since, but the want is strong for another vintage jap bike. I miss that rd350, even if I only put a hundred miles on it before totalling it.

All of the beginner classes that I'm aware of provide bikes to ride. The advanced courses are typically on your own bike.

The most important thing to know is that chicks dig motorcycles