Instructional Guide On How to ride a motorcycle

Learning how to ride a motorcycle is similar to learning how to drive a car, both can be
intimidating at first but once you gain more knowledge and experience about them it gets easier
and easier. In this document you will learn everything there is to know to get yourself started on
riding a motorcycle but before we get into the meat and potatoes (actually riding the motorcycle)
we have to cover some essential topics first. 

Motorcycle Inspection:

Before you operate a motorcycle you want to inspect the motorcycle first. By following the guide
given by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation or T-CLOCS you will be able thoroughly inspect your
bike for any faults that would endanger your safety on the road. 

T: Tires and wheels, make sure your tires are filled to the recommended pressure as well as
checking your tires for any cracks or low tread. Your wheels should not be cracked, check all
spokes for any sort of damage that could compromise safety. 

C: Controls, such as levers, pedals, cables, and throttle. Make sure all are in working order
according to the manufacturer. 

L: Lights such as headlights, turning indicators, and taillights and mirrors should all be in
working order.

O: Oil fluid levels, make sure to check your oil level according to manufacturer specs. Too much
or too low oil could damage your bike. 

C: Chassis, make sure your chassis such as frame, suspension, and chain are in good working
order. 

S: Stands, make sure the center stand and/or kickstand are in good working order. 

Safety Gear:

It can be just as easy to lose control of a bike as it is to lose control of a car thus safety gear is
required because you are exposed to outside objects while riding a bike as compared to driving
a car this means that crashes/accidents are more likely to injure you as compared to an
crash/accident in a car, Therefore it is important to go over the necessary safety gear. 

Helmet: Helmet is the most important safety gear that a rider needs. It is illegal to operate a
motorcycle on public roads without one and for good reason.

Gloves: Though not required like the helmet it is recommended for riding a bike as it gives you
better grip on the handle and throttle of the bike. 
Jacket/pants: This is also not required but we heavily recommend it as at high speeds foreign
objects such as bugs tend to sting when coming into contact with skin, to protect yourself from
this a jacket and jeans are always recommended. 

Boots: This is optional as well but recommended as boots tend to give you a better feel of the
clutch and dead pedal as well as it helps you to flat foot the bike when stopped at a red light. 

 Mounting the motorcycle:

Finally you are ready to mount the bike. Depending on how tall you are, mounting a motorcycle
can be a little difficult at first. With a bit of practice this will soon become second nature.

Mounting side: Most bikes have their kickstand on the left thus when the bike is on the
kickstand it tends to lean a bit on the left, so the left side is where you will begin to mount your
bike.

Sitting on bike: To get started place both hands on each one of the handles the left hand goes
on the left handle and the right hand goes on the right handle once both hands are on each
handles carefully shift your weight on to your left leg and kick your right leg up and over the
bike, make sure to kick your leg high enough to clear the bike so your right leg can get on the
right side of the bike. Once the bike is in between your legs carefully sit down on the seat of
your bike. 

Throttle, Brake, Lights, and Mirrors:

Once you have mounted your bike you want to familiarize yourself with the controls of the bike.

Throttle: Your right hand is responsible for two crucial functions and that is acceleration and
braking. When you want to raise the rpm’s to accelerate you simply twist the throttle towards
yourself, be careful to not twist too much, less is more in this situation and you only need a little
bit of throttle to start moving the bike.

Brake: Next is brake, the lever in front of the throttle is the front brakes, gently squeeze it with
your fingers to begin braking but make sure to be gentle with the lever as if you squeeze too
hard it could lock up the brakes and cause the bike to lose control. Next is your rear brakes,
your right foot controls the rear brakes and is also like a pedal that you squeeze/ step on to slow
down. The pedal should be located just behind the dead pedal you use to support your leg when
riding.

Lights: Next is lights, your lights are usually located on your left handle, you should see an icon
for a headlight beam, and below, above or next to it should be a switch or button press it and
your lights will turn on, press it twice consecutively and that will turn on your high beams these
buttons are usually standard across most bikes but the controls could be different from bike to
bike.

Mirrors: Last but not least is Mirrors. To correctly set your mirrors place an object of equal or
higher height then your bike at varying distances starting from 5-6 feet behind the bike, adjust
your mirrors to the point where you can see the object at varying distances behind the bike. 

Clutch and gearbox:

Clutch: The clutch is the lever ahead of the handle on the  left side. The clutch connects the
transmission to the engine. When you squeeze the clutch lever, you're putting the bike in neutral
as the transmission is not in contact with the engine (even when in gear). When you let go of the
clutch your engaging the transmission and engine. Practice slowly pulling the lever with your left
hand.
Gearbox: Next is gears to go up the gears you use your left or right foot (depending on which
side the gear pedal is on) to pull the lever up while simultaneously pulling the clutch lever, you
need to do this every time you up shift (going up a gear) as well as down shift (going down a
gear) practice controlling the lever with your left foot or right foot, specifically practice pushing it
down/ stepping on the lever to go down a gear and pulling it up with your foot to go up a gear. 

Riding the bike: 

Finally, after learning everything mentioned above you are ready to start riding your bike.

Turning on the bike:

 To begin to start the bike, turn the key in the ignition halfway to the point where the
engine has not officially started the speedometer lights and warning lights should turn on
just like it would in a car.
 Make sure to look at the gear selector when it lights up and confirm that you are in
neutral, if you are not in neutral press the clutch with your left hand and upshift or
downshift a gear/gears to put the transmission in neutral.
 Once in neutral hold down the clutch lever and fully turn the key in the ignition to turn on
the engine.
 Once the engine has turned over you can let go of the clutch (though not necessary too).
Riding the bike:

 To begin riding slowly flick the kickstand with your left leg while simultaneously leaning
your weight on your right foot as you will be putting your left leg on the lever to shift the
gears.
 To begin moving, slowly twist the throttle and let go of the clutch very slowly. If you let go
of the clutch to fast the bike will either jerk and start moving if given enough gas or the
bike engine turns off in which case you have officially stalled the bike (congrats on your
first stall don't worry it happens to everyone who begins to ride) if the bike has stalled
repeat the steps above and try again, keep trying until you get the bike to move freely
enough that you can let go of the clutch lever.
 Once the bike has begun to move slowly increase the speed to begin moving at 5-10
mph. Get comfortable with the bike at that speed while in 1st gear. When your speed
increases, your rpm’s will go up once your bikes rpm’s are at 3k or more up shift into 2nd
gear and so on.
 To come to a stop press the clutch lever with your left hand while simultaneously holding
the brake with your right hand or use the rear brakes by controlling it with your right foot.

Congrats on officially riding your bike, the more you ride your bike the more comfortable you will
get just like it is with driving a car and don't forget, safety first, always remember to go the speed
limit and follow all road rules carefully. Happy riding!!