4 Skills to Practice as a Beginner Motorcycle Rider
So, you’ve finally done it! You’ve got your license, you’ve done your research, and you’ve finally bought your first motorcycle. Congratulations! If you’re still feeling a little nervous about it all, don’t worry—you’re not alone. We’ve all been there, and the good news is, the more you ride, the more comfortable you’ll become.
If you’ve already taken an accredited rider training and motorcycle safety course, you’ve got a solid foundation to build upon to become a great and confident rider. If you haven’t, your first step should be to book a course. For now, Cycle Trader is sharing five easy things to practice that will help build your confidence and skill as a new rider.
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1. Walking Speed Maneuvers
Everyone knows we need to learn to walk before we run, and that’s true of riding too. One of the scariest parts of riding can be not riding it at all, but simply moving your new prized ride around the garage, driveway, or parking lot. The last thing you want to do is pull up in front of the coffee shop and drop your bike, so practice walking around with it by following these steps:
- Approach the bike from the side it’s leaning on its kickstand.
- Pick it up off the stand with both hands firmly on the grips, and walk it forward ten steps.
- Stop, set it on the side stand, then repeat, but walk it backward.
- Finally, walk it in circles, both clockwise and counterclockwise.
Once comfortable, you can try the same moves while straddling the bike. If your bike is equipped with one, try putting it up on the center stand and taking it off a few times. It can be tricky to get a feel for the lift-and-pull that’s required, so practice it with a friend at first to get the hang of it.
Like it or not, there are times when you need to walk your bike into position. These moves will get you familiar with the weight, center of gravity, and seat height of your bike, which may differ from motorcycles you’ve tried before.
2. Go and Shift
Now that you’re comfortable moving your bike around with the engine off, it’s time for the good stuff: feeling the power. Learning to operate the clutch and throttle smoothly takes some practice, so do just that. With plenty of space ahead of you, slowly and smoothly pull away from a stop up to a slow but steady speed in first gear. Stop and repeat. You’ll quickly learn the friction point of your clutch and how much throttle is needed for your bike’s sweet spot.
Every bike is a little different. If you stall it a few times, don’t sweat it—we all do it occasionally, and your bike will forgive you. Take a breath, restart, and try again. With the start-from-stop smoothed out, if the parking lot is big enough, work through the first few gears to get a feel for them too.
3. Stopping
All good things must come to an end, and as fun as it is riding along, everybody needs to be able to safely and smoothly stop too. Get in the habit of coming to a complete stop, putting both feet down, then restarting. This little pause at a complete stop gives you a moment to look around and assess your surroundings, scanning for other traffic in all directions, including checking the mirrors.
As confidence grows, increase the speed, running up through the gears, then practice some panic stops. Most modern bikes have ABS (anti-lock braking systems) that help prevent the front or rear wheels from locking up and skidding, but it’s still important to get a feel for how the bike reacts during heavy braking.
Don’t forget, understanding your motorcycle’s braking system and learning brake pressure your bike requires in an emergency can help you avoid panicking in a real emergency-stopping situation..
4. Low-Speed Turns
One of the trickiest parts of riding is turning at low speeds. Here, smooth and steady is key, recognizing that a bike steers differently at parking-lot speeds than it does at higher speeds. When leaning into a higher-speed curve, the bike responds to push steering on the bars, but at lower speeds, a rider needs to steer with the bars in the direction of the turn.
In first gear, practice repeated U-turns. Start with wide ones and gradually work toward tighter ones. Be sure to practice both left and right-hand turns since riders often find one side easier than the other.
As confidence builds, challenge yourself to slower speeds and tighter turns while maintaining control and not putting a foot down. A neat trick is to learn to use the rear brake while applying measured throttle. This creates tension in the bike and can help keep it upright at very low speeds.
Move on to S-curves, still at low speed, to keep it interesting.
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Start Practicing
Lastly, as your riding experience and confidence grow, try all these practice exercises—and simply riding around on the road—in the rain. Sure, it might not be as fun or comfortable, but it’s smart to learn how your bike responds in the wet before you’re caught out in it for the first time, miles from home. There’s less grip available for turning and braking, so start slow again and build speed as you learn your bike’s capabilities (and your own) when it’s wet.
Riders who recognize that no matter how experienced they are, they can always improve with practice will also realize that all of these exercises can be valuable to practice any time you get a new bike—or just for fun to help reinforce your skills.
Jeff Wilson
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