As far back as I can remember, I have always wanted a bike, dreaming of cruising down the road on a big, loud, Harley-Davidson, screaming down the open roads but it was just that, a dream. What if I could walk you through a rookies’ way to get set up with your first, not some guy who has been riding 5-30 years. That’s right, rookie to rookie on experience, still fresh in the mind compared to someone coming in completely blind like how I started this process.
Find out if your state requires a mandatory Motorcycle Safety Course, MSC. That is a huge step just to start out with. Washington state does not require one, Oregon does, your DMV website will be your best source on this and typically will give you a list on who to go to. Research, research, research. Research is your best friend on this. Reviews, prices, even down to the design of the website itself.
Look into both pros and cons of what a place has to offer. Not many reviews, they are either not credible, as in they are paid advertisers for reviews, or, they have recently opened shop. Simple solution to that though, give them a call, if they just started few months ago, they just haven’t had the clients to keep them going. Although they have only had a few months in business, doesn’t mean they are completely horrible, might be worth the shot to drive yourself down the road to go look at, see how their facilities are, speak with the instructors or manager on duty, their equipment, everything. Is it kept up, is it a mess, do they act as if they do not care? Major questions to ask during this process.
If you’ve been around the real world for a bit, you come to learn first hand of the saying, “you get what you paid for.” Same comes to education in all forms. The higher you pay, tends to be the better quality you receive. Is it a cheap school? They might not be the best ones to go to but should not be completely scratched off the list, every place is always worth the look. Do not mistake this as me saying go out and find the most expensive school out there with a thousand-person class size, for all you know, that 3 person class for $75 just might be the right for you. Look into them, give them all a call, ask them about the school, their instructors, go look at their place, you never know what might surprise you.
How is their website? Just like their physical location, look for appearances. Is it neat and presentable, easy to navigate? We should all know in the modern age, the internet is your first look at nearly any company. Look out your window driving down the road, you see the results of the products, Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Harley, Honda, Kawasaki, Peterbilt, Kenworth and so many others but if it catches your eye and intrigues you, it just did its job, it caught your attention. Now is the fun part, going onto Google or AskJeeves, looking into whatever thing you just saw. Technology can be the bastard child on many levels but it can truly save your ass when it comes to research, much easier to sit in your skivvies watching your favorite show on the TV and drinking a glass of Johnnie Walker Blue Label on the rocks on your toilet, rather than, for my example, driving almost 50 miles to the closest dealer for 20 minutes just to drive back home them same 50 miles. In my opinion, JW Blue sounds a lot better than going down the road for something more than just to look at. Utilize your time, look into your personality, do you want a dirt bike, a cruiser, touring bike, your intercontinental touring bike, sport bike, gather 5 or 6 different styles that you are interested in go sit on them for 15 to 20 minutes a piece spend a few hours at a dealer, asking yourself, “which one is going to be most comfortable for you and your personality?”
Nobody is ever going to be able to answer what you should get for a bike. Their personality is not your personality. That is the entire idea behind the motorcycle. Uniqueness, personal attitude. What screams “this is me” most. Safety is always the major priority, which is why research is your best friend. What is going to give you the best opportunity to give you the confidence in what you need to do, how to do it and when to do it. Common sense is not always going to be there, muscle memory overpowers common sense at times. Go to trip or lose your balance, first thing you do is move your arms or legs into the direction you are starting to make the tumble, do that on a bike, bye-bye arm or leg and say hello to your new prosthetic limb. Comfort is next, it will give you that confidence behind the bars of that iron horse, looking into bikes and sitting on them, if you get outside of your personal bubble too much, you will lose interest and not ride as often as you planned or anticipated. Making sure you understand what is going on with your states laws, do you require a safety course or can you just go take your written test, get your permit, come back in a week, take a drive test and ride away with license in hand, should you pass. No matter what your state says, even if you have ridden dirt bikes or non-licensed vehicles in the past, I would highly recommend taking a course. You never know what you could benefit from a simple refresher or understanding of how to handle this situation should it arise. Look Twice, Save a Life
Guest writer
Joe Kallenbach
