re new to motorcycles in article apr alw nih gov gregh niagara dcrt nih gov gregory humphreys writes hello everyone i m new to motorcycles so no flames please i don t have my bike yet so i need a few pieces of information any stories on how you all learned i ll tell you my story as an example of what not to do early in i took some riding lessons from my college roommate on his old honda cb t he had taken the msf beginner s course so i actually learned some of what i needed to know to ride i proceeded to buy a beat up honda cl for and a helmet and rode around wearing this and a cotton windbreaker then i decided to invest in a full face helmet first smart move sometime around then i also passed my road test on may i got caught in a rainstorm on my way home from a mile trip entering the town where i lived a rather urban suburb i had to stop suddenly for a red light that i noticed too late skidded the rear tire out and was ejected face upward into the oncoming lane of traffic fortunately for me the oncoming traffic was also stopped for the same red light otherwise i might have slid under a car and been killed now this is anecdotal evidence to be sure but i later took the experienced rider course from the msf and saw that earlier training could have helped me greatly in your case the need is even greater since you have nobody to help you practice even the most basic stuff as i did so my advice is to take the msf beginner s course first thing i wouldn t even buy a bike until you ve taken the course unless you happen to pick up a real good deal and can store it someplace until you re ready to use it i only have about to work with so that would have to cover everything bike helmet anything else that i m too ignorant to know i need to buy while you re waiting to take the course it might take a few weeks in dc as i recall there were always waiting lists in boston could you save up some more money to start out right say for riding gear plus the cost bike plus maybe guess to a mechanic to make sure the machine is safe assuming you economize by buying some old beat up machine from a private individual plus insurance plus registration and licensing fees plus the course you re looking at maybe not including the bike itself and a reserve for ongoing maintenance what is buying a bike going to do to my insurance i turn in about a month so my parents have been taking care of my insurance up till now and i need a comprehensive list of costs that buying a motorcycle is going to insure i live in washington dc if that makes a difference i pay about insurance now upstate ny but it was closer to in boston more urban for decent insurance including substantial coverage for liability which you want unless you plan always to be poor i d guess dc is more like boston than like a rural area ergo more expensive any recommendations on what i should buy where i should look for it there used to be annual buyer s guides in the usual motorcycle magazines i found those helpful in getting an idea of what new or recent models might be available you could probably look through past issues to size up what used bikes might be available my first bike was years old when i bought it so i went on my friend s advice instead also look at the bikes that you see people riding or that are parked on the street i basically settled on my present bike by noticing that there were a lot of high mileage bmw s running around and they were generally set up the way i wanted nothing wrong with talking to various dealers in your area or visiting showrooms dealers in the boston area at least when i was shopping were very nice about letting you look around their showrooms and quoting prices for bikes that weren t the latest models hence cheaper although i ended up buying both bikes in private sales david karr karr cs cornell edu bmw r dod also bmwmoa nra aclu et al
