MOTORCYCLES 101

learn how to keep upright and not get hurt (too bad)

INTRODUCTION

1. This is a guide. Check with the Secretary of State or DMV of the state in which you reside for the laws applicable for the motorcycle endorsement of your state. Most states provide this information free online and can be found using the search words "motorcycle endorsement (your state here)" in most search engines. Omit the quotation marks when searching.

2. This is not a substitute for a certified motorcycle rider course. Most states that require a separate motorcycle endorsement, either themselves or through a certified third party, have motorcycle riders courses. I highly encourage you to take advantage of these courses. Most provide a motorcycle for use in the beginners course which is an appropriate size to learn on along with a seasoned instructor to guide you through the paces. These courses are usually inexpensive and take place over one weekend. States that have these beginners motorcycle rider courses usually offer courses in intermediate and advanced riding, although typically you have to provide you own motorcycle for the advanced courses.

3. The public road is not the same as an enclosed track. "WASHINGTON — The number of motorcyclist deaths jumped in 2007, accounting for nearly one in eight motor vehicle deaths, government safety officials said on Thursday. Deaths of people in cars and trucks, on bicycles or on foot dropped by nearly 2,000 last year, pushing the overall death rate to a historic low. But deaths of motorcyclists surged 6.6 percent, to 5,154; 2007 was the 10th straight year of increase. - By MATTHEW L. WALD Published: August 14, 2008 in the NEW YORK TIMES". If you search "motorcycle fatalities" on the web you are going to notice a trend that is going to continue as the gas prices increase and people seek a less expensive way to motor around. Seasoned motorcycle riders will all tell you the same thing; Murphy's Law applies directly to motorcycle riding and is no joke.

"The bigger they are the harder they fall." what they don't tell you is the smaller they are the further they fly and as a motorcyclist you are the lightweight on the road.
"But that person looked directly at me when...." This is a common mistake and can be a fatal one. Never assume that the other driver is going to do the right thing and in fact it is better to assume that the other driver is a complete idiot and will pull the most numbskull maneuver you have ever seen right in front of you.
Be aware of the other vehicles "blind spot" and avoid this area like the plague. You are small and easily hidden, most folks will check their mirrors when switching lanes, better drivers will even look over their shoulder but in too many cases the image of the motorcycle seems to fail to register with these peoples brains.
When driving past parked vehicles look for the silhouette of a head and assume that person will open their door right when you are going past.
When being passed by a vehicle there is a very good chance that the other driver will re-enter your lane prematurely. Be prepared to break or swerve.

Ok, you have done all you can to get into a motorcycle riding course and they are backlogged till your retirement and you want to be able to ride before you have to use a walker to get to the bike. We are going to assume that your state will allow you to take the motorcycle riding skills test without having to go through a training course. That being said lets start out making right choices;

If you have a buddy that is an experienced motorcycle rider,kudos! An experienced coach will save you alot of pain but you may have to endure some humiliation if your friends are like mine.
Wear the proper gear;

A DOT approved helmet. I am not going to get into the debate on whether to wear or not to wear brain buckets (helmets), some states don't require them. If you are an experienced rider, your state does not require them, and you choose not to wear a helmet more power to you. The beginner on the other hand is more likely to spill and most states require them.
Riding gloves; form fitting but with some knuckle protection.
Long sleeve shirt and long pants. Nothing loose and flowing. Nylon stinks when on a hot exhaust pipe and if you drop the bike on top of you, you want some protection. Denim is my personal choice.
If your helmet does not have a face shield then you will need riding goggles. In Michigan they are required when traveling over 35mph.
Decent footwear, boots with ankle support are preferred. Do not get a pair with thick soles and heals. You want something that will give you protection and support but that you can easily slip under the shifting lever to upshift.

Now lets choose a motorcycle to learn on.

Whether new or used late model you should be able to set comfortably on the frame and have both feet touch the ground (preferably flat footed).
The motorcycle should be around the 250cc class. This size of engine is the typical choice for motorcycle rider training in most states.
The classic frame style would probably do most new riders the best. Sport bikes usually don't have the turning radius that the classic style offers. Also training is going to involve allot of idling and slow speed maneuvering, this is something the typical motorcycle engine doesn't like and has a tendency to run hot.

Now lets find a place to practice.

Look for a large parking lot without a lot of obstructions, a place that has "panic room". You are going to be unfamiliar with the controls at first and this machine between your legs is going to perform some actions that are new to you. You are going to need room to get used to it. Keep in mind that you are on personal property and need to get permission before just going out there.

If you got your "Bud", apparel, motorcycle, and place ready then you will probably be going down to your local Secretary of State or DMV and take the written portion of the driving test (check with the regulations of your state to see if this applies). Once you have passed the written portion you will be issued a Temporary Permit. This Permit is good only for a few months before you have to take the riding skill portion of the test.

You are about ready to hit the parking lot (figuratively hopefully) lets take a good look at that motorcycle before you hit the ignition switch. You will need the service manual for this next part.

Check all fluid levels and refill if needed with the recommended replacement fluid. Motorcycles usually run a higher viscosity of oil than your typical car this is why you need the service manual to see what you need to refill with.
Check belt/chain to see if it is in the manuals limits for tension and wear.
Check out the controls and Check out control cables for wear (fraying). All new and late model bikes have their controls located in the same place.
Turn on the ignition key and check out the lights and turn signals.

Now lets get familiar with the controls. Hop on the motorcycle.

1. Locate the gear shifter and clutch lever on the left side of the bike. Turn on the ignition and look to see if there is the letter "N" illuminated on your dash panel. Most modern street machines indicate that the transmission is in neutral by this illuminated "N". If you don't see the illumination, turn the ignition off and see if the motorcycle will roll freely back and forth about a foot. If the motorcycle resists movement, the rear tire wants to skid or the engine makes sounds then you are not in neutral.

So lets locate neutral. Hold the clutch lever in (disengage clutch) and depress on the gear shifter with your toe, You should feel the transmission engage into the lower gear. Depending on what gear the motorcycle was in when you hopped on you may have to repeat the toe tapping up to four more times. Unlike car transmissions where you can pick and choose which gear to be in the motorcycle must go through each gear in succession either up shifting or down shifting. In the process of this downshifting you may have seen the "N" flash on and off your panel. This means you have gone past neutral and are now in first gear. Once you know you are in first gear put your toe under the gear shifter and press upwards until you see the "N" light up and stay lit. Neutral on motorcycles is in-between first and second gears and you can get the motorcycle into neutral either going up form first gear to second or down from second to first. You should get the sensation that the transmission has disengaged the gear but not engaged the next gear. If you went past neutral into second then slowly depress the gear shifter until the "N" stays lit. If you think you are in neutral but have had no indicator light then, as before release the clutch lever (engage clutch) and try and rock the motorcycle back and forth. If it moves freely then you are there. On some models of motorcycles locating neutral can take a bit getting used to.

2. Locate the front break lever and rear break pedal. The front break lever will give you up to 70% of your total stopping power and will be your friend on hills when you have to stop on one. But that wil be covered in Motorcycle 201.

You are going to have to get used to where these three main controls are and be able to use the simultaneously it is not quite as bad as patting your head and rubbing your belly but it's close.

Your are ready to start the engine and get moving.

Check the fuel supply valve if your bike is equipped and make sure it is in the on/open position.
Pull choke out (if on engine) or set choke closed on handle bar.
Make sure motorcycle is in neutral.
Turn on ignition.
Make sure engine cut-off switch is set on run.
Hold in clutch lever (most bikes won't let you use the electric start if you don't).
Depress start switch or with your right leg jump on kick starter (old school) do not hold down on starter, the motorcycle should start fairly quickly.
Let engine warm up for a 30 seconds to a minute then open up choke.
Hold clutch lever in and depress gear shifter until you feel first gear engage.
Slowly let out clutch lever until you feel the engine just start to bog then hold it in again. This is the clutches grab point. Modern motorcycles have a wet clutch system. That is they are in an oil bath, this allows them to take more abuse so this will not hurt the bike.
Slowly let out the clutch lever again and just before you hit the grab point slowly rotate the throttle toward you to gradually pick up you RPM keep going until you are moving forward. Once you have hit balance speed pick up your feet and put them on the riding pegs.
After you have gone a few feet and the clutch is fully engaged you can back off the throttle and practice stopping by simultaneously holding in both clutch and front break levers while depressing the rear break pedal. Wash, rinse, repeat. Until you are comfortable with this operation.

Once you are comfortable with getting the motorcycle rolling and stopping, lets make our first slow-speed maneuver the U-turn.

while the bike is rolling along in first gear keep your throttle hand low on the grip. This will help to keep the tendency to unintentionally accelerate in a turn to a minimum.
Chose the direction of your turn and gently press on the handle bar in the direction of the turn. Press Left -Go left, Press Right-Go Right. The motorcycle will have a tendency to lean slightly in the direction of the turn this is natural and you need to get used to this sensation. Your body position in the slow speed turn should be as upright as possible.
Once you are comfortable doing the slow speed U-turn in both directions get the motorcycle rolling in a direction that is toward the marked parking spaces (like you are going to park). As you approach the parking space initiate your turn in either direction and try to make your turn within two and one-half spaces. Street bikes under 500cc should be able to make a u-turn inside 20 feet, which is about two feet wider than two standard parking spaces.
Keep practicing this maneuver in both directions until you can do it with out touching your feet on the ground.

OK now you can get the bike rolling and you can do slow-speed u-turns, Let's work on up shifting and down shifting. These next two operations are speed/RPM dependant and the smooth factor is going to depend on how much speed of the motorcycle is lost while performing the operation. Having a tachometer will help you by you being able to associate the engine RPM with a certain speed (for any given gear), sound, and feeling in the motorcycle.

Up shifting

At one end of this empty parking lot aim the motorcycle down a long unobstructed path in the parking lot.
Put the motorcycle in first gear and accelerate. This part of the operation would work best if your bike is equipped with a tachometer if not it's going to take a little more effort but it is do-able.
Keep accelerating in a straight line until the tachometer hits about 5000 - 5500 RPM (if you don't have a tachometer this will be a little over 3/4 throttle.
Place your left toe under the gear shifter and hold in on the clutch lever (disengaging clutch) and back off the throttle as close to at the same time as possible.
Pull up on the gear shifter once with your toe until you feel the transmission engage second gear.
Let out on the clutch right after engaging second gear and slowly twist the throttle toward you to accelerate.
Repeat steps 3 through 6 for gears 3rd through 5th (depending on how much space you have in the parking lot).

Down shifting

While you are riding the motorcycle in 2nd gear place your left toe on top of gear shifter and let the throttle return allowing the bike to decelerate.
When the RPM reaches just below 2000 (just above idle RPM) pull in the clutch lever (disengange clutch) then slightly twist the throttle toward you (this will cause the RPM to pick up on the motorcycle but because the clutch is disengaged the bike will not accelerate).
With toe on top of gear shifter depress shifter once until you feel the transmission engage.
Let out clutch.
Repeat steps 2 through 4 for going from the higher gears to the lower gears.

This next section I am about to lay out is based on the State of Michigan's requirement for the motorcycle skill test and may vary from state to state. Check with your state for it's particular requirements for the skill test.

Ok you have gotten pretty smooth with your motorcycle skills so far, now lets kick it up a notch. Go down to your local dime store (it's a dollar store now), wally-world, big-lots or what have you and pick up some sidewalk chalk. You want something you can easly see at a distance and the rain will wash away. You don't want to be busted as a tagger or for distruction of private property. Now armed with a tape measure and your sidewalk chalk lets head back out to the parking lot.

Mark out on an unobstructed 100' by 30' section of the parking lot the pattern in black you see to your left (the blue color is for measurement only) in what ever color chalk that is easiest for you to see. Once you have it marked out get on you motorcycle and start at the lower right heading in the direction of the 5' L. At a slow speed make a left hand turn inside the L without touching either chalk mark with either wheel or touching the ground with your foot, once you have passed the pylon section (the big black dots) turn left again and head toward the box. Stop the motorcycle with the front tire inside the box without stalling the machine. Practice this routine until you are comfortable with your progress.

Now pull forward about 30' and make a u-turn aligning yourself with the left column of pylons. You are going to weave through the outside of the pylons without touching chalk with either wheel or putting your foot down. Once you pass through the pylons turn right then right again aligning yourself to the inside of the left set of skinny (8") lines on the 20' span. Make a right hand u-turn inside the 20' span without either wheel touching chalk or putting your foot down. Note Michigan riders that are taking the riding skill test with motorcycles of 500cc or greater give yourself an extra 4' on the left side of the 20' span for a total of 24'.Practice this routine until you are comfortable with your progress.

Now pull forward well beyond the left turn L and do a U-turn aligning yourself with the skinny lines just above the 5' horizontal line that is above the U-turn area. Pass through the 8" lines and as your front tire hits the end (start line) swerve to the left of the 5' line but do not go outside the closest vertical line as with the other routines without putting your foot down or touching the chalk (other than the start line). Practice this routine until you are comfortable with your progress.

The Fourth Routine is straight forward. Start outside the left turn L like you are going to do the avoidance swerve but grab as much speed as you can (and as many gears) then slam on the breaks instead of swerving. I don't know if this is required in other states but when tested in Michigan they want to hear the rubber squawk on the stop but don't stall the bike.

Once you have gotten this far you are ready to take your skill test in Michigan for your endorsement. You still need to get some road time in though before soloing. As I stated in the beginning the road is a whole different world than the course. You have gotten to the point where you can control your motorcycle on flat ground without traffic and you deserve a reward so go to the store and get a Klondike bar. Just be careful, you are not ready for the run to Daytona yet. That time will come with experiance on the road I just want to see you enjoy it as I have and live through it so we can give each other the low sign when we pass. Class dismissed!