I've always wanted to buy a motorcycle and I'm probably going to buy one for myself as a graduation gift when I finish college next year.
I only have a basic knowledge of motorcycles so I'd like to hone up what I know. Can anyone recommend a good book that explains different parts to a motorcycle, proper motorcycle care, and maybe even different types of bikes for beginners?
The scene changes so quickly that a book would be obsolete by the time it hit the stores. Magazines usually fill in the gaps here but the motorcycle magazines I've seen are all obsessed with the newest, fastest thing, the most ridiculous-looking custom, or whatever other impractical things they can think of.
Do you know anyone who has a bike? Ask him (or her) about his bike. There is tons of good stuff on the Internet. A good place to start is here:
http://www.timberwoof.com/motorcycle/faq.shtml
Many areas have a place where bikers congregate on nice Sunday afternoons in Spring. Here in Northern California it's a convenience store at a mountain crossroads. You might see 50 or 75 bikes there on a nice weekend afternoon. You might drop by and just walk around, talking to the bikers. They LOVE to talk about bikes and you can learn a lot.
Ask to sit on their bikes. It's amazing how much you can learn by just sitting on a bike–seating position, distance from seat to ground, etc. And most bikers would be happy to let you sit on their bike.
For a beginner I would recommend you get an older used bike. You're going to be hard on your first bike. You're going to abuse the clutch. You might well drop it once or twice until you get the knack. If you buy a shiny new bike you'll destroy most of its value. If you get a bike that's older, with a few scratches already on it, you can learn on it for a year or so and then sell it for about what you spent for it, and by then you'll have a better idea what you really want.
You can get a shop manual for the bike you get, and it will tell you all about changing oil, changing spark plugs, timing, etc. Bikes of years ago needed constant fiddling but the bikes of the last 10-15 years are amazingly reliable and only usually need the regular maintenance.
Be aware that 50% of all motorcycle accidents (and fatalities) happen to bikers with less than a year of riding experience. So safety is your primary concern. Take the MSF course (Motorcycle Safety Foundation). Get a leather jacket, good gloves, a helmet (choose by comfort, not price). Ride carefully & slowly around a quiet residential (or better yet, rural) neighborhood until you get the controls sorted out before you venture out into traffic. Get a buddy to go on rides with you, riding behind and watching.
Good luck! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
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6 users responded in this post
try a local ABATE chapter and they may help, other than
that I don't know of any book per say.
other option is go to local bike dealer or shop and talk
to them. they will be more than willing to help.
References :
Proficient Motorcycling, might not answer all your question but will make you a better rider and much safer rider.
http://www.amazon.com/Proficient-Motorcycling-Ultimate-Guide-Riding/dp/1889540536
References :
The scene changes so quickly that a book would be obsolete by the time it hit the stores. Magazines usually fill in the gaps here but the motorcycle magazines I've seen are all obsessed with the newest, fastest thing, the most ridiculous-looking custom, or whatever other impractical things they can think of.
Do you know anyone who has a bike? Ask him (or her) about his bike. There is tons of good stuff on the Internet. A good place to start is here:
http://www.timberwoof.com/motorcycle/faq.shtml
Many areas have a place where bikers congregate on nice Sunday afternoons in Spring. Here in Northern California it's a convenience store at a mountain crossroads. You might see 50 or 75 bikes there on a nice weekend afternoon. You might drop by and just walk around, talking to the bikers. They LOVE to talk about bikes and you can learn a lot.
Ask to sit on their bikes. It's amazing how much you can learn by just sitting on a bike–seating position, distance from seat to ground, etc. And most bikers would be happy to let you sit on their bike.
For a beginner I would recommend you get an older used bike. You're going to be hard on your first bike. You're going to abuse the clutch. You might well drop it once or twice until you get the knack. If you buy a shiny new bike you'll destroy most of its value. If you get a bike that's older, with a few scratches already on it, you can learn on it for a year or so and then sell it for about what you spent for it, and by then you'll have a better idea what you really want.
You can get a shop manual for the bike you get, and it will tell you all about changing oil, changing spark plugs, timing, etc. Bikes of years ago needed constant fiddling but the bikes of the last 10-15 years are amazingly reliable and only usually need the regular maintenance.
Be aware that 50% of all motorcycle accidents (and fatalities) happen to bikers with less than a year of riding experience. So safety is your primary concern. Take the MSF course (Motorcycle Safety Foundation). Get a leather jacket, good gloves, a helmet (choose by comfort, not price). Ride carefully & slowly around a quiet residential (or better yet, rural) neighborhood until you get the controls sorted out before you venture out into traffic. Get a buddy to go on rides with you, riding behind and watching.
Good luck! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
References :
If you can find it, The Complete Motorcycle Nomad by Roger Lovin is a good one…you might find someone (besides me) who has a copy on Amazon…K ;o)
References :
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainance.
PatriotR….Wow, read that book about 30 years ago, the hippy philosophy might come off a little funny today, but a good read if I remember.
References :
if you have some idea what you want to buy, the dealership sells service manuals for each model bike. They run about 60 bucks and you should have one anyway. Sometimes you can find service manuals at used book stores or motorcycle swap meets. Another way to start getting some ideas is to go to a bookstore like barnes and noble, grab a handfull of bike magazines off the rack, grab a cup of coffee/tea or whatever and sit there reading thru all the magazines. that way you don't have to buy them, as long as you are drinking or eating something, you can sit in the cafe area and read.
References :
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