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A few more riding tips for beginners...

1. Keep Your Feet In
Especially if you ride a sportsbike, make sure to keep your heels in close to the bike. This will help to make you feel more stable and in control. While it’s a small change, it can make a big difference. And remember to always keep your shoelaces tucked in your shoes or hidden from the wind. The last thing you want to do is get them caught up in your chain.

2. Maintain a Good Riding Position
A good rule of thumb is to stay relaxed up top, but tight on the bottom. This means gripping the bike with your thighs, the way you would if you were riding a horse. This will also help to maintain stability and help you to feel in control. However, you definitely don’t want to have a death grip on the bike with your arms and torso. Make sure that your arms stay loose so that you are able to control the bike through turns.

3. Accelerate Through Turns
Braking through a turn is the worst thing you can do. If you are leaning over and you brake, you will find the bike start to straighten up. This can be especially dangerous. By keeping some speed through the turn, you will be able to control the bike better and lean all the way through the turn. If you need to brake, make sure you do it before you reach the turn, then accelerate through it. While turning certainly isn’t as easy as in a car, with a little practice you’ll become a pro in no time.

4. Look Through Turns
If you’ve taken a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course, this one has probably been drilled into your head. By looking far ahead of you as you turn, the big picture becomes much clearer, and the road becomes much less scary. Looking directly in front of you or only a little ahead can really make things seem much worse than they are.

5. Wear Eye Protection
This one is an easy one, and one that has been discussed on this site. If you’ve got a full face helmet keep the visor closed when riding. If you choose to wear a half helmet, then invest in some goggles. It goes without saying that if you can’t see because of some dirt in your eyes, riding is going to become a whole lot scarier.

6. Assume Others Can’t See You
We’ve talked about this before too. Always be aware of your surroundings. The guy next to you who’s late for work, eating his breakfast, and taking a conference call on his cell, all while driving, isn’t looking out for you. He’s just trying to get to work today. Don’t assume that he is watching out for you. Always be prepared and assume that you are invisible. Negligent drivers are just one reason we always encourage riders, new and experienced, to have escape plans for lots of different circumstances.

Being a new rider isn’t easy. There’s a lot to remember and a lot that’s scary. But with a little practice and some patience, pretty soon all of these tips will become second nature.

-Julie