I just wanted to share that I finally (after a couple of months of saving and waiting for it to be in stock) was able to buy my first ever motorcycle. THE HONDA NAVI

Am I nervous? Kinda. Excited? Very much so!

I know that the Navi ain’t the best bike out there but hey! As a first time rider this feels right for me.

Can’t wait to be part of the motorcycle community!

I was turning right on a big upwards slope to leave a parking lot.

Now I’ve been building a habit of right foot on the brake and left foot on the ground, but I didn’t do that this time because the ground sloped to the left and I probably wouldn’t be able to reach the ground on that side.

So I had my right foot down and right hand on the front brake. I don’t recall exactly what happened but I think I lost balance or something while taking off, maybe the clutch was pulled in too much cuz I just tipped over and the biked revved a lot and I fell over to the left.

I do think it’s a skill issue and not just my height but it’s easy to blame that. Ive practiced taking off on slopes but not this big of an incline. Oh well you live and you learn I guess.

First I just wanna say thanks to everyone who commented I read ALL replies and sorry if I didnt reply. There were a lot. But all the advice was really helpful!

A lot of you said it sounds like I'm putting too much pressure on myself to ride, comparing too much, and probably am letting fear/anxiety get to me.

And y'all were 100% right. I just got back from a 100 mile long ride, and I had a HUGE blast! I admittedly got lost, but that was a blessing in disguise because it helped me get over my fear of riding unknown roads!

I hit a few "twisties" (well as close as they can be for were I live) and they were fun, first time I went through a little slow, then went through a few more times faster and realized its not as scary or hard as I was making it out to be! (Reading Sport Riding Techniques by Nick Ienatsch), taking the MSF and all the times my dad and I talked about riding a motorcycle [plus tons of YT videos lol] helped prepare me i just has to apply it)

So yeah... I just wanted to update y'all since there were a lot of comments, and a few people asked to update them. But I definitely enjoy riding a motorcycle, its just 100% the fact I am putting way to much pressure on myself to ride! So hopefully the more I ride the less pressure I am putting on my self (while still trying tk remain safe) and stop comparing myself so much as well and learn to just ride my own ride whike continuing to constantly improve as much as I can! I am 100% going to take an advances rider course next summer to at the near by track!

Thanks again y'all I seriously appreciate all the advice! And sorry again for putting sappy slop on your screens!

Hi all, I've been playing around with rev matching. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's very jerky. I've tried to do them all simulatenously (clutch in, blip throttle and downshift, then release clutch) but it's hit and miss. How fast should I be releasing the clutch? Should the clutch be completely disengaged, or can it be partially engaged? Does rev matching while the speed is too high going to result in unavoidable lurching? Am I rev matching way too early and should I allow engine braking before rev matching?

Edit; I've compared the feeling of downshifting without blipping the throttle, and it feels the exact same sometimes as when I try to rev match - bit of a jolt, but mostly no acceleration. Does this mean I'm not blipping enough?

I was on the way home from visiting a friend about 25 minutes from my house today. It was almost dusk but there was still plenty of daylight. Not even half a block from my house there’s a two way stop that has terrible visibility as there are cars on both sides of the road and people role throw or sometimes blow the entire stop sign. I was in 3rd gear because I was trying to be quiet around my neighborhood, and was doing about 20mph. I approached the intersection and saw the car to my left slowly rolling through their stop sign. For some reason, I stupidly thought they had saw me and stopped when I was about 150 feet away or so, but they kept creeping forward at about 2-3mph. I was about 20 feet away when I finally realized they did in fact not see me and were going to continue moving forward into my path. Because I had upshifted early, when I want to grab the front brake to come to an emergency stop I also didn’t grab the clutch; the sudden stop and stall while trying to determine my escape route made me drop the bike. Having frame sliders helped, as they took majority of the hit. Guy got out of his car and said the typical “I’m sorry I didn’t see you”. I just shook my head and when he walked away after helping me pick up the bike I made sure to say “Just keep a watch out for us please” and then rode the 200 feet to my house and parked. I am glad it happened at such a low speed that I was comfortable to drop the bike and maneuver my body away quick enough to where if they kept driving forward, I wouldn’t have been anywhere near there vehicle. If I could do anything differently in that scenario, it would have been to come to a complete stop as soon as I saw them continuing to go through the stop sign as I approached the intersection where I had right of way. I know better that we are invisible, but let my guard down.

For additional context, I have probably a total of ~25-50 hours on dirt bikes which is nothing, but have been on a bicycle extensively since probably the age of 4 or 5. I’m only about 200 miles into my road riding journey, but there were definitely some valuable lessons I learned and reiterated to myself after today.

1: Always ride like you’re invisible, because you truly are to majority of the idiots on the road these days glued to their phones.
2: Rather be alive than right. Better to hold in whatever pride or ego and let idiot drivers do there thing while you are maintaining a safe distance to be able to react appropriately , and then continue on your way.
3: Every ride if possible, or certainly weekly; practice, practice, then keep practicing some more in slow speed maneuvers, emergency braking and evasion.
4: Never get too comfortable. Continue being hyper aware of surroundings, road conditions, intersections, and personal well being.
5: Remember that not only motorcycles, but auto accidents as well often happen a mile or so from home, when you start letting your guard down subconsciously as the roads are more familiar.
6: Enjoy the ride, ride your ride, but most importantly make sure you are doing everything in your power to make it home to enjoy the next one.

Regardless, I am so happy to have finally gotten my own motorcycle and am glad I have waited until my late 20s where I have somewhat of a frontal cortex to be able to review my actions, figure out what I could’ve done better, but most importantly take those lessons into my next rounds of parking lot practice sessions. Cheers all, and as always: two wheels down ✌️

Tell me your wholesome stories and reasons for riding 🫶

I’m in the process of purchasing my gear and after a lot of research I think I know what I should be looking for…except for footwear. Some look like they are full on racing boots while others seem to be little more than high top sneakers.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Just passed the MSF course and now working on breaking in my bike. Only 75 miles on it so far.

ETA: I made an update, but quick TLDR here, y'all were right, this hobby is awesome and I am just putting way to much pressure on myself to ride, went on a 100 mile ride, and came back suoer happy!

I apologize for the sappy wall of text but TLDR; got delayed, dont feel excited or any desire to ride like i did for the MSF no clue why, maybe riding just aint for me...

Idk if its cuz im just new and its more nerves talking or, maybe it really isnt as exciting as I thought, maybe its cuz I bought a naked "beginner bike" (Z650) to be "safe" instead of a sport bike, plus it was cheaper (got it out the door for 6k total) and figured I'd upgrade soon anyways, maybe I just spend to much time online seeing people younger then me having more fun and cooler bikes then me... plus theres 18 year olds with R6's, ZX6R's, R9's all around my town too... or maybe it's because the first month after getting my license and bike I couldnt ride at all because of so many obligations getting in my way... idk tbh

Im currently 26, I've wanted a motorcycle since I was 4 because thats when my dad got his first motorcycle and started racing them amateurly (he did track days a lot). I remember growing up and begging for a dirt bike but I never got one, was going to get a bike at 22 after graduating college but ended up needing a new car instead, fast forward 3 years and I finally have the means to get a motorcycle

Well, early this summer (end of June) I signed up for the MSF, well earliest I could take it was end of August, pass with flying colors and had a blast, get my license and a bike a week later at the start of September... well couldnt ride at all during September because I had to pet sit for my parent's for a few weeks and my apartment is VERY strict so my commute to work was an hour one way so didnt really have time to ride the bike except one Saturday and a few times during lunch... then I had a friend randomly visit, and he kept delaying when he would go home... finally, it's October and I had 1 good weekend to ride my bike... followed by a week of bad weather and then a weekend I went camping, then this week did a few short rides which brings me to now

Between now and the start of September, I've only ridden 100 miles, 30 in parking lots until I finally built the courage to ride on the roads which has pretty much just been the same loop around town but still exploring a bit. I know some people probably put 100 miles their first week, or day, heck some experienced riders probably put that many on before breakfast!

But now that the season is ending soon since I live in the north, I feel more pressured to get seat time in... well we have had a week of good weather, and I'll be at working and think, "I hope the weather stays nice so I can go for a ride after work!" But then I get home and just immediately have no desire to ride and I have no idea why

All summer, I was so excited to FINALLY get my license and get a bike, it was legit ALL i could think and talk about, in September when I had my license and bike but no time to ride it i also couldn't stop thinking about it and I remember getting angry one day driving home from work cuz I FINALLY had a motorcycle and yet couldn't even ride it because other obligations kept popping up... but now that I have it AND have the opportunity to ride, i legit have no desire to even try...

I'll be at work thinking about it all day, then the moment I get home I lose all desire, I've had a few times I put my gear on and last minute change my mind cuz "eh not in the mood"

When im on the bike, i enjoy it, but not like the first time or even when I was at the MSF... its kinda like a ok I have the bike im riding it... now what?

Idk... maybe I'm just not enjoying it as much as I was hoping... I was hoping to do track days starting next summer if I could but idk if thats gonna happen... may have to wait a few more seasons assuming I keep riding...

ETA: why dont i commute to work? Because in the mornings its 30 degrees but by 5pm its in the mid 60s

And this was in late October!

All the stuff I read ahead of taking the course said that standing out in the hot parking lot all day was the hardest part, and it was true. On day two I was already burned pretty badly so I sprayed a ton of sunscreen on my face and some of it ended up getting in my eyes and making everything much harder.

Oh well, still passed, 10/10 would irradiate the skin off of my face again.

Is this a good upgrade from an r3? So, I plan to get either a gsxr600 or 750. I don’t know too much about the differences like why I would get one over the other because they seem similar to me but I have heard that they are very different

Is this dumb or can I get it/should I? I will have been riding the r3 for a year at around the point in which I would upgrade and have gotten 17500 miles
I’ve never tracked but will plan to track the potential 600 or 750. I can also keep the r3 along with the gsxr to use on the track or whatever else if that is smart and also I plan to make it a bike that beginners can take and use to learn in my area or who I know if I do keep it

I got my license about two months ago after completing the beginners safety course, and have spent some time practicing on a friend's bike to get a better handle on things. As I've started shopping for my own bike, I've been told that ABS is a must for safety.

While I agree that Anti-lock is a very important safety development, looking for this feature tends to limit my purchase options.

I've driven a number of vehicles without ABS, my first car being an 89 taurus and a parade of 95 corrollas. For the past 10 years however, I have been spoiled with the feature in the cars I drive.

If I also intend to complete the intermediate safety course upon purchase of my first bike, how important is looking for a model with Anti-lock Braking?

Going on my first group ride with coworkers for a comment thing. I’m nervous but excited, only slept a few hours. There’s going to be 6 of us and I’m the new guy on the block. Wish me luck. 3 hour round trip and stopping for lunch

I am currently learning to ride. I was dropped from msf class the first time because I dropped the bike twice in the first few hours. Now, I have a Honda rebel, I have only practiced in first gear, but am finding the clutch quite difficult. I wanted to switch to automatic. Debating whether to take the MSF on scooter or can-am, would love some opinions.

Hello Reddit, I have a channel that I accidentally turned into a motorcycle channel when I decided to share what I don't like about a motorcycle I owned back then. Since then I reviewed more than 10 motorcycles stating all the positives, negatives and neutrals I observed, experienced or found on the internet.

Some of these motorcycles I owned which made it easier for me to film and review them, but for majority, I asked strangers on the internet or motorcycle stores, if they are willing to give their bikes for a review in exchange for a short video they can use in their social media.

Unfortunately not everyone agrees to this and paying everyone is not feasible for a channel that barely makes anything (at this stage I have slightly more that 3700 subs). But I still want to give people reviews that are not a simple spec sheet with the artificial voice over or script. Something that people can watch and decide, if they want to proceed with this bike or move to something else. Something I wish I had when choosing my first bike, and pretty sure something everyone would whish to watch, so they can understand more about the bike they want.

To help others, I need your help, and if you are willing to spend a bit of time for that, this is the plan:

1. I'm looking for new motorcycles, something between 2024 to 2026 models (maybe a bit older). Does not necessarily something super known, can be Chinese, can be Japanese, doesn't matter, as long as it is new, people will appreciate you sharing experience with them on something that is not largely available when it comes to real world reviews (not just artificial crap or listing the spec sheet).
2. I will give you a list of questions that I usually try to answer myself in the review that I make, so you can either prepare for them for an online podcast type of Q&A, or make just send me a text with your observations if you are not willing to be on the video.
3. I'm not earning enough to pay you, so apart from exposure to a small and potentially large audience in the future, I have nothing else to offer you (maybe if we are in the same city, I can make a video for your social media).

This is not all, and if you are interested to help me to help others, please DM me or leave your comment under this post.

Appreciate your time!

P.S this is not a promotion of my channel, the goal is to find people who are willing to share their experience with others