Motorcycle Advice - Wisdom from Our Readers

If you've got some advice for beginning motorcyclists - especially women who are beginning to learn, please consider submitting your wisdom - some of the knowledge gained through your experiences.

Maybe you've got a great little tip for cornering - or for riding on highways. How about riding in the rain?

Perhaps you've experienced buying a used motorcycle, and have learned something in the process. Please share!

Is there a piece of gear, an accessory - a particular piece of clothing that has made all the difference? Tell us!

Or, if you were inspired by someone, or had a wonderful instructor, we would like to hear that as well.

Maybe your wisdom will make all the difference to some other woman motorcycle rider. Think back to that "gotcha" moment - when riding your motorcycle went from hard work to pure pleasure. Do you remember how that happened?

If you have a question about motorcycling, especially anything related to safety or touring, you might want to check out Allexperts.com.

Thanks for adding some great advice for beginners!
I'll post all submissions that are consistent with the content of "Her-Motorcycle.com" - so just keep it clean, and you'll see your story once I've had a chance to review it.

NOTE: If you have questions about the form, click on the little blue question marks for helpful tips and more information.

Click below to see what other readers have said. If you are the first, don't be shy - remember, we women motorcycle riders are the adventurous type - right?

Know Your Bike  Hi Ladies,

I read through the letters of advise, and agree with all of them, although I sometimes wonder about a beginner riding alone. Why? Well, for ...

Cornering  I have noticed that a lot of new riders have the biggest problem with turns and curves. First off, slow down and take a curve at a pace you feel comfortable ...

To Get Gas, Or Not To Get Gas  Recently, my husband and I were riding (separately) to another city. We were going through another city first, I asked my husband "Do we need to get gas"...

If You Haven't Already, Get Comfortable with Counter-Steering  Counter-steering requires pushing the bar in the direction you want to turn. It sounds like it doesn't make sense, but try it when you're going down the ...

New Rider  I'm a beginner. My husband got his bike last summer. I didn't think I'd like riding (as a passenger), but have rather enjoyed it. My 2 biggest problems ...

Do It For You  Advice #1 - Take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Course.

Advice #2 - Ride about 1,000 miles then take the Advanced MSF Course.

Agree on other advice ...

Look Through the Turn  This probably seems like one of the most obvious rules, but I somehow missed it. I rode my motorcycle for a year before taking the Rider's Edge course,...

Turn Signals  Always pay attention to your signals. I wish they would put indicators up higher where the rider see that they are on easier. Most bikes don't have self-...

Gravel and Motorcycling  Hi I am a novice rider ie.700km new. Things are going quite smooth although a couple spills in the parking lot and and one on a very steep hill. Learning ...

Parking Lot Maneuvers  Twisting and turning at slow speeds in parking lots is a lot easier (I have found) if you slide up closer to the tank. The one time I dropped my bike ...

Any Advice for Long Ride - 2 Up?  Hi Folks,

In about a month, I will be taking my first long ride going two up with my boyfriend the Harley guy : ). Though I've been on the back of ...

Get Some Experience-Then the Class  I took the MSF class to learn how to ride. It was really great....But I wish I had some riding experience before I spent the $. I was the greenest in the ...

Take Your Time!  I have found out that I need to ride at my own comfort level. If that is a little slower than the others, then so be it. Your skill will build as time ...

Seat Time  That is all I can say. The more seat time the better. Each ride I learn more and relax more.I got a new 2007 Honda Shadow Sabre 1100cc as I am a big girl ...

Practice-Practice-Practice!  After a couple of rides on back with my husband, I knew that being a passenger wasn't for me, (Yes, a control freak!)I took my daughter and went to a MSF ...

Don't limit your motorcycle options by focusing on seat height.  Men don't do it. They adapt to what's available. (The owner of Bob's BMW, Bob Henig, is 5'1" tall and rides EVERYTHING that BMW makes, except the R1150GS ...

Start out learning back roads without traffic   I started riding on the back roads, not traffic, not traffic lights and well not much of nothing but the road and me. I think that by doing this type ...

Gain "Passenger Experience" First!  One of the best contributions to me wanting to and learning how to ride was being a proactive passenger. Instead of just sitting back and enjoying the ...

Safety   1) You just laid out $2000-plus for a bike - Buy & WEAR a helmet, too. It's worth a couple more bucks.
2) Probably heard this before - No one is ...

Find a mentor  I started out riding a dirt bike as a young girl and rode until about the age of 25. My family was into off-roading through the deserts of California....

Buy what you like  There is much advice. I've been riding for over 30 years and here are a couple things I think are important.
1) If you've never ridden. Take one of ...

Motorcycling is a mental exercise--the only physical part is picking up your bike  The best advice I can give any beginning rider is to be familiar enough with the controls of your motorcycle so that you can use them without looking for ...

Just Go Out and Ride...and Have Fun!  I'm still a beginner myself but here's how I've done it.

I started on a 150cc scooter about five months ago that I had to get a motorcycle endorsement ...

Beginners Ride Alone  If you're a beginner, plan your rides by yourself for a while and if you do ride with someone else, make sure your not pressured in to something you might ...

Get What You want!  Sit on lots of bikes to find the one that fits you best. Don't be pressured by boyfriend/husband/salesman to buy a bike that's too big for you or that ...

Cold Weather Riding Beware  Alright I couldn't wait for nicer weather to ride, it wasn't raining, the sun was out only about 25-30* so why not ride. I rode into work and then when ...

Getting Off Your Bike  I'm not a beginner, but this may help someone. When getting off your bike, put down your side stand and make it a practice to get off on the kick stand ...

Battery life - lesson, $80.00  To all new riders I just found out the hard way that your battery on motorcycle does not charge at slow speeds. I am having to replace it as I have not ...

Intersections  When I come to an intersection I look at the driver to see if they notice me and then I keep a eye on the tires to see if they are moving or not.
Also ...

Go slow and small, buy used  The best advice I can give is if you've never ridden a motorcycle or it's been a few years then buy a bike no bigger than about 750cc's, and buy it used....

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