MOTORCYCLING : Two-Wheel Ride : For Those Looking to Get Into Motorcycling, Here’s a Starter Kit
So now you want to get into motorcycling. Or perhaps you’re thinking about getting back into motorcycling after a few decades of riding around in a cage (motorcycle slang for a car) as your sole means of motorized transport.
The following is a step-by-step plan for obtaining your license and the basic equipment you’ll need:
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Sign Up for School. The nonprofit Motorcycle Safety Foundation sponsors a 16-hour beginner’s course to cover basics in technique, safety and laws. The course is usually divided among four sessions, with half the time spent in the classroom and half practicing on the riding range (most often a large parking lot blocked off from cars). The school provides motorcycles.
In most states, including California, if you pass the course you don’t have to take the riding portion of the motorcycle license exam. Also, many motorcycle insurance companies give discounts to MSF grads.
In California, if you are under the age of 21 and getting your motorcycle license for the first time, the MSF course is mandatory.
Classes are held year-round in several Southern California locations. For more information, call the foundation at (800) 446-9227 or check out its Web site at https://www.msf-usa.org.
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Get a Learner’s Permit. Like its automobile counterpart, this permit allows you to operate a motorcycle legally before getting your regular license. To obtain the permit, you’ll have to pass the written portion of the license exam.
You can pick up a study booklet at any office of the Department of Motor Vehicles or read it online at https://www.dmv.ca.gov (follow the link from the home page to “publications”). The DMV Web site also has practice exams.
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Set Aside $700. Not for a bike. This is about the minimum amount you’ll need to buy the basic safety equipment: helmet, riding outfit, boots and gloves.
You’re cringing, I know--I’ve been there. I was appalled when the friend who got me back into motorcycling insisted I spend the money up front to get proper equipment, but he was absolutely right.
While it’s true that a riding outfit may not save your life in a major crash, in the far more common minor mishaps it can make the difference between walking away and going to the hospital.
The outfit--either a suit or a two-piece--should be made of leather or Cordura, preferably equipped with “armor” padding at elbows, knees and back. You can save some money by buying used gear.
But never buy a used helmet--it can look OK and still be internally damaged.
Boots made specifically for riding will be more protective and comfortable than those made for hiking, work or the cowboy look.
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Buy a Used Bike. Motorcycling offers lots of choices within three basic types of common bikes for street riding: cruiser, sportbike and standard.
Given the tremendous variation among these basic types in power, weight, size, styling and on-board equipment, it will probably take you a while to discover which model most closely fits the kind of riding you intend to do. You might as well save money by buying used, at least the first time around.
Besides, you can learn basic maintenance on your used steed, thus enabling you to take better care of your future bikes, whether new or used.
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Two-Wheel Ride surveys the motorcycle scene in Southern California. David Colker can be reached at david.colker@latimes.com.
