Five Essential Motorcycle Riding Skills for Newbies

The latest model and the best features on your motorcycle aren’t enough to keep you safe on the road. You’ll need to apply the right strategies and techniques while riding your bike. That’s why our experts at Revolutions Power Sports have created this guide to highlight the five essential skills you’ll need to ride your motorcycle safely. If you have any questions, call our team or visit us at our dealership in Grand Forks, ND, where we happily welcome our friends from Fargo and West Fargo.

1. Braking Techniques

The first skill that can help you ride your motorcycle safely and efficiently is braking. Safe braking techniques let you control your speed, obey traffic laws, and avoid collisions. Underutilizing the front brake, overutilizing the rear brake, and locking the front brake due to sudden braking are a few braking errors many beginner riders make.

To avoid these mistakes, you’ll want to get a feel for your motorcycle’s braking system and build up your experience before you tackle more challenging routes.

2. Clutch Control

Proper clutch control enables you to enjoy a smooth motorcycle ride, such as having an efficient start and making effortless turns, even low-speed maneuvers like a U-turn.

To practice this skill, you’ll need to understand the friction zone first, which is the window of clutch lever travel where it goes from disengaged to engaged. Once you master the friction zone, you can enjoy a much-improved motorcycle ride.

3. Throttle Control

This motorcycle skill helps you take smooth turns, match your engine speed on a downshift, and deliver smooth inputs when accelerating. To use the throttle correctly, you’ll need to focus on the throttle hand position—keep it wrist down. If your wrist is up, you may accidentally engage the throttle and end up getting tossed backward.

4. Countersteering

Another necessary skill involved in motorcycle riding is countersteering. The term refers to turning your bike’s handlebars in the opposite direction of the way you want to go. So, if you have to make a left-hand turn, you’ll need to push the left-hand grip forward and pull the right-hand grip back. However, you’ll want to countersteer your bike only when you’re riding over ten mph and not on every turn or corner that you encounter while riding your motorcycle.

5. Situational Awareness

Situational awareness is an essential motorcycle riding skill that you’ll need to stay safe on the road. When you prioritize situational awareness, you can appropriately respond to the traffic conditions around you. You won't react with a panic reflex, which is perhaps the opposite of what you need to do. Some everyday situations include responding to brake lights on the vehicle in front of you, changing lanes to pass by a slow driver, and crossing an intersection at a green light.

To enhance your situational awareness:

• Practice weaving and swerving around an obstacle.
• Stay aware of what is in front of, behind, and to the sides of your bike.
• Continually scan for sudden obstacles on the road like animals, pedestrians, and so on.

Practice these skills to enhance your motorcycle riding experiences and safety on the road. If you have more questions or want to upgrade your bike to the latest model, visit Revolutions Power Sports. We have an impressive collection of motorcycles for sale, and our friendly staff can give you a complete tour of available options. If you let us know your riding style, we can even help you choose a model that’s perfect for you. We’re in Grand Forks, ND, where we proudly serve those from Fargo and West Fargo, so stop by today.