Motorcycles are so cool and as a kid I always wanted to ride one. Well now, I learned how!
This is me on my dad's Kawasaki KLR 65, Red Thunder.
I've always wanted to learn how to ride a motorcycle but this summer I actually made it happen!
My dad taught me how to ride. It took 2 months of consistent
practice but soon enough I was ready to take the test.
The first time I took the test, I completely bombed it. I got
so nervous I couldn't even start the engine!
My dad on the bike.
To be fair, I could only practice with my dad on the back, so a mistake that I never made in practice combined with nerves got the better of me.
The second time around, I felt much more confident and didn't make the same mistake. And then the first thing I did was drop the bike while getting out of parking.
It was a much worse mistake than my first time taking it, though it was understandable. This bike weighs about 450 lbs and was really not suited for a beginner like me, but it was all we had so my dad taught me on it nonetheless.
To my surprise, the driving instructor let me keep going, so I did just that. Lo and behold, I ended up getting my motorcycle driver's license!
This is the bike I learned on! Yeah sure, the name is a bit tacky, but I think it's cool.
As a dual-sport bike, this one can do it all, off-roading and highway riding. It's not the most smooth to ride on the highway, the engine really does thump, but it's great fun.
I would not recommend this as a beginner bike. It's quite tall for me (I'm 5'8") and it really is very heavy. A lower displacement bike at around 250cc would be much better to learn on. But I'm glad I learned either way.
This is the bike I plan on getting — it's a real beauty. The yellow is striking and super cool.
Yellow is my favorite color so I knew I wanted a yellow bike, but a bright color like this also serves another purpose.
Visibility is the number one problem on a motorcycle. You're in a much smaller vehicle so it's much harder for cars to see you, especially at night. As such, it's safer to ride a brightly colored bike.
| Motorcycle Specifications | |
|---|---|
| KLR 650 | F650 GS |
|
|
These bikes share a lot of similarities. Both are dual-sports, are around the same weight, and have single cylinder engines.
A big difference here lies with their approachability for beginners.
The KLR 650 is a real thumper, meaning you'll feel the engine's cylinder going up and down in the bike as you're riding. This makes the ride a little less smooth, though it feels fine on the highway.
The F650 GS on the other hand, has some great engineering behind it. While it is also a single-cylinder, BMW was able to make it a much smoother ride through a more complex engine design. Now that does also mean that its maintenance is much more involved, like with most other BMW bikes.
The F650 GS has better fuel consumption at around 50 mpg as opposed to 42 mpg, and it comes with more customizability options with the rider being able to change the seat height, which is a very nice quality of life feature.
If you're interested in learning to ride a motorcycle yourself, the first thing you'll be needing is your driver's license for a car. Everything that you have to worry about as a car becomes even more of a problem when you're on a bike. So becoming a good driver first is key.
Afterwards, I would definitely recommend taking the Motorcycle Safety Course! I was fortunate enough that my dad is an amazing driver (he can even ride horses, with no saddle), but as a whole the most important part of riding is safety, and this course will teach you everything you'll need to be a safe rider.
You also wouldn't be in the same weird spot as me where I couldn't practice without my dad directly on the back with me. In this course, the instructor will be watching you in a safe area. And you'll be on a much more beginner-friendly bike too!
As always, riding should be fun. But it's most fun when you're safe. Get the proper training, get a great helmet and some good gear and you'll be on the road in no time!
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