i ride an 06 honda shadow 600cc (cruiser). wanted a sportbike, but parents said no way and they control my college money. i wear a full face helmet at all times, jeans, and a jacket when its cool or i'm gonna be on the highway.
tips?
1. WEAR a helmet!!!!!! the vast majority of deaths/serious injuries on a bike could have been prevented if the rider had worn a helmet.
2. drive very defensively. always, always figure that the vehicles around you cant see you.
3. keep your head on a swivel when you ride.
4. wear steel toe boots for multiple reasons. one reason, if you go down it protects the front of your feet from being crushed or from suffering road rash. another, when somebody starts pulling into your lane its your best way to let them know you are there (for those that are drifting into your lane, if they yank over downshift and hit the brakes). i have people drift into my lane all the time and i'll tell you right now that the horn doesnt work to let people know. you could knock on their window, but that means you lose some control of your bike and the driver could be startled and yank into your lane, running over you.
5. save the stunts for the proper places to do them.
6. dont race on the streets/highways, even if no cars are around. a friend of mine decided to go racing out on the highway, got doin 120 and had to make a right turn. those little white markers that mark the edge of the lanes, he ran over one of those and it knocked him far enough off course that he hit a road sign (sign that says what road your on). died on impact. i'm all for racing on a course, but dont do it on the streets.
have fun, you'll love riding a bike (expecially the acceleration).
