Motorcycles hearken back to a time before transportation was reduced to reacting to the world outside of your hermetically sealed vehicle with a five-way adjustable seat and illuminated vanity mirror. Whether you are interesting in motorcycles for nostalgia, economy, or an alternative to commuting in a cage, know that it has never been easier to learn to ride.

Operating a motorcycle consists of manipulating controls to change speed and direction. Speed is changed by adding or subtracting throttle, which is adjusted by twisting the grip on the right handlebar. Rotating the grip back towards the rider feeds the bike gas while letting go of the throttle brings the engine back to idle; in the same way that taking your foot off the gas pedal causes a car to slow down. Motorcycle engines are smaller then car engines and only produce power in a narrow range of R.P.M.s, called a powerband. When riding on the street it is important for riders to keep their motorcycle within the powerband to afford the rider the ability to ride away from hazardous situations.

The powerband ends as the bike reaches redline so we use our left hand to pull in the clutch lever and use our left toe to pry the shift lever up a gear. A motorcycle's transmission is configured with first gear at the very bottom and a half click up is neutral, followed by third, fourth, fifth and sometimes a sixth speed. Getting used to using a clutch is easy but more of a challenge if you have no experience operating a car with a manual transmission. When we need to stop we apply the front brake by pulling the brake lever in front of our right hand and depressing the rear brake by the rear brake lever near our right foot. The front and rear brakes are completely separate and we remember to use the front brake for 90% of our stopping power.

Steering a motorcycle involves turning the handle bars towards the inside of a turn, leaning the bike over and shifting your weight to the inside of a turn. Turning at speeds greater then 10 miles per hour involves pitching the bike over and riding on the sidewalls of the tires. The amount you will turn is relative to the intensity of the push on the inside handlebar or weighing of the inside foot peg. A rider approaches a turn by shifting their weight onto the inside footpeg of the bike, initiating a steering input in the direction desired and proceed to follow a gradual arch until the turn is complete. To learn more about rider training, consider scheduling a MSF riding class, which are a legal requirement by many states for riders under 18 years old who are looking to receive their endorsement.

By Charles Bloom