This is the second day of 70degree weather in wisconsin and i have been staring at all the bikes going down the road.

I would like to possibly buy a bike by july.

But I would need to take the classes to get my liscense

who has done this? any tips tricks or warnings?

Fill me in too, considering a license shortly!

Most of it is common sense from what I can remember. Stuff like don't ride down the middle of the lane because it's the slickest spot on the road. Mostly it is the same as your car test.

The most important part about riding a bike is to take the safety course!! Some of it is common sense, a lot of it is not.

Find out if you state does safety courses, or if the Motorcycle Safety Foundation does them nearby. They are absolutely worth the ~$200. Don't be one of those people that spends $5k on a bike and cheaps out on a safety course and good gear. It will just make you look stupid.

Out of the people I ride with, you can pick out the ones that haven't taken the safety courses. They have bad posture, bad turning abilities, don't know how to handle surprises, etc....

yeah i agree with the courses. i was lucky enough to have a bike to practice with and enough land/driveway to practice on. i would strongly suggest some parking lot time. practice your slow turns, even practice your mount and dismount. as stupid as it sounds having a system when you get on and off the bike will save your behind. know where your fuel petcock is and be able to reach it while your riding.

and most of all know your limits and dont exceed them.

I'm getting excited too, im hoping to buy a newer bike for myself for my birthday so i can do some longer rides.

No wonder why the bikers ride on the outside of lanes. Was pissing me off cause they get too damn close. The middle is slick! Maybe I won't be so ignorant once I get the license.

I got my liscense 15 years ago and that one question has stuck with me.

Step one to getting a liscense or before even buying a bike is to take an MSF course. The courses are geared towards someone who has never riden a motorcycle and takes them to the point where they are confident on the street. Most MSF courses use there own bikes usually Honda Rebels and Yamaha Viragos. Both 250cc cruisers.

Alot of states will take your completion certificate and will issue a liscense with payment of course and you won't have to take another written or driving test.

Some MSF courses are paid for by the state but many you have to pay yourself. But it's very well worth it.

After that then you gotta decide what kind of scoot you want. Cruiser, Standard or Sport.
Keep in mind Insurance is usually more on the standards and sports then the cruisers and usually is based on Cycle type and engine CC size.

http://www.msf-usa.org/
just click on your state and they will help you through the rest. here in texas after taking a MSF course you still have to take the written exam but it overrides the riding test which is a good thing because all the riding portion is is making sure you can go from a stop come to a stop make left and right had turns and your done.
also read these http://www.motohouston.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15657
http://www.motohouston.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2576
http://www.motohouston.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12470

Yea man I took the MSF course and it was def. worth it. I learned a lot and it was not that hard. Plus, your insurance is a lot less if you took a safety course. Go for it man!

Two most important rules:

-Just because you're on a smaller/faster vehicle doesn't mean you should speed or weave in traffic. You've got nothing but what you're wearing to protect you.

-Assume no one sees you. That way you'll always be prepared when someone decides to merge on top of you.

Go to the local licensing dept. and pick up a book. They are free, and full of information.

One good rule all the guys told me before getting my bike was "if you ever get to the point where you don't respect the bike, get rid of it". I had mine about 10 months. LOL

Not trying to derail the topic but ..

Jeremy, did you ever get your bike license? The last thing I remember is you banging yourself up on Cameron's bike in the mall parking lot, and that was a loooong time ago. :s

nope still havent gotten it yet but im going to in the next month or so then im getting a bike. if camerons didn't have 14,000 miles put on it in just over a year then i would get his but i think im just going to get a new 250 for $3,000.
once i get one do you want to go for a ride? i promise no wheelies.

If your lookin at a new 250 for 3,000 that must be the Honda Rebel. Great bike to learn on. That bike isn't a screamer but will beat most cars off the line upto about 30 mph will maintain 75 on the highway and net you about 80mpg on top of that.

http://www.kawasaki.com/Products/Detail.aspx?id=200
top speed 115 the only problem with it is if your not at highway speeds it likes to over heat.

or maybe a hyosung 250 the only problem with them is that the parts are very expensive.

I haven't heard anything bad about the Ninja 250. If you buy new your lookin closer to 4k.

Those Ninja 250's aren't worth the new price tag. Pick up a used one that you can beat on. Unless you really like the bike, you probably won't keep it for more than 2 years, then you'll be selling it for $2k.

Your first bike should always be something that you don't mind dropping on the pavement because odds are, you will.

Plus on the smaller bikes you buy it used for 2k ride it a year or two and sell it for 2k. No loss of money other then upkeep.

I had a great time on the 250's during the MSF course.

Roll the throttle all the way open and dump the clutch. You can't do that on every bike. Although that's how I have to ride my dirt bike since the clutch is burnt out.

for everyone that rides or is planning on riding in the future remember to be safe there were 5 wrecks in the past three days with people from a motorcycle forum in houston that i belong to. tonight 3 riders lost there life one of them was a member on the boards it seems that he went wide in a turn and went headon with another bike that was two up the other rider was from Oregon and the girl on the back of his bike was from Norway she was supposed to go back tomorrow she was in town with a church group and had never been on a motorcycle before and decided to give it a try. plus another one of the members was almost ran over by a car 2 days ago while he was waiting for it to pass before he pulled into his driveway the only reason he wasn't hurt was he was able to jump off the bike before it got hit.

Just saw one this morning... Don't know the circumstances, but it didn't look too good for the guy on the ground.

The best thing you can do if you are going to start riding is buy a bike you can control and watch out for everyone else cuz they aren't watching for you!