What I Wish I Knew Before Buying My First Motorcycle

▼ MENTIONED IN VIDEO ▼

🌟 SUPPORT MY CHANNEL! 🌟
💖 Watching another video of mine REALLY helps!

🌐 MY SOCIALS & WEBSITE 🌐

🏍️ MY RIDING GEAR 🏍️

🎥 MY MOTOVLOGGING EQUIPMENT 🎥

🛠️ MOTORCYCLE MODS & OTHER ITEMS 🛠️

🎵 MUSIC CREDITS 🎵
◇ N/A

FTC | Some of the links mentioned above are my discount offer and affiliate links. Affiliate links provide a small commission off of each purchase, at no extra cost to you, which enables me to invest back into my channel and make better content.

00:00 Introduction
01:14 Community and Friendships
02:11 You will need gear...
04:37 Cost of my first gear
05:04 Beginner rider gear recommendations linked
06:18 Buy USED
07:07 Cost of a bike vs a car
07:38 Budget for INSURANCE
10:58 Mindset is KEY. Don't let the monkey win!

[spitescorner]

Everyone keeps asking me why I wear orange gear offroad. It's so I can spot myself in other people's videos. 😂

[JessicaSimonson]

Always remember nobody sees you. Don't ride distracted. I don't use com's, or listen to music when I ride. I want to pay attention to the sound of my bike, and my environment. Never out ride your cause you can go should you go fast? Adjust as things change while riding. Having a clear undistracted mind is beneficial.

[allanmoger]

Trite as it may be, the expression “there are old motorcyclists and there are bold motorcyclists but there are no bold, old motorcyclists” stuck with me. So far so good after 28 years. Let the other guy win, leave your ego at home, don’t die.

[AmusementForce]

What I found is a good idea is not to wear full black protective gear as it makes you more invisible... White helmet, some colored gloves, and even if your jacket is black should at least have some colours on it. Same thing with the bike. Red Honda and green Kawasaki bikes are the easiest to spot.

[KCadbyRacing]

I have always been a calculated risk taker myself Lali (started riding motorcycles in 1970 and started drag racing bikes in the mid 70s).
Thankfully at 65+ years old, I'm still riding and drag racing bikes💖(my profile picture was taken a year ago at Gainesville Raceway).

With that said, the most important things I learned were (mind sets that have kept me alive and well on FL roads for 50+ years).
1) *ALWAYS Ride defensively!!!* (always watch mirrors you and look both ways for red light runners when going through intersections).
2) Ride like 75% of drivers don't see you and the other 25% *DON'T CARE*
3) If you pretend like everyone else on the road is trying to kill you, you'll be fine...

[spacetaco]

I'm seriously watching tons of videos all of a sudden about motorcycles the last couple of days not cause I all of a sudden want to ride a motorcycle... but because I all of a sudden realize it's a real tangible thing that I can literally buy rn if I wanted to.
My dad thought it was sudden but the only thing sudden was that I realized I could get one way sooner than I thought.
I talked to him and convinced him to talk again in exactly a year from now so I can save up even more, and convince him then that I can get one and will be able to pay for everything myself.
I'm so excited like it's tomorrow or something so I'm just watching videos like I'm about to get one lol

[orionRS]

Learn how to lift the bike alone. Then learn how to lift bike alone on sloped ground, using shoelace on front brake lever. I learned this in hard way.

[nashrn]

Some of my tipps align well with yours. I might add a few:
- get earplugs. Wind noise over 50mph or 80kph is so loud, it will leave you deaf when you get older
- set aside around 1k for your gear, does not matter if dollar or euro. Gear is incredible important and will cost you some. Always wear it, even when you burn up in the heat
- get all optional protectors that are most times not included in the gear: back protector (in jacket or turtle shield) and hip protectors
- get balaclavas, this will keep your helmet in better shape for longer cause you don’t sweat directly into the cushions and pads
- buy your helmet at a „offline“ store, they are very different not only in size but also in head shapes. The helm should not put pressure on your head but the cheeks should be pressed. It will widen over time
- if you don’t get a proper education while learning (in Europe we have mandatory one on one training for around 20 hours, get a driving instructor that is following you on a bike instead of a car if possible), do a safety course and some other courses. Even if you got one, I will help and build your skill. Most accidents you can see online are either due too improper speed or lacking of skill. almost nobody knows how to ride a curve: entry and entry breaking, exit, the affect of throttle and breaking in curves, target fixation
- get a bike with ABS!
- don’t ride faster than you skill, even if your bike can do much more. Start slow
- always remember that you are smaller and faster, you will not be seen behind pillars and in dead spots. Never ride beside trucks. Don’t be mad when people don’t see you, you are not easy to spot and doing revbombs just hurts the community
- from the start, even in summer and on dry days: always avoid roadmarkings and other slippery surface like embedded train tracks. If you do that from the beginning, you won’t forget that when it’s raining
- maintain your bike. Most important are tyres, breaks and the steering bearings. If you can feel a snap-in point while steering, prepare for a death wobble and visit a shop

And one for accidents in curves: if you are too fast and can’t make it, slam your rear brake before you loose front traction in the dirt. A bike sliding in front of you is better than a bike hitting you in the back.

Might have forgotten some, that’s all I can remember from my first year and I’m really lucky that I had an amazing motorcycle-only driving instructor

the cost:
- 1k for the gear
- 2, 5k for the licence here in western europe
- add 100 to 150 for a course

[TheGreatChrisB]

I also started out with cheaper gear, and although it works totally fine, a nice helmet can make a huge difference. I now have a like $500 Shoei helmet with a $200 transitions visor. The helmet is much quieter, and having a single visor that automatically changes depending on lighting conditions is so nice. I also bought a few jackets over the years and honestly, the cheap jackets are just as good as the expensive. I bought a $900 jacket on sale for $700 and it feels like my $150 jacket.

And yes, everyone drops their bike. I've been riding for a few years and literally slipped and dropped my bike in my driveway last week. Thankfully it was fine, but it can happen to anyone at any time.

[rocknroll]

The main reason for riding gear is temperature control. 90% of gear never touches the road, if your fingers stop working because the 35 to 70 MPH wind sucked the heat out of your body you will not ride long. Your body shuts down extremities when it tries to stay warm. Try riding without gloves and see how long before your fingers start to ache and shutdown from being too cold even in a warm wind it still sucks the heat out of your body. Further, I always wear a neck scarf/cover to prevent the wind from sucking the heat out of carotid arteries that are close to the skin in the neck and directly feed the brain. Always gear up to control your body's and extremity's temperatures.

[DonMachado]

I bought my first bike brand new, but ordered sliders and didn't ride it until they were on the bike. I did end of dropping the bike, but the sliders did their job and other than a couple of scratches on the mirror no damage had occurred. If you're a new rider and want a brand new bike, I would suggest getting some protection from damage whether it be some sliders, highway bars or fluffy pillows. Lali is right, you're going to drop it at some point.

[johnnycashbenham]

I agree totally with you about the motorcycle community, I'm more of an introvert, but I can't tell how many friends I've made when I started riding 5 years ago when I took the msf course. It has definitely made a positive impact on my life, one of the greatest decisions I've made, keep up the great content Lali! 👍❤️🏍

[Touay.]

My Guess is, the R1 rider was consciously riding within YOUR limits ... not pushing you to go fast. a good dude!

[Shuttlefox]

I started watching motorcycle related content right around when covid hit and I've been obsessed ever since. I've learned so much in almost 4 years and one of them is the importance of gear and for that reason it's the first thing I'm buying and then the bike (I like my skin so I'm investing on the more expensive things I know I'll use for a long time)

[rockyescape]

great advice on wearing gear all the time. i mean it is obvious, but getting into a habit of it, especially earlier on is definitely key. i ride everyday and it's really automatic at this point for me.

[LivingLifewithJudith]

Yes, to all of it.
And I strongly agree woth the motorcycle community being like a large family. Motorcyclists are nice, friendly, caring and willing to give advice to new riders and help them learn the right way.

[bronzestarvue]

Great video, well done! One thing that lots of new riders don't consider is insurance. That can make the difference between getting a bike or not. A young rider trying to get a sportbike will be in for a rude awakening on insurance costs. The mindset piece at the end is also very good advice. I've been riding for 40+ years, and it's so much easier today to get road rage because of all the knuckleheads in cars that are driving distracted. I've learned to tell myself, "hey, in a battle between a bike and a car, the bike always loses". My youngest daughter started riding a couple of years ago, and the best advice I gave her was to ride like you're invisible. Anticipate that car changing lanes without signaling, or that car turning left in front of you, or blowing thru that stop sign/light, or pulling out from that driveway or parking spot, etc. Riding a motorcycle in and of itself is not inherently dangerous. It gets dangerous when you ride beyond your limits, and/or have to share the road with other vehicles.

[robertupchurch]

As someone who has been riding a long time I wish there was a resource like this when I started. This is so good and helpful for new riders, young and old. I believe you are helping bring a younger demographic to the community and that is great for the sport. The community needs people like you. Thanks!

[RebelCowboysRVs]

Respect for pushing good gear an cheap motorcycles. To many youtubers are telling new riders to buy the nice bike. Not only is that a financial mistake, fear of dropping that nice bike keeps you from practicing the hard skills that make you a better rider. So someone that started on a used grom, by the end of their first season, can commonly ride circles around someone that has been riding for years but started an a nice new bike. I tell people to start under 400cc, under $2000 an preferably something with little to no plastic. And at the very least buy a good helmet, boots an gloves on day one. Helmet is a must, but the most common fall damage are to the feet. Second is the hands. More so with new riders. Jacket an pants are important but more so once you leave the parking lot.

[Pacificx]

Great video! A good piece of advice I was given on gear when thinking whether to save money on cheap stuff or not at all "if you can't afford the gear, you won't be able to afford the medical bills"!