Is riding a motorcycle(crotch rocket) hard?

Question

I am going to learn how to sometime in the new future. Wanted to know peoples take on it. Or any tips?

Answer 1

If you already know and understand how to drive a manual transmission, it helps learning a motorcycle because it's one less thing you have to focus on when learning. The common saying is that if you can drive a stick and ride a bicycle, learning a motorcycle will be easy.

If you can practice discipline and restraint when riding, you may be fine on a sport bike. It's not all fun and games on a sport bike. Even if you ride perfect you need to know how to react when other cars and bikes and trucks don't drive so perfect. That comes from building new instincts and reflexes, and driving habits. While I definitely recommend the class, the class doesn't usually teach all you need to know. Many, many riders go down every summer due to overconfidence gained by taking the class.

The first time I ever touched a motorcycle, it was a 1997 ZX6. I rode it around a parking lot for 5 minutes to find out how to shift, then rode 100 miles home on the interstate. I’ve been riding ever since with a clean riding history. (Thanks to God) So it is possible to start on something other than a 250. Generally speaking, a 600 is a beginner’s sport bike. The internet is the only place I’ve heard of anybody starting on anything other beside people who grew up riding dirt bikes.

When I ride on the highway, I assume that every car I pass or that passes me, doesn't see me and is looking to come into my lane. I'm ready for any move that car makes half a second before he makes it.

You have to learn aerodynamics. If you get to close behind a rig, the wind can trap you there. When you pass along side of a rig the wind will pull you closer to the truck at one point and push you away at another. You have to learn all this and have counter balance and movements programmed into your body reflexes. There is so much more to it. You need lots of practice.

People recommend smaller CC bikes for beginners because most newbies are into it for the speed and flashiness of it and often underestimate the seriousness of riding safe. The temptation to tap into that power is usually too great to overcome. If you know you can and will respect the bike and get at least a thousand miles of practice before hitting the highway, and before group rides, then maybe you can start on a 600cc bike. Otherwise, help yourself out and start small.

Answer 2

Riding a crotch rocket is more difficult than riding a cruiser style of similar size and weight.  The sport bikes (crotch rockets) put the rider in a position that is uncomfortable and impractical for anything but racing.  Also, the sport bikes are much more peppie, and that is a bad thing for a beginning street rider, not a good thing.  You can move fast enough on a regular bike, so long as it is 300cc or more.

Tip:  get a nice cruiser style, somewhere between 250-650cc, depending on how comfortable you are with the weight and driver position.  Comfort will become a much more important issue than looks almost as soon as you begin riding it.

Another tip:  take a beginning drivers course.  Reduces the chances of you getting killed in traffic.

Ride safe.

Answer 3

Most women find my crotch rocket easy to ride!

Answer 4

take the msf training course.  and it is a "sport bike" not a "crotch rocket"

http://www.msf-usa.org

be safe and have fun