[vkr15]

Originally Posted by jayantvs

.
Get a good helmet before you start riding.

Please do wear it and strap it securely. I may be sounding preachy but it infuriates me no end when I see bikers carry helmets on their bike handles and and cover their heads only when they spot a cop.
All the best.

[2000rpm]

I agree with suggestions above. I suggest get an old bike like first generation CBZ or Yamaha RX 100. These bikes are cheap in Delhi. Practice on these and restore later. You will have a soon to be vintage bike in addition to the new one you buy.

[Rajeevraj]

It should be very very easy to rent a bike. Now a days most bike service centers themselves have small tie ups with bike rental agencies to provide rental bikes to folks who drop the bikes for service.

I myself had taken a rental Bajaj Platina when I went to service my Pulsar NS. ~Rs 200 per day. Even when I learnt to ride (light years ago of course), a group of us rented a yamaha for 24 hours and rode on it non stop.Was good enough to get that initial confidence.

Would suggest to rent one of these things over a weekend, spend hours riding it in traffic free areas. Since you seem to have the basics of riding right, this should be good enough to get you comfortable.

[GTO]

I have the best option for you - OneMoto. They offer motorcycle coaching in Delhi. It's run by BHPian Revved Soul.

Even Hero (link) appears to have training programs in Delhi. Once you want to get to the advanced level (after 2 - 3 years), check out IndiMotard.

Also rent bikes from companies like this, this and this. Get adequate training before buying your first bike, but remember, the learning never stops.

Good luck & ride safe .

[Manoj2268]

@ OP: Before you start practicing riding on a new/used bike, please wear adequate protection(Head/arms/knees/foot) so that any untoward fall only leads to you getting up and dusting yourself off, not an ER visit.

[rajivr1612]

Sorry to hijack your thread, but I too have an almost similar quandary. I have been riding gearless scooters since 2010. Never ridden geared two wheeler. Even my driving license is for motorcycle without gear. How easy/difficult will it be for me to get a hang of geared bikes?
P.S. My current ride since one year is the Aprilia SR150.
Thanks.

[driverabhi]

Following is my advice on learning riding.

First of all, buy a proper riding gear. Helmet, riding jacket, knee guards and wear shoes. Always wear shoes while riding. You may also choose to wear hand gloves to protect your fingers in case of a fall and drag. Once you own all this and wear them for riding, you will no more be scared of falling down or getting hurt. You will have more confidence.

Rent a bike instead of buying it for practice. It may be difficult if you do not have a proper license. No worries if you have a driving license.

Start with a bike with minimum power. Already mentioned Splendor is a very good option. Once you are comfortable riding that, you can move up in the power scale and rent a bike with a little bit more power around 13PS (like Pulsar 150 UG3). This becomes easier when you are renting and have not purchased your practice vehicle Since FZ25 has got 20.9 PS of power and and 20NM of torque, you may get a little bit jolt of surprise in the sudden surge of bike jolting ahead. Thus, this little increments in bikes will help you in getting the command over the machines and will prepare you for your future steed.

Once you are comfortable riding the bikes in normal pace, start practicing slow riding. Try to ride as slow as possible, may be in the range of 5-8 KMPH. You will find yourself gaining more control, balance and confidence in controling the bike. Riding in speed is easy. Its the slow riding that takes real talent in you.

Book your vehicle, take the delivery and take care of her. In return, she will take care of you

[PrasannaDhana]

FZ25 is pretty much a good starter bike, if you already are well versed in riding scooters. 20 PS is nothing to worry about.

More than FZ25, R15 makes a better buy. Trust me, R15 is more fun and is almost as fast on the highway!

R15 is like "the best handling" bike in 150cc segment. Once you gain experience in R15, sell it for a RC 390! Thats when serious motorcycling starts!

All the best, ride safe!

[2000rpm]

Originally Posted by Ricci

If you can't borrow a small 100-150cc bike from friends/relatives, try renting one - your profile says Delhi, so it should be easy. Rent a Splendor or Discover , familiarize yourself on it for a week or two. If that doesn't work out, buy a used bike for 20K.

Great way to explain. Let me elaborate slightly on point 4. Your initial few mistakes will end up stalling the bike, but if your rpm is on the higher side, you can end up with a wheelie. Hence, try to practice with an open road in front.

[arungeorge]

Originally Posted by golkante

I was just issued my learner's license btw. Any suggestions for me?

I learned driving at the age of 12 in a jeep. Now I am 37. Till last month I have not driven a bike in my life, even a bicycle. Last month I bought an Activa 125 and started learning and in 2 days I learned how to drive without anybody's help. Once I fell down on 5th day, otherwise no issues. Now I am very confident to drive in 1 month. So I would suggest to rent a bike and learn in couple of days.

[silverado]

What an exciting time for you.Happy to know about your budget as well which is healthy.

This is a question which crops in mind of most riders. There are schools no doubt and even private trainers, but most of us have learnt to ride from a friend/father or relative.

I would suggest you to buy your desired bike and start riding.
As a precaution, put some good side guards to protect your bike in case of fall.

[The Brutailer]

Brother, if you can't ride a friend's bike, there are 2 options.

* Rent a bike for few days.
* Buy a 150cc bike (like Gixxer /FZ). They are fun, adequately fast and safe. Practice on that and you'll get a hang of it. I too learned riding bikes at 20 (bought a Gixxer) and the skills that I got from that bike is immense. Now I regularly ride superbikes without breaking a sweat.

My daily ride is Duke 390. Will warn you about going further than 150cc bike as your first.

Also, don't get a faired bike (read R15). You'll fall and that will be heart wrenching to see your fairing broken (not to mention the cost of repairs). Get a naked bike, get experience for 1 year and move on to 300cc+ segment.

And..Welcome to the amazing world of motorcycles. I'm yet to see a motorcycle parked outside a shrink's office. ;-)

[fighterace]

Do you know how to ride a bicycle? Learn that if you don't. That's half the battle won. For the rest, buy a cheap 100 to 150cc bike, new or old is your choice. Buy one which doesn't depreciate much. Sharpen your skills on it and upgrade when you feel confident.

As for gear, a good full face helmet, a denim or leather jacket, and sturdy shoes - preferably high safety boots made of leather. I can't stress enough on the importance of proper footwear - industrial safety boots are the most cost effective solution, and no riding with slippers on. I am assuming that you will wear jeans while riding. This should be enough to begin with.

And most importantly - common sense and caution. They are the salt in your riding experience.

[ks1418]

I would suggest you, get yourself a Honda Activa if your usage is restricted to the city and mostly in the crowded lanes of Delhi. Trust me you will thank yourself later. It’s a tried and tested machine, very reliable, easy to ride and cheap to maintain. And they are as fast as a 100cc motorbike in the city traffic at least.

I am saying this from my personal experience. I started riding a Kinetic Honda 14 years back, then I got myself a Yamaha Rx100 and finally, I have a CBZ Xtreme. But what I found the most convenient these days in my dad’s Suzuki Access or my wife’s Honda Activa. These gearless scooters are an absolute breeze to ride in erratic traffic of Delhi.

Another option would be Aprilia SR 150. I have driven Aprilia SR 150 from Delhi to Meerut recently and to my surprise, it feels as powerful as Honda shine. It is capable of doing 80+ all day with no fuss at all.

Major benefits I can think of at the moment are.

1. Easy to ride. No clutch, no gearshifts. Just twist your wrist and go.
2. Storage space.
3. Cheap to buy and maintain.
4. Bullet proof reliability of Honda.
5. Almost as powerful as 100cc motorbikes.

[Mortis]

Im in a similar position as the OP. After 14 years of driving cars the bug to learn how to ride a bike and get one to beat the traffic/parking issues in Mumbai bit me.
Obviously as the OP discovered there are scant few motor schools to learn how to ride a two wheeler so you are either on your own or you get a friend/relative to teach you, in which case you are quite likely to pick up their bad habits and not learn proper rules, safety and etiquette ( Maybe thats why most two wheelers are a pain on the road ? :P )
I already know how to ride a cycle so the balancing was easy. Did a bit of reading on the basics and plus some experience of how a clutch, gears, etc works is carried over from my car driving experience.
My first two lessons were from a friend on his Bullet 500, probably not the best starter bike but he was of the opinion that if I can ride the Bullet, Ill most likely be fine with other bikes. I did pretty well, didnt stall even once but the first time I took control, I had to gently place the bike down on its side as I was not expecting that kind of weight. The sequential nature of the gears and position of neutral gave me the most issues.
After that I had several classes with my driver on his Passion Pro on a relatively empty side road. I did have issues once again with keeping track of the gear shifts at times and also not being used to the position of Neutral as compared to a car. During these classes I did stall a few times, mainly while trying to cross some horrific speed breakers gently and also while taking U turns immediately after a speedbreaker. Gradually this did become better but it hasnt become reflex yet. I still need to focus a lot on my gears and keep track of which gear Im in.
I did take the bike into medium levels of evening traffic but most of the time it was pretty scary as I found I was concentrating too much on the gears and dealing pretty badly with the surrounding traffic and crazy pedestrians and this remained my biggest problem since I am used to the comforting metal shell of a car to protect me and also started sweating profusely in the helmet which fogged up my glasses !

After that I went to the RTO and followed the necessary procedures and got the MCWG added to my license. I almost mucked up the riding test cos the helmet I was given was a full faced one and my glasses as usual didnt fit in it properly giving me blurry vision but I managed to complete my round though I was very nervous and shaky through it.

Right now I have made up my mind to get a gearless scooter first and make sure Im as comfortable on a two wheeler in traffic as I am in a car without having to worry about being distracted by gears and also for the convenience they offer. I held off my purchase due to the monsoon season as it is not the best time for a beginner to ride and also waiting to see what offers are available during the festive season.

I would appreciate advice as well and hopefully the OP can learn something from my experience as well.