[Sran]

if you are buying a bike to impress the ladies, understand, they don’t give a damn about your bike. Yes there will be odd few, but majority just will get turn off by that sound and a few who like it,

After asking this question to many ladies over years, I can say that this is false. They do notice bikes and they aspire to ride pillion on one, albeit not with everyone. One has to look the part to entice. The only thing is to not always go vroomm near/outside a college/office/your choice of place, go slow, give them a chance to at least have a look at you and your machine. Going superfast with loud noise kinda defeats the purpose.

Or do you mean to say that me on my green Ninja with silky long hair and Oakley's didn't warrant any attention?

On a serious note, one should buy a bike that suits their frame and strength for safe and comfortable ride. Don't drive at night on single lane state Highways.

[master uio]

This is a very good thread, "Advise for young bikers"
All Contributions are useful and the personal experiences
of riders is a repository to learn from. Even though I am not "young"
anymore and I remain a bit on the defensive whenever I ride a 2 Wheeler,
the inputs of the experienced and wise here has contributed a lot to stay safe
while riding.

[Bullfrog]

Originally Posted by RiderZone

1. Be curious
Motorcycles are nothing special, they’re just a means to an end.
Attachment 2415734

Other points of advice to young bikers is Ok, but the opening line is not something that many passionate bikers agree to. There is a difference between say your TV and a bike that cost the same. That's what this forum is all about. The difference between white goods and vehicles that are treated something more than point to point transport provider.

[Aish_4761]

Maintenance is the key, especially the engine and gear components, and, expect the unexpected!
This dates back to December 2015 when my 09' Access suffered a broken drive belt while doing ~80kph. A clunk followed by a tyre screech, rapidly decelerated me till a complete stop in the middle of the road, as the broken belt got stuck between components, locking the rear tyre.
Looking back, I thank the Innova driver behind me, managing to stop, even without expecting an emergency stop from me!
Mind you, mine is a very well kept machine, had 25ks on the odo then. At 13 it is still doing great, has taught me what to expect and what not to, on the Indian roads, and I still receive surprises once a while!
In another turn of events that, unfortunately, didn't end well!
I recall an article where 2 young chaps died on NICE road when their NS 200 suffered a siezed engine during high speed run. Similar to mine, their rear wheel would have locked, and under stress, they were unable to maintain their balance!
So keep this in mind, these are machines after all, and always try to add a buffer, wherever possible!

[LeoChakraborthy]

A very well articulated post! Genuine advice and witty comments, rolled into a perfect write-up! Would love to read more of what you jot down. Your blog link would help!

Originally Posted by RiderZone

1. Be curious

...
The primary purpose of life is to spend it experiencing different things, and when you find the experiences you really like, to experience them more. Don’t trap yourself with only motorcycles.

Originally Posted by RiderZone

2. Be nice

This may come as a shock to a large part of the automotive community, but nobody likes our loud machines. As someone with an aftermarket exhaust, I can tell you with complete confidence that when we go by someone doing our vroom thing, they find it annoying. The only group of people who enjoy our audio presentation are boys aged 8-12.

...

You are free to do whatever you like, as long as it doesn’t affect the ability for someone else to do their thing. Don't be an entitled rider.

Sagely advice there. I grew up around my Dad's RX100 and the neighbourhood had couple of those loud Yezdis and a diesel Bullet. They were loud without the aftermarket exhausts! Loved the sound, only in normal revs. Not when someone ripped the throttle just for the heck of it. Have almost always been a rev-matching rider myself. Can't agree with you more.

Originally Posted by RiderZone

4. Be smart

Social media is a good slave, but a bad master. It’s perfectly fine to ride to a place with the aim of getting some good pictures for your Insta, motivation can be hard to come by sometimes. Don’t let the Insta likes be everything however, enjoy the journey, interact with locals, meet some new riders. Enjoy the real life, virtual fun will come automatically.

More often than not, social media has taught us how not to spoil our motorcycling experience. It is the journey that makes the ownership/riding/driving experience enjoyable.

Originally Posted by RiderZone

5. Be safe

Riding a motorcycle in India is extremely dangerous, statistically it’s nothing but a death wish. When your parents try to discourage you from buying that first bike, understand that they have a very good reason to stop you going on this path. For literally lacs of people, it ends in death.

...

What I’m trying to say is, buy a good helmet. Nowadays you can get a fantastic one for like 5000 bucks. Riding gear is costly, and hard to live with, buy it slowly. Don’t buy the cheap stuff, save, wait, and buy the medium stuff, you don't need the premium stuff. But a jacket, pant, boots, and gloves can wait, helmet can’t. Helmets save lives, and they look bloody cool. The feeling of wind through your hair is overrated, the feeling of divider through your skull is not.

Can't stress the importance of riding/safety gear here. Not everyone of us goes ATGATT. But a good full face helmet and pair of shoes is a bare minimum for city runs. When you're hitting the highways, better to have a proper jacket and a good pair of gloves! As rightly said, save up and buy the medium stuff. I've been saved by Helmets and shoes in couple of crashes within Bangalore, which otherwise would've ended up very badly for my face. Whether we ride on the left lane or overtaking on the right lane, there are high chances of surprises/shocks with people/livestock appearing out of thin air, right in front of us.

[RiderZone]

Originally Posted by LeoChakraborthy

A very well articulated post! Genuine advice and witty comments, rolled into a perfect write-up! Would love to read more of what you jot down. Your blog link would help!

Appreciate it! The blog is long gone I'm afraid, deleted it one fine day Now I only write here.

[Vaastav]

All of the above points are excellent and well articulated. A big thanks to all who contributed some knowledge.
I am also a teenager, but one who rides older bikes (read from the 90s) and that too in Pune, which seems to be the hub for automobile delinquency.
My humble two cents:
1. Take care of your ride and it will take care of you - Everyday, before I start up for the first time I give the bike a once over and wipe it with a cloth. Once started I let it idle for a bit and in the case of my RX 100 look at the silencer to check for smoke (seeing if oil pump is running). Sundays are maintenance days and any issues that crop up during the week are taken care of. Doing so on a regular basis prevents these things from piling up and becoming a bigger headache down the line.
2. Know the bike's capabilities as well as limitations
Bikes are machines, and therefore have certain capabilities as well as shortcomings/limitations. It is good to know them, and then stay within the margins. An example would be brakes. Both my RX 100 and Bullet are from the 90s and have drum brakes. While these are decent enough for planned braking, they are useless at unplanned braking, unless one is going very slow. Thus, I always keep the bike at a speed suiting the environment, in traffic I keep a comfortable pace and avoid weaving and criss crossing, also I make sure to ride with some gap from the divider, because plenty of people like to cross over them.
Not paying heed to one's vehicle's limitations can be dangerous, as I have seen in the case of 2 guys on an old Splendor who were doing about 60 and had to slam their brakes because a bus slowed down in front of them. Needless to say they banged into the bus.
Knowledge of capabilities is also important, so that the bike is not pushed beyond them, which can cause premature wear and tear of components and even damage in some cases.
3. Mirror mirror on the handlebar
Mirrors are a critical component of being aware of your surroundings, but I have seen too many bikes without them, or with them turned inwards for some reason. They are needed to see what's behind, both in normal riding as well as when you plan to turn, because a sudden turn in front of a bus or truck is more often than not - fatal.

A lot of the other points have already been covered on this thread.
Ride safe
Phir milenge

[BoltThrower]

I somehow missed this post but it's an absolute treat to read your writing again. Used to follow your blog regularly. Super post, written well. Very David Mitchell of you.

Small addition for the youngins: YOU WILL FALL. We've all done it. Spills are a part of the learning curve and they teach you a lot. Losing the front on that bit of sand at the turn-in to your society, locking your front disc going down the ramp at the mall, shifting down while going uphill and finding neutral. In more cases than not, you'll hurt your ego more than your elbow. But you'll learn. And it's okay, we've all done it. Welcome to the club.