I remember being so nervous about riding my motorcycle on the road for the first time. I had a buddy ride it home shortly after I bought it and it would end up sitting in his garage for a couple weeks until I was able to pick it up.
Other than the two-day MSF course, this would be my first time swinging a leg over the motorcycle – and this time I’d be out on the road.
Needless to say, I was pretty nervous about the ride home. My z650 was bigger than the 250cc I rode during the course and honestly, it felt like an unwieldy beast in comparison.
That first ride on the road is a right of passage for all new riders, it’s your first experience with the nervousness and thrill it is to ride a motorcycle in the real world.
In this article, I will go over what it’s like to ride a motorcycle on the road for the first time, as well as some tips to make sure you have a safe but thrilling ride.
If you don’t read any further than this, then I at least offer these tips:
- Make sure you are fully geared up
- Know your motorcycle
- Try to ride at a time of the day with less traffic
- Start by riding in your neighborhood and local roads
- Have a friend follow you in their car if possible
- Stay relaxed but aware
With that said, here are a few more tips and suggestions for new riders taking their bike out on the road for the first time.
Preparation Before the Ride
Before you start your first endeavor out on the road, there are a few things you need to make sure you’re prepared.
- Gear up: ATGATT baby! Make sure you have all the essential gear for a beginner. This means a helmet, gloves, boots, jeans, and a motorcycle jacket.
- Checking your motorcycle: You should always do a quick safety check on the motorcycle before riding. The MSF introduced the concept of TCLOCS to help you remember, but you want to check your tire pressure, fluid levels, and brakes at the least.
- Review the rules of the road: Even if you’ve been driving for years, riding a motorcycle on the road can feel like a totally different experience. The official MSF guide has a great resource for the rules and practices you need while out on the road. This should be a pre-requisite for all riders as it goes over a lot of the skills and practices that keep you safe on the road.
The secret to calming your nerves before and during your first ride, is to make sure you are fully protected and fully prepared.
By wearing all your motorcycle gear, you not only improve your confidence on the bike, you also protect yourself during the most vulnerable stage of your riding career.
And reviewing the road rules and etiquette is a literal lifesaver, as you will be armed with the tools you need to handle all the situations you encounter out on the road.
Starting Your Journey
After checking your bike, making sure you are all geared up and aware of the road rules, it’s finally time to take your motorcycle out on the road.
This is when the nervousness really begins to set in as you are now faced with the scary world of riding on the road.
Luckily, there is an easy way for you to safely and gradually improve your comfort riding a motorcycle on the road, just by following the tips and steps below:
Step One: Choose a time when there is little to no traffic
The secret to getting comfortable riding on the road, is to choose a time to ride when there is little to no traffic.
There are a list of things you must focus on when you’re out on the road and not only is traffic distracting, it can also cause new riders to feel even more nervous on the road. And when you’re nervous, you make mistakes.
By riding at a time when there is little to no traffic, you can focus on the other skills you need to get comfortable on the bike, like learning to be smooth during your stops and takeoffs.
Combine this step with the next and you’ll be comfortable on the road in no time.
Step Two: Start out in your neighborhood or on familiar roads
Once you choose a good time to ride, it’s time to make sure you pick the right places to ride.
And the best place to ride starting out, will always be in your neighborhood and on local, familiar roads.
Your neighborhood is the best place to start out because not only are you familiar with these roads, they also have little to no traffic and slower speed limits. This will give you the confidence to ride around and get your bearings on the bike.
And if you don’t have a neighborhood per se, or you want to venture out further, you should stick to the familiar roads closest to your house.
As a new rider, you are just now learning to navigate bumps, tight turns, uneven surfaces, debris in the road, you name it. But you’re already familiar with these things on the local roads closest to your house. You know where the bumps are, how much you need to slow down for that tight turn at the end of the top of the hill, and how quickly the light changes at the nearby intersection.
You can easily map out the easiest roads for you to learn on because you are already familiar with the roads in your area. You know where it’s safe to ride and where it’s not.
By sticking to the roads you’re most familiar with and comfortable with, you can focus on learning the other skills you need to be safe on the road.
Step Three: Be patient with yourself
The next step is just as important as the two above and it is to be patient with yourself.
I get it. We all feel that same impatience to get better on the bike. And we’re all worried about making a fool of ourselves while we’re out on the road – or worse!
But as a new rider, the last thing you need to feel is rushed.
Your skills will develop as you spend more time in the saddle, but for those first few rides, don’t be afraid to take things slow.
If you aren’t comfortable going the speed limit yet, stick to the right lane and take things at a pace you’re comfortable with. If you feel like you need to slow down to a crawl for the next turn, give the drivers behind you enough heads up and take your time with it. If you’re scared to navigate a hectic highway or intersection, plan a simpler route around it.
Again, this is why it is so important to ride at a time when there is little traffic and on familiar roads, this way you can get comfortable on the bike without feeling rushed.
Step Four: Focus on being smooth
Now that you have chosen the times and places you are comfortable riding at, it is time to focus on the first few skills you need to be safe on the road – being smooth and relaxed.
As a new rider, you are just learning the finesse it takes to operate a motorcycle. You are learning how sensitive your throttle is, how hard the brakes bite on the initial pull, and how strong the engine braking on your bike is.
By trying to be smooth, you deliberately focus on those finite functions that make you a better rider.
All of sudden you’re anticipating the bite of your brakes, so you’re smoother on the initial pull on the lever. You accidentally launch the bike from a stop so you start to feather the clutch more and give it less throttle on takeoff. You almost blow a stop sign so you start to brake earlier and earlier.
While it’s always fun to ride it like you stole it, experienced riders know that the best riders are the smoothest riders.
And as a new rider, being smooth should be your main focus out on the road.
And don’t think I left out the fact that you need to be relaxed. Aware and in control, but relaxed.
I can always tell when someone is a new rider out on the road. Their arms are out straight and stiff as a board. Their posture so unnatural they look like an action figure.
It is impossible to be smooth on the motorcycle controls unless you are relaxed to some degree. Nervous riders tend to do things like yanking on the throttle or grabbing a fist full of the front brake. This can spell trouble for an inexperienced rider as the motorcycle begins to become unsettled.
By following the steps above, you are helping yourself become relaxed and more comfortable so you can be focused and smooth.
Just don’t get too relaxed, you always want to have respect for your motorcycle and the world around you.
Step Five: Drive defensively and be aware
Now that you’re being patient and allowing yourself to be smooth on the controls, it is essential that you are driving in a defensive manner.
This means no speeding down the street, making sure you brake early at every stop, and allowing yourself plenty of space to pull out at intersections.
You should also be following the rule all motorcyclists follow in that you should be driving like you’re invisible.
Don’t expect that car to leave you enough space before getting over, make sure you’re checking your mirrors for any drivers coming up to close on your rear.
Awareness is the name of the game and you need a lot more of it if you plan to ride a motorcycle.
This is why it is so important to follow the other steps listed in this guide. Because you are just learning to improve your awareness on the road.
And this is one of the skills that will keep you alive and riding for a long time.
Bonus Tip 1: Have a friend follow you in their car
Now for the first bonus tip – have someone follow you in their car.
A great way for new riders to build their comfort on the road is to have someone follow them. All of a sudden it’s not just you on the road, you now have a friend with you, making you feel more safe.
And they’re not just there for comfort.
Having someone follow you in a car provides great benefits like:
- Allowing you to not feel rushed by the traffic behind you
- Giving you peace of mind that you won’t be rear-ended at stops
- Having someone there to provide feedback and support if something goes wrong
- Helping you navigate lane changes when traffic picks up
Even as an experienced rider, I always feel more comfortable when I have a friend riding behind me in their car.
Bonus Tip 3: Have a friend with a motorcycle take you out
Just as good if not better than having a friend behind you in a car, is having another friend with a motorcycle on the road with you.
It’s like having a personal GPS, riding coach, riding buddy, and security guard in one.
My dad has a motorcycle and I actually rode with him for the first few times I took the bike out – and this is an absolute game changer.
All of a sudden I had someone pointing out all the debris in the road ahead. Someone to “block” for me when I was slowing down or too scared to make a lane change. Someone telling me to slow down for the turn ahead. Someone waiting for enough space for us both to pull out so I didn’t feel rushed by traffic. Someone who knew which roads were safest for a new rider. All around, he was a great guide for how I should be riding on the road.
And since he had better awareness on the road than I did, I could slowly build my comfort on the bike without worrying too much about the world around me.
Every time we stopped, he would give me feedback on my riding or tips on some of the skills and tools he uses on the road.
Plus, those first few rides are some of the most fun times you will ever have on a bike. Experiencing this with a friend will be a lifelong memory. I’m glad I got to spend that time with my dad.
Bonus Tip 2: Find an empty parking lot or road for slow-speed drills
Finally, the ultra ninja tip is to ride to your nearest parking lot or empty road where you have the space to practice some slow speed drills.
There’s no good replacement for seat time, but if you want to get comfortable on your bike as fast as possible, go do some braking and slow speed drills at your nearest parking lot.
I know I know, this isn’t exactly riding on the road but bear with me.
Even after taking my bike out solo a few times, I was still a little nervous about riding too far or for too long on the bike without my dad. It wasn’t that I was really that nervous about the road and traffic, it was more so that I wasn’t really that confident in my skills out on the road and in traffic. The bike still felt like something that was out of my control instead of under my control.
After watching a few Motojitsu videos I finally realized that the solution to feeling in control of your motorcycle is to practice slow-speed drills on it.
This was the exact remedy I needed to finally gain real confidence on the road.
I’ll be honest, I only did a short 20-minute session practicing the figure 8 and some emergency braking. However, I was not prepared for how much my confidence improved in such a short time. I remember commenting how it felt like I was riding a completely different bike home.
I didn’t realize the real benefit of practicing slow-speed drills until after that first session.
By practicing slow-speed drills, you learn the finite control that makes you safe and confident on the motorcycle.
All of a sudden my takeoffs were smoother, and I was able to brake with tremendous confidence not only in myself but also in my bike. The motorcycle was finally starting to feel like an extension of myself.
It turns out, you become a lot more smooth with the throttle and friction zone when you practice slow-speed drills. And when you practice emergency braking, you learn how soft that initial pull has to be but also how much braking force your tires can take when you load them first.
Common Challenges for New Riders
Now that you have the tools for success, you should feel a lot better about taking your bike out on the road for the first time.
But we can also go over some of the common problems new riders face when they are just getting started.
Navigating through traffic
Traffic can add to the nervousness new riders feel when they first start riding on the road. This is especially true when changing lanes at busy intersections or turning out onto busy roads
Solution: The solution is to pick a good time and place to ride when there is little to no traffic. You should also stick to familiar roads, where you know what to expect.
Staying relaxed and aware
As you’re learning to ride, it can be hard to stay relaxed and still maintain good awareness. Unfortunately, this is something that will improve as you spend more time in the saddle. But there are still some things you can do to help calm your nerves.
Solution: In addition to riding at times when there is less traffic, you can also have a buddy follow you in their car or even ride with you if they have a motorcycle. As I mentioned in the bonus tip above, this gives you a list of benefits that help you adjust to the awareness you need on the road.
Coping with unexpected road situations
New riders can struggle to navigate different road situations, like debris or bumps and cracks. When they encounter something new on the road, it’s easy for them to make a mistake or panic trying to avoid it. As with everything else, the solution is to stay calm and controlled.
Solution: Stick to familiar roads so you know what to expect when it comes to road conditions. Practice a few slow-speed drills and how to navigate bumps and swerve in a controlled environment before navigating them on the road.
Common Questions
Although I tried to cover everything in this article, new riders seem to have similar questions as me when I first started riding.
How do I get over my fear of riding a motorcycle on the highway?
Believe it or not, the highway is one of the safest places to ride because everyone is going in the same direction and you typically have more space between vehicles than city riding. There is also less of a threat of cars pulling out in front of you.
In addition to traffic, the speed and wind can cause new riders to feel nervous and unsteady on the bike.
The trick is to hit the highway at a time when there is little to no traffic. You can slowly acclimate to the speed and wind resistance. Once you realize that your motorcycle is designed to stay upright, you will start to gain confidence in it. And to gain confidence in your control of the bike at highway speeds? Slow speed drills and braking drills. I know it seems counterintuitive, but nothing makes you feel more in control of your bike than being able to control it at slow speeds. And braking drills will help you gain confidence in slowing down at any speed. All of a sudden you feel like you can control your bike at any speed.
How long does it take to get used to riding a motorcycle?
This will vary from rider to rider, as some people have different skill levels and different levels of comfort. For most people, you can learn how to ride a motorcycle within 2 days of practice. But getting used to riding a motorcycle can take a little while as you get smoother and more comfortable with the controls. As a rule of thumb, you start to get used to your motorcycle within the first 500-1000 miles.
What should I do on my first motorcycle ride?
On your first motorcycle ride, you should ride at a time when there is little to no traffic and you should stick to familiar roads. Ride to your nearest parking lot to practice braking and slow-speed drills. But before you go out, make sure you are fully geared up and have a route planned out.
Is it normal to be nervous riding a motorcycle?
It is completely normal to be nervous riding a motorcycle. You are riding a powerful machine on the road with limited to no protection other than the gear on your back and the skills in your arsenal. New riders are nervous until they buy all the protective gear and improve their skills and confidence on the bike. Slow-speed practice, braking drills, and track time will make you a controlled rider in no time.
Conclusion
In conclusion, your first ride on the road will be equally as nerve-wracking as it is exhilarating.
By following the steps in this guide, you should have a surefire way to slowly acclimate to riding on the road and gaining confidence in no time.
Have fun and ride safe!