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Originally Posted by joooiiiiii
Hi, I think everyone already has mentioned all they need to, I haven't read every single post yet. The bikes you listed are great for beginners and BMW definitely makes some solid touring bikes (i.e. BMW GS1200 known for one of the top).
Gear: Invest on some that money can buy (or you can afford) because you are vulnerable--can't get around that.
MSF: Motorcycle Safety Foundation has great courses to teach you from how a motorcycle works, to riding one and getting your license. I recommend this for also more advanced courses.
Track Time: You may think that riding from A to B and vice versa is all you're going to do, but I always ALWAYS recommend newcomers to riding to practice their skills. Contrary to the belief that more seat time equals more experience and better riding skills; well I have to say that couldn't be further from the truth.
You need to practice your turns, object avoidance maneuvers, emergency stops, etc. often if you want to be better at riding. Don't expect seat time to be your buddy on this. Accidents that happen often are people who are not looking ahead and people who can't control their bikes to maneuver out of a bad situation. I really recommend you hit the track sometime in your riding years to really dig this home.
I frequently hit up the canyons and twisties to improve on my motorcycle riding skills for this reason alone: safety. Understand your bike. (not really, its fun too hehe)
Last but not LEAST: You need to youtube or look up Keith Code's Twist of the Wrist Vol. 2. It breaks down all the myths that fellow riders are gonna try to tell you and help you understand how riding works. Vol. 1 is a book, and just as good.
Anyways, good luck and if you decide to get a bike, ride safe.
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I agree with all this, but think a good substitute for track time is riding a dirt bike on the trails. Lots of obstacles to learn to avoid, no traffic, and constantly changing grip levels at much lower speeds, with softer landings (if necessary). All leads to greatly increasing one's level of bike control.
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A manual transmission can be set to "comfort", "sport", and "track" modes simply by the technique and speed at which you shift it; it doesn't need "modes", modes are for manumatics that try to behave like a real 3-pedal manual transmission. If you can money-shift it, it's a manual transmission. "Yeah, but NO ONE puts an automatic trans shift knob on a manual transmission."