Basic motorbike controls
October 27, 2018The first thing you need to find out before you even learn how to ride a motorcycle is whether or not you will actually enjoy riding. Many people who think riding a motorcycle will be fun soon learn that it is not for them. This is because riding motorcycles can be very unsettling for many people who are used to having a car surrounding them. Motorcycles leave riders very vulnerable to other vehicles so just keep that in mind.
The first step would be to take a Motorcycle Foundation Safety Course. These are local courses that will teach you how to ride a motorcycle over the course of a few days. These courses will let you figure out if motorcycling is really for you before you go out and spend thousands of dollars on a bike.
After you have decided to pursue your interest in riding motorcycles you need to learn where the basic controls of a motorcycle are and how to operate them.
Clutch: The clutch engages and disengages power to the rear wheel of the motorcycle and is located on the left handlebar just above the left handle grip. It is used to shift the motorcycle into higher and lower gears. When the clutch is pulled all the way into the handlebar it disengages the power to the rear wheel. When the clutch is released it engages the power to the rear wheel.
Front Brake: The front brake of a motorcycle is located on the right handlebar just above the throttle. It supplies 70 percent of the motorcycles stopping power. It works just like the front brake of a bicycle.
Rear Brake: Is located just above the right foot peg and supplies 30 percent of a motorcycles braking power. It is operated just like a brake on a car simply by depressing it.
Gear Shift: Is located just above the left foot peg and is used to shift the motorcycle into higher and lower gears. When you click the gear shift down until it will not go down anymore that means the motorcycle is in 1st gear. As you click up on the gear shift from underneath with your foot you will be putting the motorcycle into higher gears with each click until you reach 5th gear. To put the motorcycle into neutral you have to do a half click up from first gear.
Throttle: Is located on the right handle grip. The throttle controls the speed of the motorcycle.
These are the five main controls on a motorcycle that are need to get the bike moving. It is essential to master how to use these controls in conjunction with each other to operate a motorcycle safely.
Posted by Chad Walker. Posted In : Motorbike Riding Skills
