If you are new to the motorcycle lifestyle, welcome and congratulations! You have many adventures ahead of you. But before you can hit the road, you need to know how to ride. We gathered up tips covering the basics of motorcycle riding below. When you are ready to go to a riding school, check out the academy at Crossroad Powersports. We proudly serve those in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

How to Brake

Controlling your speed is a key part of riding your motorcycle, whether you are approaching a stop light or picking up momentum going down a hill. Braking is different on a bike than a car, which can take some getting used to. You only have two wheels to reign in the speed on your large vehicle. Most of the stopping power is in the front, but you will still want to apply both sets of brakes at the same time to come to a gentle stop. Try to practice in an empty parking lot or street for a while before hitting the open road, and play around with different pressures and speeds to find the sweet spot (how quickly you can hit the brakes without causing them to lock up).

How to Pass

Once you get used to riding a bike, you'll be hitting top speeds and wanting to pass those slowpokes on the road. Passing isn't hard since you'll be able to use your motorcycle's on-demand acceleration in your favor, but be sure to check your state laws about which situations you can and cannot legally pass in first. 

As long as you maximize your visibility, you'll be able to pass in tight situations (such as after a corner). When you want to pass, keep a good following distance between the car you are overtaking so you can clearly oncoming traffic. If you want to pass after exiting a corner, position yourself to the outside of the lane during the turn. It'll give you better visibility to open the throttle and overtake the car once you have the room to go.

How to Shift Gears

If you've ever driven a manual transmission car, you'll find that the concepts are pretty similar in a bike. Every motorcycle has a different sweet spot between each gear, so you'll need to spend time getting used to yours. This usually means heading out to a no-traffic area and changing gears over and over again. See what you have to do to smoothly change gears without any jerking motions.

How to Steer

Riding a motorcycle is an athletic activity largely because of how you have to steer and turn. Tilting the handlebars isn’t enough: you have to engage your muscles and joints by leaning into the turn. It's harder than it seems to keep the controls steady throughout the turn, so give it plenty of practice in a no-traffic area first. You'll also need to look far ahead into the corner and calculate what speed, line, and gear you need to make it through. It'll take time, but soon you'll be a turning pro!

We hope you found our guide helpful! You can always ask any questions to the friendly staff at Crossroad Powersports. If you still need to learn how to ride your motorcycle, check out our riding school! We can teach you everything you need to know about riding a bike and get you ready for your certification. If you already own a motorcycle and it's acting up, take it to our repair and parts replacement departments. We proudly serve those in Philadelphia and Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. We also serve those in Wilmington, Delaware, and Deptford Township, New Jersey.