![]() ![]() They also provide the bike and helmet, so you don’t have to buy any gear or have a bike to find out if riding is for you. You will learn everything you need to know about shifting gears and lots of other things that will make you a safer and more skilled rider. Having experience with a manual transmission car is a similar concept, but like the prior reviewer said, it’s completely different in a car.The most criticality important thing you can do as a beginner is take the MSF course. If you’ve ridden a bicycle with multiple gears, you basically have the concept of changing gears already in your skill set. In fact, some motorcycles that come with an automatic transmission are very very expensive, especially if you are on a budget as a new rider. There are not a lot of automatic motorcycles to choose from, so you are limited in selection. There are lots of options out there for you, my best advice is do your research and see what works. My running joke is that if you want an automatic sportbike, get a liter bike, you won’t get out of first gear (since most can hit 105 mph in first before redlining) That’s what one of our sales friends always jokes, anyways (don’t actually get a liter bike as your first bike, though LOL, well, a liter sportbike anyhow). A lot of the newer, smaller cc bikes are coming out with this as a feature for new riders. The new Suzuki SV650 even has low RPM assist now, and seems very beginner friendly. There are bikes out there now that make it much easier for beginners to learn how to shift. I truly believe that the manual transmission is a huge part of riding and gives each bike its personality. Now I ride high strung sportbikes and have ridden my husband’s Harley around. It was great for learning how to corner and balance a bike. I learned how to ride a motorcycle on that little thing. ![]() As a kid, my dad had a Rupp minibike that was basically an automatic motorcycle that could be registered for the street. I am with everyone else, you can only do what is right for you. Especially as a lighter rider, you won’t affect suspension as much as the average rider. I’ve gotten custom seats that are lowered, and I’ve also found you can adjust handlebars, pegs, and even the bike suspension (moderately) to reach the ground better. I also bought boot lifts on Amazon that give me an additional inch if I really need it. ![]() Then I was able to go to a heavier bike once I felt comfortable enough with that.Do you know what your inseam is? Mine is 28 inches and I use Daytona Lady Star boots that give me a 1.5 inch rise to help reaching the ground. Going to a lightweight motorcycle after that helped me learn manual while not stressing too much about handling. You can always change it up when you feel more confident riding. I learned a lot from riding a “bigger” scooter to start, too, since I had to handle it well as a smaller rider. The scooters weighed 400 pounds or more which is typical for the average motorcycle as well. I started on a maxi scooter (that’s a larger kind of scooter) so it would feel much more like a motorcycle than a scooter.I was looking for maxi scooters 250cc to 400cc range to start (like the Honda Forza/Reflex). I’m also 5 feet tall, and was very interested in bikes for cost-savings, but for me, it felt like learning manual along with learning the balance would be too much. This is a great idea that helped me a ton when I started riding just three years ago. I could imagine at 5 feet it’s a lot more limited, especially for a new rider. I’m 5 feet 5 inches and I felt the bikes I felt comfortable on was very limited. But automatic transmission is available on a lot fewer bikes than manual and it is more expensive. It’s actually a lot of fun and quite easy switching gears.As others have said, it’s about what you are comfortable with. I actually got into third by accident, and it was fine. I practiced in parking lots and rather quickly moved into second gear. I rode around the neighborhood in first gear, getting used to the bike (it’s sooo different than the Kawasaki Eliminators we used in the BRC). The shifting was nothing like in a car.A month later I bought my first bike, a Victory Octane. I was very nervous about learning the shifting on a motorcycle, but the course was amazing and really made a difference. I have never driven a motorcycle and have tried manual transmission maybe 20 years ago and hated it. I just got my license last September after taking and passing the BRC, at the age of 40. ![]()
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