Never ridden before - am I crazy?
 

Hey guys,

As the name suggests, I'll be spending the next year in South America traveling extensively. I now have the opportunity to buy a 250cc motorcycle here (in Peru), and the idea sounds amazing to me. I can't think of a more intimate way to connect with the people and the land. The thing is, I've never even ridden one before - am I way over my head?

In general, I'm a very defensive driver when I drive a car, but I understand that a motorcycle is totally different. I'm definitely willing to take things slowly at first, and I am also definitely aware of the risks involved. What do you guys think?

Beg, borrow or steal a 125cc motocross bike & go learn on the dirt first.

1, You will learn how to fall off correctly, or safer.

2. You will learn balance, brake & clutch control.

3. You will learn how fit you are going to need to be & how unfit your are now.

Try doing some small jumps, again its all about balance and getting confident on a bike.

Mezo.

Motocross training is great but I think our guy is ALEADY there, yes? Bit late for doing motocross and with a first timer I'd not jump straight on a Moto bike ... too early. Got to learn basics FIRST. (I taught many kids to ride and taught old guys to ride off road) Riding round S. America is not a Motocross race anyway ... about 70% paved roads and passable all weather dirt roads. Not really that tough unless you go LOOKING for trouble following Cow Trails (Llama trails?)

Can you ride a bicycle? Are you in decent shape? Decent balance? Good, then you can ride a 250. Get a GOOD ONE.
Enduro style preferable for travel.

City Traffic will be biggest challenge/danger (in a car as well). So your defensive driving (riding) skills will pay huge dividends. You get no 2nd chances on a bike. One good shot ... your dead or ruined. As long as you know that fact. Equipment helps but won't always save you. Boots, helmet, gloves at a minimum. RAIN GEAR!

Get the bike then get out and practice some basic moves. A must do.
1. emergency braking. Braking should be 2nd nature, something you don't have to think about. Use BOTH brakes together ... but the front is the important one for stopping fast. Go light on the rear on paved roads and don't use it in the wet.

2. learn to swerve and avoid rather than locking up brakes and sliding into a car or obstacle. Remember! On a bike you WILL GO WHERE YOU LOOK!
So ... LOOK around the obstacle DO NOT target fixate on it like MOST do.
Look for a path around the obstacle. This can save your life.

3. Learn to start and shift the bike properly. Do NOT abuse the clutch.
4. Learn to and get comfortable with leaning the bike WAY over in a corner. Once again LOOK WHERE YOU WANT TO GO ... and you will go there! Do not be afraid to LEAN the bike over ... way further than you feel comfortable with.
Look through and around the corner, look towards the exit of the corner. Always maintain proper tire pressure. Very important on a motorcycle!!!

5. Learn the limits of your low powered bike. DO NOT make stupid passes. This can be a dangerous game. So start nice and easy until you really learn the bike and develop some skills. Skills will save your life.

6. Learn the limits of the bike, learn what it can do and what it won't do. Ride within your and the bikes limits. Push yourself to PRACTICE the basics outlined above. You may survive. :welcome:

All good stuff as above, but seriously, no you are not mad or crazy or over your head, embrace the idea and do it the right way. Find a good training school and take some lessons. Most of us here have many years practice, and we do what we know best for the situations that we get into. Your style of riding and what you want to do, may be entirely different from what we do and where we go. It's worth investing serious time and money in getting the basics right, you will enjoy the future a whole lot more and be a lot safer when you are completely at ease in the saddle.

Good luck, and go for it!:mchappy:

Do you intend to pass a test? Without a licence to ride a motorcycle any insurances to have will be invalid which will be bad news for yourself and anyone you injure.

The OP is in Peru' NOW. Test? :rofl: You worry too much.
Have you ridden or driven throughout S. America? Any license will do, mostly what authorities want to see is your passport. They don't care about licenses. But a car license is fine, valid for car or bike in most places.

Insurance is a good idea and often required upon entry to most countries. So if it's issued to you, it's valid regardless of license status ... which they can't check or decipher in any case.

First, I don't know whether Peru has a specific motorcycle license. Apparently, no one else here does either, or I assume they'd have said so. The OP can check that out, since it'll have some applicability should he, for example, wish to buy insurance. It might also be important should he get in any sort of accident.

Second, I do know that some countries in South America do indeed check that you've got a motorcycle license (or endorsement) when they admit you at borders. I've been through all of them, and most more than once. I can't remember which ones did or did not, since it had no relevance to me (as an endorsed rider).

Last, the majority of countries in South America did not require insurance at borders last I was riding down there (±5 years ago). However, it's widely assumed that even if you do buy insurance it will be considered invalid if you are not licensed to ride a motorcycle at the time of an accident. I can't confirm this, but I'd not blithely assume it's untrue.

The original question was about learning to ride, rather than obtaining the right documentation. I think those of us who've been riding for a long time might tend to forget how long it took when we first learned...and how dangerous this really was at times. I'd suggest the OP be really, really careful for at least the first days, weeks and months. Practice basic skills a lot, and do it far from the chaotic traffic of the cities and the suicide derbies of the main highways. If there are riding schools in Peru, take advantage. If there are not, figure out another way to get some instruction in the basics. Plus read some of the ridiculous number of blogs by people whose South American trips and entire lives were altered by accidents.

Hope that's helpful to the OP or others.

Mark

Wow thanks for the input so far guys. Yes, I am already in Peru and I have found myself a safety course here that I am definitely going to take. I also am DEFINITELY going to take things as slow as possible. I'll push myself, but I'm never going to want to find myself in a situation where I feel way over my head (willing to drive like a grandma).

I know I shouldn't worry too much about all the bad things that probably won't happen, but there's still that little voice in the back of my head warning me of all the potential dangers. Is this natural?

Is it natural to see potential dangers? well yes! Just keep it in mind and you will be fine. I would be more concerned if you didn't see any danger!

As to being Crazy, what's wrong with that anyway. My family think I'm crazy I'm proud of that :thumbup1:

You will have the time of your life.

Already where? he said "I've never even ridden one before" so the quickest way of gaining all the skills are moto-x, simples.

Mezo.

If your wife/son/daughter get hit and crippled or killed by an un-licenced foreign motorcyclist in California can we all have a good :rofl: together?

I'll ask again since you don't seem to want to answer the question ...
have you ridden a motorcycle anywhere in mexico, Cent. Am or S. America?
Have you ever ridden a bike outside the UK? How many accidents have you been in or been witness to in Latin America ... or have even read about here or on other forums? :innocent:

Don't assume everything works the same as the UK ... it doesn't. Cross that border and you're in a Foreign country!

OK, you have the advantage that you have ridden in South America, I have not. I have ridden extensively in Europe and am a member of the oldest touring club in the world. Several of my fellow members have ridden a lot in South America and some have had accidents or have first hand knowledge of incidents that have occurred.
My point, that your Gung-Ho attitude seems to miss, is the having a licence means you have a proven ability to handle the motorcycle in a safe and legal manner and do not pose a threat to other road users, it's not just a piece of paper. What most of the travelling community seem to miss is that it's not all about you, it's about respecting the right to safety of every person.

One thing that takes some getting used to in Bolivia is that no one in a car thinks a motorcycle deserves a full lane. They WILL pass you on the left and right oncoming traffic or no. Oncoming traffic will go into your lane to pass fully expecting you to move over). On the plus side of things, we don't pay tolls on toll roads, and no one expects us to stay in line for redlights (centerlining/shouldering/passing to the front of the line seems to be generally acceptable).

Cant speak for Peru, but in Bolivia a motorcycle specific license is required. It requires a written and riding test (but there are ways and there are ways). You also have to have insurance (SOAT). riding around without these two things would get pricey as you will encounter police checkpoints ... some mobile and some fixed.

Are you crazy? I don't think so. Are you taking a higher normal level of risk? absolutely. Mitigate your risk as much as possible. Learning to ride and gaining experience first on a dirt bike in the country is a great idea. If you have to learn in an urban area, do your learning early weekend mornings when all the drunks are passed out and traffic has not picked up yet.

I assume you've driven a car in Peru for awhile?

Is this you Corey??

To all the others: YES, in Peru you DO need a car driver license from your home country (while you are on a tourist visa). That is good for all cars and pickups, PLUS all motorcycles 250cc and OVER. Why you would need a separate license for smaller bikes is BEYOND ME!!

Here in Peru we help people get Peruvian registered bikes, sort everything out and prep them (the bike and/or the rider! :mchappy:) for the long haul.

Toby

Gung Ho? Read my 1st post in this thread. I was 1st to suggest practice and taking serious learning to ride to survive.

Regards your comment that a license means you've got skills, been trained and indicates ability to handle a motorcycle. Once again, better step out of the UK mate. :blushing:
In California (we have most licensed motorcyclists of any USA state) has a riding test that is a joke. Tests nothing really. It's not like the UK or Europe where they REALLY test your riding ability and require serious training. Only kids under 18 must take a course before being issued a MC license.

Most USA states are the same ... the bike test is simply riding round a circle, or riding up and back. That's it, you're done. A joke. Also, for your info, we have NO tiered licensing system like UK. A 16 year old who has NEVER ridden a bike can go into a dealer and buy a Hayabusa. (180 MPH top speed)

It's quite rare that a rider hits a pedestrian. Usually other way round where biker gets nailed. But of course care must be taken, insurance should be in place. Practice practice practice!

Drivers license "training" is well overrated. I had to take additional courses to learn the skills I felt I need. I can think of heaps of awesome riders that were riding bikes well before they were "allowed" to and are way better than all the riders that only ever did a license test and associated "training". Hell, Max Verstappen is driving in the formula 1 and only just got his drivers license last week!!!

To the OP. Go for it mate. Use common sense. We did our first trip when we didn't didn't know shit about riding (my Mrs couldn't remember which was the clutch) or bikes. Learnt along the way.

Feel free to have a laugh about it below. We put it up because we thought it would be funny for others, and to show the "nay sayers" that adventure comes with risks but that they are manageable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv4XA3o3nz4

Haha you got me Toby!

And to everyone else, thanks for the encouragement. It's so refreshing when all I get is scorn, disappointment, and worry from my friends and family back home. You guys are the best! bier

I passed my test in the uk and flew out and bought a 250 enduro in Chile. That was two years ago! Now back out here for second trip - my 250 has nearly 35,000k on her. Just learn as you go along. If I can do it anyone can!


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This is my first post here, I'm new to the HUBB but have been around bikes for a few years.
Some points.
Most countries will want to see a bike license
Some will want to see the insurance

and Y in SA, don't believe all you read, check and then check again.


"I passed my test in the uk and flew out and bought a 250 enduro in Chile. That was two years ago! Now back out here for second trip - my 250 has nearly 35,000k on her. Just learn as you go along. If I can do it anyone can! "

this poster, as far as I can see in his past posts, crashed in the first week?
was taken to hospital unconscious, (found by miners thrown on the roadside), broke his bike and is very lucky to still enjoy bikes.

Get someone to teach you.......

To be fair, RTW seems to be the perfect candidate to buddy up with for the initial part of your travels

I noted the same incongruence. Seems odd to be so encouraging of new riders just a year or two after some miners happened along " who probably saved my life." Of course it's also true that lots of people crash, including many with plenty of experience.

Some of the posts in this thread strike me as excessively casual about the actual risks involved in learning to ride and the steep learning curve which most of us have left far behind. But the OP sounds like he's got his feet solidly on the ground.

Mark

Yeah wow interesting find Churchill. Good news is, Toby Shannon of Around the Block Moto Adventures in Peru is going to help me get rolling comfortably and safely. I also have plenty of time to spend here in SA (nearly 7 months), so I'm in absolutely no rush. I will be taking things VERY slowly at first, constantly honing my skills.

Never ridden before - am I crazy?
 

I did crash but had already been riding for six months on a range of different roads in Chile. Not sure if that makes any difference. All it takes is a momentary lapse in concentration and some bad luck. Solo rides across continents are inherently dangerous and skirt disaster, that's why they're adventures. To be fair I had relevant insurance, proper riding gear and helmet, full UK license and planned to have six months getting used to roads and bike (even learning Spanish) - not sure how much more I could have done given the circumstances. I have a totally differing approach to off-road riding now but everyone has to start somewhere and make those initial mistakes which teach us to become better riders.

Whoever said 70% of the roads in South America are paved is not riding in the same South America I am (Chile, Bolivia, Argentina, Peru). Nevertheless, I think your biggest risks will be the cities, e.g. Lima. You need to be able to ride, break, swerve, accelerate automatically without thinking, in anticipation of some nutter pulling in front of you, reversing up a highway, going the wrong way up a one way street etc. If I were you I'd get plenty of practice somewhere quiet.

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Try this in Chile or Argentina and your bike will be taken off you. Believe it or not you do need a licence in these countries.

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I don't think you can prepare for all types of wrecks and accidents. My first was easy--wet city road, idiot doing left turn and stopping when he saw me. The worst--nail in rear tire on the interstate in rush hour traffic. Lucky me, the guy I had just passed had new breaks and good reflexes. I didn't do the fall down on wet grass lesson, but it will probably help you to learn how to set the bike down. Just try to be careful and remember, if someone runs over you, they get their last Driving While Drunk conviction erased from their record.:) Staying paranoid can keep you alive.

my prep story
 

Brought a ~20 year old 750cc from my brother, my first. Completed a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course (highly recommended) and a couple of months later took a test to get my motorcycle endorsement added to my driver license. Rode to work a lot and took a couple of over night trips (including a Horizons Unlimited meeting.)

18 months after starting to ride, I left on a 4 month trip from New Jersey to Costa Rica and back. I was still getting comfortable with turns when I got home. A year or so later I took a performance turns class and now enjoy the curves. =)

Get some safety training and experience in the saddle, but mostly just do it.

None of us in this forum had ridden before we started riding. And most of us are crazy, so yes: If you're not crazy already, you'll become crazy. In a positive sense, most lightly.