a novice motorcyclist needs mentoring

[gizmogamez]

welcome to the site, I started out this year on a 2000 zzr250, it's fast enough an once I got comfortable with it I can now easily keep up with my friends on their bigger bikes in the turns (the straights are a little tougher lol).
I also get lots of complements on the bike and most people ask me if it's a 500 or 600. it doesn't sound like a 600 though, but oh well.

[zoomerthe1]

Kisho:
Let not put the proverbial cart before the horse.
Go to the MTO website and learn about the licensing requirements and figure out your licensing validation time periods.
Pick up the MTO Motorcycle Handbook & read it.
Go to the bookstore & buy the Motorcycles for Dummies book or one of those type books.
It will containing most of the info you need to get yourself through your first and probably second year of motorcycling. Buy a couple of motorcycle mags while your there, like Cycle Canada, or even Mojo.
Go to motorcycling websites and training sites: RTI, Humber etc.
Hang out a bit at some used motorcycle shops: GP Bikes, Northernmotorsports
Go to the bike shows and the swap meets--look at the bikes, sit on the bikes.
Book your M2. Do your M1. And keep an eye on the calendar.
In the meantime, cost everything out and budget it: bike, insurance, maintenance, gear, storage (if needed) etc. ESPECIALLY AS A STUDENT. Motorcycling is not a cheap hobby, in the long run its not a cheap mode of transportation. It can, however, be done with a reasonable amount of DISCRETIONARY cash.
Don't buy anything (gear included- pretty minimal gear is required for the M2 practical-the helmet can be rented--thats all decribed at the RTI stie) until you've passed your M2.
And of course keep reading the threads and stickies on the forum (you'll get flamed if you're repeating a question thats already been answered a million times ie. I wanna buy a newbie bike-which one?).
Sorry, I can't do your homework for you. GO GIT 'ER DONE.

[albguy40]

Your M1 is pretty simple, as a matter of fact its actually mostly G1 questions with a few motorcycle questions thrown in. As for gear, I suggest you do what I did, get a nice Ballistic Nylon jacket, gloves, and boots to start off (and helmet ofcourse)... Because youre gonna most likely start your riding season as early as possible next spring, I also suggest you get some nice Ballistic Nylon pants. I got a pair of Fieldsheer Booster Pants on sale, and when I rode yesterday in 10 degree weather on the 401, I couldnt feel the cold at all...

[kisho]

as of now, im studying my m1 and shooting for a m2 course date in october, which means i have plenty of time to work and get the amount of money i need to finish the course plus my gear. right now im just afraid of not passing either the m1 or/and m2. yea, i lack confidence, if you havent noticed already, but i'll keep you guys updated.

[CONKEY]

ir ur in fear of failing ur m2 caorse look in to O.M.S.A in kitchener you pay the first time anf you come back for free until you pass im not sure about other places though

[kisho]

guys i forgot to ask, when i went to the store, and asked if the CF knucles are real for the gloves, he said the CF look is for aesthetic purpose only( is it true) and under it is plastic, and he made a comparison to the chrome knucle saying thats also plastic...i think he thought that i had no clue when it comes to motorcycle...well i dont..but geez not that much

[T.O Hugger]

hmm like floman said, i'll pick up a good pair of gloves and a black helmet, i'll borrow my dad's leather jacket and use my old safety boots.

question - can i use my nike airforces, which goes well above my ankle?

i already have my book for m1 and g1 so i'll read over those, key points are traffic signs, and as for the bike, im just going to wait, ill deal with it next year, because the season is done anyway, hmm wat else..oh and derekz, you make a really good point, i will look into it deeply later on when im in the process of buying a bike, but im not sure im ready to deal with all those hassle because ultimately, my parents arent going to be involving in any of this. so if i have to do it, im going to have to do it alone and ya ur bike looks wicked cool man, seriously i dont think im ready for that kind of a bike yet, maybe in abt 10 years, but i love the new harlies and i dont really know any other cruiser bikes names. but i watched a show on discovery on harlies, after that i gained alot of respect for the harlies.

anyways, you guys have been ALOT of help, honestly, i think it would have took me a week or two to figure out all these stuff, but luckily i found this forum and im glad i found this. hopefully im gonna be a long term member, and eventually this month or so im going for my m1. again thanks for the help guys, im sure im gonna be posting alot more doubts and questions in the future. so for now, im gonna stick to my books, later guys

and ride safe..

RTI does not allow steel toed safety boots

[T.O Hugger]

ir ur in fear of failing ur m2 caorse look in to O.M.S.A in kitchener you pay the first time anf you come back for free until you pass im not sure about other places though

RTI offers the same thing

[that_new_guy]

RTI offers the same thing

+1, I can confirm this as of july 08 as I personally took a course /w them.

[jazminesgizzer]

guys i forgot to ask, when i went to the store, and asked if the CF knucles are real for the gloves, he said the CF look is for aesthetic purpose only( is it true) and under it is plastic, and he made a comparison to the chrome knucle saying thats also plastic...i think he thought that i had no clue when it comes to motorcycle...well i dont..but geez not that much

Kisho:

The sales person you spoke with is correct. Real carbon fiber is extremely expensive. Even prices on real carbon fiber body "accent" pieces for motorcycles are insane. Yes there are many immitations out there but the real stuff costs a lot of money.

You asked a question and the sales person was truthful with the answer - he/she could have just lied to you but didn't. Instead, you got a good answer and he/she stepped you through the real design of the glove you happen to be looking at. I hope you said thank you.

When it comes to gear, it's very individual and one opinion does not fit all - personal bias does in fact come into play when you solicit input from others.

I think we can all agree that, properly fitted gear is really the goal. Brand prefence blows like the wind and, IN GENERAL, you can't go wrong with the major brands such as Teknic, ICON, Joe Rocket, Alpinestars, etc, etc, etc.

And there's no reason to bust the bank on gear either. Most stores have a wide enough selection of merchandise to suit your budget whether it be new old stock (NOS) or current stuff that they may have on sale.

Jaz - Chicks on bikes rule.

[squid pro quo]

I also get lots of complements on the bike and most people ask me if it's a 500 or 600. .

reading posts here on GTAM,
two things i don't understand..
1. what do peeps think it is a good thing/complement when others mistake your bike for bike with a larger engine displacement?!??!?!?!

2. what do peeps mean when they say "you'll get 'bored' of a bike"??? i think if you're in your first season of riding and get 'bored' of a bike ... maybe you're just bored with motorcycle riding? i guess this one is super subjective, i mean if you tossed me the keys to a brand new 600 gixxer, i could ride it around the parking lot and declare 'yup, *yawn*, i'm bored with it!' ... i guess the point is, how can anyone tell someone else when an if they'll be 'bored' with anything with any sort of authority????

[zoomerthe1]

as of now, im studying my m1 and shooting for a m2 course date in october, which means i have plenty of time to work and get the amount of money i need to finish the course plus my gear. right now im just afraid of not passing either the m1 or/and m2. yea, i lack confidence, if you havent noticed already, but i'll keep you guys updated.

There's no reason why you should lack confidence. Neither the M1 or M2 is set up to fail you or weed out the ranks. Keep your focus.
As for Squidproquo's comment about "outgrowing" (I suspect that's what really meant--rather than "yawn, I'm bored) a bike. I agree that a few individuals never seem to outgrow their smaller bikes. But that also depends on the nature of your riding. If you're riding habits change, then probably your bike will too. If you're bitten by the bug of longdistance touring down to Daytona, Sturgis, the Gap, then you're probalby not going to keep riding a supersport. If you wind up doing more highway riding (and you have to get in and out of the city by some means) then a small 250 cc is not the best choice. IMHO its better to start with an "all-rounder" than to trading up in your 1st 6 months due to disappointment.

[albguy40]

Get a 600 Kat, you won't be dissapointed.... I was never on anything other then a mountain bike before I got my Katana... And as it was previously mentioned, for highway riding a 600 would be safe, because you have no real power in an emergency situation on a 250 if ur cruising at say 120...Then again this is just my opinion, if you take the course and feel that the 250s are fun, but somewhat slugish, then go for a 600... In reality its not what you ride which is dangerous, its how you ride it

[rizvi]

Books to read for M1
G1 book: http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dan...k/contents.htm
M1 book (from California - if you don't want to buy the Ontario book): http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/dl655/dl665mcycle.pdf
The M1 book from Ontario is not online. You can buy it from Chapters/MTO/Gas station/....
Sample M1 questions: http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforum...ad.php?t=58424

License
M1 is valid for 90 days. Within this period you should get your M2.
Your M1 also has a 60 day probationary period. If you get your M2 within 60 days it is not on your license until the 61st day.

COST
M1: $17 inc. tax
M2: $395 inc. tax, license, training, certificate, bike rent, gas, ...

[kisho]

so i ran into some unexpected finanical spending that had a bigger priority then my m licence, so for now everything is on hold, but im still trying to make it for the last class of oct of the rider training course, i will update u guys later, thanks for all you guys for helping me out, even though we didnt see any immediate results, i will stay in touch