What's the one piece of advice...?

[slash]

I may be a MSF Ridercoach this summer in VT, and I have been thinking about the kind of things that are not generally taught in Basic course that may be useful to a beginner rider.  So, what is the collective wisdom for "the one piece of advice/information I wish I had as a new rider that I had to learn the hard way"?

for me (i'll list two): 1-use the rear brake and avoid the front brake while turning slow on gravel or it (the front brake) will lock it up and you may tip over;
2-when heading down hill before entering a turn be sure to slow enough by braking before downshifting or the rear wheel may lock up when you let up the clutch, and scare the shite out of you.

The Mods may move this, but I posted it here because I though I would get the most advice...
Thanks,
Slash

[Speeddog]

Look where you want to go.

IE, opposite of target fixation...

[Monster Dave]

Do not, ever, underestimate the effect of summer heat on you when you ride. Bring/consume plenty of water before rides on hot days.

[Grampa]

fail people that need to fail

I hated the fact that everbody in my class passed.

most everybody in the class talked about owning big assed v twins and spent two days dropping 250s because they had no clutch/brake skills

[silentbob]

When in doubt gas it.

[Triple J]

Learn to anticipate traffic movements. Practice all the time, not only when you're on your moto. Most accidents, and even close calls, can be avoided by paying attention to what is going on around you, and learning to anticipate people's stupidity actions.

[ducpainter]

This is actually a riding techniques thread...so I think it should be moved. The moved notification is as good as a thread here.   That said I'll leave it for now.

My advice to any rider would be...the motorcycle will go where you look...so look where you want to go.

edit...Nick beat me to it.

[Grampa]

never trust whitey

[ducpainter]

never trust whitey

I'm pretty red after the past two days at the track...

you must mean Nick...

or yourself.

[Pedro-bot]

Ride YOUR ride. Don't feel pressured to keep up with the group.

[Goat_Herder]

This is my advice - Go big or go home!









J/K.  This is what I meant to say - Respect the power of your bike. 

[Snips]

Ride YOUR ride. Don't feel pressured to keep up with the group.

I'm a relatively inexperienced rider, but could go on for days with this topic.

The quote above is a great one, which I would extend to bikers in general - ignore what you've seen bikers do, seen on video, or read about - ride within your ability. This will probably feel rather tame. Then remember what you saw, or read about, often ended in tears

[Statler]

go get professional riding instruction on a track as soon as you are comfortable on the bike instead of waiting a few years.   I know that's not actual course hints, but I wish someone encouraged me to do it sooner and Gwendy is glad she went after one summer riding.

[DrDesmo]

Read this entire article:

50 Ways to Save Your Life

By Motorcyclist Magazine

Adam

[DesmoDiva]

go get professional riding instruction on a track as soon as you are comfortable on the bike instead of waiting a few years.   I know that's not actual course hints, but I wish someone encouraged me to do it sooner and Gwendy is glad she went after one summer riding.

+11ty billion.

It is better to learn the "right way" than to try to fix old habbits.