Preparation

One of the problems with using a motorcycle for commuting is that you can't just decide one day that you're going to be a motorcyclist and ride every day to work, go down to your local Kawasaki dealer and buy just any bike there, and start riding to work the next day. Motorcycle commuting takes a bit of preparation and equipment. So in the month leading up to April, I'm going to be going over the things you need to do, and that for the most part I've already done, in preparation for a commute. Here's some of the areas I will cover.

First, my motorcycle has been sitting for a couple months as I haven't really figured out how to beat the cold just yet. So I'm going to go over it and make sure it is safe to ride before I hit the streets. Since this is something I'll be doing very soon, this will probably be the first thing I'll write about, even if it may not be the first thing someone looking to get into motorcycling will need to do.

Motorcycling also takes training, and you're best off both getting some lessons from a pro and doing some practice in safe, low-traffic areas before you try a 40 mile ride to work. So I'll go over what is involved in training and practice.

The other area of perparation is, of course, shopping. So I'm going to cover what makes a good first bike, what sort of safety gear will protect you on the ride, and various items that are helpful for comfort and carrying things for your commute.

Oh, and one other thing - you may notice there's a second blogger on this blog now. I'll let him introduce himself.