Ladies and Gentlemen of the Motorcycle Safety Class…Wear your helmet.

If I could offer you only one tip for your future, a comfortable DOT approved, Full-faced helmet would be it.

The survivability benefits of helmets been proven by scientists whereas the rest of my advice is a mixture from other riders, both old and young, and my own rambling experience.

I will dispense this advice now:

Enjoy the power and beauty of your first motorcycle. Never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your motorcycle until it’s sold. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of your bike and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how cool that little bike was, and the possibilities that lay before you and how fabulous you really looked on it.

Your gear does NOT make you look as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about winding up in the middle of a 20 car pileup; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to perform low speed maneuvers while looking down at your speedometer. The real dangers on your ride are apt to be things that you should be practicing for; like a little old lady doing a left turn in from of you at 4pm on some idle Sunday back road ride.

Do one thing every year that scares you – on a closed course.

Sing into your helmet.

Don’t be reckless with other people’s commutes. Give wide berth to those who are reckless with yours.

Floss and brush before you put your helmet on.

Don’t waste your money on aftermarket performance parts; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.

Remember the waves you receive, forget rude drivers; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old mapquest routes, throw away your old gas receipts.

Stretch before and after a long ride.

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what kind of bike you want. The most interesting people I know weren’t sure if they should get a sportbike or a dirt tourer, some of the most interesting riders own motards.

Get plenty of Caffeine.

Be kind to your passenger. You’ll miss her if she falls off.

Maybe you’ll marry someone who rides, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children that ride, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll buy a Goldwing Trike at 40, maybe you’ll win the Honda TopGun on your 75th birthday. Whatever you do remember how motorcycling has enriched your life,. Enjoy your riding style, perfect it every chance you get. Don’t be afraid to get a cheek off the seat, or to drag knee - It’s the greatest rush you’ll ever feel.

Do offset weaves. Even if you have nowhere to do them but a parking lot.

Read the owners manual, even if you never work on your own bike.

Do NOT read custom motorcycle magazines – they will make your motorcycle seem plain.

Get your parents into an MSF class – don’t try to teach them how to ride yourself.

Be nice to the guys in the shop; they know the workings of your bike like nobody’s business and are most likely to keep it running years down the road.

Understand that bikes come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to keep them dry and well maintained, don’t let old oil sit for more than 6 months just because you didn’t ride very many mile.

Ride on a flat tire once; but pull over before you damage the rim. Run out of gas once, but make sure you can walk to help.

Tour.

Accept certain inalienable truths, engine sizes will rise, dry weights will go down, your fast bike today will seem like a beginner bike one day and you’ll fantasize that when you were young you were Freddie Spencer, and you could outride all but factory racers.

Respect your Riding Instructors.

Don’t expect everyone to get out of your way. Maybe you eek out the last little bit of traction on public roads – maybe you have good luck, but you never know when either one might run out.

Don’t curse your hair when you take off your helmet, or it might fall out to spite you.

Be careful which discussion groups you frequent, but, be patient with those who run them. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of pulling parts off of a junker, sanding off the rust, painting them over with krylon engine paint and hawking them on Ebay with a huge hidden handling charge.

But trust me on the helmet.

Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.

as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.