If you are looking to get into motorcycle / dirt bike riding, it’s important that you have an understanding of the basic functions of your bike. Of course, every function is important, but you have to start somewhere. Once you get the hang of the basics, you can then move onto more advanced functions of your bike. The four key components to mention are the throttle, front brake, rear brake, and the clutch.
Throttle:
When your hands are on the handlebars, you’ll notice that your right hand can twist downwards. This is your throttle which controls the intake into your engine. As you twist this back, you are opening up the carburetor or fuel injection system to spray a mixture of gas and air into your engine. The further you twist it, the more it opens up hence the increase in RPM’s. For beginners, it’s very important to use as little throttle as you can because if you use too much, things can get ugly. Try to not give it more than 1/8th throttle when starting out.
Front brake:
Your front brake is the lever located in front of your right hand when holding onto the handlebars. As you pull this lever in, the hydraulic line creates pressure that squeezes your brake pads onto the rotor. Your rotor rotates along with your front wheel, so the friction of your pads slows it down. I couldn’t explain to you the physics, but your front brake has more stopping power than your rear (which is the same logic for cars). When riding off-road, be cautious of your use of the front brake as too much will cause your front tire to slip out from underneath you.
Photo Credit: Louis-Moto
Rear brake:
Your rear brake pedal has the same function as your front brake, but this is used via brake pedal which is located by your right foot. Until you get a feel for riding your motorcycle in its lower gears, I’d suggest you use more rear brake. Once you start clicking into your higher gears, try to use a mixture of front and rear brake to increase your stopping power. Much like the cautious of using your front brake while riding off-road, be careful to not too much rear brake to where your rear wheel locks up. If your rear wheel locks up, you’ll slide in a drift-like way to whatever direction the bike decides to go.
Photo Credit: Touratech-USA
Clutch:
The most important component of your motorcycle is your clutch. This lever is in front of your left hand. Your clutch engages your engine to your transmission which allows you to move forward. The clutch is needed when you are idling in gear, when you engage first gear, when shifting, and when downshifting. If you are learning how to use this, I’d recommend reading my previous blog. In that blog I provide step by step instructions on how to use the clutch.
Thank you for reading and I hope this blog helped you understand the basic fundamentals of a motorcycle. If you are new to riding and need some help, please let me know by commenting below.
Shane's Motorcycle Blog 