I told myself that I was the woven texture of natural fibers , in the shape of a map , which ' s single highlighted country had the shape of a thumbsup . <| sep |> Long time , 30 years . Still not dead . I started on a moped , then a Honda CB 125 , then a Suzuki GS 400 and now my Suzuki DL 650 . I remember being terrified the first time I took the GS 400 on the freeway ! Advice ? I think you got it take it slow , ride at your own pace , ride your own ride don ' t try to do too much too soon and always work on your skills . Practice emergency braking and swerving , your gonna need it . I highly recommend you watch Twist of the Wrist II . The acting is really campy but the tips and explanations of survival reactions is really good to know . Also , learn proper body and head position , here is a link that discusses it Survival Reactions Body Position 0410 m o t o r c y c l e c o r n e r i n g s u r v i v a l r e a c t i o n sandproperbodypositioning 21 The gist of it is that to turn a motorcycle has to lean and the faster you go the more you lean . BodyHead position become critical because in a turn the centrifugal force will push the fluid in the inner ear your sense of balance to one side or the other . If that happens then your mind will interpret it as an impending fall and you will automatically grab the brake or chop the throttle both bad ideas in the middle of a turn . With proper body position the force of gravity and centrifugal force are aligned centered down your head and spine and the fluid in your inner ear stays put . This and target fixation are the biggest dangers to a new rider and putting around a parking lot during the MSF course can ' t teach you how to deal with it . You have to understand it and experience it and learn how to become part of the machine . Best of luck to you and Happy Thanksgiving !