I'll second what Shaken said. Smart move to take the MSF course and that is one of the things I was going to recommend. It will help with insurance premiums and if in La. I believe it also helps with the licensing process to get the MC endorsement on your drivers license.

I strongly recommend buying something used to start off. As with any new vehicle purchase, there is a steep depreciation to take into effect once you drive it off the lot. Let someone else pay that by buying used.

If buying a used bike from a bike shop, they should have the bike in good working condition with good rubber on the rims, fluid levels fresh, bike clean and ready for riding.

If buying from a private sale, it would be better to have someone come along with you to point out anything that may need attention. Just because tires have good tread rubber doesn't necessarily mean they are still good. There could be some dry rot in the side walls or maybe the owner got a few flats and plugged the holes if the tires are tubeless.

And speaking of tires, I will not own another bike with tube tires. If you catch a flat on the road with a tube tire, you need to break down the tire, patch the tube-----IF it can even be patched due to damage, remount the tire and put air in it. A tubeless can be fixed real quick with a plug without even removing the wheel and filled with air and off you go until you can fix it properly-----------and NEVER try to fix a tire if the sidewall has been compromised.

Chances are pretty good that sometime in the first few months of riding you will put the shiny stuff on the pavement due to rider error or trying to avoid an a-hole in a car that will say "I didn't see him".

This is why I ALWAYS ride like the people in cars are out to get me----not in a paranoid manner, but very aware of my surroundings.

In 50 years of riding I've been off the bike 4 times, and every one of them was due to others on the road. If you ride long enough, it will happen because I don't know anyone who hasn't been off their bike at one time or another due to idiots not paying attention.

quote:
I figure that if I splatter myself all over a highway then so what.

May want to rethink that one. I'm sure something like that would affect many people in your life and that is kind of a mindset that has me thinking you may ride like a loose cannon and get in over your head from time to time. An 800 lb. motorcycle vs. a 2300 lb. car is a big mismatch.

Hope some of this helps. If you have any specific questions, feel free and I'll do my best to answer.

This post was edited on 5/10/21 at 5:44 pm