Walter Kern, our online guide in motorcycles.about.com, has an interesting article for those gaining interest in motorcycling. This is perfect for the summer season since this is usually the time that potentially new riders take their baby steps and begin their love affair with the motorcycle.


The following assumes modern motorcycles and cars driven on the right side of the road. This does not apply completely to motor scooters.

Over the last 100+ years of motorcycle history, there have been many configurations of motorcycle controls. Fortunately, standardization did occur and now you can go from one bike to another and be able to ride it safely.

These 7 things are:
1. You Shift Gears With Your Left Foot
2. The Clutch Lever is on the Left Handlebar Grip
3. The Front Brake Lever is on the Right Handlebar Grip
4. The Rear Brake is Controlled by the Right Foot
5. The Throttle is Controlled by Twisting the Right Handlebar Grip
6. A Bike Has a KILL Switch
7. You Turn a Bike by Countersteering

Read the entire article here.