I'm a new rider, I just bought my first bike 2009 Honda shadow spirit VT750 just look

Calen coulter said:

I'm interested in learning my bike inside and out.

Click to expand...

Thats a good thing. And many here would encourage you to take a riders safety course.

Yes, take the MSF safety course. It is likely to teach you something that saves your life.

After that you can ride a bit and then take the experienced rider course on your own bike. That is a rest way to really get to know your machine (not in the mechanical sense, but in the riding sense).

By all means, get any kind of training you can. I'm largely self-taught, but still, after 40+ years of often-interrupted experience, I spend some time every day reading or watching videos of safe riding techniques -- and I practice something I've read about or seen every time I ride. I literally learn something new every day.

As for the mechanical side of things, everyone has a different level of mechanical skill, and some of us will never rebuild an engine, but you will eventually be able to do virtually 100% of all maintenance, and a large percentage of repairs, by having and reading the owner's manual and a service manual as you tinker. It takes a while, but it's amazing how much you can learn with a little patience. Maybe most important, you'll learn how to recognize a job you should refer to a professional!:grin:

Personally, I do nothing but ride the bike. The service team at the dealer does the rest. It seems clear that no amount of patience could make me a skilled motorcycle mechanic. I still love my bike and ride it as primary transportation, despite having only the vaguest notion how it works. I know my limitations. No shame in that.

For some, part of the allure of motorcycling is the mechanical and technical knowledge and proficiency required to repair and maintain your machine. There must be something independent and liberating about that form of self reliance. Riding a finely tuned motorcycle whose condition is the result of your own efforts must be a great feeling.

I wouldn’t know. Can only speculate.

Service interval, meet VISA.

Calen coulter said:

I'm interested in learning my bike inside and out.

Click to expand...

MSF course (if you haven't already) and get a Clymer's or other manual for your Honda -- it's not so much you are going to tear into your bike (or maybe, if you like to wrench), but a manual will help you decide what is for you, and what is for the shop... and in either case it is nice to know what makes our machines tick...

-- LB