The Best Books for Beginner Motorcycle Riders

Advice for new motorcycle riders: don't forget about motorcycle blogs and books!

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The popularity of the internet has completely changed how we can gather information for ourselves. There are videos and step-by-step guides that exist for practically anything, and learning to ride a motorcycle is no exception.

But just as there are plenty of videos to gather information, the more information you have, the better your ability to adapt to being a new rider. Being a new rider is hard enough, but finding the insight you want to assist you in your adventure doesn’t have to be that difficult. So, while you might find yourself navigating towards video content and articles, you shouldn’t forget about books that provide a wealth of information.

Here’s a list of the best books to read for beginner or entry-level riders. Grab a seat, prop your feet up, and sink into the information that confident riders can offer you:

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MSF'S Guide to Motorcycle Excellence:  

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The Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) is bound to throw in some helpful tips and tricks for new riders, and this book is a great addition to your research. It will give you great direction on safe riding techniques and strategies, and is even beneficial for the confident riders.  

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This book is unique because it was written by a foundation that has a wealth of experience in teaching others how to ride. They’ve personally experienced the most common difficulties that the majority of beginner riders face, and because of that experience, they’ve been able to practice how to best teach new riders. It covers everything from cornering, to slow and high speed turning. It also includes a variety of pictures and diagrams that help give you the visuals you may need to better understand some of the material. This is a must-read for every beginner rider.

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Ranking: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Price: $18.00

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Total Control By Lee Parks:

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This option is very popular with sports bike riders (I’m looking at you, Kawasaki enthusiasts). But just because it might be geared a little more toward that style of riding, that does not mean it doesn’t supply great information on riding in general.

Lee Parks, a well known and highly accomplished rider, wrote the book to assist others in the struggles that typically come with speed riding. Learning to ride any kind of motorcycle can be difficult, but the style that you go for can mean a greater learning curve. Parks acknowledges this, and his book does an excellent job of helping you understand the foundation behind this style of riding.

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The book covers things like low speed turns and body positioning; it goes so in-depth in certain areas and is constantly showing its credibility. When it comes to safe speed riding, there’s probably no better person to offer insight than Parks. This book has helped to people go from decent riders to great riders, and when a book can manage to achieve that, it means that it’s a keeper. There’s enough humor in it to keep you constantly interested in turning to the next page, and even Harley riders love this book, because they know they can apply the same tactics and information to traditional riding.

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Ranking: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Price: $25.00

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Mastering The Ride By David Hough:

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The noteworthy writing style of this book is the first mention, as it’s not too serious or formal. David Hough recognizes that casual is the way to go when you’re teaching people information, and that’s exactly how this book is written. It will never get too preachy and feels as though a friend is sharing this information with you. And heck, if I had Hough as a friend, I’m sure my own riding skills could increase a ridiculous amount. But for now, his book will have to do!

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A focus component in this book? Hough attempts to debunk some of the common myths about motorcycle riding. There are habits and tendencies that riders have picked up through the years and taught to new riders, but not all of those habits are the correct way of doing things. Hough touches base on a variety of them, why they’re incorrect, and the right methods to ensure safe and confident riding. He doesn’t ask for you to trust him without establishing credibility.

This book includes a variety of graphs and statistics to support his claims, so you can feel comfortable and confident that his words have truth to them. This is also a must-and fun-read for new riders!

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Price: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Price: $20.00

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Whether you have your eyes set on one of these books, or all of them, you can’t go wrong in either direction. They’ll provide you with the basic foundations of riding, along with corrections to common errors that your seasoned riding friends might be teaching you.

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