I always tell my children that there are two types of people: the smart ones and the dumb ones. The smart ones are those who learn from other people's mistakes... the dumb ones, like me, are those who only learn from their own experience. If you are going to buy your first motorcycle, be one of the smart ones and heed this advice... We have all been young, including me. We have all, including me, believed at some point that we know everything. And we all, including me, know that mistakes on a motorcycle are usually expensive. So let's start with these 10 rookie or first-timer mistakes. And the best one is the last one, which is not mine. 1. I know everything. If you go thinking that you know everything... we're off to a bad start. No matter how much you know, no matter how much you read, I recommend Moto1Pro, no matter how many podcasts you listen to, such as "writing talks" or how many videos you watch, for example on this channel, my advice is "let yourself be advised." 2. Big donkey. The “big donkey, whether it works or not” thing doesn’t apply to motorcycles, and even less to your first motorcycle. When you’re new, a big, heavy motorcycle is a world of difference, even for something as simple as moving it around the garage or parking it. 3. Power: More is better. If you think that more power is better… you’re wrong. That doesn’t even happen in races. The telemetry of MotoGP riders shows that they only go full throttle for barely 20 percent of the total time of a lap. Like in a car. Many new motorcycle riders come from cars… an advantage? Well, it depends, because if you think that riding a motorcycle is like riding a car, you’re doing wrong. On a motorcycle, your position counts, you have separate brakes at the front and back, the loss of grip is more critical and you are the most fragile of all vehicles… except for bikes. Cheap helmet. I love the “What price is your head?” advertisement and I think it should be a maxim. Stay away from “cheap” helmets. I’m not telling you to buy the top of the range, but a good helmet that you should change, unless you fall, before 5 years. And please, listen to me, except for trials, forget about open helmets. Anything will do. We’re still talking about the biker’s equipment. Because there are more things than just the helmet. Many new bikers think that when riding a motorcycle, “anything will do”; old jeans, hiking boots and a mountain anorak… Well, no! The motorcycle doesn’t need bread. I’ve heard a lot from new bikers who buy, especially buyers of a scooter or cheap motorcycle, that “My motorcycle doesn’t need bread.” And it’s true, it doesn’t need bread. But it does need oil, tires and a check-up when it’s due and every time you go on a trip. I’m in a hurry! If you ride a motorcycle because you’re one of those who says “I’m in a hurry!” then my advice is not to ride a motorcycle. On a motorbike, in the city, you will get there sooner, but you should never be in a hurry. You should not take the slightest risk, I insist, NOT EVEN THE SLIGHTEST RISK! By overtaking a car or passing a junction first. I insist again: On a motorbike you will get there sooner than in a car, but when you drive forget about rushing. Circuit: For “little drivers”. I have heard so many times that riding a motor on a circuit is for “little drivers”, frustrated drivers who do not know enough to compete but really like racing. That is true, I would fit that profile, but it is also true that nowhere else do you learn as much and with as much safety as on a circuit. Choose the right course and the right level and not only will you enjoy it, but you will learn a lot that will later make you a better driver on the road. I am infallible. I will finish with this advice, the most important one… and I will try not to get emotional. I was very close friends with César Agüi, who sadly passed away on May 17, 2004. More than friendship, we were in tune, because like him I have three facets: journalist, pilot and engineer… although he was better than me at everything… Just on Saturday, May 15, we rode a motorcycle and had lunch at my house. And we talked, of course, about motorcycles. Well, we could have talked about cars, because César, like me, was, as a friend of mine would say, “bisexual”, we liked both as much as four wheels. Well, I think César was a bit more attracted to both. And speaking of motorcycle pilots and accidents, he told me a phrase that I will never forget: “The day you think you are infallible… you are dead”. On the day of his burial, all of us who went put a black ribbon on our motorcycles… I still have it on the motorcycle I use on circuits so I don’t forget that I am certainly not infallible, even if I go slowly. Don't let your guard down, don't do anything stupid, don't take any risks because I assure you that neither you, nor Cesar, nor the best rider in the world, none of us, are infallible on a motorcycle. Conclusion. How I love motorcycl