Are motorcycle breakfast runs a good idea for beginners?
January 27, 2023
As a newbie in the motorcycling world, you may be considering joining breakfast runs or even a club, after all, biking is more fun when done with others. Here are some of the reasons why you may or may not want to start attending breakfast runs so early in the game.
It's always nice to meet new like-minded people who share the same hobby as you. Breakfast runs allow you to meet people from all walks of life, from the CEO to the guy who strips and builds bikes for a living. Networking at these social biking events also gives you access to knowledgeable people who have been around motorcycles for a long time. They're the best people to receive any bike-related advice from - there's always something to learn from these folk.
Safety in numbers
As an inexperienced rider, riding on your own with big scary cars swarming all around you may be a bit daunting at first. You may find that riding with bikers lessens the anxiety of being on a public road. There is safety in numbers, and a group of riders is more visible than a biker riding solo, giving you and your fellow riders a safer environment. Riding with a group may also help to build up the confidence you need to take on those solo rides
Discovering new locations
It's more than likely that whoever has planned the breakfast run has also picked out the perfect route for all to enjoy their lovely machines. The more you attend these breakfast runs you'll begin to discover the best roads for riding, as well as locations and destinations that you may have never been exposed to. What's even better is that you can visit any of the destinations or roads on your own at a later stage.
Back when I was a novice rider, one of the things I struggled with when joining these Sunday runs was keeping up with the old boys on powerful bikes. Now don't get me wrong, I wasn't attempting to keep up because of ego (although there's a lot of that fuelling the speedsters), it was merely an attempt to keep up. I had no idea where we were going, or the route to get there. This isn't always the case at these events, but it does happen more than most would want to admit. It places you in a predicament because you lack the experience, confidence and possibly even the horsepower to keep up, but you can't exactly afford to get left behind because you don't know where you're going.
Having learned from experience, as a novice, it's always best to find out where the final destination is before saddling up and setting off, so that if you do find yourself in this situation, you can take matters into your own hands and use GPS navigation. Also, never be shy to ride at your own pace - your safety is far more important than arriving with everyone else.
Should you still be interested in joining a group of riders for a brekkie every other weekend, Triumph Motorcycles South Africa always has something lined up. Their events are published on their social media platforms, and as with most biking communities, all bikes are welcome!
Words: Gugu Masuku
