Your first season
A motorcycle app for new riders, and advice for your first season
The best thing a motorcycle app for new riders can do is help you ride more, on easier roads, with people who look out for you. Rippin' is free and does that: find meets and squads near you, build short loops, and track your miles and maintenance. Here's real advice for your first season, then how the app fits in.
- Price
- Free
- Good first features
- Meets, squads, loop builder
- Speed
- Never rewarded
- Not included
- Crash detection
Start here
Before any app: training and gear
No app makes you a safer rider. Training and practice do. If you're brand new, these come first.
- Take a rider course. A basic course from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation or your state's program teaches control and hazard skills you won't figure out alone. In many states it can also help with your license. Check your state's rules.
- Wear the gear every ride. Helmet, jacket, gloves, long pants and boots that cover the ankle. Short rides are when people skip it, and short rides are still rides.
- Do a pre-ride check. Tires, controls, lights, oil, chassis and the kickstand. The MSF's T-CLOCS checklist is a good habit.
- Ride sober and rested. Skills fade fast when you're tired.
Your first months
How to build skill in your first season
- Practice in an empty lot. Slow turns, braking and figure eights pay off on every ride after.
- Ride in daylight and good weather at first. Add night, rain and traffic once the basics feel automatic.
- Pick familiar, easy roads. Quiet loops close to home beat a big canyon road on week one.
- Ride your own ride. Never chase a friend's pace. The good riders in your group will wait.
- Add distance slowly. An hour feels different from twenty minutes, and fatigue sneaks up.
- Look where you want to go. Your bike follows your eyes, especially in corners.
Where the app fits
How Rippin' helps as a motorcycle app for new riders
Rippin' won't teach you to ride. It helps you ride more often, with better company, on roads that suit where you are.
- Find peopleBike nights and meets near you are on the events map. It's the easiest way to meet riders who know your local roads.
- Join a squadA squad keeps chat, ride plans and turf in one place. Ask in chat who's up for a slow Sunday loop.
- Build easy loopsTap quiet roads on the map to build a short loop with the loop builder, and ride it turn-by-turn.
- Let AI pace itThe AI ride planner plans stops and pacing. Ask it for a short loop with stops.
- Know before you goRiders flag road hazards and you get weather alerts before you ride. See road and weather alerts.
- Look after the bikeLog maintenance and get service reminders in your garage.
Riding with a group
Your first group ride
Group rides are a great way to learn, as long as the group rides at a pace that fits you. Tell the leader you're new. Standard advice is to put newer riders right behind the leader, where the pace is steadiest. Keep your spacing, ride single file in the curves, and if the group pulls away, let it. You'll meet at the next stop.
In Rippin', a group ride puts everyone on one live map, so getting separated at a light isn't a big deal. Your live location is only shared when you start a group ride or broadcast.
The game
Turf, points and segments for new riders
Rippin' turns rides into a game, and none of it asks you to ride beyond your skill. Points come from miles, segments, turf and poker hands. Turf comes from closing a loop, and a slow loop claims the same land as a fast one. Poker runs send you to cafes and shops for a card. Segments have boards, but they aren't races, and Rippin' does not reward speed on public roads.
For a new rider, the game is a good excuse to get more miles in. Every ride counts, every new town is a passport stamp, and your rider level climbs from 1 to 25 just by riding. More on that in the motorcycle game app guide.
Honest limits
What the app doesn't do for you
New to riding in a hot climate? Our Arizona guide covers heat, gear and the best months to ride there. For the full list of what's free, see the best free motorcycle app guide.
- No crash detection. On solo rides, tell someone your route and when you'll be back.
- No offline maps. Stick to roads with signal while you're learning, or carry a backup.
- It's not a teacher. Use a rider course and practice for skills. Use the app to find people and roads.
- Set a privacy safe zone. The part of your rides near home stays hidden from other riders.
FAQ
Questions riders ask.
What is a good motorcycle app for new riders?
Rippin' is free and helps new riders find meets and squads, build short loops, plan easy rides with stops, and track miles and maintenance. It never rewards speed.
Should a beginner use a motorcycle app?
An app can help you find riders and plan easy routes, but it doesn't replace a rider course and practice. Start the recording before you roll and don't touch the phone while riding.
How do new riders find people to ride with?
Go to local bike nights and meets, which you can find on the Rippin' events map, and join a squad. Tell the group you're new so they set a pace that fits.
Does Rippin' encourage racing?
No. Segments are boards and crowns, not races. Points come from miles, segments, turf and poker hands, and Rippin' does not reward speed on public roads.
Does Rippin' have crash detection?
No. On solo rides, tell someone your route and when you expect to be back.
Can Rippin' remind me about maintenance?
Yes. The garage has a maintenance log with service reminders for each bike you add.
Ride more, with good people
Install Rippin', find a meet near you and build an easy loop for this weekend. Free on iPhone and Android.