The skills you acquire will be your greatest asset on two wheels. For obvious reasons, motorcycling requires a far more developed sense of balance than chugging along in a Lada. A bike is stable only when it's moving, so you'll want to develop a smooth, flowing riding style that prevents sudden actions rocking your equilibrium.

Breathing normally and staying relaxed are the first two keys to this. No dramas. Avoid making constant corrections or panicking whenever your bike reacts to a road surface. Most moments of apparent instability will pass automatically if your bike is left alone to get on with it. It doesn't feel fear or anticipation.

Eyes on the prize
Another golden rule is look where you want to go. Don't stare at what you're hoping to avoid or gaze down at the instruments (with practise, an occasional fleeting glance is enough.) To achieve this, you'll need to keep your head as upright as possible, even when cornering, or speed and distance judgement will be impaired. Check out the 'upright' attitude of racers cornering at extreme angles. Your eyes need to remain on the horizon.

One good technique to adopt is glancing alternately at the road a short way ahead... then for a second or two so far ahead that surface features are indistinguishable.

Stay relaxed and loose-limbed. Hold the handlebars lightly, with slightly bent arms. Grip your bike gently between your knees. The grip on your throttle is no greater than what's required to hold it right where you want it. (Steering is principally a pushing action so there's generally no need to grip the bars tightly for that either.) Sitting as upright as possible with your insteps on the footrests provides the most stress-free riding position. An uncomfortable or unnatural riding position creates tension, and tension means fatigue.