The new guy

[Combaticus]

Hey everyone, I'm Andrew, 22 years old and wanting to start riding already.  Ive only rode a dirt bike a few times, but clearly I need more experience than that.  I was thinking a Monster 696 would be a good starter bike, but there will be a time gap where I save more cash.  So if anyone has suggestions as to go about training, be it a program or a individual, I'd love to hear about it. 

P.S. Safety first.  Thanks in advance

[bikepilot]

Welcome, the 696 is a fun but reasonably forgiving bike and should suit you nicely.  There are plenty of riding courses and I'm sure folks here will have more details and it'll probably vary a bit depending on where on this planet you live. Generally in the US there's a basic course meant for brand new riders, then an "advanced" course often done by the same folks that do the basic course that's mean to teach you general riding skills and street strategies.  These are essentially mandatory to be basically competent to ride around on the street. After that you can really start honing your abilities to handle the bike though things like track day schools (there are many and virtually all get good reports) and more specialized classes like American Supercamp (flat track school, but intended to build skills useful for street riders) and Lee Parks Total Control-type classes. 

You'll be provided a bike for the basic rider course and Supercamp, the others generally require that you bring your own bike.

Have fun!

[Combaticus]

That's exactly what I needed to know, my bad about forgeting my location...I'm in KS, Wichita specifically.  I do have another question though, who's got the "best" insurance plan for motorcycle riders?

[bikepilot]

I think "best" insurance is going to vary wildy from one person to another depending on the specifics of your situation.  Shop around.  State Farm has done fine for me.  Lots of my friends west of the Miss. speak very highly of Amica in general (don't know if they write moto policies specifically though).