You can do all the preparation for riding a motorcycle that you want. I’m like you, Overtime, in that, especially during the first few months I was riding, had my brained locked on motorcycles the whole time. I watched every internet video I could find, read every book, browsed all the forums. I “knew” what to do if the front wheel of my bike got light, or if the rear wheel started to spin. If you managed to tame a surprise wheelie with throttle control on your first go, you’re a lucky man, but most people aren’t. Knowing what needs to be done and being able to do it perfectly as a reflex reaction are two completely different things.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t do all those things and read all those books. That’s great! It gives you a great idea of the ins and outs of riding before you even start. But it’s no guarantee of immediate success, and as you said, Overtime, tons of practice is still required. Don’t think that you’ll necessarily be a better rider than somebody else because of any reading or video watching you’ve done prior to starting to ride.
And one more thing, and I promise I’m not trying to pick on ya (). I hear this all the time, and it drives me nuts, so I just have to point it out: daily commuting in a “powerful” car gives you NO benefit when you start trying to ride. None. If you raced cars, that might help you understand certain things about traction and smoothness, but the 2-wheel vs. 4-wheel thing would throw you for a loop anyway. You can spin the wheels on a car without worrying about anything happening. A momentary slide is usually easily recoverable, depending on the car. On a bike, especially when you’re new, slide ==> crash. Cars don’t lean. Motorcycles do. It’s a completely different ball game. It’s like saying you should skip basic training with the Marines because you have an AR-15 at home.