Welcome to PWO
The thing I see players doing is logging on and then messaging "Any events?", when all they had to do was read the log on message we get when we open PWO. Pay attention to those, especially around Halloween and Christmas.
Save your money the best you can, since PDs can be used to buy Memberships from other players,Or you could donate and get some Tokens to buy a Membership.
Membership is good to have, especially during events, since it boosts the amount of PDs you get from battling wild pokemon, more experience from wild pokemon, and increased Shiny Odds. 1/2048 instead of 1/8192.
Also, 500K for a bike isn't truly a lot, though it seems like it when you start playing. The original games wanted $1,000,000.
Depending on your skill level, there are several pokemon you should acquire to make your life easier, such as Parasect/ Smeargle/ some kind of cleric that has Wish, Heal Bell/ Aromatherapy.
Stock up on Escape Ropes since players sometimes get stuck, and using one of those usually unsticks you.