The Best Way To Choose Your Motorcycle is tricky if you are a new rider. There are two types of prospective motorcycle owners, those who are certain of the motorbike they want to purchase and those who are so perplexed by the vast selection of possibilities and perplexing nomenclature that they are unsure of how to pick the first bike. Okay, so perhaps that claim ought to be qualified with the phrase “gross generalization,” but there is some truth to it, and it has to do with how we become addicted to riding motorcycles.
I once spoke with a young lady who had never considered riding a motorcycle till she happened to spot a gold Triumph on display. She immediately decided she wanted to have one and start learning to ride. Years later, when I finally met her, she had become not just a skilled rider but also a member of the Triumph North America team.
So The Best Way To Choose Your Motorcycle?
We’ll divide it into three sections: where to begin, how to reduce the list, and new versus used.
The first query to ask
Everyone you know or meet who bikes will be delighted to give you “advice,” which is both good and bad news. ” Your friend, who is six feet five inches tall, pats the 33.5-inch-tall seat of his BMW R 1200 GS and enthuses, “All the mags claim my bike is the best bike.” Another person suggests, “The girls love Ducatis,” while a third person says, “That Italian stuff is overpriced garbage. You require a Gixxer. You respond, “I’m a five-foot, heterosexual female who identifies as Italian-American, and I have no idea what a ‘Gixxer’ is. I primarily feel ignored, loosely insulted, and completely perplexed. You see, the problem is that while we experienced riders adore our rides, we frequently rush to share them with you rather than taking the time to consider your requirements as a novice rider and do what’s best for you. What you should hear when asking an experienced rider what to buy for your first motorcycle is, “What do you want to do with it?”What kind of bike you should purchase depends on the type of riding you intend to perform. Therefore, the first and most crucial stage is to decide what kind of riding you wish to do. You’ll probably make at least a little mistake with it as well. What makes me say that? Since you might believe you want to go on a solo, cross-country camping trip as a non-rider with only a theoretical and possibly idealized picture of riding, but after a year of riding you might discover you enjoy smaller trips with companions instead. or the opposite. So, once you’ve put some miles on your tires, you’ll probably discover that what you initially thought you wanted to accomplish on a motorcycle is not exactly what you want to do. It’s alright. We’ll explain why that’s not a major issue in the third section. But for the time being, since we’ve determined what you believe you want to do, it’s important to limit your options. Reduce the list
It’s a terrific time to ride a motorcycle because there are so many models available to suit any style of riding you want to undertake, thanks to the manufacturers. A terrific moment to start riding a motorcycle is now that the manufacturers have acknowledged the need to provide more reasonably priced, user-friendly bikes to attract new customers. When you first start, the broad variety of motorcycles and the constantly evolving nomenclature can be perplexing. But the first step is to become aware of the characteristics that, in general, make a bike better suited for a novice rider: Lightweight, with a small amount of power, neutral handling, and allowing the rider to put both feet on the ground. Of course, my six-foot-five-inch nephew and my five-foot-one-inch wife are both distinct people, therefore none of those things apply to my nephew. But they do. Here are the primary motorbike types, along with their advantages and disadvantages for novice riders, even if category limits are always changing.
Cruisers: The classic, long, low-slung style that Harley-Davidson popularized and that other manufacturers have imitated. designed for leisurely riding.
- The good for new riders: Low seat height puts your feet on the ground; cruisers are easier to ride since the engines are optimized for low-speed torque, and there is less bodywork to sustain damage in a tip-over.
- Some riders’ more severe ergonomics make handling uncomfortable, which is not good for beginner riders.
- If you want one, an import cruiser with a mid-displacement engine would be a fantastic first vehicle.
Sport Bikes: Race-inspired machines designed for handling and speed.
- Good: Most are lightweight.
- Bad: Expensive fairings easily damaged in a tip-over; high insurance costs; high-strung temperament; tallish seats; race-oriented ergonomics. High power from the 600 cc and 1,000 cc variants.
- If you want one: there are now a variety of smaller 300 cc bikes with the sport bike style that is simpler for a beginner rider to handle.
Standard or naked bikes: These are motorbikes that have minimal to no fairings to damage and natural, neutral riding positions, essentially how practically all motorcycles were constructed before the advent of specialization.
- Good: include a comfortable riding position, a sporty appearance that is typically not as tense as race replicas, less plastic that could be damaged in a tip-over, and lower insurance costs.
- Bad: More powerful larger models that are too much for a beginner to handle; no wind or weather protection unless you install it.
- If you desire one, the Honda CB500 range is a fantastic illustration of how producers are attempting to provide less experienced riders with bikes that are both capable and manageable.
Scooters: Today’s scooters range in size from 50 cc fuel-guzzlers that can only drive at 30 mph to 650 cc “maxi-scooters” that can travel on long highway distances. Scooters are distinguished by their step-through construction and continuously variable gearbox (CVT), which eliminates the need for a clutch or gearshift.
- Good: Scooters are designed to be simple to ride, with no clutch to learn and no gear shifting required. They also require little maintenance and have cheap operating costs and many offer convenience features like storage capacity that make them useful for running errands or commuting.
- Bad: The smallest scooters can’t keep up with traffic on the highway, and some scooters’ small wheels reduce stability.
- Go for it if you want one: Even if you decide to upgrade to a larger motorcycle in the future, it makes perfect sense to keep a scooter as a “second bike” for easy, affordable, and urban transportation.
These descriptions should make it easier for you to solve the myth of The Best Way To Choose Your Motorcycle, start deciding which bikes to look at for your first ride if you identify as type two in the opening paragraph of this tale. If you’re a type 1, at least take the drawbacks of the motorcycle into account before making a decision. You Should also consider one other thing.
New or Used
Going back to the beginning, if you’re the type of person who all of a sudden developed feelings for a particular bike and felt compelled to own it, you might claim that no other vehicle will do. You could be determined to go out and purchase that brand-new, stunning bike. Don’t do it, is the only advice I can provide.
What? Why? Not because I’m trying to dampen your spirit or dash your hopes. Your first bike should be a cheap secondhand bike that satisfies the aforementioned beginner-friendly requirements for three good reasons.
You must first question yourself about what you want to do with the bike, as I already stated. You’ll likely get the solution at least partially wrong, as I mentioned earlier. After a year of riding, what you first thought was your dream bike might not even be that. When you buy a pricey new bike, the depreciation hit will be greater when you sell it and buy the bike you actually want.
Second, while you’re still learning, you’ll probably drop that motorcycle. You’ll feel worse if it’s your gorgeous new dream bike than if it’s a budget-friendly used bike.
Thirdly, there’s always a risk that you’ll decide that riding a motorcycle isn’t for you; in that case, you’ll be glad you didn’t invest more money in it. If you do discover that you enjoy riding a motorcycle, your first bike won’t be the last one you ever purchase. In fact, if you become addicted to riding as we did, you’ll want to own a variety of bikes and engage in a variety of riding activities. With what you once thought was your ideal bike, you won’t want to let it go.
Most of us who have been around the block a few times agree that the best course of action is to purchase a used bike, ride it for a year, determine your true interests in motorcycles, improve your riding abilities through some additional training, and then purchase the bike that best meets your requirements. Then, for a price that is probably close to what you spent for it, sell that old starter bike to another new rider. Continue the cycle. What the heck, is that positive karma?
