Buying a Motorcycle – What Kind of Bike is Right for Me?

buying a motorcycle should involve a great deal of research before deciding which one is right for you. Nowadays, you can find motorcycles for all kind of purposes and a number of Japanese, American and European brands with virtually hundreds of models to choose from. You can also buy new and used motorcycles. All this can make the task of choosing a motorcycle that fits your needs/wants confusing and overwhelming. The purpose of this post is to try to help a little.

Before even looking at product catalogs, visiting your local dealer or searching the Internet for your new bike, you need to ask yourself a few questions…

1.- What do I need/want the motorcycle for?

There are bikes for all kind of purposes and interests: commuting, touring, cruising, racing, off road riding and others…

Planning to take long road trips on your motorcycle? Then you definitely want to choose one built for travel and comfort that offers compartments to carry your stuff during your trips.

You like to go fast or want to do some track racing? Then you’ll need a sport bike.

You just need the bike to commute in city streets? A small to medium size motorcycle that is easy to maneuver in traffic and that allows a comfortable riding position might be the right one for you. Scooters can be an excellent option in this case, too.

Thinking of riding on dirt roads? You’ll need an off road bike.

Doing some touring on and off road? Think of an enduro motorcycle.

Want to show off in the boulevards? Custom motorcycles are great for this purpose.

The above are just a few possibilities, but I hope you get my point.

2.- What is my level of experience?

If you are new to motorcycle riding, it is recommended that you start with a small to medium size motorcycle that is moderately priced (probably a used one).

To ride a motorcycle the safe way, you need to build a set of skills. Big and powerful motorcycles are great but they can be quite difficult to handle if you are not an experienced rider. This can compromise your safety. The only way to build the skills you need, the safe way, is to start slowly and then move up.

Also consider that a brand new motorcycle can cost a lot of money. I am sure you don’t want to risk scratching the paint up or having costly repairs from dropping a $20,000 motorcycle. And believe me, if you are new to motorcycle riding, that is going to be a part of the learning process! You can always buy a newer/bigger motorcycle once you gain some experience.

If a used motorcycle is what you need, I recommend you to check this page.

3.- What’s my budget?

Unless money is not an issue for you, the price is a very important aspect you need to consider when looking for a motorcycle. You need to find something that is going to fit into your needs AND budget.

When thinking about the amount of money you can spend on the bike, you should also consider maintenance costs. These can add up quickly depending on the bike you choose. The insurance and motorcycle gear you’ll need are other aspects you should also think about.

Do you want to buy a used or a new motorcycle? With the proper research, you can find some great deals on used bikes and afford a higher end motorcycle for the same amount of money you need to buy a lower end brand new motorbike.

Are you willing to take out a loan to buy a new bike?

How much can I spend a year on maintenance?

It’s very important that, before you even begin looking at potential motorcycles, you consider the questions above.

Another key element for comfort and safety

Even if you have a particular style of motorcycle in mind, it has to fit your body perfectly. By any means, do not overlook bike fit! If the motorcycle doesn’t fit, you are compromising safety and comfort.

The size of the bike and the riding position are two of the main aspects you should look at. A good motorcycle dealer should be able to help you with this.

A couple of pointers when checking bike fit:

Sit on the bike with the kickstand on the ground. Can you touch the ground with both feet? Can you you reach the handle bars comfortably? Are the brakes and the turn signals within your reach?

Final thoughts

A motorcycle can provide you with a great mode of transportation. Motorcycles allow you to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors, commute easily and have lots of fun; but choosing a bike that doesn’t fit well (riding style, level of experience and budget), will leave you disappointed as well as raise the risk of accidents and injuries.

You will find your motorcycle to be more comfortable and safe if you take your time to select a bike based on how it fits (riding style, level of experience and budget) and not on how the body of the bike looks. With this, I am not saying that how the the motorcycle looks is not important as there are some great looking bikes out there, but it’s actually secondary.

Well this is it for now. I really hope the above will help you when thinking of buying a motorcycle. If you have any comments or want to add something, please use the comments for this post.

Enjoy the Ride!

Rider
WorldWideMotorcycles.com

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