When you’ve decided to learn to ride a motorcycle, the most obvious piece of equipment you need is a motorcycle. If you are ready to buy a motorcycle, here is some information you can use on how to choose the right one for you.
As mentioned before, there are ways to do this without buying one, but you would need a very good friend who would loan you their motorcycle. You could potentially rent one, but you would probably want to be comfortable riding before you did this.
The best way is to buy a bike. What motorcycle to buy, where to buy it, and how to get it home are all things you’ll need to consider.
What type of motorcycle should I buy?
There are a few things to consider when choosing a bike. The style, the size, and the fit. I’ll break these down below.
The style:
The type of motorcycle you choose depends on the type of riding you want to do. I have read that there are up to 13 different types of motorcycles, but in my class, we talked about four: Sportbikes, Street bikes, Cruisers, and Touring motorcycles.
Sportbikes are the most recognizable with their triangular front, their aggressive body positioning, and their speed. Sportbikes are great for zipping around town and beyond.
Street bikes are a large category of motorcycles. They are good for city commuting or general street riding and have a more upright seating position than the sportbikes. You might even hear the term “cafe racer” because they are good for a quick jaunt to the cafe or a town festival.
Cruisers are very popular. They are known for being comfortable and many have a “foot forward” design where the gear shifter and brakes are in front. This gives a more comfortable position for longer rides and highway riding. Several come with or can be modified to have a windshield or a small faring (the front piece that breaks through the wind resistance). It is also bigger than most street bikes and more stable.
Touring bikes are like the larger, more comfortable cruisers. These will have a big faring on the front, and luggage compartments for long rides. They also generally come with more comfortable options for heated seats and handlebars, music, sometimes even cup holders.
Whether you are planning to use your motorcycle for speed, zipping around town to meet up with friends, or for longer rides and overnighters on the highways, how you plan to ride determines what bike to buy to learn to ride. I chose a street bike and my husband bought a cruiser.
The size:
Several of the four types of motorcycles also come in different sizes. Motorcycles are generally measured by “cubic centimeters*” or “CC”s, indicating the engine’s displacement or the volume of air and fuel mixture the engine’s cylinders can displace. The larger the CCs, generally the more power, torque, and speed of a motorcycle. But also, the heavier the motorcycle will be to compensate for the size of the engine.
In my class, we used three different brands of 250cc motorcycles. During my class, I wondered if I should go above the 300cc-500cc range (the Honda Rebel series are great learning bikes according to my class and several of my friends who ride). Much of my research indicated that I could start up to 800cc for a motorcycle.
*Note: in Europe, cc stands for something different but it refers to the same thing.
The fit:
You need to feel comfortable on the bike you choose. How you sit on it, whether your feet can easily rest on the foot pedals, whether your arms are comfortably bent, and whether your feet can easily hold up the bike in balance (will your feet touch the ground when you are stopped?).
Some things can be readjusted (handlebars, seats, clutch and brake lever positions, etc.). And you should feel comfortable sitting on the motorcycle.
I ultimately decided on a Triumph Speed Twin 900 with 900ccs. It has a lower seating and I felt very comfortable on it during the showroom visit to the dealership. I had second guessed the decision to get the Triumph thinking it might be too much power when I was just starting out, but I am glad I got the one I wanted to ride. And, financially, it made sense for me to get the bigger bike to start rather than getting a smaller bike to learn on and wanting the bigger one shortly after.
Where should I go to buy a motorcycle?
Once you have decided what kind of riding you want to do and therefore what kind of bike you’d want to get, you can start looking around. There are places like Cycle Trader where you can buy used motorcycles directly from the owners and sometimes dealerships. There are brand dealerships, and then motorcycle dealerships with multiple brands. Whether you buy new or used is up to you.
Jason bought his first motorcycle directly from the owner. It was a 2011 Ducati Monster 796 and had just over 3000 miles on it. Although it was a fantastic motorcycle with great engineering and was simply beautiful, in hindsight it probably wasn’t the best choice for a first-time rider. Ultimately, he was able to ride it comfortably and relatively unscathed. We sold it a few years later for close to the same price that we bought it.
But looking back Jason probably got lucky and we learned a lot from that experience. When the time came to get my bike, I bought the Triumph new from a dealership’s showroom floor, and Jason bought his Indian new from a dealership that uncrated it and built it for him. I’m not suggesting that buying a pre-owned motorcycle is a bad decision, it’s just that there are many options.
If you decide to buy from a dealership, you should find out whether they offer test rides. Some do, depending on where they are located. You should call in advance, though, as they often require notice. They will also require you to have your motorcycle license already, and bring the appropriate equipment for your state’s laws (generally long pants, boots, gloves, long sleeves/jacket, and helmet). Our state requires a helmet with a face covering of the eyes (glasses, goggles, or a visor).
Oftentimes motorcycle dealerships will host a “test ride” day where they will give customers the opportunity to try out their new debuting models. These are great chances to go and talk to subject matter experts and get their insights on what might be a good fit for you and your style of riding. Just keep in mind that they are there to sell you a motorcycle.
When I got the Triumph, the dealership did not offer test rides. I would not have felt comfortable test riding it anyway, but I did have Jason with me who already had his license and training if it had been an option. Additionally, he was there to ride it when we got it home which was a comfort for helping me get acclimated with the bike.
Also consider, you will need to have proof of insurance for the motorcycle to purchase from a dealership. I worked through the Progressive insurance to sign up while we were waiting for financing approval and was able to email the sales person with the insurance card right from my phone.
It is important to figure out who you want as your insurance provider ahead of time. You can find out if your auto insurance provider offers motorcycle insurance too, but not all do. You will need the VIN of the motorcycle added to the policy in order to bring it home, so you’ll have to finalize when you have that information.
How do I get my motorcycle home?
If you don’t have your license yet and/or are not comfortable with your skill set to get the bike home, you have a few options.
If you are buying from an owner, you should be able to work out whether they can bring the bike to you (generally if you KNOW you are buying it). When Jason first bought his Ducati, the owner rode it to our house. Jason hadn’t taken the class nor had his license yet.
If they are unable to ride it to you, maybe you can find a more experienced friend who can come with you to ride it back. Or you can rent/borrow/or pay for a trailer service. Make sure to bring the proper lashings to tie down the bike on the drive.
If you are buying from a dealership, there are third party trailer transportation services they can refer you to. Both dealerships we bought bikes from had cards for such businesses that we worked with. This is a separate charge to the other company, so if you are financing your motorcycle, make sure you are prepared for a $250-$400 extra charge for the transportation.
Now what do I do?
Now that you have a bike, you need to start riding. Use the progression method to build up your skills. My recommendation is to start in a parking lot or your neighborhood getting the feel of starting, changing gears (up to second), stopping, etc. In a later post, I’ll tell you about the progression method I used (ahem… am still using).
If you bought a new bike, be sure to follow your owner’s manual on how to “break it in” for the first 500-600 miles. The break in is generally instructions for slower speeds for a bit, not going “full throttle” in any gear, easing in the brakes… coincidentally, all things you should be doing when you’re learning anyway.
Just don’t let it sit (and if you can’t cover it in a garage, make sure you buy an outdoor cover to keep it protected from the elements while it is not in use).
Tell me in the comments what you decided to get! And have fun!
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