Just know that your first motorcycle probably won’t be your last, probably not even close to it… Too many choices can be a bad thing if it leads to paralyzation by indecision, but the fact that we live in a Costco-sized candy store of great motorcycles is a fantastic thing once you learn the aisles.
Really, the kind of bike(s) you need is dictated by where you live and where you’re planning to ride. What follows is a quick definition of the popular types of motorcycles currently available. Some are perfect for new riders or commuters—some are not. In either case, this should give some basic knowledge on what is what.
Armed with that knowledge go meander about the TWIST Buyers Guide where the experts from Cycle World have gathered our pics for perfect first time and commuter friendly steeds.
Scooters
Ranging in size from 50cc all the way up to the Suzuki Burgman 650, scooters are wildly practical and an excellent way to get your sea legs since nearly all of them use fully automatic transmissions; you just twist the throttle and go.
Standard or Naked
Standard as in basic, Naked as in not much plastic bodywork or none at all. On these bikes, you sit upright and hold onto a wide handlebar. Favorites include the Kawasaki Versys 650, Buell Lightning CityX and Triumph Street Triple.
Cruiser
Cruisers have for years been the biggest sellers in the U.S. , maybe because they have that classic, low-seat, feet-forward style. The Harley-Davidson is the quintessential cruiser, with every other manufacturer doing its best to get its straw into that V-twin powered milkshake.
Sportbike
Your GSX-Rs. Your Ninjas. Your crotch rockets. Ranging in engine size from the sweet little Ninja 250 to powerful beasts like the 1340cc Suzuki Hayabusa, these fully-faired bikes are all about speed and performance. Some (like the 250 Ninja) are good for beginners, most are not.
Touring Bike
Well, you can tour on any bike, but as a category we’re talking about big bikes built with traveling in mind—with windshields, luggage, sound systems and cruise control: the Honda Gold Wing, Harley-Davidson’s iconic Electra Glides, many BMWs, the Victory Vision, etc.
Dual-Purpose
D-P bikes are for use on and off pavement—the SUVs of the motorcycle world—and many of them are great for beginners. Check out the Suzuki DR-Z400S, or the venerable Honda XR650L if you’re long-legged. And if you’re deep-pocketed, the new BMW F800GS is highly covetable.
Supermoto
A sporty hybrid of dual-purpose bikes riding on fat sportbike tires, these tres chic machines have only been recently embraced by the manufacturers. The new Kawasaki KLX250S and Yamaha WR250X are both great beginner bikes, the Suzuki DRZ400SM has been out a few years. Good choices for taller riders.
Dirtbike
Like the name implies, these are for off-road use only, lacking street equipment such as lights and mirrors. Some are fire-breathing beasts built for competition and best left to the experts. Many others are great training machines, like the Yamaha TT-Rs and Honda CRFs.
Check out the Cycle World TWIST Buyers Guide for a selection of beginner and commuter friendly machines across almost all categories of motorcycling.
New or Used?
Totally depends on your financial situation. If you can afford new, why not? Just bust open the wallet and be part of the ownership society. Otherwise, you’re looking at financing through your dealer, bank or credit union. In spite of the "credit crisis" or maybe because of it, many manufacturers are offering some pretty sweet financing deals to those with good credit. Pick a bike you’ll be happy with for awhile, because when you buy new, you’ll probably be underwater for quite some time—yet another reason to start out used.
If you choose to finance, that means you’ll also be needing full coverage insurance, and the insurance is often the deal breaker for new riders. Insurance varies greatly, of course, according to your age and the type of bike you’re after. Your friendly local dealer is no doubt well-versed in where to find the best insurance deals and which bikes are easier to insure. (Taking a course like the MSF’s New Rider will lower your rates.)
For most beginners, there are a lot of advantages to starting out on something Previously Owned. For one thing when you buy the bike outright, you only need liability insurance—way less expensive (your state may vary).
Find Your Bike
We won’t bore you with what it was like in the old days when all we had were cryptic ads in newspapers, listing phone numbers to homes without answering machines. Now you’ve got Craigslist.com, CycleTrader.com, eBay and all the others, couldn’t be much easier could it?
What may be harder to find than the bike you want is an experienced motorcyclist to go with you to inspect it, but it’s the surest way to avoid a bad deal. If you’re female, five minutes hanging around your typical dealer asking questions should find you a few eager volunteer inspectors; motorcyclists do tend to be altruistic when it comes to getting more women on the road. If you’re male, offering to buy lunch or a six-pack is a small price to pay if it keeps you from buying a lemon.
When you find a bike you’re interested in, the Internet is your friend again. There are forums for every motorcycle ever made—such as www.kawiforums.com (all about Kawasakis), or www.thumpertalk.com (single-cylinder bikes are called Thumpers)—and they’ll tell you more than you want to know about any motorcycle. Again, your local dealers are an excellent asset whether you buy from them or not; the service manager will be nice to you because he wants your business no matter where your bike came from. If you’re looking at a Honda, pick up the phone to your Honda dealer, ask for the service department, and ask the manager about the model in question. The boys in the back room tend to be straight shooters.
