Find the Right Fit

Shopping for a first motorcycle is kind of like shopping for clothes.  You need to find that outfit that makes you say "Oooooh"-- the colors have to call to you, it needs to be appropriate for the occasion and it needs to fit just right.  The challenge with shopping for a motorcycle is that you can't "try it on" by test riding it.  They'll let you sit on it but that's about it.  So then you have to rely on what you read about it or what others tell you (and many times this information is very subjective).  If you needed to, you could make some adjustments to the handle bars, seat and foot pegs but that's after buying it as is.  So making these changes would be an additional cost to what you've already spent for the moto.

Here are my top tips for finding the right first motorcycle for you:

Style: You need to think about what kind of riding you'll do.  Doing this will help you narrow your choices down to a specific type of bike.  Ask yourself, "Will I be using this bike for commuting, on long road trips or just for fun on the weekends?  There are so many choices: cruisers, adventure tourers, dual sports, dirt bikes, cafe, crotch rockets, nakeds and scooters.  (I'll talk about the differences between these motorcycles in my next post.)

Size:  Size does matter.  Most new riders feel more comfortable being able to have their feet touch the ground when they are at a full stop.  I once had a KTM 400EXC dual sport that was too tall for me that I barely was able to stand with the tips of my toes barely touching the ground.  It wasn't much of a problem for me when I was moving but before I came to a stop I had to be conscious about where I was because if I stopped on an incline I'd probably fall.  And yes, because of this I dropped it a few times.

Power:  As a new motorcycle rider you probably should stick to a lower displacement motorcycle.  The reality is that you probably don't need anything higher than a 600cc bike if you're just starting out.  You'd get yourself more into trouble having more power than you can handle.  Let's be real, guys just want to be able to say they have a liter (1000cc) bike just like Girls like to say they wear a size 2.  Don't pay for the extra cc's until you're ready to use them wisely-- like on a race track.

Cost:  It's always exciting getting something new and it's so tempting to buy one of those shiny motos you see in the showroom but the reality is as a new rider you'll drop your bike as least once and more than likely it won't be your first motorcycle.  So why not buy a used one until you've gained some seat time and know exactly what you want?  My first street bike was a Ninja 300.  I bought it brand new.  I thought it was so sleek looking in all black and thought I'd have it for a while.  I loved it... until I rode it long distance.  The seating posture just wasn't comfortable enough for long rides.  I eventually sold it practically brand new and bought an adventure tour bike with an upright position.

The best thing to do is try to get on as many motorcycles as possible before you commit to buying your own bike.  Hopefully you have some nice friends that will let you try their bikes.  Or you can search places that rent out motorcycles and sometimes vendors have test ride days.

Have fun finding the right fit!