Find the right Motorcycle; tips and types

There are two kinds of would-be motorcyclists:
First, those who know exactly what motorcycle they want to buy and then those who are so confused by the wide range of options that they have no idea how to choose their first motorcycle to buy

First Things First 

Anyone you know or meet someone who already is a rider, will be more than happy to give “advice.” A proud BMW owner will emphasize on how all magazines have named BMW R 1200 GS as the best motorcycle of the year, while some would woe you with how girls love Ducati. You will also find another guy mentioning, “Italian stuff is overpriced junk, don’t go for it. You should buy a Japanese instead.” Another popular suggestion will be based upon what is the right riding position as per your built.
Such varied suggestions confuse you all the more between the list of motorcycle brands available in the market.

You see, the thing is, we motorcyclists simply love our machine, and too often we have experienced riders rush to tell you what they love, instead of understanding your needs as a new rider and suggesting what’s best for you. If you ask an experienced rider what you should choose as your first motorcycle to buy, here’s what you should be asked in return: “How are you going to use it?” As in ask yourself, are you going to ride it for your daily office commuting? Or you going to spend your Sunday mornings with your biker friends?

Are you fast enough to chase those 200HP engines or you just want to feel the sun basking through your visor while you cruise down the long stretch highway? So, asking yourself “What kind of riding do I want to do” is the first and foremost thing to ponder upon. It is quite probable that you might get it wrong, at the navy stage. As a non-rider, with only a limited perspective on riding, you may think that solo is what will excite you but may be 6 months down the riding crusade, you might discover riding with your friends is the thing. It could go anyway. So what you once thought is your inspiration to ride might change once you’ve got some miles under your tires. Its Ok. You need to begin somewhere and once you have narrowed your choices, it’s time for the next task.

Narrow the list

You are fortunate enough to start motorcycling at this time, reason being there is a plethora of globally renowned manufacturers who are designing models to fit whatever kind of riding one desires to do.

The wide range of motorcycles and ever-shifting technology can be a little confusing when you’re starting. It is essential to narrow down your choices based upon certain parameters. The selection should be more suitable for a new rider (like you)

It can be based upon, motorcycle weight, modest power, neutral handling characteristics and ability to touch ground with both feet. All of the elements mentioned do matter a lot. While the category boundaries keep shifting, here are the main kinds of motorcycles and their positives and negatives for new riders, which might help you pick the right one.

Cruisers:

A cruiser is a Motorcycle in the style of American machines from the 1930s to the early 1960s, including those made by Harley-Davidson, Indian Motorcycles and few others in the game.

The feet forward and the hands up, with the spine erect or leaning back slightly is the right riding position in cruisers. Cruiser engines emphasize easy ride ability with plenty of low-end torque but not necessarily large amounts of horsepower.

Good Element:
 - Low seat height which gets your feet on the ground
 - Engines are tuned for low-speed & Maximum amount of torque, making cruisers easier to ride.

  Not So Good Element:
 - Some cruisers have more extreme ergonomics that makes the handling of the motorcycle awkward.

Sport bikes
Sports Bikes are basically replicas of race bikes, built to experience speed and is for aggressive riders.

Good element:
 - Most of the models in this segment are light weight.

Not So Good Element:
 - High power from the 600 cc and 1,000 cc models
 - Aggressive in nature
 - Tall seat height
 - Race focused ergonomics
 - Expensive fairings and can be easily damaged in a tip-over

If this is what you are eyeing upon as the first motorcycle to buy, you can start with the sport bike look machine in a whole range of small 300 cc category that are easier for a new rider to handle.

Street or naked bikes:
These are the motorcycles with a very neutral and right riding position absolutely NO fairings to damage.

Good element:

 - Comfortable for both city and long riding
 - Often sporty but not aggressive as race replicas
 - Less plastic to damage in a tip-over

Not So Good Element:

 - Bigger models/variants can be as powerful as the sports bikes they’re related to and too much for a new rider
 - No wind or weather protection, unless you add it.

Adventure-tourers and smaller dual-sports:

Made for road and no-road conditions, with the main distinction being that adventure-touring motorcycles are bigger in terms of ergonomics and capable of longer trips because of longer suspension travel and larger fuel tanks. On the other hand, dual-sport bikes tend to be closer to light dirt bikes that are street-legal. The right riding position can vary from rider to rider for such motorcycles.

Good element:

 - Comfortable, natural ergonomics can cover as many miles as you want without giving you any major inconvenience while riding and comes equipped with immense amount of electronics  

Not So Good Element:

 - Taller seat height not suitable for every rider
 - larger adventure-tourers are heavy and expensive.

If you are tall enough, a small dual-sport can be a great first motorcycle to buy that’s cheap to get, cheap to operate, almost indestructible and is able to go just anywhere.

As they say, a little help can support bigger decisions and we hope you make a wiser one too. After all, first will always remain first.