Choosing the right Motorcycle

So you've decided to buy a motorcycle and hit the open road. Before you do, you should consider the number of different bike options out there.

Motorcycles come in all shapes and sizes and offer different advantages or disadvantages based on things like how, when, and why you want to ride and your level of experience.

Before you buy: Experience Level

Your experience level is one of the biggest factors to have in mind when determining which type of bike you should purchase. More experienced riders may feel comfortable on a broader range of motorcycles or have developed a particular preference over time.

If you're new to riding, however, you may want to stick to a bike that is or has:

Lighter weight - This will help make steering, balancing, accelerating, and braking easier during your learning curve.
Lower seat height - This will let you plant both feet on the ground when stopping, which may be more reassuring for novice riders.
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) - This feature will make it easier to stop more quickly and safely.
Cheaper - You're much more likely to drop the bike in the beginning phases of riding.
“Non-Specialized" - Instead of picking the fastest sports bike or the biggest cruiser, choose something that does everything well to start out.
Less intimidating - No one, riding in fear or under the intimidation of power and weight, is able to learn anything positive.

It's also a good idea to always ride within your skill level, rather than trying to compete with more experienced motorcyclists. Pick a bike that will allow you to best do that.

Types of Motorcycles

While there is no universal agreement on how many types of motorcycles there are—or which factors should be used to differentiate the bikes, some more than others feature a vast spread of engine capacities within some of these categories, choosing to exclude trikes for now:

Cruiser
Scooter
Sport
Touring
Standard
Dual-Purpose
Adventure

Finding the “right" motorcycle means finding the right motorcycle for you, so make sure to consider the unique features of each option before deciding which bike to buy.

Street Bikes

When it comes to “street" bikes, it's all in the name. These motorcycles were designed specifically to be ridden on a street; more specifically, a paved road.

While there are a variety of body types in this umbrella category, street bikes typically have:

Road tyres
Mirrors
Head- and Tail lights
Indicators

Choosing your Perfect Bike

Once you've made the decision to purchase a motorcycle, you can apply the above criteria to make sure you walk away with the bike of your dreams.

To review in short:

Assess and be honest with yourself about your experience level
From there, think about the reasons why you're buying a motorcycle
Take into account the types of roads and terrain on which you'll use the bike
As always, make sure it's within your budget!