Buying Your First Motorcycle? Tips You Should Know

Vroom! Vroom! You’ve been thinking about it for a long time, and now you’re finally going to be buying your first motorcycle. Your heart is racing as you set off on the next great adventure, but wait!

Do you know enough to make the right choice? Are you ready to buy a motorcycle? You bet!

Meet “CC”

CC stands for cubic centimetres. Cubic centimetres are one of the standard ways bike engines size is rated. This measurement is also called engine displacement, and it is one of the general ratings of how powerful an engine is and how fast it will consume fuel.

Engine displacement is the volume of space in the combustion chamber. It’s the amount of fuel gas that explodes each time the cylinder cycles.

As an American, you might not be used to thinking in cubic centimetres. Even Harley-Davidson, the great American bike manufacturer, list their bikes in CCs first on the website, and cubic inches in parenthesis. Don’t you just hate the metric system?

A good rule of thumb is around 900 CCs for a new rider. You want to go fast, but you don’t want to go through a wall. My first motorcycle was a Kawasaki A1 Samurai 250. Man, that was a great bike!

How Many Cylinders

Next up from the volume in the cylinder, is the number of cylinders themselves. Motorbikes generally have only one cylinder, but they can range up to five (three intakes and two exhaust). The number of cylinders doesn’t affect the horsepower directly but improves torque during acceleration.

Harley-Davidsons, and a few BMWs and known but what shape the engine cylinders are. Airhead, panhead, oilhead, and even knucklehead are all types of Harley-Davidsons identified this way.

For beginning riders, a one or two cylinder engine is all you’ll need. Anything more can be hard to handle and ruin the riding experience for an amateur rider.

A single cylinder engine is often called a “thumper”. These cheaper bikes are used for moped engines and small utility bikes everywhere around the world.

Twin cylinder engines are extremely common, and probably best suited for new riders. Names such as “straight twin”, “flat twin”, “v twin” or a “tandem twin” abide.

The Harley-Davidson Sportster, Suzuki SV650, Yamaha V-Star, and the Honda CX500 all use V Twins engines. The angle of the “V” is standardized in most brands, with Harley coming in at 45 degrees, Indian 42, Honda 52, and Ducati puts their V’s at 90 degrees. The angle of the V helps control the lateral shake of the bike, which is one reason Ducati bikes are smoother than a street rumbling Harley-Davidson.

Stay Away from the Euro Trash

You’ve seen the commercials on T.V., from Paris, Rome, and Milan. Men in full leather bike suits hugging curves, their knees mere inches over the ground at 120/kmh. Men want to be them, and women want to be with them.

The reality is that most Ducatis are too much bike for the average new riders. Yes, the entry-level Monster is something you could handle, but unless money is no option you’re going to be sorry. Italian motor-sports replacement parts are notoriously expensive and difficult to acquire.

Getting replacement parts from Italy is a special kind of nightmare. Expect long waits and prices that will make you lose your lunch unless you’re paying with a Black Amex. It’s easier to get replacement parts from an American or a Japanese company.

American bikes are made, well, in America. It’s true that some companies are a little expensive in terms of price vs. quality. There is such a huge aftermarket for American motorcycle parts that you can get just about anything you need, used and cheap if you look.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Repair

“If it flies, floats, or …., rent it.” – Advice from my Grandaddy. He never mentioned bikes. That’s because compared to a boat, or a plane, you can actually fix a motorcycle yourself without any real knowledge if you’re motivated.

Bikes generally fall apart at some point. This is just a rule of nature. If you buy a motorcycle, eventually, you’re going to have to wrench.

In the age of the internet, that’s not so hard. There is user and service repair manuals available online for almost every make and model motorcycle on the market. You can have just about any part FedExed to wherever you are.

The older the bike is, the more work you’re going to be constantly doing to it. Don’t think that you’re going to pick up an antique and ride off into the sunset. It’s going to break, and you’re going to have to fix it.

Do you LOVE fixing things? I do, lots of guys do! If you’ve got the space and the tools, then go for it!

But if you’re not the fixer upper type, then definitely getting a new motorcycle is the way to go. Riding bikes and repairing motorcycles are not the same activity. Some people love both, but a lot of riders can barely change a tire, let alone repair an engine.

So should you buy new or used? If you like fixing motorcycles as a hobby, go for it. Otherwise get a new bike for your first motorcycle to buy. If it breaks, take it in for service!

Used vehicles of every kind lose value as soon as they move off the lot. Motorcycles, especially mid-range ones, generally lose value at a slower rate than do equivalent 4 wheel vehicles. A typical Ford Focus can lose half it’s value in the first year, while a Harley-Davidson Cruise will retain 70% of its resale value through the first 20,000 miles.

Buying Your First Motorcycle, What Type of Bike is Right?

There are so many different styles of bikes; it’s hard to decide what your first new or used bike to buy will be. Here are just a few:

Dirt bikes – Big wheels, knobby tires, and wheel nailed down with a rim lock. Since kids can ride dirt bikes on private property, when you buy your first motorcycle, it’s often a dirt bike.

Scooters and mopeds – Vespas can run around $5k. You can also get yourself a $500 moped from China. Generally, these bikes have very small engines, low seat heights, and usually less than 50CCs. Good for weaving in and out of traffic in third world countries. Lots of places, mopeds and scooters are regulated differently. In Nevada, you don’t need collision insurance coverage to drive a moped on the road under 35 mph. Whereas South Carolina, a drunk driver with a suspended license can still drive a moped on the street [although driving a moped drunk is also a felony!].

Sports Bikes – A sports bike is any bike designed for speed on a paved track. They also have certain qualities that set them apart from other motorcycles. The general trend is for the bike to trade human comforts for engineering, engine size, and high speed.
For instance, sports bikes have very low seating positions with high foot pegs. This forces the rider to “haunch” down onto the bike, making the whole package more aerodynamic. This is great for speed, but it’s not comfortable!

Dual sport – A dual sport bike is a cross between a dirt bike and a street legal touring bike. Duals are in fact street legal but designed to go off-road. They are higher up than other street bikes, have wider tires, but also have all the mirrors and lights you’d expect on a street bike.

Touring – A touring bike is one designed specifically with the open road and long distance riding in mind. Often decked out with creature comforts, a touring bike is usually not what you get into when you buy your first motorcycle. Windshields, radios, luggage containers, some long run touring bikes come with everything but the kitchen sink.

Cruiser – The King of the Road cruiser, made in America and fashioned after the greats like Harley-Davidson and Indian. This is the motorcycle most people think of when you say the word motorcycle. The riding seat has been compared to sitting in the saddle as if the American cowboy jumped right off his horse and onto a motorcycle.

Chopper – This is a custom two-wheeler cruiser that has been “chopped” down. It does not refer to factory production models or motorcycles in general.

Sit your Butt Down

You’re planning on sitting on this machine for hours and hours. Don’t you think you’d better check out the seat height before you buy your first motorcycle? It’s amazing how many first time buyers don’t consider how sitting on the machine makes them feel.

Both feet should reach the ground and fall comfortably flat on the ground. Depending on the handlebar position, you should be able to rotate the steering column back and forth with minimal effort from your sitting position. You should be able to lean forward and backward in the seat while maintaining control of the vehicle.

How Heavy of a Bike?

Heavier bikes are more comfortable to ride on the open road. Lighter bikes are easier to maneuver in quick turns. Depending on how you plan on using your bike, you should consider the weight.

And speaking of weight, you ARE going to lay it down. Everyone does. Experienced riders and new riders, it’s just a fact of life.

When you lay your bike down, not if, but when you do, you’ll have to pick the thing back up! Make sure that you are physically fit enough to handle whatever weight motorcycle you decide to buy.

Get The Right Gear

Choosing your first motorcycle isn’t just about picking the right new or used bike. New riders need the right gear for riding your motorcycle. The motorcycle safety foundation has lots of great advice on how to have safe riding experiences. They also provide rider training.

We always say it’s better to be prepared with the right gear for weather protection. The weather changes quickly and sometimes without mercy. You should always wear an approved riding helmet, and riding gear.

Even if you buy a cheap beginner’s bike, we recommend splurging on proper riding gear. A good helmet, jacket, pants, boots, riding armor and gloves, these could save your life one day.

Buying Your First Motorcycle Jitters

No doubt about it, you’re nervous about buying your first motorcycle. It’s because you don’t quite know yet… am I cool enough? Do I DESERVE this?

Only you can decide that. Will you take your destiny in your hands? When you’re ready, come check out a motorcycle from Westshore Marine and Leisure.