Advice on buying a Motorcycle

Hi Guys,

Are there any serious motorcyclists on this forum? If so I would like some advice on buying a used/new one. I am seriously considering buying one, and yes I admit I am very infatuated with the biker culture. I am looking into buying a Harley, Triumph or Honda. I really like "crotch rockets", but it's just not my thing right now.

Please keep in mind I know little to nothing about motorcycles, I just like the way they look, sound, and of course... how fast they go. I prefer to buy used for now (things are too expensive nowadays), but I am open to buying a new one as well. I am doing some research online myself, but any advice from an experienced biker would be appreciated!

Thanks,

Dudemar

dudemar said:

Hi Guys,

Are there any serious motorcyclists on this forum? If so I would like some advice on buying a used/new one. I am seriously considering buying one, and yes I admit I am very infatuated with the biker culture. I am looking into buying a Harley, Triumph or Honda, all preferably in the "chopper" style. I really like "crotch rockets" too, but it's not what I'm looking for right now.

Please keep in mind I know little to nothing about motorcycles, I just like the way they look, sound, and of course... how fast they go. I prefer to buy used for now (things are too expensive nowadays), but I am open to buying a new one as well. I am doing some research online myself, but any advice from an experienced biker would be appreciated!

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Personally, I'd never buy a Harley as the engine design hasn't improved since about 1880. Overpriced agricultural antiques comes close to what I feel about heavy, slow, nasty antiques that couldn't pull the skin off custard.

Nor do they go round corners without extensive modification.

If you plan to use it as sole transport as opposed to a toy, learn (or relearn) on something with stable handling and low power and forget everything over 70bhp till you find out if you are going to kill yourself.

Forget the silly powerful stuff. I used to drive everywhere at speeds in excess of 100mph (on a good day speeds in excess of 130mph) when I was driving 1200 miles a week on very bad (and narrow) roads. These days I'd die of that. Lucky I didn't die then.

Learn about road surfaces. And which ones are going to cause trouble. While even a 50hp bike will outaccelerate just about everything on 4 wheels, it will NOT outbrake them. Learn this, engrave it on your eyeballs.

Or die.

Learn that every other road user is out to kill you. If you don't remember this, they will.

Too many friends have died...

Thanks for the advice dulridge, a bit morbid, but sobering and very true nonetheless. Obviously wet/slick road surfaces should be avoided, as well as gravel/dirt (unless of course you're riding a dirt bike). Any other surfaces/roads to keep in mind?

I noticed you're from Scotland, what do you think about Triumphs? Overpriced antiques or high quality bike?

Dudemar

If you are serious about staying alive on the road take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation rider education course.I have over 350k miles under my heels and I still take the refresher course every few years. My current ride has 214k miles on the clock.Its one of those" Overpriced agricultural antiques..." that were mentioned. It goes around corners just fine and has never left me sitting on the side of the road.Riding is a blast hopefully I will be around for another 25 years to enjoy it.If you want a Harley they do take a little attention but no more so than any other mechanical device.Get to now your ride tinker with it learn it.
any day on two wheels beats a day in a cage
C

Love them. Just think that just about every motorcycle on sale here is grossly overpowered for safe use in a VERY crowded country. I've had a lot of fun with 170bhp devices but it isn't even close to safe. Nor is it a good way to be allowed to continue driving.

These days I rarely exceed the speed limit. (Well, by very much) Twenty years ago I used to commute 110 miles a day on very twisty roads - in winter. From a house with no electricity. At flat-out speeds. On a motorcycle...

Which I still own.

I no longer have the reaction speed to drive crazy fast and find it too tiring to do anyway even if it weren't for the speed cameras everywhere in the UK. Get caught at over 100mph and you have just lost your driving licence and will need to resit the driving test. Ours is very hard to pass while quite basic.

Get caught at 150mph and you are going to prison. And being banned from driving for 5 years. Plus finding it just about impossible to get (compulsory) insurance.

So just about anything over 500cc has no point for me. I'm 47 and no longer have any plans to win Grands Prix. And in the UK, speeding these days is somewhat impractical.

These days my daily transport is a 15 year old Saab - still have the Honda 550 in the shed and still tinker with it, but rarely put it on the road.

You may not get a chance to test drive a new bike as many dealers store the bikes "dry" i.e. no gas, oil, fluids, in the store. Many also won't allow a novice rider out.

You should sit on it at least and consider leg posture, how the "reach" feels for you to hold the handlebars. If you have to reach to far that means you won't be able to shift your position and long rides my be uncomfortable.

Google is your friend. You find many tips.guides there. Here's one for starters that I found to be pretty good: http://www.epinions.com/auto-review-1D19-13948142-3999910E-prod1

Much depends on what you're buying the bike for: pleasure, commuting, long trips, weekend cruises, etc.

Christoph said:

If you are serious about staying alive on the road take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation rider education course.I have over 350k miles under my heels and I still take the refresher course every few years. My current ride has 214k miles on the clock.Its one of those" Overpriced agricultural antiques..." that were mentioned. It goes around corners just fine and has never left me sitting on the side of the road.Riding is a blast hopefully I will be around for another 25 years to enjoy it.If you want a Harley they do take a little attention but no more so than any other mechanical device.Get to now your ride tinker with it learn it.
any day on two wheels beats a day in a cage
C

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Are they as grossly overpriced in their home country as they are here?

The brother of a friend spent about $15,000 on his one. Me, I'd have returned it as it wasn't safe when he got it. Not to mention grossly screwed up carburation. The rear cylinder was getting so hot it melted its exhaust valve. On a brand-new bike.

I had to remind the retailer of the Sale of Goods Act. And how they were going to sort it at no charge - or go to court where they were going to have to pay a great deal of money and fix it at no charge.

I still stick to grossly overpriced agricultural antiques with abysmal quality control.

My advise would be to take a motorcycle safety class. It is a cheap way to get on a bike and get your license. Not to mention the fact it lowers insurance premiums and reduces your chances of being in an accident. After the class you will know more about what you want.. Just being in the saddle will help out a lot.

I've been riding all my life. I've had about every kind of motorcycle you can think of, Honda, Suzuki, Triumph, BSA, etc. I think my favorite was a Yamaha Virago that I tricked out. I prefer cruisers to crotch rockets. I never was much interested in Harley. But the new Harleys are great bikes and they are no more expensive than your typical japanese bike.

You need to go to a dealer, sit on the ones that interest you to make sure they "fit you" right and get the one you like the best. If you haven't taken a riders safety course I would suggest you do that.

Have fun and watch out for the people in cars that never watch for you.

Thujone said:

My advise would be to take a motorcycle safety class. It is a cheap way to get on a bike and get your license. Not to mention the fact it lowers insurance premiums and reduces your chances of being in an accident. After the class you will know more about what you want.. Just being in the saddle will help out a lot.

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Good point!

Check out all the options for staying safe. Any training is useful. and try to ride everything you can where it is safe to do so. Experience is the most important thing. It is impossible to learn too much.

Try everything you can - if possible in your traffic conditions.

Take a look at http://www.umgweb.com/ which is full of the insane thrashing machines to death. Wonderful stuff. Sadly Bill Fowler (The guy who founded UMG) is long-gone but much of this is his text.

gorn said:

Have fun and watch out for the people in cars that never watch for you.

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Most important point of all.

I work in a psychiatric hospital. One of the senior psychiatrists accused me of paranoia about other road users

Till I took him round town on the back of my bike....

He now considers me not to be scared enough...

You MUST have a good idea of what other road users are going to do. If you don't, they will get you. This may be different in the US as I believe their drivers are better behaved than the typical UK driver.

My town is particularly bad. I believe there is a local rule that says "Remove brain and lock securely in boot (trunk) before starting the engine." The drivers here are slow, but abnormally aggressive.

Other road users are the real danger once you have learned how to control and steer a bike.

I would also highly recommend the MSF safety course, first.
You'll get great instruction and be able to see, if not try out, other motorcycles that have been brought.
While there, you'll q & a different people and get even more feedback.
Without knowing the type of riding you intend it is pointless to recommend either a brand or style of bike.
Be careful when you ride and keep the rubber side down. :thumbsup:

fnmag said:

Be careful when you ride and keep the rubber side down. :thumbsup:

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Keeping the rubber on the road is always a very good idea

To everyone,

Thanks for all the advice! From what I can gather I shouldn't be too hasty, in my learning and on the road.:twothumbs I will heed the wise advice you all have given me, thank you.

To the folks who recommended the MSF course, do I have to bring my own bike (I don't have one) or will there be one provided for me? Also, any idea for an average cost? I think I'm going to take the course for now and go from there.

Dudemar

dudemar said:

To everyone,

Thanks for all the advice! From what I can gather I shouldn't be too hasty, in my learning and on the road.:twothumbs I will heed the wise advice you all have given me, thank you.

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Hours on the road are what counts. Doesn't matter what you do them on. Just get the hours in. Drive as many machines as you can. Find out what suits you, It really does not matter what suits anyone else - it is you who is driving it.

I loathe Harleys, you may not, get what suits you. But try everything you can first.

But get the miles in on whatever you can. Then buy what suits you. If primordial antiques suit you, then buy one. I do not have a problem with other people's preferences being different from mine. Most people's do...

But I'd spend the money on a Kawasaki before I spent it on a Triumph - whose designs seem to be suspiciously similar to Kawasaki ones.

But buy what works for you - nobody else can say what will work for you...

What is most important is be safe. Get all the training you can, then get what suits you. What works for me on very busy and twisty roads may well not be what works for you. Buy what is going to make you happy, not what will make me happy.

And stay safe....

And enjoy it. If you don't, buy something that will. Or rebuild it till it does..

Half the fun is rebuilding it.

Now tell me that when it is well below zero and you still have to get to work in the morning. Been there, done that. And would do it again if I didn't have to work in a suit.

I have rebuilt engines with only what was on the bike but it is no fun. Especially when it was get it running or be eaten by the local wildlife. Been there, done that too. This is why I am notorious for carrying several times my own weight in tools and spare parts but not even a toothbrush or a spare set of underwear.

YMMV but learn to destroy them then fix them. Lots of fun to be had. My XL185 (More of an XR by the time i was finished with it) Honda survived outrageous abuse in a desert where engine failure meant death. And every one of the 50,000 miles was enormous fun. Preferred the sand to roads as it was way safer. The roads were full of drunk drivers, the sand wasn't.

I have spent many thousands of hours on the road (or sand) on motorcycles - and firmly believe that my choices of machine are almost never what suits anyone else.

Get as many miles as possible on as many machines as possible then get what you like. And ignore what anyone else says...

Be safe and enjoy....

dudemar said:

To everyone,

Thanks for all the advice! From what I can gather I shouldn't be too hasty, in my learning and on the road.:twothumbs I will heed the wise advice you all have given me, thank you.

To the folks who recommended the MSF course, do I have to bring my own bike (I don't have one) or will there be one provided for me? Also, any idea for an average cost? I think I'm going to take the course for now and go from there.

Dudemar

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Generally for the basic MSF course, they provide the bike and the helmet. In the US insurance generally limits the machines to 350cc, which is more than adequate for learning.

I'd second steering clear of the high power machines initially. I've owned a couple of motorcycles. A Yamaha YZF600 AKA "Thundercat". just under 100hp, just over 400 pounds.

As crotch rockets go it wasn't all that powerful, but was still quite capable of leaving without you, and reaching 120+mph without batting an eyebrow. The Crotch rockets generally are not all that comfortable for long haul rides, you tend to be folded a little like a pretzel!! What you do tend to get on the high power machines is incredible brakes and handling, that as a beginner, can easily exceed your ability to manage.

The other was a Honda ST1300 (16v,V4,fuel injected, shaft drive), very comfortable, and no slouch on the performance side, also quite capable of passing 120mph without batting an eyebrow.

Machines like the Honda Nighthawks are near bullet proof, and no where near as highly strung as the sports bikes. They are simple, reliable, and relative inexpensive to buy and own. If you decide you want more, you can always sell it, and buy something more in line with your desires

+1 for the MSF course.

Motorcycle Safety Site - this site has a ton of great advice. Some of it might be common sense, and some of it certainly isn't.

Don't forget about getting some decent safety gear - helmet, gloves, jacket, pants, and boots.

http://www.kawasaki.com/Products/Detail.aspx?id=265

Fabulous little machine. More than enough HP (52 at the rear wheel) to get you in serious trouble, run in the 13s at the drag strip, corner quite well, stop decently, (far quicker and straighter than the "Ag Implements" whether from Milwaukee or the Land of the Rising Sun) great price, reliable as sunrise and not a serious, bent over "Crotch Rocket". It does put you in position to do some serious riding, but upright enough to take the load off the arms and put it on the legs where it belongs. That was my reintroduction about 5 years ago after 20 years off.

Now, Monster S2R800 and T100. The Ducati is my absolute dream, although next year it may become an S2R1000 Monster 1000. And the Triumph is bringing back my youth and is an excellent bike. Faster, better handling, more comfortable, stops better and takes less maintenance than my 1965 Bonnie, but it sure feels like home sitting on it. And riding it.

The entire Triumph line is a quality product. They are really turning out some great sporting rides and tourers. Check them out. But I still prefer "Little Red".. Something indefinable about the "Wopcycles", and I can call them that because I am the proud rider of one.

mattheww50 said:

Generally for the basic MSF course, they provide the bike and the helmet. In the US insurance generally limits the machines to 350cc, which is more than adequate for learning.

I'd second steering clear of the high power machines initially. I've owned a couple of motorcycles. A Yamaha YZF600 AKA "Thundercat". just under 100hp, just over 400 pounds.

As crotch rockets go it wasn't all that powerful, but was still quite capable of leaving without you, and reaching 120+mph without batting an eyebrow. The Crotch rockets generally are not all that comfortable for long haul rides, you tend to be folded a little like a pretzel!! What you do tend to get on the high power machines is incredible brakes and handling, that as a beginner, can easily exceed your ability to manage.

The other was a Honda ST1300 (16v,V4,fuel injected, shaft drive), very comfortable, and no slouch on the performance side, also quite capable of passing 120mph without batting an eyebrow.

Machines like the Honda Nighthawks are near bullet proof, and no where near as highly strung as the sports bikes. They are simple, reliable, and relative inexpensive to buy and own. If you decide you want more, you can always sell it, and buy something more in line with your desires

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I agree with not buying an overpowered machine to begin with, my friend did that and he wrecked his. Total loss.

I'm looking at the Nighthawk you mentioned and am already in love with it, lol.:naughty: I wouldn't mind giving a ride to a few ladies from class with that!:kiss: All jokes aside, it is a nice bike. I'm looking at CL for one as we speak.

I know this may sound a bit obvious or redundant, but what are the possibilities of my bike being stolen? I work at a school, and the only parking available is on a seedy street in a shady neighborhood (we're talking East Oakland here). I'm sure anyone in their right mind wouldn't do it, but I can already imagine someone hauling it in the back of a pickup and driving away with it. Again I'm new to motorcycles, so I really don't know how often this happens.

Dudemar

Glasstream15 said:

http://www.kawasaki.com/Products/Detail.aspx?id=265

Fabulous little machine. More than enough HP (52 at the rear wheel) to get you in serious trouble, run in the 13s at the drag strip, corner quite well, stop decently, (far quicker and straighter than the "Ag Implements" whether from Milwaukee or the Land of the Rising Sun) great price, reliable as sunrise and not a serious, bent over "Crotch Rocket". It does put you in position to do some serious riding, but upright enough to take the load off the arms and put it on the legs where it belongs.

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I'll second that recommendation! I learned on a Ninja 250, and I have now done three 1000+ mile tours of Florida (from Sanford down to Key West and back) on my Ninja 500. The fastest I've gotten it up to is around 125mph indicated, but I only did that once or twice... They get great gas mileage, insurance is nice and low, they're usually available used, they handle nicely, and they are a sight safer than the "Ag Implements" simply by virtue of their weight, handling, braking, etc. I'd say it's a pretty good starter bike - both the 500 and 250. In fact, the "old" body style 250s should be coming down in price on the used market because the sexy new ones have come out. Lots too choose from!