Description
This article is from the Beginner
Motorcycle Info FAQ, by rn@bell-labs.com (Ravi Narayan) with
numerous contributions by others.
0. The Bike!
one of the questions that is posed by almost each person new to
motorcycling and rec.moto is: What bike should i buy?. there is no one
answer to this question and if you have to ask us what you want to buy,
maybe you haven't understood motorcycling yet! however, if this is the
first time you are going to ride a motorcycle, a goldwing or a ninja
zx-11 may not be the right bike for you. believe us, when we tell you
that there is enough time left in your life for you to get 10 dream bikes.
as a beginner you have to bear in mind that you are more liable to drop
your bike, and more liable to drop it on yourself! keep the costs of the
bike down, buy used, buy a rat bike, something without too much plastic.
go for something light and easy to handle, with not too much power. an
ideal beginner's bike would be in the range of 250-600cc, and you should
be able to get a used bike in this range, in most parts, for about
$1000-$2000.
despite the amazing performance of the latest fgxsrz as reported in the
media, it may not be the right bike for you due to various reasons such
as comfort (handlebar reach, footpeg height, inclination and width of the
seat, airflow), power, weight and a few hundred other features that are
individual to you and cannot be gauged by the media reviewers. remember
that the 0.2 second difference in the 1/4 mile has no significance on the
road. read the reviews, but select a motorcycle based on how well it suites
your needs, and how comfortable it feels. motorcycling involves a great
level of interaction between the rider and the motorcycle and seemingly
minor details (at the time of purchase) lacking/present in the bike, assume
major significance after 100 miles on the road.
- ravi
......................... Lisa Delorme's article ...........................
You must understand that I wrote this document with two particular
people in mind. They are the kind of people who on more than one
occasion have said "What do I need to take a class for? Here's the brake,
here's the gas, what more do you need to Know? and they
actually meant it! Thus, my main concern here was to nip any
squidly tendencies in the bud. That should explain the real heavy handed
tone that I take here. So, I will tell them how not to be
a squid and Conrad can tell them what they really need to know.
-----8<-----8<-----8<-----8<-- cut here --8<-----8<-----8<-----8<-----8<---
This document is long and wordy, sorry about that. Everything here
is at a very basic level and I tried to only cover the immediately
necessary things. Sorry if I insult anyone's intelligence but I
didn't want to assume anything. At the end are phone numbers of
several cheap sources for buying all the things recommended here.
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