Choosing your First Motorcycle

Once you’ve completed your training and gotten your license you will no doubt be looking to purchase a motorbike for yourself. So what to look for when getting that first motorbike?

You’re a new driver

Probably the biggest element that is going to factor into your purchasing choices is that you’re a fresh motorbike rider on the roads. You may have gotten your license with flying colours but you’re still going to be lacking in experience. To this end you’ll find that insurance costs for a new motorcyclist are going to be pretty high, especially for larger more powerful bikes such as sports bikes. In fact some insurers won’t insure a sports bike for new riders.

Even if insurance premiums weren’t a factor the lack of experience on a powerful sports bike should be a turn off anyway. They’re a thrilling way to get around, but for a fresh rider they can be dangerous too when not used to handling that amount of power. Starting with a low to medium powered bike will be a much better experience and there will still be powerful bikes to purchase when you’re feeling more confident in your experience levels.

What are your needs?

If you’re going to be travelling long distances then a tourer would be a good bike, they’re large so make sure you’ve got somewhere to park them, but with the size comes a comfortable ride, large fuel tanks and storage. However if you’re looking to be taking an inter-city commute, be it to work or university, then a scooter or moped can be a much better choice. They are usually much cheaper to run as they can be very fuel efficient, and much better suited to slow moving traffic of a city commute where having 2000cc engine won’t go to much use.

What is your budget?

Once you know your needs and options you’ll be now scouring sites and magazines for that perfect bike. This is where budget comes in to play. Depending on the type of bike and your budget you might be limited to used bikes, but in some types of bikes the cost difference between the two might not matter much. This can especially apply if an initially cheap used motorbike requires a lot of new parts and maintenance. These days you can usually check online forums to find existing motorbike owners to discover potential running problems before your purchase.