What Kind of Bike Should I Buy? Buying Used Is the Ticket For A First Bike
Are you trying to buy a motorcycle for under $3,000?
You’re going to have an easy time of it if you buy used and no shot if want something useful new.
Motorcycles come in many different varieties, from the transmission to the size of the cylinders, to the style and model of the motorcycle in question. Motorcycles are certainly an adventure waiting to happen; the question is, are you ready for it?
An online search will yield you many choices to many different style motorcycles to choose from, and taking a look in the community newspaper can sometimes give you a nice surprise as well. The best way to choose a bike is to look as several different factors.
First of all, you should look at the over-all condition of the bike. Are there any rough or rust spots that you can see. Surface rust is something that you may see over time, but you need to make sure just how much rust there is. If the bike was well kept, there should be very little if any rust.
Secondly, you should look at the mileage. Mileage can be tell you a lot about a bike, and high mileage, like a car, is something you should try to avoid, regardless of how pretty it is. High mileage is a clear indicator that the bike may have some mechanical problems; but over all high mileage means that there’s a higher chance of blowing the motor, and that is definitely something that you will want to avoid while cruising down the road.
The best advice that you can receive as far as buying a used bike is to simply ask the owner why they’re selling it. Depending on the answer you receive, it shouldn’t take you too much to make up your own mind of whether you want to buy the bike or not.
If you’re looking to buy a newer bike, then your selection is going to narrow down quite a bit. As it happens, $5000 is very near the price that you’re going to be paying for the cheapest bikes on the market. Most of these bikes don’t range over motors with a size over 450 cc’s, and if you’re a new rider, having a smaller engined bike is highly recommended.
Once you believe that you’ve found the bike for you, be sure to take the bike on a practice run. Make sure that the bike feels right to you while you’re driving it. If you’re not comfortable with it, don’t buy it. The last thing that you need to be driving a vehicle that you can’t control.
That last bit of advice that can be recommended, is to buy a full faced helmet, and be sure to always wear pants and boots or some other type of foot wear that doesn’t happen to be sandals. One of the worst mistakes people make when riding a bike, wearing bad shoes is right up there with crime. Wearing boots it’s the most common sense choices that anyone can make. Don’t be the Sandal Guy.
Other than that, wear the helmet, obey the laws, and enjoy the ride.