Modern motorcycles have gotten better than ever, and there are also more of them to choose from than ever before. Variety may be the spice of life, but the kind of variety on offer these days can be pretty intimidating, and to the uninitiated, genuinely confusing. This is intentional; manufacturers are in the business of selling as many motorcycles as possible, so it stands to reason that they want to tempt us into buying something we may not need. The bike we actually need may look quite different from the bike we think we want.
Spotting The Difference Between Good Marketing And A Good Motorcycle
KTM/Tschann E.
With so many different motorcycles coming out all the time, the motorcycle industry has become incredibly competitive. Each brand is competing for our attention, and there is always a tendency to overpromise and under-deliver. While this is prevalent in any industry, the consequences of these actions are not quite as dangerous as they are when it comes to motorcycles.
CFMoto
Any motorcycle in the wrong hands is a pretty dangerous vehicle. Suggesting that riders can do certain things on a certain kind of motorcycle seems to have become a default sales pitch these days. While adventure motorcycles are all too often pitched as the “ultimate off-road bike” (spoiler alert: none of them are), it is not the only segment prone to this kind of thing. In the western world, motorcycles are, for the most part, lifestyle accessories. So, it is desperately hard to need something that most people don’t really “need” at all.
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The One Motorcycle We Actually Need Is The Motorcycle We Already Own
Graham Hellewell via Flickr
This might be an unpopular opinion, but the reality of the matter is that if you already own a motorcycle, that is all you really need. You don’t “need” another bike, or a different bike. Any extra resources you potentially have should rather go towards maintenance or your next motorcycle trip. Objectively speaking, this is the single most sustainable choice anyone can make. Electric vehicles are often touted as the more sustainable choice, but that is only when compared to another new vehicle with an internal combustion engine. Holding onto a vehicle that you already own for a little longer, and maximizing the resources already used to produce it, is by far the most eco-friendly option.
Kawasaki
If you are, however, in the privileged position to own a second bike, or want to upgrade, that is a very different situation. That would be something you “want” as opposed to need. Marketing goes a long way to disguise “wants” as “needs,” and while this might seem incredibly simple, we are all human, and we tend to convince ourselves that we need something we actually don’t. New riders, on the other hand, certainly need somewhere to start, and there is no shortage of great options out there.
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A New-Rider Friendly Motorcycle For Every Purse And Purpose
Honda
The younger generation has little to no interest in two wheels, and as a direct result, there are fewer and fewer people buying motorcycles. This is somewhat frustrating, because we can’t think of a better time for it. There is a bike out there for every shape and size these days, all accessible, all safer than ever before. The obvious downside to all these choices is that getting the wrong bike can be a pretty expensive mistake.
As a general rule of thumb, new riders should stick to bikes with an output of below 50 horsepower. Naturally, this is a massive generalization, and it only applies to street-legal motorcycles. There are several open-class dirt bikes that make less than 50 horsepower, all of which are perfectly capable of ruining a novice rider’s entire motorcycling experience.
A Wide Selection Of Great Street Bikes
KTM
From automatic cruisers to advanced sport bikes, there are several great street bikes to choose from. Some entry-level bikes even offer sophisticated electronics that were previously reserved for halo models. Even if you have done your research and are sure of what kind of bike you want, a test ride is still critical. So many riders have ended up with a bike they hate because they never took it for a proper test ride.
The Adventure Bike Revolution
Kawasaki
Suffice to say, with the adventure bikes being so popular these days, most new riders will be looking at one of the many impressive new entry-level ADVs. The great thing about these bikes is that you can conceivably buy one of them and keep it forever. Many experienced riders are moving down to one of these bikes largely because of how much more capable they are off-road. Once more, a test ride is very important, and it is equally important to understand that an ADV is not a dual-sport. If you primarily need an off-road bike, a dual-sport will always be the better option. ADVs are for travel. They are street bikes that have been made to work off-road, not the other way around.
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You Can Consider Buying Used As Well
Yamaha Motorsports
While there will always be an element of risk in buying a used motorcycle, we feel that it is the best place to start. There might be a temptation to buy a bike that is more powerful than you need, and just because you can afford a used Hayabusa, that certainly doesn’t mean you should buy one!
If you are uncertain of what kind of riding you want to do, the best place to start will be a used Japanese dual-sport bike. The risk factor is also a degree lower thanks to how durable these machines are, and it won’t bother you all that much when you inevitably drop the bike for the first time. The rather unfortunate downside to any dual-purpose machine is the fact that they are inherently compromised.
With most dual-sport bikes, the biggest struggle for new riders is the seat height. There are a few models that are more accessible (the Yamaha XT250 pictured above is one of them), but if you find that you enjoy doing more off-road riding, a tall seat is something you will eventually need to learn to live with. If not, then your next bike might be something a little more street-oriented.
Source: Various Manufacturers
