What you before Buy Motorcycle Motorcycles Dangerous Motorcycle Bike
Danger,... will be your middle name. The first thing to consider is the rapid fire environment you will be entering. Remember that couch you saw late at night on the freeway last week? Hitting that in a car could be bad, but hanging your boots over a seventy mile-an-hour two wheeled speed machine and hitting that same couch will turn you, the wanna-be couch potato, into something akin to hash browns covered in lots of ketchup. The wonderful flip side is, riding that same powerful two wheeled rocket on steroids, will allow you to escape certain death with a well timed twist of the wrist and a quick maneuver around the angel of death and through the horde of traffic that pushes in on you at every side.
Have you ever ridden a motorcycle? What about a bicycle? Okay, there are similarities, but forget about it, they're nothing alike. A motorcycle in its basic form, is in fact a gas powered bicycle. But riding it is a whole new experience. The first thing you will probably feel when riding a motorcycle for the first time is fear, and joy. Fear is good. Even as you gain experience, it never really leaves you, it gets pushed to the back of your mind, but it's still there. And that is good because fear is the thing that lets you spot couches on dark freeways, crazy drivers that want to kill you, and even that little paddle that fell off of the kayak strapped to a Tahoe-bound SUV. That is also the reason you feel so alive when you get home. You're wound up, you feel like you've been where no one else goes, that twilight world in which only motorcycle riders go, and exists between the planes of Earth and Heaven. The other ethereal force affecting your state of mind when riding a motorcycle is power. Rolling on the throttle seems to accelerate you into heart pounding bliss, every single time. And it is this element that gives you that sense of freedom. You can speed away from slow drivers, maneuver around Texas roadblocks and slip in between the no-man's-land of car to car corners. I don't advise it though, one slip up by the rider or even worse, the driver who does not see you, and you're toast.
So now you know about the thrill. What about practicality? A decent motorcycle will get you fifty to sixty miles to the gallon. When you fill your tank for twenty bucks instead of sixty dollars for the same distance, euphoria sets in, and one must be careful to save the victory dance for the bathroom mirror lest you embarrass yourself in front of the other gas station patrons. Gas savings are wonderful, but it may not be worth it. Let's examine the other costs.
You can buy a decent new bike anywhere from 4000 dollars to 6000 and on upwards to 10,000 or more. You might find a decent used bike for 2000, or you may luck out and find one for a thousand. I really recommend a new bike unless you want to take a risk. Of course used bikes are cheaper, or are they?
If you're mechanically inclined, you can save quite a bit on expenses, but if you're not, consider my story, (so far): I bought a used dual sport Kawasaki. It's in good shape for a 2005, (bikes wear faster by the way, expect no more than a 100,000 miles out of one if you're lucky enough to even get that), but it desperately needed new tires, and I'm having a valve adjustment done because despite the previous owner's attention to improving the bike and adding miscellaneous safety features, he didn't seem too keen on taking care of smaller details, such as using zip ties instead of replacing lost fairing bolts, riding on old tires, and low brake fluid, blah blah blah. I'm not whining, just explaining the things you can expect to encounter in a used motorcycle. my bill for the tires and labor will be about 450 to 500 dollars. Waiting on new tires is taking two weeks, but I would have had to wait a week anyway because the shop is so busy, (the point being it's not like a car garage). Maybe it's a California thing.
Then there's the riding equipment. DOT approved brain bucket: 120 dollars minimum. Decent mesh jacket with a little armor: 170 dollars. And at least buy yourself a pair of good jeans and boots. I avoided getting all the gear, although I still want some gloves so that every exposed extremity is protected. Think worst case scenario: Freeway guard rail versus you at 80 to 90 miles an hour. Thinking about a face plant into the asphalt is enough for me!
I suppose I am writing alot to discourage you from riding. Good. That means that when you do go to get your bike, you will have some ideas about the complexities involved. What is good though, is that if you do enjoy it, you won't mind the hassle. And as I become one with my current motorcycle, the only thing that really makes me mad is tailgaters. These must be the most thoughtless people in the world. Many folks think it is OK to intimidate the drivers in front of them by riding the victims' rear bumper to get them to speed up or move over for the lazy antagonist behind them. You would think that they would see the flaw in their logic when they're drafting a motorcycle two feet from its tail light. But you would be wrong. This is where situational awareness can be best demonstrated. Situational awareness is the most fundamental practice of the art of motorcycle riding. Never, ever be caught without it. Remember the fear I talked about? Hopefully you have a little to use just for this very reason.
A couple last thoughts: Never try to squeeze by an angry, bitter person driving an old Ford pickup. Notice the way he hits the gas every time you move for the hole? Don't do it. Even in a Ninja. Yup, that was me. I was smart, so I am here to tell you the story. Use the other amazing power of the motorcycle. The power to slow down. What, you don't like that? You think riding a motorcycle is all about speed? You don't understand friend, having the power to go fast, maneuver and slow down is what owning that power is all about. On a bike, you can do it all. You can have fun and be safe too. Also, I would recommend a state approved training course. It eats some time and a little more money than I think is necessary to fund the school, but the lessons I learned 15 years ago are still with me today. So check the forums, do your research, go drool at beautiful bikes and when a suitably painful amount of time has passed, go buy a bike and have fun.
