Everybody remembers their first motorcycle. For many of us it happened while we were young, and dad brought home a minibike or a small dirt bike. Others never rode until they were an adult. Those people who grew up riding tend to know exactly what they want. But for others, there are a lot of choices out there and if you haven’t had much experience, how do you know what you want. Some folks think that you need to have a litre bike or nothing. But a lot of beginners have found out the hard way that the best bike for a beginner is something that they can control and is more forgiving. Getting good skills is more important than turning heads.
- How Will You Use it: The first question that needs to be answered is what kind of riding you want to do, or why do you want a motorcycle. If you only need something to get you around in city traffic, your needs are different than someone who wants to cruise the highways, or someone who wants to do adventure riding. Even on the highway, some folks want to be a racer, and others just want to ride.
- How Tall are You? Although there are ways to adjust ride heights, not every motorcycle is a match for any given rider. If you are under 175 cm tall you are going to start having trouble handling a full-sized bike. The deciding factor is the length of your legs. It is easy to tell if you are too short for a motorcycle, just hop on and see what angle your feet are to the floor. If you can barely touch both feet down simultaneously, that bike is too tall for you. Being able to get your feet down will be a big advantage as you learn to ride.
- Pay for Quality: Considering this will be your first bike, you probably aren’t expecting to pay a lot. But a beginner should have a bike that is problem free to develop better skills. Yamaha Motor Finances are one way to stretch your budget and get into a first bike that will serve you well.
The best thing you can do is to try as many types of bikes as you can, so you get a feel for each style. It may be that a smaller dual-purpose bike or even a scooter style will be the best choice until you get some confidence. Whatever you choose to do. Wear good gear and take it easy out there.