The Best New Motorcycles You Can Buy As A BeginnerOriginal Article Published for Thrillist When beginning the deep dive into the world of motorcycling, most people have one question that overrides all others: "What motorcycle should I buy?" It's a good question, albeit a very loaded one. Like so many other things in life, there is no absolute and correct answer, since there are a number of factors to consider when purchasing a motorcycle. Let's first take a look at the most important things to consider, then we can break down a number of general types of bike you should consider as a novice rider. There are a lot, and I mean a lot, of motorcycles you can buy, and the recommendations below are just the tip of the iceberg of the excellent selection of machines beginners can safely enjoy. ![]() COURTESY OF DUCATI There are four main things to consider when buying a bike:1. How and for what purpose are you going to use the bike? 2. How much bike can you honestly handle? 3. How much money do you really want to spend on your first bike? 4. Do you love it? If so, you've chosen well, my friend. ![]() ![]() COURTESY OF DUCATI What they are: A lot of manufacturers are throwing around the term "scrambler" now, because it's "hip" and "cool." A true scrambler gets its name from relatively small dirt bikes built for racing on off-road courses with low jumps. Scramblers today are more of a throwback to those bikes, identifiable by their high tailpipe, semi-knobby or knobby tires, slightly longer travel suspension than a road bike, and wide-set tracker bars. You should consider one if: You want to channel your inner Steve McQueen, but only on weekends. Scramblers do a good job at bridging the gap between working well on paved roads and dirt roads, but don't expect to become an off-road god(dess) on one. ![]() COURTESY OF TRIUMPH 2017 Triumph Street ScramblerPrice: $10,700 ![]() COURTESY OF DUCATI Ducati Desert SledPrice: $11,395
![]() ![]() COURTESY OF BMW What they are: Adventure motorcycles are essentially your go-anywhere, do-(almost)-anything bikes. They're capable of eating up highway miles, tackling off-road sections, daily commuting, or carrying tons of gear. Most of the best bikes in this category have tall seat heights, so they're not very accommodating to beginner riders who are vertically challenged. The dominant bikes here are the BMW R1200 GS (shown above) and the KTM 1290 Super Adventure, but you can save yourself some cash by springing for an excellent alternative. You should consider one if: You're relatively tall and want a good all-around bike that you can take to work or school every day. ![]() COURTESY OF HONDA Honda Africa TwinPrice: $12,999 ![]() COURTESY OF KAWASAKI Kawasaki Versys-X 300Price: $5,399 ^ Art Department Error. Sport Bikes are not aslo called Naked Bikes. ![]() COURTESY OF KAWASAKI What they are: They're the supercars of the two-wheeled world. The thrill of speed combines with aggressive lean angles to provide an adrenaline rush that can rarely be matched. It's imperative on sport bikes to be ultra-smooth in the application of throttle, clutch, and brakes, so for beginners, powerful sport bikes can often result in expensive medical bills, not to mention a broken bike. Smaller sport bikes, meanwhile, allow for just as much fun and can be ultimately forgiving when riders make mistakes. You should consider one if: You love the idea of riding fast, can check your ego at the door, and deep down, you know the 1980s peaked with the Top Gun chase scene. ![]() Yamaha YZF-R3Price: $4,999 COURTESY OF TRIUMPH Triumph Street TriplePrice: $9,400 ![]() ![]() SAM BENDALL/THRILLIST What they are: Born from a bit of a snide comment about sport bike riders in the 1960s who would "race" from one coffee shop to the next, today cafe racers, aka modern classics, are hugely popular because they look great and are highly customizable to match your own personal aesthetic. Naturally, that means they also have a budding hipster community to boot. You should consider one if: You think of a motorcycle as a fashion accessory as much as a riding machine. Cafe Racers make for excellent everyday commuting motorcycles and are often customized to be a tad sporty. These are some of the prettiest motorcycles on the road today. ![]() COURTESY OF TRIUMPH Triumph Street TwinPrice: $8,700
![]() SAM BENDALL/THRILLIST Honda CB1100Price: $10,999 ![]() ![]() COURTESY OF HARLEY-DAVIDSON What they are: When you think about cruisers, Harley-Davidson instantly comes to mind. The pride of Milwaukee has spent well over a century solidifying itself at the head of this class. That's not to say there aren't amazing alternatives, though. Bear in mind that by most objective measures, cruisers are not fantastic motorcycles: They don't really do anything better than other genres of bike... except for looking good, both while sitting still and cruising down the road. As a result, they remain the most popular motorcycle class in America You should consider one if: You want to emulate Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Jack Nicholson on a multi-state journey. Or you need a day-to-day bike. ![]() COURTESY OF HONDA Honda Rebel 300 or Rebel 500Price: $4,399 (Rebel 300) and $5,999 (Rebel 500) ![]() COURTESY OF YAMAHA Yamaha Star Bolt R-SpecPrice: $8,399 ![]() ![]() COURTESY OF HONDA What they are: Dual-sport motorcycles are essentially dirt bikes that have been adapted to ride on the street and come with headlamps, turn signals, and everything in between to make them road legal. They are incredibly fun to ride around town and can handle themselves in dirt on the weekends. You should consider one if: You're looking for a fun weekend bike to get you started down the two-wheeled path. ![]() COURTESY OF HONDA Honda CRF250LPrice: $5,149 ![]() COURTESY OF SUZUKI Suzuki DRZ400SPrice: $6,599 There's always the used option, tooOnce you factor in some of your personal criteria and shop around, you will have a better idea as to what bike is best for you. Sometimes a brand-new bike just isn't in the cards financially, but a lot of these bikes have been around long enough to have a solid secondhand market. Aim for one with less than 20,000 miles and you should be good.
Keywords:
Africa Twin,
Beginner motorcycles,
Bolt,
Buy a motorcycle,
Ducati,
Honda,
Kawasaki,
Street Triple,
Thrillist,
Triumph,
Yamaha,
motorcycles,
new motorcycle,
not your typical beginner motorcycles
Comments
No comments posted.
Loading...
|