Join the Motorcycle Club: Tips for Transitioning from Four Wheels to Two

By brwood (view all posts by brwood)
at 1:25PM Tuesday July 13, 2010
under Shop Smarter

I'm going to share with you some of the things that no one ever told me when I first got interested in bikes, when I was young. Your first motorcycle experiences are very important to your future enjoyment of all things motorcycle. Can you imagine if a kid crazy about horses climbed onto Seabiscuit instead of the ponies at the petting zoo? You'd be so freaked out you would burn all your posters, "Black Stallion" paperbacks and My Little Pony toys as soon as you got home. Yet many people (mostly men) feel that as long as they can afford the bike, they can handle it. The DMV doesn't care--in most states you can ride just about anything with the provisional permit you get after taking the written test.

The single best way to get familiar with motorcycles is by taking a beginner course with the Motorcycle Safety Federation. Not only will they lend you a bike and not get mad if you scratch it, in many states this class will let you leap from permit to full motorcycle license without another test. But the real best way to learn to ride is to ride dirt bikes out in the desert where there is no traffic and nothing to hit. Unfortunately there is no organization that lets you learn this way, you just need to know someone. Well, you know me, but I can't take all of you out to the desert with me one at a time and let you crash my bikes. I don't have the time and I don't have that many bikes.

So, I'll do what I can for you in this blog and at least you'll know more to start than most people.

Tom blogged a while back about balancing the practicalities of motorcycle ownership with the cost savings; cautioning against switching from four wheels to two merely to save money on gas. My feeling is that there is safety in numbers: The more riders out there the more likely cars will see us. And even when you aren't on your bike, riding a motorcycle makes you a better driver. Every motorcycle on the road is one less car and there is no other way you can simultaneously get awesome MPG, have fun and make yourself more attractive.

First, get a copy of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." It says right in the intro that it doesn't have much to do with Zen Buddhism--and that the stuff about motorcycles isn't very accurate either--but it's a good book and it will put you in the right state of mind to learn to ride.

Second, you don't want a new bike. Studies show that one out of every one new riders drops their first bike in a parking lot by forgetting the kickstand--usually in front of people they are trying to impress. Plus there are very few new bikes out there that are really well suited to the newbie. Most of the new models that are good starters are also bikes that have been made for years, so you might as well get one that has a few scratches on it and save yourself 50%.

According to FuelEconomy.Gov, the average car getting 20-25 MPG will cost you nearly $2,000 a year for gas. You can buy yourself a good starter bike for that much and get 2-5 times the mileage, making the bike pay for itself. At least you can tell that to your significant other. Insurance is cheap too--less than $200 a year in some cases. And if you shop for your starter gear (at least a helmet, jacket and gloves) in the closeout sections online and don't worry about looking cool, that won't cost much either. Check out Bike Bandit, Motorcycle Superstore and Cycle Gear among others.

Whatever you do, buy a brand new helmet. They are only made to protect your head once. There is no way of telling if that helmet that your new best friend is including if you buy their bike has ever hit hard enough to compromise its protective foam interior. At the very least get yourself a 3/4 helmet--though a full face one is even better, especially if you like your face and don't want to look like Gary Busey. As far as I'm concerned half helmets are for halfwits and that little "safety yarmulke" you see guys wearing provides about as much protection as saying a prayer before your head hits the ground.

A car is a car, and you can tell a big car from a small car just by looking. But bikes are different. Most small bikes are big enough for a full-sized person, and even the biggest bikes need to be small enough for a normal sized person to reach the ground and the controls. That is why in some cases manufacturers have made 600cc bikes and 1200cc bikes with nearly the same frame and body work. No one will know when you ride by that you are on a starter bike.

Oh, those numbers "600cc"? That is the size of the engine in cubic centimeters--which are the same as milliliters. 250cc is about one cup or 8 ounces. The most powerful sport bikes out there have engines of 1000cc and make more power than many small cars. For your first bike you are going to want something about 250cc to 600cc--which fortunately is a very cheap segment to be shopping. You don't want anything smaller than 250cc because they aren't freeway legal, and you will out grow it too soon.

Another problem with bikes is that looking on Craigslist.com or your local paper, you have very little idea what you are looking at. Shopping for a car you can immediately tell the difference between a Jeep Wrangler, a Corvette and a Honda Civic--but what's the difference between a Honda CB250, XR250 and CMX250? And if I said one is a standard, one is a dual sport and one is a cruiser, would that help? Okay, standard is easy, if it's not one thing or another it's a standard. Dual sport, enduro, scrambler, adventure bike: these are dirt bikes that are legal for use on the street, kind of like the Wrangler of motorcycles. Cruiser is the generic term for Harley Davidson type bike. And all the Ninjas (GSXRs, CBRs and YZFRs) are known as sport bikes. Sure there are other types, but that is a good start. You can also browse eBay Motors and Craigslist and look at pictures to get a better idea.

So, what to buy? Something popular and made by a major Japanese brand. A good resource is the motorcycle buyers guide at Total Motorcycle. Are you the Harley type? Try Honda Shadow 500 or 600 or Rebel CMX250. Kawasaki 454 LTD, Vulcan 500, or Eliminator ZL600. Suzuki Marauder GZ250 or Savage 650. Yamaha Virago 250 or 535.

If you're looking for a sporty bike: Honda NT650 Hawk. Kawasaki Ninja 250, EX500, or Ninja 500. Suzuki GS500. Yamaha Seca II 600.

Looking for off-road adventure: Honda NX250. Kawasaki KLR250, Suzuki DR200. Yamaha TW200 or XT225.

Standards are few and far between lately: Honda Nighthawk CB250. Suzuki TU250 (if you can find a used one). Ride these bikes wisely and you can get more than 60 MPG and should be able to hit 60 MPH and keep yourself entertained until you learn the ropes.

Here are two more good sites with info for newbies: Best Beginner Motorcycles and Cycle World TWIST.

So there you have it. Ride safe, keep the rubber side down and if other people on bikes wave at you, that's normal. You don't have to wave back--it's best to keep both hands on the bike for a while.