How difficult will life be if I get rid of my car and only have a motorcycle? That is a question that I remember asking about 4 years ago after I bought my first motorcycle, a 2002 Suzuki GS500. At the time I had a 1989 Chevy Suburban as my secondary vehicle, but I rarely took it out because of the stress of driving such a large (and gas hungry) car. Eventually the suburban broke down and I sold it thus starting my foray into living without a four wheeled cage. Sure, things might be a little tough, but it can't be THAT hard to get around with only a motorcycle right? Here is what I have learned being car-less for the last few years.
In these tough economic times people are trying to find any way possible to save money. If you do it properly, riding a motorcycle can save you a ton of cash while at the same time being a really fun way to commute. We all know riding a motorbike is a lot cooler than clipping coupons!
1. You'll Learn Faster Than a 600cc Riding a motorcycle is hard for most people. Sure, put someone on a motorcycle for a few months or a year and it will eventually become second nature. Until you build the muscle memory that you need to properly operate a bike, you need to stack as much in your favor as you can. One of the easiest ways to do that is by choosing a 250 as a first motorcycle. {C}
The 2008 Ninja 250 is the bike everyone is talking about this year since it has received a MAJOR face lift from the engineers at Kawasaki. Best Beginner Motorcycles was lucky enough to catch up with Gary Jaehne, the author of Sportbiking- The Real World: The Advanced Riders Handbook and Sportbiking - The Real World 2: Rider and Bike Tuning Handbook. Gary Recently purchased one of the '08 Ninja 250s and has written a 4 part ride report of his experience.
There are a few things that it will take you a few months to learn once you finally get your motorcycle and you start riding regularly. If you are lucky you will have a riding mentor with some experience help guide you and tell you some of these tips, but if you don’t then feel free to study this guide. This is a lot to remember at first so when I started riding I would only concentrate on doing one thing really well for the whole ride, like looking through the turn for example. Eventually this becomes automatic and you can concentrate on building other good habits.
A lot of people when buying their first motorcycle spend every cent on the bike itself, but leave barely any left to buy some decent motorcycle gear. This article will show you that you can get some good gear for only a few hundred bucks.
Remember when you were first learning to drive a car? You fumbled with the clutch, you killed it multiple times, lots of starts and stops. In my family when we were taught how to drive we used one of the older cars in our garage, that way if something happened the good cars wouldn't be damaged. Learning to drive was very frustrating to me at first, I couldn't figure out how to operate the clutch and smoothly shift gears in a way that didn't jerk everyone around. I was very happy to learn in that 10 year old car, it made things much easier for me. The first time I drove my moms brand new Subaru WRX I nearly steered into the fence because I wasn't used to a car with such a sensitive gas pedal.
It's a hot summers day, and your hanging out at Starbucks getting an iced double mocha non-fat low-soy grande frappaccinio when you hear something in the distance. Is it the pounding of thunder...? No, it's the high pitched roar of a sport bike revving before it speeds off in the distance. You practically drop your frappaccinio , because it's love at first sight. Not the guy in the leathers and armor, but the machine below him with the crisp paint job, exotic looks, and menacing sound....
For the sake of this article you can consider buying a used motorcycle from a dealership the same as buying a new motorcycle from a dealership. This is because every dealership i have known personally checks over and certifies every used motorcycle they sell, but don't be afraid to ask them what they have done to ensure the motorcycles reliability.
The Suzuki SV650 is a motorcycle that is hard to pin down. Most motorcycles that are great for the experienced rider are much too powerful for someone new to the hobby of motorcycling. On the other hand, most beginner motorcycles are too underpowered and veteran riders are left wanting more. This has led new riders buying 600cc+ motorcycles in an effort to 'plan ahead' for when they are experienced. Unfortunately these type of motorcycles were designed for racing and therefore are not very newbie friendly.
