#NewRider

Like bills, deadlines, and taxes in everyday life, motorcycle insurance is something you’ve got to buy and maintain if you want to ride on the street. It’s a hugely complex business based on mathematical models, profit and loss projections, shifting markets and motorcycle types, rider ages, and other fun stuff. If you’re just starting to ride, here’s some of what you may need to know.

Ah, the good old days. Back when the Watergate scandal was a big deal, so was motorcycling. The industry had exploded in size and scope to historic levels, thanks to the coming of age for Boomers and America’s appetite for outdoor experiences. And yet…in terms of bike choices, you could only buy a standard bike like a Yamaha XS650, a motocross bike like a Penton 125 Six-Day, an “enduro” (on/off road) bike like Yamaha’s DT3 2-stroke, an Italian scooter, or maybe a big hog straight outta Milwaukee. Needed more from your mount? From there, you really did have to bend brackets and turn wrenches to “make it your own,” as current bike advertisers love to say.

Like it or not, the backbone of American consumer culture is financing. It’s a honeytrap, that nice new bike, gleaming with promise of great times, sitting there on the showroom floor. It can turn from fantasy ride to literally yours for a simple signature or three, and 24, 36, or more E-Z monthly payments. So, what’s not to like? The unassailable logic of living for today has some merit. You’re only young once; there are only so many good summers in life; and friendships, work or school transportation needs, plus unique living environments, sometimes align just right for a motorcycle ownership. And maybe that’s right now. However, if you can’t write a check for a new bike or borrow from friends or family to cover the purchase, that basically leaves financing. Here are five straight-up tips to consider when heading down this path.

Several decades ago, we went to lunch with an executive VP of a big advertising agency. Forgoing a restaurant, he suggested going to the local motorcycle dealership and having a look around. There he spotted a lineup of new 250cc motocross bikes, freshly assembled from their shipping crates. Dressed in a crisp business suit and tie, he hardly looked like the potential buyer of a new dirt bike – more like a touring rider, if anything. But he approached the nearest salesman, pointed at one of the new race bikes, and simply said, “I’ll take that one” while handing over a credit card. “I’ll pick it up Saturday.” The young salesman was visibly stunned, and to this day that was the easiest sale we ever witnessed.

Does the adage, “Look before you leap” sound familiar? It should, for anyone who loves jumping across gaps or over cliff sides. But philosophically, it’s also smart when you’re buying a motorcycle, new or used. Not only because examining the product may save you from expensive repairs later, but because closely studying your purchase motivations will help you buy the bike you need. Trust Motorcycle.com on this – getting the right machine for your skill level, and for what you want to do in the sport, is crucial. Read on for some useful tips on what to buy, and how to do it.

When it comes to motorcycles, sharing life’s experiences is truly magical. Whether that’s hitting the highway for an extended tour, a night ride into the country, learning to do it in the dirt, or just a Saturday morning java run, it’s always better with buddies.

If you want to play an instrument well, how do you go about it? Focused academic study perhaps, or take lessons, join a band, watch YouTube, connect with friends – or maybe just muck about until something clicks. Well, the same might be said for learning to ride well. Some of the best racers and riders in history were essentially self-taught… especially prior to the industry becoming so specialized. But really, the best way isn’t through such trial and error – it’s formal training.

The United States is a big place with tons of states, but fortunately, the motorcycle licensing rules and requirements are similar in many of them. This can be true even from largest to smallest bike states. For instance, with nearly 1 million registrations, New York tops the list for “active” motorcycles, followed closely by California and then Florida in third. On the flip side, little Delaware and Rhode Island have only about 25,000 registrations apiece. Now, among these states, in California, fledgling riders can get a “learners” permit at age 15 ½, but in Delaware the rule is 17 years old. Other states may further differ, but likely not by much.

When learning to handle boats, bikes, and boa constrictors, as a universal truth it’s better to start off small and work up from there. That’s because skills build over time, and at first, smaller and lighter means easier to handle. Fortunately, in the case of motorcycles, there’s a lot to love in the small-displacement ranks. The ride experience is enchanting, and some models even share technology with image-leading flagships, including electric starting and fuel injection, liquid-cooling, and disc brakes with ABS.

The marriage of the early 20th Century “safety bicycle” and a simple engine created the motorcycle template as we now know it. As such, at their design core, motorcycles are simple, efficient devices, a trait they’ve possessed for over 120 years. But it takes more than efficiency to ensure the survival and evolution of any consumer product. The secret other ingredient is that motorcycles feed us on some essential levels, from the joy of being in motion, to rewarding us for problem solving, to promoting social interactions, to building a skillset that “normal” folks don’t possess. Read on for seven reasons you might want to ride a motorcycle.

Every motorcycling parent dreams of their child expressing interest in the sport. For me it started with a request to be taken for rides on the back of my bike, but then one magnificent day, she asked, “Can I learn to ride?” I’ve always wanted my kids to be interested in riding, but I was not going to pressure them. I’ve supported them in their interests (from ballet for my oldest to competitive gymnastics for my youngest) and tried to avoid pushing them into mine. So, when my 13 year old asked me, I sprung into action. What I didn’t know is that I would end up learning almost as much about myself and my daughter as she did about riding motorcycles. 

My daughter had Monday off from school, and she spent a good portion of the day learning how to draw hair curls. Periodically, she’d express frustration, as only an eleven-year-old can, with her inability to make her ringlets as good as those in the instructional video, and I’d have to remind her that the artist had probably performed this task many, many times, and these were only her first few attempts. 

Picture it: you’re cruising along without a care in the world. The weather is beautiful, the roads are perfect, and your motorcycle is singing its lovely tune. Off in the distance you see a grade along the path – an incline known to make motorists struggle in their cars. It doesn’t faze you, though – you’re on a motorcycle, one easily capable of powering up the hill without a problem. Then it happens: you get caught at a red light right as you’re in the middle of climbing the grade.

Welcome to motorcycling! Maybe you just bought your first bike or are about to do it. Either way, you’ve probably realized that you’ll need to buy more than just a motorcycle. Motorcycle gear can get really expensive really quickly, but you don’t need to spend a fortune (which you probably don’t have since you just bought your first bike) to keep yourself comfortable while riding or protect yourself in a mishap. While all motorcycle safety gear is important, there is a hierarchy of necessity. Since the assumption of this article is that you’re short on cash, we’ll work our way down the list.

What’s the best first bike?