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RTI E-Zine for Motorcyclists

New to Motorcycling?

The following is not an endorsement of any one motorcycle style, model or manufacturer. It is merely a list of observations from motorcyclists' recommendations and experiences. If you're buying a new or used bike you have to educate yourself and do your homework, just as if you were buying any other item (car, house, etc).

What bike to buy?

Firstly, we'd recommend something that fits you. This means that you can reach all of the controls without straining, and both feet can reach the pavement, or at least the balls of your feet can both reach simultaneously. After that, you need to assess what kind of riding appeals to you. If you're addicted to speed, then you might want to buy a supersport bike and pay for trackdays at your closest racetrack, (and drive a car on the street instead). If you think you'll like touring, then you might find a cruiser fits your desires. If neither of those appeal to you, don't worry, because between the cruiser and the all-out sportbike there are still many styles to choose from.

Types: Cruiser, Sport, Sport-Touring, Enduro, Off-Road, Standard, Naked

The Cruiser style is very popular around the globe and is suited for general riding and touring. The Sport style is typically performance and speed oriented. The Sport-Touring type is intended to be a blend of the two styles or a softer edged sport bike that is comfortable for longer rides. The Enduro or Dual-Sport style typically is an off-road bike that is legal to ride on the road as well. The Off-Road or Dirtbike style is for riding on trails and is illegal on the road. Standard or Naked style bikes are similar in look and performance to sport or sport-touring bikes, but do not have all of the plastic fairing panels - hence the term: "naked".

Back to finding the proper fit. Below are a few helpful hints about what models might fit you if you have a shorter or longer inseam than average.

Short inseam:

Many Cruiser style bikes generally have a lower seat height than Sport type bikes, so they will tend to be an easier fit for those with shorter leg lengths. However, for some alternate suggestions to the Cruiser style, try: Kawasaki ZZR600 (prior to 2005) lowest seat height sport bike, Buell Blast, Ducati 620, Hyosung Comet 250

For the taller crowd:

Many larger sized Cruisers stretch out a bit more than the smaller displacement ones, and may also be a better fit if you're big. Sometimes these might not be ideal bikes for new riders, but you may have to compromise a bit when hunting around for a bike that suits your knees, arms, legs etc. For some non-Cruiser suggestions, try: Honda VFR 750/800, BMW GS1200, Suzuki VStrom, Kawasaki KLR 650, KTM 950 Adventure

Power:

Despite how sexy bikes look in magazines, showrooms, or zipping past you on the road, often it's best not to buy the fastest thing on the planet until you've got your bearings on something a bit less supersonic. Take the magazine articles you read with a grain or two of salt. Most of the moto-journalists are lucky enough to ride every machine produced, and may also be ex-racers. Their perspectives may not be in line with your more limited experience. If they say something is slow, it might be slow for them, but suit your riding style and experience just fine. Even a well tuned riding lawnmower with 9 horsepower can lure a siren and a set of flashing lights with the wrong pilot at the helm – look for something that will realistically fit your interests.

If you're new to riding, you might want to start with a decent used bike that doesn't break the bank or the sound barrier for the first summer or two. This might also shake off the novelty of motorcycling, and you'll see whether you're going to be a hardcore riding enthusiast or just an occasional weekend warrior, before you've spent too much money on what you thought was going to be your pride and joy forever. Check out bike "trader" magazines and other spots where you can choose from many ". . .low kilometers, no time to ride. . ." good used bikes. And remember, if you drop a used bike in your first summer of riding, you won't shed as many tears and dollars as having a brand new bike tip over.

"First" bikes:

Sport:

Suzuki SV650, GS500, Bandit 650
Kawasaki EX500/500R, Ninja 650R, ZZR250
Honda Hornet 600
Ducati Monster 620, SS750
BMW F650CS
Buell Blast
Hyosung Comet 250

Cruiser:

Kawasaki Vulcan 500 Ltd, Vulcan 800 Classic
Suzuki Marauder 250, Boulevard C50
Honda Shadow VT750, Rebel
Yamaha V-Star Silverado
Harley Davidson 883 Sportster
Harley Davidson Low Rider

What Helmet Should I Buy?

As with bikes, helmets come in various styles, shapes, and sizes; with a price range from $50 to a few thousand dollars.

The most important aspects are: a) fit b) safety c) certification.

Fit: Remember, this “lid” is going to be on your head for extended periods of time in all types of weather. If it doesn't fit properly you've wasted your money, (even if yours has shark fins and Godzilla teeth graphics and scares small children). The headache it gives you won't help, and you'll have to take it off to see straight. So, to fit a helmet: try on various sizes and manufacturers' helmets. They are not all built with a similar form inside, so depending on whether you have a rounder or more elongated head shape, some helmet models will fit your particular noggin better or worse than others. The helmet should be a bit snug but not be painful anywhere. If there's a bit of pain now, imagine an 80km wind hitting that spot for an hour or more as your ride. Wear the helmet around the shop for 10 minutes to see if it starts to pinch anywhere.

Safety: Various tests have shown that the full-face helmet is your best friend. While other styles will help in an accident, if your tip over is at any speed above a few km/h, you may get much more protection from having your chin and teeth inside a helmet than exposed outside one. While open face helmets may feel great on a hot day, they don't protect you from common objects like stones and June bugs with a bad sense of direction. Hitting either of these at speed can sting or add pounds to your diet if you're truly unlucky.

Certification: All legal helmets for road use in Canada must be DOT approved. This is the law. There are other testing groups such as Snell and ANSI, but the minimum required standard is DOT

E-helmets and Garage Sale helmets – Buying a used helmet is not advisable, as you have no idea what the previous person did to it. Considering you're going to protect the #1 most important thing on your body, with a used piece of equipment you'll be making a bad decision. Most manufacturers recommend buying a new helmet every 5 years or so because the materials inside can potentially change and degrade over time; so buying a used one is a serious gamble. Buying one online is a risk as well, because you don't know the seller and you may not know the origin of the helmet, (unless you're buying direct from a factory or a dealer you know). In the end, the problem will still be about the fit. Unless you've already tried the make and model locally, or had it before, you can't know for sure if your online “deal” helmet is going to be the one for you until it arrives.

Nicks, Dings and Drops – Most helmets are one or several types of hard foam material surrounded by a shell of fiberglass, carbon-fiber or some type of plastic composite. If you drop a helmet onto a hard surface from any distance it may damage this material. You might not see a crack, but like a hairline fracture, the material may be compromised. Helmets are not designed to keep your brain safe through multiple crashes – just one, so if your helmet has taken a significant hit, you should go buy yourself a new one. Considering how expensive they are, you should protect this item just as much or more than the other elements of your gear. Any scratches or dings can potentially do the same damage as a drop, so don't put your helmet on your bike seat or on a handlebar where it can fall off in the wind, unless you like buying new helmets regularly.

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