Decide the Ride

So, you took my advice from last week and bought a reasonably priced bike and rode it for a year or two.  If you didn’t read last week’s post, see here: http://klkcycles.blogspot.com/2014/12/sons-of-common-sense.html.  You know you are definitely riding for life.  You can’t imagine life without two wheels.  Now you want an upgrade?  Awesome!

Now figure out what kind of rider you are.  Do you get amped up when you come up on a twisty road?  Do you love just hopping on your bike and cruising to any destination?  Enjoy racing from stoplight to stoplight?  Do you like to ride trails?  How about riding cross country?

Is cornering for you?  Sport bikes are the way to go!  Nothing corners like Supersports (Honda CBR, Kawasaki Ninja, Yamaha R’s, and Suzuki GSX-R’s are the big 4), but a good naked bike will be close (Ducati Monsters, Yamaha FZ’s, Triumph Speed Triple to name a few).

If you’re more into cruising, any cruiser will do.  It doesn’t have to be a Harley, Google “cruiser motorcycle” and see what comes up (Yamaha V-Stars, Kawasaki Vulcans).

If you like riding fast and hard in a straight line, then you’ll want a torque monster!  Triumph Rocket, Yamaha V-Max, and the Screaming Eagle Harleys come to mind. 

If you like riding in the dirt, but still need to ride on the road, there’s a ton of dual sports out there.  There are also some factory scramblers out on the market that aren’t quite as good in the dirt, but are f&%$ing gorgeous (Ducati and Triumph make em)!

If long distance is for you, get a touring bike.  Harley makes great ones, but guys that have a Honda Goldwing or BMW touring bike claim they’d never ride anything else.

Now to pick which model you want.  My advice is to pick what looks good to you.  Don’t make your decision based on horsepower, or torque, or quarter mile time.  Maybe you know you’re a Harley guy.  Great!  I don’t know why riders have to be so pro or anti Harley.  I say bikes are fun, no matter what they are.  If you’ve heard someone say a Harley isn’t fun to ride, than they haven’t ridden one, or they are letting their bias make up their mind!

Another thing to keep in mind is comfort.  The only way to determine this is to take a bike for a ride.  Lots of bike shops have demo days, where you can ride the latest model year bikes.  Other shops are more than willing to let you take test rides.  If your ass is numb and wrists ache after a mile, than maybe you’re on the wrong bike.

When I decided to buy my first new bike, I liked all the above.  This drove me toward a Ducati Monster.  It corners great, has a little better riding position than a supersport, and has a little extra torque .  Can’t ride trails though (Damn it!!!!).

“The decision is mine, and I choose happiness” ― Malori Howell