Choosing a motorbike can be a big challenge. Do you buy what your best
mate has? Do you buy what the guy at the riding school suggested? Do you
buy what the salesman at the bike shop is pushing you to buy? Or do you
buy the bike that's really right for YOU?
Whether this is your very first bike, or you're coming back to riding a
motorbike after a long break, one thing you'll find is that there's a
HUGE range to choose from in makes, models and styles of motorcycle.
Your first challenge is to choose the STYLE of bike that suits you
best. This will depend on what type of riding you intend to do. It's all
very well buying a scooter, but if your passion is weekend riding in
the mountains it ain't gonna cut the mustard! Similarly, Harley's and
Ducati's sound great and look a dream, but if you're main riding is in
heavy traffic every day, you'll soon wish you'd bought something else.
So how do you make the decision that's right for you? Well, let's start
by looking at the different styles of motorcycle and what they have to
offer.
Sports bikes
Sports bikes are for adrenalin junkies who like their rides relatively
short and full of power and excitement. Examples of typical sports bikes
include the Yamaha YZF-R1 (pictured), the Suzuki GSX-R750, the Honda
CBR600RR, the Kawasaki Ninja 650R and the Ducati 999.
If you're restricted to 250 class motorcycles, you might be choosing
between the Kawasaki Ninja 250R, the Hyosung GT250R, the Suzuki RGV250,
the Honda NSR250 and the Aprilia RS250.
What ever you choose, sports bikes are about speed, not comfort. They
are typically light, agile machines with a huge power-to-weight ratio
and adrenalin-pumping acceleration. Experienced riders really appreciate
the precision of sports bikes, which are usually designed to closely
resemble their racing cousins. Sports bikes become an extension of the
rider's body and very small weight shifts can be used to control the
bike through tight corners and sweeping bends.
The negative of sports bikes is that they typically don't behave very
well at slow speeds in heavy traffic. They tend to have a high centre of
gravity and the rider sits in a very "prone" position - ie, stretched
out over the fuel tank without a lot of room to move when you start to
get fatigued. So they become a bit painful on long rides. They also
don't tend to suit older riders who suffer from joint pain or stiffness.
Cruisers
Cruisers are for comfort junkies. If you really want to look the part
and be able to ride all day without getting fatigued, a cruiser might be
the right bike for you. Typical examples of the modern cruiser at the
Kawasaki Vulcan Classic (pictured), the Suzuki Boulevard, the Yamaha
V-Star or VMAX, the Honda Shadow and the Harley-Davidson DynaGlide.
If you're restricted to the 250 class, your choices would include the
Yamaha V-Star 250, the Suzuki Intruder LC250, the Kawasaki Eliminator
250VN or the Hyosung Aquila 250. While these are small bikes, they are
styled after their larger brothers and can look very stylish. My wife
had an Eliminator 250 which looked like a Harley and bikers would come
and stare at it when ever she parked it, even wanting to sit on it to
see what it was like.
The real advantage of cruisers is their upright sitting position and,
in most cases, the forward positioning of the brake and gear levers,
which allows your legs to be partly or fully extended when riding. They
are designed for long haul riding in comfort and style, usually quite
low revving with lots of top end speed but not a lot of acceleration.
Negatives of cruisers include their weight, which can be excessive,
their fuel consumption (sometimes very thirsty) and their lack of ground
clearance (which in the bigger Vulcans and Harleys can mean scraping on
roundabouts and tight corners. They also can require a bit of muscle to
handle, especially if you happen to lay one on the ground. They are
usually more expensive than other styles as well.
Sports Touring
Sports Tourers are a little rarer than the first two styles we've
covered here, but well worth considering all the same. They combine the
speed and handling of a sports bike with the comfort and style of a
cruiser, with some obvious compromises. Typical examples of the sports
tourer class are the Yamaha FJR1300 (pictured), the BMW K1200GT, the
Moto Guzzi Norge, Honda ST1100, the Suzuki Bandit 1200S, the Yamaha FZ1,
the Honda VFR, the Triumph Spring ST and the Buell S3T Thunderbolt.
As far as I know, there are no sports tourers in the 250 class (sorry, it would be something of a contradiction).
As the owner of a sports tourer myself (FJR1300), I can attest to the
combination of power and comfort that sometimes really shocks riders of
other styles of motorcycle. They are quick and agile, able to handle the
twisties with ease and keep up with almost anything, while at the same
time they can easily be made comfortable enough to ride all day. But
they are typically pretty expensive and heavy. Some are also fuel
guzzlers, although mine gets remarkable economy for such a large bike.
