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Buying first bike (lemmy.ml)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Hello all,

I am purchasing my first bike and as I don't have much knowledge of extensive maintenance & insurance I wanted to know what experiences you all had in this.

Im hoping to hit these checkmarks.

cruiser
reliable
parts are cheap and available even 3rd party
insurance is reasonable for the bike.
easy to maintain for newbie starting out.

I was going to go for a honda but figured to ask others their experience as they were starting out and what they have learned. Under 500 cc I believe is a good starting point, I am not trying to launch into space but if you got a reason why that shouldn't matter let me know.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Im an Enduro rider but i had some of the same challenges as you when I chose to start riding again after 20 years.

look at what dealerships sell in your area. A friend of mine bought a moto guzzi and it was a fantastic bike but only one dealership existed in a very large territory that offered parts. Whatever brands local dealership sells will proportionally indicate part availability.
maintenance for most motorcycles can be broken down to similair components. Fortnine has a video on tearing apart and putting back together a motorcycle and a general indication of the fundamental components to expect to deal with. As fancy as a bike is, there's ultimately a finite amount of things you will deal with. Also if you can find it, grab yourself a physical copy of a repair manual. It's nice to have for even dumb little things.
depending on your maturity, I would consider something between 500-700cc. Most people I know who have bought a sub 500cc bike end up selling it again at a loss in a very short period of time. I ended up buying an 800cc as my first bike. I took riders training again, and had several years of driving under my belt. I dont have a need for speed and ive never had an issue with being unable to control my bike. But if you decide to go on a highway with your bike, having the jam to speed out of a sketchy situation becomes another tool in your kit.

I really like fortnine's videos when it comes to perspective on bikes, and gear. I watch a lot of videos regardless of how long I've been riding. Here's one on beginner bikes.

https://youtu.be/ifBNDeMZQkI