What do I want?



Recently, I have made the choice to buy a motorcycle. I knew I wanted a sportbike, but what type of sportbike? I had never known there were so many different sportbikes out there. I knew I wanted one that looked nice. When you want the right thing, and you are on a fairly tight budget, things may seem a bit tough. It actually turned out to not be nearly as bad as I had expected.

If you would like to read my guide to buying a motorcycle(focused on sportbikes), click here. It will list some things to look for when buying your first bike. If you would rather just listen to how my experience went, just continue reading.

In my experience of buying a motorcycle for the first time, I chose that used was the only way for me to go. I knew I could not afford a new motorcycle. They are just too expensive. I also did not want to lease one. I chose that in the end, I would rather buy a motorcycle from an individual, rather than a dealership(also called stealerships, but that is another thing).

The first thing I did was look around for what different bikes there were. I found a lot more than I had expected. I started out wanting a Suzuki, but nearly everyone I talked to told me to look at the Kawasaki Ninja 250R. After looking at some pictures, I was really impressed with the looks of the bike. I was fortunate enough to know a kid who just bought one, and went to the same college as me. I asked if I could meet him sometime to check out the bike, and actually see how it felt. I am rather tall at 6'3", so I wanted a bike that at least felt comfortable to be on. The Ninja 250R was not as cramped as I had expected. It felt small, but not to the point of uncomfortable. What ended up ruining the Ninja 250R for me was the performance aspect. Though it looked like a race-ready machine, the fact still remained that it was only a 250cc motorcycle, and wasn't able to hit any strong speeds.

The next bike I got to feel was the Suzuki GSX-R 1000. The bike was very nice, but the guy was unable to meet with me on a fair price. After that, I moved to a Kawasaki ZX-6R. Sadly, this bike just felt too small. After I saw these first few bikes, I was wondering if any bike would be the right one for me. Then, in a little paper, I found an ad for a Honda CBR600F4i for sale. It was a 2002, and the man selling it only wanted $2200 dollars for it. I went to his house, sat on the bike, gave it a good look. I told the guy that I would buy the bike, and give him the money in 3 days. The day before I was to take him the money, he had a wreck on it.

As you can imagine, I was really wondering if this was a sign that i just should not get a motorcycle. Even so, I kept my hopes up and looked through my local craigslist for any motorcycles for sale. Finally, I posted an ad saying that I was looking for a motorcycle. After a few days, a man called me saying that he was trying to sell his 2003 Yamaha R6. When I asked about the price, he told me that he wanted $2900. I worked him down to $2700, and he was nice enough to throw in a helmet, spare chain, gloves, and even bring it to my apartment. Here is a picture of it.



After taking a bit of time to familiarize myself with it, I had a friend who actually had a motorcycle license ride it back to his house, where I could leave it until I got a permit to park it here. While I left it there, I would have him ride it to the local Goodwill, and then I would hop on and practice riding in the parking lot. I figured that it was much safer than just jumping on it and hitting the streets. Finally, after a bit of time, I decided the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's Basic Rider's Course was a good idea for me. That way I could practice and receive good instruction, as well as get my license and an insurance discount if I passed the course.

I signed up for the earliest class I could, but that was October 31st, and November 1st and 2nd. Luckily, the course was put on at the college that I attend, and I only have one class on Fridays. I was able to get in early as a walk in, and passed the class with no trouble. I would highly recommend this class for anyone considering getting a motorcycle. It has taught me a lot of things that I have already put to use while riding on the road.

At the end of the day, I would say that I love my motorcycle, and would suggest anyone who is looking for a change from the ordinary to try one. They are a blast to ride, and just give a feeling you will never have in a car. But should you get a motorcycle, ride safe. Don't become a statistic.

-Brandon Lunsford

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