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Difference between revisions of "Used Motorcycle Evaluation"
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* Go to a dealership and sit on a lot of bikes to feel what sort of riding position you like. Think about the kinds of bikes that are available, what you're interested in, and what you're willing to pay. | * Go to a dealership and sit on a lot of bikes to feel what sort of riding position you like. Think about the kinds of bikes that are available, what you're interested in, and what you're willing to pay. | ||
* A series of free brochures is available from an industry-sponsored council called "Discover Today's Motorcycling"... call 1-800-833-3995 to get them. The brochures cover types of bikes, financing, safety, etc. | * A series of free brochures is available from an industry-sponsored council called "Discover Today's Motorcycling"... call 1-800-833-3995 to get them. The brochures cover types of bikes, financing, safety, etc. | ||
* Generally speaking, it's good to start out with a smaller, lighter-weight used bike rather than buying the latest, coolest, fastest, sexiest bike new. Motorcycling is a passion you can pursue for many, many years -- don't scare yourself silly with a bike that's not meant for beginners. New riders should probably start with a four-cylinder bike of less than 600cc's, or a twin-cylinder bike of less than 750cc's. New riders should probably stay away from two-stroke bikes (a different engine technology, typically not found on street bikes after the 1985 model year.) [[ | * Generally speaking, it's good to start out with a smaller, lighter-weight used bike rather than buying the latest, coolest, fastest, sexiest bike new. Motorcycling is a passion you can pursue for many, many years -- don't scare yourself silly with a bike that's not meant for beginners. New riders should probably start with a four-cylinder bike of less than 600cc's, or a twin-cylinder bike of less than 750cc's. New riders should probably stay away from two-stroke bikes (a different engine technology, typically not found on street bikes after the 1985 model year.) [[Sportbike]]s tend to have a lot of expensive plastic, and plastic tends to break when bikes fall over. Almost everyone drops their first bike, usually more than once. This can get very expensive if your bike is covered in breakable plastic bits. (Don't get depressed if you drop your new bike -- think of it as joining the club of experienced bikers.) | ||
* Long diatribe on what's wrong with many (not all!) dealerships: | * Long diatribe on what's wrong with many (not all!) dealerships: | ||
*Not many people seem to stick around in the motorcycle industry -- on either side of the counter -- and this will probably have an enormous impact on your experience with dealerships. Even if the salesmen you encounter at dealerships aren't working on commission, the only reason they're willing to work for slave wages is that they're young guys who are into bikes -- and they don't plan to be salesmen forever. As a result, they don't even think about building relationships with customers -- they just want to sell bikes. Which is only fair, because a lot of their customers don't care about the relationship either; they just want the latest fastest prettiest bike with the hot accessories for the cheapest price. The bigger and more powerful bikes tend to have a higher profit-margin (difference between what the dealer buys them for and sells them for.) So dealerships will not look kindly on employees who try to talk novice riders out of bikes that will be dangerous for them (the big, powerful ones) in favor of good beginner bikes, because even if the salesman isn't making more money (in commissions) selling the higher profit-margin bikes, the dealership definitely is. | *Not many people seem to stick around in the motorcycle industry -- on either side of the counter -- and this will probably have an enormous impact on your experience with dealerships. Even if the salesmen you encounter at dealerships aren't working on commission, the only reason they're willing to work for slave wages is that they're young guys who are into bikes -- and they don't plan to be salesmen forever. As a result, they don't even think about building relationships with customers -- they just want to sell bikes. Which is only fair, because a lot of their customers don't care about the relationship either; they just want the latest fastest prettiest bike with the hot accessories for the cheapest price. The bigger and more powerful bikes tend to have a higher profit-margin (difference between what the dealer buys them for and sells them for.) So dealerships will not look kindly on employees who try to talk novice riders out of bikes that will be dangerous for them (the big, powerful ones) in favor of good beginner bikes, because even if the salesman isn't making more money (in commissions) selling the higher profit-margin bikes, the dealership definitely is. | ||