Do you ever wonder what motorcycle you should purchase?

Some riders first buy a bike because it looks sexy, some to save money, some for the release of all life’s hassles and some just because they love the idea of riding a motorcycle!

When asked by my students as to what genre of motorcycle they should purchase, I explain the learning phases, licence requirements, students physical size, intended usage, the pros and cons of each genre and I advise they ride them all before buying.

There are quite a few different genres of motorcycles: naked style, commuter, sports bike, cruiser, road, trail, motard, sports tourer, tourer, scooter/moped. Each genre is fined tuned in regard to steering geometry, chassis, suspension, wheel diameters, engine, brake, seat height and so forth.

Start small then progressively increase the weight/horsepower with confidence!

Your first motorcycle should be one that is seriously light and easy to use. You will need a motorcycle that has a very neutral steering geometry and seating position in your early learning. This motorcycle will allow growth and confidence. When you can steer/brake and your systems of control are exceptional, you are the boss of the ship! Its then time for a small upgrade!

Do not be concerned about outgrowing a small motorcycle.

Ask yourself this question, how much would you pay to have a genuine level of competence and confidence? A bike that confronts you from the first day will restrict your growth of competence and confidence, but remember this is your decision no one else’s!

Seat height has a big impact on your ability to get both feet on the ground, having said that seats can be cut and adjusted to help get your feet to the ground. The height and weight of the motorcycle is very important.

Suspension for a learner should be very pliant and offer a lot of movement as this offers the new rider a wider range of feedback when it comes to the feeling of grip. The harder we make suspension the less feel we have for grip, and grip is essential for both cornering and braking.

Steering geometry is the combination of chassis, steering head and front forks angles. A standard motorcycle generally has a neutral steering geometry which allows a consistent and easy feel for correct steering technique required by all learners. Other motorcycles, such as a cruiser, has a large amount of rake in its steering geometry; which directly affects a learner rider applying the correct steering method. In fact, it can fool a learner into believing they point a wheel and bars to turn the motorcycle. Therefore, Top Rider stopped using this style of motorcycles for learner riders.

Steering geometry affects motorbikes turning and braking efficiency. Generally, the geometry is changed to offer a genre of motorcycle a specific control in a specific range of riding.

Whilst you may not need to understand the physics and engineering of each motorbike, you do need to understand the trade-offs.

Standard/Naked

These bikes have a very neutral/standard steering geometry, offering great steering inputs at all speeds. You can do u turns comfortably, manoeuvre quickly around town and turn well for road speeds. Due to the neutral steering, the bike has a braking bias of about 75 fronts to 25 rear, meaning braking is very balanced. Seat position is neutral allowing for weight directly over foot pegs and very relaxed hands to bars. This offers the ability to recognise hazards due to your head position, and it allows a body position that permits quick manoeuvring. The only con is the body is open to wind effects at speed.

Sports

These bikes have a very aggressive steering head angle, some call it steep, which allows the motorcycle to turn quickly at speed. Due to this you can suffer from steering wobbles on rough surfaces at speed, and they are difficult to do u turns with. The steep steering head angle affects the braking bias, where braking on front can be 85% and 15% rear. The seat position has the riders head into the wind, foot pegs are further back and handle bars are more in front; which leads to a lot of weight into bars around town and this can affect observation. The fairings hold heat around the rider during summer and city riding can be difficult. These bikes excel at high speeds, where the wind takes weight off the rider’s arms areo dynamically and the fairings deal with wind efficiently. These bikes are made for race tracks. They are difficult for long distance trips due to rider positioning.

Cruiser motorcycle

These motorcycles front forks are heavily raked and the wheel track is long, which makes them ideal for country cruising. They are incredibly stable at high speeds and over rough road surfaces. The cons are they cannot turn quick at speed, have low ground clearance and can be difficult to do u turns with. The steering geometry of these bikes are not ideal for learners, as they give the rider the impression that you point the front wheel in direction of turn. Braking is compromised by the heaviness of these bikes however, they enjoy a very balanced brake bias of 70% front to 30% percent rear. Generally, the seat position is quite low on these bikes and has the rider leaning back and exposes the rider to wind effects.

Adventure/Trail/Motard

These bikes generally have very quick steering and are made to be stable over rough ground. They are very good at u turns, very quick in avoidance and the brake bias is extremely good allowing a 75% front to 25% rear. Seating position is neutral and has you sitting fairly high on these type bikes which is brilliant for all round observation whether it be around town out in the bush. They are not very good for those who are short legged and they are difficult when riding into the wind and generally high-speed cornering is not as stable as other genres. The tyres on these motorcycles are usually made to deal with dirt and road so the grip of the tyres are not as good as other genres; riders do need a good understanding of grip.

Scooter

Generally, most scooters have a very steep steering head combined with a short wheel base. The wheels are also very small, giving a very different steering action to most motorcycles. They can do u turns very well and are very manoeuvrable around tight pockets which makes them an ideal commuter. Braking on a scooter is generally 70% front 30% rear. They are very balanced, however do not offer opportunity to grip with lower torso for efficient braking. Because of their steering geometry, chassis and size of wheels they are not stable over rough ground and it can be difficult to feel grip when turning and braking on wet road surfaces. The seating position is very neutral and allows for great observation for the rider, however it leaves riders heavily exposed to wind. Generally, most scooters do come with wind deflectors however in windy conditions it can affect the scooters stability.

Touring motorcycles

Generally, these motorcycles steer and brake much the same as a standard motorcycle, however they are a lot heavier as they generally have full fairings, large wind screen panniers and a navigational system. They are not great for around town and the heat from the fairings combined with a heavy bike can make the constant stop/start and manoeuvring very difficult.

My suggestion to all learners is to set out a plan for your end goal!

What is your dream motorcycle? Take a picture and put it on your fridge. Start your learning with the easiest motorcycle to ride and slowly build up with engine capacity and weight as you gain competence and confidence

Have a plan? Share it with us!

See you on two wheels

Hatto