Seven Tips for Buying a Cruiser Motorcycle
With fuel at prices that people never dreamed they would see before, many people are inquiring into alternative transportation methods, such as the age-old option of a motorcycle – some of which get 40 to 70 miles per gallon.
For those who are experienced with motorcycles and ride a Harley every day, this article may be useless although entertaining, but for those who have not had a street-bike before or were unsatisfied with what they purchased, then these tips may be useful.
1. Have Some Idea of What You Need
Know the kind of motorcycle for which you are looking. This means more than whether the motorcycle is a Honda or a Yamaha. The person who is going to be the primary rider of the motorcycle needs to decide whether he or she wants a cruiser or a speed-bike (commonly referred to as a “crotch-rocket”).
For anyone who needs to read this article, it would probably be a wise choice to go with the cruiser. The people on crotch-rockets should have grown up riding motorcycles and doing acrobatics on motor-cross tracks. A new rider does not need a bike that goes over 165 mph and permits a “wheelie” at 75 mph.
A rider needs to know whether he or she wants a new motorcycle or a used one. This may be determined by the price-range for which one makes room in his or her budget. Some people only ride Harley Davidson motorcycles – they know what they want.
Most importantly, get something that is the right size for you personally, a motorcycle upon which you are comfortable and can maneuver effectively. You are going to be the one riding it.
You do not want a cruiser that is too big, and neither do you want a bike that is too small. A bike that is too big may be too heavy – but a bike that is too small will leave you unsatisfied because you will quickly “outgrow” it.
2. According to Your Budget, Create a Price Range
Determine a reasonable price-range and stick with it. If you are looking for a used-bike that costs around $2000 because you live on a budget like most people, then do not jump onto the new $12,000 motorcycle shining like a diamond on the showroom floor and pull out your credit card to ride away.
You should decide on your price-range, and then you should stick to it. It would be a shame for anyone to purchase a motorcycle and then have the financial aspect of paying for it ruin the experience that he or she has while riding it.
Be prepared to pay about 10-15% above the advertised-price of the motorcycle because of fees geared toward tax, title, and registration costs, which a lot of motorcycle shops will complete for you.
If you are planning to finance your new motorcycle, then do not forget to include the cost of interest on what you agree to pay for the motorcycle. Some motorcycle shops advertise fantastic interest rates until a year is over – then you get hit with the “balloon-interest”.
From that point forward, you are paying primarily interest, not for the motorcycle. So, shop around whether you have to inquire into a bank-loan, a loan at the motorcycle shop, or a credit-card account, some of which offer interest as low as either of the aforementioned options.
3. Check at Local Motorcycle Shops
Check around at the local motorcycle shops in the area to get a general idea of the selection, a range of prices, and the diversity of the motorcycle-market.
Whether you are an experienced rider or not, the salesperson should be eager to sell you a motorcycle. Instead of getting frustrated, conned, or making an impulse-purchase, ask the salesperson a lot of questions. See what you can learn without being taken on a motorcylce that you are not ready to buy.
Remember that he or she is trying to sell you a motorcycle – it is his or her job, so trust yourself more than the salesperson. The salesperson is human too, has a family to feed, and probably works on commission.
If a shop ensures its motorcycles, then it may let you test-ride one (at least a used one), but you have to provide a valid motorcycle license. Many shops do not ensure their motorcycles so that they do not allow people to test-ride them at all.
If a shop does not allow people to ride the motorcycles, then demand that they take you for a ride or at least crank the motorcycles in which you are interested. Browsing for a motorcycle from an individual may increase the chances that you will be able to test-ride one in which you are interested.
This being said, no one would ever buy a car without test-driving it, so do what you have to do to test-ride a motorcycle or have someone take you for a ride. Even cranking the engine does not inform a rider well enough of how the bike will perform on the road.
Also, while you are at the shop, inquire into the common accessories such as a new helmet, a sissy-bar, or saddlebags. Browse around the accessories section to get familiar with the products and the prices while you think about what you need for the bike you choose.
4. Exercise Patience
As with many things, shopping for a cycle is out of your personal control and dependent on a lot of other people. It can be stressful because of the money, because the situation may be new or seem dangerous. So, do not cease to be patient in your search for the right one.
The more you look for what you want, exhaust all the resources of shops and individuals, and stick to your price range, then the happier you will be when you finally find the bike you want.
5. Watch the Classifieds and Sales Publications
In the meantime, watch your local classified ads. The best deals are usually from a person who is selling a motorcycle as opposed to the local motorcycle shop. A lot of people rid themselves of motorcycles because of injury, bad health, or financial woes.
Similarly, pick up a publication such as the Cycle Trader that advertises motorcycles from both individuals and motorcycle shops. The disparity in prices between individuals selling motorcycles and companies selling motorcycles may be worthwhile to discriminate.
If there exists a monthly publication for the sale of motorcycles – then go to it! You may even get online for the search of a motorcycle, just type in Cycle Trader and see what happens.
6. Get a Second Opinion – Both Human and Digital
When you find a motorcycle about which you seriously consider buying, then get a second opinion about it. Whether your second opinion is from a friend who rides one or even from somebody who used to ride one, just find the assistance of someone who has experience with motorcycles.
Your second opinion will be able to identify problems – and positive qualities – that more inexperienced-riders may not gather from the smooth-talk of the salesperson.
The person who is trying to sell a motorcycle says, “Oh, yeah, it runs great, good engine, never had any problems out of it,” just before he or she starts scratching an ear and shifting his or her eyes to the floor.
In addition to having a friend, relative, or acquaintance help you out with those you are serious about buying, get the digital second opinion by looking up the Blue Book value for bikes about which you are interested on the internet. There are reviews about all manner of bikes on the internet – so do not be afraid to invest your time and do a little research.
When people are buying a car, most do not want to buy one that has over 100,000 miles on it. For those buying a motorcycle, the reasonable limitation for miles on bike is about 20,000 miles because of the relatively tiny engine in comparison to a car.
7. When You Find the Bike You Want
When you find the bike you want and finally decide to make the purchase, then be safe and ride for your life. Become a traffic-director while you are riding if that is what you have to do in order to survive.
Wave those around who would rather kiss your back tire with their front bumper. One rumor is that drivers in cars cannot see cyclists – thus, they ride on your back tire just to see you. It is your responsibility to be visible to other drivers whether with clothing, extra lights, or hand gestures.
Do not be afraid to give the bike some gas to get out of a “tight-spot”. Keeping one’s distance from the other vehicles is probably the number-one priority for bikers geared toward getting to a destination.
Your main duty is just to guide your motorcyle where it needs to go. You may find that – in some sense – you have to drive for everyone else as well, but you can only do this within limits. Drivers inside of other vehicles are unfortunately not paying as much attention to what they are doing as you are – because a motorcyclist is more exposed to the elements of wind, rain, and concrete.
You may take a Motorcycle Operator’s Course with others who are in the same situation you are. You may also find that you no longer smoke while driving, talk on the mobile phone or with passengers, or get lost in the volume of your stereo – in favor of simply watching the road and all of the vehicles that seem to be in such a hurry to get somewhere.
One experienced biker confessed that people in vehicles should probably learn how to drive in general on a motorcycle – if only so that they understand the sense of fatal consequences, whether for you, another driver, or someone’s passengers, that may result from even a single moment of mindlessness while on highways anywhere.
Finally, carry enough tools somewhere on the motorcycle to perform simple tasks such as taking off the battery and checking the oil at least. Regarding the maintenance of the cycle, completing routine tasks keeps a person on the road instead of on the shoulder where no one wants to be.
