Motorcycle Safety & Driveability: motorcycle help, motorcycle safety foundation, car mileage

Question
Hi William,

I am looking to buy a bike to do a bit of road-trip(longs ride) and to ride in the city.  I have no experience what so ever.  I don't know if how many CC should I get and the km(I want to buy a used bike).  I have no idea if a 500CC is twice stronger than a 1000 and how many power should I have.  I'm looking for a sport bike(ninja type) for 1000$ to 3000$.  Also, is the km like a car.  Having 200000 km means that the car will have a lot of reparation and for a bike how many km is equal of a 200000 km for a car?  I prefer a sport bike but if it is too expensive, I could have a cheaper bike that can ride well. How many km means that the bike is too much used?

I searched on the internet for these questions without an information somewhere.  Please help!

thanks,

Sébastien

Answer
Sébastien,

Thanks for the question.

Before you buy a bike, you need to get some basic rider training. I'm not sure where it is you live, but I'm pretty sure it's not the U.S. Here, we have a program call the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, and they offer a weekend class for new riders.

I would check to see if there is a similar program where you live. If there is, be sure to take it. It will give you some basic skills for safe riding.

As for the bike, you will need something between 500cc (a small bike) and 1000cc (a large bike) if you want to do long rides. Genreally, a larger bike is going to be more comfortable for long rides, as well as more powerful. Probably more expensive, as well.

Bike mileage and car mileage is different. While 50,000km on a car is not much, that is quite a bit for a bike. I'd try to find something than 30,000km or less. And make sure a mechanic checks it out for good tune and condition.

I hope these answers have been helpful to you.

Bill Roberson
Oregon, USA