Choosing Your Motorcycle - How to Choose the Best Bike for Your Needs

This month's column is about choosing the best motorcycle to fit your needs. Selecting the right bike might just help keep you out of a situation where you need a motorcycle lawyer! Before we get to my list of criteria for selecting your bike, I thought it might be useful to put together a few questions you should be asking yourself as you make this decision.

How long have you been riding?
Do you have beginner, intermediate or expert level riding skills?
What type of riding will you be doing?
Weekend tours and rallies?
Offroad?
Commuting to work or school?
What kinds of streets will you be on?
Surface streets?
The freeway or interstate?
Rural 2-lane blacktops?

Once you've answered these general questions about your goals and desires for riding, you can attack these more specific questions and criteria.

Assess your needs - Will you be riding in heavy traffic, long distances or only on weekends? For instance, if you are looking for a weekend toy, you might be tolerant of a sleek, but uncomfortable bike. However, if you plan on using your motorcycle to take you to work each day, you will need comfort, storage and durability.