Best Entry Level Motorcycles

Cool New Entry Level Motorcycles

There comes a time in a lot of guy's lives when they walk into a motorcycle dealership, for the first time, to look at some 2 wheeled vehicles to get the adrenaline going. Whatever the motivation for getting a motorcycle, the decision is almost always a difficult one to make no matter how many friends you have that are telling you what to buy. There are so many choices of bikes and even more options to pick from. Depending on whom you ask you could get dozens of bike opinions for a good starter bike. Ask the sales guy and he will say to get a super fast sport bike that is 600cc or larger or get the really big cruiser style bike with all the chrome. Ask an older adventure rider and he would probably suggest getting a used small bike, so you can scratch it up, and still sell it for the same price after a year like a ninja 250.

But please step away from the loan documents for a second, there is another option out there! For those of us over the age of 35 there might be a memory of a type of bike that ABC's Wide World of Sports used to showcase quite often. If you are of the younger generation you can just search for Superbikers on youtube.com. The bikes of that time were large bore 2 stroke dirt bikes that were running flat-tracker rims and racing slick style tires. They raced these bikes on dirt and asphalt and were really entertaining to watch. This might get you thinking though "I can't street title a 2 stroke bike" and you would be right (except for the higher end KTM and Husqvarna bikes, but those are not entry level bikes), so Suzuki, Yamaha, Honda, and Kawasaki give you the next best option. What they did was to take a dirt bike and put wide street oriented rims on it and make it street legal, with a low maintenance four-stroke motor! And BAM! What you end up with is a fun bike that is a good tool for learning to ride on. Then if you wreck or drop it, the cost would not be $1000 to replace just the plastic like a sportbike. They call these bikes supermotos. The entry level versions from the big 4 are all low budget and easy to maintain, which is perfect for a new rider trying to figure stuff out. They also have an upright seating position that is much more comfortable than a sportbike.

So now you might be thinking what would the appeal be to get a supermoto instead of a cruiser or sportbike? That question has several answers. One reason is the durability of the bike. You can ride a supermoto on gravel, dirt, trails, street, or anywhere really, they are that versatile. They are lighter than the other types of bikes too so they are easier to pick up if you drop it. The real kicker to these bikes is the handling. Search for some videos on youtube or break.com of the recent supermoto races and watch the bikes sliding into a corner. It is like a cross between drifting and formula 1 racing. The bikes can flat out take a corner like the old electric slot cars from our youth.

These bikes are just the entry level stuff too, fast enough to put a grin on your face but not overpowering like even the smallest of the sportbikes can be at times. As you progress you can step up to the converted motocross bikes that have about double the horsepower and weigh even less, though some of them are tough to get street plates for. At least hopefully this will give you an idea for something a little more unique of a ride that can be a lot more fun at less than insane speeds. Remember that most of these bikes can't make it to 100mph so if Mom and Dad are cosigning the loan they would be happier knowing this info for sure.