Bike Touring

Picking The Right Motorcycle For The Road

Do you have the right motorcycle for your needs? Whether you are looking for an off road motorcycle or a touring motorcycle for long highway drives, Yamaha is one manufacturer that has something for everyone. Lets review all the options that are available to you.

If youre looking for adventure, motorcycling is a great way to scratch your itch. Still, there is adventure and then there is adventure. Riding over rough mountain passes on a dual-sport bike like Yamahas WR250X is a great way to spend your day. But try that on Yamahas FJR1300A sport-tourer and youll come to fully appreciate the multiple layers of truth in the saying, Adventure is taking inappropriate equipment to out-of-the-way places.

On the other hand, if adventure for you is a 10-state tour on two wheels, that FJR is going to serve you a whole lot better than the WR. Theres a reason why Yamaha and the other manufacturers offer extensive lines of different motorcycles. Not all riders are the same and not all adventures are the same.

Lets stick with Yamaha. On their website they break their models into two main categories, street motorcycles and off-road motorcycles. The street category is then broken down further into super sport (5 models), super-sport touring (1), adventure (1), and dual purpose (4). Off-road breaks down to motocross (5) and off-road (8). Thats 24 different models. Sure, you could take that FJR over that rocky, rutted pass, but why in the world would you? Pick the right machine for the job.

Yamahas five super sport models are all sportbikes meant for aggressive riding on the street or on the track. They range in price from the FZ6R at $7, 490 to the YZF-R1 at $13, 590. The super-sport touring category consists solely of the FJR1300A, at $15, 490. If you like to do day rides with your buddies, go with the former; if you want to hit the road for extended periods, the latter.

If your ambitions are off-road and you want to cover serious distances, Yamahas adventure bike, the Super Tenere ($13, 900) is the one for you. This is a bike you might ride around the world. Or, for just kicking up some dirt and having a ball, while having the ability to get to that dirt without having to load the bike on a trailer, the dual-purpose models run from the TW200 ($4, 490) to the WR250X ($6, 509).

Shifting to the more seriously dirt-oriented models, Yamahas motocross bikes range from the YZ85 ($3, 850) to the YZ450F ($8, 150). These are the bikes youre going to want if catching air and hitting the ground hard is your thing. Youll be spending most of your time at tracks or motocross parks. And youll be hauling the bike there rather than riding it there.

Or maybe youre the type who likes to load up the trailer with bikes for every member of the family and go camping for the weekend. Youre going to be following trails through the woods, maybe picking your way over some logs or boulders, and you need knobby tires and deep suspension to do that. Yamahas largest category, the off-road bikes, starts at the low end with the PW50 ($1, 290) and goes up to the WR450F ($7, 650). Youre bound to find the right bike for each of you in that group.

Once again, it all comes down to your definition of adventure. You can make of it whatever suits you. Maybe youre hard core, and the quote that works best for you is Adventure is trouble in the past tense. Fine. Go ahead and have a ball working that FJR over the boulders. But if you dont buy into the line that, Adventure is just bad planning, you really should choose the right bike for the road youll be on. Or wont be on. Its your choice.

For New York Motorcycles, visit Island Powersports at www.IslandPowersports.com or call 516-795-4400. We have rock bottom pricing, outstanding customer service, and knowledgeable staff to satisfy your thirst for fun. Schedule an appointment today to get out and ride!