Choosing a Motorbike

Some of you reading this will be experienced motorcyclists. Others will be complete beginners, like myself. Some will have extensive motorcycle maintenance skills. Others know only that a motorbike has two wheels and an engine but no idea how the thing goes forward... From what I've read and heard from other people, I believe that the bike you choose will depend on two factors:

1) what you are comfortable "to do" and

2) what you are comfortable "to pay".

If you're willing and able to do more then I think you can pay less (if you want to) and buy an old bike. Moreover, if you are unwilling or unable to pay more then you're going to need to learn how to do more.

Modern motorbikes, if well looked after, generally don't breakdown. They need care and regular attention but engines these days are very well made. There may be inherent weaknesses in a particular component of a certain make of motorcycle but you will be able to find this out using the internet and a local motorcycle garage before you go. I'll go over bike preparation and rider preparation in other sections of this site.

The type of terrain you'll be encountering will affect your choice. Will you be riding on well paved roads, dirt roads or a mixture of both?

Another factor you need to consider is the economic environment you'll be riding your bike through. Expensive, flashy bikes may become an invitation to bike-jackers or thieves. A £20,000 Harley Davidson will be less conspicuous in Western Europe than it would in Central America. Think about where you're going and choose your motorbike accordingly.

For example, I...

...am new to riding motorbikes so am only comfortable going up to 750cc.

...will be riding on paved and dirt roads.

...wanted something that was reliable.

...wanted something that I could adapt relatively cheaply for long distance touring.

...wanted a make that was common so I could get parts and mechanics everywhere.

...wanted something that wasn't (or didn't look) expensive. (I know this is relative!)

...wanted something that I could maintain myself.

Chris Scott [Adventure Motorcycling Handbook] has a great section on choosing a motorbike. I highly recommend reading it.

Anyway, for me it came down to: Honda Africa Twin, Honda Transalp or BMW F650GS. In the end I found a good value, ex-rental Transalp. I little newer than I'd hoped (so it does look quite expensive) but I love it!

Organised Motorcycle Tours

There are many Motorcycle Touring Companies out there that will take you on a trip through their part of the world. It is likely that they will be able to tell you what sort of bike you will need for the tour. They will also offer to rent a motorbike to you for the trip or help transport your motorbike over to them. Do a search in Google with the text "motorcycle touring company" + [your destination] and you'll find hundreds of them. I am going to assume that you ARE NOT using one of these motorbike touring companies to plan your trip.

Now you need to decide whether to ship your motorbike to your destination start point or rent or buy one when you get there. See more details on each of these options in the should I ship? section.