Motorcycle Store Online

- How much cheaper to own is a motorcycle than a car?
I'm trying to choose between a couple years old honda civic coupe (approx $10k) and a couple year old motorcycle (not sure exactly which one yet, but planning on getting a reliable and affordable bike that is a couple years old). I also will buy a quality helmet, jacket, boots, and gloves. Is insurance more or less expensive? Also take into consideration gas savings, potential medical bills (hopefully not), etc. Specifically, how much cheaper is it?

A Motorcycles are considerably cheaper. The primary cost is much cheaper. You can get a nice, brand new bike for around $8,000 or a one or two year old bike for around $6,000. Insurance varies widely depending on what coverage you're looking for. Liability, that's coverage to pay for things you hit, is generally very cheap with bikes. Collision and Comprehensive, the coverages that pay for the bike if you wreck or it's stolen, varies from person to person but as a general rule, you can get Collision, Comprehensive and liability coverage for under $300/year. That's pretty cheap. What you're not getting is any medical coverage for yourself if you get hurt. That's, for obvious reasons, very expensive coverage to buy on a motorcycle, expect about $100/mo just for that coverage. Motorcycles usually get at least 50mpg, so good savings on gas. If you get decent safety gear you'll spend about a grand on that. So, there's really only two reasons not to get one. First, and you nailed it here, motorcycles are EXTREMELY dangerous. What would ruin your day in a car, say a guy merges into you and scrapes your door, could kill you on a bike. Even if you're an extremely safe rider, who's to say the guy on that cross street is? Oops, didn't see that stop sign, there goes a leg, right? Motorcycle bodily injury coverage, the expensive stuff I was talking about, usually only covers up to $10,000, and that's if you buy a lot of it. So that coverage could be used up with just one helicopter ride to the hospital. The rest would be on your own dime. A couple days in the hospital can easily cost over $100,000. So, if you're on a bike, you MUST have your own health insurance. The other issue is, what do you do when it rains? "Sorry boss, can't come in until the rain stops . . . " If you live in Arizona, or maybe LA, you can get away with having a bike for your only vehicle, just about anywhere else, it's just stupid.

- Is a Honda Shadow VLX 600 Deluxe a decent motorcycle for a beginning motorcyclist with hardly any experience?
I'm taking the MSF course next week, have read Proficient Motorcycling, will wear full gear including helmet, gloves, armor, etc., and am looking to buy a bike after I get my license. I'm a heavier guy, twenty years old, and want to do it the right way. Follow me? Is a cruiser-style okay? Is 600cc too large for me, given I'm bigger than most guys? I like cruisers and the Honda brand but am not limiting myself to them, and am not looking to spend more than around $3500. Would greatly appreciate feedback! Thanks!

A Size for size, cruisers are easier to manage and easier to ride than standards or sportbikes. In fact 600 is -small- for a cruiser. I read that more than half of all buyers of new Harley Davidsons are either complete newbies or coming back to motorcycles after 20-30 years (raising a family, no doubt). When I read this I wondered why total beginners would want such a big, heavy bike. Then last year I rented a Harley for a day, a Heritage Softail, probably the biggest Harley ever made. 700 pounds! I was just astonished at how easy it was to ride. The low seat and low center of gravity made it very easy to manage. It's not a good handling bike, but it handles very easily. A 600 would be a piece of cake. And Honda is a very good company, actually all the Japanese mfgrs are very good. A Yamaha Star 650 would be good too. Cruisers are also statistically safer, probably because of the way they're ridden. Sport bikes are designed to push the limits but cruisers are made for a relaxed, laid-back style of riding.