What motorcycle do I buy? Practical guide to choosing my first large motorcycle

Although many of us would like it, bikers are not born with a motorcycle between our legs. If you just got your A2 motorcycle license or if you dream of having a motorcycle but you don't know which one to start withWe are going to try to give you options of all kinds so that you can get ideas and can choose appropriately.

What motorcycle do I buy? Sports, city, scooter, trail, classic, field … Motorcycles are a world and you have to start your house with the foundations, so here we leave you a selection of what options you have as good first motorcycles for beginners in all segments.

Scooter: the logical beginning

One of the logical steps when it comes to becoming interested in motorcycles as a means of transport, especially if there is no previous experience in the world of two wheels, is to look at the scooter that practical element that helps us move from one place to another without greater difficulty than accelerating and braking, perfect for the city.

Without gears, scooters represent one of the segments that keep the two-wheel market afloat, precisely because they are easy to carry and those motorcycles with which many of us have learned to move.

But there is life beyond small 125cc scooters, and lots of it too. With the A2 card in hand, you can choose a constellation that ranges from the most basic and practical to the most radical postulates. The Vespa GTS 300 (5,379 euros, and also in electric version) are as popular as they are satisfactory when it comes to driving around town, but you can also look for the distinguished touch of a tall wheel like the well-known Honda SH300i (5,739 euros).

The daring extreme is given by those large and powerful scooters with representatives such as the renewed Suzuki Burgman 400 (7,799 euros) or the unleashed contest between sports maxi scooters such as the Kymco AK 550 (9,949 euros) and the Yamaha TMax (starting at 12,299 euros).

Custom: Maximum style

Do you dream of a Harley-Davidson? Would you love to pose on an Indian with your tattoos hidden under a leather jacket full of patches? Well, to get to that level, you first have to start with lighter motorcycles, because although your seat is too low we must learn to move a motorcycle that weighs less during our first steps on a motorcycle.

Both in terms of size and stability, ease of use and the inestimable confidence that comes from being able to reach well with both feet on the ground, small custom bikes are great motorcycles to start in the world of two wheels with a lot of style.

Although small displacement custom cars are in the doldrums in recent years, Honda has recovered this segment bringing back the little rebels. Maintaining the philosophy that made them the most popular bikes long ago, the Honda CBX500 Rebels now introduce a more modern style ready to conquer the young public.

With a 471 cubic-centimeter parallel twin engine and 45 hp of perfect power for the A2 license, it is one of the most reasonable (and reliable) options on the market for new motorcycles for a price of tariff of 6,100 euros.

Retro: A lot of style (too) with a sophisticated touch

If the classic roll But the custom is not your thing, there are other options that share many of their characteristics with the Rebels that make them good bikes to start with. Comfortable, intuitive to ride and highly capable, classic-style bikes can become great companions without giving up their touch of cool posture.

Here we have more options to choose from, because the retro motorcycle segment has been hit hard by fashion and manufacturers have been striving to offer highly diversified ranges. Triumph for example, it offers the Street family, with the basic Street Twin, a café racer-style Street Cup and a more country-style Street Scrambler starting at 9,100 euros, somewhat more expensive but with a more generous 55 hp engine.

Staying in Europe we also have the Ducati proposal with its Scrambler, limitable motorcycles for the A2 that, although they are easy to use in any circumstance, do not renounce their traditional touch of sportsmanship. The Scrambler 800 Icon starts in 8,990 euros It is followed by up to six variants (including the Café Racer and Desert Sled) with a good 73 hp from its Desmodue V-twin.

Below them is the Scrambler Sixty2, a motorcycle of more accessible conception equipped with a 400 cc engine and a price of 7,790 euros.

Sport: Adrenaline free bar

The strong emotions and adrenaline they are perhaps the main reasons why we love motorcycles. Within this extensive market for motorcycles of all kinds there is also a place for a popular segment like few others: that of sports cars.

Practically all the brands have produced scale models of their great aspirational motorcycles without having to get into motorcycles with more than 100 hp, because sometimes less is more to have fun and A2 card users also need an injection of pure fun. Light, effective and with an aggressive aesthetic, the small sports are one of the most nourished segments.

Yamaha has the YZF-R3 (5,699 euros), Kawasaki the forceful Ninja 400 (still without official price), Suzuki the affordable GSX-R250 (5,340 euros), KTM the RC 390 possibly with the best chassis and cycle part in the category (5,499 euros) and Honda the CBR500R (6,350 euros). Many of them are candidates for the Supersport 300 world title, but they are all exciting although at the same time a perfect school to get started on R motorcycles.

Naked: The logical choice without giving up anything

Another of the most nurtured segments and that comes a little behind the previous one is that of the naked bikes. The multipurpose saddles with wide handlebars and no aerodynamic protection inherit many of the components of the sports versions in small / medium displacement motorcycles, but at a lower price that makes them more popular.

Thus, following the models in the previous section we have the KTM 390 Duke, Yamaha MT-03 (5,249 euros), Honda CB500F (5,900 euros) or the daring CB300R presented at EICMA 2017. But there are also options that go a bit further in terms of capabilities, but they are still good bikes to learn at a very interesting price.

For example, and as at the moment there is no naked version of the Ninja, Kawasaki has the recently renewed Z650 (6,960 euro) or the recovered Suzuki SV650 (6,690 euros), both bikes limited to the A2 and ready to fill their future with satisfaction. owners once the A.

Trail: All trails are valid

With more and more followers eyeing multivalent motorcycles, motorcycles small displacement trail They are emerging to delight those who want a single motorcycle for everything. Going to work, traveling, escaping on weekends and even having fun is possible with the new generation of small trails.

BMW has released the G 310 GS (6,050 euros), Kawasaki has the Versys-X 300 (6,160 euros) and Suzuki released the V-Strom 250 last year in the image and likeness of its older 650 and 1000 cc sisters.

It only remains for this segment that the bets of KTM and Yamaha arrive, which will arrive, for sure. For now we have to continue dreaming a step above with the future Ténéré 700 and with the 790 Adventure R that will come to compete on the brown side of the Honda CB500X, BMW F 750 and 850 GS and Versys 650.

Offroad: Not afraid of getting dirty

And if you are one of those who wants adventure without concessions, relax, there are also options for you. Possibly one of the best picks on the extreme of license plate offroad bikes could be the Honda CRF250 Rally, a bike that takes Honda's on-field experience and spreads it with a Dakarian flair for 6,000 euros.

Considering that the objective of your trips is the journey itself, no matter how complicated it is without caring the least about the destination, Royal Enfield has a good option that also belongs to the menu available for the A2 card.

The Royal Enfield Himalayan It has many ballots to sell itself well, and it is that it does not give up anything that you may need when it comes to pulling miles. Robust like few others, with an authentic image of a classic adventure motorcycle and with a single cylinder 410 cc engine, the 4,395 euros they are a great cover letter.

Both are light, reliable, with a contained size, capable off-road and with a good dose of "throw me all the mud you want that I do not care."