Buying a motorcycle is one of the most pleasant moments for a motorcycle rider. Before purchasing a motorcycle, you have to ensure your riding type first, whether you want a motorcycle for offroading, highway, or turning. It doesn’t matter whether you are an experienced or a beginner rider. Test riding is one of the most critical steps in selecting the right motorcycle for you. A test ride will allow you to know every detail about the motorcycle and how it performs. More than just reading about the motorcycle specifications, it is required to know all of the motorcycle’s functionality to test riding. To feel and learn about the motorcycle in-depth, you have to ride the motorcycle. Here are some simple tips that can help you test riding a motorcycle.
1. Get prepared for the ride
Motorcycle that you want to buy, do some broad research on that. To get an initial idea and to make your first ride with the motorcycle easier, learn about the motorcycle features and specifications and see some reviews as well. If you have safety gear like a helmet, gloves, jacket, boots, and knee guards, then bring them with you, and if you don’t, then borrow them from your friends. That will save you money. Don’t worry if you need help managing these wearing gear. The dealer or the seller will get you, but when you carry this stuff, it will leave a positive impression on them. Make sure that you are not forgetting to bring your driver’s license with you. Before going for a test ride, make sure they cover insurance. If not, then arrange a temporary coverage. It shows your seriousness, consciousness, and responsibility as a rider. Now, you are all set to go for your test ride. If you need to become more familiar with the road, ask the dealer or the seller.
2. Consider the sitting position
First, you have to make sure about the seat height and comfort. After sitting on the motorcycle seat, see if both feet reach the ground on both sides and if you can balance the motorcycle. Then, see if the seat cushioning and riding posture match your expectations. Make sure you can maintain your natural sitting position with the handlebars and footpegs, and that does not strain your back, wrists, or legs.
3. Engine
Check if the motorcycle gives enough power output as per the CC; it can be commuter, touring, or offroading. Feel the motorcycle’s acceleration and whether it responds well at the low, mid, and higher RPM. Hear the engine sound very closely if any unusual noises are coming from the engine, and when you are riding, try to measure or feel the engine vibration. Excessive vibration will make your motorcycle handle unstable, resulting in control problems and discomfort on a long ride. Remember the engine heating and cooling methods and see if the cooling system is functioning correctly.
4. Handling and Balancing
Drive the motorcycle in sharp turns to check the ability to change directions quickly and balance and handle. Check the weight distribution of the motorcycle and see how it is performing at higher, medium, and lower speeds. If the motorcycle’s weight distribution is good enough, you can easily control the motorcycle at any speed and during turns and lane splitting. To check suspension response, drive the motorcycle on uneven roads so that you can better understand the shock absorption capability of the motorcycle suspension.
5. Breaking system
Check the brakes in normal and aggressive ways with adequate safety considerations. After sudden breaking, see whether the motorcycle can remain stable without skidding the wheels. Motorcycles with a good breaking system can stop the motorcycle in a very short time and a short space without any jerk, even if the motorcycle is running at a high speed.
6. Gear shifting
The last important checking part is gear shifting. Check if the clutch is smooth and that when you shift gears, there is no unusual noise from the gearbox.
Pro tips for a successful test ride.
At this point, I will let you know about those pro tips that I applied while test-riding a motorcycle. Many dealers or sellers might not allow you to test-ride their motorcycle. If so, then avoid buying the motorcycle. This happens when the seller is not authentic and the motorcycle has some issues. When test-riding a single or multiple motorcycles, I note down every single point that I felt about the motorcycle. I always try to avoid taking a short ride. I spent as much time as possible on the motorcycle to find out more details. Instead of a long ride, if you go for a short ride, you may not go even close to understanding the comfort or useability of the motorcycle. After completing a test ride, I observe the motorcycle very closely and think about how far it will fit in with my personal life, like design, if I want to carry some luggage, whether it is possible or not, fuel efficiency, maintenance cost, and more things like that. Beyond all of these, another thing that hits me is the connection with the motorcycle. When I felt anything like the technology and performance overwhelmed me, if it was my desired motorcycle, I was not interested in going forward. When you ride several kinds of motorcycles, you can easily make your own decisions. It is an energy that you can feel with a specific one. You will feel the confidence, energy, and excitement of the right one, and it feels like the motorcycle that I was looking for. Lastly, you have to ask the dealer or the seller whatever question pops up in your mind, sometimes even unusually. I got these tips from my father when I went to buy my first motorcycle. Hope these tips will help you test ride and find out the right motorcycle for you more easily.
When you invest money in a motorcycle, it will not be a short-term investment. You can’t invest in a motorcycle that does not match your desire and then sell the motorcycle to reinvest in another one. Whether you are investing in the right one depends on an overall idea about the motorcycle, and the only way to be well-known about the motorcycle is by test driving. A test ride not only helps you to be confident and secure your investment but also helps you to make an informed decision. At this point, we clearly can relate that to how our next ride with our desired motorcycle will be closely related to test riding. Hope you enjoyed it.