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Does anyone have any suggestions on a relatively cheap bike that would be good for someone starting out?
I'd suggest a Mid 90's Honda Nighthawk. They're dirt cheap (2-4k), require very little maintenance, and are sporty enough to sate your desire for speed for quite a while. They have a relatively low center of gravity, and are fairly light, which decreases the likelihood of you dropping the bike. They are 'flickable' enough for you to appreciate their cornering ability. And when you graduate to a newer, more powerful bike in 6 months, they'll probably be worth what you paid... maybe a little more.
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I would prefer a sport bike over touring (that the name?) but if it looked good I'd still consider either.
There are literally dozens of classifications of bikes. I'd say the four main varieties are:
1. Cruisers. These bikes are usually V-twins, large bore, slow, underpowered, anemic, have lots and lots of chrome, and are usually ridden by leather clad mid-40's tattoo adorned yuppies with varying degrees of facial hair- usually wearing skullcaps. Most school buses could outcorner them.
2. Sport bikes. Commonly referred to as 'Crotch Rockets'. The bikes are usually ridden by young men with small penises who are fond of plastering various Japanese Kanji all over their roadrashed fairings. The performance modern sport bikes are capable of is mindboggling, but is rather pointless unless you take the bike to a track. There simply isn't need for 180+ horsepower (at the crank) for riding on the street.
3. Touring. Big 2-wheeled behemoths. Think 'Goldwing'. They are built for the express purpose of traveling great distances with a minimum of discomfort.
4. Sport touring. This is the fastest growing segment of the 4 types of bike I've mentioned, but still accounts for the least amount of riders. This type of bike is exactly what it sounds like; a hybrid of a 'Touring' bike and a 'Sport bike'. BMW makes a lot of Sport Tourers. Other examples would be the Honda VFR Interceptor, Yamaha FJR1300, Kawasaki ZZR1200, and the Yamaha FZ1. These bikes are usually relatively agile and very powerful, but are still comfortable enough to enjoy day long rides. The downside is that a jack of all trades is master of none.
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are there any tips on things you should be absolutely certain of knowing when you go for your test?
I'd suggest you take the MSF Class (Motorcycle Safety Foundation). This is a 2 day class that can be taken in lieu of the 'Driving Exam' (You must still take the written exam at the DMV). Most states honor this program.
I guarantee you will learn things at MSF. For example... If you are on the freeway and turn the handlebars to the left, which direction will the bike go? If your fish-tailing what should you do? If you are going through a corner too hot, what should you do (or more importantly, what should you
NOT do)?
If you decide to take the driving exam at the DMV, borrow the smallest bike you possibly can. The test includes a lot of 'low speed maneuvering' type of stuff which is extremely difficult on a large bike.
As for the written DMV exam, 5 minutes of studying almost guarantees you pass. Download a couple study guides.
Miscellaneous things you should know about bikes:
They're not as cheap as you might think. Tires for Sport Tourers and Sport Bikes will last no more than 10,000 miles, and you can expect to pay almost $300 for a new set (after mounting). You typically have to replace the chain and sprockets on most bikes at or around 20k, depending on how faithfully you have oiled them. Some bikes require valve adjustments every 4k miles, other bikes, like the R1, only need them every 28k miles. You have to worry about things like fork oil, lubing cables, and you'll need to replace your brakes every 10-30k miles. Also keep in mind that bikes usually don't last 200k miles like most newer cars do.
All of these things won't matter much if you are only going to be a 1-percenter, a person that only gets on the bike once a week to impress the neighbors while puttin' down to the local Circle K to buy diapers. However, if you ride the bike regularly, it can become a nuisance, not to mention costly.
You are a fool if you think you are going to save a lot of money because bikes get such good gas mileage.