THE RIGHT BIKE?
JIMMY LEWIS
PHOTOS BY DREW RUIZ TREVOR HUNTER
If there is one question we get more than any other, “What is the
Competition or Not
right bike for me?” Now it may not come across in those specific
One easy breakdown is to understand if the rider is looking to
words, but the question is always prevalent. One may be com-
compete or not. That will really split the field in the types of bikes.
paring two or more motorcycles like “I have bike X, is bike Z a
There are bikes designed and built for competition and there are
better choice for me?” Or, more common is the classic “What do
ones that don’t really fit in that group. Now it is quite true that if
you think about the ‘insert bike name here?’”
two guys line up next to each other on motorcycles, a race will break out, but we’ll leave that one alone. Do you think for even a
If you are an experienced rider, this may seem like such a naive
minute one of the manufacturers imagined the 110cc play bike
question, but then again, we get asked this all the time so it must
would be raced around by adults in backyards?
hold water. Many soon-to-be or new riders are even afraid to ask this question for fear of ridicule. It isn’t the easiest to answer, but
Competition bikes are more aggressive, more focused, and less
we’re going to attempt to break it down. Why? You may learn a
durable when not maintained to a higher level. Typically, they
few new tricks, just like I did in challenging myself to write this.
require a higher skill level to operate proficiently and offer even long-time riders the ability to grow in skill without the bike need-
Where Do We Start?
ing modifications. The downside is competition machines are less
Let’s start by asking a few questions, one in particular. What type
versatile, require modifications to go outside their intended use,
of riding do you plan to do? You may not even know the type of
and even at that, some things are difficult to alter–think transmis-
riding, or it’s specific genre. But something is inspiring you to get
sion ratios, stiffer chassis and suspension settings, fuel range,
a motorcycle. Don’t worry, a quick search of photos or videos
and lack of creature comforts as simple as a kick-stand.
will likely answer that question, but more specific information is needed. Don’t use a picture of just the bike. Yes, “Mr. Know-It-
Non-competition bikes go from the beginner or entry-level types
All” (a novice rider) will point at a dual-purpose bike and not know all the way to full-blown adventurer touring rigs that basically whether it’s for supercross or trail riding. You look right over the
are expert-level machines. Yes, just as a beginner can operate a
fact that those two bikes look very similar to an untrained eye.
competition bike, so too can it take an expert to operate one not designed to be raced. Even further, some entry-level bikes pack
A lot of us have been to a dual-purpose event and there is always enough performance for seasoned riders who know how little of that one person that shows up on a motocross bike and has no
a machine’s ability they actually need and use. With this simple
idea what’s wrong. It’s a motorcycle, isn’t it? To the uninformed,
yes or no question answered, you can narrow the focus: Are you
all “those types” of bikes look the same. So for targeting the
going to race?
correct machine, generally identifying physical riding location will be a better indicator. If they choose a stadium over a lush green
Category
forest, that should tell you something. Even for those in the riding
In choosing a category or discipline, lines get blurred and
game for a while, some of the specific genres of equipment go
mistakes are made. In the past, there were do-all motorcycles
unnoticed. Multiple brands have bikes that go from motocross to
because there were so few choices. The push to make dirt bikes
trail riding and look very similar. The prices and spec sheet will
better led to segmenting and sharper targets. Motocross, off-road
not necessarily tell you which one is the right choice. Purchas-
race bikes, play bikes, dual-purpose, and adventure all became
ing “almost” the right bike isn’t that uncommon. Here is where it starts to get tricky.
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