How do I go about choosing a motorcycle?

whats your budget? have you ridden a bike before? are you mechanically minded?
dont get a cbr250r, crazy overpriced for their age. have a look at the honda vtr250 or the kawasaki ninja 250r if you are just starting out,

First you learn to ride. Then you decide.

Just buy a Harley.

I am a small female, my 2 determining factors for every bike I ever had were first, could I flat foot it, or at least come close to flat footing. And second, could I pick it up by myself if it fell over. I always felt it would be the height of embarrassment if my bike went down and I had to ask someone for help getting it up!

I would take a motorcycle safety class. I took one at a Harley plant years ago and they provided bikes for the class. It will give you some experience in riding and bikes in general.

@warwickmcghee My (possibly quite uninformed) budget is around 3k. I feel like I ought to be able to get something decent in that price range. I’m not really mechanically minded but I’m not an idiot. and no I haven’t ridden before.

@rooeytoo How much did that class cost?

not exactly sure how much you could pick up a ninja 250r for or the honda vtr but they are extremely user friendly bikes (but still sporty enough to give you a thrill) that wont let you down and they look pretty cool too. could probably find em for about 4 grand, not sure sorry.

Sound quality and artisic oil leak patterns on the garage floor. It should also take at least three kicks to start (this builds moral character)~.

@jaketheripper – Harley offered them free, all you had to do was have a valid learner’s permit and register for the course. We didn’t have Harleys to ride but I guess they figured it was a good investment in their future to get people interested and informed.

Jeez man, not much for 3k. But I’d say you can get a good bike for about 5.

All sportsbikes over the last few years have been so marginally different that it really doesn’t matter which way you go. I would say don’t go less than 600 cc

It may not be ideal to learn on, but once you learn you are going to want to upgrade QUICKLY.

Just ride as many as you can. You will get the feel. I prefer the Honda CBR600rr. I rode my buddy’s GSX-R 600, felt like crap. So I think it just depends on your preference. He swore it felt great.

Just ride some and see!