How do you know which bike to buy?

[No Worries]

How did you figure which bike to buy? Or how are you determining which bike to get next? Do you read reviews in magazines? Sit on them at the dealer and decide which feels best? Which one looks the best? Which one has the highest HP? The fastest? The most expensive? A Gixxer because all the stunters use them? The best according to the internet?

I like to read magazine reviews. I have a bunch of Zerox boxes full of motorcycle magazines from the late 70's to the mid 90's. I recently saw a 1995 Yamaha YZF750 for sale. I dug through my mags and found the April, 1996 issue of Motorcyclist Magazine where they compared the YZF against the GSX-R750 and ZX-7R.

The new (at the time) lightweight GSX-R won the competition. But to me, it wasn't the best bike. The Yami had the best brakes, made the least HP, only 103, had the best fit and finish, had the smoothest-shifting tranny, was the largest and roomiest, had the biggest fuel tank, and the best wind protection.

The Suzuki had to stay between 10,000 and 13,000 to go 2 full seconds quicker around the track than the Yamaha. It was also a half second quicker in the 1/4 mile. So if one only looked at the track and 1/4 mile time, the Suzuki is the winner. But I read deeper into the article and I actually ride on the streets, so the Yamaha was the winner for my tastes.

By the way, when I started looking through my magazines and finally found the right magazine, after looking through all the other articles, the bike had sold. Maybe next time.