The smartest first purchase on a motorcycle is not the bike. It is a rider course. In the US the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s Basic RiderCourse is built for people who have never ridden, and the school lends you the motorcycle, so you find out whether you like riding before you spend a dollar on one. Most first-time buyers do it the other way around, and that is where the expensive mistakes start.

Here is the order that works: train, get licensed, choose a bike that fits you, then buy gear that fits your head before it fits your style.

Start with training, and let it handle the licence

According to the American Motorcyclist Association, the Basic RiderCourse is meant for beginners aged 16 and up and runs as 5 hours of online learning followed by 10 hours of riding, usually over two days. Motorcycles are provided. In most states, passing it also earns you a waiver of the licence tests, and many insurers discount your policy for completing it. Details differ by state, so check yours. Georgia, for example, publishes that its course graduates receive a 90-day test waiver and that helmets are supplied, and it charges an enrollment fee, so price it in your budget.

In the UK the path is different and more tiered. According to the government’s licence rules, the categories step up with age and power:

• AM: from age 16, mopeds.
• A1: from 17, motorcycles up to 125cc and 11kW.
• A2: from 19, bikes up to 35kW.
• A: unrestricted, from 24 by direct access or from 21 by progressive access after two years on an A2 licence.

Compulsory Basic Training, or CBT, is the entry requirement for the smaller categories. Whichever country you ride in, the licence you hold limits what you can legally buy, so settle that first.

Pick a bike that fits, not one you will grow into

Beginners are told to buy small and cheap, and the advice is sound for a plain reason: you will drop it. A first bike gets dropped in a parking lot at walking speed, and a light, low machine turns that into a scuffed lever instead of a repair bill.

Fit comes down to a few things you can test in a shop without any paperwork:

• Both feet reach the ground. Sit on it and see. Tiptoes at a stoplight is a bad sign.
• You can hold it upright. Take it off the side stand and walk it back and forth. If it already feels heavy, it will feel worse when you are tired.
• The controls reach. Levers should be comfortable with your hands relaxed, and the clutch should not make your fingers ache.
• The power is boring. You want a smooth, forgiving engine you can ride at half effort, not a bike that demands respect every time you open the throttle.

Mid-size standard bikes, cruisers like the one pictured here and the new wave of small-capacity classics all fit that brief. Our piece on the Royal Enfield Classic 350 and Interceptor 650 is a good read on two approachable retro bikes at different sizes, and the Triumph Bonneville story covers the new 400cc entry point into a famous name.

Used or new

A used bike is usually the better first purchase, for the same reason a used bike is the better second one: depreciation hits hardest in the first years, and you are going to scratch the first one anyway. Buy from a dealer or a known private seller, look at the bike cold so you can hear it start, and bring someone who knows bikes if you do not. Check for uneven tire wear, fork seals that weep oil, a chain that is dry and rusted, and any sign the bike has been on its side, such as bent levers, scraped bar ends or cracked plastics.

A new bike makes sense if you want a warranty, you are financing, or you are buying a model with a long record of being forgiving. It costs more, and it will look worse the day it gets its first scratch. Neither choice is wrong. Buying something you are afraid to ride is.

Spend the money on your head first

Gear is the one area where cheap is a false economy. A 2008 systematic study cited on Wikipedia’s helmet page puts the reduction in head injury risk from wearing a helmet at around 69 percent and the reduction in the risk of death at around 42 percent. That is the figure that should drive the purchase.

Look for the certification label, which is DOT in the US and ECE 22 in Europe and many other countries. Neither is a quality ranking beyond meeting the standard, and the DOT standard does not test the chin bar, which is worth knowing if you choose a full-face. Full-face helmets are generally considered the most protective type. Replace a helmet after any hard impact, because the foam inside can be crushed even when the shell looks fine.

For the rest, think in layers: a proper riding jacket with armor, gloves, sturdy boots that cover the ankle and riding pants or jeans with armor. A leather jacket is the classic choice, and our guide to buying a leather jacket explains what separates a fashion piece from something that will actually protect you. If you want a look at the helmet side of the style, we covered the Shark Raw some years ago. Fit is more important than any model name, so try several on and wear each for ten minutes.

A sensible sequence

Take the course, get the licence, buy the helmet and jacket, then buy the bike. Budget for insurance and a first service as well as the sticker price, and ride the first few weeks on quiet roads in daylight. For more bikes worth a look, browse our motorcycles section.