Six (and a Half) Tips for Riding On the Cheap

By Cameron Vanderhorst - June 18, 2019

With a little maintenance, some bargain shopping, and basic know-how you can keep your checking account happy.

Motorcycling can be an expensive hobby. That’s especially true when it comes to Harley-Davidsons. However, if you’re a beginning motorcyclist, and you want to save a little bit of money, this YouTube video from Yammie Noob has six (and a half) tips to help you out.

While this video is more focused on the sport bike crowd, there’s still some sound advice to be found within.

The first tip is to stay on top of basic preventative maintenance. Not only can it prevent expensive major repairs, if you do it yourself, you can save a ton of cash.

Plus, getting to know your bike in this way will help you to keep an eye on your motorcycle’s performance and catch small problems before they become big problems. As Noob says, “You can avoid maintenance with regular maintenance!” It might sound silly, but it makes a lot of sense when you think about it.

For reassurance, Noob adds that “If you’ve got half a brain, a basic tool kit, and know that left is loose and right is tight, you’ll probably be fine.”

Of course, it’s important to know when you might end up going in over your head. Tip number two is to know when a job is too big for you and should be left to the professionals. If you try to do something you can’t handle and mess it up, it’s going to cost even more money for a professional to fix it, so know when to tap out before you start swinging wrenches.

Tip number three is to buy used specialized gear. Stuff you might not wear every day — like a rain suit — can be had at huge savings used. There’s a good chance the previous owner didn’t use it much, and it’s likely that you won’t either. If you like keeping this stuff around, shop smart and save your money.

The next tip struck us as pretty self-explanatory, but apparently, Noob thinks it might be a bit controversial. Instead of buying a used helmet, buy a cheaper new one instead. While safety gear is the most important thing you can spend money on, sticking to a budget is important.

The crash protection materials inside a helmet age and break down over time. With so many great choices for budget helmets out there, there’s no reason to buy used. Noob adds, “While we’re on the anti-used kick, you shouldn’t buy used boots or gloves, either, unless you like the idea of swimming around in someone else’s sweat swamp.”

Tip number five is another obvious one, but it bears repeating. Shop Craigslist or classifieds for your next bike. Buying used from an independent seller is much cheaper than buying used from a dealership. We’d like to add that there are a ton of great deals in the forums as well, so you should check them out!

Tip six had us scratching our heads a bit. Noob suggests ordering tires online and replacing them yourself. Like anything else, tires are a bit cheaper online than at the dealer, and shops typically charge a pretty penny to replace them. In this case, we’ll appeal to tip number two and leave tire changes to the experts.

And a bonus tip, if you are interested in winning a free bike, Noob is giving a bike away on his You Tube channel. Check out the info in his video for more information.

How do you save money on your motorcycling hobby? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!

Images: Screenshots