Which one's right for me?

There is no typical bike, and no typical rider. This fact is gradually becoming public knowledge, which has significantly improved the status of motorcycling in the public eye. But it is also indicative of the myriad options open to new riders or riders looking for a new thrill. Dividing the motorcycling community into smaller subsets is tricky, but I'll attempt it to show the many forms of two-wheeled fun out there.

Sport-Bikes
For the speed freaks, wheelie-poppers, and people who like to turn mountain passes into road courses, these are for you. Over powered, low weight, and able to turn on a dime, these machines are usually able to do much more than the riders on them. The community is fun, enthusiastic, competitive, and ready to spend inordinate amounts of cash on the next cool gadget, mod, or accessory.

Cruisers and Customs
The hot-rods and low riders of the bike world. Speed, comfort, and practicality are less of an issue here than style, looks, and sound. Loud and rowdy describes both the machines and their riders. Bars (for better or worse) are the hub for most activity here. Yuppies on their brand new Harleys are not likely to be welcomed.

Touring
Distance, cargo, comfort. Those three words encompass the road warrior mentality of tourers. The bikes are big, heavy, and expensive, the riders thend to be graying above the ears. But if long journeys, often with a passenger and a week's worth of luggage, are what you're after, this is the place for you.

Dual Sport
Sometimes, you run out of asphalt. When this happens, most riders have to turn around. Not on one of these bikes- geared for road and dirt use, dual sports try to trike a compromise between the two. Every bike in this category has a different approach to the problem- big, powerful BMW's as well as nimble, converted dirt bikes fill this category. Some bikes are clearly more oriented toward the road, others are more suited to the dirt. Riders of these steeds tend to have a do-it-yourself mentality, and range more in age and experience than any other group.

Dirt, Motocross, Supermoto
Trail bikes, dirt racers, and an entirely new breed of motorcycle fill out this very broad class. For people who don't want to share the road with crazy people in multi-ton SUV's, a world of fun is available off road. These bikes are suited to competitive and non-competitive riding, with an emphasis on light weight, bulletproof design, and big power. Motocross-geared models take the performance seriously, and have a price-tag to prove it. Just-plain-fun dirt bikes use slightly older, heavier technology but tend to last longer with less maintenance. Supermoto has emerged from dirt racing as a crossover category. For this growing sport, dirt-type machines are souped-up and given new, asphalt friendly tires so they can crash through half-motocross, half-road courses and give riders entirely new and exciting ways to crash and fall.

Everything Else
There are far more options than what I've listed above- they are just the most common sub-communities and bike types one is likely to encounter when getting started. Manufacturers have realized the potential for combining two or more riding types in "crossover" bikes, such as the sport-touring and adventure-touring classes. Much like dual sport combined a neutral street bike with a powerful dirt bike, they offer a taste of both worlds, opening new possibilities to riders whose interests are not so narrow. And beyond that, a whole world of unique machines is available in the classifieds and local dealers that defy any description I have given.