Some great advice here. I used to ride daily for around 3 years, and I just have a couple of things think about
How long are you going to keep it? Would a shaft drive work out cheaper in the end?
If you are a big guy get a bigger bike, its not only the confort its also the fact that bigger and more powerful bikes usually have better brakes and the 'umph' to zip out of trouble. If you are riding a little thing with a sewing machine motor on it and some idiot doesn't see you and you need to slip through a quickly narrowing gap, then more horses between your knees is better than fewer.
Get decent tyres, if you ride a lot in the city there are a lot of metal covers like manhole or tram tracks, get a softer compound that will grip better, they wear out faster but its better than grating your knees or elbows away on the road for the sake of a few $. A rainy or cold place rider should follow this too.
Get decent wear, get proper clothing and for the love of God a decent Skid Lid, you should be thinking of at least $300 worth. I like the BMW ones myself that the UK cops use.
I will second and third the lessons/course. Its better to know it and not need it than the other way around. Mistakes on bikes are usually very painful and expensive. I would even go as far as to look into an advanced riders course if you are getting anything more than a puddle jumper machine.
How long are you going to keep it? Would a shaft drive work out cheaper in the end?
If you are a big guy get a bigger bike, its not only the confort its also the fact that bigger and more powerful bikes usually have better brakes and the 'umph' to zip out of trouble. If you are riding a little thing with a sewing machine motor on it and some idiot doesn't see you and you need to slip through a quickly narrowing gap, then more horses between your knees is better than fewer.
Get decent tyres, if you ride a lot in the city there are a lot of metal covers like manhole or tram tracks, get a softer compound that will grip better, they wear out faster but its better than grating your knees or elbows away on the road for the sake of a few $. A rainy or cold place rider should follow this too.
Get decent wear, get proper clothing and for the love of God a decent Skid Lid, you should be thinking of at least $300 worth. I like the BMW ones myself that the UK cops use.
I will second and third the lessons/course. Its better to know it and not need it than the other way around. Mistakes on bikes are usually very painful and expensive. I would even go as far as to look into an advanced riders course if you are getting anything more than a puddle jumper machine.
Once I pick bike, the only other important thing to decide is what kind of new knife to go along with it 
