I appreciate any answers.
Here are some figures I have seen:
Insurance
-$90 – $200 a year
Motorcycle gear
- New helmet and gear = +/- $800
Motorcycle
- $500- $20,000 or more
The biggest variable will be your insurance, and $90 per year is EXTREMELY low, even for limited liability ONLY. If you are over 25, good driving record, married, with an MSF course under your belt and NOT starting on a 1000cc superbike, you can expect under $50/month for full coverage (required if financing through a bank).
If you’re 18, on a used Gixxer 600, with a ticket or two, expect $400 or so just for liability!
As for gear, expect to pay AT LEAST $500, but a mroe realistic expectation is to budget another $1000 for good gear, leather if possible, and the RIGHT helmet that fits properly. Some people are fine with a $200 HJC helmet, others can’t live without a $500 Shoei. If you have a $50 head, then by all means buy a $50 helmet.
The bike itself doesn’t have a straightforward answer. Your first bike should be a smaller USED one, so you can learn and drop it a few times without getting in over your head. Maybe $5000 tops. Then after you have a couple years’ experience, you can shop for your Wonder Bike. So do you want a small sportbike under $10,000 or an exotic $23,000 MV Agusta F4? Maybe a two wheeled motor home like a Gold Wing?
The future of your motorcycling life is up to you, but it all hinges on whether you start out right and live to see it.