Well blog, it's been a while.

It's been a wild summer. Here I am back at school with everything I could need and I did most of the thing I wanted to do this summer.
It turns out the insurance company decided to pay out for my car so I got a nice chunk of change. Anyway I decided to buy a motorcycle and here is a brief guide so that noobs can pwn the Calafornia motorcycle riders achievement.

Step one: You need a motorcycle license. I know that the DMV's in SoCal suck so either make an appointment or just be prepared to stand in line. What I did was grab the literature on the motorcycle test and read it while I waited in line for two hours. Also, be prepared to take the normal class-C drives license test if you have not taken it within a year.
Cost: under $40
Time: depending on the DMV and your geographical location relative to said DMV's, (assuming SoCal as default location) 1-5 hours.
Great, if you passed the test they will give you your permit and you are ready to move on.

Step two: start looking for motorcycles. If you are reading this for help, you really should get a used bike to start with. I hunted around and found a good deal, a '04 Ninja 400r for $1900. Depending on what you are looking for, be prepared to spend $1800-4000. 1800 is on the absolute lowest end and 4000 is approaching the "I could've bought a new bike" limit. Where to look. Here's what I did:
Search Craigslist's motorcycle section. There are a lot of good deals on used bikes, there are also a lot of ripoffs. If you find a bike you like here, find someone has knowledge of how bikes work to take with you when you go look at it or ask the seller if you can take it to your mechanic.
Search Cycletraders.com. This was where I found my bike.
Google maps search motorcycle dealerships. Do it the old fashioned way and call around and ask what used bikes they have on their floor.
Tips on purchasing:

• Don't get to attached to the bike. Remember that there are other bikes out there. Maintain walkaway power in any purchasing situation (this is just a good tip for buying anything).
• Don't be afraid to haggle. This is a good skill to learn, but learn how to do it politely. I talked the dealership down a few hundred dollars and I'm pretty sure I could have gotten more.
• Don't buy a bike that needs to be fixed if you don't have the money to fix it.
• Don't believe anyone that says a bike has never been dropped, especially if it was the seller's first bike. This is not really that big of a deal, but dropping a bike can lead to some major mechanical issues. You can usually tell if a bike has been dropped if the muffler is scratched and the fairings are scraped up.
• If you are not buying from a dealership, get the bike looked by a mechanic. Dealerships offer warranties, some guy that wants to get rid of his crap bike and make some cash does not. BUYER BEWARE.
• When starting out, if you are getting a sportbike, don't get anything over a 600. You will crash.
• Do not purchase until you're sure you want a motorcycle. I suggest that you find the bike you want, move to step three and buy the bike after you've taken your safety class.
  

Step three: Take a motorcycle safety class. This is necessary for two reasons. The first being, you will not pass the DMV motorcycle licensing test. Second, unless you already have experience with dirtbikes and things like that, it will tell you if you're even cut out to ride bikes.
After you complete the course they will mail you some paper that waives your DMV test. You take it to the DMV, they hand you your licence.
Cost: $200-300
Time: A weekend of classses.
ProTip: If you want to avoid as much time in hell as possible, take the safety class first. You can then only wait in the DMV line once (which is too much already but is far less painful than twice) by handing them the paper that waives the driving test. You will only have to take the written test and then walk out with your license.

In conclusion, I cannot stress this enough, don't buy a bike you are not sure about. There are other bikes out there and you do not want to put your life on a machine that is going to kill you. Also, remember that you need to service a bike more regularly than a car, so be prepared for that expense.