Moto App Idea - Please share your thoughts | GTAMotorcycle.com

Moto App Idea - Please share your thoughts

rorider

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Hey guys, I've been thinking about building a web app to help a new rider, maybe an experienced one as well, choose a bike based on their skill level, type of riding preference, budget, etc.
Something simple, but very helpful in terms of helping you discover a bike that's right for you.
What are your thoughts on this?
 
Nothing replaces riding the thing. You can have an idea of what you want as a newbie but wont know until you ride.

For experienced riders maybe moreso... but yeah id see it more as an online website/comparison website where you have a mine of data (weight, dimensions, gas mileage, cc, models and options, etc etc)
 
The downside is

a) keeping it up to date

b) a new rider interpreting what is significant...

You can't understand ergonomics for a long ride until you've tried on a sport bike versus an upright ...and no amount of info will online will be convincing....
 
Cool idea, the database could be very useful. Assuming it is not impossible to use, the front end is almost immaterial.

In ideal world, the database would include all of the normal metrics (weight, power, MSRP, fuel type etc.) as well as ones that would make your database stand out (seat height and other ergonomic measurements (eg. distance to bars, distance seat to pegs etc. not sure how best to present these). I am sure there are studies that tell you the angles of knee bend that are most comfortable so you could show bikes that should be comfortable based on your inseam. You could also include how much weight is expected on your hands as a metric for comfort (eg. these bikes are good for timmies runs, these ones for a few hours, these ones for all day comfort). Finding all of this information is hard (and some is unavailable). Putting it in one spot would be amazing. Bonus points for including factory options like lowering links or seats. More bonus points if you could include whether the bike is typically blacklisted and the best insurance companies for them to try (eg. you know their age and bike choice so that would be a good fit for TDMM or Dalton Timmis).

I'm not sure it could generate enough money to pay for the incredible amount of work required to populate the database and keep it updated.

I'm not sure skill level matters much. Most of that comes to personal preference and as has been discussed many times on GTAM before, many newbs don't want to hear that SS is not a good choice. Many will discount your website results if it doesn't provide GSXR as the best choice for them. Riders with many years experience reasonably know what they want and probably won't be using your page unless it offers something not available elsewhere (eg. a GSXR fits me but I am mad at Suzuki, what other bikes have similar ergonomics may pop up a Guzzi that the rider never considered)

Like I said above, I think helping to provide ergonomic metrics is the key to success here (and the hardest part to do) as most other things can be found with a little searching.
 
Like basically, you'd make a revzilla but for motorcycles. Without that buying aspect of it.
 
I would consider the following as factors - initial cost, insurance (I would simplify / generalize this), rider height, and a checklist on preferred styles. I would leave skill level/experience out of it (extremely subjective), insurance takes care of that in most of the ways it matters anyway

A concept for the web app could be the factors on the left, and the bikes represented as images on the rest of the screen. Any changes to the selection factors take effect instantly so the user can understand the impact they have, and bikes don't get eliminated, they just get grayed out or moved down the list. In the end the user chooses or browses the bikes based on how they look, which generally how people buy motorcycles anyway.
 
Hey guys, I've been thinking about building a web app to help a new rider, maybe an experienced one as well, choose a bike based on their skill level, type of riding preference, budget, etc.
Something simple, but very helpful in terms of helping you discover a bike that's right for you.
What are your thoughts on this?
I don't quite get it. Can you be more specific about what the problem is you're trying to solve? Do you mean newbs might not know the type of bike they want that would suit their riding styles, or to narrow down within a type of bike ones that are more suited to rookies, or is it about physically sizing a bike that fits their body type, or one that's fits their budget, or all of the above?

I'm not sure any of these things are much of a hurdle for anyone looking for a bike, maybe I'm wrong.
 
I don't quite get it. Can you be more specific about what the problem is you're trying to solve? Do you mean newbs might not know the type of bike they want that would suit their riding styles, or to narrow down within a type of bike ones that are more suited to rookies, or is it about physically sizing a bike that fits their body type, or one that's fits their budget, or all of the above?

I'm not sure any of these things are much of a hurdle for anyone looking for a bike, maybe I'm wrong.

Well in a time of ease and convenience, having more info available is nice. Like if i shop for a smartphone i can go to GSM arena for a comparison. If i look for moto gear options, i can go on revzilla to get reviews and proper information.

There's no such thing for bikes... and if there was, it would be nice to educate on one platform.

New apps, ideas, services now are mostly created out of a "need" that wasn't there before.
 
Sponsored by Honda. Is that why all the Honda bikes are at the top of the list.
It may not be true, but you know the accusations will be flying.
 
Sponsored by Honda. Is that why all the Honda bikes are at the top of the list.
It may not be true, but you know the accusations will be flying.

Haha, I thought about that. Both as a way to generate some revenue and a way to quickly populate the database. I doubt manufacturers would start to care until you reached a critical mass though. Maybe you could sell them the demographic that is searching for bikes (and specifically information on those people that your algorithm is putting on their bikes).
 

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