Motorcycles

[BriarFox]

So, I want to pick up my motorcycle certification soon. I've ridden dirtbikes around on my own property and I don't really think it'll be all that different for a street bike (unless I'm totally confused). I'm looking at picking up a cheapish used bike for a starter - maybe a Kawasaki Ninja or a decent older Suzuki. I'm more into the crotch-rocket style than the chopper or the traditional. A 250cc (like the Ninja 250R) would be fine for in-town driving or short highway stints, I'm thinking, though I wouldn't mind driving home (about four hours on the highway) either. Not sure if a 250 would be so great for that. Thinking of spending maybe 1-2k to start.

Just curious if anyone's got suggestions for a good starter bike or other thoughts. Advantages of dealers over back-alley sales (i.e. Craigslist)?

[Apotheosis]

I would rather go home with a Harley cruiser of some sort....

Most people have told me that Craigslist is the best place to find a bike.. lots of good used ones at reasonable prices...

economy sucks right now, so now's the time to pick up a good bike

[BriarFox]

I would rather go home with a Harley cruiser of some sort....

Most people have told me that Craigslist is the best place to find a bike.. lots of good used ones at reasonable prices...

economy sucks right now, so now's the time to pick up a good bike

There are some good prices out there. I tossed a couple emails out earlier tonight. Waiting to hear back.

[Gan]

Make sure your donor card is filled out/completed.

Hate to see good organs go to waste.

[Danical]

Make sure your donor card is filled out/completed.

Hate to see good organs go to waste.

:yeahthat:

Harleys are so fucking overrated.

I would definitely start small on the cc scale. You don't want too much bike; that's a surefire way of getting yourself seriously injured.

EDIT: 4 hours on a bike can really suck hard.

[Apotheosis]

Honda has a few good models as well..

[Tisket]

Harleys are so fucking overrated.


Why? The noise can be pretty obnoxious but that's only to make sure you notice it and don't run them over in your soccer mom mobile troop transport. I think Harley's are hot. The only thing that bugs me is that you only seem to see middle aged dudes on them. Probably because of the price?

[Danical]

Why? The noise can be pretty obnoxious but that's only to make sure you notice it and don't run them over in your soccer mom mobile troop transport. I think Harley's are hot. The only thing that bugs me is that you only seem to see middle aged dudes on them. Probably because of the price?

There's just way better cruisers you could get for the price; you're buying an image.

If money isn't a concern then no big deal, but at that point, I'd much rather get a custom bike.

Although, a huge plus about Harleys is that they do have massive clubs which routinely go riding. It's fun to be in a pack of 10-100+ other riders. It's not as easy to find a sport bike club. It seems like the "driving intelligence" of riders in a sport bike club drops dramatically as the number in the group increases whereas that isn't the case in a cruiser club.

[Apotheosis]

heh.. I'm joining a riding club this year.... technically, I'm going to consider it a biker gang, therefore, I can cross it off my list as something I've done before I die... "join a biker gang"..

To be fair, you can get a good started cruiser under 8k new (Honda, other models) Harleys, you can get for under 12k, and they're not terrible bikes.. good to start...


the more black + chrome the better. :-D

[Danical]

heh.. I'm joining a riding club this year.... technically, I'm going to consider it a biker gang, therefore, I can cross it off my list as something I've done before I die... "join a biker gang"..

To be fair, you can get a good started cruiser under 8k new (Honda, other models) Harleys, you can get for under 12k, and they're not terrible bikes.. good to start...


the more black + chrome the better. :-D

Are you going to carry bats and chains (a la road rash)? :D

Harleys aren't bad bikes. I didn't mean to imply that, but you're paying 50% more for the bike.

Chrome is awesome and some of the custom bikes I've seen at bike/car shows are simply amazing. The problem is though, you're going to drop your bike. At some point, it'll happen. It's just an inevitability and it sucks mucking up your chrome :( That shouldn't deter anyone from getting a sweet looking bike, but replacing/fixing something on your baby is always a little depressing.

[BriarFox]

I'm not a huge fan of Harleys - the image is just irritating, mainly because it's more composed of people who want that image than people who are that image. Also, they're expensive.

Honda makes some good bikes - I was looking at a nighthawk earlier. Hyosung apparently has some really nice ones, too, for decent prices, with good warranties. I was chatting with a dealer this morning and apparently Hyosung's the Korean company that does most of the R&D for Kawasaki and Suzuki, and they've got a plant in Atlanta, so parts are easy to come by.

As for the organ donor card, ya, it's filled out. I don't plan on killing myself, though.

Have to agree that four hours on a crotchrocket would probably suck. The Hyosung Aquila cruiser was pretty nice, for about 4k. Sat on that earlier today, too.

[Androidpk]

http://i39.tinypic.com/2u762j5.jpg

My recommendation.

Aprilia Shiver 750

[BriarFox]

http://i39.tinypic.com/2u762j5.jpg

My recommendation.

Aprilia Shiver 750

That's a sweet bike. Let me look it up.

Edit: $9k, but it's really nice. I was checking out some Benellis earlier today, and this one reminds me a lot of them. And of Ducatis, of course.

[BriarFox]

Check out this older BMW I found on Craigslist. This one's tempting:

1976 BMW R75/6:

http://images.craigslist.org/3o83p93l7ZZZZZZZZZ94aec14f982f60a1c51.jpg

[Proxy]

how much are they wanting for it?

[BriarFox]

3k. Blue book is 2500. Guys put some work into it recently, but id still try to talk him down.

[Drew]

Ninja 250 is THE starting bike.

[Drew]

I knew I had posted on here about this before:


There's only one answer to this question: Kawasaki Ninja 250. It's the perfect learning bike. It's very light and fun to toss around in the corners, as far as speed, it's got pep. You can't go much faster than 85-90 without winding the engine up but there's really no reason to on your first bike. Kawasaki has been making this bike nearly unchanged for about 25 years, there are a ton of spare parts for it. If you buy a used one, you may get all your money back, or lose a couple hundred bucks. In my group of friends one friend bought a ninja 250 then sold it to another and eventually three guys in my group owned it, it went through four spills including one on the highway at about 85 MPH. All told we paid $1450 for it when we got it and sold it for $1300 with all cosmetic damage we had added to it.

It's a really fun bike too, like I said it's super light, we used to gather around as a group and all our nicer sport bikes would be sitting in the driveway while we took turns going through a corner on the 250 trying to scrape as many parts as possible. Two reasons for this, you don't want to risk your expensive bike and the 250 was so light and tossable it was easier to do it.

No one is ready to start riding on a 600cc sport bike, people have done it, but it teaches you bad habits and you are going to get overconfident on a bike that can get you in trouble reallll quick. I can't count the number of times stories like these pop up on motorcycle boards. Everyone is super careful for two or three months when they get their first bike (a 600 or 750 or even 1000) but then they start feeling confident because it feels natural after 3 months. Even if it does feel natural you still don't have a lot of the skills or exp. I had an incident almost perfectly at the three month mark, I was aware of all the stories of this happening, I said "I'm a smart kid, that won't happen to me" and it still did. I just thank God I'm still alive because there was a really good chance I could not be here typing this.

So to sum it up, ninja 250. If you absolutely must have more power on your first bike, ninja 500.

[Swami71]

Here's my 1998 FZR 600. Bought it 3 years ago for $2,500.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3313/3429287453_80176654f0.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3621/3430101086_1ae6f20b76.jpg?v=0

[thefarmer]

It's not as easy to find a sport bike club. It seems like the "driving intelligence" of riders in a sport bike club drops dramatically as the number in the group increases whereas that isn't the case in a cruiser club.

We just had 'Black Biker's Week' here (used to be in Myrtle Beach after the big one, but they didn't feel as welcome as the 'white' group according to the article and a few people I talked to) with a bazillion clubs/groups/gangs/etc from all over. Lots of rice rockets, few what I'd call cruisers.

I've been to both events, and I have no comment on their actual intelligence other than to say that they seemed as prone to stupidity as the big (mainly cruiser) other event that's still in Myrtle Beach.

[BriarFox]

Here's my 1998 FZR 600. Bought it 3 years ago for $2,500.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3313/3429287453_80176654f0.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3621/3430101086_1ae6f20b76.jpg?v=0

That's a good-looking Yamaha. Looks like it's got a low profile, which I like.

[Apotheosis]

Are you going to carry bats and chains (a la road rash)? :D


Lol.. maybe

yeah, Harley's are over-rated except to all the bikers I know that ride 'em..

[BriarFox]

These are the three bikes I'm looking at at the moment. Anyone care to office some comments? I'm leaning toward the Ninja, but the BMW is sexy and the Hurricane's not bad at all.

1987 Honda Hurricane CBR600:
Listed at $2500 obo, but blue book is $1700.
http://columbus.craigslist.org/mcy/1100556876.html

1976 BMW R75/6 (750):
Listed at $3000, but blue book is $2500ish.
http://columbus.craigslist.org/mcy/1115698461.html

2005 Kawasaki Ninja 250:
Listed at $2200, and blue book is $2345.
http://columbus.craigslist.org/mcy/1115870198.html

[Allereli]

If it's in that good a shape, go with the BMW, it looks the least douchy

[Swami71]

The Ninja 250 is to small IMO. It doesn't look bad in that picture but the last time I saw one it looked funny to me. Looks like the best deal there though. Least amount of maintenance.

[Swami71]

That's a good-looking Yamaha. Looks like it's got a low profile, which I like.

Thanks. I've been pretty happy with it. It was on the cheap side because it wasn't in the best condition when I bought it. Broken tail light and some mismatched nuts and bolts. I put about $300 into it to fix it up some.

[Jaimaltz]

Don't buy a new bike. Almost everyone gets rid of their first bike in a year. You should be learning fundamentals on your first bike, I recommend a smaller one like a ninja 250, or even a virago 250.

Not to mention your insurance will go way up the higher the displacement. It's so easy to find a barely used bike that yuppies bought thinking they're going to ride it all the time never do, and have like 2k miles - which in this economy you can grab for several thousand less than new depending on the model. Never buy a bike new unless you have lots of spare cash, and really know what you want.

[Junarra]

Get the BMW, classy, and always will be. It's like the smart arty guy bike versus the asshole who's looking to kill himself bike. They also don't sound like they're run by retarded hamsters. And they don't lose value badly.

You could get some serious ass on that BMW.

[BriarFox]

I got the Hurricane guy to come down to $2k, and I'm going to go see it tomorrow. That model's really nice. It's the first year (1987) that Honda produced the Hurricane CBR600 (they only used the Hurricane name for two years, switching to just CBR afterwards) and that bike set the stage for the next 15 years of middleweight sport racing. That model and its updates swept the awards and competed with and usually beat the Ninja and Katana, its main competitors. It's got some serious history and I'm thinking if I picked it up, I could sell it as a classic to a collector in a couple of years. It's only got 11,700 miles on it, too.

However, I do love that BMW. I'm going to call the guy tomorrow and chat with him. It's a 750, though, and I'm not sure if I want that big a bike for my first one. Of course, I am 6' and 190lbs, so I don't really think it's that big a deal ... but we'll see. I have to give it serious class points, too.

[Drew]

A 750 from the 70s is not the same as one from today. Enjoy carbed bikes, everyone's first bike should be carbed.

[Gan]

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll102/learningtewfly/Oops.jpg

[Tsa`ah]

If you plan on riding for over an hour ... a ninja is not the bike to do it on ... and no one plans on death by bike.

[BriarFox]

Nice picture, Gan ... Looks like someone fucked up on aligning the wheel or something. What a mess.

I went and saw the Ninja 250R today. It's really nice, though set low to the ground. A girl was the first owner and she might have had it at her height. I like it, but I think I like the BMW more. I talked with the guy who has that one today, and he was pretty firm at $3000 this morning, but I called him back this afternoon and offered $2500, and he's thinking it over. Only problem with that one is that it's two hours away, which is annoying. I really like the look, though, and that it holds its value well.

[Drew]

I drove to Tampa (bout 4 hours) to buy my Ninja, found the best deal there even including gas.

[Gan]

Nice picture, Gan ... Looks like someone fucked up on aligning the wheel or something. What a mess.

I liked the picture because I interpret it as some idiot trying to do a front wheel stand (right hand squeezing break, back wheel off the ground)... and the other onlookers look like a group trying stunts out in the parking lot.

[BriarFox]

I liked the picture because I interpret it as some idiot trying to do a front wheel stand (right hand squeezing break, back wheel off the ground)... and the other onlookers look like a group trying stunts out in the parking lot.

Since he's only wearing a bandana, I'm kinda hoping he flew off and hit his head if that is what he was trying.

[BriarFox]

How the story ended (for now):

I'm doing something a little different, actually. I found a post on Craigslist earlier today for a 1981 Honda CB 650 Custom and went to check it out. It needs a bit of work and it's not the prettiest bike ever. The carburetor and the fuel line need to be convinced to play nice (I might just see if I can find a whole carburetor tray from someone parting out another one of the same type) and it needs an air filter and a new battery, as well as an oil change, but everything else seems to be fine. I got the guy to throw in an extra set of handlebars with wiring as well as some air filters that apparently just screw onto the back of the carburetor and negate the air filter assembly, too. He's also going to drop it off for me (about 45 miles) on Monday. Grand total of $350.

Going to see if I can find an owner's manual online, then I'm going to play with it and fix it up. I wanted a starter bike and I always feel better if I can tear something apart and put it back together, and that's what I'm going to do with this one. If I crash it or fuck it up or whatnot, I can still sell it for parts and not be out anything.

Of course, if the guy with the '76 BMW cafe racer takes my $2500 offer, I might have to buy that one, too.

[Drew]

Unless you are REALLY sure you can fix the bike easily, buy a working bike. Otherwise you're probably buying a nightmare.

[BriarFox]

Unless you are REALLY sure you can fix the bike easily, buy a working bike. Otherwise you're probably buying a nightmare.

Might be, but if I can't fix it, I can sell the parts for more than I paid for it. I'm not worried.

[Gan]

Sounds like a fun adventure for a 'spare' bike.

You might want to consider picking up a more reliable bike if its going to be your primary mode of transportation.

[BriarFox]

Sounds like a fun adventure for a 'spare' bike.

You might want to consider picking up a more reliable bike if its going to be your primary mode of transportation.

Nah, I have a car that runs fine. I just want a motorcycle, and I don't mind playing with it for a few. It's my first street bike (I've ridden dirtbikes) before, and I'd rather not drop or crash something I spent $4k on, ya know? I don't care THAT much if I screw up while I'm learning on this one.

Edit. One Clymer repair manual CB650, 1979-82. $17.99. Thank you, Amazon.

[Gan]

Sounds like the perfect bike then.

Keep us posted with your exploits in getting it running and your encounters driving.

[Keller]

\I think Harley's are hot. The only thing that bugs me is that you only seem to see middle aged dudes on them.

I'm young and I have a Harley.

Well, it's current being stored at the dealership. And I've not paid for it yet. But I could buy it, so I feel that the fact that I haven't yet is really a technicality.

[Gan]

Technically you dont have a harley based on the common definition of have.

You have the means to have a harley would be the correct terminology.

[Drew]

I'm young and I have a Harley.

Well, it's current being stored at the dealership. And I've not paid for it yet. But I could buy it, so I feel that the fact that I haven't yet is really a technicality.


Harley's are only owned by middle aged dentists and tax lawyers who are trying way too hard to be 'badass'. Luckily I don't ever see you fitting that description Keller.

[Keller]

Technically you dont have a harley based on the common definition of have.

You have the means to have a harley would be the correct terminology.


Have you ever seen The Squid and the Whale?

In the principal's office after he plays a Pink Floyd song at his school's talent show and claims to have written it, Walt contently explains that, "I felt I could have written it, so the fact that it was already written was kind of a technicality."

It's a pretty funny line.

[Keller]

Harley's are only owned by middle aged dentists and tax lawyers who are trying way too hard to be 'badass'. Luckily I don't ever see you fitting that description Keller.

To ride a harley I think you have to wear a leather jacket. I prefer polyester jackets. And for that reason I feel I am much more likely to buy a Vespa.

[Drakefang]

I liked the picture because I interpret it as some idiot trying to do a front wheel stand (right hand squeezing break, back wheel off the ground)... and the other onlookers look like a group trying stunts out in the parking lot.

I liked the fact that the asshole had no lid of ANY sort on and is about to flip over his bike and kill himself.

[Stanley Burrell]

I don't want to eat no pickle.



Bastards.

[Gan]

Have you ever seen The Squid and the Whale?

That would be a negative.

[Drinin]

You'll be bored to tears with a 250 after a year. I bought a a Suzuki S40. It's a fun bike, although it's a cruiser styled bike. 550cc with a smooth ride. Relatively cheap too. I bought a 2007 used for 3.5k and I love it.

[BriarFox]

Getting the CB650C tomorrow afternoon. Guy's dropping it off. Already picked up a new battery (he had a snowmobile battery strapped to the side ...) and it's charging now (the sulfuric acid bit was tricky). Going to take it over to the shop across the street and see what they think about the carburetor, before I go buy a new one.

Also picked up a new oil filter, some grease, and various other stuff. I'm going to change out all the fluids and filters and check the bearings and grease the chain and so on.

Also contacted a junkyard in the area that specializes in Japanese cars and bikes, and hopefully they'll get back to me next week. I want to see if they've got the original side panels and some matching mufflers (they're mismatched at the moment).

Edit: Oh, and it's got some rust on it now, so I bought some heavy-duty rust remover and some gloves, and I'm going to see what I can do about it. Guy selling it to me is also throwing in a set of handlebars from a Yamaha Virago that are in a bit better shape, so I might put those on if I can clean them up a bit nicer.

[MotleyCrew]

Take some before (and eventually) after pictures. :yes:

[BriarFox]

Take some before (and eventually) after pictures. :yes:

Just found some side panels in great shape and the right color on Ebay motors.

These are before:

http://images.craigslist.org/3m73ob3p8ZZZZZZZZZ94b289c37f07f05133f.jpg

http://images.craigslist.org/3n93k03l9ZZZZZZZZZ94b0fe14a99b7bc18e8.jpg

http://images.craigslist.org/3n93o33lbZZZZZZZZZ94b2e538b33e2a01e51.jpg

It actually looks a bit grungier than that close up, thanks to the rust and whatnot. You can see where the guy's got a snowmobile battery strapped to the side in the second picture.

[Gan]

The battery fabrication is outstanding.

[BriarFox]

Figured I'd throw out an update on my bike:

So, it's a 1981 CB650, whose major issues were missing parts and dirty carbs. I put in a new battery, new spark plugs, new fuel lines, a bunch of screws and washers to hold it together (the previous owner lost the weirdest stuff), checked and taped a bunch of exposed wiring, replaced a fuse, cleaned the petcock, epoxied a broken vacuum port on the number 2 carb, reattached the air box and put in a brand-new K&N air filter, bought used chrome airbox covers, an air filter cover, and side panels off eBay and put them on, and cleaned off a bunch of rust (though I still need to work it over some more).

Got it to fire up and eventually idle with liberal application of starter fluid straight to the carbs, and rode it about twenty or thirty miles on Memorial Day, which was pretty awesome. Riding it helped clean the carbs a bit, but it still has trouble starting when cold, so with the help of a mechanic I know, I'm taking the carbs apart and cleaning them. I may end up just buying carb kits for all four and rebuilding them. Still need to give it an oil change, too, and check some other maintenance stuff, but it's turning out pretty well.

When all's said and done and it's firing up right away and I've cleaned it up a bit more, I'll post some pictures. It's really a cool project. I'm learning a ton about bike mechanics while working on it. Before I started this project, I had no clue what a petcock or a solenoid was, for example, and I'd never really examined a carburetor.

One weird thing that happened while I was working on it is that somehow the clutch started needing to be held when starting it. At first, the starter fired fine with the clutch out, but after I rode it around, it wouldn't start back up unless I had the clutch in (yes, it was in neutral).

[BriarFox]

If anyone wanted to see after pictures, btw, here are a few. Of course, now that I've played with it, I think I'm going to sell it. I got most of the issues worked out and cleaned it up, but the main jets in the carbs still need a bit of cleaning and there's a bare wire grounding somewhere.

http://images.craigslist.org/3m43oa3l95Of5P15R798m914493612afe1246.jpg

http://images.craigslist.org/3m23ob3l75Oe5S75Ra98m8868d3622b3a1fd5.jpg

[Drew]

Cool leaking beast.