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Saga posted:I like all those recommendations, with the possible exception of the GS500. They were known for terrible finish and build quality, questionable reliability and not having any other particularly redeeming features. Although having said that I will now be flamed for it. I was of the impression that the GS500 was a bit tractor-like in its manner, a bit uncultured but very simple and easy to work on and very popular, leading to cheap parts and a wealth of information  I'll add the Transalp to the list, thanks.
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Nov 18, 2009 15:46
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KozmoNaut posted:I was of the impression that the GS500 was a bit tractor-like in its manner, a bit uncultured but very simple and easy to work on and very popular, leading to cheap parts and a wealth of information Perhaps it's a cultural thing? The GS is generally disliked in the UK, but then we buy a lot of sportsbikes.
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Nov 18, 2009 18:12
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My research into the gs500 seemed to indicate an actual lack of cheap parts or wealth of information... Especially aftermarket parts, most of which appeared to be discontinued, and all the websites I found with information on them looked like something off of geocities.
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Nov 18, 2009 18:13
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craigslist guy posted:2005 Kawasaki KLR 650 on-off road bike, like new 1300 miles, ran great but lost the keys in a move so it needs a new ignition or to be rewired, will trade for another bike or dirtbike, $1700 obo Is it really possible this guy lost his keys or am I looking at a stolen bike? And how much could I talk him down from $1700?
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Nov 19, 2009 18:23
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Ask him for the paperwork.
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Nov 19, 2009 18:30
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niethan posted:Ask him for the paperwork. Yeah, if he has the title, it's his. If not, in the words of the Humongous, "Just walk away."
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Nov 19, 2009 18:39
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Doctor Zero posted:Please take the MSF. Unless your friend who "knows what he's doing" is an MSF instructor, you'll learn for more from the class than you will him - no offense to him.
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Nov 21, 2009 05:07
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What do you guys think of this: http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/mcy/1475468139.html It's a 2002 SV650 for $2500 that's been down once in a gravel lowslide, and once in the garage. It might want for a little attention, but I'm more wondering how it'll retain its value. It's not my ideal look (I go more for vintage), but they do look fun. it's be my first bike, I've taken the MSF, etc etc.
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Nov 21, 2009 17:53
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Sonic Dude posted:I'd be glad to take the class (and I will as part of my license requirements), but since none are scheduled until April, I'll take what lessons I can get. Good man. That's what we like to hear. 
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Nov 21, 2009 18:02
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GlazedMcGuffin posted:What do you guys think of this: http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/mcy/1475468139.html If you did well at your MSF, then it'd be a decent starter. See if you can bargain him down a bit more.
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Nov 21, 2009 19:38
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After tomorrow I will have (hopefully) passed the msf and although I've been posting about dual sports, I might switch to an on-road only bike. I will be doing most of my riding on the roads until next summer so I should focus on that. I'll have the money to buy a cheap DS then if I feel like it. I was thinking about the SV650 as well but I am unsure if it will work as a first bike. I love the looks and there is a 2002 model for 2500 near me. I was planning on trying to bargain it down some. There is also a GS500 near me for 2000 with a couple nicks and scratches. The guy is asking 2k but its been on CL for 15 days already so I can talk him down. Also a ninja 250, 2003 w/ 4k miles, for 1100 but I think I want at least a Ninja 500, this is not a bad option though because I can easily flip it in 3 months if I feel like it, or give it to my little brother for ridic cheap to be a good big brother the two dual sports are a DR350 and DRZ400 (1999 and 2000) thoughts? Is the SV650 too much bike?
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Nov 22, 2009 03:05
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~$3900 1983 Honda CX500, I was considering this for a first bike, am I being a horrible idiot? Even wikipedia has pretty good info on various weaknesses etc. And by the youtube videos I've found, they sound pretty drat good. (  )http://123mc.dk/find/viewAd.php?ref...ffset=&offset=1 (I know the price is completely wacky, but hey... Taxes  )
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Nov 23, 2009 13:11
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KozmoNaut posted:~$3900 1983 Honda CX500, I was considering this for a first bike, am I being a horrible idiot? Even wikipedia has pretty good info on various weaknesses etc. And by the youtube videos I've found, they sound pretty drat good. There are probably fans of 80s metal on here who will flame me, but CX500s are basically owned only by couriers in the UK (in fact, given the aftermarket fairing and the top box on that one...).
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Nov 23, 2009 15:06
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KozmoNaut posted:~$3900 1983 Honda CX500, I was considering this for a first bike, am I being a horrible idiot? Even wikipedia has pretty good info on various weaknesses etc. And by the youtube videos I've found, they sound pretty drat good. They're good first bikes. I had a GL500 which is essentially the same bike. @45hp, solid as a rock. Does fine on the freeway, but you won't be able to go more than about 90 or so. The pre-1981 models tend to cook stators due to a design flaw, and you have to pull the engine to get at it. Don't get anything earlier than '81 or '82.
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Nov 23, 2009 17:44
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KozmoNaut posted:~$3900 1983 Honda CX500, I was considering this for a first bike, am I being a horrible idiot? Even wikipedia has pretty good info on various weaknesses etc. And by the youtube videos I've found, they sound pretty drat good. 3900$, jesus. Good bikes, though. Reliable as all hell. I had a GL500 as well, good bike, surprisingly fun to ride.
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Nov 23, 2009 18:00
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KozmoNaut posted:am I being a horrible idiot? Only if you pay $3900 for it.
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Nov 23, 2009 18:28
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Zool posted:Only if you pay $3900 for it. You would think that, but you forget our 180% vehicle tax ( ), so it's not that bad considering it's being sold by a dealer, which carries a little markup. It looks to be in good condition.KozmoNaut, let me know if you ever want to go for a goon ride here in Denmark, or if you need assistance of some sort. Mrs. Rnr and I live in Ishøj (she has a license also, but is currently without a bike).
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Nov 23, 2009 18:59
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I'm going to hopefully test-ride a Yamaha FZ6 soon, on my quest for a upgrade from my Ninja 500 (also have SV650 in my sights). What do you guys think of the FZ6?
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Nov 23, 2009 19:58
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the walkin dude posted:I'm going to hopefully test-ride a Yamaha FZ6 soon, on my quest for a upgrade from my Ninja 500 (also have SV650 in my sights). What do you guys think of the FZ6? Ugly as sin but really cool bikes. Good second bikes, a nice upgrade from the 500, and a good choice all around.
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Nov 23, 2009 20:18
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the walkin dude posted:I'm going to hopefully test-ride a Yamaha FZ6 soon, on my quest for a upgrade from my Ninja 500 (also have SV650 in my sights). What do you guys think of the FZ6? Didn't you just get that 500? How many miles have you put on it?
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Nov 23, 2009 20:42
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frozenphil posted:Didn't you just get that 500? How many miles have you put on it? 2,500 so far since the beginning of September. I'm looking to upgrade this spring, really.
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Nov 23, 2009 20:43
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Rnr posted:KozmoNaut, let me know if you ever want to go for a goon ride here in Denmark, or if you need assistance of some sort. Mrs. Rnr and I live in Ishøj (she has a license also, but is currently without a bike). I will, thanks Of course, since I'm not getting my license until the spring, I'm basically just torturing myself looking a bikes that'll definitely be sold by the time I can actually ride them. Speaking of which, I just found a CX650 for roughly the same price as the CX500
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Nov 23, 2009 20:45
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Rnr posted:You would think that, but you forget our 180% vehicle tax ( With 180% taxes, don't people find ways to register their vehicles in other countries? I know the Dutch aren't much better off, but wouldn't you just need a mail drop in France or Belgium? Or if insurance is a problem, even set up a shell company in Luxembourg and have it own the vehicle?
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Nov 24, 2009 08:29
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Saga posted:With 180% taxes, don't people find ways to register their vehicles in other countries? I know the Dutch aren't much better off, but wouldn't you just need a mail drop in France or Belgium? Or if insurance is a problem, even set up a shell company in Luxembourg and have it own the vehicle? As far as I know, if you're a Danish citizen it is illegal to even drive a vehicle in Denmark if it's registered in a foreign country, unless the owner of said vehicle is present in the vehicle and not a Danish citizen. You'll be hit with tax evasion charges and forced to either have the vehicle destroyed, sell it in its country of registration or pay the full tax plus a large fine. Lots of Danes work in Copenhagen, but live in Malmö and the surrounding parts of Sweden as Swedish citizens for exactly this reason.
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Nov 24, 2009 09:56
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So, I was working on my Honda CB750F and last night, after getting everything running just perfectly and doing a complete tune-up, one of the valvecover bolts snapped off inside the head. I was warned that this might happen and I should have replaced the bolts earlier(the new ones are coming in tomorrow ). Anyway, I've since sold it to a friend who doesn't mind working on that sort of stuff. I now have around 2000 dollars to spend on a new bike and am looking at a couple bikes on Craigslist. Namely, these three. this for $1700 quote:
quote:The guy I bought this from low sided it on the left side. the only evidence is the rashed stator cover and the fact that the fairings are gone.Since the bike only has 11k miles the valve adjustment is not due til 16k miles. then there's this for $1900: quote:
and lastly, this for $1500: quote:1986 Honda VF1000R I have ridden liter bikes before so I'm comfortable on them. I just have a couple options in front of me.
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Nov 26, 2009 20:16
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What kind of riding are you doing? I'd buy the bandit. Massive, stonkin' engine, loads of fun to ride, and just a good bike all around. If he'd done a bar kit on the CBR it'd be more tempting, but because that's not done and it's an older 600, I'd pass. Plus the bandits are known for going forever.
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Nov 26, 2009 21:41
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Yeah, the Bandit does look like lots more fun. I've never owned one before or ridden one that was close to stock before. As far as riding style goes, I'm not going to lie. I'm kind of a squid sometimes as far as commuting on the highway. I'll lane split, cut through traffic and blast around at 90miles an hour. It just feels comfortable to me but I do try and be very safe. I've only laid a bike down at the track and on residential areas, I try to be pretty tame. I do like cutting through the twisties once in a while but I don't really care for it too much.
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Nov 26, 2009 22:06
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EvilCrayon posted:Yeah, the Bandit does look like lots more fun. I've never owned one before or ridden one that was close to stock before. Go test ride the bandit. You'll love it. I love my ZZR for the effortless freeway cruising speed, and it's a long story as to why I own the ZZR and not a B12, but they are definitely good bikes, and there's a huge amount of hop up for power and suspension upgrades. Can't really go wrong with them. A good rider on one will keep up with anyone who's remotely sane in the twisties, they are big bikes but they handle their weight well and they're just fun to ride with 80 foot pounds of torque from 2000 RPM. Wheelie monsters, too. Lotta fun. Obviously make sure it's still in good shape, talk him down because that's what you do when you buy motorcycles, but they're great bikes and they seem to fit what you want out of riding. Big engine, big torque, lotta power for the freeway. The bonus is that a naked bike will keep you slightly more sane and feel awesome fast. Just don't get too crazy out there
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Nov 26, 2009 23:05
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Get the Bandit. Stay away from the Viffer.
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Nov 27, 2009 13:56
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So I'm finally ready to upgrade from my beginner bike. I have been riding a '07 Royal Enfield Bullet and 22 horsepower just doesn't cut it anymore. I'm looking for something either in the dual-sport or supermotard realms but I have zero idea of what to look for. I do most of my riding on two lane blacktops in the country but I will be moving to a small city soon and would like something that I could have some fun on in town, but still be able to go on longer exploration runs on the weekends. I only things that are a must are low weight and reasonable comfort. Should I get something like a DRZ400sm that won't be as big a power jump from what I'm on now, or one of the bigger dual sports for better distance riding?
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Nov 27, 2009 16:35
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Nyyen posted:So I'm finally ready to upgrade from my beginner bike. I have been riding a '07 Royal Enfield Bullet and 22 horsepower just doesn't cut it anymore. I'm looking for something either in the dual-sport or supermotard realms but I have zero idea of what to look for. I do most of my riding on two lane blacktops in the country but I will be moving to a small city soon and would like something that I could have some fun on in town, but still be able to go on longer exploration runs on the weekends. DRZs are pretty heavy dirt bikes, but I'm not sure where you're going to be riding. If you're going to be doing mile after mile of hard-packed dirt, there's probably nothing wrong with them. That said, "low weight" is not what I'd associate them with. My idea of light is more like under 115kg, if it's something you're going to be riding on dirt. One suggestion that can't go wrong is to buy something common and popular with a long production run. Exotic or unusual is not a good thing in motorcycles unless you're good at welding and fabricating. What that means depends where you're at. A KTM Duke II with a set of dirt wheels can do street, track and, with a set of wire wheels, a bit of dirt, although it's really too heavy for that. KTM's 640 SM is the SM-replica version of the same thing with, I think, a little more suspension travel. The newer 690 versions are more "street" oriented as well as heavier and more pricey.
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Nov 27, 2009 17:13
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Nyyen posted:So I'm finally ready to upgrade from my beginner bike. I have been riding a '07 Royal Enfield Bullet and 22 horsepower just doesn't cut it anymore. I'm looking for something either in the dual-sport or supermotard realms but I have zero idea of what to look for. I do most of my riding on two lane blacktops in the country but I will be moving to a small city soon and would like something that I could have some fun on in town, but still be able to go on longer exploration runs on the weekends. Are you in the UK? What's your budget, I'm assuming you're looking for used, not new?
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Nov 27, 2009 20:07
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Tsaven Nava posted:Are you in the UK? What's your budget, I'm assuming you're looking for used, not new? I'm in the US and I will have about 7k to 9k together when I will be ready to buy. I would prefer used if I can get. Let me clarify my earlier post as well. I am looking for a street bike that I would use for a 10 mile commute every day, with the option of doing some weekend exploring. I wont be off-roading much beyond the occasional fire or logging road at the very worst. I would like to be able to be able to get bags for the tail, and I would prefer something with a bit of acceleration, but going from an Enfield, anything would be an improvement. It would be nice if I could misbehave, but the bike wouldn't kill me unless I really deserved it. I'm halfway decent at working on a bike. so something I would fix on my own would be nice.
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Nov 28, 2009 03:43
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Saga posted:DRZs are pretty heavy dirt bikes. Yeah, but he wants a street bike, so the DRZ is a featherweight. If you're looking to spend 7-9k on a supermoto, get a Husqvarna SM630. They should be around 8k new next summer. Used consider the Husqvarna SM610, and KTM 625,640, and 690. (all available in both dual-sport and supermoto garb) You can't really go wrong with a DRZ, but the Husky and KTM will be a bit more fun.
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Nov 28, 2009 03:50
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Zool posted:Yeah, but he wants a street bike, so the DRZ is a featherweight. I heard that KTM's were real monsters in terms of power to weight and I was a little wary of to big of a jump in power. Also, is there much vibration off the modern big singles?
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Nov 28, 2009 04:03
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Nyyen posted:I heard that KTM's were real monsters in terms of power to weight and I was a little wary of to big of a jump in power. Also, is there much vibration off the modern big singles? A KTM 640SM would be a good bike (two mentions so far...) but I think a Duke II (640 motor, a bullet fairing and full instruments, shorter-stroke road-specific suspension, 17" wheels, higher gearing) might suit your intended use better. It has cast wheels (not usually used on dirt machines, as they tend to break if you jump the bike/slam into poo poo), but is more than happy on unsurfaced roads, especially with dual-purpose rubber. Any of the 640 motors will be just under 50hp, but they rev quite high for a 625cc single, so it's not like they're difficult to deal with (i.e. it's not 49 hp delivered at 1,000 rpm - more like 7,000). Being singles, they have the advantage that you can actually reach stuff to work on it without taking apart the entire bike. The 690 engines (these are the latest generation from the last couple of years and replaced the 640 powerplant) make significantly more power - claimed 65hp - which makes them amazingly quick singles, but might be more than you want or need. There were reliability complaints with early motors, but I haven't kept up with whether KTM fixed any issues. All the 690 engined machines are going to be a bit pricey, as the oldest machines are only a couple of years old IIRC. The 640 had a long production run, so you have a wide selection out there. The DRZ will be less powerful, but lower-geared. The Duke will happily do 80 on the highway, and up to a bit over 100 if you absolutely must race that Geo Metro. The 640SM has less wind protection and I imagine lower final drive gearing, although you can obviously fix that. I'm no Husky or SM racebike expert, but a "proper" SM, i.e. something designed with competition use/competition conversion in mind will have a very aggressive power delivery and very short, motocross-style service intervals. KTM's 640 motors have the advantage of being designed for road or dualsport applications, with a substantially greater oil capacity and durability for extended road use. While a DRZ will probably be similar, I'd be careful about buying any kind of pure SM engine, even if it theoretically has the same or less power than the alternatives. To give you an idea, and at the risk of mis-remembering, the Duke II's 640 carries 1.3l in the sump and 600cc in the frame, while the 660SMC competition engine has 0.9l in the sump. As far as vibes, I never had any particular problem with my Duke and I did a few miles on it, including some touring. It will be a bit vibey, but it's not going to put your hands to sleep. It will depend on the bike, obviously. Saga fucked around with this message at 08:13 on Nov 28, 2009 |
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Nov 28, 2009 08:04
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I'm thinking about buying this 1979 Honda CX500 Deluxe. What do you guys think about this bike? http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/mcy/1486086693.html Is there anything to watch out for? I called, and the seller told me that the carbs needed to be cleaned. Is that code for I'm about to get ripped off?
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Nov 29, 2009 04:02
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talking_head posted:I'm thinking about buying this 1979 Honda CX500 Deluxe. What do you guys think about this bike? I'd try and talk him down to 300-400$, as I sold a running one in good shape with a clean title and current plate for 600$. That's a lot of work and you could get really screwed on DMV fees too. Before you rode it, I'd change the shaft fluid, and if it's got a slipping clutch you have to essentially break the bike in half to get to it. Plus the early generation of those bikes have waterpump issues. Honestly, I'd pass, there are better options out there.
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Nov 29, 2009 04:33
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Z3n posted:I'd try and talk him down to 300-400$, as I sold a running one in good shape with a clean title and current plate for 600$. That's a lot of work and you could get really screwed on DMV fees too. Before you rode it, I'd change the shaft fluid, and if it's got a slipping clutch you have to essentially break the bike in half to get to it. Thanks for the advice. Couple of things. 1.) Shaft fluid? What is this? 2.) DMV fees? I will check with the VIN # 3.) Slipping Clutch? I believe this bike is drive-shaft driven. 4.) Waterpump issues? gently caress. I have no idea man. Thanks for the headsup, I might pass if I don't get a decent discount.
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Nov 29, 2009 04:59
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talking_head posted:Thanks for the advice. Couple of things. 1.It's the fluid that lubricates your shaft.  2.I think california charges back fees for years in which the vehicle was unregistered. I'm not sure though, as they don't do that in Texas (god bless Texas) 3.You'll still have a clutch. 4.gently caress. I have no idea man.
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Nov 29, 2009 05:12
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