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We're coming up on the off-season here in the northern hemisphere, which is the perfect time to buy a new or used motorcycle. For those in the southern hemisphere, you'll be getting your licenses and starting out the season. '09s will be out soon leaving dealers wanting to get rid of as many '08s as possible. First off, make sure you've consulted the biek wiki for the buyers' guides. It lists a ton and a half of things to look out for with buying used, and what bikes newbies should be looking for. After that ask away about if you're getting a good deal, or the seller is getting a good deal on you. (Also, if you just want rationalization to spend a couple grand.) Please mention if you are a new rider (less than a year riding) as anything over 70hp is NOT recommended for beginners. It'll probably help if you mention what you've ridden in the past anyway. Edit: The wiki is currently down. No clue if or when it will be back. You can typically do a bit of research before asking if a bike's ok horse power wise by going to https://www.google.com and typing in the make, model, and year of the bike along with "hp" or trying https://www.bikez.com. For Suzukis, plenty of information is found at https://www.suzukicycles.org. kdc67 fucked around with this message at 08:34 on Feb 15, 2009 |
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Oct 2, 2008 04:34
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 11:31 |
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 So the first thing you should do is write up your will and let your loved ones know what you want done with your remains. That is, if there even are remains left. And for the love of God, keep it away from Nero. AkrisD, where are you located at?
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Oct 2, 2008 17:02
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I just use Google for anything that's not Suzuki. 1979 Honda CB 750 Check out the first link to Bikez. Typically I'll search for "year" "manufacturer" "model" hp. You'll probably end up at bikez.com most times. Suzukis you can find at https://www.suzukicycles.org
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Oct 2, 2008 17:34
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Ziploc posted:How much money do you save when you buy at the end of the season instead of before? I think I saved about $200 - $300 on my Yamaha LT2 and easily $500 on my Suzuki GS550. Location does have a lot to do with buying used, though, and how much you like road trips. I'm lucky enough to be in the northern Chicago area so not only do I have Chicago, but I can easily trek to Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, etc.
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Oct 2, 2008 18:25
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Bugdrvr posted:What do you guys think of this bike? http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/mcy/870760871.html Please tell us you've bought it. It's sexy. It runs. If there is rust on it, it's virtually none. It will be easy to work on, and there's a lot of good info on GSes. AncientTV posted:Is there anything awful I should know about this bike? http://jacksonville.craigslist.org/mcy/871209310.html The listing's been removed.
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Oct 8, 2008 20:15
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First off, the ad is listing the bike for $1,500, and it's definitely not worth that. Nearly 34k means the rear shock is shot (assuming it hasn't been replaced) and the forks will need rebuilding. I'm getting quotes of the hp being in the 80s for that bike. If it's your first bike, then yes, it's too much. Not to mention all the plastic bits that can easily break and are expensive to replace.
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Oct 9, 2008 07:03
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If that's the bike I think it is, 600R or even this then they're showing it as 85hp. Since it doesn't have any of the stickers, it's a definite possibility that it's been repainted. The question is, why? Was it down at some point or did he just want different colors? Fact of the matter is there are quite a few Ninjas of that year on ebay with fewer miles and in what look to be a lot better shape going for $1000 - $1300. It doesn't look bad in the blurry photos, but $1300 good... Meh.
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Oct 9, 2008 07:43
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That's quite a list he has on a bike that's only 7 years old. I don't know what he's done to it, but it sounds like it's been absolutely trashed. I noticed he didn't mention how many miles are in it. Let's put it this way. My '77 GS400 has fewer problems than that bike. It's current state is in a couple boxes, and it looked like this when I got it. NVaderJ posted:http://detroit.craigslist.org/mcy/871384949.html If it doesn't need work, absolutely nothing. Go take a look at it in person.
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Oct 10, 2008 23:47
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MrKatharsis posted:If you have a soul, you will think so too. This is just all sorts of stupid advice. It's his first bike. From the sound of it he has extremely little to no riding experience. Most of all, you / we have absolutely no idea of what sort of control he has. OF COURSE he'll think it's fun. That is, until he ends up like abunchofnumbers or worse. Wormy Guy, read the first post. 70 is the high end of bikes recommended for beginners. The MSF does not prepare you completely for riding a motorcycle. As our instructor said at the end of our class, "You are now qualified to ride around a parking lot." You're in a place where there are a lot of different bikes available to you. Going 30hp over the max because something's a "good deal" or pretty isn't a reason to buy it. My 1980 GS550, in excellent shape, was purchased for about $600, has 49hp, and has a max speed of about 110mph. It's plenty to kill me as it stands. Even when people decide to get "acceptable" bikes they frequently drop them or crash. I can tell you this right now, though. Should you ignore all of our advice and do end up injured or dead, sad to say not many people in this subforum will be feeling sorry for you. Side question, what happened to the wiki?
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Oct 28, 2008 02:14
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Stoic Commie posted:http://detroit.craigslist.org/mcy/911419528.html I like that. "My friend's dead, but hey the frame, motor, and trans are fine! You'll be ok." Furthermore, why were his thoughts, "I'm going to buy back and sell the bike that killed my friend"? If I were him, I wouldn't even want to touch the thing. Creepy.
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Nov 10, 2008 04:39
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The 2000, definitely. The '05 sounds sketchy.
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Nov 22, 2008 07:29
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AKMOTOGP posted:I'm puzzled by the <100hp for a first bike rule that people are preaching. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you're new, and give you a summary.
Stick around, read, and you'll see exactly why this place recommends the things it does. Exhibit A 3 accidents prior to that (1 in the MSF), and not once did he listen to anyone here. You'd be hard pressed to find someone who feels sorry for his stupidity. Let's also not forget someone who got a fairly powerful bike, then screamed bloody murder that they weren't going to touch it 'til they took the MSF. What did he do? Rode the bike all over, started riding at night with wildlife nearby, rode in freezing temperatures, and hopped on the highway. At least we've finally seemed to be able to talk some sense into him. Still no wiki? If it's not coming back, can someone remake it? 
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Jan 7, 2009 08:16
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Tsaven Nava posted:The thing is, I'm in Chicago right now. The weather won't even get REMOTELY rideable for another couple months, and the MSF courses don't start until April. If you're really worried about what your bike weighs vs. you, go to the gym. You won't have to become terribly bulky if you don't want to. Leg strength alone can help you move your bike. Look around. You should be able to find one that's fairly cheap. I go to a Snap Fitness (their prices vary by location) that's all of $35 a month, and they always have a deal on their website for a free week trial. There's usually a deal on their sign up fee, too. It's still loving cold. You've got some time to build up some strength. Keep an eye on the MSF site. It should be soon that they start announcing when the register dates will be. Typically they're around February in the 20s. You ABSOLUTELY have to be on that site at midnight when registration starts.
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Jan 22, 2009 06:25
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Tsaven Nava posted:It's not an issue of being able to push it around (although I'm going to have to practice picking it up), as much as how much weight I'll have to assist in controlling it. Just pushing it around my garage I end up thinking "Good christ, how am I going to actually stay on this thing and control it when it gets all squirrely?" Aaaaand having to pick up the bike alone is a good enough reason to be hitting the gym as I said.  You think the bike is sorta heavy pushing around now just wait until it's on the ground. It'd help you learn how to lift things without injuring yourself. Leg presses, squats, I hear rowing is good, etc. You will also be using muscles you didn't know you have in your legs to hold onto the tank at higher speeds. While riding steering the thing is really pretty light. (Unless you have square tires or a flat.)Yes, you do have the wrong idea for that. You'll pretty much be going nowhere. It doesn't matter what amount of HP you have. You'd be lucky to hit 20 mph. Aside from that, it doesn't matter what bike you learn on because it'll still be different from yours. You'll have to learn where your clutch grabs and blah blah blah. Just go do the MSF. For $20 you get a hell of a lot. Z3n is right about overpaying. Not to get totally on your case, but I don't know why you think you need bluetooth in your helmet. As a new rider, you are going to have A LOT to pay attention to. Being on the phone is the last thing you need to be concerned with. Helmets are long term disposable items. The lining wears out or it just gets really disgusting, and they need to be replaced about anywhere from 2 - 5 years.
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Jan 22, 2009 23:35
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Your height and weight have gently caress all to do with what type of bike you should get, as your customer was saying. The "Harley plant" thing should've been enough of a clue to run away from his advice.  It's what you're comfortable on. Being 6' your legs should be fine on nearly any bike. You're not 400 lbs. so your weight's not going to slow any bike down significantly. We also do not look at displacement. We look at hp. 70 is the high end for new riders.The SV650 is on the edge of what's ok for new people. Some do fine, others don't. As for outgrowing bikes, HA. Nero has bikes that'll do 120mph+. Yet if I were to leave the key to all of my 9hp, 50mph LT2 with him, I'd never see that bike again. Besides that, even if you do want a faster bike and can't have more than one, 250s have good resale value. According to wiki.answers the V Star 250 has a top speed of 85mph. Technically enough for highway driving. Not quite enough to time travel, though. That Shadow is a rather nice bike. HP wise it's about perfect. (45) The only problem I can see with it is it's too pretty. I don't know about you, but I'd feel awful if I were to drop that. Considering it has no flaws on it and the extras, it doesn't seem like that ridiculous of a price really. It's always worth trying to talk someone down a bit. Yes, properly tuned pipes such as Vince and Hines do affect performance.
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Jan 26, 2009 08:59
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I think a lot of the power goes to turning the bike into a gigantic vibrator. I know. My '80 GS550 puts out 50hp and my '77 GS400 puts out 36. That sportster also has a DRY weight of 557 lbs. compared to 430 for my 550 and 380 for my 400.
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Jan 26, 2009 19:23
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$900 for a 27 year old bike that'll need a recovered seat, front turn signals, and the paint isn't in pristine condition? No way. Where do you live?
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Feb 8, 2009 06:57
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Yeah, it might be a collectors bike if it were in mint condition. He'll find out the hard way when it doesn't sell, I guess. What an idiot.
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Feb 9, 2009 02:23
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As someone who's working on a bike with a fair bit of rust, lemme tell ya... RUN AWAY!!!! RUN AWAY!!!! Here's what that bike is going to need just from the photos:
That is some seriously deep rust, and it does not make for easy work to remove bolts. The only way some parts of my bike have come off was I had Skreemer's freak-of-nature strength available. Edit: AND it's a Honda. That bike is going to gently caress you over sideways mechanically. kdc67 fucked around with this message at 02:33 on Feb 10, 2009 |
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Feb 10, 2009 02:25
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It's shiny. If it's the 750 or above, that's a "not a good idea". I'm seeing 80hp for it. 500's fine with 64hp specified by Honda, although on the high side.
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Feb 11, 2009 06:18
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750cc = displacement. hp = Horse power.
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Feb 11, 2009 06:56
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Magna#.22Specifications.22 It is a cruiser, but it isn't. I'd say it's like Suzuki's GS L series. It is pretty. It might be ok, but don't be fooled into thinking it's like every other cruiser. Its dry weight is only 482.7 lbs. That's not really a number that's going to bog down the hp much.
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Feb 11, 2009 19:23
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MrZig posted:Okay I might have actually found a bike I will buy. Buy it. Buy it now. It'll be fun. $300 for that bike is ripping him off.  If it turns out you want to put more power in it for the highway and such, that can be arranged. *grin*Zenaida posted:If you can, bring a known good battery with you to test. "It just needs a battery" can translate to, "It needs a battery before you can diagnose a host of other problems." Nnnnope to the host of other problems. If the battery's not holding a charge all that's going to need replacing is the regulator / rectifier. Easy fix.
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Feb 12, 2009 01:27
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MrZig posted:However I got it for $450. The front brake doesn't make the light work, the tachometer doesn't work, it idles a little rough but otherwise runs good. I took it up and down the street (first time ever on a bike) and it felt good. It just needs a battery as it has no kick start. So nothing that can't be fixed easily. You will definitely want to fix the front brake turning the light on. Nero can help you with that. Oh yes, and good news! You've got the easy carbs to work on. Man, I really want to get my 400 together now.FuzzyWuzzyBear posted:Haha, why would somebody offer more than the list price for the bike? Easy. "I've already got someone interested in buying it." $450's STILL a good price for it. Is there even a speck of rust on that thing?
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Feb 13, 2009 18:07
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MrZig posted:It leaks on any selection. It's probably an O-Ring in behind. Looks like if I pop two screws out, it all comes out so it should be fairly easy. It doesn't leak when the engine is off because you have a vacuum petcock. If it's leaking out the front it's just "an" O-ring. Any hardware store will do. On the bright side it means your vacuum system works. Christoff posted:I have an obsession with the repsol CBR 1000 limited edition. I'm on a 600 right now but am thinking about upgrading in about 4-5 months. With a total riding time of about 6-8 months. Bad idea? I don't know much about CBRs at all. If not that then it'll be an older super sport bike. Depends. How much do you enjoy your arms?
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Feb 14, 2009 21:29
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You're already on something that's outside the parameters of a person with your experience. Why are you trying to push it? Your bike. Stating 98 hp. It looks like that 750 is a '93, which has 118 hp. Sure get the 1100. As long as you have a good life insurance policy and make me the beneficiary. I need to update the OP so people can actually do a bit of research before they ask questions. kdc67 fucked around with this message at 08:35 on Feb 15, 2009 |
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Feb 15, 2009 08:29
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Christoff posted:The 1100 was a joke. The 600 is my second bike. But I was just asking about the 750s. I won't be upgrading anytime soon. As was my reply. I'm just a wee bit tired. "Second bike" doesn't mean much, though. I had 3 before I took my MSF or gone on the road for more than a minute or 2. You said you've had 6 - 8 months of riding so that's still fairly new.So it is. I'm getting mixed messages on whether there's much difference, but it still at least has 85hp.
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Feb 15, 2009 09:52
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Trintintin posted:I can safely say that on the 500, I've only ever felt the rear end slide around under power in the rain and I got off the throttle before it became a problem. I actually want to toy around on a friends dirtbike this summer just to get used to that feeling, because it seemed borderline fun if in the right situation (not in traffic or on the streets). Wrongity wrong wrong wrong answer. You don't get off the throttle when the rear is sliding. You either keep it steady or give the bike a little more. By keeping the power to the wheel you're keeping the wheelspin and giving it the chance to recover gracefully. When you cut power to the wheel the tire will catch and it can throw you. Riding a friend's dirtbike is a very good idea. Mud's fun and it'll give you nearly all the experience you need with the rear end sliding within a day.
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Feb 17, 2009 20:28
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Nope, not at all. Yes, it's an excellent beginner's bike. There's a huge market. Good resale value, too.
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Mar 19, 2009 17:31
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Is the wiring the primary downfall of the XS400? It generally seems to be an acceptable bike, wiring aside, and they're quite inexpensive ($1000ish for a 1978-1982 model). The primary downfall of the XS400 is the timing chain guide breaks and locks up the engine. I know of 2 engines it's happened to. TapTheForwardAssist posted:That's actually a really cool suggestion: Quit looking at craigslist for everything. Go to ebay motors.
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Mar 21, 2009 23:07
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I wouldn't say you shouldn't pay more than $100 for a 400 - 450. Nero failed to mention my GS400, while costing $45 initially, has cost $510 in parts so far and looked like this when we got it. The 425 was just under $100 because the guy was trying to chop it into pieces and utterly failed. The 450 he bought off a friend for super cheap. You will be able to find good deals on them on ebay motors, though. They pop up fairly often during the riding season. The running joke on Hondas is they don't mix well with being able to do work on them.
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Mar 22, 2009 07:14
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GS400s pop up quite often on ebay motors in the warmer weather. You should be able to find one.
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Mar 26, 2009 07:26
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CoolBlue posted:OK, BassCliff is a cool dude but do his posts on GSR drive you as crazy as they do me? The "Thanks for you indulgence" poo poo really irks me, seeing as its on every post he makes (which 99% of his posts are the MEGAWELCOME!) Alright already what's your name on the GSR? You seem to have an.. interesting perspective on them. A lot of people "sign" their posts there.
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Mar 27, 2009 17:42
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CoolBlue posted:Define interesting perspective? Are you referring to GSR or GS's in general? I know a lot of people sign their names over there, but man BassCliffs is over the top! To the GSR. I believe you made some remark about they can be complete tools. I'm not really sure who you've been talking to there. Everyone I've talked to and met (including BassCliff) has been cool, hospitable, and so very friendly to each other. You still didn't answer what your name is there.To get back to the thread.. DiscoKid posted:The bike appears spotless aside from what I mentioned, and he will fix both the tach and sped if I'm willing to pay him $1100 rather than the $990 I offered. Edit: I just realized this is going to be your first bike. Listen to Nero. kdc67 fucked around with this message at 09:06 on Mar 28, 2009 |
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Mar 28, 2009 09:03
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Where do you live? We can help you search.
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Mar 29, 2009 19:55
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On top of what Nero said, just bear in mind to be careful. According to bikez.com, your Yamaha was putting out 50hp and weighed ~500 lbs. wet. That GL1000 puts out 82hp and weighs 650 lbs. wet. Granted the hp numbers are "new," but still it's enough of a difference.
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Mar 31, 2009 05:35
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Yes, you are. Blue book's $5,600 for it. Remember a motorcycle being 9 years old is way less significant than a car. 4,800 miles is barely broken in.
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Mar 31, 2009 17:02
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I'm also going off of ebay numbers, and again, that mileage isn't near average for a bike that old. One sold in Michigan for $3,500, though that was with damage to the fairings and plastic on the gauge, and had 21k miles. The other went for $5,000 with 13.6k miles in Florida. Sure depreciation, but we are talking about a bike that went for something like $11,000 new. If that answer's still not acceptable, nyah to you.
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Mar 31, 2009 18:05
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Bob Morales posted:MSRP on the new GSXR 1000 is what, $11,500 or $12,000 or something? Suzuki's site is listing MSRP for a brand spanking new '09 at $13,000, $11,500 for '08, and $11,400 for an '07. Ouch.
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Mar 31, 2009 19:59
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 11:31 |
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Tap, I think you could use your own thread at this point.
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Apr 6, 2009 16:15
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