Close Topic Options

lately i've been lusting after cruisers.



i wish i could afford to buy that without selling the 14.

This post has been edited by VRr1FD on Apr 30 2008, 02:33 AM

1980 Yamaha maxim 650... Picked it up for under a grand with 8800 miles on it... It's a 650 inline 4 (same motor as the Seca) and gets about 45-50 mpg... Light enough it's not a bear but enough power I don't have to get worry about getting run over either... will do about 125 if you run her all the way to redline in top gear (have seen no reason to test those numbers just picked them up online) and because it's older parts are easy to find and fairly cheap (needed a sidecover when i got it, 20 bucks)

Change the seat and get clipons...

I'd get a CB750 or a Z1 or something if I wanted an older bike.

BUMP!

I have some one-piece racing leathers now. They're rather hard to get off, but it's actually not bad at all to wear while riding, despite being about a size too small for me (they're literally skin tight... I can't get them on if I wear anything more than biker shorts and a t-shirt... and wearing a biker shirt makes it easier to get off).

Black and blue is my favorite racing leather color.

I haven't put a slider on the ground yet though...

My father and I went halves on a piece of instant death fine Japanese death engineering from the '70s. My father has a history of hooning riding maturely and safely on old motorcycles, his favorite being the classic Kawasaki Triple. He owned a KH400 triple back in the late '70s which is the only bike he clearly remembers to this day. Well, this one is even bigger. It's a '75 Kawasaki H1 500 Triple.

It isn't very efficient; 20mpg at best. But, it's worth every penny in high-octane. Three expansion chambers send a great sound and a good bit of smoke into the air as the two-stroke powerplant winds up to a 9,000 rpm redline.

While pretty doggy at low revs, once that needle pushes past 5,000 RPM, it will rocket you in excess of 120mph. Pretty fast for a '70s bike. It will do effortless wheelies in 1st and 2nd gear. Pretty scary considering this is still a step down from the world-famous H2 750 "Widomaker" triple. This bike is the ancestor of the high-performance street machines most kids my age swoon over.

It is incredibly fast, incredibly loud, incredibly thirsty, incredibly nimble, incredibly dangerous fun and will leave many bikes beyond it's era in a cloud of smoke.

Honestly, I would not have it any other way.

That's a hell of a bike, Jake. The exhaust is super weird, and I don't mean the 2-1 pipes. The pipes are so small! I'm really digging it though. I'm still searching for my bike. My test ride should be coming up soon. Don't know if I already mentioned it in this thread or not but it won't hurt to restate it.
My dad's old co-worker/riding buddy bought his daughter (my age) a Ninja 250 and she just didn't take interest in it the way they thought she would. So now he has a 250 sitting around and it's just what I'm looking for. We're going to arrange a date where Carl (dad's buddy) will ride the Ninja down here and I get to learn to ride.
My ideal bike would be a commuter bike like a Kawasaki KZ, Honda Rebel, etc. anywhere in the 250 - 400cc range or maybe this exact Ninja 250.

So I`m getting my A2 license next year,which lets me drive every bike I want.I probably will start a job,and try to get some kind of loan from my parents to get myself a bike.I`m thinking of these bikes:
-Kawasaki GPZ500
-Suzuki GS500E
-Kawasaki ER6-F(but it`s more expensive than the other bikes listed)

Does anyone have used one or heard anything about one?

It truly is; someday I must ride the 750. The funny thing is that it is the same displacement as my Buell Blast, but it has over double the horsepower, alongside being lighter.

If you are looking for a good learner bike, look at your local craigslist. I bought, learned on, and sold a '79 Honda CM400T for $500 and then sold it for $500 when I was done. It was a great bike to learn the basics, comfortable, easy to ride. A bit awkward to ride around the license test course, but I sold it before I took the real test anyway. You could probably find something with a bit of a lighter frame and more sporting credentials.

Hm...you live in Atlanta still?

Yamaha XJ550 - $850
'71 Honda CB750 - $800
'73 Honda CB 350 - $1000
'94 Yamaha Seca II - $700

well been thinking of getting a bike also,
once im stable with money and take the riding courses.
but yeah my dad ended up getting a 07 Harley V-Rod then exchanging for a road king i believe. pretty nice bike

of course i want something more sporty and cheaper for now,
was looking at the new 08 Ninja 250R
but rather get something older and used to start out with

Can't go wrong with the 250R. I loved riding it and it just felt right.

In fact, I'm really pining to be on a bike again... god, why did I stop?

Right, the dangerous idiots our ministry passes as drivers on the road...

Damnit.

You can also relate to the moron thread in general for another reason.

I recently saw a KZ440 for 40 bucks, and the only thing it needs were Coil Packs.


How good is the 440?

That's a really old Kawa no? At $40, I assume there's much more to it than just the coil packs. Maybe you can't even find the packs anymore or worse, there's something hidden about it. If this is your first bike, I suggest getting something in the 2000s and second hand (cuz you're bound to drop it - everyone drops it EVENTUALLY).

Second hand 250R, I say.

Well, I need something that is pratical, and away from scooters.

I searched for a 250R, and I don't feel like spending more than 2200......

If you are purely looking for something that you can get around with, look for some Yamaha V-star 250s or whatever they were called back then. These are REALLY good beginner bikes (most schools here in the GTA use them as trainer bikes) and they are good around the city and very very maneuverable.

My only caution is that they strain at 120km/hr on the highway so be careful ... and they are, like any 250 (Ninja included), susceptible to wind gusts and truck tailwinds.

That would be this, right?



It looks kind of heavy....

The Honda school here uses Nighthawk 250s. Similar is the Rebel. Both of which are on my list.

Dude, those aren't heavy at all. Anything with a 250 is going to be suitable for beginners.

This post has been edited by Alex on Aug 30 2008, 06:14 PM

The Yamaha Virago / V-star 250 / whatever they are called now are EXTREMELY light. Anything 250cc is very light and typically in the 300-350lbs range. If you consider that heavy then maybe you are talking about bicycles?

The Virago is a very nice bike. Slightly more expensive (brand new) compared to the Ninja 250R but that's because of all the chrome you get with the bike (as you can see on the picture). It's a very nice sounding bike and very easy to use. You can't go wrong with it.

Hopefully this will be sitting in my garage by the end of the month.
2003 Kawasaki Ninja 250. I got to ride it yesterday and I loved it to death.

Right now it belongs to my dad's friend (rides a BMW himself) who bought it for his daughter. She just didn't get into it and now he was left with an extra bike. He has an extra jacket, helmet, a tank bag, a strap on bag and some other goodies he's including. All for $2,100, and he's even letting me do it in payments. This is my first case of spending money I don't have but I can make it fit in my monthly budget.

(THIS POST WAS REMOVED BY REQUEST)

Looks like one bike I should stay away then.

(THIS POST WAS REMOVED BY REQUEST)

I thought these Can Am Spyders were kind of cool:



On the bright side, it doesn't require a motorcycle license.

is that beacuse the is no countersteer?^^