Motorcycle question

I have a couple beginner motorcycle questions. I’m looking for something as a starter bike, no more then 600cc, if even that. Prefferably a 500cc from the mid 70’s to mid 80’s. I see a lot of bikes with the mileage listed, what is considered high mileage for a bike?

Several adds i’ve seen have said “needs work” and the work consisted of carbs. If i can rebuild carbs on a boat motor, how hard would it be on a bike? How hard is other maintence on bikes, like replacing throttles and other things other than major engine work.

Anything else i should look for? Thanks!

if you are dealing with bikes 70-80’s repairs are fairly simple if you are used to working on small engine stuff. most bikes that say “needs carb work”, ususally need a full run through, possible seals, rings, who knows. if you like projects, they can be fun too. i would say a bike from 70-80’s having over 70,000 is getting to he high milage, i not to sure about the milage part, but see what everone else says. u must be jumping on the gas saving band wagon??

well i’ve wanted one of these bikes for a while, ever since i sold my BMW and got a truck, i miss some form of transportation that has charachter, and a 2wd 4cyl S-10 doesn’t have that. So these looked fun, and not too expensive, now with the cost of gas, it wouldn’t hurt to get one. I can also throw my rod on and go trout fishing or stream fishing for really cheap.

IMHO buy a nicer bike, SV650 or 500 kawi, heck maybe even a 250 ninja, something pretty new and basic. learn to ride properly, and pick the maintence up as you go, you;ll get a way, way better modern bike, in which parts are readily available, and easy to get. If you find yourself some older bike, you never know, parts can be much harder to get, tires are harder to find with way less choices.

Really ask yourself, what is my riding going to be about? Do you want to ride? or do you want to be a mechanic and ride when your done with that. Nothing beats a newer good reliable bike for a first bike. Not to mention “starter” bikes usually hold decent resale value, so if or when you are ready to get something bigger and such, you’ll have something to trade in.

Not to say you may be able to find a good deal on a older bike, but all said and done, doubtful the bike will be a great deal by the time your ready to ride.

Sportbike style or harley style?

Heck there’s a pretty darn nice bike (honda XR) in the classifieds I learned to ride on pretty much that same bike. Is it a great fun bike? Does it wheelie?

Take a rider course availble just about everywhere.

You can’t go wrong with an older Honda CB 750 or something similar. Alot of the older bikes are “bulletproof” and inexpensive. As mentioned, there will be more down time with an older bike, and a few more problems to take care of. If you don’t mind a littel elbow grease, pick one up cheap and do a little work.

And as far as stating, “needs work”, it has been my experience that means the carb needs cleaning as it has “varnished” itself during long periods of sitting. In high school I bought a Honda 350 for $25 from a neighbor, and had it running like a top in 2 hours. there is not too many parts to fail on those old bikes. Good luck

Remember to keep the rubber side down

Check out the bike before you buy one that needs carb cleaning. I have never owned a bike before and I just started working on a 1985 Honda Sabre 700 that hadn’t been ridden in 6 years. I work on snowmobiles and stuff all of the time and thought that getting this thing to run would be easy work. It is a V4 and just to get the carb rack out I had to remove all of the engine bolts and shift the engines to make room. I can’t say I have been having fun doing this. My brother is a service manager to a Honda/Yamaha dealer near the cities and he said that they don’t like to take anything in that is pre-1986.

Basically, make sure things are accessible and plan on spending a couple hundred more bucks in parts. Needles and seats alone are around $100 each.

Good Luck

I have to older Honda’s, a 1976 and a 1982. They are just fine to work on but they are both in-line 4 cylinders so it is easy to get the carbs off and out. I just ordred (off of ebay) four carb kits for the 1982 900cc and the total cost was $70……not that expensive. I would not shy away from these older bikes as they are well made and still have many good years and miles left in them.

Bikes from the 70’s and 80’s while cheap to buy are not always the ticket for a new rider. Bikes that age will need all kinds of things done to them just to be safe/reliable. The handling on these bikes flat out sucks compared to later models. They don’t stop nearly as well, the frames flex causing handling problems, the rubber/tire configuration won’t let you lean the way you can on a later vintage machine. Not that you’ll want to start out dragging your knee around corners but when you get in a tight spot (AND YOU WILL) you need all the help you can get.

If you have not ridden before get on a dirt bike and play for a while. Learn what it feels like when the back tire goes out from under you. You don’t want to be freaking out when you hit some loose gravel/sand on the pavement. As some one mentioned above TAKE AN APPROVED RIDDER SAFETY COURSE!

I have been riding motorcycles since I was 13 (going on 50) with 30 plus differnt bikes that I have owned. Simply put, this is a dangerous endevor and you don’t want to handicap you abilities to survive by riding a rattle trap to save a few bicks. That said it can be a lot of fun.

I would also suggest you start with a dirt bike. Get the feel of what obstacles you will encounter on the roadways,by riding off road with less traffic and at reduced speeds. Take the safety course, its worth the time and money.

When its all said and done, you”ll find out why so many try not to ride in cages, unless we are pulling the boat.

W.Wisdom,
before you get a bike, I’d say definitely take a Safety Rider course first. I’ve had a big bike and many of them since 1971. Biking is not for everone, but it sure is fun to hit the open road, or just for commuting. Riding, you;ll find out (soon) will bring a whole new meaning to DEFENSIVE DRIVING. When you finish the riding class, your instructors can also recommend a starter bike for you, based on working with you in the class. NO high performace bikes for beginners.
good luck.
Jack..