shazaam

well I caught the bug, I would like to get a motorcycle. Nothing too big, just something that will let me get the feel of it for now, and also not break the bank. I went to sign up for those safetly classes and their all booked till sept/oct. not only that their $250 a pop for level I and II. and then $100 for level III. I'm still checking with the MVA if its possible to get a license without the saftely class and then go sign up for it later. If for no other reason to get the break on the insurance. I want to get a used bike, so what should I be looking for?

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__________________
Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, and the lesson afterwards.

<-- the artist formerly known as sdastg1

98 Joes

If you're looking for just a bike to ride, look at the late 80's and early 90's Honda Nighthawk. You can pick them up for $1,000 o $1,500 in great shape with low miles. If it's a sportbike you're wanting, the CBR600 F2 and early F3 is a good value (around $2,000 to $3,000). Of course, look for a low mileage one if you find it. I'd also recommend staying away from bikes that have been too heavily modified with lot's of aftermarket parts. It's an indication the bike has been ridden real hard. Also, custome paint jobs may mean the bike was wrecked. Never buy one that's been dumped. It may be OK, but there are plenty of them that haven't been horizontal. Looking at the tires (providing they aren't brand new) will give you an idea of how the bike was ridden. If the tires are worn to the edges, it's been ridden 'sportingly'. Not a bad thing as long as everything else in OK also. If there are wide areas on the edge of the tread that have never touched the pavement (known as chicken strips) the bike has been ridden easily. Neither of these are better conditions than the other. My F3 has no chicken strips at all on the tires, but, I take perfect care of the bike. Oil change every 1,000 miles, chain lubed every 500 miles, blah, blah, blah. I know people that have 3 inch strips and the bike is P.O.S. because they never do anything to it. So, you can see you will need to look at all the points.

No matter what anyone tells you, don't buy a litre bike. Your insurance will be 4 times what you will pay for a 600 or 750. If possible, buy a water cooled model over an air cooled model. They last miles longer.

Do take the safety class. Even if it's later on. I gaurantee you will learn a lot from it. At least here in Washington, it's not required to take the class to get an endorsement, but it sure makes it easier. Most states will let you take the test from the DMV instead of taking the class, but you have to come ready to take the test. With the class, yo will prepeare all day for the test and then take it at the end of the day. You're almost gauranteed to pass.

And lastly, but surely not least, buy good riding gear. Don't skimp on a cheap helmet. Buy only one that is Snell certified. Don't ride in shorts and T shirt either. I recommend leather for all riding, but you can get by with a good textile riding jacket and pants. A friends wife was just hit by a guy in pickup and was dragged down the street. She needs many reconstructive surgeries to repair the damage, but she's going to be OK because she was wearing good gear. So, be sure to ride safe.

Other than that, you're going to love it and welcome to club.

__________________
Doug
'94 4Runner SR5
'98 Honda CBR600F3 SJR

shazaam

Would a bike from the 80's still be in good shape, with little maintenance? I don't want to have to purchase a bike and then spend money to keep it running. Also when you say low miles. What is considered acceptable low milage for a bike?

any other bikes you can recommend in the under $3K range?

thanks

Edit: I found some used bike dealers in the area. I'm going to go check them out tomorrow after work.

__________________
Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, and the lesson afterwards.

<-- the artist formerly known as sdastg1

rimpainter.com

Another vote for a CBR600.

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Waterboy

What ever you do don't loose your respect for the bike. They bite really fast.
Because of full gear I walked away from a pretty bad accident without a scratch.
Are you looking for a full sport bike or are you considering something like a naked sport bike? I've always heard alot of people recommend the SV 650.
http://www.beginnerbikes.com/
This is a good site to check out. They are pretty heavy on Ninja 250's as beginner bikes but for good reasons.
Welcome to the club.

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-Jesse
'92 Pickup SR5 V6 *sold*
Downey headers - Flowmaster 40 - drilled rotors - 1" 4crawler body lift - BJ spacers - 33x12.5 AT - OME shocks/stabilizer - Arma bedliner - 35% tint on top of factory - roll bar - Stubbs sliders...one mean mall crawler

'99 Chevy S10 Xtreme
'96 Jeep Cherokee (wife's)
'02 Honda CBR 954rr

Maddog

Ive always liked the Suzuki GSX's Availble in most CC range's.I still want to get a GSX 400R ,nice & light.heres some links for ya
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...483621977&rd=1

http://http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotor...483407722&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...483865895&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...483736678&rd=1

__________________
Maddog
no 4x4 at this time
Formerly >
1990 Hilux Surf (4runner) ssr ltd 3.0 V6,auto,31"s,140k km's.

gn86r

in most states you can get a motorcycle license or endorsement without taking the safety course. but it requires you to have a bike and take a riding test. unless you've been riding awhile and you have a very trusting friend that will loan you a bike, you're better off taking the course. i had been riding for almost a year before getting a license and taking the course. i wish i had done it sooner, i learned a lot from the course. and please stay away from any of the liter bikes, the current crop of 600's and 750's are more than enough to get you into trouble.

ahriman

the first question you have to ask yourself is what type of riding are you going to be doing? this will tell you what type of bike to get. if you alraedy have a notion of what you would like -- prolly a good indicator of what type of riding you want to do. my advice: do not get a "hybrid" bike, if you want sport, get a sport, if you want to cruise, get a cruiser. standard bikes, like the nighthawk are another type, and a lot of peoplelike these as beginner bikes. if you go the cruiser or standard route, do not sell yourself short and get a small displacement bike just because you are a beginner. get small displacement because you _want_ it. i got a 750cc cruiser because i wanted to get a small bike and take it easy for a while, and i was sorry. within 500 miles i was wanting more power for hills and 2-up riding. do not be scared of an 1100 or even larger. i suggest taking the class before you buy simply because it will give you confidence and you may go for a larger bike. most important is to be comfortable w/what you get and respect it. as for bikes, you need to decide what type of riding you want first, but i second the nighthawk -- bulletproof (as are most hondas), i looked pretty closely at the sv650, people love them, so that is another second.

ride safe!

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[elevation]: 3" rev-tek lift w/nitrous enterprise custom spacer [] 1.5" roger brown body lift
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[protection]: stubbs deluxe sliders [] custom front bumper [] diff breather mod
[blingaration]: really cool skull license plate frame w/red glowing eyes!

shazaam

how much of a power difference is there really between an 650 and a 750? I'm usually a quick study, and I have no intentions of riding wrecklessly. I've personally seen way too many donorcycles come through my E.R. But for some reason I still want to get one.

I sat in the new CBR today, and it really angles you down. I really don't like that ... yeah its cool when your going fast to be right up against the bike. But most of my driving is going to be on weekends, up to shanadoah valley or West virginia. I know I should probably get a cruiser, but I like the look of a sport bike. I also sat on a yamaha 700 c bike, it was a little more upright.

also my questions from before .. what is considered a high miliage bike? and is a bike from the 80's too old for a low maintenance bike?

hopefully tomorrow I'll get a better idea when I hit up some bike shops

__________________
Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, and the lesson afterwards.

<-- the artist formerly known as sdastg1

Juggalo

The Yamaha YZF R6 is one of the best handling sport bikes for the money. A 2001 can be had for 4 grand all day long, and less if you look harder. Not to mention they are the best looking sport bikes out there (in my opinion) especially in Yamaha blue.

My best friend had a 2001 R1 (modded) and that thing was insanely fast, I don't reccomend starting out with something like that like he did.

Good luck

Kevin286

My first bike was an 2001 R6. They are FAST. I used to live in Newmarket, VA right in the heart of the shenandoah mountains. If that is where you plan on riding you'd probably want something at least a little sporty. My friend has a nighthawk and loves it. It does corner very well for an upright. If you know how to ride a bit, ride a buddy's bike and get a feel for what you want. And when you get your bike. TAKE IT EASY till you get used to it. You'd be surprised how many bikes i see go through the auctions with the tire nipple things still on them. I love my R6 and wouldnt trade it. great bike for about 1.5 hours, then its time to strech

__________________
'94 4runner. 3.0, 5 speed. Downey HD Coils, Edelbrock IAS all around, K&N drop in. 31x10.5 BFG. Aisin manuel Hubs, Diff Breather, Removeable doors, ARB Bullbar/Winch combo, OME Torsion Bars.
'83 Toy hilux. .040 over EB 261 DT headers, 35" BFG M/T on MT 15x8. Custom bed. Dual battery setup. Miller Locker rear, 5.29's, 8000m w/masterpull syn. 2" drive train lift 61.5 Deaver rear leafes, rear toy mazda hybrid front, square tube DS, OBA. bla bla bla

Juggalo

R1's are the best in my opinion though... Well unless you turbo charge a Hyabusa

jimbo74

here in CA, all you have to have is a bike registered to you, insurance, and you can go get a learners permit... and ride immediately.... the permit doesnt let you ride at night or on freeways, but you only have to have the permit for 30 days nad up to six months to learn before you have to take the real test...

gn86r

if you're looking for a more comfortable ride, you might want to look more toward the sport touring type bikes and away from the supersport bikes like the cbr, gsx-r, or r6/r1 bikes. you'd probably be more comfortable on the bikes like the katana, yzf-600 (not the r6), or maybe a ninja zx6-e. most of the older cbrs are pretty comfy also. these bikes still have that sportbike look and handle good, but the riding position is more upright. either way let us know what you end up getting. oh, and if you cant get a bike now just wait til fall. usually during that time you'll catch most of the deals since people arent riding as much and i find that more people are selling there bikes at that time.

98 Joes

Another good bike in the sport tourer category is the Interceptor. A little more money, but a nice ride. If you're looking at sportbike, a 600 will be way more power than you will ever need. I own a CBR600 and have ridden just about all of the sportbike from the manufatures. In the 750 class, that's the GSX-R 750. Very nice bike and powerful as can be. Insurance will run more for it than a 600. The GSX-R 600 is also nice. The plus I've seen in the CBR's is the fit and finish is second only to BMW. Though the new Yamaha R6 is right up there.

As far as the CBR600 is concerned, it sounds like you were on a 600RR. Definitely a boy-racer. Try the F4i. It's a little more civilized and has a better seat for two-up riding. Down side is either one of those are costing around $7 to $8K. You can pick up a 96 - 98 F3 for around $2 to $3K and it will be all you need. Put another $2K in mods and a couple of track days and you'll be carvin' the canyons with the best of them.

As for mileage. Look for something with 10,000 or below. They are out there and with the CBR, at least, that's barely broken in. With care, you can easily see 100,000 before needing any serious work. Yes, they are that reliable. I would recommend the 97 - 98 CBR600F3 and the 99 CBR600F4 as good candidates. The F4i (fuel injected) is alos sweet, but more money. The Yamaha and Suzuki bikes are all compareable to the CBR. I don't think Kawasaki does as good a job though. If you're looking for sportbikes, don't go back past the mid-90's. The performance of those old bikes just isn't there compared to the newer ones. For cruiser types, anthing in the 80's and up will be cool. Just don't buy a Harley. They require too much work unless you buy a newer one and they are expensive.

Good luck. Shopping for a bike is fun. Riding it's even more fun.

Here's a quote for you. "Only a motorcycle rider knows why a dog likes to hang his head out of the window."

__________________
Doug
'94 4Runner SR5
'98 Honda CBR600F3 SJR

Andrey

What would be the best place to look? On both traderonline.com and ebay.com prices go well over 5K...

Thanks,
-- Andrey

__________________
'01 4Runner SR5 - 4x4

- 1" lift PP springs, deckplate mod, amsoil air filter, optima battery, alum. skid plate, alum. tube steps
- Pioneer 8500MP, PhoenixGold Amp + Infinity Kappas, RockfordFosgate Amp (mono) + Audobahn 10" Sub
- Yakima roof rack, Silverstars, Black Pearl emblems, Wet Okole seat covers, Wood Trim
- TRD Supercharger, 7th inj. kit... weee heee!!!

Juggalo

I remember seeing R6's on ebaymotors.com in the 4k range, I haven't looked on traderonline.com though.

98 Joes

It's summer now and prices are high. $5K for a late model R6 is a fair price. You'll have to wait until Sept or Oct for prices to come down and then the season's over.

I wouldn't recommend buying on eBay. There are some scammers 'selling' bikes they don't own. And it's getting more common. I bought my '98 CBR600F3 Smokin' Joes after finding it on eBay. I did the deal offline and went to Phoenix to see it before agreeing to buy. If you do buy something out of your local area and don't want to ride it home. Forward Air is a good shipping company. Only $153.00 from Phoenix to Seattle. There are some restrictions and I'd be happy to guide you if you need it. Anyway, there are deals to be had. Here's a picture and link to my bike. I bought it for $6000 with only 1,201 miles on it.



Big Picture

Good luck. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

__________________
Doug
'94 4Runner SR5
'98 Honda CBR600F3 SJR