Okay, i'm 17, and drive a truck that gets 10 mpg on a good day, and do alot of running around town.

I really want to get a motorcycle, for summer riding, going to work, etc. Nothing fancy, but i want it to look nice, it can be old, thats fine, but i want to be able to take a girl out riding on it without being embarassed. I only have a budget of about 800$ to buy a decent used one. My friend is selling one for 650, but i havent seen it. What brands are reliable, and what should i look for in a motorcycle? also how much is insurance for one of these bad boys? What are the best places to look, ebay, local paper, websites? Thanks for any help!

 

for 800 bucks good luck on finding a nice one. im mean they are out there but seems like around there far and few in between. i would go with a yamaha or honda, and kawy isnt bad

 

well, by nice, i actually mean big. I just dont want some dirt bike knock off. somthing with some size to it. But then again, the bigger, the more expensive i'm sure. I do have the ability to fix it up if it doesnt run, so that might save me some$. I just think it would be alot of fun, and maybe even save some gas.

 

As for motorcycles. . . size matters. I've ridden for more years than I care to remember. And yes, my body's hit the ground (read 'road') - once! The dirt, that's another story.
Smaller bikes are not as stable as bigger/heavier bikes.
As far as 'nice' bikes, under $800 or so, good luck. They are like hen's teeth. Rare.
Size / weight means stability.

Yamaha and Honda are good bikes. If you want true blue American-
One word. . . Harley. (That fast-forwards to another word. Money.)

Last word from the voice of experience.
Buy a helmet like your life depends on it, 'cause it does.
I know of a guy that bought a $29.00 helmet years ago. He had a minor accident and the helmet split (like it should have, to absorb the shock) but, his head split with it.
He died on the spot. 22 years old.

 

Most all Japanese bikes are reliable as they come. I have had many and never really had any problems to speak of. Insurance at your age is always going to be high especially if you go the "superbike" style. At that price you would only want liability anyways. I have found alot of good bikes for around that price-- may not be the best looking --but dependable. Doubtful if you would find a HARLEY in that price range ever-- but you certainly don't want one unless you are willing to spend more time being a mechanic and throwing endless dollars at it. Although, I am certain alot will tell you different, Harleys are about the most unreliable bike you can get. Yes, I have had them and although they have gotten better-- pan , shovel, or evo-- they all break down and frequently. Most all british bikes are on the same level of harley, but again I doubt you find a rideable one for your price range. A good place to find bikes is at colleges at towards the end of the year-- they buy them then have to get rid of them at years end before moving on. My most reliable bikes have been Hondas- Batteries and fluids are about I ever replaced .

 

ive see quite a few early to mid 80's yamaha, honda, and kawi all in your price range, most are around 650cc and most in pretty good shape. look in the paper and online at e-bay and autotrader. also stop by some motorcycle shops the guys working might know of someone with a bike for sale.

Jason

 

If you really want a nice one for that price, you'll have to find a bargin OR do what I did.

I found one that was stored outside with no seat, exhaust, bad: tires, starter. Engine didn't have any compression.

I got it for free, but you can get these in the $100~300 range.

I priced the parts at local dealers and salvage yards, total to replace parts was over $2000, and this did NOTHING to get the engine running!

I found everything I needed on eBay, except the tires which are new (don't buy used tires, not worth it)

Tore the engine apart, the rings were frozen up and valves needed to be relapped. got it all cleaned up and put it back together. Now it runs like a champ.

This is an 85 Honda Nighthawk 700s, value of a good one of these is about $1800 Real nice $2500

I'm painting a truck and will toss in the bike parts with that, so new paint is free.

Total cost about $350, including new tires.

Took about 1 year to get all the parts at the price I wanted from ebay.

Advice: If you go this way try to find a popular bike that didn't change a lot for several years, this makes for cheaper parts. Do everything you can yourself, paying someone to fix an older bike is a lost cause.

Don't skimp on Helmet, Tires, Brakes, etc... you can skimp on somethings, but not when safety is at issue.

Also, working on bikes is a bit different than cars / trucks. Installing the airbox for the carbs took me a FULL day! Bleeding the lifters is a special process... Buy the manual and read it, join a Yahoo group specific to the bike you want (tons of free info, advice).

Tow yards are another area to look into, they have old stuff they want to get rid of, one here has about 12 bikes. Don't buy the 1st time if the price isn't good, repairs can be very expensive. Replacing internal engine parts sometimes cost more than the bike will ever be worth.

 

Heres what I would do. Your budget for a bike is enourmusly small. For $800 you are only going to get older jap bikes. Dont buy the bike to look nice and to cruise around town with your girl on back. Save your truck for that, buy an old honda or Yamaha or whatever that gets excellent mileage, youll save lots of money on fuel and insurance. Check the papers classifieds secion and also check the thrifty nickel or American Classifieds or whatever you have in your area for good deals. The best way to buy a car, truck, or bike is though the classifeds section. My Yamaha Dual purpose 225 gets 75mpg and is a blast to ride around on. Good luck

 

For your budget I would stick with an early 80s Honda. About a 750. I used to have a cycle shop. Stay away from other imports of the same vintage. Forget Harley on your budget. I found one for a friend of mine. An 82 Honda 750. The bike ran. We put tires, battery, brakes, etc., did a tune up, and painted it. Total investment is about $1100. Paid $700 for the bike. It is not worth fixing any engine that old. It will cost too much. Insurance starts at about $100.00. You only have two wheels, and one head. Don't skimp on the tires or the skid lid. Try throwing a cantelope against a curb. This is what happens to your head without a helmet. Take a safety course. Stupid people get burried. DO NOT DO STUPID THINGS. I am 58. I got interested in cycles at 15. I ALWAYS wear a helmet. Pay attention to what's in front of you and what's around you not the girl behind you. Think about her after you both get off the bike safely.

Now that you got the lecture, riding is great. It gives you a special freedom. I love it and won't stop until I take the dirt nap. I wish you many safe, dry and happy miles. Keep the shiny side up.

 

Maybe you could pick up a mid 70's CB 350 or 360T. They are good bikes, and can look nice.

Trevor

 

Honda NightHawk has been around for years and I am sure you could find one for a descent price. Its a clean looking bike, plenty quick if you are looking for something just to get you around, and alright to ride on short trips. they have an inline 4 and are between 550 and 750cc.

My uncle had one years ago and my buddy bought one a couple years ago. Pesoanally I am kid of partial to a Suzuki SV650. It is supposed to be a great handling entry level bike. v-twin, nice power, looks sharpunfortunaley they have not been out that long so I am not sure if you can find one in that price range

good luck with what ever you get and be safe

 

While that may have been true in the past, I don't believe it's a fair statement nowadays - I have a 94 Softail Custom (my avatar), and I'm its third owner. When I got it, the primary cover was seeping oil - a drop would hit the floor every few days. I torqued all the primary cover bolts to factory specs and haven't had a single problem with it since. That was over 2 years ago. Granted, I've only put about 4k miles on it since then, but it has never failed to start, run perfectly and hasn't leaked a drop of anything since.

Harleys (especially the pre-evo ones) had a bad (and mostly deserved) reputation for poor reliability. That has DEFINITELY changed since the first Evo in 1984. While they might not be up to the reliability standard of a Honda (what else is???), they are a respectably reliable machine AND you can't touch their resale value with ANY jap bike...

I love ALL motorcycles...Harleys look great and hold their value. Hondas are the MOST reliable. I'd love to have another Goldwing...just have to convince the wife I need to keep my softail too

Back to the poster's question...I'd look for a Honda first, but finding a good one for $800 is not very likely. Check ebay...that's probably your best bet.

Scott

 

If you get a motorcycle, you'll need insurance and protective gear. A helmet and jacket at minimum. And if you want to take your girl for a ride, that means 2 helmets. You'll also want to take a MSF safety course.

Realistically you don't have much chance to ride for less than a thousand dollars and even that's rock bottom. Save your money for another summer.

 

I have had many Japanese bikes in the 15 years I've been riding. All of the usual brands are good. I would recommend getting something that is between 500cc-750cc. 400's are too slow and unstable at highway speed. I have a '89 Yamaha FJ600 that I paid about $1500 Canadian (1250 $US) It's not a bad one to look at because it has the plastic front fairing, spoilers, etc. Power is still good compared to the modern bikes. You might want to look at the Honda Intercepter 500 or 750 or Honda Hurricane 600. The Kawasaki Ninja 600-750 or Kawasaki GPZ 550-750 would be good too. If you look hard and bargain well, you should be able to find one that needs new tires and tune up if you're willing to pay 2-500 dollars more than your 800. The bike might have scratches/ road-rash and a few dents here and there, but you'll be getting something more modern that doesn't look out of date.

Chris
'93 F150 5l 4x4
Vancouver