Need some advice from you BIKERS!

[Gavin Allan]

I'm thinking about getting a bike--and was looking for some advice. Just want something to have fun on for weekends and short trips <200 miles. Don't want to spend a lot of money, but want something reliable and decent performance. I'm not a young pup, so I don't think I want a Ninja or real lay-down sporty bike, but I am not ready to join the Gold Wing cruiser crowd either. I'm thinking off the top of my head something like a nice KZ1000 might fill the bill...



THOUGHTS?

 

[Jim P]

Best thing you can do is go and look, look and look some more, AND sit on every bike you can to see if its gonna be comfy for you, or can you make it comfy by changing the seat, handlebars, footpegs, etc. w/o much $$ (not really possible, but you can try). If you have your motorycyle endorement on your DL, you might be able to take a bike for a test ride, but be ready to hear no joy rides as well. If you don't have your MC endorsement then take the rider safety course FIRST before you buy, you can get a taste for riding a bike but don't have to buy a bike to see if you like it or not. Check with a bike shop for info on the safety course All of the jap bike makes have lots of used bikes out there, just look for a good clean one in good shape, The honda shadow is a good, suzuki boulevard, and kawi vulcans are all reliable and not too costly, especially the used one's

 

[Bill V]

It's hard to go wrong with Specialized. Their stuff is well built, performs well, priced well, and lasts forever. Find a local dealer, and choose your favorite model from there. It'll be perfect for your 200 mile outings, for years to come.



Although I'm not sure why you're mentioning all those motorcycles in a post about bikes...

 

[Hal S]

I have a "cruiser". It's a 2006 Kawasaki 500 LTD and have a blast with it.

Something larger might be nice, but I can move out just fine for me, and with the saddle bags I can carry quite a bit of junk along if I need to.

I bought the 500 as much for the price as the fuel efficiency (65+ in town). On the highway, I can cruise a 80 and still have alot left.

Whatever you buy, drive defensively and remember, loud pipes save lives!

 

[Jacob Dryer]

loud pipes save lives!

how does projecting sound behind you protect you? The people that are trying to kill you are in front of you.





Gavin if you want something "fun" look into a Yamaha FZ6 or Suzuki SV (not SVS) both have pretty upright seating positions and will be far more fun in the turns than any cruiser. Both bikes have HUGE followings so parts are cheap and there are lots of aftermarket goodies if you want them.

 

[Hal S]

A rider can sometimes be hard to see, and anything that makes him noticed is a plus. Therefore, loud pipes save lives.

 

[Jacob Dryer]

It's projecting the sound behind the bike, cars can't hear it until the bike is right next to them when it's already to late.

 

[Hal S]

JD Boxes,

I'll take every advantage I can, but I guarantee you can hear me coming as well.

 

[Jacob Dryer]

At that I'm just going to respectfully disagree.



If anyone (including you Hal) are interested just do a search for that exact phase. I'm not going to say that I found hard in stone evidence, but in thinking about all the readings logically I disagree.



But thats not what this post is about.. so.. Gavin find a nice bike that is comfy for you, make sure you take/or have taken some kind of safety training (Motorcycle Safety Foundation - MSF) and wear your gear. Dress for the crash.

 

[Jim P]

guess loud pipes is like having the whole vehicle vibrate from boomboxes/subs, etc, with the volume turned up too loud and that's ok huh??

 

[Jimmy Young]

I can't help you decide on which bike to get but spend the extra money to get all of the proper gear including a coat, gloves, pants, and boots. Make it a habit to wear it every time that you ride even if it's just a short ride because you will go down eventually. Having all the gear saved my hide last year when I hit a deer at about 60 mph riding my Honda ST1300. I separated my left shoulder and broke some ribs but only had a nickel size area of road rash. All the gear all the time!

Jimmy

 

[Woppy V]

Lol Gavin minus pipes and all that jazz it looks like you are interested in a cruiser of some sort since you mentioned a KZ1000.... whats your target price range... do you have a preference on the age of the bike? do you prefer comfort over preformance or vice versa? if you answer these Q's it will greatly aid in narrowing down the best bike for you. Personally, I am thru with owning any older bikes (1995 or older) and anything smaller than a 750cc. That being the case and the fact I LOVE comfort more than anything I took a liking to the suzuki intruder. I also decided that i will only own shaft driven bikes because of how much easier they are to maintain... lemme know what ur prefences are! also do some craigslist.com search in your area ~ best deals will be there.





Edit:

All the gear all the time!

don't worry about pipes... this is the best advice out there!

 

[Todd Z]

hows that go... Loud pipes Saves lives .....



Yet my mustang was QUIETER than the bike and I get the ticket..... Sorry.....



Todd Z

 

[Gavin Allan]

Thanks for the advice. I value comfort over performance, but I don't want a dog, either. The last bike I rode on the street was a 350/4cylinder Honda 30 years ago in high school and I decided then it was just too underpowered for safety. Sure, it would eventually run 100 mph, but it didn't have the performance to pass or get out of the way quickly.



Would like one big/roomy enough for my wife to ride along at times.



Don't want anything off-road or long trips. Probably just around town and/or maybe a 200 mile max day trip occaisonally.



Need parts availability and reasonable cost.



Cheap to purchase would be nice. Would love to have a bad-ass looking HD, but I know they are out of my price range. Money is limited, but I would go as far as I need to get what I need. Don't want or need a pristine show bike--just something to ride for fun.



How much will I need to spend to get something decent in what I am looking for? Is there a max mileage that I should watch for?



Thanks

 

[Jacob Dryer]

Keep in mind new bikes new technology.. my wife ride a 500 (parallel twin - Ninja 500) and it does pretty well for being a smaller bike.



I guess if your leaning toward the cruiser route, something in the 1000cc range would be about right, escpecially if you are going to carry a passanger.



You should be able to find a used Honda Shadow for less then $4000 in decent shape. If you don't mind a little work you might find an ugly one for $1500.. All the other imports are going to have some similar model, but like Woppy said you might want to find something that is shaft or belt drive instead of a chain to keep maintance down.



Mileage like with most vehicles doesn't really matter if it was taken care of, it seems in the sportbike world most get wrecked before they break 20k though. So if everything seems ok, and the owner sounds like they took care of it, mileage should be nothing but a pricing tool.

 

[Yardsale]

JDBoxes,



Chains make more sound than belts and, remember, loud chains save lives, too.

 

[TomT]

[Broken External Image]:

 

[Aaron Yarbough]

A Vespa...ROFLMAO!



I'm a huge Honda fan so i'm admitting rite now that I am biased, but go to your local Honda dealer and test ride everything that looks like it might be what you are interested in. Once you decide on what you want, I would suggest looking at gently used bikes, that will definitely save you some $$.

 

[Woppy V]

I ditto Lil Red And JB. If you are gonna be having two people... 1000cc at least. honda, suzuki, kawasaki.... Sit on as many as possible! Take your wife with you also... if she is sitting on the back of that thing she's gonna have the worse seat and he opinion of comfort in the back may greatly alter your bike decision! A sissy bar for her would also be a safe/comfortable idea!

 

[Jacob Dryer]

If you are gonna be having two people... 1000cc

I don't want to be taken out of context.. so let me clarify this statement for anyone else that might read this.



If you are buying a sportbike you do NOT need 1000cc. I would NEVER EVER recommend a 1k to a new rider of any type.



Gavin said he had some experience riding, and is looking more at a cruiser by the sounds of it, that is the only reason I recommended going that large in motor.



I am a firm believer in starting small when it comes to motorcycles, it wouldn't bother me one bit if they started tiered licensing, but that is a whole nother conversation.