Maybe It's The Middle Age Syndrome....

[pioneervato]

..but I have been considering a motorcycle for some damn reason. I haven't rode one on a regular basis since I was in high school. And that was a long time ago. Am I crazy to even consider one since I know that motorcycle injuries and deaths are at an all time high and climbing due to the increased popularity in owning them? But humor me for a minute. I went to look at Harley's and they are beautiful but IMO overpriced for what you get. Yes, I know they are American made and all that and hold their resale value but for about half the price I can get a very nice middleweight cruiser from one of the Japanese makes, specifically I was rather impressed with the Kawasaki's. I am more interested in riding for pleasure and not really concerned about the HD mistique and so I don't need that to impress. Just wondering what you guys think about any motorcycle make be it Japanese bikes or other makes, American or not. Or should I just wait until this crazy desire to have one goes away and I come to my senses once again.

 

[MRX37]

I'm not partial to something that doesn't have an enclosed cab... especally in the middle of winter. Well, that and if you crash it, your next stop is the emergency room.

 

[gearhound]

I got my first "crazy desire" in 1972....1969 BSA 650 Lightning.
For me....the desire NEVER went away.

Steve

 

[onepixel]

You're not alone.

I stopped riding after I cart wheeled my KZ1000 down a hill. To much power and not enough brains. But I've been looking on and off. A vintage 50s Vespa, 50s BMW or a Ducati 916 would do me nicely.

 

[sleddogman]

Thankfully, I still own and ride the black and chrome 1972 Norton Commando 750 that I bought new for $1905.00, as it would cost me 10 times that now these days.

Besides, after all these years, I just can't get use to that goofy shift lever on the left and brake pedal on the right thing...

 

[jeffn]

If you want to maintain your vintage love, go for a 70's or 80's motorcycle. Compared to modern cycles they are kinda like comparing old stereo gear to new. The old ones are built solidly, look nicer, and maybe aren't as powerful but a lot cheaper.

If you like cruiser style, get a Honda CX-500 Custom or something like that.

I'd never buy a Harley.

 

[bolly]

I know what you're sayin pioneervato, I just bought my second ride, last one was stolen about 12yrs ago. I opted for a 1970 Kawasaki H1, 382lbs, 60HP, 0-60 in 4sec, 1/4 mile a bit over 12sec. Be careful though, as with all vintage items, most of these bikes are gettin expensive, and the rarer ones(like mine) are getting stupidly expensive!

 

[Proconsul]

Bolly -- so you're an H1 survivor! I didn't think there were many around, given the rep on that bike -- huge power, low weight, marginal brakes!

I've still got the bike bug. My last ride was a Harley Sportster that I had until about four years ago; prior to that I'd had a '79 Yamaha RD400 that I rode across the U.S. (not my brightest idea). I too would like to find a nice R60 or R69 BMW, or an old Triumph. Most modern bikes leave me cold in terms of visual design, as if they were all part of a space-wars video game.

 

[bolly]

not a survivor yet Proconsul, shes apart in the shed right now, I've never ridden her... next summer though!

 

[Fred Sanford]

My two cents, since you asked:

It's hard to buy a bad new bike these days. Not so hard to overpay, but actually hard to buy a bad one. Buy the newest one you can afford, they've come a LONG way with technology. In my opinion, this isn't a place where I pine for the old days. Yes, I think it'd be cool to have a vintage bike in the garage, but even the 20 year old bikes currently in my garage are giant leaps safer than the 30 & 40 year old bikes I recently sold. That might be a happy-medium age for those wanting disc brakes & modern shocks & radial tires yet not yet into fuel injection & ABS & emmission controls.

Budget a substantial amount for your safety gear. My first bike was a 4-year old Suzuki DR250S for ~$1,200, I then spent close to $1K on helmet, boots, gloves, jacket, rain suit, etc. Good gear protects you in case of a crash, better gear is comfortable/quiet/dry enough that it doesn't distract you and contribute to a crash.

Get training, get your license. Read about how to operate a motorcycle safely. Most motorcycle fatalities have one or more of these factors in common- a car turned left in front of you/you're riding a motorcycle you're unfamiliar with/you're unlicensed/you've been drinking. The information's out there, just don't look for too much accuracy in the stats spewed from IIHS.

Kawasaki's the only major Japanese brand I haven't owned, and really only because they haven't built a bike I've wanted. They're fine machines.

je

'88 Honda NT650
'91 Honda CB750

 

[gearhound]

Be aware that MANY repair shops will NOT work on older bikes!
Plus....even doing the work myself....it was VERY hard and expensive to find parts for my 1981 Yamaha Seca 750.
Of all the Japanese manufacturers....Honda....has the best parts availability....even for vintage motorcycles.

Steve

 

[Brent71]

Go take an MSF course if you haven't rode a bike in a while. Don't be one of these goons that decides to buy a bike after not riding for many years and then goes out and splatters himself because his self-esteem was bigger than his common-sense. I've seen so many guys in their 40's - 60's that can't ride for sh!t that it isn't even funny. Sure, they can make it go but when it comes to actual riding skills they're barely competent.

 

[usedto]

Am I crazy to even consider one.....

I'd be more concerned about the people on the road around you.

 

[70salesguy]

Got the motorcycle "bug"?

Speaking as a guy that has had a motorcycle for 35 years and the same Harley for 30 of them, I agree with one of the earlier posts.

Find a motorcycle training course and take it. Check with the local dealers for info. Learn to ride the "right way". You live in a part of the country that is great for riding.

After completing the course, you'll either "be over it" or be better qualified to ride. :yes:

Good luck!!! :thmbsp:

 

[MontreuxBlue]

123456789

 

[Justen]

Buy the cheapest, best running, lowest mileage, mid weight bike you can buy. It will probably be Japanese and there is concern with parts if you plan to keept it running for long periods, but basic maintainence should not be a problem.

Buy it cheap, so if the desire doesn't last you aren't out much money.

Low mileage bikes aren't hard to find- I got a '82 Silverwing (the touring version of the above mentioned CX-500) for $1400 with 12,000 miles. I ride about 13,000 miles per year and when the bike needs major work, I'll find another one. Newer bikes handle and stop better, so the newer the better. As much as I like classic bikes, I'd hate to rely on them unless I was a good mechanic.

Buy a middle weight- 500-1000cc's. Fast enough to run highway speeds comfortably, and get you out of trouble, not so fast as to get you into trouble! Cheap to insure as well.

Take a riding course.

After you've been riding for a couple years, you'll have a much clearer picture as to whether you want to keep riding, and what kind of bike you really want. Then spend the money on the bike you like.

 

[pioneervato]

Hmmm. Not sure where the idea of buying a vintage bike came in. Maybe it was because I mentioned not riding on a regular basis since I was in high school. Anyway, if I cannot shake the desire to get one I was really thinking of new or near new. The Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic LT is one that I looked at and really liked. Big enough and plenty of power for me. The 1600's and 2000's are way too much bike for me. The 900 LT comes pretty much decked out. However, if I were thinking of a vintage bike (and I could find one and afford) it would be a Kawasaki 750 H2. A widow maker for sure but I would rather stick with something more dependable and with better handling. My wife knows I went to look and she was not a happy camper. She told me she would not take care of my butt if I got hurt. And she means it. i never took a spill or had to lay one down but many years ago I had an idiot make a left turn right in front of me and came real close to becoming his hood ornament. Scared the living **** out of me.

 

[Justen]

I wouldn't recommend a vintage bike. But if you are trying to figure out if this is just a middle age phase, WTH would you buy a brand new bike, ride a few hundred miles and then sell it for half what you paid after having decided it isn't really what you wanted to do? Not that I'm complaining, I love guys like that. They give up after a few rides and the wife tells them to sell it. There are lots of good looking, expensive bikes I see that only seem to get a few hundred miles a year- ass candy in my opinion. Harleys seem to attract that kind of rider these days.

If you buy a older bike- whatever the year- and then never really ride, you're only out a few grand. If you've got lots of money to spend and don't give a shitte about losing it in depreciation, buy whatever pleases you.

 

[thedelihaus]

I rode 16 year without serious issue. It was a car accident (me in a truck, being rear-ended by a speeding honda) that did me in and ended my MC riding.

I loved all bikes, but primarily road 60's and 70's hondas, and a few 80's models.

And the newer you got, for the most part, the better reliability and easier the maintenance.

For me, Motorcycle riding overshadowed girlfriends, music, hi-fi, record collecting... pretty much anything.

Dangerous, and growing, not by the bikes which are getting faster, but at the same time safer and more reliable, but by who's allowed behind the wheels of cars nowadays, along with what's allowed behind the wheels of card nowadays- primarily DVD screens and cellular telephones and text-messaging fiends.

So, it's a balance of increasing road menace, tempered with the availability of improved cycles, improved safety gear, and the need for modern riders to really invest in learning about their own safety and how to keep responsible and aware when riding.

That, and a bit of good luck thrown in for good measure.



All that said, riding is one of the most enjoyable and personal-freedom inspiring hobbies/lifestyles out there, if the riding boot fits your personality foot.

 

[Andyman]

I've got the itch to get another Suzuki like the 1982 GS1100GKZ I sold about 6 years ago. It doesn't make any sense as I'd only ride it infrequently and have to store and maintain it, but I loved the lines on that bike. I could sit and look at it all day and smile.

Plus,there's nothing better than a warm, sunny day riding some two lane blacktop by the water. Riding in rain, snow, and cold seriously sucks, as does hundreds of miles of superslabs, but those nice rides pretty much make up for it.