Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: JB73 on April 08, 2005, 12:32:24 PM
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is this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6027&item=4541579246&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW
a good deal, and is it a decent bike for a "beginner"?
i have ridden 125cc off-road, even gotten up to 4" air on jumps, and have always wanted a bike. this guy is right here in milwaukee, and with tax money i could afford $450 about.
what's your thoughts you bike experts
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As an owner of 2 old 2-stroke bikes..I will warn you to beware of old 2 strokes...1973 is pretty old. Lot could be wrong with it...looks nice enough though...you should arrange to see it.
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I'd pass on it as well. He has a 30+ year old puny motorcycle. Think mechanical problems and parts problems.
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First, I don't ride dirt bikes primarilly, so some experts out there might say I'm totally wrong, and I'll be ill equipped to disagree.
That aside, I'd suggest finding a YZ-250. If you want a dirt bike that's great, speedy, and forgiving all in one package, the YZ-250 has these traits. Better yet, it's probably the most ubiquitous modern dirt bike (eg, from the 70s forward) so getting parts for it should be simple and cheap. If you go with the bike you listed, you might have trouble finding people who know how to work on it or find parts for it.
The YZ-250 is available in all price ranges, and it's a great fun 2 stroke to ride in the dirt.
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ohhh...
must have mis-stated myself
im looking for a street bike to putter around on, possibly drive to work (15 miles) on nice days.
maybe go to the gas station and buy smokes, probably will never drive it more than 50 miles 1 way
cc on the age / possible condition. i figured i wouldn't get much for that price, though i have to wonder how hard it is to work on a small bike like that. i can change a wheel bearing on a car, and have helped on a few other minor projects. with a full manual, i could probably take that bike apart, but not without a book.
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Ok, then that is DEFINATELY not the bike to get.
Consider a Honda Nighthawk or Twinstar. Cheap (both), speedy (nighthawk, definately not the twinstar), and cheap to insure.
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In that case, it's the wrong bike. ;)
Better optiions out there, I think, for what you want to do.
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My first street bike was a 1983 Yamaha RX-50 Midnight Special. It was a 50cc bike, very forgiving, topped out at 55 (downhill in a hurricane) and cheap to operate. Two stroke engine. You're usually better off with a 4-stroke bike, and there are plenty of cheap ones out there if you look. Here it is for comparison:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=35599&item=4540753938&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW
Holy crap, that might actually be my bike, I sold it to someone who moved to Kansas.
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that twinstar is exactly what i had in mind while searching....
closest one to milwaukee is in chesterfield, Virginia, and they wont ship
LOL
guess the taxes will just go to bills, no fun things for me lol
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You have checked the local newspaper right? Bikes for sale everyday in all price ranges in ours.
Good luck!
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Originally posted by Toad
You have checked the local newspaper right? Bikes for sale everyday in all price ranges in ours.
Good luck!
yeah, spent last 2 days looking.
cheapest bike is a $1500 1992 ninja 600cc
everything else starts @ $2000 or higher ; (
remember im in milwaukee, home of the harley
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Ugh... be patient. Somebody out there is looking to unload their little 125CC for a 350cc. Some 350cc guy wants to jump to a 650cc. The 650cc guy is checking the paper for an 1100cc. ;)
It'll come.. it's Spring, the time when motorcycle madness clouds the minds of the young and the restless.
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Originally posted by JB73
yeah, spent last 2 days looking.
cheapest bike is a $1500 1992 ninja 600cc
everything else starts @ $2000 or higher ; (
Ninja's (especially the 250s) are really common beginner bikes.. at least around here. So they retain their value pretty well provided they're kept in good condition and not dropped.
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yeah, but insurance is insaine on a sport bike like that from what i hear
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Originally posted by JB73
yeah, but insurance is insaine on a sport bike like that from what i hear
Full coverage, yeah. Liability can be found pretty cheap if you shop around.
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JB73,
For a street bike I would not settle for anything less than a 350cc. You need enough power to be able to get out of the way and flow with traffic. Look for an older Honda 350 and have it checked over a bit by a shop. They are dependable and that size engine is almost bullet proof. Insurance is cheap on 350's and smaller. Make sure you get as much medical coverage as you can on it. If you haven't already done so, get the MSF course. It will help on staying alive in traffic.
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Sweet jesus, yes (regarding MSF course). I totally forgot about that, and I second it most furiously. The MSF course will increase your life expectency, reduce the licensing hassle, and get you lots of women.
well, two out of three at least.
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Originally posted by Chairboy
Sweet jesus, yes (regarding MSF course). I totally forgot about that, and I second it most furiously. The MSF course will increase your life expectency, reduce the licensing hassle, and get you lots of women.
well, two out of three at least.
There's a fourth! You get to ride around cones with a bunch of accounts on massive harleys. It's great, every weekend they're there, in back of Mancuso Harley, in their shorts, t-shirts, and oversized helmets.
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Well its a tidy little classic Suzuki.
But If he's selling with an oversize piston kit it probably means the engine is due a re bore. Two strokes are easy to strip and work on as there is no valve train to worry about. but unless you are confident and have the requisite tools you may be better off with something else.
I'd keep looking and go for something no more than ten years old and 500cc at least.
Honda make a CB500 twin that got good ratings here in UK or there is the Gs500 Suzuki. Along the same liones how about a Kawasaki ER5/ GpZ500?
Another real peach is the SV650. I can't advise on US prices but bikes there seem generaly cheaper than in UK.
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My son just gave me a BMW R75.. it seems to run pretty good. If I was going 15 miles to work I wouldn't want much smaller.
lazs
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JB that looks like a clean bike.
might be kinda fun for collecting puposes.
I would not go over $550.00 for it though on the count of it being a Suzuki.
If it where a Honda it would bring more $$
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Got a used Suzuki 1200 bandit yesterday. 2300 miles and way under blue book. Whata blast. My first CROTCH ROCKET(for all those offended by the words CROTCH ROCKET!).
I think I need to get a windscreen though. Its Neeked as all get out and after 170miles of wind yesterday, I'm beat to death.
The thing is scary though, 3rd gear at around 5k rpm's and its doin 70mph. Redlines at 11k...:eek:
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Anyone got any tips on how to remove all them unsightly WARNING this and WARNING that stickers without marring the finish? One big one on the tank has to go and it has another one on the left side frame, about 2feet x 4feet. (exageration alert)...
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I LOVE my 1998 Suzuki Bandit. Best bike I've ever owned, and I've owned a lot.
It's got great performance, but you don't look like a monkey having sex with a football when you ride it. Also, you can sit upright, then do 0-60 in 2 seconds.
I saw it accurately described in a review as a 'Hooligan bike'. Great torque, great power band, great everything.
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(http://www.greatguy.com/redneck.jpg)
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Congrats on finding a date, stiehl!
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Warm the stickers with a hair dryer then peel em off.
Wipe any gunky residue off with a bit of petrol!
Bingo no safety nazi stickers!:D
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Thanks Sky, I'll give it a shot.
Chair, does it have little compartments and stuff where a owners manual might be hidden. hehe, I forgot to ask. Was doing the teenager on his first date grin ear to ear no grey matter between the ears thing when they were showing me stuff and spaced it.
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Yes, under the seat. Put the ignition key in the helmet lock (on the side of the bike) and turn it. One direction opens helmet lock, the other unlatches the seat.
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Enjoy, lizard.
:aok
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Lizard,
Don't end up as one of those stereotypical croth rocket jerks..doin 180 down the road and driving between traffic lanes...ride responsibly and you will be around longer to enjoy it..don't end up one of those guys that is driving insurance rates through the roof:aok
Oh and always wear long pants (jeans) and a jacket and never sandals a tee-shirt and shorts like half the braindead idiots around here do...they don't respect their machine.
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Thanks sky, I am/will!
Astac, I know, but thanks for the advice. I've been riding off and on for 25 years now...WOW where does the time go! Gone cross country twice.
Whats funny is how careful I am now that I'm almost a geezer. Well, in turns anyway. This bike is so much lighter and responsive than I'm used to.
Hey, guess what. I've hijacked one of 73's threads! :D
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Originally posted by Lizard3
Thanks sky, I am/will!
Astac, I know, but thanks for the advice. I've been riding off and on for 25 years now...WOW where does the time go! Gone cross country twice.
Whats funny is how careful I am now that I'm almost a geezer. Well, in turns anyway. This bike is so much lighter and responsive than I'm used to.
Hey, guess what. I've hijacked one of 73's threads! :D
Sorry..The way your post sounded when you said you bought the bike..you sounded like half the new 18-19 year old kids new in the navy buying their first bike..who end up killing/injuring themselves a week later.
Those kind of guys give us responsible riders a bad name.
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The bike _is_ lighter then lots of other bikes, but again, the posture is great. Upright posture means that you can apply the same instincts you learned in cruisers to much better effect then if you got one of the ones you wrap yourself around.
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well.... if a lot of irresponsible people are getting hurt or hurting other with em then shouldn't we be talking about a motorcycle ban?
lazs
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Not Guns again?
(:rolleyes:
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nope... it's motorcycles turn. You didn't see it coming skyprancer?
lazs
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Having owned one of these (it was a '76 model) I can say a few things about that model.
1. It is fun to ride (of course I was 130 lb then). It's not a big motorcycle and works good for trails and fields.
2. It is a trail/street (T/S 125) motorcycle and as such is really not that powerful. It is nothing like a Suzuki RM 125. I think the top speed was about 70 mph on the road.
3. For $450.00 in running condition, it's a good deal. I think this bike sold for $800.00 new back in 1976.
It was a beginners motorcyle for me and worked well as such.
Regards,
Malta
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Originally posted by Skydancer
Not Guns again?
(:rolleyes:
Don't worry they'll banned too in time. Motorcycles kill people!!!!
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THey have to prize my bike from under my cold dead butt first :lol;)
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First, congrats Lizard on your new bike, they're a lot of fun.
Second, you do not want a street legal dirtbike to commute on....especially a two stroke. They have two throttle settings, on and off. A four stroke ninja 250 or 500 are ideal beginner bikes. Both are cheap and inexpensive to maintain, unchanged from late eighties until today, and will re-sale for almost exactly what you bought it for when the time comes to move up.
Third, MSF course. Take it. No questions. Also you may want to become an organ donor if something should happen to you.
If you feel like you've reached the limits of your learning on the 250 or 500 then a Suzuki SV650 standard or S model would be a great choice. They make around 70 horsepower and are a V-twin with ample torque. People use them as club racers and therefore there is a cult following and a plethora of parts available on the net.
If you have any more questions about gear (GET IT, and prepare to spend around 800 dollars for an entire set.....gloves,boots,jacket,helmet) feel free to PM me and I can give you some Ideas on what the best bang for the buck is :). I hope you get into the sport soon, as it's a load of fun.
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Just my opinion. Take that for what its worth, along with a buck, and you can get a cup of coffee at Dennys.
If you LIKE crotch rockets, go for it. I had a 500 Ninja until very recently and it was a great bike. Its gone now, mainly because I didnt like twisting myself into a pretzel (not easy to do when you are overweight and have stiff joints from previous accidents). Younger and lighter folks seem not to have that problem though. If you do go with one, I'd stay away from the 250 and go straight to the 500. Tons of used 500s around, and the 250 just lacks any juice once you are moving. I know at least 5 guys here that had 250s. 3 of them sold after less than a year, and nobody saw 2 years of service out of one.
If the smaller "put around town" bike is all you want, go with a Rebel. I bought my son one. 200cc, very light, easy as hell to ride, nice and comfy. It does lack power at the top, but its not designed for long trips on the highway. Best of all, brand new ones start at $2k. You can find used ones for under $1k.
If you like the older 2 stroke styles, and you dont mind working on it all the time, then go for the one you picked out. I bought a '70 Yamaha 200 Twin that I puttered around with before I moved. It was alright. I carried a toolkit with me though, and always had my cell phone handy.
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A couple questions 73. How much do you weigh? How tall are you? You need a bike to fit you physically.
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My son gave me an r75 bmw... to me this feels like a small bike. it is very light at 400 lbs and easy to push around the yard or between my cars or whatever...
it starts right up and runs great... sounds like an old 40 inch beezer or something with the megaphones... it is not clumsy around town and you sit upright like gawd intended. It has plenty of power for around town and the occassional trip on the freeway. It is not fast by any means but it is still fast enough for anything I need.
I imagine that it will run about 100,000 miles longer than any british or jap bike of it's time period.
my son would go out and fire it up every 3 or four months and it never let him down.
people look at it like it is from mars tho since not many people see the old ones.
old BMW's seem pretty perfect for casual use.. checking tho... they seem to be getting expensive.
lazs
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and... skyprancer... I haven't cared about bikes one way or the other the past 10 years... still don't that much but..
even tho the media couls tell me how many lives were wasted on em.... I would never have voted to ban em... even tho it costs me money in increased insurance for all you guys getting killed and maimed for no good reason other than your little thrill and lack of self esteem (must have little noodle's)
nope... first of all... I believe that simple risk to life is not a reason to ban things. Next... I realize that not only may I some day change my mind but... If I let the women ban one thing based on danger... they will eventualy get around to what I enjoy.
you simply haven't figured that out yet. probly won't till it is too late.
lazs