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Motorcycle noob questions for you riders out there.

S

SeansBlueXJ

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Plainfield Township, PA
I have been intrested in getting my Lic. and a bike for a while... I know a guy that has a 1987 Suzuki Intruder 700 for sale, it's got low miles, he's the orignal owner, garage kept. it has a new bat this year and he just got the dual carbs redone/matched. Is $3k a good price?

One of my curent motivations is my 55mile each way commute. Ok so my other question is this, is a 700cc crusier going to be comfortable for that hour highway ride each way? Thanks
 
For a thousand more you can get a 883 Harley thats 2000 or newer. Once one of the import bikes gets past 7 years parts are bitch.
Just an example after searching for 30 seconds, NJ, north, harley sportster $4500max. Downside is going to look at it.
http://newjersey.craigslist.org/mcy/834382962.html
 
I guess moreso then my main question is that a good size 700-800 to ride an hour each way? Or it it going to be too light a bike for that kind of daily ride?
 
i grew up with 650 and 750 BSA's, Triumphs, Nortons and Yamaha's, averaged about 30K a year each on them. The 883 keeps the insurance down, 900cc usually ups the insurance a bit.
The Vtwin or the vertical twin's are good motors with the V twin a bit better for low end grunt. The nice thing about the HD is you will never have a parts problem and you can up the engine to 1200cc with a kit from HD.
Look for belt drive and mag type wheels, less maintenance. My son has a zuki, 2001 intruder, OK bike, big frame for the CC's though. I like something a bit more nimble. My favorite was a 66 750 sportster.
 
I found 750cc to be about perfect for me, plenty of power but not so big that you can't hold it up when stopped in traffic. If the bike is a cruiser and not a ninja ricer it should be fine. A fairing is worth the money if you have to buy one--bugs feel like rocks when they smack into your leg at highway speed, and rain is absolutely miserable.
 
ehall said:
I found 750cc to be about perfect for me, plenty of power but not so big that you can't hold it up when stopped in traffic. If the bike is a cruiser and not a ninja ricer it should be fine. A fairing is worth the money if you have to buy one--bugs feel like rocks when they smack into your leg at highway speed, and rain is absolutely miserable.
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Fairings, windshields, gaaahhh, you've not lived till you eat a few bugs at 65mph or felt the gentile falling of rain at speed where people wonder what kind of muffler you are running as you scream at the top of your lungs :D :D :D :D
 
If you have never rode before, I would look to a smaller cc bike to learn on, then upgrade to something larger when you have learned all you can off the old one.

I know you said a 55mi commute, one way, but I'd hate to see you spend money on a bike that's going to kill you because you are so inexperienced that you can't control it.

The older bikes are not that hard to get parts for, however, realize that anything which says "Motorcycle" in the part listing seems to be made of gold, reguardless of who makes it and how old it is. On the import side, Honda has outstanding parts availability. I have a 83' XL600R and just drop in at the dealer; a day or two later the part is in my hands.
 
Zuki-Ron said:
If you have never rode before, I would look to a smaller cc bike to learn on, then upgrade to something larger when you have learned all you can off the old one.

I know you said a 55mi commute, one way, but I'd hate to see you spend money on a bike that's going to kill you because you are so inexperienced that you can't control it.
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Well that's why im inquiring. I want something big enough to be comfortable for that 55miles each way, but not so big that it kills me. The honda and suzuki crusiers are apealing to me, and i know this one's history and owner so that's why it is getting my attention now. thanks for the good insight so far guys..
 
RichP said:
Fairings, windshields, gaaahhh, you've not lived till you eat a few bugs at 65mph or felt the gentile falling of rain at speed where people wonder what kind of muffler you are running as you scream at the top of your lungs :D :D :D :D
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Well I didn't want to scare him with war stories. Two I remember in particular

My car broke down on xmas eve and I had to ride the motorcycle 40 miles to grandma's house to meet the family... 20 degree weather and I was stopping to thaw out my nuts at every gas station on the way... took about 2 hours to get 40 miles.

As for bugs, rain, etc. You haven't really experienced the true pain until you've tucked in behind a gravel truck that's throwing rocks off the back at 70mph
 
I had a 98 honda CBR 600 F3. Ran great, great cc size for about anyone unless you are wanting to do wheelies. Fast if you want it to be too. 3k is quite a bit for a bike that old IMHO. Got the CBR for 2800, sold it two years later for 3000. The only real problem was after about an hour my back would get sore, but I am a short guy and had to stretch a bit more than others might.
 
Ok thanks guys, seems like I may be ok with the 700 cc range then. And it seems like the concensus is the price is a bit high, super low miles or not.
 
Sean, if it helps, I am currently riding a 500cc bike and it has enough power for a guy my size but not enough for myself and Melissa to ride on. I bought it to learn on and will eventually upgrade.

Its a 1985 Honda Magna V30
 
Zuki-Ron said:
If you have never rode before, I would look to a smaller cc bike to learn on, then upgrade to something larger when you have learned all you can off the old one.

I know you said a 55mi commute, one way, but I'd hate to see you spend money on a bike that's going to kill you because you are so inexperienced that you can't control it.

The older bikes are not that hard to get parts for, however, realize that anything which says "Motorcycle" in the part listing seems to be made of gold, reguardless of who makes it and how old it is. On the import side, Honda has outstanding parts availability. I have a 83' XL600R and just drop in at the dealer; a day or two later the part is in my hands.
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I agree.

Also I wouldnt recommend a 55mile commute for a new rider either. I say buy an old beater bike get some experience on that. Then, upgrade to a nicer bike and then start your commuting. A freeway full of rush hour SUV traffic at high speeds isnt a great way to learn to ride no matter the size of the bike.

Some of the motorcycle magazines have addressed just this situation in recent issues. Either old riders returning or new riders are suddenly ramping up in numbers. Most because of gas prices but they are going out with no training/experience.

Dont forget bikes arent Cheap to own either. Price insurance and if you cant do your own service that gets expensive Fast. A local shop here advertises 29.95 oil changes, after the cost of oil, tech labor fee, shop fees and whatever else an oil change is $90+. If you buy a used bike you should do a Full tune up of all fluids, hoses, brakes, tires, spark plugs and anything else. An oil leak on a bike isnt like one on a jeep, on a bike an oil leak can kill you.

Then you got gear, helmets are not cheap and the rest just adds up really fast. I always tell people who are on a budget to basically expect to double it. A $3k bike suddenly turns into 6k after all the above rather fast.

Dont get me wrong, I love to ride and had my MC license before a normal car license. Just dont think its some golden ticket at the gas pump and life will be better like everyone is thinking right now.

....My bike gets more miles per tank than my XJ and it has like a 4.5 gallon tank.
 
I rode my bike 80 miles a day for decades (sometimes all winter). I kept the cruiser for the weekends, got a good ricer for the trip to work.
Like a good gun, try the bike on for size, there are many hidden pitfalls to most any design. My Kawa with a faring had one pitfall, you had to stick your head out into the air stream to get a good view on the side mirrors. The first time this popped open my helmet face shield I almost freaked.
I don't really care what the purists say, getting a bike where you can tuck yourself in behind an aerodynamic fairing is where it's at. Wind gusts mess with an upright fairing. Riding upright, while looking cool, is just beating yourself up for little return. I'm not out there to show the colors, but to get from point "A" to point "B" with the least amount of punishment.
When I wanted cool I rode my Indian on the weekends.

My best advice to a new rider is don't get comfortable. It's not a car, you can't multi task while driving. You have to pay attention every second, the next pot hole you run over may be your last. I not only drive defensively, I drive like everybody and everything out there is trying to kill me. I've been to a lot of funerals for people who thought differently.
A 600 ricer will do most anything you want, over a thousand CC's and they mostly just get heavier. After about 15-20,000 miles most of my bikes seemed to get fairly labor intensive. I wore full leathers, actually had two sets, winter and summer. When the air temperature gets much below about 40 F. the air temperature at 60 plus MPH feels like well below freezing. Fur lined boots, insulated leathers and gloves and I'd still be frozen to the bone after a forty mile ride on occasion. I'm not particularly a temperature sensitive person, borderline frostbite isn't for everybody.
 
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Thanks guys I appreciate all the feedback, while i may be doing it now for gas, dont get me wrong it's not my only motivation, I wanted something for a long time and now that I live in PA the state offers a rider program so I figured now's as good as any. and my commute isnt too bad on the traffic considering. I work 11-8 so im on the road at 10 am when rush hour is over.

John, thanks actually that helps, since I would like to be able to take my gal around town it's good to know that you think a 500 is a little underpowered for 2 people.
 
My experience (which is years old) is that 700cc is ok power wise as far as any kind of road. The only time you would be lacking is if you ride two up. I dont know how big you are but the limiting factor with the smaller cc bikes amany times is the frame size. The smaller bikes seem to be made for smaller people. If you are a giant, I dont think you will be happy with a 700. Back when I was riding I was about 5'10" and 165lbs. A 700 was fine and fit me pretty well. Now that Im about 215, I think I may opt for something bigger because the bike will seem small with my wide arse hanging off both sides of the seat. More importantly though, does your frame match the bikes frame or vise versa.
 
Ray H said:
My experience (which is years old) is that 700cc is ok power wise as far as any kind of road. The only time you would be lacking is if you ride two up. I dont know how big you are but the limiting factor with the smaller cc bikes amany times is the frame size. The smaller bikes seem to be made for smaller people. If you are a giant, I dont think you will be happy with a 700. Back when I was riding I was about 5'10" and 165lbs. A 700 was fine and fit me pretty well. Now that Im about 215, I think I may opt for something bigger because the bike will seem small with my wide arse hanging off both sides of the seat. More importantly though, does your frame match the bikes frame or vise versa.
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Along time ago on another forum this topic came up. Im not sure what bikes your referring to but engine size doesnt always mean its a bigger bike. I looked at dimensions for I think it was a yamaha r1 Vs. r6 and there was minimal difference(just MM's). Alot at that time people were trying to justify they needed a 1000cc bike just to 'fit' on it. The dimensions proved theres no difference. My bike(suzuki katana) comes in a 600 and a 750 model and the frames/fairings are identical. I can also bolt in a 1200cc bandit motor with no mods.

Cruisers are a different situation but still I dont think engine size means a bigger bike. I had a suzuki marauder 800cc and it felt the size of all the 600s that I sat on it just weighed more.

Also Id worry the bigger the engine on a cruiser the higher the gas tank is moved up. The more weight up high is gonna be a bad thing for a new rider.
 
That was just a generalization, I know there are all sorts of different sized bikes. I guess my main point was not to worry so much about the ccs but think about how the bike actually fits.
An example, my 6'5" BIL rides a HD Softtail with a little stretch to it. Its a 1200. He cant comfortably fit on a dresser, no matter what the engine size is, because he's too cramped.
 
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