a lil input?(hey beeper get over here)

69.5CUDA

69.5CUDA

Blah Blah Blah
so..im thinkin for a cheep project street bike..something that can definitely cruise long distance..and NOT a cruiser which leaves on the option of a crotch rocket :shifty:
been looking thru cbr's, ninja's and katana's..most due to price and find-ability....sadly there arnt many hondas around for cheep....and katanas just dont seem to exist any more....maybe someone can gimmy some extra search parameters

anyway ill be going to look at a 88 ninja zx750r thats really local and pretty close on friday...anything special i should look for?..600$ 23k miles....i really dont want anything over a 500 but hell at the price and location i cant resist atleast looking.(besides its been up on c-list for a few months now)..yeah i know ..spend a lil more to begin with...nope cant do it..i can however get something and slowly feed it $$...if i could do a lump grab id grab the 03 250r thats 4 hours south of me with 9k miles on it

what it comes down to is i need something i can get on and go 300miles 1 way doing 70-80mph without even thinking about it..i figure ill probably have to tweak gearing regardless of what i buy just so i can drop the rpms to bring the mpg up
 
I'm not Beeper but I've been riding longer than Beeper's been alive and can offer some advice.

For trouble-free distance you want shaft drive, and, if possible, liquid cooling. I've always liked my V-4's but they're more of the muscle-bike genre. For highway cruising the V-twins (of NON-Harley) are better suited. It's hard to beat a Honda Shadow for reliability, comfort, performance and availability & cost of parts.

I would totally avoid any vertical twin. The vibration will make you old fast on a long ride. :dgt:

The 500 Shadow my daughter just got impressed the hell out of me for performance, comfort and mainly economy (70mpg).

Jr rides a 700 Shadow. Performance is much better than the 500 and economy drops to 45-50mpg.
Dependable??? hell ya. Last summer he went on a 4000 miles in 2-1/2 week excursion, trouble-free. And this thing has over 85K miles on it.

I did a little searching for Shadows in your area and only found 2 that might be promising;

Portland;
1984 VT700 HONDA Shadow - $650
http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/mcy/2723770840.html

Bend;
1984 Honda Shadow VT700 - $650 OBO
http://bend.craigslist.org/mcy/2764370435.html

 
Soooo many bikes to choose from, where to start? Basically it all comes down to what your willing to spend and availability.

600 cc sportbikes are generally cheap and plentifull and they can certainly handle the speed your looking for and still be fuel efficient. You need to just get out and look at 'em and see what fits you comfortably. Trust me on this, you need to be comfortable on a bike for any long distance riding or you will be miserable. Bar risers, adjustable rear sets (foot pegs) and custom seats can all help here. Often times a small change in riding position can make a big difference.

If I where you I'd save the coin and get a decent machine to start with, also a bigger budget gives you more choices.

Although spendy I think a BMW boxer (R model) would suit you well. Certainly capable traveling machines and they are simple and easy to work on and can last you a lifetime. Here's a link to check out http://marketplace.ibmwr.org/ There are some builders/ projects to be had for the budget minded.

Another traveling bike that's proven itself for decades now is the Kawasaki Concours. Lots' of these bikes out there and a decent one can be had for a couple grand. If you can find one of these local I'd strongly suggest taking a look. With a full fairing for weather protection/rider comfort and saddlebags they are very versatile and yet sporty mount.

Also remember that many 1000cc machines can still get you 40+mpg and that extra power at interstate speeds certainly is nice to have.
 
68R/T said:
I'm not Beeper but I've been riding longer than Beeper's been alive and can offer some advice.

For trouble-free distance you want shaft drive, and, if possible, liquid cooling. I've always liked my V-4's but they're more of the muscle-bike genre. For highway cruising the V-twins (of NON-Harley) are better suited. It's hard to beat a Honda Shadow for reliability, comfort, performance and availability & cost of parts.

I would totally avoid any vertical twin. The vibration will make you old fast on a long ride. :dgt:

The 500 Shadow my daughter just got impressed the hell out of me for performance, comfort and mainly economy (70mpg).

Jr rides a 700 Shadow. Performance is much better than the 500 and economy drops to 45-50mpg.
Dependable??? hell ya. Last summer he went on a 4000 miles in 2-1/2 week excursion, trouble-free. And this thing has over 85K miles on it.

I did a little searching for Shadows in your area and only found 2 that might be promising;

Portland;
1984 VT700 HONDA Shadow - $650
http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/mcy/2723770840.html

Bend;
1984 Honda Shadow VT700 - $650 OBO
http://bend.craigslist.org/mcy/2764370435.html
Click to expand...


Shadows are fine if your looking for a cruiser which he ain't. ;)

Also....I have 2 vertical twins, the honda is a little buzzy at speed but certainly bearable and my Beemer is nice and smooth. So..:finger:
 
beeper*71 said:
Shadows are fine if your looking for a cruiser which he ain't. ;)

Also....I have 2 vertical twins, the honda is a little buzzy at speed but certainly bearable and my Beemer is nice and smooth. So..:finger:
Click to expand...

Shadows may have cruiser styling but they definitely have the trouble-free mechanics for the long haul. :p

Your Honda is a little buzzy but bearable.....for how long?? Would you ride it on a 300 mile cruise?? :doh:

Granted, the Beemers are nice. Their only drawback is that they're spelled B$$m$r.

So....take that stickman.



nuts.gif


cruiser.gif
 
68..lovin the input..but NO cruisers.....i know the shadow is probably one of the most reliable bikes out there...its a honda lol and i do love honda moto's..if it WASNT a cruiser id be all over getting one...wish i could find a cbr for cheep....but the words cheep and cbr dont exist

i have this serious issue AGAINST cruisers....its just too....hog.....i see a cruiser i see just another hog with another badge on it...and i dont like hogs neither

so nope its GOTTA be a sport bike...that concourse is about as close to a cruiser as id consider

beeper as for the bmw..HAHAH no...im not made of that kind of money....think project and shoe string budget...like say 300-600$ and only needing a lil bit for now to keep it going..i can dump more into it over a few months kind of deal..just like i did with my xl's..you know..the kind of bike that someone has just given up or got lost on..that i can work with and make money off of should i want to part with it..as thats the only way im going to be able to trade up

as for packing gear etc..ill never put bags on anything.a tank bag "maybe" but i figure if i cant stuff it in a backpack it has no buisness going with me on a bike

seriously if i had the money id get the 03 250r ninja down south that 950$ with 9k on the clock..its CHERRY!!! ...but by the time ive go that kind of $$ to drop it will be gone

im not even afraid of repairing a wrecked bike providing its mostly there and the parts missing wont kill me to get

as for comfort..thats the funny thing..im most comfortable on my xl600 all tucked in and down like im on a sport....i could just see how goofy id look trying to tuck a cruiser LOL
 
The last one has 'expired', I guess it's sold. :huh:

I know Beeper will chime in to argue the point but, of my experiences of riding the 'crotch-rocket' style bikes, they're a kick-in-the-ass in the twisties, turns and under throttle. But for the long haul, the forward leaning position with a windshield 2 inches above your nuts is all wrong. And riding any distance with 70-80mph wind at your chest & face gets old fast. The ideal windshield height is 1-2 inches below eye level. If you just plan on heading 10-20 miles down the road on a crotch-rocket,....go for it.

If you're gonna spend 5-6 hours getting somewhere, you want to look forward to getting back on it. if you don't believe me, look at the riding position of most bikes going down the interstate hiways.

In my opinion harleys aren't worth 1/4th what they sell for, but their riding positions are spot on for long haul comfort.

But, in the end, it is your body and you can do to it what you wish.
 
whats this about windshield 2 inches up from my nuts hmm?....the 88 ninja has quite a tall windshiled..welll atleast compared to my xl LOL...my xl has just enuf lip off the handlebars and im somehow managing to tuck in behind it blasting 70 miles a day generaly over 60mph..hell the ninja even has a lowwer seat point too

as for my 250 miles hauls im planin on doing..half of that is old hwy 101 (Olympia to port angels) and that is nothing but twisties!!!!! but the rest of it is I5 doing 70(to keep up with traffic is about 75-85) and when i do make that run ill likely be off the bike 5-10 days...the rest of the time when riding it i doubt it will see more than 200 miles in a day

i will say this ive sat on rockets and sat on cruisers and theres something about the "normal" sitting position on a cruiser that my body finds uncomfortable.....maybe its tooooo many years offroad ..sitting on a sport felt more natural to me....mmmm sitting on that busa was sooooo comfy too lol but i could never justify something 1000+ cc's ive a hard enuf time justifying anything over 500

as far as a cruiser goes..i would have to HEAVILY mod it out to be remotely happy...it would have to be old 50's 60s salt flat/cafe styling..tuck that front wheel back in flatten out the angles so your sitting almost flat with the tank etc...but i atribute that back to my 30+ years of dirt my body just expects to be standing or tucked no real inbetween...funny thing is right now ...if my back starts acting up i go out get on the bike and go for a a blast tucked tight and thru the twisties and im good as new


with as cheep as that 250 ninja was im not suprised it sold in under a week...there was anotehr 250 up a month ago that was only there for 3 days before it was gone
 
69.5CUDA said:
.... keep up with traffic is about 75-85.....

.......with as cheep as that 250 ninja was im not suprised it sold in under a week...there was anotehr 250 up a month ago that was only there for 3 days before it was gone
Click to expand...

A 250 makes a great city bike. You can ride it all week long and use as much gas as a weedeater, but you'll play hell running a 250 at those speeds.....if it'll go that fast and stay together. Jr & I took turns riding a 250 to transport it 480 miles a few years back. It feels like you're riding a bicycle on the highway. :dgt:
 
welll thats good to know..tho a 250 ninja tops around 120ish i belive......i could see a 250 enduro being hell on the hwy at those speeds..hell my 600 tops at 88ish(wrong gearing should be 101)
 
69.5CUDA said:
welll thats good to know..tho a 250 ninja tops around 120ish i belive......i could see a 250 enduro being hell on the hwy at those speeds..hell my 600 tops at 88ish(wrong gearing should be 101)
Click to expand...

There is no way that any 250cc's can develope enough torque to push even a 200lb bike plus rider to 120 anything. If your 600 is supposed to hit 101 how could less than half that cc's go faster????:confused:

You can change gears to make it theoretically capable of any speed, but you still need torque to overcome friction and wind.
 
The 250 Ninja is a very capable little bike with a cult like following but for interstate speeds you won't be happy. The only way your gonna see 100 mph on one is if you drive it off a cliff, a very high cliff. :D Both ninjas you posted show promise but do youself a favor and get a bike you can hear run before you buy.
 
beeper*71 said:
The 250 Ninja is a very capable little bike with a cult like following but for interstate speeds you won't be happy. The only way your gonna see 100 mph on one is if you drive it off a cliff, a very high cliff. :D Both ninjas you posted show promise but do youself a favor and get a bike you can hear run before you buy.
Click to expand...

see thats the kind of stuff i need to hear lol.......i talked briefly with the guy about the 750 and he said he can fire it up....hell if i cant hear it run i aint payin more than 200-300$ lol at which point i can part it and make some $$ or atleast break even if i cant get it runnin
 
That Ninja 750 looks pretty promising. If the carb boots he has aren't torn, you may be able to recondition them with regular GoJo hand cleaner... that stuff is a miracle worker on old, hardened rubber and soft plastics.
 
hmm gojo eh?.....that stuff shreads my hands but if it softens up old rubber its worth a shot.......does look pretty promising dont it
 
Don't use the stuff with pumice... for working with aged rubber and soft plastic, just get the original red-label stuff. GoJo doesn't work worth a damn on my hands (I use Goop) but for that stuff, it's just amazing.

$600 looks like a pretty good deal on that bike, considering the little it needs. I wouldn't use Bondo on that crack, though; depending on the actual material I'd either suggest kitty hair (fiberglass) or VersaChem Plastic Weld (plastic). Before starting the actual repair, find the absolute end of the crack and drill-stop it to make sure it doesn't come back and get worse.
 
If you can hear the 750 run it certainly has potential for the price, definately worth a look see. The 750 gives you a much broader power range and easy interstate cruising.
 
ive looked at the ninja "plastics" before doc and they were glass and kitty hair is EXACTLY what i was thinking obviously drilling prepping etc...and all the more reason to re-paint to taste MUHAHAHAH

anything i should listen or look for specificaly on the 750 tho?....im used to looking over dirt bikes and more often than not buy them "not running" cause they are single cyl and useualy a stupidly simple fix...but ive not done the multi cyl thing before let alone water cooled
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

SiteLock

SiteLock
Back
Top