1/2 way through the MSP. No bike!

[in_denial]

Hello,

There is a lot of good advice on this forum. I've started the MSP program last Friday. Last Saturday we did the riding portion of the training. It was a blast! I was able to get some boot scrapes in on the oval drill and still felt in complete control. I take the written exam this Friday and the riding exam on Saturday. I wish I owned a bike.
I want to get a really cheap beginner bike (i.e. <$1,000). I've seen a couple in the paper for less than $600 that say something like this; "looks and runs great!". These bike are all 1982 or older. That scares the hell out of me. These bikes are all 25 years or older. I don't know if I would feel confident riding a 25 year old beater at 70 mph. A chain could break, an axle could fail, the engine could seize. But I don't want to spend more than $1k right now. This is my dilema.
Also, I've noticed something interesting about bikes that are 7 years or older. They don't really depreciate that much until they are 17 years or older. I have been seeing this in the $3,500-$5,000 price range. The price for a model that is from 1988 is not that far off from the 1998 model. To get a really good deal it seems that you have to buy older than the 1998. Does this seem righ?

[cruisinflatout]

Hello,

There is a lot of good advice on this forum. I've started the MSP program last Friday. Last Saturday we did the riding portion of the training. It was a blast! I was able to get some boot scrapes in on the oval drill and still felt in complete control. I take the written exam this Friday and the riding exam on Saturday. I wish I owned a bike.
I want to get a really cheap beginner bike (i.e. <$1,000). I've seen a couple in the paper for less than $600 that say something like this; "looks and runs great!". These bike are all 1982 or older. That scares the hell out of me. These bikes are all 25 years or older. I don't know if I would feel confident riding a 25 year old beater at 70 mph. A chain could break, an axle could fail, the engine could seize. But I don't want to spend more than $1k right now. This is my dilema.
Also, I've noticed something interesting about bikes that are 7 years or older. They don't really depreciate that much until they are 17 years or older. I have been seeing this in the $3,500-$5,000 price range. The price for a model that is from 1988 is not that far off from the 1998 model. To get a really good deal it seems that you have to buy older than the 1998. Does this seem righ?

I see what you're saying about being concerned about the safety of an old motorcycle but I have a 1982 Suzuki GS750 and I don't feel concerned. The main thing is making sure you go over the bike before you get too confident while driving it.

I may be biased, but the Suzuki GS's of that era are awesome machines, they go forever. The only downfall are their stator/rectifiers but that only needs to be fixed once if you replace it with some from Electrex.

Anyhow, good luck, and if you keep your eye out, you'll find a bike in your price range...

[cb360]

Hi in_denial. Welcome to the forum. I ride a 31 year old bike that sat for almost 25 years! I've had no safety problems whatsoever. I changed the tires and inspected everything thoroughly and my bike rides like it was new. I did have to clean the carburetors and stuff like that, but that's not really a safety issue. A lot of the 70's, and 80's japanese bikes were really made to last.

[TechTMW]

Man, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but ....

You need to save up more.

Even if you get (let's say) a bike for $1000, you will still need safety gear (around $500 for a basic setup) an Insurance policy (If required by state, but RECOMMENDED anyway) And your bike will probably need some kind of service to get it roadworthy.

Alot of the riders here have found good deals on older bikes - maybe they will be able to share some experiences as to what kind of spending it might take to get an older bike roadworthy ...

I myself ride an '82 Yamaha 650 that I purchased for $500 (But spent over $1000 in parts to meet a good level of rideability and safety) I trust the bike, but it took a little work to get me there. And since then I've had 2 trouble free years with it. If you don't have mechanical experience, this will only compound your money problems since you will neded someone else to do the work.

Maybe some other riders can give you a more positive outlook ...

[Scott58]

Yep, buyer beware. However to ease the pain a bit you could get it (provided it does run decent) and have a new chain and gear set put on. It would at least solve your chain issue for an additional $100.

[cb360]

I look at the Seattle used bike market on a daily basis. I have no doubt that you can find a safe running bike for less than $1000, but it won't be pretty. Or you could find one that looked decent because it's sat in a garage for a long time, but it won't be running. An attractive, safe bike that's in decent cosmetic shape is a tall order for only $1000 - it's possible I guess, but not likely. Also, I'd worry much more about mileage than years. There's a lot of pretty old bikes out there that are almost new as far as the engine and chain is concerned. Rubber goes bad a lot quicker than steel and aluminum.

[in_denial]

I saw a Suzuki GS in the paper. I'm 6'2" and weigh 275. I guess I'll have to sit on one to see if it fits me. My $1,000 bike budget does not include riding gear. I plan on gettng decent gear. The reason I want to get a cheap bike is so that I buy some time and decide what type of bike I can see myself riding for the next 5 to 10 years. I don't want to drop $10k on a bike I won't be happy with. Plus, I have just been bitten by the motorcyle bug really bad. I have the fever. If I get bored in a couple of months, I can sell the $1000 bike and move on.
I plan on doing the mainenance myself. On my cars, I do oil, brakes and clutches. I used to work on my dirtbikes as a kid. Although, I have never rebuilt an engine or anything like that.

[cb360]

You'll do fine. If you know anything about being a mechanic it opens up a whole bunch of bikes to you that wouldn't work for a non-mechanic. So many non-running bikes for sale just have a minor electrical problem or need the carbs dipped. You should be able to find a decent bike in the 350-750cc range that you can ride for 6 months to two years. That's exactly what I'm doing. I got lucky but I found a near mint 74 cb360 that wasn't running for only $350 ( a deal I'll likely never find again!) - I cleaned the carbs, changed the rectifier and got a new battery and it purrs like a kitten while I look for my dream bike and save up money. That sounds a good plan for you as well. Let us know what you find. As long as you have spark and compression, it's really hard to kill those old japanese bikes.

[vtecsol]

i know that a lot of people on here will disagree with me because of statitics but if you have a 1000 dollars saved you probally have a job and i dont know your finacial well being but if you are concerned about an old bike suzuki has a great deal for 67 bucks a month for 3 years or honda has one for like 39 bucks a month,, theses are kind of scams to get you to by the bike with the low interest and after 3 years it goes up ,, but if you have the flow and dont want an old bike these are pretty good ways to get a great bike pretty cheap... 1000 bucks at say 70 a month give you a year of payment and leaves you with 160 to put on insurance or nice helmet

[in_denial]

That seems like a good deal, but I don't like the concept of financing a motorcycle. The $70 a month is really enticing, but I would rather wait. To me, a motorcycle is a toy. If it was my primary mode of transportation, I would think differently. I would rather drive a beater that I paid cash for, then make monthly payments.