small city bike

[seidmania]

hi. i'm currently searching for a pretty small bike to ride in the city-- probably a 400-500cc. i live in NYC, the bike would be ridden in manhattan 90% of the time, and it just seems silly to have anything larger. in fact, this is an uprgrade for me--for the past 2 years i've ridden an old hand-clutch vespa 200PX, which could do over 60, and i rarely had the opportunity to get it up that high.

in any case, i've been looking mainly on eBay for Honda CBs, but would love advice on other bikes that might fit my bill--would a dirt bike be a bad idea for exclusively urban use? also, if anyone knows of a good place to buy bikes, that'd be great--tho most classifieds seem not to have pictures, or carry very few smaller bikes. finally, if anyone knows a great repair shop in broolyn (near williamsburg in particular) or in lower manhattan, i'd appreciate any info.

thanks--
seidmania

[Wizzard]

This is Yamaha's XP500 ;

I think this would be the perfect scooter for any city environment .
Just my 2¢ worth . Here are some stats from Yamaha .
Kind regards, Wizzard
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[Joe Mc]

Welcome to TMW, seidmania.

To help narrow down suggestions; are you looking for a new bike or older one. How much $ are you looking to spend?

[TorontoBoy]

You seem to already have the perfect size bike for inner city riding. If you rarely go over 60mph/97kph why do you need a 500cc bike? They are heavier, easier to drop, burn more gas, harder to do U turns, and more expensive to insure.

If you want to go on highway rides more often, want a different look, change of style, want faster acceleration, then ok, but when you have the perfect city bike it's hard to get better. Do you want a "pretty" (cute) small bike, or do you want a "pretty small" (very small) bike? Either way I wouldn't consider 500cc a "small bike".

Anyway if you're thinking of the Honda CB line there is the '70s CB350 which seems to be very popular as well as the '80s CB400. Honda also made a cruiser called the CM400 in the '80s. All old bikes require wrenching on a regular basis. As for street bikes, there's nothing between 250cc and 500cc on the market for quite a long time. In the scooter area there are 2 400cc automatic bikes.

[TechTMW]

The Piaggio Beverly 500 Is another very nice scooter. Maybe big for the city, but maybe just the thing for you.

http://www.rubbermag.com/bikes/05_PGO_Beverly.html

A Dirtbike style Moto is a GREAT way to cruise around in a city. Check out the KLR650, or the DR-Z 400. They are lightweight, have plenty of power, great ergonomics, optimal suspension for inner city pavement craters, and many have a substantial aftermarket for Panniers and the like.

[PhilD9er]

Try on a gs500 or one lung 650 Suzi. The little Hondas are ok, but if you have an angry, insane cabby behind you, you'll want a little extra 'oomph' and handling. Trust me, I grew up in New York.

[Spiff]

Try on a gs500 or one lung 650 Suzi.

Hey, I resemble that remark

But seriously, he's referring to my bike, the Suzuki Savage (now re-named the Boulevard S40).

It's a single-cylinder bike (hence the "one lung" wisecrack), which is somewhat of a throwback to the '80s and '90s. Hey, Retro is in these days, what can I say?

But, having a single cylinder, it's easy to maintain, and because it's a BIG cylinder (655cc), it's got a lot of power (to dodge that taxi driver). The belt drive means it's quiet and simple to maintain.

And it's light, too, only 350 pounds.

And unless you're 6 feet tall or larger, it's a very ergonomic bike that will fit all but the very tall.

So, I'd say check out the S40, a.k.a. the Savage, a.k.a. the Thumper.

[cb360]

I think you are actually already on the right track. I ride an old honda cb (360) daily in an urban environment. It's light but plenty quick and gets very good mileage. Old enough that it probably isn't a target for thieves. Maintenance is pretty easy - oil the chain every month or so and change the oil every 3k.

[seidmania]

thanks everyone for the input. i'm convinced that i need something small, ie 350-400cc. a few responses to your questions: i'm looking to spend up to $2500, though under $2000 would be great. i'm about 6' tall, 175, so i just need to make sure the bike will be comfortable to ride around all day (the vespa was actually a bit too small & ended up hurting my lower back).

a few questions: i'm wondering if the honda cbs are going to be the easiest to find and lest expensive to maintain in this range. i don't want to have to put in a great deal of work into the bike once i've bought it, or on a regular basis. how realistic is it to think that a 20 year old bike might not be a terrible hassle? are the hondas more reliable on the whole? i've also looked at yamahas & a few triumphs, which seem comparable, but i just have no idea what the likelihood is that they're going to end up in the shop all the time.

also--would there be ny drawbacks to a dirtbike in the city? or is it just a matter of preference. certainly for the potholes and crappy pavement, it seems a dirtbike might be more rugged (i knocked the exhaust off the vespa a few times from some large holes on 2nd avenue (':rant:'). but is a dirtbike somehow less stable on pavement, or harder/more expensive to care for?

finally, are there places besides eBay i should be looking? any specialized classified or sites i might want to check out? and are there books/sites/resources that wold help me learn to do some basic maintenance myself?

thanks again everyone--looking forward to your responses.

seidmania

[TechTMW]

Here in Naples there are about 1 mil ppl living in the center city and the roads are mostly brick and cobblestone (not pavement).

The bike I mist often see in the city (Besides scooters) are Dirtbikes/Dual Sports. They are actually EASIER to maintain than most multi-cylinder bikes - and stability is not an issue. You develop as a rider on the bike you ride. However, with the upright seating lighter weight and steeper rake on a dirtbike, slow-speed maneuvers are almost as easy as on that vespa. An older CB has all of these benefits as well (without the beefier suspension) but probably is tougher to maintain and find parts for.

Something like this (just an example)
http://adcache.cycletrader.com/5/2/7/78483427.htm