Total Motorcycle Community Forums

I still argue to this day the best bike i had was that 1986 Honda Rebel 450 , man that was I beleive the perfect starter bike ever made. Easy to manuever but had 6 gears and on the highway at 75mph she just purrrrred, sry for rambling. I agree, you're doing the right thing approaching this smartly and can't wait to see you on these North Cackalacki streets

I really like the looks of the Honda Shadow, but I can't seem to find one I like (I don't like the passenger backrest) that is under $3000. Hopefully craigslist will improve before I actually aim to buy one.

I'm not sure where you live in NC but I did some looking on craigslist and i found an ad or two i thought would be good starting off bikes(the passenger backrest can be removed), take a look:


http://raleigh.craigslist.org/mcy/540389223.html
http://raleigh.craigslist.org/mcy/540564583.html
http://raleigh.craigslist.org/mcy/539769612.html

I'm in the northern part of Cary, but anything in the Raleigh area is fine by me. I liked the look of that Intruder, but the seller mentions a dent in the gas tank. Should I be too concerned about that? Can I get it fixed/fix it myself without too much trouble/money?

Seems like a good price for a good bike, but I'm not the best judge of these things, huh?

Kuhnfyoozed wrote:I'm in the northern part of Cary, but anything in the Raleigh area is fine by me. I liked the look of that Intruder, but the seller mentions a dent in the gas tank. Should I be too concerned about that? Can I get it fixed/fix it myself without too much trouble/money?

Don't worry about it.

Remember, buying a bike before you take the training class and learn to ride is a very BAD idea. You have no idea what style or size or ergonomics of motorcycle you will find comfortable. Buying a bike based on looks, without a concern for handling or ergonomics, is stupid. So, learn to ride before you worry about which bike you're going to get. By the time you are ready to buy anything on Craig's List, it could be long gone.

Yeah, I'm not worried about it, but if I see something later on CL with a dent, and the time is right for me to pull the trigger, I want to know what kind of money I can expect to fix that dent. Just buildin' my knowledge, not seriously considering any bikes ATM.

I know I should buy my bike after I know what it should feel like to me, but its still ok to drool over bikes that look cool, right?

Dragonhawk wrote:

Kuhnfyoozed wrote:I'm in the northern part of Cary, but anything in the Raleigh area is fine by me. I liked the look of that Intruder, but the seller mentions a dent in the gas tank. Should I be too concerned about that? Can I get it fixed/fix it myself without too much trouble/money?

Don't worry about it.

Remember, buying a bike before you take the training class and learn to ride is a very BAD idea. You have no idea what style or size or ergonomics of motorcycle you will find comfortable. Buying a bike based on looks, without a concern for handling or ergonomics, is stupid. So, learn to ride before you worry about which bike you're going to get. By the time you are ready to buy anything on Craig's List, it could be long gone.

Use What your tought at the training course, some good 'ole common sense and situational awareness once you get on the road after the course. If you do that, you'll be just fine. Good luck too ya

Kuhnfyoozed wrote:I know I should buy my bike after I know what it should feel like to me, but its still ok to drool over bikes that look cool, right?

Absolutely okay. In fact, I highly encourage it.

Goodness knows there are 2 bikes that I drool over a lot. If only they weren't so darned expensive. (Don't ask what they are. You don't need to be looking at them. They are "murder a newbie in 0.2 seconds" powerful.)

Kuhnfyoozed wrote:the seller mentions a dent in the gas tank. Should I be too concerned about that?

No, as long as it is maintaining integrity it's just a cosmetic issue. My Petrol tank has a dent roughly the size of my fist in the top of it.

Getting dents out of a tank is a pain in the arse. They can weld rods to the tank to pull the dent out and then respray. Or you can buy a replacement tank, which can be a little expensive for new parts.

I was talking to one of my managers at work, and he told me that he used to ride. He told me that he wired up a second set of brake lights that used a timer to interrupt the electric current when the light was on, so he had one set of brake lights that were always burning when the brake was on, and a second set that flashed when the brake was on.

Pretty neat stuff you can learn from guys with experience, huh? I had no idea he used to ride, either.