Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Hey folks... new to the forum here. I've been riding off and on for the last 3 years. I've only got about 500 miles of experience under my belt, but I feel like I've got a pretty good grasp on the basics. I live in the mountains 10 miles from Santa Cruz, CA, so I'm still working on just how hard I can turn and turning on poor surfaces.

My neighbor lets me ride his Honda 81 CM400T which I really like. It's just quite a bit too small for my 6'1 self. My knees are just popping up too high. It is adequately powerful, but I'd like something with just a little more oomph. I think these 80's cruisers are the sexiest bikes of all... they remind me of the WW2 Airplanes I love so much, yet they are not so old that parts are expensive. Can anyone suggest something similar to the Honda CM400T that is taller? I love Hondas, but I'm open to suggestions. I'm thinking $1000 - $1500, and something for which parts are VERY readily available. I don't mind working on bikes for minor stuff. Also, I'm more interested in semi-rural mountain roads than highway use.


Thanks
Dubious

Just to make sure you know what you like, the CM400 is a standard bike not a cruiser. So if you like the seating position and the foot controls' position then it's a standard you want and likely a CB750 would fit you. It should meet your price range and the little more ooomph criteria too (actually a fair bit more oomph), look for late 80's early 90's models.

Hmmm... I stand corrected. Standard. I'm not sure I like the seating position, I feel like I would be happier sitting further back. I actually looked on the internet for seats that dont have a rise for the rear passenger. Sometimes when I'm getting tired I just sit up on the rear passenger seat... but then I'm too high. Maybe I dont like the seating position cuz the length to the pegs is too low. I just plum dont know.

I love the looks of the vulcan, but there aren't any anywhere near my price range on craigslist.

Yamaha Maxim, Kawasaki KZ550, KZ650, KZ750, Honda CB750.

I guess the CM400 is a standard rather than a cruiser, but it is a low standard with pullback bars. My first bike back in 84 was a new 81 CB400T that I traded in on a 82 CB750K about 6 months and 6000 miles later. After putting about 80k miles on the 750, I picked up a like new 81 CM400A. The CM400 seat is about 2" lower than the CB400 seat and the CB has taller flatter bars, would fit you better than a CM. I was about 6-2 and 240# then and had to swing my knee out to miss the bars on the CM in making a u-turn, no problem moving along though.

Think you might be happy with the CB750 suggested above or any of the taller seat models of japanese bikes of the era. They are all quite similiar and in buying an older japanese bike the condition of the bike your considering is more important than the make. My son bought a 78 GS750 Suzuki new way back then and they had a choice of tall and short seat models too, as I recall the Suzuki T and E models were taller and the L models had the lower seats.

I've ridden a couple GS500s for the past 8 years and 120k miles and they've been to the mountains to play and I found them to be quite adequate in the mountains of upper NY state and down in the Smoky mountains in VA, NC, and TN when well ridden.

gsJack wrote:...or any of the taller seat models of japanese bikes of the era. They are all quite similiar and in buying an older japanese bike the condition of the bike your considering is more important than the make.

Why is that?