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i currently have a 1978cx500 (honda).....and im looking for another bike though about same as mine its going to be a upgrade since im pretty sure im going to give my current bike to my friend when he gets back from IRAQ as a sort of welcome home alive thing...lol....

im looking for 2 cylinder, (500-550cc)

hoping around 500lbs (not required),

40+MPG, more the better

hoping for a manual start as well as electric (would prefer separate electoral systems so if necessary kick would still work if bat. dead) also fine with just manual start (ie kick) my current has push start i dont like it but its better then nothing...

cruiser type/ standard

year doesnt matter too much to me as long as its a bullet proof design...

im looking to spend between $0-$1000ish...(hoping)

clearly an bike with some age on it...hoping around late 80's-90's maybe newer???

i like easy engine/bike to work on (dreaming)

im looking for reliability i know the cx was thats why i got it...

I would like to try something else beside a cx...i have been on a cb400(its what i learned on..it was good a bit rough, but i believe that was due to the mods on it lol)

ill think of more im sure but this should be a start btw im 210lbs and about 5'10" and have been riding for over a year...


THANKS!!

I think if you got a little more realistic in what you want and how much you want to spend you would get more results, but then that's just my opinion.

well thanks for the concern but i also posted on other forums and the results were suz gs, kaw KZ, Yam XS, and honda cb....asking for what i did isnt unrealistic thought it does limit my choices....which im fine with because im not going to ride anything...

Mid 80s KZ550 or GPZ 550 would fit the bill except for the kickstart. I'm pretty sure they were one of the first KZs without kickstart. No matter, the bike is light and since it has 4 little cylinders, it's pretty easy to bump start if the battery is dead. It's an excellent performer and solid as a rock.

Oops. Just noticed that you specified a 2 cyl. Well, if that's really the case, than whoever recommended a KZ was mistaken (like me). The KZ 400 and the KZ 750 came in 2 cyl configs (with elec. and kickstart), but they don't meet your 500-550cc criteria.

Looks like you'll have to make some compromises somewhere.

BTW - The Kaw EN500 is a cruiserish vertical twin that might fit the bill, but comes with electric start only.

flynrider wrote:Mid 80s KZ550 or GPZ 550 would fit the bill except for the kickstart. I'm pretty sure they were one of the first KZs without kickstart. No matter, the bike is light and since it has 4 little cylinders, it's pretty easy to bump start if the battery is dead. It's an excellent performer and solid as a rock.

Oops. Just noticed that you specified a 2 cyl. Well, if that's really the case, than whoever recommended a KZ was mistaken (like me). The KZ 400 and the KZ 750 came in 2 cyl configs (with elec. and kickstart), but they don't meet your 500-550cc criteria.

Looks like you'll have to make some compromises somewhere.

BTW - The Kaw EN500 is a cruiserish vertical twin that might fit the bill, but comes with electric start only.

I had a coupe of KZ 550's that I used for courier work years ago. Good bikes, light, nimble, well balance, peppy and not bad for highway riding. They as flynrider stated, inline fours.