Total Motorcycle Community Forums

... for a newbie's first bike?

I am looking for my first bike and am wondering what limit I should place on the age of a bike? I was told "about 10 years" is as old as one should go, not necessarily for the age of the bike itself, but because PARTS get hard to come by. I'd bet it would depend on the make/model of bike, so I'll say that I am looking for a Kawasaki Ninja 500 or 650 or a Suzuki SV650.

I'm currently interested in a 2001 Ninja 500 and a 2006 Ninja 650, but found a low-mileage (7300 mile) 1994 for a good price, too. I don't mind older if it's up to snuff and I can still get parts.

Thanks for any wisdom.

I had a 15yr old first bike. But parts for the FZR were pretty easy to come across.

But... you have to be prepared to do some work yourself. A lot of shops won't even look at a bike over 10 years old. I ran into this problem when some of my wiring was off (my horn and headlights would not work at the same time... so I ended up having to figure this out myself).

EDIT: 7300 miles in 15 years? Hm... Low miles aren't always necessarily a good thing. The bike may have been sitting for a long time, which will = a much bigger headache for you.

I bought a 1983 Honda cb550sc last year and love it.
PacificShot327 is correct about dealers not wanting to work on older bikes but if you are good with tools I would not hesitate to buy a older bike. The systems are fairly simple on older bikes and (for me at least) parts are not hard to find on the net. If you find a bike you like do a google search for parts and see just how hard to find they are for you. (see if you can find a shop manual olso, makes things a whole lot simpler)

There are a few local independent mechanics who will do work for me if the jobs too much for me.

Waylander

Oddly enough, parts for my '76 cb360t are pretty easy to come by, some are a little expensive but you get get a lot of stuff that's nos still new in the box. Just remember that if you get an older bike...you're going to have a little more work to do when it comes to regular maint. and might have to do a bit of work to get the bike running right.

I have and ride an '87 Kawasaki Concours, a '79 Kawasaki KZ750B, a '79 Yamaha XS750F, and a '74 BMW R90/6. I guess you could say that I like old bikes

Old bikes can be a bargain and can be just as reliable as new bikes. I prefer old bikes because many styles are not available today new. For example try getting a new 400cc street bike. They are not made.

Check to ensure the bike had a long production run, like at least 4 years. Check eBay for used parts. The Ninja 500 has been around and essentially unchanged for a long time.

As already stated, old bikes need TLC, so you need to learn to wrench. Get a repair manual and with a small set of tools you'll be Ok. Bikes that sit rot away. Bikes need to be run to stay healthy. Old bikes might cost you if parts need to be replaced, so factor these into your budget. Tires, chain/rear sprocket, battery may need to be changed. You should like wrenching if you want to own an older bike.

In Toronto, depreciation on a bike does not significantly go down after 4-5 years, so if you're looking at a 2001 it won't be more expensive than a 2005.

I wouldn't go under a 2000 if your unexperienced with fixing bikes yourself you want something reliable

I just bought my first bike today, belongs to a neighbor, its a 1980 Honda CX500 with a fairing, runs fairly good though it sounds like the carbs need some cleaning, it has a broken bolt on the front guard so it looks like someone dropped it, and for my neck of the woods being up here in rural Alaska at a $1,000 its cheap, not as cheap as in the lower 48 but around here you cannot get a mid sized running bike for less than $2500 unless its an urgent sale like someone moving out of state.

PacificShot327 wrote: EDIT: 7300 miles in 15 years? Hm... Low miles aren't always necessarily a good thing. The bike may have been sitting for a long time, which will = a much bigger headache for you.

I'll have to agree with this. I bought a '99 Marauder with only like 6000 miles on it and ended up with a $3k repair bill within a year due to a crank bearing getting shredded. Low miles aren't always bad, but if the owner didn't winterize it, then you might be in for a rough deal.

Greg . wrote:... I'd bet it would depend on the make/model of bike, so I'll say that I am looking for a Kawasaki Ninja 500 or 650 or a Suzuki SV650.

I'm currently interested in a 2001 Ninja 500 and a 2006 Ninja 650, but found a low-mileage (7300 mile) 1994 for a good price, too. I don't mind older if it's up to snuff and I can still get parts...

Check eBay for a specific bike model. If eBay has pages of parts then you're good. All the Ninjas have been essentially unchanged for a decade or so, so you can't go wring. Also check out the GS500 and the Vulcan 500. Parts are plentiful for all these bikes.

Note that heavy depreciation on new bikes slows down after 4-5 years, so there may be little incremental savings after this period.