Not Your Typical "First Bike" Question

[OgreFunk]

I'm looking to start riding and am planning to take a Basic Riding class soon (possibly next weekend). I am leaning towards a cruiser, but plan to follow the advice I've read here on the forums and will try out each type before I buy. That being said, the look of the street bikes and the idea of riding hunched over aren't too appealing to me.

I've read the advice of not going over 50hp and/or 600cc and plan to follow this as well, but here is where the unusual (possibly) part comes in. I've also had an interest lately of getting into classic autos, something I could work on, tinker around and learn about the mechanics of it all. From what I've read and been told older cars are easier to work on because of the more open spaces and less electronics involved in the vehicle operations.

With these two interests in mind I decided to combine them and try to find a good starter bike recommendation for a classic older style motorcycle I can get relatively cheap, tinker with and enjoy working on as much as riding. My uncle has an old 1961 BSA, but I don't think he's giving that up yet, and my cousin will probably take it when he does.

Thanks, in advance, for any recommendations you may have.

[ceemes]

I'm looking to start riding and am planning to take a Basic Riding class soon (possibly next weekend). I am leaning towards a cruiser, but plan to follow the advice I've read here on the forums and will try out each type before I buy. That being said, the look of the street bikes and the idea of riding hunched over aren't too appealing to me.

I've read the advice of not going over 50hp and/or 600cc and plan to follow this as well, but here is where the unusual (possibly) part comes in. I've also had an interest lately of getting into classic autos, something I could work on, tinker around and learn about the mechanics of it all. From what I've read and been told older cars are easier to work on because of the more open spaces and less electronics involved in the vehicle operations.

With these two interests in mind I decided to combine them and try to find a good starter bike recommendation for a classic older style motorcycle I can get relatively cheap, tinker with and enjoy working on as much as riding. My uncle has an old 1961 BSA, but I don't think he's giving that up yet, and my cousin will probably take it when he does.

Thanks, in advance, for any recommendations you may have.

Pretty much any Japanese bike made prior to 1985 and of course old Brit bikes and Harley's are all pretty tool friendly, fun to ride and relatively cheap to buy. After around 85 things started to get a bit more complex with the advent of computerized EFI, plastic body components, and attempting to cram larger engines and more exotic suspension/braking components into a small or in some cases minimum frame.

I use to ride motorcycle courier back in the late 80's and early 90's and rode Honda CM 400's, CB650's and Kawasaki KZ550's and did much of the maintenance and wrenching on them myself. All were very clean bikes to work on for the most part and fairly easy to get at various bits and pieces that needed replacing or fixing.

[TDC]

I also like to tinker on things. My first bike was a '72 CB350 I bought about three and a half years ago. Paid $200. Got it running and going down the road. It was a great starter bikedue to it's size and weight and it is easy to work on.

That being said, There are drawbacks to older bikes as starter bikes. First is it can be hard to concentrate on the task at hand while riding without worring about all the bumps,squeaks,and rattles associated with old bikes. There is also something to be said about modern brakes and controls.

TDC

[havegunjoe]

I can’t give any advice to this question as I would rather be riding than tinkering. Tinkering usually turns into a major project I have found. Spring/summer/fall are too short here in MN to waste any good days with the bike down.

[JC Viper]

You can always use Craigslist and will probably find a nice Kawasaki KZ model or Honda CB in your area for a low price.

I had a Vulcan 500 and it was a great bike and it made me realize that I would've been better off using that bike as a beginner bike instead of a 250. It has great power but it's still forgiving to new riders and is faster than most 650 and 750cc cruisers so the chances of outgrowing within a year is reduced.

Another thing is that it's styled like an older bike but is modern and more reliable in most conditions. Being liquid cooled and having a decent temp sensor the bike doesn't bog down in heat as long as coolant levels are within spec. You can tinker with the bike as it will be like most smaller bikes and have limited, if any, electronics (I think that the starter and cooling fan are the only electronic bits on it and it has no EFI). Just don't expect a large offering of aftermarket parts to tune it up.