Buying my first motorcycle

[WORKEROUTER]

I want to ride, badly. I really just want to be able to go at early morning or night and cruise a little bit around the city/neighborhood.

Anyway, I'm looking for a cheap, starter motorcycle.

What I need are some suggestions on where to buy one.

I've been using craig's list, but the competition is fierce, and I can't really find what I'm looking for. I currently have a bid on ebay for a 1985 honda nighthawk 650, but I'm wondering about other ways or places I can try getting one.

I'm only 19 and can spend a MAX of about a grand (that's the amount I have in cash), so nothing real expensive.

 

[S1NN3R]

Something like the NightHawk will get old very fast. They are great to learn on, but after about three month, you don't even want to ride anymore.

My professional opinion (I used to roadrace bikes semi-pro, plus sold Ducatis and KTMS for three years...), is to try to save up a bit more, even if it takes you a little longer. One of the absolute best starter bikes out there is the Suzuki SV650. It is a very stable bike, with super tractable power, and a resoanbly comfy seating position, but it's much faster than it lets on, and will keep you satisfied even after you've got the hang of it. There are a few 00-02 models on eBay right now for between $1500-2000. I know that's more than you want to spend, but take my word for it, it will save you money in the long run when you're not looking to buy another bike in six months. Find one at a dealer, put $1000 down, and have $50 a month payments on it.

My next suggestion would be to find a dual sport, a street legalized dirt bike. That will help you with the basics of street riding, but it won't be obsolete when you're ready to upgrade because you can still play with it off-road.

And for you or anyone who plans on doing any street riding at all, pick up copies of Keith Code's "A Twist of the Wrist" series of books. That guy could teach a blind paraplegic to win the SuperBike World Championship, and every bit of that knowledge is helpful on the street.

 

[WORKEROUTER]

I'm only 19. Do you think I could still get financed?

 

[S1NN3R]

With 40-50% down, it's possible if not likely, as long as you don't have any derogatories on your report like late payments on revolving accounts or collections. So if you find a bike for $2400 and you go in with $1000 cash, your odds are pretty good.

Besides, it's worth checking out anyway. The worst they can do is say no, and one inquiry on your report isn't as detrimental as most people think. Just don't go applying at 15 different dealers, only apply when you're ready to buy.

 

[spam]

Don't forget to buy gear. Unless u plan on breaking bones and grazing skin. For my first bike I got a 1998 kawasaki ninja 250. In Australia, u have to ride around on a 250 before u can get your big bike license. Its sucky now as I've been riding it for about 7 months and want something faster, but starting on a 250 is a very good idea IMO.

 

[Bible_Belt]

http://www.cycletrader.com/

I had a Suzuki gs500e as a starter bike:
http://www.devin.com/img/gs500e-black-factory.jpeg
Mine was a 91. I bought and sold it for about $1,400.

Like my old gs500e, there is a line of sport bikes now referred to as "half-faired" because they don't have the full plastic fairing. Plastic is easy to break and expensive to fix, so you really don't want to start on a bike with a big shiny fairing. The Suzuki Bandit is another half-faired model. You can type "half-faired" into Google image search to find more.

And I second the suggestion about the gear. Leather from Wilson's or any non-motorcycle source is going to disintegrate when you hit the ground. Here is a video of a 160 kph bicycle crash. The guy has a full suit on, but his helmet falls off. At the end, you can see that his face is all road rash.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-162891478515007486

Also, take the safety course. It's simple, but they will teach useful information that will make you a better driver of cars as well.

 

[Wiesman44]

Wait until you have $3-6k to spend on a bike. it will be well worth it. I have a Suzuki Gsx-r 600. just bout it a month ago actually. Been wanting one since I was 18, but I finally had $6,000 to spend on a bike now when I'm 22.

Well worth the wait. Don't rush in to buying a cheap piece of shlt. At the same time don't buy a brand new bike. ANything in the $3-$6k range should be fine. Just don't buy anything over 600cc unless you want to lose some apendages.

 

[WORKEROUTER]

Thanks for all the advice.

In terms of what I want it for, it's really for just fun riding around my area mainly, and maybe places that aren't too busy with cars. There's a big nearby bridge that becomes really empty early early morning, and I figure that would be pretty damn cool to ride on sometime.

I just want to be able to cruise during early summer mornings or late afternoons a little bit. I want to keep fairly safe, so I don't plan on taking it out on areas with lots of cars or during busy traffic times.

I'm looking for a real basic bike for this purpose this summer, and I think maybe an inexpensive nighthawk or gs500 would be cool for this.

 

[WORKEROUTER]

Why is it that I can't seem to find any bike under $2000 in all these sites?

I'm just looking for a basic older bike that's affordable for me, but I can't seem to find anything.