Looking for a motorcycle...help

[Sleeping Giant]

I need some tips/advice/suggestions on buying a used motorcycle. Up until recently, I've only been interested in certain sports bikes. Recently, I realized that when I thought about a "regular" type of motorcycle, which I guess are called cruisers(?), that I was no longer as turned-off as I used to be. So, I've been looking online (mainly eBay) to try to see if there were any particular makes/models that interested me.

My first thought was to look to Harley-Davidson, since that they have a wide variety of non-sports bikes. Well, just about any Harley worth owning is too expensive for me, so forget that. I did learn something about my tastes, though. When looking at the Sportsters, I realized that I did not like them because the seats are more on top of the bike and the gas tanks are relatively small and narrow. What I would like is a bike that you more sit in, rather than on. The seat should be pretty low in the frame, in other words. Also, I would prefer a wider fuel tank, something that gives the bike a little substance and doens't make it look anorexic. I do not like ape-hanger handle bars; a small amount of rise might be OK, but not too much. No windscreen!

A Harley-Davidson "Fat Boy" would probably be perfect, except for the price. I'm looking for something under $2000, and I mean something that runs well and safely now, not a "project bike". Other makes/models I have seen that might fit the bill include Honda's Shadow (didn't like the Magna too much), Kawasaki's Vulcan line, or Suzuki's Intruder line.

Now, this is not a "want to buy" post. What I'm looking for is if anyone can point me to some websites where I can get some good info on these and similar bikes so I can find out which are good and which aren't, maintenance, care, etc. Or share your own personal experiences. Thanks!

 

[Sharky]

Suzuki Intruders are nicely detailed and smoooooth. I have always liked those. I had a 1982 Suzuki GS1000E that I loved, that sucker was sweet, I can vouch for Suzuki reliability and quality.

You might try the Cycle Trader if you haven't already. They put out a weekly booklet, sold at convenience stores from a rack near the newspapers. I don't know what part of the country you are in, but they are all over the southeast.

They also have a website: http://www.cycletrader.com/

Good luck with your hunt, be patient and you can find a good one.

One little tip: two words - shaft drive!

 

[chcr]

Suzuki Intruders are nicely detailed and smoooooth. I have always liked those. I had a 1982 Suzuki GS1000E that I loved, that sucker was sweet, I can vouch for Suzuki reliability and quality.

You might try the Cycle Trader if you haven't already. They put out a weekly booklet, sold at convenience stores from a rack near the newspapers. I don't know what part of the country you are in, but they are all over the southeast.

They also have a website: http://www.cycletrader.com/

Good luck with your hunt, be patient and you can find a good one.

One little tip: two words - shaft drive!

Sure that wasn't a GS1100E? The 1000 in 82 was the GS1000S Katana. I have an 82 GS1100E myself. Re SG's question though, if your set on a cruiser the Intruder 750 (700 in the eighties) is a good choice, as would any of the other Japanese mid-size cruisers. If this is going to be your first bike, I'd like to suggest a Suzuki GS500E. About the last of the UJMs (Universal Japanese Motorcycle). Easy to learn on, sporty enough and powerful enough that you won't outgrow it too quickly and much easier on the old back (IMO) than a cruiser. Also very easy to work on. The Buell Blast or Suzuki SV 600 are other good choices but are probably beyond your price range. There are a lot of clean used low mileage GS500E's around. The cycle trader for your area is a good place to look. Ebay's another good place. I'm personally not a great proponent of shaft drive, but it is low maintenance. Good Luck!

 

[Uki Chick]

I need some tips/advice/suggestions on buying a used motorcycle.

Or share your own personal experiences. Thanks!

Unless you plan on being extremely careful driving it, don't buy one.

Personal experience, they're cool and all, but my friend just got killed on one.

Good Luck!

 

[Sharky]

Uki Chick is absolutely right. Riding motors is very risky business. Even if you are very experienced, and are a careful and alert rider, there's always going to be the chance that a car will turn in front of you, or nail you in an intersection. Be alert, be visible, wear the best helmet you can afford, always wear long pants, gloves, and boots (and leathers if possible). I ALWAYS had two fingers on the front brake. (sorry about your friend, Uki, that is sad. )

chcr, I think it was an '82, but I'm absolutely certain that it was a GS1000E. I still have the owner's manual in a file cabinet at home, when I get home I'll look and see what year model it was. I found a pic of one that looks exactly like mine did, color and all. The only difference is that I had a tank bag and a plexi-fairing windshield.

 

[Sleeping Giant]

Thanks for the advice so far.

One of my cousins was killed while riding a motorcycle. This was about 20 years ago, and he was around 18, or maybe not quite 18 yet. There was no other vehicle involved; for whatever reason, he lost control, went down, and slid off the road and hit his head on a concrete drainage thing. I believe that he wasn't wearing a helmet, but I believe that a helmet wouldn't have helped him, given the the circumstances (he broke his neck, which was the official casue of death, I believe).

Riding a motorcycle can be a tricky affair, I understand that. Sometimes I watch races on TV; just last night, I saw a rider go off one side of the track, get back on, wobble, go off the other side of the track, get back on, wobble a bit more, and keep on going; in the space of three seconds, there were about a dozen times that he should have went down, but didn't. On the other hand, I've seen riders go down going in a straight line at relatively low speed. In the current issue of Sport Rider, there is an editorial about how the editor dropped a test bike at about 20mph. The editor said that he was concentrating more on setting up the photographer for a good shot than riding the bike, and he used that, and some similar instances involving himself or others, to talk about how one always needs to be 100% concentrated on riding the bike, not thinking about what's for dinner or looking at the cute guy/girl in the convertible next to you or whatever. The same is true for driving anything, of course, but the consequences are potentially worse for yourself if you lapse in concentration on a motorcycle.

That GS1000E, although it looks like a fine ride, isn't exactly what I'm looking for. You see, the seat is rather flat, and the gas tank is rather flat, and, well, the entire top of the motorcycle is rather flat. I'm looking for something much more curvy; the best way I can describe it is, as I said earlier, more something one sits in rather than on. I've looked at some other GS1000 models on eBay to see some other photos, and as is clearly evident in the photo above, this is an inline-4 model. Given that, and also some shaping cues (the boxy tail section...), not to mention the name "GS", I have to wonder: Was this the forerunner of the later GSXR superbikes? Was this an early sports bike? If so, it's pretty amazing how far they've come. When did sports bikes start getting bodywork?

Now, here are three specific questions. Please answer if you know the answer absolutely to be correct, 100%, no guessing.

1. What kind of motorcycle was Fonzy riding in the opening title sequence from the television series "Happy Days"?

2. What kind of motorcycle did Tom Cruise's character ride several times in the 1986 movie "Top Gun"?

3. What kind of motorcyle did Arnold Schwarzeneggar's Terminator charactor ride in the movie "Terminator 2: Judgement Day"?

I don't know the answers to any of these questions, but have always wanted to know. Thanks!

 

[chcr]

The GS1000 deal was just a side conversation between Sharky and I. We weren't seriously suggesting that one. Yes, the GS was the forerunner of the GSXR. Ninjas were the first bikes to get full body work. 1984 900 Ninja if memory serves. Of course you could buy racing bodywork for your bike long before that. The bike in Top Gun was a Ninja, but I don't remember now if it was the 900. The Fonz's bike changed. In later years it was a Triumph 650 but the first year I think it was something like a Honda 160. I remember it was not a period bike and that was a big deal. The terminator bike was a Harley (I think), but I don't know which one.

 

[Spliffy]

They only time id give up bikes is when im dead. Motorbikes are in my blood.

 

[Sharky]

chcr, this weekend I dug into the Piles of Stuff I Keep for No Apparent Valid Reason and found the owner's manual for my Zuke. It was a 1980 GS1000E.
I also found the manual for my old 1971 Yamaha DT-1E Enduro bike. Reading those manuals brought back a lot of memories.

 

[chcr]

chcr, this weekend I dug into the Piles of Stuff I Keep for No Apparent Valid Reason and found the owner's manual for my Zuke. It was a 1980 GS1000E.
I also found the manual for my old 1971 Yamaha DT-1E Enduro bike. Reading those manuals brought back a lot of memories.

Heh. My very first bike was a Yamaha enduro. I don't remember the model anymore, but it was a 175cc and a '74.

 

[Spliffy]

My first was a Yamaha RD 125. I found the haynes manual out the other day. The most dirty pages were the fly wheel removal pages lol.